Caterpillar, Inc. (NYSE: CAT) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) Reiterated Buy but lowered target to $54 at Argus.
Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMY) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) Reiterated Buy and raised price target to $51 at Argus.
Interline Brands, Inc. (NYSE: IBI) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.
KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Michael Kors Holdings Limited (NYSE: KORS) Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley; Started as Outperform at Baird; Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Maintained Outperform with $100 target at Credit Suisse.
NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS) maintained Outperform but lowered estimates at Credit Suisse.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $40 at Credit Suisse; Cut to Hold at Kaufman Bros.
Union Pacific Corp. (NYSE: UNP) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $130 at Argus.
Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

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The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 3 points to 12,415.70 (-0.02%), the NASDAQ rose more than 21 points (0.81%) to 2,669.86, and the S&P 500 rose 0.29% or nearly 4 points to 1,281.05.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) maintained ‘buy’ with a $46 target price at Argus; Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) maintained ‘underperform’ and estimates cut at Needham; Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) cut to ‘hold’ at Benchmark; and VMWare Inc. (NYSE: VMW) started as ‘buy’ at Sterne Agee.

Earnings reports of note since markets closed yesterday include: Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) is down about -3.5% at $19.72; Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is up more than 5.5% at $76.70; Worthington Industries Inc. (NYSE: WOR) is down -0.6% at $17.55; and Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is up more than 4% at $32.73.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is up nearly 40% at $10.61. The biotech company reported a sales jump of 25% for its prostate cancer drug. The company is one of our top biotech picks for 2012.

Ancestry.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOM) is up more than 21% at $27.69. The internet genealogy provider reported a 22% rise in subscribers and forecast sales growth for 2012 of more than 14%.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is up nearly 17% at $30.74 after posting a new 52-week high earlier of $30.94. The sports apparel company reported a 10% same-store sales gain and raised guidance this morning. See our coverage here.

Orchard Supply Hardware Stores (NYSE: OSH) is down nearly -25% at $16.70. The home improvement store held its IPO on Monday and today provided a weak outlook for 2012.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is down more than -17% at $11.25. The bookstore chain said today that it is considering spinning off its Nook e-reader unit as a strategic option. Our coverage is available here.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is down more than -10% at $13.61. The clothing retailer slashed its fourth-quarter profit guidance by nearly a quarter.

Stay tuned for Friday. Federal Reserve Governors Elizabeth Duke and Sarah Bloom Raskin are speaking, as are Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren and New York Fed President William Dudley. Here are the noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 8:30 a.m. – Employment reports, including non-farm payrolls
• 3:00 p.m. – US Treasury STRIPS

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Paul Ausick

Teen stores Buckle and Zumiez battered expectations, while Gap and Wet Seal both missed expectations badly.

Data from CNBC.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down less than 1 point to 12,019.42 (-0.01%), the NASDAQ rose less than 1 point (0.03%) to 2,626.93, and the S&P 500 fell 0.02% or less than 1 point to 1,244.28. Folks, that’s flat!

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) raised to ‘buy’ at KeyBanc. Other ratings action Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) started as ‘hold’ at KeyBanc; Western Refining Inc. (NYSE: WNR) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; Sina Corp. (NASDAQ: SINA) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; and Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) cut to ‘neutral’ at Citigroup.

Here are today’s big post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading:
Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is down -8.6%% at $36.34; Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is up 23.9% at $28.95; Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY) is up 3.4% at $47.82; and Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS) is down -3.1% at $48.08.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCWD) is up 29.7% at $12.61. The freight hauler concluded a 1-for-300 reverse split that drove the share price to $9 from $0.03.

Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) is up about 7% at $31.30. The computer disk drive maker announced that it was resuming operations at one of its flooded Thai plants and raised its revenue estimate for the current quarter. More details here.

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) is down about -9.6% at $16.79. The smartphone and tablet maker announced an inventory writedown of $485 million for unsold PlayBook tablets and said that full-year earnings would be lower. Detailed coverage here.

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) is down more than -10% at $4.20. The health care facilities operator likely is suffering from a lowered target price from BMO Capital Markets with rating of ‘market perform’.

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is down nearly -7% at $1.74. The solar PV maker is likely giving back gains made over the past two days. The was little reason for the gain in the first place, so that investors are taking it back should be no surprise.

