IAMGOLD (IAG) (MCP) (CLR) (ANR) (AI) (KBH) (AMT) Downgraded

IAMGOLD Corp (IAG), Molycorp, Inc. (MCP), Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR), Alpha Natural Resources (ANR), Arlington Asset (AI), KB Home (KBH) and American Tower Corporation (AMT) Downgraded were downgraded by analysts.

Macquarie downgraded IAMGOLD Corp (IAG) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Piper Jaffray downgraded Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) from an "Overweight" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Robert W. Baird downgraded Continental Resources, Inc. (CLR) from an "Outperform" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

CRT Capital downgraded Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) to a "Sell" rating.

Wunderlich downgraded Arlington Asset (AI) from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Raymond James downgraded American Tower Corporation (AMT) from a "Strong-Buy" rating to an "Outperform" rating.

CRT Capital downgraded KB Home (KBH) from a "Buy" rating.

Marriott (MAR) (MCP) (XLNX) (REGN) (ALNY) (AAP) Ratings, Price Targets

Marriott (NYSE: MAR), Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX), Regeneron Pharma (NASDAQ: REGN), Alnylam Pharma (NASDAQ: ALNY) and Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) ratings and price targets.

Marriott (MAR) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Dahlman Rose.

Xilinx, Inc. (XLNX) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

Regeneron Pharma (REGN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Brean Murray.

Alnylam Pharma (ALNY) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP) is now covered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB). They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Molycorp (MCP) (EXPD) (FBR) (GMCR) (LSTR) (MAR) Ratings Reiterated

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Expeditors International (NASDAQ: EXPD), Fibria Celulose S.A. (NYSE: FBR), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), Landstar System, Inc. (NASDAQ: LSTR) and Marriott (NYSE: MAR) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Dahlman Rose reiterated its “Buy” rating on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP).

Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) reiterated its “Hold” rating on Expeditors International (EXPD).

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Fibria Celulose S.A. (FBR).

SunTrust (NYSE:STI) reiterated its “Buy” rating on Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR).

Jefferies Group reiterated its “Hold” rating on Landstar System, Inc. (LSTR).

Nomura (NYSE:NMR) reiterated its “Buy” rating on Marriott (MAR).

Molycorp (MCP) (DNKN) (PWRD) (GRA) (JAH) (STBZ) Ratings, Price Targets

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Dunkin Brands (NASDAQ: DNKN), Perfect World Co Ltd (NASDAQ: PWRD), W.R. Grace & Co. (NYSE: GRA), Jarden Co. (NYSE: JAH) and State Bank Financial (NASDAQ: STBZ) ratings and price targets.

Molycorp, Inc. ( MCP) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from $57.00 to $39.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Dunkin Brands (DNKN) was upgraded by DA Davidson from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Perfect World Co. Ltd (PWRD) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

W.R. Grace & Co. (GRA) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Jarden Co. (JAH) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

State Bank Financial (STBZ) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Molycorp (MCP) (MFRM) (CAVM) (SHLD) (BBNK) (BGS) Ratings, Price Targets

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM), Cavium Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAVM), Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD), Bridge Capital Holdings (NASDAQ: BBNK) and B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) ratings and price targets.

Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM)

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage on Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (MFRM). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $28.00 on the company.

Cavium Networks, Inc. (CAVM) had its “Hold” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF). They have a price target of $32.00 on the company.

Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) had its “Sell” rating reiterated by ISI Group. They have a price target of $25.00 on the company.

Bridge Capital Holdings (BBNK) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Molycorp (MCP) (DDD) (AUO) (JDAS) (HXL) (IDCC) Ratings, Price Targets

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), 3D Systems Co. (NYSE: DDD), AU Optronics Corp. (NYSE: AUO), JDA Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: JDAS), Hexcel Co. (NYSE: HXL) and InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ: IDCC) ratings and price targets.

Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from $57.00 to $39.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the firm.

3D Systems Co. (DDD) had its price target lowered by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) to $12.00.

AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

JDA Software Group, Inc. (JDAS) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Hexcel Co. (HXL) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Molycorp (MCP) (VECO) (VLTR) (WIRE) (CLDX) (MRX) Ratings, Price Targets

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO), Volterra Semi (NASDAQ: VLTR), Encore Wire Corp. (NASDAQ: WIRE), Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDX) and Medicis Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: MRX) ratings and price targets.

Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM).

