Vista (VGZ) (KMT) (TE) (CVX) (NFX) (KWK) Ratings, Price Targets

Vista Gold (NYSE: VGZ), Kennametal (NYSE: KMT), TECO Energy (NYSE: TE), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) and Quicksilver Resources (NYSE: KWK) ratings and price targets.

Roth Capital initiated coverage on Vista Gold (NYSE: VGZ). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Kennametal (KMT) had its price target lowered by Barrington Research to $47.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

TECO Energy (TE) had its price target lowered by ISI Group to $19.50. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by Tudor Pickering from an “Accumulate” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Newfield Exploration (NFX) was downgraded by Capital One to an “Add” rating.

Quicksilver Resources (KWK) was downgraded by Capital One to a “Neutral” rating.

Exxon (XOM) (CHKM) (CNQ) (CVX) (MPC) (NEM) Ratings, Price Targets

Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP (NASDAQ: CHKM), Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE: CNQ), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC) and Newmont Mining Co. (NYSE: NEM) Ratings, Price Targets

Exxon Mobil (XOM) had its “Conviction Buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP (CHKM) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs.

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs.

Chevron (CVX) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs.

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs.

Newmont Mining Co. (NEM) was downgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Chevron (CVX) (CNS) (CVE) (EV) (FII) Ratings Reiterated

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Cohen & Steers, Inc. (NYSE: CNS), Cenovus Energy Inc. (NYSE: CVE), Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) and Fed Investors (NYSE: FII) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Cohen & Steers, Inc. (CNS).

Goldman Sachs reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Cenovus Energy Inc. (CVE).

Goldman Sachs reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Chevron (CVX).

Goldman Sachs reiterated its "Sell" rating on Eaton Vance Corp. (EV).

Goldman Sachs reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Fed Investors (FII).

Yahoo! (YHOO) (CVX) (DPZ) (AAPL) (CLVS) (BSFT) Ratings, Price Targets

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Clovis Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVS) and Broadsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: BSFT) ratings and price targets.

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC).

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by RBC Capital to an “Outperform” rating.

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (DPZ) had its price target raised by Argus from $35.00 to $39.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) had its price target lowered by Morgan Keegan to $513.00.

Clovis Oncology Inc. (CLVS) is now covered by Leerink Swann. They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Broadsoft Inc. (BSFT) is now covered by Wedbush. They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Chevron (CVX) (SE) (SNDK) (SO) (CW) (CYH) Downgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Spectra Energy Corp. (NYSE: SE), SanDisk Co. (NASDAQ: SNDK), Southern Co (NYSE: SO), Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW) and Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) were downgraded by analysts.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by RBC Capital to an “Outperform” rating.

Spectra Energy Corp. (SE) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

SanDisk Co. (SNDK) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to a “Neutral” rating.

Southern Co (SO) was downgraded by Caris & Co. to an “Average” rating.

Curtiss-Wright (CW) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Community Health Systems (CYH) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to a “Neutral” rating.

ExxonMobil (XOM) (HAL) (SLB) (CVX) (NBL) Among Top 2012 Picks

With stability and predictability major considerations for 2012, energy companies are among the attractive investment candidates for the year, led by ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Noble Energy (NYSE:NBL).

With the majority of investment advisors' top picks doing horrible last year, they're attempting to build out some credibility by focusing on and recommending large-cap stocks that don't have a lot of downside risk.

These of course inevitably include large energy companies which are assured of continuing demand like those mentioned above, which are all on the 2012 lists of many institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil was trading at $85.14, down $0.13, or 0.15 percent, as of 11:06 AM EST. Halliburton was at $34.25, up $0.46, or 1.36 percent. Schlumberger was at $67.68, gaining $0.27, or 0.40 percent. Chevron was at $106.85, falling $0.62, or 0.58 percent. Noble Energy was trading at $94.73, dropping $1.30, or 1.35 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (OCR) (PH) (PLAB) (DHT) (DV) Ratings Reiterated

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE: OCR), Parker-Hannifin Co. (NYSE: PH), Photronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAB), DHT Holdings Inc. (NYSE: DHT) and DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Omnicare, Inc. (OCR). They have a price target of $34.00 on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Parker-Hannifin Co. (PH). They have a price target of $90.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Photronics, Inc. (PLAB).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Chevron (CVX).

UBS AG reiterated its "Neutral" rating on DHT Holdings Inc. (DHT).

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on DeVry Inc. (DV).

Chevron (CVX) (RLD) (SUNH) (THOR) (CSGS) (CTL) Ratings Reiterated

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), RealD Inc. (NYSE: RLD), Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNH), Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR), CSG Systems International, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGS) and CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) had ratings on them reiterated by analyts.

Benchmark Co. reiterated its "Buy" rating on Chevron (CVX). They have a price target of $123.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on RealD Inc. (RLD).

Oppenheimer reiterated its "Underperform" rating on Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. (SUNH).

