Disney (DIS) (UPL) (CAAS) (JRCC) (PAET) (GMR) Downgraded

Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), Ultra Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: UPL), China Automotive Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CAAS), James River Coal Company (NASDAQ: JRCC), PAETEC Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: PAET) and General Maritime Co. (NYSE: GMR) downgraded by analysts.

Ultra Petroleum Corp. (UPL) was downgraded by Howard Weil from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $55.00 on the company.

China Automotive Systems Inc. (CAAS) was downgraded by Maxim Group from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Walt Disney (DIS) was downgraded by Wunderlich from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $39.00 on the company, down from $42.00.

James River Coal Company (JRCC) was downgraded by Brean Murray from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

PAETEC Holding Corp. (PAET) was downgraded by RBC Capital from an “Outperform” rating to a “Sector Perform” rating. They have a price target of $5.00 on the company, down from $6.00.

General Maritime Co. (GMR) was downgraded by FBR Capital from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Posco (PKX) (MEE) (PCX) (JRCC) Take Breather

Even with thermal coal demand rising, along with coal imports from China, POSCO (NYSE:PKX), Massey Energy (NYSE:MEE), Patriot Coal (NYSE:PCX) and James River Coal Co. (JRCC) still pulled back Thursday with the rest of the coal industry, as the sector took a breather.

Coal prices in China have been soaring as domestic producers face higher costs. That has led to Chinese utilities looking outside the country for cheaper prices.

According to China Coal Transport and Distribution Association imports in May will increase as a result of the domestic market conditions in the country.

Inventories at ports continue to be low, which should cause domestic coal prices to continue to push up, increasing the coal imports, which will benefit any coal producer with exposure in China.

POSCO closed Thursday at $109.08, falling $0.49, or 0.45 percent.

L&L Energy (LLEN) (ANR) (PCX) (JRCC) Futures Look Solid as Coal will Dominate

Coal demand should provide good returns for coal companies like L&L Energy (NASDAQ:LLEN), Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE:ANR), Patriot Coal (NYSE:PCX) and James River Coal Co. (NASDAQ:JRCC).

While the stories of the demise of coal have been going on for decades, a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration called the “Annual Energy Outlook,” again asserts coal will decline substantially over the next 25 years, although it seems a lot of things will have to happen almost perfectly for that to be the case.

But if there is a significant dent made in the demand from coal, it'll come from natural gas, not from the expensive and unreliable sources like wind turbines and solar energy. At this time so-called renewable supply about 11 percent of electricy in America.

If the past is any indicator, the projections of coal replacement are far too optimistic, and it is certain it will be a major part of electrical generation for decades.

Coal suppliers should continue to do well for years, as demand continues, but it will probably be at a slower rate than in the past, and the amount of supply of metallurgical coal by a company will determine a lot of the success of each individual firm.