Veeco Instruments Inc. (VECO) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Underperform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Volterra Semi (VLTR) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Underperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Encore Wire Corp. (WIRE) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Celldex Therapeutics Inc. (CLDX) had its “Outperform” rating

reiterated by Wedbush. They have a price target of $6.00 on the firm.

Medicis Pharmaceuticals (MRX) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

Molycorp (MCP) (MANH) (MDRX) (MWV) (OPTR) Get New Coverage

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Manhattan Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (NASDAQ: MDRX), MeadWestvaco Corp. (NYSE: MWV) and Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OPTR) getting new coverage from analysts.

ThinkEquity initiated coverage on Manhattan Associates, Inc. (MANH). They placed a “Hold” rating on the company.

ThinkEquity initiated coverage on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP). They placed a “Hold” rating on the company.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) initiated coverage on Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (MDRX). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on MeadWestvaco Corp. (MWV). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $36.00 on the company.

WJB Capital initiated coverage on Optimer Pharmaceuticals (OPTR). They placed a “Hold” rating on the company.

LDK Solar (LDK) (MCP) (ISIS) (IVZ) (KO) Ratings Reiterated

LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK), Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISIS), Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) and The Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Nomura reiterated its "Hold" rating on LDK Solar (LDK).

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP). They have a price target of $90.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISIS). They have a price target of $10.00 on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Invesco Ltd. (IVZ). They have a price target of $25.00 on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its "Buy" rating on The Coca Cola Co. (KO). They have a price target of $75.00 on the company.

Molycorp (MCP) (MPC) (MSG) (GPRO) (GPS) (HRB) Ratings Reiterated

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC), Madison Square Garden, Inc. (NYSE: MSG), Gen-Probe Incorporated (NASDAQ: GPRO), The Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Dahlman Rose reiterated its "Buy" rating on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP).

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Marathon Petroleum (MPC). They have a price target of $50.00 on the company.

Maxim Group reiterated its "Buy" rating on Madison Square Garden, Inc. (MSG). They have a price target of $36.00 on the company, up from $32.00.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Gen-Probe Incorporated (GPRO). They have a price target of $75.00 on the company.

Wedbush reiterated its "Neutral" rating on The Gap Inc. (GPS). They have a price target of $18.00 on the company.

Barrington Research reiterated its "Market Perform" rating on H&R Block, Inc. (HRB).

Target (TGT) (MCD) (MCP) (MRK) (NVDA) (PBH) Ratings Reiterated

Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Merck & Co Inc. (NYSE: MRK), NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PBH) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Target Corp. (TGT).

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Buy" rating on McDonald’s (MCD). They have a price target of $100.00 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP). They have a price target of $90.00 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Equal Weight" rating on Merck & Co Inc. (MRK). They have a price target of $34.00 on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on NVIDIA (NVDA). They have a price target of $17.00 on the company.

Oppenheimer reiterated its "Market Perform" rating on Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. (PBH).

Molycorp (MCP) (CXO) (OSG) (DHT) (PFCB) (DLAKY) Downgraded

Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP), Concho Resources Inc. (NYSE: CXO), Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG), DHT Holdings Inc (NYSE: DHT), P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (NASDAQ: PFCB) and Deutsche Lufthansa AG (NASDAQ: DLAKY) were downgraded by analysts.

Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) was downgraded by TheStreet to a “Sell” rating.

Concho Resources Inc. (CXO) was downgraded by SunTrust (NYSE:STI) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) was downgraded by Dahlman Rose from a “Hold” rating to a “Sell” rating.

DHT Holdings Inc. (DHT) was downgraded by Dahlman Rose from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (PFCB) was downgraded by William Blair from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLAKY) was downgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Molycorp (MCP) Soars on $43.5 Million Profit

Molycorp (NYSE:MCP), which his attempting to position itself as the premier rare earths producer and supplier outside of China, generated a profit in the second quarter of $43.5 million, or 52 cents a share.

In the same quarter last year Molycorp lost $23.3 million, or 47 cents a share.

This easily beat the 39 cents a share analysts surveyed by FactSet were looking for. Revenue for the quarter jumped to 499.6 million, up from the slim $1.9 million in the same quarter in 2010.

Molycorp closed Thursday at $54.14, climbing $2.59, or 5.02 percent. In after hours trading the rose to $58.09, soaring another $3.95, or 7.30 percent.

