Moodys (MCO) (ELGX) (MDR) (EGLE) (MET) (EFX) Price Targets Changed

Moodys Corporation (NYSE: MCO), Endologix, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELGX), McDermott International (NYSE: MDR), Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ: EGLE), MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) and Equifax (NYSE: EFX) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Moodys Corporation (MCO) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from $42.00 to $43.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Endologix, Inc. (ELGX) had its price target raised by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:JPM) from $10.50 to $12.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

McDermott International (MDR) had its price target lowered by Howard Weil from $25.00 to $15.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (EGLE) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to $23.50. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

MetLife, Inc. (MET) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $43.00 to $50.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Equifax (EFX) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $38.00 to $40.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Ex-Dividend for (LLTC) (LMAT) (MAIN) (MAR) (MC) is May 18

The ex-dividend date for Linear Technology (NASDAQ:LLTC), LeMaitre Vascular Inc. (NASDAQ:LMAT), Main Street Capital Corporation (NYSE:MAIN), Marriott International Inc. (NYSE:MAR) and Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MC) is May 18.

Linear Technology (LLTC) pays a dividend of $0.24 with a yield of 2.76 percent.

LeMaitre Vascular Inc. (LMAT) pays a dividend of $0.02 with a yield of 1.16 percent.

Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN) pays a dividend of $0.13 with a yield of 8.57 percent.

Marriott International Inc. (MAR) pays a dividend of $0.10 with a yield of 1.10 percent.

Moody's Corporation (MC) pays a dividend of $0.14 with a yield of 1.48 percent.

Dividend Winners (MJN) (MCO) (APA) (ITW) (LO) Last Week

Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE:MJN), Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO), Apache Corporation (NYSE:APA), Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) and Lorillard Inc. (NYSE:LO) were among the biggest dividend winners last week.

Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) closed at $66.88, bringing the dividend to +9.96 percent on the week and the yield to 1.56.

Moody’s Corporation (MCO) closed at $39.14, bringing the dividend to +9.24 percent on the week and the yield to 1.43 percent.

Apache Corporation (APA) closed at $133.37, bringing the dividend to +8.15 percent on the week and the yield to 0.45 percent.

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) closed at $58.41, bringing the dividend to +8.03 percent on the week and and the yield to 2.33 percent.

Lorillard Inc. (LO) closed at $106.50, bringing the dividend to +7.35 percent on the week and the yield to 4.88 percent.

Dividend Yields for (JNS) (STT) (AMP) (AXP) (MCO)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Janus Capital Group Inc (JNS), State Street Corp (STT), Ameriprise Financial Inc (AMP), American Express (AXP) and Moody's Corp (MCO).

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.

Janus Capital Group Inc (JNS) has a dividend yield of 1.64 percent on a declared dividend of $0.05. The payout ratio is 24.5 percent.

State Street Corp (JPM) has a dividend yield of 1.55 percent on a declared dividend of $0.25. The payout ratio is 19.0 percent.

Ameriprise Financial Inc (AMP) has a dividend yield of 1.48 percent on a declared dividend of $0.23. The payout ratio is 19.1 percent.

American Express (AXP) has a dividend yield of 1.47 percent on a declared dividend of $0.18. The payout ratio is 18.2 percent.

Moody's Corp (MCO) has a dividend yield of 1.43 percent on a declared dividend of $0.14. The payout ratio is 20.6 percent.

Moodys (MCO) (MLNX) (FTNT) (IPCM) (ISIL) Price Targets Raised

Price targets on Moodys Corporation (NYSE: MCO), Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX), Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT), IPC The Hospitalist (NASDAQ: IPCM) and Intersil Corp. (NASDAQ: ISIL) raised by analysts.

The Benchmark Company raised their price target on Moodys Corporation (NYSE: MCO) from $38.00 to $43.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) raised their price target on Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (MLNX) from $29.00 to $31.00.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised their price target on Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT) from $40.00 to $44.00.

RBC Capital raised their price target on IPC The Hospitalist (IPCM) from $44.00 to $50.00. They have a “sector perform” rating on the company.

Longbow Research raised their price target on Intersil Corp. (ISIL) from $15.00 to $18.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Nokia (NOK) Debt Downgraded by Moody's (MCO)

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) had its senior debt rating cut by Moody's (NYSE:MCO) from "A3" to "A2," along with a negative outlook on the company based on its declining position in mobile devices.

While the ratings are still investment grade, it will affect approximately $7.6 billion.

Moody's noted that Nokia inflexible smart phone operating system, slowness in introducing new models and more attractive innovation by competitors has brought the company to where it's at today.

They did say Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is starting to take steps to address the issues, but that will take time.

