First Solar (FSLR) (COF) (BYI) (CIEN) (COBZ) Price Targets Changed

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Capital One (NYSE: COF), Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI), Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) and CoBiz Financial Inc (NASDAQ: COBZ) had price targets adjusted by analysts.

First Solar, Inc. (FSLR) had its price target lowered by Wunderlich from $118.00 to $95.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Capital One (COF) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $64.00 to $60.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Bally Technologies Inc. (BYI) had its price target lowered by Brean Murray from $51.00 to $43.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Ciena Corp. (CIEN) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $29.00 to $24.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

CoBiz Financial Inc. (COBZ) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $8.00 to $6.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Ryanair (RYAAY) (BXP) (COF) (CRZBY) (FFIV) (LLNW) Upgraded

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY), Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP), Capital One (NYSE: COF), Commerzbank AG (NASDAQ: CRZBY), F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) and Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW) upgraded by analysts.

Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) was upgraded by RBS from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Boston Properties (BXP) was upgraded by Macquarie to a “Market Perform” rating.

Capital One (COF) was upgraded by RBC Capital from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $56.00 on the company, up from $49.00.

Commerzbank AG (CRZBY) was upgraded by WestLB to a “Buy” rating.

F5 Networks (FFIV) was upgraded by William Blair from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Limelight Networks (LLNW) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Cree (CREE) (FWRD) (EPOC) (COF) (DNSKY) Upgraded

Cree (NASDAQ: CREE), Forward Air (NASDAQ: FWRD), Epocrates, Inc. (NASDAQ: EPOC), Capital One (NYSE: COF) and Danske Bank A/S (NASDAQ: DNSKY) upgraded by analysts.

Forward Air (FWRD) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Danske Bank A/S (DNSKY) was upgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Epocrates, Inc. (EPOC) was upgraded by Morgan Keegan from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $18.00 on the company.

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

Cree, Inc. (CREE) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating. They have a price target of $40.00 on the company.

Coverage on BP (BP) (APO) (COF) (DFS) (HMIN) Initiated

Coverage on shares of BP (NYSE:BP), Apollo Global Management (NYSE:APO), Capital One (NYSE:COF) Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) and Home Inns (NASDAQ:HMIN) was initiated by analysts.

Keefe Bruyette initiated coverage on Apollo Global Management (APO), starting them off with an "Outperform" rating.

RBC Capital initiated coverage on BP (NYSE:BP), starting them off with an "Outperform" rating.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) initiated coverage on Capital One (COF), starting them off with a "Neutral" rating.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS), starting them off with a "Neutral" rating.

Cowen launched coverage on Home Inns (HMIN), starting them with a "Neutral" rating.

Ratings on (CADC) (CISG) (COF) (D) (EIX) Reiterated

Ratings on China Advanced Construction Materials Group Inc (NASDAQ: CADC), CNinsure Inc. (NASDAQ: CISG), Capital One (NYSE: COF), Dominion Resources, Inc. (NYSE: D) and Edison International (NYSE: EIX) were reiterated by analysts.

Global Hunter Securities reiterated a “buy” rating on China Advanced Construction Materials Group Inc (CADC).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated an “underweight” rating on CNinsure Inc. (CISG).

Citigroup (NYSE:C) reiterated a “buy” rating on Capital One (COF). They have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated a “neutral” rating on Dominion Resources, Inc. (D).

Goldman Sachs reiterated a “neutral” rating on Edison International (EIX).

Dividend Yields for (MS) (LUK) (LM) (COF) (BAC)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Morgan Stanley (MS), Leucadia National Corp (LUK), Legg Mason Inc (LM), Capital One Financial Corp (COF) and Bank of America Corp (BAC).

These dividend data indicate dividend yields of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index as of Saturday, April 30. The yield is determined by taking the latest declared dividend, annualized and divided by the price of the stock. Payout ratios are calculated based on latest quarterly dividend paid divided by earnings.

Morgan Stanley (MS) has a dividend yield of 0.76 percent on a declared dividend of $0.06. The payout ratio is 9.9 percent.

Leucadia National Corp (LUK) has a dividend yield of 0.65 percent on a declared dividend of $0.25. The payout ratio is na.

Legg Mason Inc (LM) has a dividend yield of 0.65 percent on a declared dividend of $0.06. The payout ratio is 14.9 percent.

Capital One Financial Corp (COF) has a dividend yield of 0.37 percent on a declared dividend of $0.05. The payout ratio is 2.2 percent.

