The Elusive Inflation Data for Consumers
Wholesale inflation continues, but the supply side is having a hard time passing on the price increases if the Labor Department is right on its inflation data. The February Consumer Price Index data showed…
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Jon C. Ogg
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AKAM, ALXA, AAPL, CMA, DELL, DVN, EP, EMC, HPQ, IBM, LMT, NTAP, NVTL, SQNM)
Jon OggThese are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls this Thursday morning. Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus. Alexza Pharmaceuticals…
Are U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Operators Really at Business Risk? (CCJ, USU, XLU, AEE, CEG, ETR, EXC, FE, PGN, SO)
It goes without saying that nuclear power has hit skid row. The damage to the industry that has been caused by the earthquake and the tsunami which followed in Japan has been nearly mind-numbing. …
Netflix Analysis: Risk in Own Content (NFLX, AMZN, TWX, CBS, LINTA)
In the past 12 months, shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) have shot up nearly 300%, from around $70/share to around $220/share, after peaking at near $250/share. The trailing P/E is more than 72,…
Imminent Change in Japan’s Fuel Sources for Electricity
As of March 15th, Japan had shut down more than 12,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity generation, mostly because of the effects of last week’s earthquake and tsunami. Nearly 11,000 megawatts of thermal coal generation…
IPO Daily: Cortina Systems Files for IPO (INTC)
Cortina Systems, Inc. has filed to come public in an initial public offering. We do not have financial terms other than that the first filing indicates that the sale will be up to $100…
M&A Daily: Lawson Likely To Get More Interest (LWSN, HPQ, ORCL, SAP, NOVL)
Lawson Software Inc. (NASDAQ: LWSN) is trading well above its current fresh $11.25 cash buyout from Golden Gate Capital and Infor. There is a reason… Investors believe more is coming. Carl Icahn has already…
Daily Dividend: Revisiting High MLP Fund Payouts (AMLP, MLPN, SRV, AMJ, KYN, NTG)
Now that the nuclear woes in Japan have elevated interest in more traditional power sources and now that the 10-Year Treasury Note yield dropped from 3.55% early last week to about 3.25%, we wanted…
Google Wants You to Pay with Your Phone (GOOG, PAY, AAPL)
The next thing a smartphone will replace, if Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has its way, is your credit/debit card. The Wall Street Journal reports that the maker of the Android smartphone operating system is…
Apple’s Lone Analyst Downgrade (AAPL)
A research report from JMP Securities is responsible for the damage seen in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) so far this Wednesday. The firm cut the rating to “Market Perform” from “Outperform” based upon weak…
PPI: FOMC is in the Dark on Inflation
We have no inflation. It has to be that way since our Fed governors keep telling us that there is just no inflation or that it is only transitory. Sorry, but it seems that…
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AFL, CPLA, COO, HIG, IBM, IFF, LVS, MET, NUE, PAYX, UHS, SHI, KBH, LEN, RYL)
Jon OggThese are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls this Wednesday morning. AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) Reiterated Buy and $83 target at BofA/ML. Capella Education…
Early-Bird Stocks on the Move (IRE, CSIQ, ORCC, PSUN, PT, RMBS, VRA)
We are tracking several key moving stocks this morning that have news or events driving shares. None of these are Japan-focused stocks as the coverage there seems to revolve entirely around the nuclear power…
New Gold Miners ETF Eliminates ‘Other Metals’ (GGGG, GFI, KGC, AU, EGO, HMY)
There is a new gold ETF on the market. Yesterday marked the launch of the Global X Pure Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: GGGG). Global X noted that its new ETF focuses globally on companies…
Concern Over NVIDIA CFO Departure (NVDA)
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) just gave news of an executive departure that investors probably wish that they did not see after its shares had recovered so much from its lows. After the close came…
FOMC Rate Hike: Not Yet, Not Any Time Soon
As you might have guessed ahead of time, Ben Bernanke and the FOMC decided to leave the target Fed Funds Rate unchanged at the 0.00% to 0.25% that has been in place for what…
IPO Rethink: Apollo (and a private equity curse?) (BX, KKR, FIG)
Jon OggThe world of private equity is not what it once was, but the remaining private equity leaders that survived out there do now seem to be stronger if they survived. Apollo Management has…
Fukushima Reactors Same Age, Design as Vermont Yankee (ETR, GE)
It’s no surprise that the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power generating site is causing a re-thinking of global nuclear policy. It is not even surprising that it took a disaster of this magnitude…
Daily M&A: New York Community Bancorp, An Acquirer Ahead? (NYB)
New York Community Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: NYB) is one of the banks which held up during the recession and its same $0.25 per quarter dividend has been steady since 2005. The current dividend yield that…
The Daily Dividend: Bank Dividends, the Abu Dhabi Way
We have recently featured a whole slew of high-yield dividends in the banking sector ahead of the upcoming review that will determine which of the TARP recipient banks will get to begin raising their…