Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Thompson (TC) (JPM) (LNKD) (BMO) (NYX) (APOL) (ARB) Ratings, Price Targets

Thompson Creek Metals (TC), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Linkedin Co. (LNKD), Bank of Montreal (BMO), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Apollo Group, Inc. (APOL) and Arbitron Inc. (ARB) had ratings and price targets initiated or adjusted by analysts.

Dahlman Rose downgraded Thompson Creek Metals (TC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Standpoint Research initiated coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM). They have a "Buy" rating and price target of $47.00 on the company.

Avondale Partners initiated coverage on Linkedin Co. (LNKD). They have a "Market Perform" rating and price target of $87.00 on the company.

Macquarie downgraded Bank of Montreal (BMO) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Raymond James downgraded NYSE Euronext (NYX) from a "Strong-Buy" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Deutsche Bank downgraded Apollo Group, Inc. (APOL) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating. They have a price target of $45.00 on the company..

CJS Securities upgraded Arbitron Inc. (ARB) to an "Outperform" rating.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Newmont (NEM) (ENOC) (EPB) (TC) (REGI) (TRP) (ATW) Ratings, Price Targets

Newmont Mining Co. (NEM), EnerNOC, Inc. (ENOC), El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB), Thompson Creek Metals (TC), Renewable Energy Group (REGI), TransCanada Co. (TRP) and Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (ATW) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

TD Securities downgraded Newmont Mining Co. (NEM) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Needham & Company downgraded EnerNOC, Inc. (ENOC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Citigroup downgraded El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Credit Suisse downgraded Thompson Creek Metals (TC) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Piper Jaffray initiated coverage on Renewable Energy Group (REGI). They placed an "Overweight" rating and price target of $17.00 on the company.

TD Securities downgraded TransCanada Co. (TRP) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (ATW). They placed an "Equal Weight" rating on the company.

Monday, February 27, 2012

IAMGOLD (IAG) (MCP) (CLR) (ANR) (AI) (KBH) (AMT) Downgraded

IAMGOLD Corp (IAG), Molycorp, Inc. (MCP), Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR), Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), Arlington Asset (AI), KB Home (KBH) and American Tower Corporation (AMT) Downgraded were downgraded by analysts.

Macquarie downgraded IAMGOLD Corp (IAG) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Piper Jaffray downgraded Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) from an "Overweight" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Robert W. Baird downgraded Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

CRT Capital downgraded Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) to a "Sell" rating.

Wunderlich downgraded Arlington Asset (AI) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Raymond James downgraded American Tower Corporation (AMT) from a "Strong-Buy" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

CRT Capital downgraded KB Home (KBH) from a "Buy" rating.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Allied (ANV) (BLDP) (CLR) (EROC) (FSLR) (PACW) (DB) Ratings, Price Targets

Allied Nevada Gold Corp (ANV), Ballard Power System (BLDP), Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR), Eagle Rock Energy Partners (EROC), First Solar, Inc. (FSLR), PacWest Bancorp (PACW) and Deutsche Bank (DB) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on Allied Nevada Gold Corp (ANV). They placed an "Equal Weight" rating on the company.

Ardour Capital downgraded Ballard Power System (BLDP) from an "Accumulate" rating to a "Hold" rating. They have a price target of $1.75 on the company.

Pritchard downgraded Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Wells Fargo & Co. downgraded Eagle Rock Energy Partners (EROC) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Susquehanna downgraded First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) from a "Positive" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They slashed their price target from $55.00 to $40.00 on the company.

Wunderlich downgraded PacWest Bancorp (PACW) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating. They have a price target of $23.00 on the company.

Bank of America upgraded Deutsche Bank (DB) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

SM Energy (SM) (AGPPY) (KYO) (ZUMZ) (CM) (HGSI) (ICON) Ratings, Price Targets

SM Energy (SM), Anglo Platinum Limited (AGPPY), Kyocera Co. (KYO), Zumiez (ZUMZ), CIBC (CM), Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) and Iconix Brand Group (ICON) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

HSBC downgraded Anglo Platinum Limited (AGPPY) from a "Neutral" rating to an "Underweight" rating.

Bank of America downgraded Kyocera Co. (KYO) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Caris & Co. downgraded SM Energy (SM) to an "Average" rating.

DA Davidson downgraded Zumiez (ZUMZ) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Credit Suisse downgraded CIBC (CM) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Collins Stewart downgraded Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They cut their price from $17.00 to $10.00 on the company.

Lazard Capital downgraded Iconix Brand Group (ICON) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Yingli (YGE) (YHOO) (DELL) (DOW) (FTR) (GILD) (GMLP) (GPC) (HGSI) Ratings, Price Targets

Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. Ltd. (YGE), Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Dell Inc. (DELL), The Dow Chemical Company (DOW), Frontier Communications (FTR), Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD), LNG Partners (GMLP), Genuine Parts Company (GPC) and Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Yingli Green Energy Hold. Co. Ltd. (YGE) was downgraded by Miller Tabak from a "Neutral" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) was downgraded by Credit Agricole from a "Buy" rating to an "Underperform" rating.

Dell Inc. (DELL) was downgraded by Citigroup (C) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) was downgraded by Gilford Securities from a "Hold" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Frontier Communications (FTR) was downgraded by Hudson Securities from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) was downgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Golar LNG Partners (GMLP) was downgraded by Citigroup from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) was downgraded by Gabelli from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) was downgraded by RBC Capital from an "Outperform" rating to a "Sector Perform" rating. They placed a price target of $10.00 on the company, down from $15.00.

Nucor (NUE) (OKS) (STLD) (PCG) (PEG) (WBMD) (WMT) (NFX) Ratings, Price Targets

Nucor Co. (NUE), Oneok Partners LP (OKS), Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD), PG&E Co. (PCG), Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG), Webmd Health (WBMD), Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.
Nucor Co. (NUE) was downgraded by Longbow Research from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Oneok Partners LP (OKS) was downgraded by Credit Suisse from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) was downgraded by Longbow Research from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

PG&E Co. (PCG) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) was downgraded by Atlantic Equities from an "Overweight" rating to an "Underweight" rating.

Webmd Health Corp (WBMD) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs from a "Neutral" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) was downgraded by Raymond James from a "Strong Buy" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) was downgraded by Citigroup from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Newfield (NFX) (PER) (PM) (SONS) (WTS) (RCI) (ROC) Ratings, Price Targets

Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX), SandRidge Permian Trust (PER), Philip Morris (PM), Sonus Networks, Inc. (SONS), Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS), Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) and Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (ROC) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.
Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX) was downgraded by Deutsche Bank (DB) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

SandRidge Permian Trust (PER) was downgraded by Raymond James (RJF) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Philip Morris (PM) was downgraded by Nomura (NMR) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Reduce" rating.

Sonus Networks, Inc. (SONS) was downgraded by Miller Tabak from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS) was downgraded by Sterne Agee from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (ROC) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) from an "Overweight" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Walter Energy (WLT) (APO) (DDR) (BX) (HVT) (LGF) Ratings, Price Targets

Walter Energy (WLT), American Community Properties Trust (APO), DDR Corp. (DDR), The Blackstone Group L.P. (BX), Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (HVT) and Lions Gate (LGF) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Walter Energy (WLT) was upgraded by Davenport from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating. They placed a price target of $80.00 on the company.

