This week’s “Top 5 Analyst Calls of the Week” feature is back to normal as analysts tweak their price targets and estimates for the next quarter and out to two years in many selected…
Sterling Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: SBIB) is one of those banks that no one has ever heard if they are outside of Texas. The reason that investors and consumers outside of Texas now have to…
Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE: KGC) is not having the greatest debut for 2011. As gold is not currently shaping up to look like a 2010 year, many gold miners have failed to perform. Kinross…
Banks may have the wind at their backs, but there appears to be a ‘sell the news’ reaction this morning after J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) reported its fourth quarter earnings. The…
These are some of this Friday’s top analyst calls with upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research firms. AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (NYSE: AB) Cut to Neutral and $26 target at BofA/ML. Applied…
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) reported its fourth quarter and year-end results after the close. The fourth quarter earnings were up 7% to $0.59 EPS and it reported an 8% sales gain to $11.46 billion…
Now that Verizon Wireless has struck a deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to offer the iPhone on Verizon’s wireless network, everyone expects the carrier to profit handsomely from the deal. But what about…
The bond market in Treasuries may be somewhat steady to firm this Thursday, but that is not the case for municipal bond funds and for the exchange-traded products behind them. The persistent call from…
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) is seeing a mild gain this Thursday after the retailer announced its move into Canada. Target buying a $1.8+ billion interest in leaseholds of Zellers. It might not sound like…
Forecasts for solar energy growth in 2011 generally noted that manufacturing capacity would increase and that margins would decrease. The outlook did not project a loss for solar energy players, but growth expectations were…
The reaction to the news of a conglomerate break-up in a three-way separation was incredible for ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) yesterday. Shares closed up 16.5% rather than over 20% and the closing price was…
Shares in Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) posted a new 52-week high of $76.62 yesterday, up about 11% in the past year. That’s not bad growth for the largest company in the US by…
EXCO Resources Inc. (NYSE: XCO) is trading higher this morning but not by as much as many investors may have hoped. The company announced that it will explore strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value…
Yesterday was Portugal helping out, today is Spain… Debt sales that is. A debt sale in Spain is so far being hailed as a minor success and this comes on the heels of a…
There were several key economic data reports issued simultaneously this morning at 8:30 AM EST. The readings are a bit mixed, although there is less good news than many might have hoped for in…
These are some of this Thursday’s top analyst calls with upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research firms. AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) Raised to Outperform at FBR. Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL)…
The news was expected to be setting up for headlines such as “No rate hikes from the Bank of England nor from the European Central Bank” this morning. South Korea changed that news flow. …
In case you couldn’t wait for just one more after-the-fact observation report from the Federal Reserve, the January Beige Book has been released. While the economy is gaining, the Fed noted that the economy…
When insider selling totals 114 times more than insider buying, the skeptics among us wonder what could be going on. According to Bloomberg News, cited at zerohedge.com, inquiring minds should want to know what’s…
Freddie Mac is out with its projections for 2011, titled “A Slow Start to the New Year, But Better News Ahead.” Despite recent employment data showing a slow 2011 start, the report calls for…