"In the short term, however, Moody's expects a significant degree of uncertainty about the financial impact on Nokia of the transition and about the level of eventual acceptance of the Windows Phone device offering," the ratings agency said.

Nokia Was trading at $8.95, dropping $0.07, or 0.78 percent, as of 11:32 AM EDT.

Moody's (MCO) Places Valeant (VRX) Under Review

After announcing its considering acquiring Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ:CEPH), Valeant (NYSE:VRX) has been placed under review by Moody's Investors Service (NYSE:MCO), as they're considering possibly downgrading the company.

Specifically being looked at are Valeant's 'Ba3', or speculative, corporate family rating, probability of default rating and senior unsecured rating.

Moody's Senior Vice President Michael Levesque said, "An acquisition of Cephalon would provide Valeant with new specialty pharmaceutical products including several strong brands in neuroscience and pain, and a stronger generics presence in Central Europe. However, the acquisition offer comes shortly on the heels of the Biovail/Valeant merger and highlights an extremely dynamic acquisition strategy and aggressive financial policies."

If the deal is consummated, Moody's said it will zero in on the terms of the deal, debt, credit metrics effects, financial policies and integration challenges.

Moody's did note if there is a downgrade it will probably be one notch.

JPMorgan's (JPM) AT&T (T) Loan Credit Negative Says Moody's (MCO)

According to Moody's Investors Service (NYSE:MCO) JPMorgan Chase & Co's (NYSE:JPM) being the only underwriter for the $20 billion bridge loan for AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) is a "credit negative."

Moody's analyst Sean Jones stated, "We believe JPM's $20 billion commitment is credit negative, as it highlights JPM's increased appetite for risk."

"If this translates into giving the bank an advantage in winning the mandate to underwrite AT&T's long-term bond issuances to pay off the bridge facility, then it may encourage more banks to take on greater single-risk exposure, which would be credit negative for the industry, including JPM."

The $20 billion loan is to hep AT&T secure the acquisition of T-Mobile USA if it's given approval to go forward.

JPMorgan closed Monday at $45.96, up $0.10, or 0.22 percent.

Moody’s (MCO) Falls on Evercore (EVR) Downgrade

Shares of Moody’s Corp. (NYSE:MCO) were down over 2 percent on the day as Evercore Partners (NYSE:EVR) downgraded them from "Overweight" to "Equal Weight."

The overall financial sector is under pressure today, as the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) was off 0.3% in recent trading.

Concerning Moody's, Evercore said they've had a "good run," and after being up 25 percent and reaching its price target of $33, they said they see a need to take a breather.

Evercore’s analysts wrote, “With the stock at our price target and some newfound choppiness in issuance, we are taking a breather and moving to an equal weight. Costs, as Moody’s management guided, are likely to remain a profit-margin issue in 2011 as Moody’s aggressively hires to prepare for new regulatory requirements.”

Moody's was trading at $32.14, falling $0.93, or 2.81 percent, as of 1:32 PM EDT.

Oil Prices to Hit (PPC) (F) (GM) (MGM) (LCC) Says Moody's

Taking note of several sectors which could be hit hard by higher oil prices, Moody's (NYSE:MCO) pointed to Ford (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM), US Airways Group (NYSE:LCC), MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) and Pilgrim’s Pride (NYSE:PPC) as being vulnerable in their respective segments.

Concerning the auto sector, Moody's said American companies will struggle more than their Japanese and European counterparts on higher oil prices.

They noted, “The ratio of U.S. car and truck sales shifted from 46/54 in 2007 to 51/49 by 2009, but back to 48/52 in 2010 as gasoline pressures eased.”

For airlines, Moody's cited US Airways Group because as of the end of 2010 they hadn't hedged fuel.

In gaming, they said MGM Resorts International was vulnerable because of their Las Vegas exposure, which generates the bulk of its revenue.

With fuel being one of the key inputs for the meat industry, Pilgrim's Pride is considered very vulnerable there.

Ford was trading at $14.48, up $0.22, or 1.54 percent, as of 2:30 PM EDT. General Motors was at $31.74, gaining $0.30, or 0.95 percent. US Airways Group was trading up with most airlines today, standing at $8.98, rising $0.49, or 5.77 percent. MGM Resorts was at $12.67, up $0.03, or 0.24 percent. Pilgrim's Pride was at $7.26, gaining $0.26, or 3.71 percent.

Chevron (CVX), Exxon (XOM), Caterpillar (CAT) Weigh Dow Down

Shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Exxon (NYSE:XOM) and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) are pushing the Dow Jones Industrial average down as macro-economic news weighed strongly on the performance of the companies.

Several issues are pressing on the market, including the downgrade of Spanish debt by Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) to 'Aa2,' including a negative outlook.

Just as important was the news from China of a trade deficit of $7.3 billion in February, the largest gap in seven years. That was the first trade gap experienced by China since March 2010.