American Community Properties Trust (APO) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

The Blackstone Group L.P. (BX) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

DDR Corp. (DDR) was upgraded by Bank of America from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. (HVT) was upgraded by Sidoti from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Lions Gate (LGF) was upgraded by Miller Tabak from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Rackspace (RAX) (NVR) (MDRX) (MXWL) (RP) (SFG) (VCI) (WSH) Ratings, Price Targets

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (RAX), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (MDRX), Maxwell Technologies (MXWL), Realpage (RP), StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (SFG), Valassis Communications, Inc. (VCI), NVR, Inc. (NVR) and Willis Group Holdings PLC (WSH) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Raymond James downgraded Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (MDRX) from a "Strong-Buy" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Robert W. Baird downgraded Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They placed a price target of $21.00 on the company.

MKM Partners downgraded NVR, Inc. (NVR) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Bank of America downgraded Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (RAX) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Pacific Crest Realpage (RP) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Sector Perform" rating.

Morgan Stanley downgraded StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (SFG) from an "Equal Weight" rating to an "Underweight" rating.

Goldman Sachs downgraded The J.M. Smucker Company (SJM) to a "Buy" rating.

Raymond James downgraded Valassis Communications, Inc. (VCI) from an "Outperform" rating to an "Market Perform" rating.

Sandler O'Neill downgraded Willis Group Holdings PLC (WSH) from a "Buy" rating to an "Hold" rating.

GFI (GFIG) (AKZOY) (ARTC) (BUSE) (HCN) (JWN) (KNOL) (KONA) Ratings, Price Targets

GFI Group Inc. (GFIG), Akzo Nobel (AKZOY), ArthroCare Co. (ARTC), First Busey (BUSE), Health Care REIT (HCN), Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN), Knology, Inc. (KNOL) and Kona Grill Inc. (KONA) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Macquarie downgraded Akzo Nobel (AKZOY) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Jefferies Group downgraded ArthroCare Co. (ARTC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Raymond James downgraded First Busey (BUSE) from a "Market Perform" rating to a "Underperform" rating.

Raymond James downgraded GFI Group Inc. (GFIG) from a "Market Perform" rating to a "Underperform" rating.

Hilliard Lyons downgraded Health Care REIT (HCN) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Underperform" rating.

CLSA downgraded Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN) from a "Buy" rating to a "Underperform" rating.

BWS Financial downgraded Knology, Inc. (KNOL) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating. They have a price target of $15.00 on the company.

B. Riley downgraded Kona Grill Inc. (KONA) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Toro (TTC) (CROX) (AIMC) (DHI) (MHS) (ARUN) Ratings, Price Targets

Toro (TTC), Crocs (CROX), Altra Holdings, Inc. (AIMC), D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI), Medco Health Solutions Inc. (MHS) and Aruba Networks, Inc. (ARUN) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Standpoint Research downgraded Crocs (CROX) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Jefferies Group downgraded Altra Holdings, Inc. (AIMC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

MKM Partners downgraded D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Morgan Stanley downgraded Medco Health Solutions Inc. (MHS) from an "Overweight" rating to a "Equal Weight" rating.

CL King downgraded Toro (TTC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

TheStreet downgraded Aruba Networks, Inc. (ARUN) to a "Hold" rating.

Agnico (AEM) (BTI) (DELL) (JWN) (HCN) (LEAP) Ratings, Price Targets

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (AEM), British American Tobacco (BTI), Dell Inc. (DELL), Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN), Health Care REIT (HCN) and Leap Wireless (LEAP) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

TheStreet downgraded Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (AEM) to a "Sell" rating.

Societe Generale downgraded British American Tobacco (BTI) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Robert W. Baird downgraded Dell Inc. (DELL) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They have a price target of $20.00 on the company.

Credit Agricole downgraded Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN) from a "Buy" rating to an "Underperform" rating.

Sandler O'Neill downgraded Health Care REIT (HCN) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Collins Stewart downgraded Leap Wireless (LEAP) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They have a price target of $12.00 on the company.

Gold, Silver Would Be Legal Tender Under Colorado Bill

If a bill sponsored by Colorado Sen. Kent Lambert, R, passes, it'll make Colorado the second state in the nation to recognize gold and silver as currency. Utah is the first and only state at this time to recognize gold and silver as a medium of exchange.

The growing movement of states to move in this direction is precipitated by the out of control spending of the Obama administration and the ongoing creation of money out of thin air by Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve.

That combination always ends up weakening the value of the U.S. dollar, or any currency where that is the standard practice of leaders of a country.

Along with the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, Senator Lambert also noted the growing public debt as a reason behind recognizing gold and silver as currency in the state.

Colorado is one of a dozen states in the U.S. to consider allowing gold and silver coins to be once again used as legal tender.

CSX (CSX) (ACHN) (ARMH) (AUTH) (CHK) (PFCB) Ratings, Price Targets

CSX Corp. (CSX), Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN), ARM Holdings plc (ARMH), AuthenTec (AUTH), Chesapeake Energy (CHK) and P.F. Chang's China Bistro (PFCB) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

JMP Securities upgraded Achillion Pharmaceuticals (ACHN) to an "Outperform" rating.

Natixis upgraded ARM Holdings plc (ARMH) from a "Reduce" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Raymond James upgraded AuthenTec (AUTH) from a "Market Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Chesapeake Energy (CHK) from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating. They placed a price target of $29.00 on the company.

Avondale Partners upgraded CSX Corp. (CSX) from a "Market Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

RBC Capital upgraded P.F. Chang's China Bistro (PFCB) from a "Sector Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Petrobras (PBR) (JEF) (CISG) (ARMH) (ARTC) (LEAP) Ratings, Price Targets

Petrobras Brasileiro (NYSE:PBR), Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF), CNinsure (NASDAQ:CISG), ARM Holdings (NASDAQ:ARMH), ArthroCare (NASDAQ:ARTC) and Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) initiated coverage on Jefferies Group (JEF). They placed a "Market Perform" rating on the company.

Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY) initiated coverage on CNinsure (CISG). They placed a "Perform" rating on the company.

ARM Holdings (ARMH) was upgraded by Natixis from a "Reduce" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Petrobras Brasileiro (PBR) was downgraded by Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from an "Overweight" rating to an "Equal Weight" rating.

ArthroCare (ARTC) was downgraded by Jefferies from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Leap Wireless (LEAP) was downgraded by Collins Stewart from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral rating. They slashed their price target on the company from $18.00 to $12.00.

Suncor (SU) (NXY) (FL) (FINL) (MHS) (JWN) Ratings, Price Targets

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU), Nexen (NYSE:NXY), Foot Locker (NYSE:FL), Finish Line (NASDAQ:FINL), Medco Health Solutions (NYSE:MHS) and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Suncor Energy (SU) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating. They have a price target of $42.00 on the company.

Nexen (NXY) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a "Market Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) initiated coverage on Foot Locker (FL). They have a "Hold" rating on the company.

Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Finish Line (FINL). They have a "Hold" rating and a price target of $28.00 on the company.

Medco Health Solutions (MHS) was downgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an "Overweight" rating to an Equal Weight" rating.

Nordstrom (JWN) was downgraded by Crédit Agricole from a "Buy" rating to an "Underperform" rating.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Barrick (ABX) Misses on Rising Costs

The ongoing rise in cost continues to weigh on the mining sector, as evidenced again by the performance of Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX) in the latest quarter, where it missed its EPS estimates by a huge 10 cents a share.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, Barrick earned $1.17 billion, or $1.17 a share. Analysts had been looking for $1.27 a share.

The rise in gold prices during the quarter wasn't enough to offset the soaring cost of doing business, although they did boost revenue to a huge $3.79 billion or 26 percent increase. Gold price increases accounted for 22 percent of the gains.

Net income fell from $961 million, or 96 cents a share last year to $959 million, or 96 cents a share in the latest quarter.

Fourth quarter gold production came to 1.81 million ounces, at $505.00 an ounce. For all of 2011 gold production reached 7.68 million ounces, at an average cost of $460.00 an ounce.

Gold production estimates for 2012 are from 7.3 million to 7.8 million ounces at a cah cost range of $520 to $560 an ounce. Barrick said the higher costs in production are the consequences of rising labor costs and inflation, as well as a change in the production mix.

The most recent analyst activity on Barrick was a downgraded from Canaccord Genuity on January 30, where they were taken from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating, with a price target of $57.50 on the gold mining giant.

Barrick was trading at $47.65, up $0.22, or 0.46 percent, as of 12:45 PM EST.

Teekay (TNK) (SWK) (CLSN) (DLR) (FSRV) (Z) (NRP) (NVDA) (WSO) Ratings, Price Targets

Teekay Tankers (TNK), Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), Celsion (CLSN), Digital Realty Trust (DLR), FirstService (FSRV), Zillow (Z), Natural Resource (NRP), NVIDIA (NVDA) and Watsco (WSO) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). They placed an "Outperform" rating on the company.

Brean Murray initiated coverage on Celsion (CLSN). They placed a "Buy" rating and price target of $7.00 on the company.

DLR initiated coverage on Digital Realty Trust (DLR). They placed an "Overweight" rating on the company.

FirstService (FSRV) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a "Market Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Teekay Tankers (TNK) was upgraded by Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) from a "Market Perform" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Zillow (Z) was upgraded by Craig Hallum from a "Sell" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Natural Resource (NRP) was downgraded by Wells Fargo from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

NVIDIA (NVDA) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Watsco (WSO) was downgraded by BB&T Capital (NYSE:BBT) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Deere (DE) (ELS) (PPS) (XEC) (DENN) (FMS) Ratings, Price Targets

Deere (DE), Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS), Post Properties (PPS), Cimarex (XEC), Denny’s (DENN) and Fresenius Medical (FMS) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS). They placed a "Hold" rating on the company.

Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Post Properties (PPS). They placed a "Hold" rating on the company.

Cimarex (XEC) was downgraded by Canaccord Genuity from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Deere (DE) was downgraded by Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Denny’s (DENN) was downgraded by Feltl & Co froma "Strong Buy" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Fresenius Medical (FMS) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Amylin (AMLN) (RL) (EXPD) (AMZN) (ACOM) (RLOC) Ratings, Price Targets

Amylin Pharmaceuticals (AMLN), Polo Ralph Lauren (RL), Expeditors International (EXPD), Amazon.com (AMZN), Ancestry.com (ACOM) and ReachLocal (RLOC) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) initiated coverage on Amylin Pharmaceuticals (AMLN). They placed an "Outperform" rating on the company.

Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) was upgraded by Argus from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating. They have a price target of $202 on the company.

Expeditors International (EXPD) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Amazon.com (AMZN) was downgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an "Overweight" rating to an "Equal Weight" rating.

Ancestry.com (ACOM) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

ReachLocal (RLOC) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Underperform" rating.

Kinross Gold (KGC) Short of Expectations for Quarter

Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) missed analysts' expectations in its latest quarter by $0.04, as the company reported earnings of $0.17 a share, down from the $0.21 a share analysts from Thomson Reuters were looking for.

The gold miner said they had a loss of $2.78 billion, citing a write down of its Tasiast mine in West Africa, which they inherited when they acquired Red Back Mining.

Kinross CEO and president Tye Burt said Tasiast is on the front burner for projects of the company, because of "its high returns."

From there, Burt said the company will work the Dvoinoye project in Russia, Lobo Marte in Chile and FDN in Ecuador ... in that order.

For the quarter ending December 31, Kinross reported a loss of $2.45 a share, compared to a loss of $72.9 million, or six cents a share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue jumped from $920.4 million to $949.4 million during that same period.

The charge against Tasiast was $2.49 billion, with an additional charge of $447.5 million from its Chirano project. Last month the company said the Tasiast project could be delayed as long as nine months.

Minus the one-off charges, Kinross said earnings came in at $196.6 million, or 17 cents a share, in comparison to $158.5 million, or 14 cents a share in the same quarter last year.

Costs of sales are also challenging company results, as they jumped from $535 an ounce of gold to $636 an ounce.

Kinross also said it was lowering its capex for 2012, cutting spending estimates from $2.5 billion to $2.2 billion. Originally they had set aside $1.3 billion for growth project, which is now slashed to $1 billion for 2012.

Gold production estimates for 2012 from Kinross are from $2.6 million to $2.8 million gold-equivalent ounces, although it'll be at a higher cost of between $670 to $715 an ounce.

Silver production for 2012 is estimated to come in at between $7.5 million to 8.0 million ounces.

Recent analyst action had Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) cutting its price target on Kinross Gold to $85.00 a share.

Veritas Investment Research just announced they have a "Sell" rating on Kinross now, citing free cash flow concerns and its vulnerability.

Kinross closed Wednesday at $10.31, falling $0.08, or 0.77 percent.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

John Paulson's Barrick (ABX) (GLD) (GOLD) (IAG) Positions Changed

After a rough 2011, which followed a record-breaking 2010, John Paulson changed his positions in gold-related stocks SPDR Gold Trust ETF (NYSE:GLD), Randgold Resources (NASDAQ:GOLD), Iamgold (NYSE:IAG) and Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX).

SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD), which continues to remain his largest holding, was lowered by Paulson by close to 3 million shares, now owning 17.3 million shares in the gold ETF. As of December 31, SPDR Gold Trust shares held by Paulson had a market value $2.6 billion.

Randgold Resources (GOLD), Iamgold (IAG) and Barrick Gold (ABX) were among the 10 positions Paulson increased his holdings in, a nod towards the continued belief that some gold miners are still undervalued when measured against the price of gold.

Other gold holdings of Paulson include NovaGold (AMEX:NG), Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU).