Bank of America Corp (BAC) has a dividend yield of 0.33 percent on a declared dividend of $0.01. The payout ratio is 5.8 percent.

Bank of America (BAC) Breaking Credit Card Act?

Does the soon-to-be-implemented $59 membership fee by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) break the rules connected to the Credit CARD Act of 2009. Some thing so, and believe it could be considered a negative on the performance of the giant bank.

"In addition to increasing transparency throughout the credit card industry and instituting myriad consumer protections, the Credit CARD Act of 2009 has made sophisticated underwriting techniques increasingly important to credit card companies' success. While many issuers have both recognized this necessity and adapted to the new system, it appears that Bank of America (BAC), with its soon-to-be-implemented $59 membership fee increase, has not adjusted. The announcement of this fee -- which will be assessed to about 5% of the company’s credit card customers -- not only represents a breach of the CARD Act’s intent but also signals a need for strategic organizational changes if Bank of America is to truly compete with the country’s most sophisticated, compliant credit card issuers," said Minyanville.

They added, "Prior to the CARD Act’s passage, credit card companies were able to use various re-pricing tactics and penalty fees to cover up and support their flawed underwriting techniques. Now, however, these deceptive practices have been outlawed, widening the already-existing gap between the most advanced credit card companies, like Capital One (NYSE:COF), and the likes of Bank of America. Capital One was the most financially successful credit card company in the worst year of the recession, 2009, while Bank of America was the worst, with $5.56 billion in losses stemming from its credit card operations."

"As a result, anyone invested in Bank of America or like-minded credit card issuers has reason to worry. If these companies do not soon change course, they will lose market share and face an increasingly uphill battle in trying to compete with their peers. Regulators are prepared to protect the new-and-improved credit card landscape and banks that are unwilling or unable to adapt will struggle," the writer concluded.




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Fifth Third (FITB) Commercial Mortgage Exposure Drags Down HBAN, COF, RF, STI

Shares of regional competitors of Fifth Third (NASDAQ:FITB) were dragged down by the negative exposure the bank has to commercial mortgages, which could be the beginning of contagion to other banks.

Other regional competitors punished by the exposed Fifth Third include Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN), Capital One (NYSE:COF), Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) and SunTrust (NYSE:STI).

Huntington Bancshares closed Tuesday at $6.56, falling $0.28, or 4.1 percent. Capital One closed at $48.26, falling $1.51, or 3.03 percent. Regions Financial fell to $7.43, dropping $0.21, or 2.75 percent. SunTrust (STI) closed at $29.41, down $0.76, or 2.52 percent. Fifth Third Bancorp closed at $4.45, declining $0.65, or 4.45 percent.

Capital One Financial's (NYSE:COF) Earnings Suspect, Card Revenue Better

Some banks have benefited from the release of reserves, which has helped them look better than they performed during the latest quarter, and that's true as well with Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF). Even so there were a couple of good things to take from their earnings report.

FBR says, "We reiterate our rating on COF shares and increase our FY12 EPS estimate to $5.25, from $5.20, while leaving our FY11 EPS unchanged, at $5.30, as 4Q10 results exceeded both FBR's and consensus' earnings estimates. Investors may take a skeptical view of earnings, given reserve release continues to comprise a large portion (nearly 50% of net income, down slightly from 3Q10); however, US Card's revenue margin declined less than expected. Management noted credit will continue to improve at a faster rate than the U.S. economy."

FBR Capital maintains an "Outperform" rating on Capital One Financial (COF), which was trading at $49.49, up $2.24, or 4.74 percent, as of 1:39 PM EST. FBR has a price target of $53 on Capital One.

Oppenheimer Says Citigroup (NYSE:C) Worth Over $5 A Share

Citigroup (NYSE:C) has pushed up slightly today as Oppenheimer analyst Chris Kotowski said the company was worth more than $5 a share.

In a note to clients, Kotowski said, "There is good reason to believe that Citi Holdings can be wound down without undue further damage to shareholders and that the remaining businesses in Citicorp are worth over $5 per share."

Concerning the overall businesses of the bank, Kotowski added, "While we think Citi's U.S. consumer franchise still faces some challenges, we think it looks very much like Capital One, and should be valued accordingly and that Citi's Asian and Latin American businesses are growing nicely and should be valued accordingly as well."

Oppenheimer maintains their "Outperform" rating on the stock, which was trading at $4.22, gaining $0.07,or 1.81 percent as of 1:43 PM EST. They have a price target of $5.20 on them.