Jobless claims were another impetus behind the weak markets, as for the week ended March 5 they rose 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000, according to the Labor Department.

The U.S. trade deficit also expanded, increasing to $46.3 billion, a boost of $6 billion.

Chevron was trading at $99.02, down $3.12, or 3.05 percent, as of 12:33 PM EST. Exxon was at $81.97, dropping $2.41, or 2.86 percent. Caterpillar was trading at $99.29, down $3.07, or 3.00 percent.

Monster (MWW), Central European Distribution (CEDC) Plunge on Downgrades, Debt

Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE:MWW) and Central European Distribution Corp. (NASDAQ:CEDC) were getting hit hard today, as both were downgraded by separate firms.

In the case of Monster Worldwide, they were downgraded by William Blair & Co. from "Outperform" to "Market Perform," and were trading at $15.91, down $1.08, or 6.36 percent, as of 1:02 PM EST. They had been the worst performer in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

Central European Distribution Corp. got downgraded by Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS) from "Outperform" to "Underperform." Moody's (NYSE:MCO) also said they may lower the debt rating on the company.

CEDC was trading at $12.44, down $1.50, or 10.76 percent.

Moody's (MCO) Likes Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Wynn (WYNN) in Gaming Sector

While Moody's (MCO) isn't positive on the gaming sector in general, within the industry, they see Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Wynn (WYNN) better positioned to weather the tough climate.

"The Las Vegas casinos have a high mountain to climb to grow earnings to anywhere near their previous peaks, as citywide hotel room rates remain below 2005 levels," said Peggy Holloway of Moody's.

Moody's likes the two large casinos better because of their stronger global position.

Room rates on low-to-mid tier casinos could come under extreme pressure because of their more localized markets.

The recovery in gaming will be a long one, concluded Moody's, even with the recent performances by some companies in the sector.

Nokia's (NYSE:NOK) Rating May Get Slashed by Moody's (NYSE:MCO)

Moody's (NYSE:MCO) said they're contemplating cutting the rating of Nokia (NYSE:NOK) one level, citing their ongoing struggles in the smartphone market.

New entries into the smartphone market, such as Apple's iPhone (NASDAQ:AAPL), and others, has the company continuing to lose market share.

Moody's said in a statement, "The rating review was caused by the gradual but steady weakening of Nokia's business profile and competitive position in mobile phones which has started to pressure profitability."

Because of Nokia's strong financial profile, Moody's said the ratings cut would only be one notch if it happens, and it would give Nokia time to hopefully adopt a new strategy to win back share in the smartphone sector.

Nokia is still the largest maker of cell phones in the world, but are getting crushed in smartphones.

At this time, Moody's has a long-term rating on Nokia of "A2," which affects approximately $7.22 billion in senior debt.

The review from Moody's was announced after Nokia reported profits in the fourth quarter plunge 21 percent, while its market share shrunk from 35 percent last year to 31 percent in the quarter.

Nokia was trading at $10.64, up $0.08, or 0.76 percent, as of 11:37 AM EST.

Moody's, (NYSE:MCO) S&P Say U.S. in Danger of Losing Credit Standing

The idea that the U.S. credit rating could be slashed was unthinkable not that many years ago, but out-of-control government spending and misguided actions by the Federal Reserve now have them on the brink of having its credit rating cut, saying rating agencies Moody's (NYSE:MCO) and S&P.

In order to retain support for its Aaa rating, Moody's said the U.S. would have to deal with the change direction on the debt ratio trend it is now on.

Sarah Carlson, senior analyst at Moody's, said, "We have become increasingly clear about the fact that if there are not offsetting measures to reverse the deterioration in negative fundamentals in the U.S., the likelihood of a negative outlook over the next two years will increase."

Carol Sirou, head of S&P France, added, "The view of markets is that the U.S. will continue to benefit from the exorbitant privilege linked to the U.S. dollar. But that may change. We can't rule out changing the outlook."

Contrary to the mainstream financial media, Standard & Poor's pointed to the deteriorating economic situation in the U.S. (not a recovery) as having a role in their decision to change the rating of America.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO) EPS Estimate Raised on Lower Tax Rate

Lower foreign and state tax rates will result in stronger earnings per share for Moody's (NYSE:MCO), according to Benchmark.

Benchmark says, "Our 4Q10 revenue estimate rises to $561 million, up 16% y/y, versus our previous estimate of $505 million, up 4% y/y. We raise our reported 4Q10 EPS estimate to $0.55 from $0.42, including an estimated $0.07 benefit from a lower tax rate reflecting foreign tax credits and lower foreign and state taxes. Excluding the tax credit, 4Q10 EPS would be $0.48. For the year, our EPS estimate, rises to $2.12 ($2.03 excluding items) from $1.96, with total revenue of $2.03 billion, up 13% y/y. EBITDA may rise 12% y/y to $841 million."