Solazyme (SZYM) (FIO) (KMB) (LMT) (PUBGY) (HAS) Ratings, Price Targets

Solazyme (NASDAQ:SZYM), Fusion-io (NYSE:FIO), Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB), Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Publicis Groupe (OTC:PUBGY) and Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Solazyme (SZYM). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Fusion-io (FIO) was upgraded by The Benchmark Company from a "Hold" rating to a "Buy" rating. They placed a price target of $30.00 on the company.

Kimberly-Clark (KMB) was downgraded by Janney Montgomery Scott from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) was downgraded by Bernstein from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Publicis Groupe (PUBGY) was downgraded by HSBC Securities from an "Overweight" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Hasbro (HAS) was downgraded by Sterne Agee from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

eBay (EBAY) (HWD) (MOV) (SWY) (BAC) (DELL) Ratings, Price Targets

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), Harry Winston Diamond (NYSE:HWD), Movado Group (NYSE:MOV), Safeway (NYSE:SWY), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Wedbush raised eBay (EBAY) to its "Best Ideas List."

Citigroup (NYSE:C) initiated coverage on Harry Winston Diamond (HWD). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) initiated coverage on Movado Group (MOV). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Safeway (SWY) was upgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from a "Neutral" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Bank of America (BAC) was downgraded by Sanford Bernstein from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating

Dell (DELL) was downgraded by Stern Agee from a "Neutral" rating to an "Underperform" rating. They have a price target of $15.00 on the company.

Lowe's (LOW) (TSO) (HME) (PLCE) (RAX) (REGN) Ratings, Price Targets

Lowe's (NYSE:LOW), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO), Home Properties (NYSE:HME), Children's Place (NASDAQ:PLCE), Rackspace (NYSE:RAX) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Home Properties (HME) had its price target raised by UBS (NYSE:UBS) to $57.00. They have a "Sell" rating on the company.

Lowe's (LOW) had its price target raised by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to $29.00.

Children's Place (PLCE) was cut from the "Best Ideas List" of Janney Montgomery.

Rackspace (RAX) has its price target raised by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) to $60.00. They have an "Overweight" rating on the company.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) had its price target boosted by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $127.00. They have a "Buy" rating on the company.

Tesoro Corporation (TSO) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY) to $33.00. They have an "Outperform" rating on the company.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Bank of America (BAC) (KFT) (GIS) (MJN) (HNZ) (CPB) Ratings, Price Targets

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT), General Mills (NYSE:GIS), Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE:MJN), HJ Heinz (NYSE:HNZ) and Campbell Soup (CPB) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Bank of America (BAC) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) initiated coverage on Kraft Foods (KFT). They placed an "Overweight" rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on General Mills (GIS). They placed an "Overweight" rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN). They placed an "Overweight" rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on HJ Heinz (HNZ). They placed an "Underweight" rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Campbell Soup (CPB). They placed an "Underweight" rating on the company.

Arch Coal (ACI) (GOOG) (DPZ) (BCS) (HFC) (STI) Ratings, Price Targets

Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ), Barclays (NYSE:BCS), HollyFrontier (HFCHFC) and SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Arch Coal (ACI) was downgraded by Argus from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Capstone initiated coverage on Google (GOOG). They have a "Buy" rating on the company.

Miller Tabak initiated coverage on Domino’s Pizza (DPZ). They have a "Hold" rating and a price target of $36.00 on the company.

BNP Paribas upgraded Barclays (BCS) from a "Neutral" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised HollyFrontier (HFC) to its "Conviction Buy" list.

ISI Group downgraded SunTrust Banks (STI) from a "Hold" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Silvercorp Metals (SVM) Remains Under Pressure

Whether justified or not, Silvercorp Metals (SVM) has been under pressure lately over ongoing rumors as to the health of the company, which are probably being circulated by those shorting the company, as they did last year.

More than that, it is the response of Silvercorp to those unwarranted rumors that may be of more concern to those following the company.

Lawsuits and internal investigations could be looked upon as distractions to the company, as some are saying a strong performance is the best medicine to counter the alleged fraudulent and false rumors.

In response to that, BMO Capital was the latest brokerage to downgraded Silvercorp, this time from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Silvercorp was trading at $7.05, falling 0.11, or 1.54 percent, as of 10:50 AM EST.

Equifax (EFX) (CS) (HEOP) (JDSU) (ALNY) (AMSC) (ARX) Ratings, Price Targets

Equifax (NYSE: EFX), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS), Heritage Oaks Bancorp (NASDAQ: HEOP), JDS Uniphase Co. (NASDAQ: JDSU), Alnylam Pharma (NASDAQ: ALNY), American Superconductor Co. (NASDAQ: AMSC) and Aeroflex Holding Corp. (NYSE: ARX) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Credit Suisse (CS) was upgraded by Societe Generale from a “Sell” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Equifax (EFX) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Sell” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $50.00 on the company, up from $36.00.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp (HEOP) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

JDS Uniphase Co. (JDSU) was upgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $17.00 on the company, up from $15.00.

Alnylam Pharma (ALNY) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by analysts at Needham & Company.

American Superconductor Co. (AMSC) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Aeroflex Holding Corp. (ARX) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Echelon (ELON) (CNI) (ENS) (GPN) (STT) (ZFSVY) (IR) (RA) Ratings, Price Targets

Echelon Co. (NASDAQ: ELON), Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI), EnerSys (NYSE: ENS), Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), State Street Co. (NYSE: STT), Zurich Financial Services (NASDAQ: ZFSVY), Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR) and RailAmerica, Inc. (NYSE: RA) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Canadian National Railway (CNI) had its “Market Perform” rating reiterated by BMO Capital Markets.

EnerSys (ENS) had its price target raised by Ardour Capital from $31.00 to $38.00. They have an “Accumulate” rating on the company.

Echelon Co. (ELON) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Global Payments Inc. (GPN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

State Street Co. (STT) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage on Zurich Financial Services (ZFSVY). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Ingersoll-Rand (IR) had its price target raised by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from $40.00 to $46.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

RailAmerica, Inc. (RA) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from $17.00 to $21.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Teck (TCK) (BHP) (PAA) (SM) (AKS) (PQ) (SVM) (TRI) Ratings, Price Targets

Teck Resources Limited (NYSE: TCK), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP), Plains All American (NYSE: PAA), SM Energy (NYSE: SM), AK Steel Holding Co. (NYSE: AKS), PetroQuest Energy, Inc. (NYSE: PQ), Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM) and Thomson Reuters Co. (NYSE: TRI) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Plains All American (PAA) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Wunderlich.

SM Energy (NYSE: SM) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

BHP Billiton (BHP) had its price target lowered by Dahlman Rose from $116.00 to $96.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Teck Resources Limited (TCK) had its price target raised by Dahlman Rose from $47.00 to $52.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

AK Steel Holding Co. (AKS) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $9.00 on the company, down from $12.00.

PetroQuest Energy, Inc. (PQ) was downgraded by FBR Capital from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Silvercorp Metals (SVM) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) to a “Neutral” rating.