The company has a market cap as of the Thursday close of $4.54 billion.

Will Molycorp (MCP)(SHZ)(REE)(AVL)(PLM) be Pressured on Japan Rare Element Discoveries?

Molycorp (NYSE: MCP), China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ), Rare Element (AMEX:REE), Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX:AVL) and Polymet Mining Corp (AMEX:PLM) could face share pressure on news of the massive discovery of rare element properties in the Pacific Ocean by Japan.

Japanese scientists assert there are "vast deposits" of rare earth minerals at 78 locations in the Pacific. They also claim the deposits are readily extractable.

Yasuhiro Kato, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Tokyo, said, "The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometre (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption,"

Kato noted the discoveries were rich in heavier rare earths like dysprosium, gadolinium, lutetium and terbium. Total rare earths discovered were estimated at 80 to 100 billion tons, according to the online version of British journal Nature Geoscience, which reported the story.

Molycorp (MCP) Crushed After Big Miss

Spin as the company likes, rare earth miner Molycorp (NYSE:MCP) missed big in their quarterly report last night, generating a profit of 1 cent (adjusted) when analysts from FactSet were looking for 7 cents a share.

After closing at $66.47, losing $5.13, or 7.16 percent for the day, Molycorp continued its freefall after hours, plunging another $3.82, or 5.75 percent, to $62.65.

Revenue rose to $26.3 million from $3 million from the same quarter last year. Analysts had projected $41.68 million in revenue for the quarter.

Analysts had projected 10 cents a share in earnings on revenue of $42 million. Its net loss did shrink to $909,000, or 3 cents a share, from a net loss of $7.7 million, or 16 cents a share, a year ago.

According to Molycorp, it realized an average sales price of $37.73 per kilogram during the quarter, compared to an average sales price of $34.02 per kilogram in the fourth quarter of 2010, and an average sales price of $7.13 per kilogram for the first quarter of 2010.

Molycorp estimates it will produce between 4,541 metric tons and 5,813 metric tons of rare earth oxides this year.

CEO Mark Smith spun it this way, “We were very pleased to see both sales volume and revenue increase for Molycorp in the first quarter of 2011, as this quarter is typically characterized by slow buying and depressed activity in China due to its New Year celebrations. In spite of this, and in spite of the natural catastrophes experienced by Japan in the first quarter, we continued to see strong global demand for our products. Market prices of REOs rose significantly in the first quarter, helping to boost our price realizations.”

“A very significant development in the first quarter is the fact that we saw domestic Chinese REO prices rising along with prices for Chinese rare earth exports,” Smith said. “This points to several trends that we have noted for some months now: growing demand by China’s burgeoning manufacturing sector for Chinese rare earths; continuing success in the Chinese government’s efforts to crack down on illegal mining and exports; greater industry consolidation forced by the Chinese government; continuing impact on production of new environmental regulations on Chinese producers; government-mandated production quotas; and a halt to the issuance of new licenses for domestic exploration,” added Smith.

Molycorp is dragging down the rare earths sector as a whole, with China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ), Rare Element Res Ltd (AMEX:REE) and Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX:AVL) all closing down on the day and in after hours trading.

Rare Earths (MCP) (SHZ) (REE) (AVL) All Plunge

Not totally unexpectedly, shares of rare earths miners (or potential miners) Molycorp (NYSE:MCP), China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ), Rare Element Res Ltd (AMEX:REE) and Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX:AVL) all closed down by at least 4 percent on Wednesday as investors take a closer look at the companies.

All that these particular stocks are trading on is potential and rare earth demand, more than the reality of what they are doing, which is basically nothing, as far as mining goes, with the probable exception of China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc..

Molycorp CEO Mark Smith has been all over the media attempting to position the company as the giant outside of China, but most of that is potential more than reality, as they are mining very little, and most through a recent small acquisition.

Smith has let it be known he's interested in making acquisitions, but needs to do less talking and taking more action. One problem he faces is the huge surge in valuaton of rare earths companies coming from the announcement by China they were cutting back on another 35 percent in rare earth exports in the early part of 2011, following up on the announcement in the middle of 2010 they were cutting back rare earth exports by 40 percent.

Shares of Molycorp (MCP) closed at $72.01 Wednesday, dropping $5.53, or 7.13 percent.

