Posts for Ticker ‘UA’

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (AMZN, BAC, BA, BSX, F, LEAP, PCS, SPR, UA, WEN)

These are this Tuesday’s top 10 analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls which we have seen early in the morning:

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Raised to Outperform at RBC Capital Markets.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) Raised to Equal Weight at Barclays.
Leap Wireless (NASDAQ: LEAP) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Metro PCS (NYSE: PCS) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Spirit Aerosystems (NYSE: SPR) Cut To Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA) Started as Outperform at William Blair.
Wendy’s/Arby’s (NYSE: WEN) Cut to Neutral at UBS; Started as Neutral at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

You can join our open email distribution list to get updates on top analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader alerts, IPO’s, secondary offerings, Warren Buffett and other guru activity, M&A and more.

Jon C. Ogg
October 20, 2009

Posted on: October 20, 2009 – 7:45 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades/Downgrades (BSX, DWA, ETFC, FSLR, LVS, MSFT, MOS, POT, UPS, UA)

These are the top 10 analyst calls for upgrades and downgrades seen early this Monday morning from Wall Street research firms:
Boston Scientific (BSX) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
DreamWorks Animation (DWA) Raised to Outperform at William Blair.
E*TRADE Financial (ETFC) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
First Solar (FSLR) Cut to Sell at Soleil.
Las Vegas Sands (LVS) Raised to Buy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Microsoft (MSFT) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
Mosaic (MOS) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
UPS (UPS) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Under Armour (UA) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: September 14, 2009 – 8:18 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AZN, BDN, CHA, HURN, PRU, PETM, RF, SOL, RDS-B, TWB, UA)

These are Thursday’s top ten analyst research summary upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wall Street brokerage firms:

AstraZeneca (AZN) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Brandywine Realty (BDN) Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
China Telecom (CHA) Raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
Huron Consulting (HURN) Raised to Neutral from Underperform at at Baird.
Prudential (PRU) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
PetSmart (PETM) Cut to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Regions Financial (RF) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
ReneSola (SOL) Raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-B) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Tween Brands (TWB) Raised to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
Under Armour (UA) Cut to Underweight from Hold at KeyBanc.

JON C. OGG
August 20, 2009

Posted on: August 20, 2009 – 7:48 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , , ,

Top Analyst Downgrades (ARB, DB, ETFC, FPL, HXL, M, SFD, UA, ZUMZ)

These are most of the top early bird pre-market downgrades and negative research calls we have seen from Wall Street analysts this Wednesday morning:

Arbitron (ARB) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Deutsche Bank (DB) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
E*TRADE (ETFC) Cut to Underperform at FBR.
FPL Group (FPL) Cut to Hold at KeyBanc.
Hexcel (HXL) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Macy’s (M) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Smithfield Foods (SFD) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.
Under Armour (UA) Cut to Sell at Wedbush Morgan.
Zumiez (ZUMZ) Cut to Sell at UBS.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: April 29, 2009 – 6:55 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , ,

Top Analyst Downgrades (AKAM, BMY, KMX, ESLR, GOL, HGSI, MON, SCHN, TDC, UA, DIS, WFMI)

These are the top pre-market analyst downgrades and negative research calls we have seen from Wall Street early this Friday morning:

Akamai Tech (AKAM) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
CarMax (KMX) Cut to Underperform at Wachovia.
Evergreen Solar (ESLR) Started as Sell at Canaccord Adams.
GOL Linhas Areas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
Monsanto (MON) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) Cut to Sell at UBS.
Teradata (TDC) Started as Underweight at Thomas Weisel.
Under Armour (UA) Cut to “Negative” at Susquehanna.
Walt Disney (DIS) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Whole Foods (WFMI) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: April 3, 2009 – 7:04 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Goldman Sachs Disses Sporting Apparel (UA, COLM, NKE)

goldman-sachs-logoIf you thought things were tough in the economy for retailers and apparel manufacturers, Goldman Sachs thinks they are going to get worse.   Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA), Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM), and Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) were all part of the pessimistic call.
Read More »

Posted on: February 24, 2009 – 9:33 am in Analyst Calls, Apparel, Retail, , ,

Piper Jaffray Downgrades Under Armour (UA) to Sell on Valuation; Timing Difficult For Expansion

Piper Jaffray & Co. downgraded Under Armour (NYSE: UA) from neutral to sell. Its lowered its price target by $1 to $16, citing near term headwinds for domestic discretionary spending and deteriorating gross margin.

