Gildan (GIL) (STNG) (BKS) (ARC) (TOWR) (HNR) Biggest NYSE Losers

Gildan Activewear (NYSE:GIL), Scorpio Tankers (NYSE:STNG), Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE:BKS), American Reprographics Company (NYSE:ARC), Tower International Inc. (NYSE:TOWR) and Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE:HNR) were the biggest losers on the NYSE, Monday, December 1.

Gildan Activewear (GIL) ended the session down 31.28 percent, closing at $16.41. They traded in a range of $16.41 to $17.75. GIL had previously closed at $23.88. A total of 5,356,396 shares changed hands.

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) ended the session down 20.42 percent, closing at $5.30. They traded in a range of $5.25 to $5.42. A total of 2,920,953 shares changed hands.

Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) ended the session down 16.86 percent, closing at $14.50. They traded in a range of $13.27 to $16.76. A total of 5,815,678 shares changed hands.

American Reprographics Company (ARC) ended the session down 8.49 percent, closing at $4.31. They traded in a range of $4.29 to $4.65. A total of 80,078 shares changed hands.

Tower International Inc. (TOWR) ended the session down 7.91 percent, closing at $9.78. They traded in a range of $9.70 to $10.60. A total of 30,615 shares changed hands.

Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (HNR) ended the session down 7.65 percent, closing at $8.45. They traded in a range of $8.34 to $9.09. A total of 449,506 shares changed hands.

Gildan (GIL) (FFIV) (UBSI) (EW) (EXAS) (FDO) Upgraded

Gildan Activewear (NYSE: GIL), F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV), United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI), Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW), EXACT Sciences Co. (NASDAQ: EXAS) and Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (NYSE: FDO) upgraded by analysts.

F5 Networks (FFIV) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Sell” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $94.00 on the company.

United Bankshares, Inc. (UBSI) was upgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) was upgraded by Rodman & Renshaw from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $66.00 on the company.

Gildan Activewear (GIL) was upgraded by FBR Capital from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $27.00 on the company.

EXACT Sciences Co. (EXAS) was upgraded by Rodman & Renshaw from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $12.00 on the company, up from $7.00.

Family Dollar Stores, Inc. (FDO) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

Alere (ALR) (FCBC) (GIL) (HSC) (UAL) (VCI) Downgraded

Alere Inc. (NYSE: ALR), First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCBC), Gildan Activewear (NYSE: GIL), Harsco Co. (NYSE: HSC), United Continental (NYSE: UAL) and Valassis Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCI) downgraded by analysts.

Alere Inc. (ALR) was downgraded by Wedbush from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $31.00 on the company, down from $41.00.

First Community Bancshares, Inc. (FCBC) was downgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Gildan Activewear (GIL) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Hold” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Harsco Co. (HSC) was downgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $33.00 on the company, down from $38.00.

United Continental (UAL) was downgraded by Ticonderoga from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Valassis Communications, Inc. (VCI) was downgraded by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) from an “Overweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $27.00 on the company.

Ex-Dividend for (ATO) (E) (EFX) (FIC) (GIL) is May 23

The ex-dividend date for Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO), Eni SpA (NYSE:E), Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX), Fair Isaac Inc. (NYSE:FIC) and Gildan Activewear Inc. (NYSE:GIL) is May 23.

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) pays a dividend of $0.34 with a yield of 3.96 percent.

Eni SpA (E) pays a dividend of $1.01 with a yield of 4.01 percent.

Equifax Inc. (EFX) pays a dividend of $0.16 with a yield of 1.69 percent.

Fair Isaac Inc. (FIC) pays a dividend of $0.02 with a yield of 0.27 percent.

Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL) pays a dividend of $0.08 with a yield of 0.81 percent.

Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI), Nike (NYSE:NKE), Under Armour (NYSE:UA) Have Low Cotton Exposure

Based upon their fairly low exposure to cotton, Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI), Nike (NYSE:NKE) and Under Armour (NYSE:UA) are strongly positioned to be able to raise prices and defend margins in response to inflationary pressures.

On the other hand, Volcom (Nasdaq:VLCM), Quiksilver (NYSE:ZQK) and Gildan (NYSE:GIL) are the most exposed to cotton, and will struggle to maintain margins and earnings going forward.

FBR said, "We believe companies with relatively low cotton exposure and the ability to raise prices to offset inflationary pressures will outperform peers in FY11. We believe Hanesbrands (Outperform), Nike (Outperform), and Under Armour (Market Perform) are the best positioned within our coverage universe given Nike’s and Under Armour’s relatively low cotton exposure and Hanesbrands’ strong execution in locking in cotton costs at favorable levels and effectiveness at raising prices.

"We believe Volcom (Underperform), Quiksilver (Underperform), and Gildan (Underperform) are the worst positioned among our covered companies given relatively high cotton exposure and challenges to raising prices to offset product cost inflation."

Hanesbrands closed Wednesday at $25.37, down $0.09, or 0.35 percent. Nike closed at $88.58, down $0.70, or 0.79 percent. Under Armour ended the trading day at $54.78, down $1.97, or 3.47 percent. Volcom closed at $18.74, down $0.25, or 1.32 percent.
Quiksilver closed down at $5.16, losing $0.17, or 3.19 percent. Gildan closed at $29.37, down $0.44, or 1.48 percent.

Gildan Activewear (NYSE:GIL) Receiving Caution from FBR

FBR Capital reiterated their "Underperform" rating on Gildan Activewear (NYSE:GIL), citing last quarter's results the consequence of a one-time tax benefit.

FBR said, "The fourth quarter was a mixed bag, and we believe the outlook validated our cautious stance heading into the print. EPS for 4Q came in ahead of our expectation, but the beat was attributable to a one-time lower tax benefit (added $0.05); sales were slightly ahead of our forecast, but operating margin was 60 bps below. Sales trends in 4Q reflect continued momentum in activewear, partially offset by weak dollar growth in socks...Our FY11 EPS estimate of $1.80 is down from $1.82 (versus current consensus of $1.97)."

Gildan closed Friday at $28.87, dropping $0.14, or 0.48 percent. FBR has a price target of $26 on them.