Morgan Keegan reiterated its "Market Perform" rating on Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR). They have a price target of $32.00 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Sell" rating on CSG Systems International, Inc. (CSGS). They have a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) reiterated its "Buy" rating on CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL).

Chevron (CVX) (RRC) (SBLK) (SKT) (EBTX) (EDR) Downgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Range Resources (NYSE: RRC), Star Bulk Carriers (NASDAQ: SBLK), Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (NYSE: SKT), Encore Bancshares, Inc (NASDAQ: EBTX) and Education Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: EDR) were downgraded by analysts.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $127.00 on the company.

Range Resources (RRC) was downgraded by Pritchard from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) was downgraded by FBR Capital from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. (SKT) was downgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Encore Bancshares, Inc. (EBTX) was downgraded by SunTrust (NYSE:STI) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Education Realty Trust, Inc. (EDR) was downgraded by JMP Securities from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Chevron (CVX) (COL) (CW) (CVH) (CVLT) (DNB) Price Targets Changed

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL), Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW), Coventry Health Care, Inc. (NYSE: CVH), Commvault Systems (NASDAQ: CVLT) and Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Chevron (CVX) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $135.00 to $138.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $70.00 to $67.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Curtiss-Wright (CW) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $32.00 to $36.00. They have a “Sector Perform” rating on the company.

Coventry Health Care, Inc. (CVH) had its price target raised by Wedbush to $34.00.

Commvault Systems (CVLT) had its price target raised by ThinkEquity to $50.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Dun & Bradstreet (DNB) had its price target lowered by Benchmark Co. from $82.00 to $75.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Chevron (CVX) (PNR) (PNRA) (POR) (CRH) (CVH) Downgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Pentair, Inc. (NYSE: PNR), Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA), Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR), CRH PLC (NYSE: CRH) and Coventry Health Care, Inc. (NYSE: CVH) were downgraded by analysts.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by Standpoint Research from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Pentair, Inc. (PNR) was downgraded by SunTrust (NYSE:STI) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Panera Bread Company (PNRA) was downgraded by Sterne Agee from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Portland General Electric Company (POR) was downgraded by Macquarie from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

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

Coventry Health Care, Inc. (CVH) was downgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Chevron (CVX) (REN) (CVE) (REXX) (ROSE) (CWEI) Downgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Resolute Energy Corp (NYSE: REN), Cenovus Energy Inc (NYSE: CVE), Rex Energy (NASDAQ: REXX), Rosetta Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: ROSE) and Clayton Williams Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: CWEI) were downgraded by analysts.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underweight” rating. They have a price target of $101.00 on the company.

Resolute Energy Corp. (REN) was downgraded by SunTrust (NYSE:STI) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Reduce” rating.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (CVE) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to a “Neutral” rating.

Rex Energy (REXX) was downgraded by SunTrust from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Rosetta Resources Inc. (ROSE) was downgraded by SunTrust from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Clayton Williams Energy Inc. (CWEI) was downgraded by SunTrust from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Cisco (CSCO) (RIMM) (CVX) (DAL) (PIR) EPS Estimates Changed

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) had their EPS estimates adjusted by analysts.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) ‘s EPS estimates were raised by Sterne Agee. They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $25.00 on the company.

Research In Motion (RIMM) ‘s EPS estimates were raised by Sterne Agee. They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Chevron (CVX) ‘s EPS estimates were cut by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF). They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) ‘s EPS estimates were raised by Evercore Partners. They have an “Underweight” rating and a price target of $8.00 on the company.

Pier 1 Imports (PIR) ‘s EPS estimates were raised by Oppenheimer. They have an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $14.00 on the company.

Chevron (CVX) (XTXI) (COF) (WSM) (CPO) (MWE) Upgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Crosstex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: XTXI), Capital One (NYSE: COF), Williams Sonoma Inc (NYSE: WSM), Corn Products International, Inc. (NYSE: CPO) and MarkWest Energy Partners (NYSE: MWE) were upgraded by analysts.

Crosstex Energy, Inc. (XTXI) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

Capital One (COF) was upgraded by Oppenheimer from a “Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $55.00 on the company.

Williams Sonoma Inc. (WSM) was upgraded by Cowen from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Corn Products International, Inc. (CPO) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $55.00 on the company, down from $58.00.

MarkWest Energy Partners (MWE) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

Chevron (CVX) was upgraded by Credit Agricole from an “Outperform” rating to a “Buy” rating.

BP (BP) (APC) (COP) (XOM) (RDS-A) (HAL) (CVX) (MRO) Jumped Monday

BP (NYSE:BP), Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Conoco (NYSE:COP), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Shell (NYSE:RDS-A), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) all closed up Monday on news consumer spending was slightly up.

Crude for October delivery climbed $1.90 to $87.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Aug. 17. Prices have dropped 4.5 percent this year.