Price Targets on (IPHS) (JKS) (LUV) (LYB) (MCP) Updated

Price targets on Innophos Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPHS), JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: JKS), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) and Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP) were updated today by analysts.

Oppenheimer raised their price target on Innophos Holdings, Inc. (IPHS) from $47.00 to $56.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Brean Murray raised their price target on JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (JKS) from $32.00 to $35.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised their price target on Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) to $18.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) raised their price target on LyondellBasell (LYB) from $46.00 to $55.00. They have a “sell” rating on the company.

Dahlman Rose raised their price target on Molycorp, Inc. (MCP) from $85.00 to $125.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Molycorp (MCP) (SHZ) (REE) (XING) (GMO) (AVL) Closed Mixed on Volatile Day

Rare earths miners like General Moly (AMEX:GMO), Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX:AVL), China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ), Rare Element Resources Ltd (AMEX:REE), Qiao Xing Universal Resources, (Nasdaq:XING) and Molycorp, Inc (NYSE:MCP) closed mixed Thursday as investors have been uncertain over the soaring mining sector in general, along with rare earths, as well as gold and silver as well.

Most believe that rare earth supply will remain tight for at least five years, even with the media hype of all the projects coming on line. Those proposed projects will take years to go through the process before production is ready to begin.

According to Molycorp CEO, Mark Smith, there will probably be two coming on stream within that five-year period. During that same time rare earths demand is projected to double annually.

That means those companies that already have operations going should enjoy solid pricing power during that season.

As to the silly proposal by big-government politicians concerning the Rare Earth Supply-Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act, the last thing we need is for the government to use yet another so-called crisis or "national security" issue to expand government in a useless manner as is now being attempted.

The markets should and will sort it out, as it has already began to do.

Market Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (NYSE:REMX) closed at $27.85, falling $0.18, or 0.64 percent.

Molycorp (MCP) (SHZ) (AVL) (REE) (XING) Close Down on Tough Trading Day

Rare earths miners have been soaring since the announcement by China it's going to cut back on exports significantly. but that wasn't the case Tuesday, as the major rare earths miners pulled back with China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources, Inc. (AMEX:SHZ), Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX:AVL), Rare Element Resources Ltd (AMEX:REE), Qiao Xing Universal Resources, (Nasdaq:XING) and Molycorp, Inc (NYSE:MCP) closing down on the day.

Most think that the rare earth supply will remain tight for at least five years, even with the media hype of all the projects coming on line. Those proposed projects will take years to go through the process before production begin.

According to Molycorp CEO, Mark Smith, there will probably be two coming on stream within that five-year period. During that same time rare earths demand is projected to double annually.

That means those companies that already have operations going should enjoy solid pricing power during that period of time.

But it appears it'll be a somewhat volatile rare earths ride until there's much clearer economic clarity for the sector. It appears bullish long term at this time.

Market Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (NYSE:REMX) closed down on Tuesday as well, closing at $27.80, falling $0.20, or 0.71 percent.

Molycorp (MCP) (XING) (REMX) (OSN) Close Mixed as Rare Earths Remain Tight

Rare earths miners have been jumping since the announcement by China it's going to cut back on exports in a major way. Some of them have been pulling back after the recent surge, as companies Qiao Xing Universal Resources, (Nasdaq:XING), Molycorp, Inc (NYSE:MCP), Market Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (NYSE:REMX) and Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. (NYSE:OSN) closed mixed Thursday.

The majority believe that rare earth supply will remain constrained for at least five years, even with the media hype of all the projects coming on line. Those proposed projects will take years to go through the process before production is ready to start.

Molycorp CEO, Mark Smith recently said that there will probably be two coming on stream within that five-year period. During that same time rare earths demand is estimated to double annually.

That means those companies that already have operations going should enjoy solid pricing power during that season.

As to the ignorant proposal by big-government politicians concerning the Rare Earth Supply-Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act, the last thing we need is for the government to use yet another so-called crisis or "national security" issue to expand government in a useless manner as is now being attempted.

The markets should and will sort it out, as it has already began to do.

Ossen Innovation Co., Ltd. closed at $3.38, gaining $0.06, or 1.81 percent. Market Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF closed at $27.75, up $0.16, or 0.58 percent. Molycorp, Inc. ended the session at $68.24, falling $3.23, or 4.52 percent. Qiao Xing Universal Resources closed the day at $2.05, rising $0.02, or 0.99 percent.