DISH (DISH) (HOG) (JNJ) (AKS) (VZ) (CMCSA) (DTV) Ratings, Price Targets

DISH (NASDAQ: DISH), Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE: HOG), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), AK Steel Holding Co. (NYSE: AKS), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) ratings and price targets.

DISH (DISH) had its price target lowered by Collins Stewart from $37.00 to $35.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG) EPS estimates were raised by BMO Capital Markets. They have a “Market Perform” rating and a price target of $39.00 on the company.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) EPS estimates were cut by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $70.00 on the company.

AK Steel Holding Co. (AKS) had its price target lowered by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC).

Verizon (VZ) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Comcast Co. (CMCSA) had its price target raised by Collins Stewart from $32.00 to $36.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

DirecTV (DTV) had its price target raised by Collins Stewart from $59.00 to $68.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Och-Ziff (OZM) (PRX) (RBS) (AVGO) (BRCM) (CMCSA) Upgraded

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM), Par Pharmaceutical Companies Incorporated (NYSE: PRX), Royal Bank Scotland (NYSE: RBS), Avago Technologies (NASDAQ: AVGO), Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) and Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) were upgraded by analysts.

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (OZM) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to a “Buy” rating.

Par Pharmaceutical Companies Incorporated (PRX) was upgraded by Buckingham Research from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Royal Bank Scotland (RBS) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from an “Underweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Avago Technologies (AVGO) was upgraded by Nomura (NYSE:NMR) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Comcast Co. (CMCSA) was upgraded by Macquarie from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Comcast (CMCSA) (FIO) (RL) (ORCL) (ANF) (ANFGY) Ratings, Price Targets

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Fusion-io (NYSE:FIO), Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL), Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) and Antofagasta plc (OTC:ANFGY) ratings and price targets.

Comcast (CMCSA) was upgraded by Macquarie from a "Neutral" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) initiated coverage on Fusion-io (FIO). They have an "Overweight" rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

BMO Capital downgraded Oracle (ORCL) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Market Perform" rating.

Brean Murray downgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) downgraded Antofagasta plc (OTC: ANFGY) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Sell" rating.

Taleo (TLEO) (TTWO) (TWC) (BWP) (CMCSA) (DENN) Upgraded

Taleo Corp (NASDAQ: TLEO), Take-Two (NASDAQ: TTWO), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (NYSE: BWP), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and Denny’s (NASDAQ: DENN) were upgraded by analysts.

Taleo Corp (TLEO) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $40.00 on the company, up from $28.00.

Take-Two (TTWO) was upgraded by Pacific Crest to an “Outperform” rating.

Time Warner Cable (TWC) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $80.00 on the company.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners (BWP) was upgraded by Morgan Keegan from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $30.00 on the company.

Comcast Co. (CMCSA) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $32.00 on the company.

Denny’s (DENN) was upgraded by Feltl & Co. from a “Buy” rating to a “Strong Buy” rating. They have a price target of $5.00 on the company.

Comcast (CMCSA) (OXY) (OZM) (PCLN) (CLI) (CME) Price Targets Changed

Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE: OXY), Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM), Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN), Mack-Cali Realty Corp. (NYSE: CLI) and CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Comcast Co. (CMCSA) had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to $27.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Occidental Petroleum Co. (OXY) had its price target raised by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to $150.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (OZM) had its price target lowered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $13.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Priceline (PCLN) had its price target lowered by Benchmark Co. to $638.00.

Mack-Cali Realty Corp. (CLI) had its price target lowered by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) to $30.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

CME Group Inc. (CME) had its price target raised by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $315.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Comcast (CMCSA) (CLH) (TGH) (CME) (CNW) (COT) Price Targets Changed

Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE: CLH), Textainer Group Holdings Limited (NYSE: TGH), CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME), Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) and Cott Co. (NYSE: COT) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Comcast Co. (CMCSA) had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to $27.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Clean Harbors, Inc. (CLH) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from $55.00 to $57.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Textainer Group Holdings Limited (TGH) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $32.00.