Benchmark maintains a "Buy" rating on Moody's Corp, which closed Friday at $69.38, gaining $0.58, or 0.84 percent. Benchmark raised its price target on Moody's from $30 to $33.

Top Ten Calls Recommended by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS)

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) released a list of their top ten calls in the financial sector, targeting those lagging behind the market in the midst of what they perceive as improving fundamentals.

They see the overall sector rising.

The 10 companies the options strategists at Goldman recommend are these: IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), Allstate Corporation (NYSE:ALL), Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV), Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN), The Chubb Corporation (NYSE:CB), Moody's Corp. (NYSE:MCO), Progressive Corp. (NYSE:PGR), State Street Corp. (NYSE:STT), NYSE Euronext, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) and T. Rowe Price (Nasdaq:TROW).

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. was trading at $117.87, up $1.49, or 1.28 percent, as of 12:14 PM EST. Allstate was at $30.98, up $ 0.03, or 0.10 percent. Travelers was at $55.42, up $0.08, or 0.14 percent. Franklin Resources was trading at $117.37, up $0.93, or 0.80 percent. Chubb was at $59.53, up $0.04, or 0.07 percent. Moody's was at $27.40, up $0.07, or 0.26 percent. Progressive was up to $20.62, gaining $0.18, or 0.88 percent. State Street moved up to $45.60, rising by $0.40, or 0.88 percent. NYSE Euronext was up to $29.62, gaining $0.27, or 0.92 percent. T.Rowe Price was trading at $63.31, up $0.53, or 0.84 percent.

All 10 companies were positive as of this writing.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO): Ireland May Go "Credit Negative"

After the expected announcement Ireland would have to be bailed out, despite the anemic denials, Moody's (NYSE:MCO) said the increase in the amount of debt held by the country may result in a “credit negative” for them.

Even so, it is expected for the country to undergo a multi-notch downgrade, but still have their rating remain within the investment-grade category, although it's not a 100 percent certainty.

The two major uses of the capital by Ireland will be to use about $130 billion of it in order to keep them from selling bonds, and the second would be to supply lenders with capital via a "contingent" capital fund.

This will probably result in the fall of the Irish ruling coalition in Ireland, with the likelihood of elections held in January as as consequence.

Concerns this may generate in a domino effect in Europe is obvious, and uncertainty over the already bailed out Greece has re-emerged, as it appears they may still be dishonest about the size of the deficit the have.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO) Upgrades China's Credit Citing Strong Economy

Moody's (NYSE:MCO) upgraded China's debt today from A1 to Aa3, saying the sound balance of payments and the strong economic performance of the company has found support and will continue on, generating a positive outlook for their credit.

Moody's senior vice president Tom Byrne noted, "The record of the past year demonstrates that China's policy response to the 2008 crisis has been effective. Real GDP growth initially rebounded rapidly in response to the stimulus measures, and is moderating to a more sustainable rate of growth, which seems likely to be around 9%-10% this year, and perhaps 8%-9% in 2011."

This upgrade follows the opposite for the credit of the U.S., which was recently downgraded by Dagong, a rating agency based in China.

They felt the U.S. was entering into debt waters which aren't sustainable, and the U.S. won't be able to repay what it owes. They also believe the U.S. government's intention of paying the debt is suspect.

U.S. debt was downgraded because of the implementation by the Federal Reserve of another round of quantitative easing, this time $600 billion over the next eight months.

Other countries like Germany has stated similar concerns, as the first stimulus did nothing to help the economy, and this one will be a huge waste of money America can no longer afford.

Goldman (NYSE:GS) Economic Report Support Gold Price Moving Up

Almost everything reported concerning the U.S. economy today confirms the ongoing recession, and Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) believe there's no doubt the Federal Reserve will inflate via quantitative easing, adding more support to gold, although that's probably priced into the price of gold at this time.

How much it's priced in will be determined by what the Federal Reserve does and to what extent.

There's no doubt the U.S. dollar will continue to weaken, which will benefit gold, and lower interest rates will remain in place.

News today that the sovereign debt of Greece had been understated and will have to be upwardly revised for the last several years is good for gold, as well as the downgrade of Ireland debt by Fitch Ratings and is being watched closely by Moody's (NYSE:MC), mostly on concerns over the cost related to the banking sector in the countries.

Private employers in America also reported they cut 39,000 jobs in September, where analysts were looking for an increase of 24,000 for the month.

Currencies in other countries continue to weaken against gold as well, confirming there is no bubble in gold, and nothing is out there which would suggest that should or will change any time soon.