Stay tuned for Monday. We have noted a speech due from Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans and short-term Treasury bill auctions in the morning. Here are other noteworthy events scheduled for Monday (all times Eastern):

• 10:00 a.m. – Census Bureau factory orders report
• 10:00 a.m. – Industrial Supply Management non-manufacturing index

Have a great weekend.

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Tuesday

Zoltek Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: ZOLT) makes the lightweight carbon fiber composites used in a variety of high-tech products including wind turbine blades. The company has posted four straight quarterly EPS losses and this quarter is not expected to reverse that trend. Zoltek is expected to post an EPS loss of -$0.02 on revenue of $44.5 million for its third quarter ended in September.

Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is expected to ride the wave of better earnings at luxury retailers. The consensus estimate is for EPS of $0.61 on revenue of $802.1 million, compared with EPS of $0.46 on revenue of $681.7 million in the same period a year ago.

Wednesday

Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) is a mall-based retailer of teen clothing. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.28 on revenue of $576.4 million. A year ago the company posted EPS of $0.67 on revenue of $602.8 million. The company posted an EPS loss of -$0.02 in its July quarter this year.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is another clothing retailer with offerings aimed at a wider range of ages than is Aeropostale. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.27 on $781 million in revenue. In the same period last year, American Eagle posted EPS of $0.29 on $751.5 million in revenue.

Thursday

Jos. A. Banks Clothiers Inc. (NASDAQ: JOSB) is a men’s clothing store with more than 500 outlets in 42 states. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.51 on $196 million in revenue. A year ago, Banks posted EPS of $0.45 on $173.3 million in revenue.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) makes athletic apparel for men, women, and children and operates about 148 stores in the US, Canada, and Australia. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.25 on $235.9 million in revenue. In the same period last year, the company posted EPS of $0.18 on revenue of $175.8 million.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) offers athletic apparel and other sporting goods to teens and young adults at more than 430 stores in the US and Canada. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.42 on $153.1 million in revenue. Last year the company posted EPS of $0.40 on revenue of $135.9 million.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) has been integrating its acquisition of the assets of the failed Borders chain and recently introduced a new version of its Nook e-reader to compete with the new Kindles from Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN). The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.02 on $1.98 billion in revenue. Last year in the same period the company posted an EPS loss of -$0.13 on revenue of $1.91 billion. B&N has missed EPS estimates for the last four quarters.

Friday

Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) operates more than 1,500 closeout stores in the US and Canada. The consensus estimates call for EPS of $0.09 on $1.13 billion in revenue. A year ago the company posted earnings of $0.23 on $1.06 billion in revenue.

Other Happenings Next Week

On Monday we get the new home sales report from the federal government.

Tuesday sees the release of the latest Case-Schiller housing price index, the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence index, the State Street Investor Confidence index, and speeches from two Federal Reserve Bank presidents, Janet Yellen and Narayana Kocherlakota.

On Wednesday the Mortgage Bankers Association reports purchase applications, the Challenger Job-cut report, the ADP employment report, the Chicago purchasing manager’s index (PMI), and the release of the Fed’s Beige Book.

Thursday’s reports include chain store sales, motor vehicle sales, the Industrial Supply Managment (ISM) manufacturing index, and a report on construction spending.

Friday closes out the week with the report from the Census Bureau and the Department of Labor on the employment situation.

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Some stores that will, though, are reporting October same-store sales today, including Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Limited Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LTD), American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO), Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE), and Wet Seal Inc. (NASDAQ: WTSLA).

Costco reported an October same-store sales jump of 9%, and a total sales increase of 11%. For the first two months of its current quarter, Costco same-store sales have risen 10% and total sales are up 13%. In September, the company saw a same-store sales jump of 12%, indicating that October sales were, in fact, a bit slower. Analysts were expecting October sales to rise 9.2%.

Target’s same-store sales rose 3.3% in the month, nearly double the 1.7% increase the company posted in October 2010. That probably won’t be good enough, as analysts were expecting a rise of 4.2%.

Macy’s posted a 2.2% gain in October same-store sales, considerably below expectations of 3.6%. The company reports third-quarter earnings next week and said that it expects quarterly sales to rise 4%-4.5%, within its previous guidance.