Thomson Reuters Co. (TRI) was downgraded by TD Securities to a “Buy” rating.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Boyd (BYD) (ATML) (CODE) (AAPL) (ALR) (CTSH) (DIS) Ratings, Price Targets

Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD), Atmel (NASDAQ: ATML), Spansion Inc. (NASDAQ: CODE), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Alere (NYSE: ALR), Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) and Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Nomura (NYSE:NMR) initiated coverage on Boyd Gaming (BYD). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Atmel (ATML) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). They have a price target of $12.00 on the company, up from $10.00.

Spansion Inc. (CODE) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Apple (AAPL) had its price target raised by Needham & Company from $540.00 to $620.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Alere (ALR) had its price target raised by Mizuho from $23.00 to $27.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Cognizant (CTSH) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from $71.00 to $73.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Walt Disney (DIS) had its price target raised by Hilliard Lyons from $50.00 to $52.00. They have a “Long-Term Buy” rating on the company.

Visa (V) Ratings, Price Targets

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) had ratings and price targets on it adjusted by analysts.

Visa Inc. (V) had its price target raised by Meredith Whitney from $105.00 to $117.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from $114.00 to $125.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Morgan Keegan from $120.00 to $125.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Oppenheimer from $110.00 to $126.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $96.00 to $120.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Wedbush from $83.00 to $90.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from $107.00 to $125.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the stock.

Visa Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from $104.00 to $115.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the stock.

Apple (AAPL) (CSCO) (NOK) (EZCH) (NWSA) (THOR) (BYD) Ratings, Price Targets

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Nokia (NYSE: NOK), EZchip (NASDAQ: EZCH), News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA), Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR) and Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Mizuho Securities initiated coverage on Apple (AAPL). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $635.00 on the company.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC)

Nokia (NOK) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

EZchip (EZCH) had its price target raised by Auriga from $37.00 to $45.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

News Corp. (NWSA) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from $20.50 to $23.75. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Thoratec (THOR) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from $33.00 to $34.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Boyd Gaming (BYD) was downgraded by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from an “Overweight” rating to an “Equal Weight” rating.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Hasbro (HAS) (DIS) (CERN) (PNRA) (YUM) (BZH) Ratings, Price Targets

Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Cerner (NASDAQ: CERN), Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) and Beazer Homes Inc. (NYSE: BZH) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Walt Disney (DIS) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Hasbro, Inc. (HAS) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Cerner (CERN) had its price target raised by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $71.00.

Panera Bread Company (PNRA) had its price target raised by Morgan Keegan from $160.00 to $170.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) had its price target raised by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) from $55.00 to $60.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Beazer Homes Inc. (BZH) was downgraded by Guggenheim from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Freeport (FCX) (KGC) (SMG) (NOR) (NSU) (MLM) (MMP) Ratings, Price Targets

Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold (NYSE: FCX), Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC), Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG), Noranda Aluminum Holding Co. (NYSE: NOR), Nevsun Resources Ltd (NYSE: NSU), Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE: MLM) and Magellan Midstream (NYSE: MMP) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold (FCX) had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from $43.00 to $55.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Kinross Gold (KGC) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $85.00.

Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $43.00 to $46.00. They have a “Sector Perform” rating on the company.

Noranda Aluminum Holding Co. (NOR) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Nevsun Resources Ltd (NSU) was downgraded by CIBC from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (MLM) was downgraded by DA Davidson from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Magellan Midstream (MMP) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Wunderlich. They have a price target of $69.00 on the company.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Beazer (BZH) (MTH) (MS) (RBS) (UBS) (ING) Ratings and Price Targets

Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE:RBS), UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) and ING Groep (NYSE:ING) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Beazer Homes (BZH) was downgraded by Guggenheim from a "Neutral" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Meritage Homes (MTH) was downgraded by Guggenheim from a "Neutral" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Morgan Stanley (MS) was downgraded by Collins Stewart from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

UBS AG (UBS) was downgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a "Hold" rating to a "Sell" rating.

ING Groep (ING) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Humana (HUM) (LVS) (DIS) (LOW) (NWSA) (PEP) (RATE) Ratings, Price Targets

Humana (NYSE: HUM), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW), News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA), PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) and Bankrate (NASDAQ: RATE) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Humana (HUM) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

Walt Disney (DIS) had its price target raised by Wunderlich from $39.00 to $43.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Lowe’s (LOW) had its price target raised by Longbow Research from $29.00 to $33.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

News Corp. (NWSA) had its price target raised by Wedbush from $20.00 to $21.00.

PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $72.00.

Bankrate (RATE) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Yamana (AUY) (CNC) (CSTR) (CVS) (PBY) (URBN) Ratings, Price Targets

Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY), Centene Co. (NYSE: CNC), Coinstar (NASDAQ: CSTR), CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY) and Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Yamana Gold (AUY) was downgraded by Dahlman Rose from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Centene Co. (CNC) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Citigroup (NYSE:C). They have a price target of $52.00 on the company.

Coinstar (CSTR) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

CVS Caremark (CVS) had its price target raised by Citigroup from $45.00 to $51.00.

Pep Boys (PBY) was downgraded by Argus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) was downgraded by Brean Murray from a “Hold” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $23.00 on the company.

CNH (CNH) (BWLD) (CBRL) (MWIV) (RCI) (KELYA) (PPO) Ratings, Price Targets

CNH Global (NYSE: CNH), Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD), Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ: CBRL), MWI Veterinary Supply (NASDAQ: MWIV), Rogers Communications Inc. (NYSE: RCI), Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) and Polypore (NYSE: PPO) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) was downgraded by Miller Tabak from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $72.00 on the company, down from $78.00.

Cracker Barrel (CBRL) was downgraded by KeyBanc from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

MWI Veterinary Supply (MWIV) was downgraded by Barrington Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) was downgraded by Macquarie from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Kelly Services, Inc. (KELYA) was upgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Polypore (PPO) was upgraded by Robert W. Baird from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $58.00 on the company, up from $49.00.

CNH Global (CNH) was downgraded by ISI Group from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $48.00 on the company.

FedEx (FDX) (PNRA) (QCOR) (GLW) (KCP) (NVS) (PHM) Ratings, Price Targets

FedEx (NYSE: FDX), Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA), Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOR), Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW), Kenneth Cole Productions (NYSE: KCP), Novartis (NYSE: NVS) and PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Panera Bread Company (PNRA) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY) from $150.00 to $175.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOR) had its price target lowered by Ladenburg Thalmann from $51.00 to $46.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

FedEx (FDX) was upgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Corning Inc. (GLW) was upgraded by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Overweight” rating. They have a price target of $16.00 on the company.

Kenneth Cole Productions (KCP) was upgraded by Sterne Agee from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Novartis (NVS) was downgraded by Bank of America to an “Underperform” rating.

PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Cubic (CUB) (MU) (NYT) (CIT) (CTSH) (DIS) Coach (COH) Ratings, Price Targets

Cubic (NYSE: CUB), Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE: MU), New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT), CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT), Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Coach (NYSE: COH) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Cubic (CUB) had its price target raised by Benchmark Co. from $52.00 to $60.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $7.50 to $9.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

New York Times Co. (NYT) had its price target raised by Benchmark Co. to $8.00.

CIT Group Inc. (CIT) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Cognizant (CTSH) had its “Top Pick” rating reiterated by analysts at Needham & Company.