Piper’s analyst says, "We believe in the long term growth prospects for UA; however, near term headwinds for domestic discretionary spending coupled w/ gross margin deterioration from unfavorable mix and premium price point product does not justify the current multiple on our est. for earnings in FY09."

Read more….

Posted on: January 30, 2009 – 9:06 am in Uncategorized,

Top Pre-Market Analyst Downgrades (ALL, AZN, ETFC, FITB, JNPR, QCOM, RF, RYAAY, SEPR, HOT, TKR, TWC, TROW, UA, VE, ZNT)

These are some of the many pre-market downgrades and negative calls we have seen from Wall Street analysts this Friday morning:
Allstate (ALL) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
AstraZeneca (AZN) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
E*TRADE (ETFC) Cut to Underperform at Raymond James.
Fifth Third (FITB) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
Juniper Networks (JNPR) Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
Qualcomm (QCOM) Cut to Hold at Societe Generale.
Regions Financial (RF) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
Ryanair (RYAAY) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Sepracor (SEPR) Cut to Sell at Piper Jaffray.
Starwood Hotels (HOT) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
Timken (TKR) Cut to Hold at KeyBanc.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) Cut to Sell at Collins Stewart.
T. Rowe Price (TROW) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Under Armour (UA) Cut to Sell at Piper Jaffray.
Veolia Environnement (VE) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.
Zenith National Insurance (ZNT) Cut to Market Perform at FBR; Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
Jon C. Ogg
January 30, 2009

Posted on: January 30, 2009 – 8:01 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nike Skirts Around Recession, So Far (NKE, UA)

Nike_logoNike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) seems to be avoiding the recession so far.  Not entirely, but much better than other we have seen. The sports apparel giant made a profit of $391 million, or $0.80 EPS.  It posted roughly an 6% gain in revenue from last year’s quarter to $4.6 billion.  The estimates from Thomson Reuters (First Call) were $0.79 EPS and $4.73 billion in revenue.

Read More »

Posted on: December 17, 2008 – 5:01 pm in Apparel, Earnings, ,

Cramer’s Week of Shotgun Merger Proposals (RTP, AA, BHP, FCX, ITW, MTW, NKE, UA, PFE, AGN)

Cramer_imageJim Cramer came on CNBC’s MAD MONEY this week with several ideas for shotgun  marriage merger proposals he wanted to throw out there where he was calling for more mergers from the cash rich companies. 

Cramer’s Friday evening picks may have gotten some interest last year or even earlier this year, but these involve two companies which have already had their fair share of merger issues and non-events this year on top of the commodity bubble bursting.  Cramer believes that Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) should buy Alcoa (NYSE: AA) before the antitrust powers are able to actually block mergers.  Cramer also thinks BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) should go buy Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) now that the forced selling has taken the stock down to $16.00 to take over the copper and minerals mining giant.

Read More »

Posted on: December 5, 2008 – 6:52 pm in Cramer, Mergers and Buy Outs, , , , , , , , , ,

Cramer Calls For More Buyouts (JNJ, MNT, AGN, PFE, ITW, MTW, NKE, UA)

Cramer_imageOn tonight’s MAD MONEY on CNBC, Jim Cramer called for companies with high cash balances to make acquisitions while competitors are dirt cheap and vulnerable.  Yesterday, Cramer called for Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) to acquire Allergan (NYSE: AGN) now that Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) decided to take out Mentor Corp. (NYSE: MNT) for a huge premium.  We recently pondered whether that deal really made Allergan worth less money or more money over the competition.  Allergan has been battered as many "self improvements and enhancement surgeries" are being put off because the public is having a major money pinch.  Tonight, Cramer gave two more merger candidates and suitors. 

Read More »

Posted on: December 4, 2008 – 11:43 pm in Cramer, Mergers and Buy Outs, , , , , , , ,

Can Under Armour Outrun The Recession? (UA)

Under_armour_logoUnder Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) is set to report earnings on Tuesday around 7:00 AM EST.  The sporting apparel operation is expected to post earnings of $0.50 per share on $227.4 million in revenue.  For the current quarter, the company is expected to post $0.58 EPS on $226.8 million in revenue.