Nordstrom posted a same-store sales gain in October of 5.4%, which did not meet analysts’ expectation of a 6.4% boost. The company reports third-quarter earnings next week, and is expected to post EPS of $0.58 on revenue of $2.36 billion.

J.C. Penney was expected to post a 1% gain in October same-store sales. Instead the company put up a -2.6% decline. Shares are down nearly -3% in the pre-market following the announcement.

Kohl’s reported a same-store sales jump of 3.9%, better than the expected 3.7%. The company also noted that it expected third-quarter EPS to be at the high end of previous guidance of $0./73-$0.79. The consensus analyst EPS estimate is $0.78.

Limited reported same-store sales up 6% in October, compared with an 11% rise in September. Analysts had been looking for a 6.2% rise in October sales. Despite the slight miss, the company raised its EPS guidance from $0.17-$0.22 to $0.22-$0-.24 for its third fiscal quarter, which ended in October. Limited reports third-quarter earnings on November 16th, and the consensus EPS estimate was $0.24, even before the company raised guidance.

American Eagle Outfitters reported third-quarter sales after markets closed yesterday. Same-store sales for the quarter rose 5%, compared with a rise of just 1% in the same period a year ago. Including the company’s online store, same-store sales rose 7% in the quarter. The company also narrowed its EPS guidance from a $0.22-$0.27 to $0.26-$0.27, well above the consensus estimate of $0.23. American Eagle will report third-quarter earnings on November 30th.

Zumiez reported same-store sales increased 3.3% in October and 6% for the quarter ended in October. For the month, analyst’s were expecting an increase of 2.8% in same-store sales. The company raised EPS guidance last month, and the consensus estimate is now $0.42.

The Buckle reported a same-store sales gain of 8.7% in October, and for the quarter, same-store sales are up 9.1%. The company smashed the Thomson Reuters estimate of a 6.3% October gain.

Wet Seal saw its sales in October drop -9.7%, distressingly far below the estimated drop of -1%. The company also lowered third-quarter EPS guidance from $0.05-$0.06 to $0.04. Shares are down more than -7% in the pre-market.

Paul Ausick

We have September same-store sales from Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT, Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP), Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI), Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ), and The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE).

Target reported September same-store sales up 5.3%, and total sales up 6.5% from September 2010. Analysts were expecting growth of 3.9%. For the year-to-date, same-store sales at Target are up 3.4% year-over-year, compared with a 2.1% year-to-date rise in 2010 over 2009.

Macy’s posted a jump of 4.9% in September same-store sales, and an overall increase of 5.3%. Analysts were expecting a same-store sales increase of 4.4%. The company’s CEO is buoyant, ” We are feeling quite confident that we will continue to gain market share as we head toward the holiday selling season.” Year-to-date, same-store sales are up 5.6% and total sales are up 6.1%. Macy’s also said it expects both third- and fourth-quarter sales to be at the high end of the 4%-4.5% guidance the company has already issued.

Nordstrom reported a jump of 10.7% in September same-store sales and a total sales increase of 16.3%. Analysts had been expecting a same-store increase of 5.2%

J.C. Penney was among those that missed estimates. The company reported that same-store sales in September were down -0.6% and total sales were off an even worse -3.6%. Analysts had been expecting a same-store increase of 0.6% for the month. The store noted that sales of children’s apparel were among its better performing divisions, no surprise given the back-to-school shopping season.

Dillard’s posted a 4% rise in same-store sales for September, and a total sales increase of 3%. Analysts had been expecting a same-store boost of 3.3%. On a regional basis, the store said that sales were at the average company trend for the midwest, slightly below trend in the east, and below trend for the west. That doesn’t sound like upbeat forecast for the holiday season.

Limited stores posted an 11% jump in September same-store sales, more than double the expected rise of 4.6%. Total sales for the month rose 11% as well, and year-to-date sales are up nearly 12%.

Gap was another store that recorded a drop in same-store sales. The decrease came in a -4%, worse than expectations of -3.8%. International sales were hit the hardest, down -13% year-over-year.

Stage Stores also showed a decline in September same-store sales. The drop totaled -0.7% versus an expected gain of 0.3%.

