24/7 Wall St. » TLEO

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AONE, EXPE, RIMM, AMGN, MMM, AAPL, CSCO, AMSC, BG, DNKN, LO, PEP, PM, SIRI, TDC, IPSU, TSL, DMND, GRPN, TLEO, CZR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:07:40 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened a bit higher this morning, and after some volatility have managed to get to the final half hour of trading with a modest gain. Some news is leaking out about the Greek debt swap deal being done, but what’s being reported is not likely to be welcomed in by ordinary Greeks. The dollar has been down most of the day as everyone seemed to believe an announcement on the Greek debt deal was imminent. The dollar index is down -0.187% — a slight uptick from its lower level this morning — at 78.591. Crude oil is up strongly, with WTI crude up 1.15% at $99.85/barrel and Brent crude up 1.16% at $118.56/barrel. Gold settled up 0.6% at $1,741.20/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 7 points to 12,890.61 (0.05%), the NASDAQ rose more than 11 points (0.39%) to 2,927.23, and the S&P 500 rose 0.15% or 2 points to 1,351.96.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including A123 Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) cut to ‘sell’ at Wunderlich; Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) cut to ‘hold’ at S&P Capital IQ; Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) reiterated as ‘hold’ with $15 target price at Cannacord Genuity; Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) cut to ‘perform’ at Oppenheimer and named ‘Bull of the Day’ at Zacks; and 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) cut to ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) got a lift from a target price increase to $665, which we cover here. We’ve also got a story on how Apple gets 80% of the operating profit among all the phone makers.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is down -2.1% at $20.00 (here’s our coverage); American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC) is down -8.74% at $5.50; Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG) is up 5.9% at $63.25; Dunkin’ Brands Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) is down -2.35% at $28.33; Lorillard Inc. (NYSE: LO) is up 9.8% at $124.46 after posting a new 52-week high of $127.68 earlier today; Pepsico Inc. (NYSE: PEP) is down -3.6% at $64.37 (our coverage here); Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) is up 2.8% at $80.08 after setting a new 52-week high of $80.99 earlier today; Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is nearly flat at $2.19 (additional coverage here); and Teradata Corp. (NYSE: TDC) is up 10% at $63.85 after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $64.97.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Imperial Sugar Co. (NASDAQ: IPSU) is up more than 79% at $6.02. The sugar refiner and marketer said it is nearing a sale of one of its divisions.

Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) is up 20% at $11.08. The solar panel maker is getting a big boost from a report that China will add about 3,000 megawatts of solar PV generation this year, although some analysts think the total will be double that. Other Chinese solar panel makers are also getting a nice bump from the news. We have another view of the sudden rise here.

Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) is down more than -36% at $23.36 after posting a new 52-week low of $21.44 earlier today. The snack food maker will re-state accounting and that jeopardizes the deal to purchase the Pringles brand from Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG). See our coverage here.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is down more than -15% at $20.82. The Internet coupon company posted weak earnings last night. See our coverage here.

Taleo Corp. (NASDAQ: TLEO) is up more than 17% at $45.62 after posting a new 52-week high of $45.71. The maker of cloud-based software is being acquired by Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL). More coverage here and here.

Ceasars Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: CZR) is down about -3.8% at $14.80. The share price nearly doubled at yesterday’s IPO, to a high of $17.90, but the stock is coming back to earth today.

Stay tuned for Friday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Cleveland Fed president Sandra Pianalto are speakingWe have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – International trade report
9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment report
2:00 p.m. – US Treasury budget report

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: AAPL, AMGN, AMSC, AONE, BG, CSCO, CZR, DMND, DNKN, EXPE, GRPN, IPSU, LO, MMM, PEP, PM, RIMM, SIRI, TDC, TLEO, TSL

After Taleo, Looking at Other Cloud M&A ‘Hopefuls’ (SKYY, TLEO, ORCL, EQIX, AKAM, RAX, TDC, NTAP, CRM)

Administrator — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:03:57 +0000

It is a bit surprising that First Trust ISE Cloud Computing (NASDAQ: SKYY) is not trading higher than it is after a ‘cloud acquisition’ even if it is a thinly traded ETF compared to other technology funds. After the Taleo Corporation (NASDAQ: TLEO) acquisition by Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) and with the market still holding gains, it would seem likely that investors and speculators would say “more cloud mergers and buyouts are coming this way.”