Read More »

Posted on: October 27, 2008 – 12:38 pm in Apparel,

Companies Hit Hardest By Credit Crisis (AAPL)(SIRI)(CC)(DIS)(WMT)(MCD)

Updated: 31 October 2008

Angrybear_2Not all companies and industries will be hit equally hard by the consumer credit crisis. Operations such as Procter & Gamble (PG), McDonald’s (MCD), and Wal-Mart (WMT) may be safe. They either sell things people can’t do without or offer inexpensive goods and services that consumers can afford during a tough period. McDonald’s reported earnings today and its same-store sales were up in every region.The stock traded up on a day when the overall market was swamped by selling.

If the credit crisis gets substantially worse and only the most stable companies with the highest credit ratings have access to cash, some will not be able to maintain inventory. Other firms will be affected because their target consumers no longer have any discretionary income. The head of AutoNation (AN), the largest car dealer chain in the US, said that even his prime customers cannot get bank loans for new cars in many cases. "The banks are looking for every excuse possible to say no and they are saying no to good customers," Reuters quotes him as saying.

Neither set of companies has a bright future, but the ones who cannot finance their operations and inventories face almost immediate consequences

Read More »

Posted on: October 2, 2008 – 8:01 pm in Economy, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Under Armour (UA) Feeling Under-Loved

UnderShares of Under Armour (UA) closed on Wednesday at $32.92, 55% off the 52-week high of $73.40. And yet, according to an interesting company profile in today’s New York Times, "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who know what Under Armour is, and those who are just finding out." Marshal Cohen, the chief analyst for the NPD Group, told the Times that "they connect better with the consumer than any brand we’ve seen in a decade."

Read More »

Posted on: August 7, 2008 – 3:44 am in Uncategorized,

Goldman Sachs Drops Specialty Apparel Names (COLM, NKE, UA, LULU, FL, GCO, FINL, KSWS)

Goldman Sachs has noted that an analyst named Brad Cragin has left the firm, and his former targets and ratings in specialty apparel names are no longer in effect.  These are some of the specialty apparel names that have been dropped from coverage:

  • Columbia Sportswear Co. (NASDAQ: COLM),
  • Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE),
  • Under Armour (NYSE: UA),
  • lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ: LULU),

There were also many names in footwear and shoe retailing that were dropped:

  • Foot Locker (NYSE: FL)
  • Genesco (NYSE: GCO)
  • Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL)
  • K-Swiss Inc. (NASDAQ: KSWS).

As a reminder, these are not true downgrades.  This coverage was dropped as the analyst has left the firm and it appears to be in a rapid enough manner that Goldman Sachs was not able to transition coverage away to another analyst.

Jon C. Ogg
May 20, 2008

Jon Ogg produces and edits the "10 Stocks Under $10" weekly newsletter and he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

Posted on: May 20, 2008 – 6:49 am in Analyst Calls, Apparel, , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Pre-Market Analyst Calls (ANPI, BP, CBS, JRCC, WFR, SVVS, SNN, SOHU, KNOT, UA)

These are not the only analyst calls affecting shares today, but these are ten of the calls that we are focusing on this Wednesday morning:

  • Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ANPI) raised to Outperform at RBC Capital Markets.
  • BP plc (NYSE: BP) raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  • CBS (NYSE: CBS) downgraded to Market Perform at Wachovia; Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
  • James River Coal (NYSE: JRCC) raised to Buy at UBS.
  • MEMC Electronics (NYSE: WFR) downgraded to Neutral at JPMorgan.
  • SAVVIS (NASDAQ: SVVS) downgraded to Hold at Jefferies and downgraded to Equal-Weight at Lehman.
  • Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) raised to Outperform at Wachovia.
  • Sohu.com (NASDAQ: SOHU) downgraded to Perform at Oppenheimer.
  • The Knot, Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT) raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
  • Under Armour (NYSE: UA) downgraded to Hold at Citigroup.

Jon C. Ogg
April 30, 2008

Posted on: April 30, 2008 – 6:36 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Under Armour, Under Its Targets (UA)

Under Armour (NYSE: UA) has reported earnings that look like more disappointment is on the way.  The sports apparel company posted $0.06 EPS on revenues of $157.3 million, although First Call had estimates at $0.03 EPS on $153.6 million in revenues.

While this is above plan on the EPS side of the equation, this is actually a 71% drop in net income.  Gross margin was 47.6%, down from 48.7% in the prior year.

The company is also backing 2008 revenue goals of $765 to $775 million, although estimates from First Call are $775.2 million.  Unfortunately, Under Armour is backing away from the 40 to 50 basis points improvement in margins and now sees a drop of 30 basis points in margins to about 50%.  Therefore net income expectations are now $103.5 to $104.5 million, down from prior targets of $108.5 to $110.5 million.

