VMware Acquisition, Buying Some Growth Drivers
ThinkstockVMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) is without argument a great company and the leader in virtualization. The problem of late is that it is getting harder and harder for the software player to find new…
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Jon C. Ogg
Is The Worst Really Over at Diamond Foods?
ThinkstockDiamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) is surging on what would be considered no real news from the company. The driving force is that BlackRock disclosed on Friday a larger stake of almost 8% in…
NASDAQ Joins Exchange Merger Rumor Mill
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesMarket rumors and speculation has been about that other exchanges would either go private or would merger together after this mega-exchange merger between NYSE Euronext, Inc. (NYSE: NYX) and IntercontinentalExchange,…
H2O Stocks: Get Ready for New Highs in Water! (AWK, AWR, WTR, CWT, CTWS, CWCO, MSEX, YORW, PHO)
ThinkstockIf you have been a reader of 24/7 Wall St. for very long, you know that we have been preaching over time that every investor needs some form of water investing strategy in his…
Stifel Nicolaus Recommends Large Cap Bank Stocks Over Regionals (SF, USB, WFC, FITB, KEY, CMA)
ThinkstockIn the strong rally in the stock market since the beginning of the year, financials and transports have provided exactly the kind of leadership that many equity strategists look for and that can be…
The New, Much Higher Carl Icahn Dividend
Activist investor and corporate raider Carl Icahn is showing his investors that he will be able to keep making more and more money in his efforts ahead. This morning came news from Icahn Enterprises…
Wendy’s Turnaround: Is It Real This Time?
TheDapperDan via Wikimedia CommonsIf you have been following the fast-food sector for long, you have noticed that The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN) has been a long-term turnaround story. The problem is that the turnaround…
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AMGN, AOL, BBVA, BEBE, SCHW, CLGX, ELN, HIG, KR, NKE, SIAL, TSO, USAC, USB, VMW, WFC)
Jon OggThese are some of this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall St. research calls. Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) cut to Market Perform at William Blair. AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL)…
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Unveils Secular Growth Stock Buy List (BAC, PETM, HLF, MYGN, ACT, SAH, HEI, FEIC, LOPE)
The negative fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) reading of -0.1% caught most Wall St. analysts and economists by surprise. This unforeseen number was skewed by a huge decrease in government spending. Most now expect…
Goldman Sachs Lowers Equities in Near-Term Broad Market Call
Wikimedia CommonsGoldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) has lowered its rating on equities in general, although this is really just over the near term rather than in the long term. The near-term rating has been cut…
What Nemo Storm Worries? Airlines Challenging 52-Week Highs Even With Over 4,000 Flights Cancelled
ThinkstockDo winter storms really need to be named storms? In all honesty, this is something that from the eyes and ears of a financial news analyst looks and sounds a lot like an opportunity…
New CEO Watch: Will RadioShack Start Selling Prescription Drugs and Root Beer Floats?
ThinkstockIf you hear word associations sometimes, what is the first competing company that would come to mind when you hear RadioShack? Most will say Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY), while others will list…
Infrastructure Winner: AECOM Expected to Keep Hitting New Highs
ThinkstockAECOM Technology Corp. (NYSE: ACM) is set for new highs. For those of you who follow the companies that will win from the inevitable yet elusive infrastructure rebuilding, AECOM is one you must watch.…
Fitch PIIGS, Take Two: Ireland (Almost) Looking Better
thinkstockWe have warned investors repeatedly in 2011 and 2012 that the pressure on the credit ratings in Europe likely will continue. That may be true, but as over the past six weeks we have…
Survey: CFO Outlook Remains Cautious for 2013
ThinkstockThere is a case of good news and bad news in a survey of chief financial officers today, and it has what should likely be an economic overhang for 2013. The good news is that…
JMP Securities Very Positive on Five Key Biotech Stocks (AMGN, BIIB, AFFY, ALNY, CELG, ONXX, PCYC, PFE, LLY, MRK, BMY)
ThinkstockInvesting in biotech or biopharmaceutical stocks can prove to be a very daunting task. Many of the stocks have limited pipelines or their very survival depends on a single binary event that may require…
Trade Deficit Narrows to Lowest Reading in Years
ThinkstockThe December trade balance, known by the rest of us as the trade deficit, came in at -$38.54 billion. While this is still a huge number on the surface, this is the lowest number…
Major Breakthrough in Lung Cancer Study — Treatment or Cure? (ONCY)
ThinkstockOncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) just reasserted its position on the map again. The company has announced test results showing tumor shrinkage data from its U.S. Phase II clinical trial in patients with squamous…
Dividends Galore: UBS Upgrades Multifamily REITs to Buy (AVB, BRE, EQR, UDR)
When the subprime crisis caused a complete meltdown in the housing market, many homeowners in properties they simply could not afford were forced to move into apartments. This provided a financial tailwind for the…
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ALU, NLY, ARMH, BIIB, BX, COF, CS, DFS, IGT, NUAN, KORS, RVBD, VOD, DIS)
Jon OggThese are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall St. research calls. Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley and reiterated Hold at Argus.…