CME Group Inc. (CME) had its price target raised by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $315.00.

Con-way Inc. (CNW) had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank to $32.00.

Cott Co. (COT) had its price target lowered by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) to $9.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Apple (AAPL) (CLWR) (CMCSA) (COST) (EEP) (YHOO) Ratings Reiterated

Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP) and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) have ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:JPC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Apple, Inc (AAPL) was . They have a price target of $607.00 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Underweight" rating on Clearwire (CLWR).

Wunderlich reiterated its "Buy" rating on Comcast Co. (CMCSA). They have a price target of $33.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Costco (COST).

Morgan Keegan reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP). They have a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its "Hold" rating on Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO). They have a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Apple (AAPL) Enters Hulu Talks

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has reportedly entered into discussions concerning the acquisition of Hulu, which has attracted a number of other tech giants as well, including Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), via NBC Universal, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing a couple of sources they didn't reveal.

Estimates at this time are Hulu is on course to reach 1 million paid subscribers by the end of summer. That would surpass earlier estimates if they reach that milestone.

With the heavyweights entering the discussions, it's almost certain a high premium would be paid to get the wildly popular video site, as to build it out would be an enormous endeavor, if it was done from scratch.

Apple closed Thursday at $387.29, gaining $0.39, or 0.10 percent.

Comcast (CMCSA) (DTV) (N) (TWC) (ARBA) Get New Coverage from Analysts

Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), DirecTV (NYSE: DTV), NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Ariba, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) had coverage initiated on them by analysts.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on Ariba, Inc. (ARBA). They placed a “buy” rating and a price target of $44.00 on the company.

Brean Murray initiated coverage on Comcast Co. (CMCSA). They placed a “buy” rating on the company.

Brean Murray initiated coverage on DirecTV (DTV). They placed a “buy” rating and a price target of $62.00 on the company.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on NetSuite Inc. (N). They placed a “neutral” rating and a price target of $45.00 on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

BMC Equities Research initiated coverage on Time Warner Cable (TWC). They placed a “hold” rating on the company.

Comcast closed Monday at $25.03, falling $0.48, or 1.88 percent. DirecTV closed at $52.81, down $0.27, or 0.51 percent. NetSuite ended the day at $41.47, losing $1.17, or 2.74 percent. Time Warner Cable closed at $77.78, declining $1.46, or 1.84 percent. Ariba closed at $35.57, falling $35.57, or 3.13 percent.

Dividends on (CMCSA) (COHU) (FDO) (GKSR) (NYSE:M) Declared

Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA), Cohu Inc. (NASDAQ:COHU), Family Dollar Stores (NYSE:FDO), G & K Services Cl'A' (NASDAQ:GKSR) and Macy's Inc. M (NYSE:M) declare dividends.

The Board of Directors of Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.1125 per share payable 7/27/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 7/6/11.

The Board of Directors of Cohu Inc. (COHU) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.06 per share payable 8/5/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/24/11.

The Board of Directors of Family Dollar Stores (FDO) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.18 per share payable 7/15/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/15/11.

The Board of Directors of G & K Services Cl'A' (GKSR) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.095 per share payable 6/20/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 5/20/11.

The Board of Directors of Macy's Inc. (M) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.10 per share payable 7/1/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/15/11.

Price Targets on (BMC) (CMCSA) (CRL) (CSX) (DLR) Updated by Analysts

Price targets on BMC Software, Inc. (NYSE: BMC), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Charles River Laboratories (NYSE: CRL), CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) and Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR) were updated by analysts.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) raised their price target on BMC Software, Inc. (BMC) from $55.00 to $62.50. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Kaufman Brothers raised their price target on Comcast Co. (CMCSA) from $28.00 to $30.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Charles River Laboratories (CRL) from $40.00 to $42.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Longbow Research raised their price target on CSX Corp. (CSX) from $90.00 to $92.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG raised their price target on Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) from $45.00 to $49.00. They have a “sell” rating on the company.