Walt Disney (DIS) was upgraded by Davenport from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Coach (COH) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $76.00.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Teck (TCK) (SWI) (WY) (ANR) (CXO) (HNR) Ratings, Price Targets

Teck Resources Limited (NYSE: TCK), SolarWinds, Inc. (NYSE: SWI), Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY), Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR), Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE: CXO) and Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: HNR) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Teck Resources Limited (TCK) was downgraded by TD Securities to a “Buy” rating.

SolarWinds, Inc. (SWI) had its price target raised by Mizuho from $30.00 to $38.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Weyerhaeuser (WY) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) had its price target lowered by Howard Weil from $39.00 to $37.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Concho Resources Inc. (CXO) had its price target raised by Ladenburg Thalmann to $125.00.

Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (HNR) was downgraded by Rodman & Renshaw from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Idenix (IDIX) (URBN) (HOT) (REGN) (CAVM) (DOW) Ratings, Price Targets

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDIX), Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN), Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT), Regeneron Pharma (NASDAQ: REGN), Cavium Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAVM) and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by analysts at Oppenheimer.

Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) had its “neutral” rating reiterated by analysts at Nomura.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDIX) had its “sell” rating reiterated by analysts at Brean Murray Carret & Co.

ThinkEquity initiated coverage on Regeneron Pharma (REGN). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $120.00 on the company.

Cavium Networks, Inc. (CAVM) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $26.00.

The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank to $35.00.

Wynn (WYNN) (DOW) (GILD) (ANF) (MCHP) (NSR) Ratings, Price Targets

Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN), The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP) and Neustar, Inc (NYSE: NSR) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB).

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $48.00.

Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $41.00 to $42.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Neustar, Inc (NSR) had its price target raised by Wedbush to $47.00.

Wynn Resorts, Limited (WYNN) had its price target lowered by Telsey Advisory Group from $149.00 to $130.00.

Kellogg (K) (DG) (APC) (ANN) (LVS) (MA) Ratings, Price Targets

Kellogg (NYSE: K), Dollar General (NYSE: DG), Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC), AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) initiated coverage on Dollar General (DG). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse initiated coverage on Anadarko Petroleum (APC). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $89.00 on the company.

AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (ANN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Kellogg (K) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $51.00.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) had its price target raised by Brean Murray from $54.00 to $57.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY)to $400.00.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ross (ROST) (SIMO) (SLE) (TEN) (RDC) (RDK) Ratings, Price Targets

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Silicon Motion Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: SIMO), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE), Tenneco Inc. (NYSE: TEN), Rowan Companies, Inc. (NYSE: RDC) and Ruddick Corporation (NYSE: RDK) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $57.00 to $60.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Silicon Motion Technology Corp. (SIMO) had its price target raised by Needham & Company from $25.00 to $30.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Sara Lee (SLE) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB)to $20.00.

Tenneco Inc. (TEN) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank to $40.00.

Rowan Companies, Inc. (RDC) was upgraded by Global Hunter Securities from an “Accumulate” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $46.00 on the company, up from $36.00.

Ruddick Corporation (RDK) was upgraded by BB&T (NYSE:BBT) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Viacom (VIAB) (WHR) (WYNN) (ADS) (AFFY) (AMD) Ratings, Price Targets

Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR), Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN), Alliance Data Systems Co. (NYSE: ADS), Affymax, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFY) and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) had ratings on them maintained by analysts.

Viacom, Inc. (VIAB) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Whirlpool (WHR) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by KeyBanc.

Wynn Resorts, Limited (WYNN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Alliance Data Systems Co. (ADS) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura.

Affymax, Inc. (AFFY) had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by Robert W. Baird.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Friday, February 3, 2012

States Looking to Gold, Silver as New Currencies

With the Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve out of control, and Obama spending taxpayers money at unprecedented rates, a number of states are looking to silver and gold as options for a competing currency.

Utah has already implemented such a program in March 2011, now recognizing any gold and silver coin issued by a mint in the United States as legal tender.

The law includes a provision for the coins used in Utah to be viewed the same as the U.S. dollar, which means there is no capital gains tax on the metal coins.

As for the printing of paper money, that is forbidden by the Constitution in regard to states, although they do have the power to create "gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts."

Interestingly, local communities are legally empowered to have their own paper currencies, with the caveat that they aren't confused with the look of the U.S. dollar.

Of course creating a paper currency without anything backing in is just as bad at any government level, as the Federal Reserve's assault on the U.S. dollar has proven. The dollar has dropped 95 percent value since the creation of the Fed.

How Utah is doing it via its Utah Gold & Silver Depository, is it's developing a systme which links gold or silver holdings of people to a debit card created for that purpose. So when they use the card, money is moved back and forth between accounts in private depositories created for that purpose. That's similar to how it's done now when countries sell gold, except on a much smaller basis.

At this time, 13 states have proposals to issue alternative currencies.

Ron Paul has sponsored a bill called the "Free Competition in Currency Act," which would give states power to create their own currencies.

AOL (AOL) (BYI) (IACI) (TSCO) (CTL) (CVTI) Ratings, Price Targets

AOL (NYSE: AOL), Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI), InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO), CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) and Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CVTI) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

AOL (AOL) had its price target raised by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from $20.00 to $22.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Bally Technologies Inc. (BYI) had its price target raised by Brean Murray to $53.00.

InterActiveCorp (IACI) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $52.00.

Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO) had its price target raised by Feltl & Co. from $83.00 to $85.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. (CVTI) was downgraded by Stephens from an “Overweight” rating to an “Equal Weight” rating.

Dell (DELL) (NYX) (JNJ) (END) (CRM) (NUVA) Ratings, Price Targets

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Endeavour International Co. (NYSE: END), Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) and NuVasive (NASDAQ: NUVA) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Dell Inc. (DELL) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Underweight” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) was downgraded by First Global from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Endeavour International Co. (END) was downgraded by Sidoti from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Salesforce.com (CRM) was downgraded by Global Equities Research from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Underweight” rating.

NuVasive (NUVA) had its price target raised by Mizuho from $20.00 to $25.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Hershey (HSY) (EA) (JDSU) (LVS) (AKS) (BIG) Ratings, Price Targets

Hershey (NYSE: HSY), Electronic Arts Inc. (NYSE: EA), JDS Uniphase Co. (NASDAQ: JDSU), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS), AK Steel Holding Co. (NYSE: AKS) and Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Hershey (HSY) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $13.00.

JDS Uniphase Co. (JDSU) had its price target raised by Jefferies Group to $18.00.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $61.00.

AK Steel Holding Co. (AKS) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Big Lots, Inc. (BIG) was upgraded by MKM Partners from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $48.00 on the company.

AOL (AOL) (CSTR) (DISCA) (ALL) (BHI) (GMCR) Ratings, Price Targets

AOL (NYSE: AOL), Coinstar (NASDAQ: CSTR), Discovery (NASDAQ: DISCA), Allstate (NYSE: ALL), Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI) and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

AOL (AOL) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Benchmark Co.

Coinstar (CSTR) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity. They have a price target of $54.00 on the company, up from $52.00.