Shares are indicated down over 8% at $35.25 in thin volume pre-market trading; and the 52-week trading range is $25.39 to $73.40 (although lowest close was $28.01 and second lowest close was $31.29).

Jon C. Ogg
April 29, 2008

Posted on: April 29, 2008 – 7:08 am in Apparel, Earnings, Earnings Warning,

Under Armour Investors Suit Up For Earnings (UA)

Tuesday in the early hours of the morning, we’ll get to see earnings out of Under Armour, Inc. (NASDAQ: UA).

The estimates for the performance apparel company from First Call are $0.03 EPS on $153.65 million in revenues.  Next quarter estimates are $0.02 EPS on $161.11 million in revenues. Estimates for fiscal Dec-2008 are $1.28 EPS on $775.28 million in revenues.

Options traders appearto be braced for a move of nearly $3.00 in either direction.  Analysts have an average price target north of $50.00, and Under Armour’s 52-week trading range is $25.39 to $73.40.  Shares closed Monday at $38.58.  We’d like to note that while shares have an intraday low of $25.39, this one really had a low close of $28.01.

With shares down by almost half from last year’s highs, we’ll all know the answer of whether this was a GARP stock or just another overestimated apparel growth story. 

Jon C. Ogg
April 28, 2008

Posted on: April 28, 2008 – 3:59 pm in Apparel, Earnings,

Under Armour: GARP or Value Trap? (UA)

Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) posted its earnings this morning, and some might be breathing a sigh of relief that the stock is only down marginally.  The sporting apparel maker posted Q4-2007 EPS of $0.34 per share on a 29% rise in revenues to $174.8 million.  First Call had estimates pegged at $0.32 EPS on revenues of $173.5 million.

We had already been warned that the company was going to see a ramping up of its ad spending for the first half, and Wall Street understood that this meant a lower bottom line.  Under Armour’s guidance for fiscal 2008 is light as it sees revenues of $765 to $775 million.  First Call has estimates at $787.87.  The company is maintaining the stance that its diluted earnings per share will be in a range of $0.03 to $0.05 for the first half of 2008.

Shares had actually indicated slightly higher in pre-market trading, but now shares are down almost 3% at $36.50.  Its 52-week trading range is $25.39 to $73.40, although this only spent two or three days over the last two weeks down under $30.00.

What is interesting is how this has fallen so far from grace after a monumental 2006 rise.  If the company would just meet prior 2008 targets, it would now have a forward P/E ratio of just under 30.  The problem is that it isn’t growing as fast as before and it is no secret that all high growth companies either reach the end of the exponential growth or at least mature. 

If you are a growth investor, the GARP (growth at reasonable price) is there.  But the best growth is behind it and all the momentum is a mere memory.  Based on its multiples, its recent performance, its current earnings performance, and more, this also looks more like a value trap than it does a value stock.  The good news on the flip-side of the coin is that it at least looks like most of the worst has been seen.  We’d also note that if the company loses too much value it would make an attractive brand target for another apparel conglomerate that wants another solid core brand under its roof.

Jon C. Ogg
January 31, 2008

Posted on: January 31, 2008 – 9:05 am in Apparel, Earnings, ,

The 52-Week Low Club (S)(UA)(STX)(C)(WFC)(BAC)(MBI)(WB)(SYMC)(YHOO)

Sprint (S) Lay-offs and weak subscriber numbers. Falls to $8.15 from 52-week high of $23.42.

Under Armour (UA) Weak forecast kills shares. Drops to $26.52 from 52-week high of $73.40.

Seagate (STX) Wall St. just not happy enough with quarterly numbers. Trades down to $19.44 from 52-week high of $28.91.

Citigroup (C) Down to $23.92 from 52-week high of $55.55.

Wells Fargo (WFC) Falls to $25.02 from 52-week high of $37.99.

Bank of America (BAC) Drops to $35.12 from 52-week high of $54.21.

MBIA (MBI) Trades off to $6.75 from 52-week high of $76.02.

Wachovia (WB) Falls to $30.39 from 52-week high of $58.80.

Symantec (SYMC) CEO concerned about business outside the US. Falls to $15 from 52-week high of $21.32.

Yahoo! (YHOO) concerns about internet ad slowdown. Falls to $20.07 from 52-week high of $34.08.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: January 18, 2008 – 4:01 pm in HI/LOW, , , , , , , , ,