What is interesting is that Taleo was not even part of this cloud ETF, and many of the ETFs components are not exactly all cloud space players. Is it fair to lump in all cloud players as targets when one is software and one is hardware? Be advised, there are some stocks which have had buyout rumors in the past listed below but there are no current rumors we have heard.

Here is the weighting of the cloud ETF’s more cloud-centric companies, with the most recent weightings and some commentary on some of the names:

Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) 3.80%…probably too expensive to acquire now on valuation metrics and with a $6.1 billion market cap.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:: AKAM) 3.72%… surged after earnings, now unlikely to be bought on the cheap by would be acquirers.

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) 3.39%… has been called a buyout candidate before but the company’s line is that it wants to remain independent.

Teradata Corporation (NYSE: TDC) 3.35%… still considered a special situation by some investors but no buyout rumors have proven true, and shares are up big after earnings.

NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) 3.22%… “The one that got away.” This used to be a buyout dream stock, but valuation got in the way. Now at over $14 billion the time may have come and gone.

Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE: CRM) 3.08%… way too expensive to acquire on a valuation basis. Cloud is everywhere here in effect as a great benefit, but this one is diversified into CRM and SaaS.

Where this gets interesting is that Taleo is a human resources software maker and perhaps not just cloud software as some of the media headlines would have suggested. The 18% premium also suggests that paying up for the cloud players is only a limited value.

Just because one buyer buys a loose cloud play in software does not translate to buyouts in hardware.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Mergers and Buy Outs, Rumors, Software Tagged: AKAM, CRM, EQIX, NTAP, ORCL, RAX, SKYY, TDC, TLEO

Morning Movers (IPSU, DMND, TLEO, IRBT, TRIP)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:18 +0000

The three major US equities indexes opened higher this morning as traders await an agreement on the still-pending Greek debt swap. The DJIA is about 39 points at about 12,923, the Nasdaq Composite is up more than 4 points at about 2,920, and the S&P 500 is about 1 point at about 1,351.

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Imperial Sugar Co. (NASDAQ: IPSU), Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND), Taleo Corp. (NASDAQ: TLEO), iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), and TripAdvisor Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP).

After the first half hour of trading this morning, Imperial Sugar is up nearly 50% at $5.03. Volume is about already more than 4x the daily average of about 430,000 shares traded. The sugar refiner and marketer said it is nearing a sale of one of its divisions.

Diamond Foods is down about -37% at $23.20 after posting a new 52-week low of $21.44 earlier this morning. Volume is already about 6x the daily average of 2.6 million shares traded. The snack food maker will re-state accounting and that jeopardizes the deal to purchase the Pringles brand from Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG). See our coverage here.

Taleo is up nearly 17% at $45.53 after posting a new 52-week high of $45.55 earlier. Volume is already about 30x the daily average of about 680,000 shares traded. The maker of cloud-based software is being acquired by Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL). More coverage here.

iRobot is down more than -31% at $26.42. Volume is about 8x the daily average of around 290,000 shares traded. The robot manufacturer lowered its Q1 and full year forecasts below expectations.

TripAdvisor is down nearly -16% at $28.88. Volume is already more than double the daily average of about 2 million shares traded. The Internet travel company projected lower revenue and higher expenses for 2012.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: DMND, IPSU, IRBT, TLEO, TRIP

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AA, CBI, ADSK, CVC, TWC, DG, HITK, CHKR, BTH, PBY, UEC, SFSF, ATHX, TLEO, THC, RECV)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:11:21 +0000