Discovery (DISCA) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Allstate (ALL) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $32.00 to $35.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Baker Hughes (BHI) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $89.00.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) had its price target raised by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to $65.00.

QUALCOMM (QCOM) Ratings, Price Targets

QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

QUALCOMM, Inc. (QCOM) had its “Overweight” rating reiterated by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS).

QUALCOMM, Inc. had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

QUALCOMM, Inc. had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB).

QUALCOMM, Inc. had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC).

QUALCOMM, Inc. had its “Conviction Buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Franklin Resources (BEN) Ratings, Price Targets

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Underweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Franklin Resources, Inc. had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Franklin Resources, Inc. was downgraded by CLSA from an “Outperform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Franklin Resources, Inc. was downgraded by Credit Agricole to an “Underperform” rating.

Tyco (TYC) (EPAY) (FTNT) (STX) (WEN) (RGA) Ratings, Price Targets

Tyco International Ltd (NYSE: TYC), Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY), Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT), Seagate (NYSE: STX), Wendys Arbys Group (NYSE: WEN) and Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE: RGA) ratings and price targets.

Bottomline Technologies (EPAY) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) had its “Market Perform” rating reiterated by Oppenheimer.

Seagate (STX) had its price target raised by Needham & Company from $35.00 to $45.00. They have a “Strong-Buy” rating on the company.

Tyco International Ltd (TYC) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $54.00 to $57.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Wendys Arbys Group (WEN) was downgraded by Roth Capital from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Zimmer (ZMH) (MAT) (MWW) (SUBCY) (WOOF) (PPO) (CYT) Ratings, Price Targets

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH), Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW), Subsea 7 SA (NASDAQ: SUBCY), VCA Antech, Inc. (NASDAQ: WOOF), Polypore (NYSE: PPO) and Cytec Industries Inc. (NYSE: CYT) ratings and price targets.

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (ZMH) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $64.00 on the company, up from $28.00.

Mattel, Inc. (MAT) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (MWW) was downgraded by Oppenheimer from an “Outperform” rating to a “Perform” rating.

Subsea 7 SA (SUBCY) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)from an “Underweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

VCA Antech, Inc. (WOOF) was upgraded by Northcoast Research from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Polypore (PPO) had its price target lowered by Wedbush to $58.00.

Cytec Industries Inc. (CYT) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by KeyBanc. They have a price target of $64.00 on the company.

PACCAR (PCAR) (PRGS) (REPYY) (RWT) (OSK) (BEAV) Ratings, Price Targets

PACCAR (NASDAQ: PCAR), Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS), Repsol YPF SA (NASDAQ: REPYY), Redwood Trust (NYSE: RWT), Oshkosh Truck (NYSE: OSK) and BE Aerospace (NASDAQ: BEAV) ratings and price targets.

Progress Software (PRGS) was downgraded by Sidoti from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Repsol YPF SA (REPYY) was downgraded by Collins Stewart from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Redwood Trust (RWT) was downgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods to a “Market Perform” rating.

Oshkosh Truck (OSK) had its price target raised by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $27.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

PACCAR (PCAR) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $47.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

BE Aerospace (BEAV) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Sterne Agee. They have a price target of $49.00 on the company.

Aspen (AZPN) (UBNT) (UPS) (TROW) (UMC) (EGP) Ratings, Price Targets

Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZPN), Ubiquiti Networks (NASDAQ: UBNT), United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS), T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW), United Microelectronics (NYSE: UMC) and EastGroup Properties Inc. (NYSE: EGP) ratings and price targets.

Ubiquiti Networks (UBNT) had its price target raised by Wunderlich from $25.00 to $28.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) had its price target raised by Sterne Agee to $110.00.

T. Rowe Price (TROW) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $50.00 on the company.

United Microelectronics (UMC) was downgraded by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

EastGroup Properties Inc. (EGP) was upgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Aspen Technology, Inc. (AZPN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Citigroup (C) (HITK) (MAT) (MBFI) (SVNT) (SYK) Ratings, Price Targets

Citigroup (NYSE: C), Hi-Tech (NASDAQ: HITK), Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), MB Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBFI), Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SVNT) and Stryker (NYSE: SYK) ratings and price targets.

Hi-Tech (HITK) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Mattel, Inc. (MAT) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $33.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

MB Financial, Inc. (MBFI) had its price target raised by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) to $19.00.

Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SVNT) was downgraded by Cowen to a “Neutral” rating.

Stryker (SYK) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. The have a price target of $58.00 on the company.

Citigroup (C) was upgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Mattel (MAT) (IVAC) (IXYS) (LLL) (HR) (HVB) Ratings, Price Targets

Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Intevac (NASDAQ: IVAC), IXYS Co. (NASDAQ: IXYS), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE: HR) and Hudson Valley Holding Corp. (NYSE: HVB) ratings and price targets.

Intevac (IVAC) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

IXYS Co. (IXYS) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

L-3 Communications (LLL) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $80.00.

Mattel, Inc. (MAT) had its price target raised by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to $37.00.

Healthcare Realty Trust (HR) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $16.00 on the company.

Hudson Valley Holding Corp. (HVB) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Fabrinet (FN) (FTNT) (MDVN) (MPW) (EXP) (FFIC) Ratings, Price Targets

Fabrinet (NYSE: FN), Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT), Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN), Medical Properties Trust (NYSE: MPW), Eagle Materials, Inc. (NYSE: EXP) and Flushing Financial Co. (NASDAQ: FFIC) ratings and price targets.

Fabrinet (FN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Collins Stewart. They have a price target of $18.00 on the company.

Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) had its “hold” rating reiterated by Wunderlich. They have a price target of $20.00 on the company.

Medivation (MDVN) had its price target raised by Wedbush to $81.00.

Medical Properties Trust (MPW) had its price target raised by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) to $11.00.

Eagle Materials, Inc. (EXP) was downgraded by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $27.00 on the company.

Flushing Financial Co. (FFIC) was downgraded by FBR Capital from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $15.00 on the company.

Lexmark (LXK) (MDVN) (ESL) (CVS) (DHR) (CHRW) Ratings, Price Targets

Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK), Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN), Esterline Technologies Co. (NYSE: ESL), CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), Danaher Co. (NYSE: DHR) and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHRW) ratings and price targets.

Lexmark International, Inc. (LXK) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Brean Murray.

Medivation (MDVN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Brean Murray Carret & Co.

Barrington Research initiated coverage on Esterline Technologies Co. (ESL). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $71.00 on the company.

CVS Caremark (CVS) had its price target raised by Mizuho from $43.00 to $45.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Danaher Co. (DHR) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $58.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW) was downgraded by Avondale Partners from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Cisco (CSCO) (CSFL) (BX) (BCR) (BMA) (BRCM) Ratings, Price Targets

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), CenterState Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSFL), The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX), C.R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE: BCR), Banco Macro SA (NYSE: BMA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) ratings and price targets.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Sterne Agee. They have a price target of $25.00 on the company.

CenterState Banks, Inc. (CSFL) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Wunderlich. They have a price target of $9.00 on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) initiated coverage on The Blackstone Group L.P. (BX). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $19.00 on the company.