Zumiez blasted through expectations of a 3.2% increase in same-store sales, posting a gain of 10.1%. The company raised its guidance for third-quarter sales and now expects EPS to rise from $0.37-$0.39 to $0.40-$0.41.

The Buckle posted a September same-store sales gain of 10.3%, far better than expectations of 3.8%. Total sales rose 13% year-over-year, and year-to-date same-store sales are up 8.7%.

The only retailer expected to see a double-digit rise in same-store sales for the month was Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), and it didn’t disappoint, posting a 12% gain. But Nordstrom, Limited, Zumiez, and Buckle were all big positive surprises with their double-digit sales growth. J.C. Penney, Gap, and Stage Stores continue to struggle.

If there’s a signal here for the coming holiday season, it’s that maybe the US economy isn’t as bad as all the other signals indicate. Or it could be that consumers spent money on needed school clothes and supplies, but are not going to be such free spenders later this year.

Paul Ausick

Costco led the pack, reporting an August same-store sales gain of 11%, including sales in its joint venture in Mexico. Analysts had been expecting a gain of 9.3%. Excluding gasoline sales and the effects of currency exchanges, sales rose 7% in August. Costco also announced that its CEO would step down effective January 1st and be replaced by the company’s current president and COO.

Target’s same-store sales rose 4.1% in August, beating a consensus estimate of 3.5%. The company said that back-to-school and back-to-college sales were in line with expectations. Total sales rose 5.4% in the month.

Macy’s posted a year-over-year gain in August of 5%, beating expectations of a 4.5% increase. The company also noted that it would have added an additional 1.5% in sales if not for store closings and lower customer traffic due to the hurricane.

Saks posted a gain of 6.1% in same-store sales, lower than an expected rise of 7%. Like Macy’s, the company said the effects of Hurricane Irene lowered sales by 1.5%.

Nordstrom’s same-store sales rose 6.7% compared with the same period last year. Analysts were expecting a gain of 4.8%.

J.C. Penney reported a -1.9% drop in same-store sales in August and a total sales drop of -4.5%. Penney’s also blamed Hurricane Irene for poor sales in the last week of August.

Kohl’s also reported a same-store sales drop of -1.9% for the month. Analysts were expecting an increase of 1.6%. The company said that customer traffic was lower in August. It’s counting on new Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony brands for a pick-up for the rest of this year. Perhaps the company missed the news of the couple’s pending split.

Gap stores reported same-store sales down by -6% in August, worse even than expectations of a -3.8% drop. Deep discounts and higher production costs have been plaguing the company.

The Wet Seal posted an same-stores sales increase of 5.5%, higher than the consensus expectation of 4.2%. The company also noted higher margins on its back-to-school offerings.

The Buckle, another teen-oriented retailer, posted a jump of 8.3% in same-store sales in the month of August. Analysts were expecting a rise of 4.5%. Total sales for the company rose 11.9%.

Zumiez reported same-store sales growth of 4.3% for August, just missing expectations. But the company reported second quarter earnings at the same time the beat consensus estimates. Unfortunately the company lowered its forecast for the third quarter, and that is hurting the stock in the first hour of trading this morning.

Zumiez’s shares are off nearly -2%, at $18.15, in a 52-week range of $15.00-$33.13. Other losers this morning include Gap stores, off -3% at $16.01, in a 52-week range of $15.26-$23.73, and J.C. Penney, down about -1.5%, at $26.24 in a 52-week range of $20.20-$41.00.

Costco shares are up almost 2%, at $80.05 in a 52-week range of $57.65-$83.95. Macy’s stock is up more than 2.5%, to $26.63 in a 52-week range of $19.66-$30.62. The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSE: XRT) is down about -0.4%, at $49.39 in a 52-week range of $37.49-$56.44. The Retail HOLDRs (NYSE: RTH) is up about 0.15%, to $104.34, in a 52-week range of $89.99-$114.38.

Paul Ausick

We have shown a brief news summary and the implied stock price changes on each after the 4:00 PM EST closing bell.

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) closed higher by 1.1% ahead of earnings and its earnings report was given a boost by digital sales this last quarter.  Shares are up 3.6% at $12.25, but it will have to rise another 3% before it is outside of a longer-term trading range.