Brent oil for October settlement jumped 52 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $111.88 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark traded at a premium of $24.61 to U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures, compared with a record $26.21 on Aug. 19.

Marathon closed at $26.41, gaining $0.52. or 2.01 percent. Chevron closed at $98.74, jumping $1.89, or 1.95 percent. Halliburton ended the session at $42.81, climbing $1.35, or 3.26 percent. Royal Dutch Shell closed at $65.33, rising $1.11, or 1.73 percent. Exxon closed at $74.12, increasing $1.48, or 2.04 percent. Conoco closed the day at $67.78, up $2.27, or 3.47 percent. Anadarko closed at $71.75, gaining $2.48, or 3.58 percent. BP closed at $39.25, rising $1.06, or 2.78 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (THS) (WAT) (MWV) (CEA) (NTAP) Upgraded

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), TreeHouse Foods Inc. (NYSE: THS), Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT), MeadWestvaco Corp. (NYSE: MWV), China Eastern Airline (NYSE: CEA) and NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) upgraded by analysts.

TreeHouse Foods Inc. (THS) was upgraded by BB&T (NYSE:BBT) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Waters Corporation (WAT) was upgraded by Auriga from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $103.00 on the company.

Chevron (CVX) was upgraded by Standpoint Research from a “Hold” rating to an “Accumulate” rating. They have a price target of $115.00 on the company.

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

China Eastern Airline (CEA) was upgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

NetApp Inc. (NTAP) was upgraded by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Overweight” rating. They have a price target of $58.00 on the company.

Ross (ROST) (SLB) (CVX) (CSCO) (BEN) (JKHY) Upgraded

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) and Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: JKHY) upgraded by analysts.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) was upgraded by Ticonderoga from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $85.00 on the company.

Schlumberger (SLB) was upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Chevron (CVX) was upgraded by Oppenheimer from a “Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $110.00 on the company.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $17.00 on the company.

Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (JKHY) was upgraded by Avondale Partners from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $34.00 on the company.

Chevron (CVX) (CR) (WFR) (KBW) (ITT) (TGI) Price Targets Changed

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Crane Co. (NYSE: CR), MEMC Electronic Materials Inc (NYSE: WFR), KBW, Inc. (NYSE: KBW), ITT Industries (NYSE: ITT) and Triumph Group, Inc. (NYSE: TGI) had their price targets adjusted by analysts.

Crane Co. (CR) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $51.00 to $53.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

Chevron (CVX) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital to $135.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

ITT Industries (ITT) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $64.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

KBW, Inc. (KBW) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $21.00 to $17.00. They have a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

Triumph Group, Inc. (TGI) had its price target raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $60.00 to $66.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (WFR) had its price target lowered by Kaufman Brothers from $13.50 to $10.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Chevron (CVX) (AAPL) (AMAT) (ABT) (TK) EPS Estimates Changed

Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) and Teekay Co. (NYSE: TK) EPS estimates adjusted by analysts.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) boosted its EPS estimate on Chevron (CVX). They have a "Buy" rating on the energy giant and a price target of $127.00 on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) cut their EPS estimate on shares of Applied Materials (AMAT). They have a "Neutral" rating on Applied and a price target of $12.00 on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) slashed their EPS estimate on Apple (AAPL). They have an "Outperform" rating on Apple with a price target of $500.00 on the company.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) lowered their EPS estimate on Teekay Co. (TK). They have a "Buy" rating on Teekay and a price target of $41.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their EPS estimate on Abbott Laboratories (ABT). They have a "Buy" rating on the company and a price target of $59.00 on the company.

Abbott Laboratories closed Tuesday at $53.29, gaining $0.11, or 0.21 percent. Chevron ended the session at $104.39, down $0.02, or 0.02 percent. Applied Materials closed at $12.64, falling $0.34, or 2.62 percent. Apple closed at $353.75, losing $0.25, or 0.07 percent. Teekay closed at $30.27, up $0.04, or 0.13 percent.

Ratings on Alcoa (AA) (CVX) (JASO) (XCO) (WTR) Reiterated by Analysts

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), EXCO Resources, Inc. (NYSE: XCO), JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO) and Aqua America (NYSE: WTR) have ratings reiterated by analysts.

Gabelli maintained a "Buy" rating on Aqua America (WTR)

Dahlman Rose reiterated a "Hold" on EXCO Resources, Inc. (XCO).

Collins Stewart reiterated a "Neutral" rating on JA Solar (JASO).

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) maintains a "Hold" on Chevron (CVX).

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated an "Overweight" rating on Alcoa Inc. (AA).

Aqua America closed Tuesday at $22.38, gaining $0.08, or 0.36 percent. EXCO closed at $15.72, rising $0.51, or 3.35 percent. JA Solar ended the session at $4.56, falling $0.12, or 2.56 percent. Chevron closed at $104.39, down $0.02, or 0.02 percent. Alcoa closed at $15.71, falling $0.20, or 1.26 percent.