Price Targets on (ASCA) (AGN) (AWK) (BMC) (CMCSA) Updated by Analysts

Price targets on Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA), Allergan, Inc. (NYSE: AGN), American Water Works Co Inc (NYSE: AWK), BMC Software, Inc. (NYSE: BMC) and Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) were updated by analysts.

Brean Murray raised their price target on Ameristar Casinos (ASCA) from $28.00 to $30.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Allergan, Inc. (AGN) from $83.00 to $89.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Brean Murray raised their price target on American Water Works Co Inc (AWK) from $35.00 to $38.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Oppenheimer raised their price target on BMC Software, Inc. (BMC) from $52.00 to $57.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

UBS AG raised their price target on Comcast Co. (CMCSA) from $27.00 to $30.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Price Targets on (CCE) (CHH) (CMCSA) (CNC) (CNX) Updated by Analysts

Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE), Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Centene Co. (NYSE: CNC) and CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX) get price targets updated today by analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) raised their price target on Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) from $28.00 to $30.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) cut their price target on Choice Hotels (CHH) from $32.00 to $31.00.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised their price target on Comcast Co. (CMCSA) from $30.00 to $33.00.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Centene Co. (CNC) from $29.00 to $38.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

FBR Capital raised their price target on CONSOL Energy Inc. (CNX) from $59.00 to $65.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Dividend Yields for (OMC) (CMCSA) (CVC) (VIA-B) (IPG)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Omnicom Group Inc (OMC), Comcast Corp (CMCSA), Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC), Viacom Inc (VIA-B) and Interpublic Group (IPG).

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.

Omnicom Group Inc (OMC) has a dividend yield of 2.03 percent on a declared dividend of $0.25. The payout ratio is 35.1 percent.

Comcast Corp (CMCSA) has a dividend yield of 1.72 percent on a declared dividend of $0.11. The payout ratio is 26.0 percent.

Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC) has a dividend yield of 1.42 percent on a declared dividend of $0.12. The payout ratio is 31.8 percent.

Viacom Inc (VIA-B) has a dividend yield of 1.17 percent on a declared dividend of $0.15. The payout ratio is 23.7 percent.

Interpublic Group (IPG) has a dividend yield of 2.04 percent on a declared dividend of $0.06. The payout ratio is na.

Clearwire (CLWR) Accused of Inflating Subscriber Numbers

In an attempt to resurrect a case that had been dismissed against Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR) in 2009 (which is under appeal), a motion was filed by attorneys of the plaintiffs to have the case reinstated, which accused the company of inflating its subscriber figures in order to attract investors.

Also included with the motion was for the court to issue what is called an “indicative ruling.” That would allow an additional charge to be added to the original lawsuit; in this instance a charge of fraud.

Clearwire responded to the latest move saying, “Any allegation that Clearwire conspired to mislead its customers is baseless and absurd. We flatly deny any inference of fraud. We will vigorously defend ourselves against any such allegations.”

The filing asserts that in mid-2008, executives at the company altered the computer program in order to qualify those living outside the service areas. The purpose in doing that, according to attorneys, was to increase the company’s gross customer numbers while it was looking for investors to help expand its network.

In the end, Clearwire received investment of $3.2 billion from Sprint (NYSE:S), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA).

Sprint holds a 54 percent stake in Clearwire.

Comcast's (CMCSA) CEO Pay Rises 14 Percent in 2010

Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts got a boost in compensation last year of 14 percent, according to a recent filing.

Overall, Roberts took in a hefty $31.1 million while the narrative of the takeover of NBC Universal grabbed the headlines.

Comcast said Friday in a regulatory filing that Roberts earned $2.8 million in base salary, $11.2 million in stock and option awards and $10.9 million in cash bonuses.

For security reasons, Roberts also must use the company aircraft when he is traveling for personal reason, which bumped up the total by $195,767.

Comcast noted the Roberts and others at the company “successfully managed the many challenges of advancing the NBC Universal transaction from its signing in December 2009 to its closing in January 2011.”