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE) beat earnings with $2.42 EPS versus $1.72 estimates as revenues grew 65%… Plant nutrients rule!  Shares closed down 1.5% at $38.49 but the stock is up over 7% in the after-hours at $41.25 versus a year range of $32.01 to $51.23.

Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWR) rose handily today by 10% but is giving some back after a deeper loss in the quarter and after planning to add LTE Advanced-ready technology to its 4G network.  Shares are down 2% at $2.42 in the after-hours session.

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) announced the acquisition of AdXpose for $22 million in stock, but the earnings are taking the stock south despite 38% revenue growth and 23% EBITDA growth.  Shares are down 14.5% at $18.00 after closing at $21.07 today.  Keep in mind that the 52-week range is $17.18 to $31.28.

Entropic Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTR) is down after a 14% drop in sales sequentially, even if it was a gain of 51% from the year ago period.  Earnings were down sequentially too.  This was not expected and shares are down a whopping 25% at $5.00 in the after-hours session.  Shares had already hit a 52-week low of $6.36 today.

GT Solar International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOLR) is catching a bounce as the solar equipment maker beat earnings estimates and reiterated annual guidance.  GT shares fell 3.7% today but the stock is up 5.6% at $13.98 today in the after-hours session.  The 52-week range is $6.63 to $17.50.

Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) was already weak after MetroPCS stunk up Wall Street this week with earnings.  Misery loves company in pre-paid cellular as it saw a drop in subscriber additions.  Leap Wireless fell 2.2% to $10.04 today and the stock is down 6.3% at $9.40.  That is under the 52-week low of $9.51 by the way.

MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ: MELI) had sales in line with targets but earnings were light for Q2; shares of the online payment and e-commerce platform in Latin America fell 2.7% but are down 4.4% more at $69.11 in the after-hours.

MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR) is trading up after beating earnings, even if the year is looking light on guidance.  The wafer producer for chip and solar companies was down 0.4% today but the stock is up 5.7% at $7.39 after hitting a 52-week low of $6.82 today.

Solarwinds, Inc. (NYSE: SWI), which is about as far as being out of the solar business as it can be, beat earnings and revenues, guided its third quarter in line with estimates, and guided 2011 in line with estimates.  Shares rose over 2% today and is up another 8% at $23.00 after the close.

Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WLT) shares were down 2.5% today ahead of results and the company’s miss on earnings has shares down another 5.5% at $104.45.  That is a combined $9.00 move or so from yesterday’s close.

Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) is surging after beating earnings expectations.  The big boost is coming as it is acquiring to acquire Network Solutions for $405 million in cash in a deal that is said to be at least 20% accretive to the $1.22 EPS figure for 2012 and with even higher accretion in 2013.  This is a coup, and the stock rose over 6% today to $8.66 and is up almost 30% at $11.00 in the after-hours.

Zipcar, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZIP) is surging after the company’s earnings report. The company raised full year guidance and shares are up 16% att $26.70 in the after-hours session.  Not bad at all for a freshly public company.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) was significantly lower than expected in same-store sales gains of only 4.9%.  This one rose 6% to $27.10 today but the stock is down 13% at $23.50 in the after-hours session.

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

JON C. OGG

Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) Reiterated Buy and $17 target at Gleacher & Co.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) Reiterated Buy at BofA/ML.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
DeVry, Inc. (NYSE: DV) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Education Management Corporation (NASDAQ: EDMC) Raised to Neutral at BofA/ML.
General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Gold Fields Ltd. (NYSE: GFI) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Imperial Sugar Co. (NASDAQ: IPSU) Raised to Buy with $30 target at Janney Capital.
Janus Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: JNS) Reiterated Underperform but cut target to $11 at BofA/ML.
Lender Processing Services, Inc. (NYSE: LPS) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL) Started as Buy at UBS.
Medco Health Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Reiterated Buy with $69 target at Argus.
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $13.30 at Citigroup.
Quality Distribution Inc. (NASDAQ: QLTY) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE: SIG) Maintained Strong Buy as Value at Zacks.
SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Vonage Holdings Corporation (NYSE: VG) Started as Buy at Janco Partners (Wednesday).
Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) Cut to Neutral at Janney Capital.

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

JON C. OGG