C.R. Bard, Inc. (BCR) had its price target raised by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to $95.00.

Banco Macro SA (BMA) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Broadcom (BRCM) was downgraded by Auriga from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $37.00 on the company, up from $35.00.

Broadcom (BRCM) (DLR) (CIT) (VIT) (FTNT) (BBOX) Ratings, Price Targets

Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM), Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT), VanceInfo Technologies Inc. (NYSE: VIT), Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT) and Black Box Co. (NASDAQ: BBOX) ratings and price targets.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus to $78.00.

Broadcom (BRCM) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

CIT Group Inc. (CIT) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Roth Capital initiated coverage on VanceInfo Technologies Inc. (VIT). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) had its price target raised by Wedbush to $25.00.

Black Box Co. (BBOX) was downgraded by TheStreet to a “Hold” rating.

RTI (RTIX) (SAIA) (IPCM) (AGP) (ALGN) (AMCC) Ratings, Price Targets

RTI Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ: RTIX), Saia Inc. (NASDAQ: SAIA), IPC The Hospitalist (NASDAQ: IPCM), AMERIGROUP Co. (NYSE: AGP), Align Tech (NASDAQ: ALGN) and Applied Micro Circuits (NASDAQ: AMCC) ratings and price targets.

RTI Biologics Inc. (RTIX) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Benchmark Co.. They have a price target of $4.50 on the company.

Saia Inc. (SAIA) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Dahlman Rose. They have a price target of $17.00 on the company.

BB&T (NYSE:BBT) initiated coverage on IPC The Hospitalist (IPCM). They placed a “Hold” rating on the company.

AMERIGROUP Co. (AGP) had its price target raised by Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY) to $73.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Align Tech (ALGN) had its price target raised by Barrington Research from $24.00 to $28.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Applied Micro Circuits (AMCC) was downgraded by Oppenheimer from an “Outperform” rating to a “Perform” rating. They have a price target of $10.00 on the company.

Seagate (STX) (VRTX) (TYC) (AREX) (EPAY) (AKAM) Ratings, Price Targets

Seagate (NYSE: STX), Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX), Tyco International Ltd (NYSE: TYC), Approach Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: AREX), Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY) and Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) ratings and price targets.

Seagate (STX) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Auriga.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Brean Murray.

Tyco International Ltd (TYC) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Johnson Rice initiated coverage on Approach Resources Inc. (AREX). They placed an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Bottomline Technologies (EPAY) had its price target raised by Needham & Company from $29.00 to $33.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Akamai Technologies (AKAM) was downgraded by B. Riley from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Amazon.com (AMZN) Ratings, Price Targets

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) ratings and price targets.

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB).

Amazon.com, Inc. had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Collins Stewart. They have a price target of $180.00 on the company.

Amazon.com, Inc. had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Amazon.com, Inc. had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by Robert W. Baird.

Amazon.com, Inc. had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Amazon.com, Inc. had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity. They have a price target of $210.00 on the company.

Newmont (NEM) (SVM) (X) (AEIS) (ETR) (VLO) Ratings, Price Targets

Newmont Mining Co. (NYSE: NEM), Silvercorp Metals (NYSE: SVM), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEIS), Entergy Corp. (NYSE: ETR) and Valero Energy Co. (NYSE: VLO) ratings and price targets.

Newmont Mining Co. (NEM) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Silvercorp Metals (SVM) had its “Outperform” rating reiterated by BMO Capital Markets. They have a price target of $11.00 on the company.

U.S. Steel (X) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by KeyBanc.

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (AEIS) had its price target raised by Dougherty & Co from $8.00 to $10.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Entergy Corp. (ETR) had its price target lowered by BMO Capital Markets to $69.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

Valero Energy Co. (VLO) had its price target lowered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $37.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Carnival (CCL) (CME) (HDY) (HTLF) (NYX) Ratings, Price Targets

Carnival Co. (NYSE: CCL), CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME), Hyperdynamics (NYSE: HDY), Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF) and NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) ratings and price targets.

Carnival Co. (CCL) was downgraded by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from an “Overweight” rating to an “Equal Weight” rating.

CME Group Inc. (CME) was downgraded by ISI Group from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Hyperdynamics (HDY) was downgraded by Howard Weil from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $4.00 on the company, down from $11.00.

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (HTLF) was downgraded by Sandler O’Neill from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) was upgraded by RBC Capital to a “Buy” rating.

Veolia (VE) (MNST) (NYX) (TNB) (UA) (VYFC) Ratings, Price Targets

Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE), Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), Thomas & Betts Co. (NYSE: TNB), Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) and Valley Financial (NASDAQ: VYFC) ratings and price targets.

Monster Beverage (MNST) was downgraded by CLSA from a “Buy” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) was downgraded by ISI Group from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Thomas & Betts Co. (TNB) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Under Armour, Inc. (UA) was upgraded by Needham & Company from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $86.00 on the company.

Veolia Environnement (VE) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Underweight” rating to an “Equal Weight” rating.

Davenport initiated coverage on Valley Financial (VYFC). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

RadioShack (RSH) (NYX) (BXP) (CNO) (EXEL) (MDVN) Ratings, Price Targets

RadioShack (NYSE: RSH), NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX), Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP), CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO), Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXEL) and Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN) ratings and price targets.

RadioShack (RSH) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Outperform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) was upgraded by Credit Agricole to a “Buy” rating.

Imperial Capital initiated coverage on Boston Properties (BXP). They placed an “In-Line” rating on the company.

Evercore Partners initiated coverage on CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO). They placed an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) initiated coverage on Exelixis, Inc. (EXEL). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse initiated coverage on Medivation (MDVN). They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Yara (YARIY) (VIVO) (ZFSVY) (AON) (CIB) (AIXG) Ratings, Price Targets

Yara International ASA (NASDAQ: YARIY), Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO), Zurich Financial Services (NASDAQ: ZFSVY), Aon Co. (NYSE: AON), Bancolombia S.A. (NYSE: CIB) and Aixtron AG (NASDAQ: AIXG) ratings and price targets.

Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO) was downgraded by Wedbush from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Yara International ASA (YARIY) was downgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Zurich Financial Services (ZFSVY) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Overweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Aon Co. ( AON) was upgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $50.00 on the company.

Bancolombia S.A. (CIB) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) to an “Outperform” rating.

BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Aixtron AG (AIXG). They placed an “Underperform” rating on the company.

Enbridge (EEP) (CF) (CLD) (IPI) (PCL) (REXX) Ratings, Price Targets

Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP), CF Industries Holdings (NYSE: CF), Cloud Peak Energy (NYSE: CLD), Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI), Plum Creek Timber Co. (NYSE: PCL) and Rex Energy (NASDAQ: REXX) ratings and price targets.

CF Industries Holdings (CF) was downgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) was downgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to an “Equal Weight” rating.

Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP) was downgraded by Morgan Keegan from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Intrepid Potash, Inc. (IPI) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Plum Creek Timber Co. (PCL) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $36.00 on the company.

Rex Energy (REXX) was downgraded by Tudor Pickering to a “Hold” rating.