Comcast closed Friday at $25.21, gaining $0.49, or 1.98 percent.

Univision Overtakes Comcast's (CMCSA) NBC in Key Demographics

Coming off their blockbuster acquisition of NBC from General Electric (NYSE:GE), Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is getting a look at the challenges they face as Univision surpassed NBC in viewers in key demographics of adults aged 18-34 and people aged 12-34.

Univision also said they're poised to become the No. 4 network after the February sweeps.

That's crucial to network television, as the sweeps determing the audiance a network is attracting, along with the advertising power they have.

That's bad news for Comcast in the early stages of its control of NBC, although not surprising for those who follow the weakened network.

NBC could be a drain on Comcast for some time, as it has struggled for years to generate interest from consumers.

Comcast was trading at $25.21, falling $0.07, or 0.28 percent, as of 2:39 PM EST.

Comcast (CMCSA) and Benefit of NBCU Deal

Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) has released their projections of how the deal with NBC-Universal will play out for them, and some analysts have chimed in with their own outlook.

Goldman Sachs analyst Jason Armstrong reinstated coverage of Comcast (CMCSA) shares with a Buy rating, offering estimates for how the combined business with NBC-Universal could lead to surge in free cash flow.

Armstrong writes the stock is worth $33 on a discounted cash flow basis, or $29 on a sum-of-the-parts basis, using a multiple of 6 times for the cable unit’s profit and 7 times for the NBCU joint venture.

While Comcast’s official projections of the economics of the new combined business are not expected until April, Armstrong today offers a preliminary calculation: revenue may grow 4% from this year through 2013, Ebitda may rise 6.5%, and free cash flow may rise 15% in that time, to $2.94 per share in 2013. Cash flow will be helped by a “significant increase in share repurchase activity over the next few years,” he writes.

In fact, Armstrong writes, following in the foot-steps of peers that have been doing a lot of buybacks, such as DirecTV (DTV), Time-Warner Cable (TWC), and Cablevision (CVC), Comcast, “has the potential to become the next big capital allocation story” in the industry.




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Comcast (CMCSA) and Level 3 (LVLT) Battling it Out Behind the Scenes

The battle between Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Level 3 (NASDAQ:LVLT) hasn't abated in any way, it has just removed itself from the public eye and is being pressed on the FCC.

Big headlines about the dispute between Level 3 Communications and Comcast over the latter's access charges may have subsided, but don't let that fool you. Like so many telecom wars, this one has migrated to the antechambers of the Federal Communications Commission. There, both sides are battling over whether the feud comes under the FCC's authority via its still-unofficial net neutrality rules.

"It would be ironic and unfortunate if, as we begin the era of growing broadband connectivity and use, the Commission effectively abdicated jurisdiction over broadband Internet services in a way that reduces choice and openness for the American consumer," Level 3 is warning the agency.

Au contraire, insists Comcast. "This has been, is, and will remain a dispute about the terms of an existing arrangement for network interconnection. It is not properly before this Commission."





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Warren Buffett Says Goodbye to Bank of America (NYSE:BAC)

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) revealed it totally divested of shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) in the last quarter.

Buffett owned 5 million shares of Bank of America valued at around $745 million.

Bank of America had never been part of Berkshire's long-term financial holdings, which include M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), American Express (NYSE:AXP), and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC).

One of Buffett's favorite companies, he acquired another 6.2 million shares of Wells Fargo in the fourth quarter. Berkshire's stake in Wells Fargo now stands at about 20 percent of the overall $52 billion investment portfolio held by the giant company.

Buffett lowered his stake in Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE:BK).

Non-bank stocks he sold were 6.5 million shares of Lowe's (NYSE:LOW); 6.1 million shares of Nalco Holding Co. (NYSE:NLC); 3.9 million shares of Fiserv Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV); 3.6 million shares of Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE); 3.4 million shares of Nestle ; 1.9 million shares of Becton, Dickinson & Co. (NYSE:BDX); and 187,000 Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) shares.