24/7 Wall St. » UA

More Apparel Deals Coming? (PVH, WRC, VFC, RL, ARO, ANF, OXM, LULU, UA, COLM)

247wallst — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:16:59 +0000

Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. (NYSE: PVH) has traders and investors speculating about or pondering which other apparel companies may become acquisition targets or which could end up in ‘mergers of equals’ as companies aim to strengthen their market positions. The PVH bid to acquire Tommy Hilfiger from Apax Partners for about $3 billion is technically a leveraged deal because the market cap for PVH was around $2.3 billion before it was announced. But now PVH shares are up almost 9% around $52.00 and we saw a 52-week high this morning of $54.64.

This deal may have put others in the spotlight. Warnaco Group Inc. (NYSE: WRC), V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC), Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL), Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), Oxford Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: OXM), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU), Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA), Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: COLM) and many more are companies are now worth a second look in the sector. Most of these are more likely acquirers rather than targets, although not in all cases.

We wanted to take a sector review here on each as far as market capitalization rates, brands, and other issues which could or would come into play if more consolidation heads the way of clothing and accessories.

Warnaco Group Inc. (NYSE: WRC), with a $2.1 billion market cap, was in the M&A spotlight back during wave we saw from 2005 to 2007 when companies could get easy access to deal financing. The problem is that they are deemed a consolidator rather than a consolidation victim. In short, a buyer rather than a seller if the company has its own choice. It has brands such as Calvin Klein, Speedo, and Chaps.

V.F. Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is a monster in the sector, and one which likes owning brands. With a strong stock and a market cap close to $8.75 billion, VF can have the pick of the brands it wants to own. It has acquired The North Face, Vans, and others.

Filed under: Apparel, Mergers and Buy Outs, Private Equity, Retail, Rumors Tagged: ANF, ARO, COLM, LULU, OXM, PVH, RL, UA, VFC, WRC

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (DISH, DTV, ECA, EXPE, MMM, NFLX, PIR, SFLY, UA, UAUA)

247wallst — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:01:08 +0000

These are some of the top 10 analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls this Friday morning:

Dish Networks (NASDAQ: DISH) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) Started as Neutral at JPMorgan.
Encana Corp. (NYSE: ECA) Raised to Buy at Canaccord.
Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) Raised to Buy at Kaufman Bros.
3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Started as Market Perform at BMO Capital.
Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
ShutterFly (NASDAQ: SFLY) Raised to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) Cut to Hold at Jesup & Lamont.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear about top analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPOs and secondary offerings, ongoing day trader and options trader alerts, stock and market rumors, Buffett and guru investor news, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG
FEBRUARY 12, 2010

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: DISH, DTV, ECA, EXPE, MMM, NFLX, PIR, SFLY, UA, UAUA

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AIB, IRE, BSX, KMX, CL, COV, DWA, EXPD, SBUX, TU, UA, VALE)

247wallst — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:29:32 +0000

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen early this Thursday morning:

Allied Irish Banks (NYSE: AIB) Cut to Sell at RBS.
Bank of Ireland (NYSE: IRE) Cut to Sell at RBS.
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Dreamworks Animation (NYSE: DWA) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Expeditors International (NASDAQ: EXPD) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Telus Corp. (NYSE: TU) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) Raised to Neutral at UBS.
Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) Started as Neutral at UBS.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear about top analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPOs and secondary offerings, ongoing day trader and options trader alerts, stock and market rumors, Buffett and guru investor news, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: AIB, BSX, CL, COV, DWA, EXPD, IRE, KMX, SBUX, TU, UA, VALE

Top Analyst Positive Research Calls (AFL, AXP, CY, MRVL, PG, PRU, TIF, UA, TXN, X)

247wallst — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:45:19 +0000

These are this Tuesday’s top analyst downgrades and cautious research calls we have seen from Wall Street analyst reports:

AFLAC (NYSE: AFL) Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
American Express (NYSE: AXP) Raised to Buy at Calyon.
Cypress Semiconductor (NYSE: CY) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Marvell Technologies (NASDAQ: MRVL) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill.
Prudential (NYSE: PRU) Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list from 24/7 Wall St. to hear about ongoing day trader and options trader alerts, analyst upgrades and downgrades, stock and market rumors, Buffett and guru investor news, M&A and IPOs, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: AFL, AXP, CY, MRVL, PG, PRU, TIF, TXN, UA, X

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (APD, AKAM, FSLR, MA, MHP, MCO, NFLX, SVNT, UA, V)

247wallst — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:56:42 +0000

These are this Friday’s top ten analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls:

Air Products & Chemicals (NYSE: APD) Started as Outperform at William Blair.
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Raised to Buy at Collins Stewart.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) Started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (NYSE: MHP) Started as Buy at BofA Merrill Lynch.
Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) Started as Buy at BofA Merrill Lynch.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Savient Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SVNT) Started as Overweight at JPMOrgan.
Under Armour (NYSE: UA) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on key analyst calls, top day trader alerts, mergers and acquisitions, Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Analyst Calls, Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: AKAM, APD, FSLR, MA, MCO, MHP, NFLX, SVNT, UA, V

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

247wallst — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:45:16 +0000

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 in Analyst Calls Tagged: AMZN, BA, BAC, BSX, F, LEAP, PCS, SPR, UA, WEN

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

247wallst — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:18:11 +0000

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 in Analyst Calls Tagged: BSX, DWA, ETFC, FSLR, LVS, MOS, MSFT, POT, UA, UPS

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

247wallst — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:48:52 +0000

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 in Analyst Calls Tagged: AZN, BDN, CHA, HURN, PETM, PRU, RDS-B, RF, SOL, TWB, UA

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

247wallst — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:55:19 +0000

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 in Analyst Calls Tagged: ARB, DB, ETFC, FPL, HXL, M, SFD, UA, ZUMZ

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

247wallst — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:04:48 +0000

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 in Analyst Calls Tagged: AKAM, BMY, DIS, ESLR, GOL, HGSI, KMX, MON, SCHN, TDC, UA, WFMI