The equity markets opened strong this morning, with the Dow trading in narrow band around 140 points up all morning until about 1:30 in the afternoon. Hopeful economic news from Europe started things going in the morning, and even somewhat weak reports on non-manufacturing supply and factory orders didn’t deter traders. The sharp drop in the afternoon came after S&P warned Germany and other AAA-rated Eurozone countries that may lose their rating as a result of the turmoil in the economic and political climate. That warning also sent the dollar to a slight gain against the euro and the British pound. WTI crude is trading down about -0.2% in the late afternoon at $100.75/barrel, after rising to a gain of more than 1% earlier in the day. Gold is also down about -1.3%, at $1,724.00/ounce, it’s lowest level of the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 78points to 12,097.83 (0.65%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 29 points (1.10%) to 2,655.76, and the S&P 500 rose 1.03% or nearly 13 points to 1,257.08.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) cut to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’at Goldman Sachs. Other ratings action include Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. (NYSE: CBI) removed from ‘Conviction Buy List’ at Goldman Sachs, but maintained at ‘buy’; Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) cut to ‘sell’ from ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs; Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) cut to from ‘outperform’ to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) raised to ‘outperform’ from ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo. We include Cablevision and Time Warner in our story today about tomorrow’s release of new software for the Xbox from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) is up more than 1.6% at $40.59, after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $41.25; and Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. Inc. (NASDAQ: HITK) is down more than -9% at $38.75, after posting a new 52-week high this morning of $44.58. Earnings releases have slowed significantly this month, but there are some noteworthy reports coming after markets close today: Chesapeake Granite Wash Trust (NYSE: CHKR), Blyth, Inc. (NYSE: BTH), Pep Boys-Manny, Joe, and Jack (NYSE: PBY), and Uranium Energy Corp. (AMEX: UEC).

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

SuccessFactors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SFSF) is up more than 51%, at $39.71. The cloud-based software maker is being acquired by SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) for about $3.4 billion ($40/share). We have more coverage on this story here.

Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX) is up more than 27%, at $2.11. The stem-cell research firm, which uses adult cells not embryonic cells, is apparently back in favor after falling to a 52-week low of $1.00 just over two weeks ago.

Taleo Corp. (NASDAQ: TLEO) is up more than 21%, at $39.99, after posting a new 52-week high of $41.23. Another cloud-based solution supplier, Taleo is one of a number of cloud developer stocks jumping today on the halo effect from SAP’s acquisition of SuccessFactors.

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) is up more than 11%, at $4.66. The health care facilities operator fell more than -10% on Friday, when investors over-reacted to some downgrades in the entire sector; today’s gains are just a reaction to last week’s over-reaction.

Recovery Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: RECV) is up more than 22%, at $5.34. This small oil & gas E&P holds 137,000 net acres in the Denver-Julesberg basin in northwestern Colorado, and began trading on the Nasdaq just about one month ago.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. We have noted Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on the Dodd-Frank bill. Here are other noteworthy events scheduled for Tuesday (all times Eastern):

7:45 a.m. – International Council of Shopping Centers/Goldman Sachs weekly sales report
8:55 a.m. – International Council of Shopping Centers Redbook

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, ADSK, ATHX, BTH, CBI, CHKR, CVC, DG, HITK, PBY, RECV, SFSF, THC, TLEO, TWC, UEC

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AKS, COMV, DCI, EPR, GOOG, GBX, RNWK, RIMM, RS, SOHU, SBUX, SYMC, TLEO)

Administrator — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:56:50 +0000

These are some of this Tuesday’s key analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Comverge, Inc. (NASDAQ: COMV) Cut to Neutral at Roth Capital.
Donaldson Co. (NYSE: DCI) Removed from US Focus List at Credit Suisse.
Entertainment Properties (NYSE: EPR) Cut to Market Perform at FBR.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Cut to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late yesterday call).
Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) Started At Outperform By Wells Fargo
RealNetworks Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) Cut to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late yesterday call).
Research In Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Cut to Hold at Kaufman Bros.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (NYSE: RS) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Sohu.com (NASDAQ: SOHU) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) Maintained Buy but target Raised to $38 at Argus.
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) Raised to Buy at ISI Group.
Taleo Corp. (NASDAQ: TLEO) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about dividend trends, analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: DCI, EPR, GBX, GOOG, RIMM, RNWK, RS, TLEO

Top Analyst Upgrades (CSIQ, EXPE, FCX, JNPR, K, LNC, OWW, TLEO, THS)

247wallst — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:42:48 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades and positive research calls which we have seen from Wall Street early this Thursday morning:

Canadian Solar (CSIQ) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Expedia (EXPE) Started as Buy at Soleil.
Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Juniper Networks (JNPR) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Kellogg (K) Started as Outperform at RBC.
Lincoln National (LNC) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Orbitz Worldwide (OWW) Started as Buy at Soleil.
Taleo (TLEO) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Treehouse Foods (THS) Started as Outperform at William Blair.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: CSIQ, EXPE, FCX, JNPR, K, LNC, OWW, THS, TLEO