Petrobras (PBR) (JEF) (CISG) (ARMH) (ARTC) (LEAP) Ratings, Price Targets

Petrobras Brasileiro (NYSE:PBR), Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF), CNinsure (NASDAQ:CISG), ARM Holdings (NASDAQ:ARMH), ArthroCare (NASDAQ:ARTC) and Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) had ratings and price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) initiated coverage on Jefferies Group (JEF). They placed a "Market Perform" rating on the company.

Oppenheimer (NYSE:OPY) initiated coverage on CNinsure (CISG). They placed a "Perform" rating on the company.

ARM Holdings (ARMH) was upgraded by Natixis from a "Reduce" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Petrobras Brasileiro (PBR) was downgraded by Barclays (NYSE:BCS) from an "Overweight" rating to an "Equal Weight" rating.

ArthroCare (ARTC) was downgraded by Jefferies from a "Buy" rating to a "Hold" rating.

Leap Wireless (LEAP) was downgraded by Collins Stewart from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral rating. They slashed their price target on the company from $18.00 to $12.00.

NVIDIA (NVDA) (MCD) (PBR) (VZ) (SLB) (HON) Price Targets Changed

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE: PBR), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) and Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) price targets adjusted by analysts.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) lowered its price target on NVIDIA (NVDA) to $16.50. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

UBS AG boosted its price target on McDonald’s (MCD) to $97.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) cut its price target on Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR) to $47.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) lowered its price target on Verizon (VZ) to $33.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Howard Weil increased its price targeton Schlumberger (SLB) from $103.00 to $110.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Sterne Agee lowered its price target on Honeywell International Inc. (HON) to $63.00.

Petrobras (PBR) (LINE) (GST) (EGY) (APA) Trading Mixed

Shares of Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Linn Energy, LLC (NASDAQ:LINE), Gastar Exploration Ltd (AMEX:GST), Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY) and Apache Corp (NYSE:APA) were trading mixed today as oil prices were trading down in the session.

Crude-oil futures were trading down $0.79 to $97.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

U. S. crude oil prices also gained some back from earlier losses spurred by comments from the German Bundesbank, which said growth in Europe's largest economy will probably slow down.

Shares of oil companies like BP (NYSE:BP), Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Transocean and Cameron International (NYSE:CAM), all of which were connected to the Gulf oil spill, were all trading up on news of the settlement between BP and Macondo Well partner Mitsui (OTC:MITSY) to help pay for cleanup costs.

Apache Corp (APA) was trading at $123.21, gaining $0.36, or 2:17 percent, as of 2:10 PM EDT. Vaalco Energy (EGY) was at $6.92, down $0.01, or 0.15 percent. Gastar Exploration Ltd (GST) was trading at $3.55, up $0.09, or 2.60 percent. Linn Energy, LLC (LINE) was at $38.53, gaining $0.18, or 0.47 percent. Petrobras (PBR) was trading at $34.03, jumping $0.34, or 2:21 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) (CRK) (ECA) (XOM) (COP) Trade Mixed as Energy Falls

Shares of Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK), Encana Corp. (NYSE:ECA), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and Conoco (NYSE:COP) traded mixed on Thursday as oil and gas were down on the day.

After the International Energy Agency expressed concerns about the effects of higher oil and gasoline prices on the global economy, oil fell in Thursday trading.

Benchmark crude for June delivery fell $1.63 to settle at $98.93 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

June, heating oil fell 1.12 cents to settle at $2.8947 a gallon, gasoline dropped 2.95 cents to $2.926 a gallon and natural gas fell 10.5 cents to $4.161 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Thursday at $33.69, falling $0.57, or 1.66 percent.

Shares of (PBR) (HES) (WTI) (OAS) (RRC) Close Up

Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES), W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI), Oasis Petroleum (NYSE:OAS) and Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) all closed up on Tuesday even as energy prices were falling

Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped 47 cents to settle at $96.91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell as low as $95.02 during the trading session.

Natural gas was down 3 percent, falling 13.3 cents to $4.246 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In Nymex trading in June contracts, heating oil fell 2.93 cents to settle at $2.8451 per gallon, gasoline futures were down 1.18 cents to settle at $2.9193 a gallon and natural gas declined 13.3 cents to settle at $4.246 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude for June delivery was lower by 85 cents to settle at $109.99 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Tuesday at $34.27, gaining $0.65, or 1.93 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) Trades Down as Oil Prices Drop

Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was under pressure as oil as gas prices fell Wednesday, dragging the majority of energy companies down as well.

Brent crude settled down $5.06 at $112.57 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures dropped $5.67 to settle at $98.21.

Natural gas for June delivery settled 6.5 cents, or 1.5%, lower, at $4.181 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) dropped 4.2 percent to closed at $39.35, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down 2.9 percent to close at $74.28, and the U.S. gasoline fund LP (UGA) plunged 6.4 percent to close at $51.44.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. mostly participates in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Wednesday at $34.34, down $0.85, or 2.42 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) Trades Down as Oil Prices Drop

Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was under pressure as oil as gas prices fell Wednesday, dragging the majority of energy companies down as well.

Brent crude settled down $5.06 at $112.57 a barrel, while U.S. crude futures dropped $5.67 to settle at $98.21.

Natural gas for June delivery settled 6.5 cents, or 1.5%, lower, at $4.181 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) dropped 4.2 percent to closed at $39.35, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down 2.9 percent to close at $74.28, and the U.S. gasoline fund LP (UGA) plunged 6.4 percent to close at $51.44.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. mostly participates in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Wednesday at $34.34, down $0.85, or 2.42 percent.

Shares of (DVN) (HES) (RIG) (PBR) (PTR) Trade Mixed

The share prices of Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN), Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) traded mixed Monday as the falling price of oil and gas weighed on the companies.

U.S. crude futures fell 2.3 percent and gasoline futures dropped 5 percent to hit a nine-week low as worries mounted about high prices squelching energy demand and the fragile economy weigh on the industry.

Crude futures have fallen close to 15 percent so far on the month.

Oil futures were down 2.3 percent to $97.37 a barrel in New York. June Brent fell to $112.87, down 1 percent for Monday.

Gasoline futures for June delivery declined 14 cents, or 5.01 percent, to end the session at $2.93 a gallon, the lowest close since March 16.

U.S. gasoline at the retail level fell to $3.955 Monday from $3.961 Sunday. Diesel prices dropped $4.123 from $4.127.

June natural gas closed up 7 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $4.32 per million British thermal units. Natural gas prices were up on concerns flooding in Louisiana may cut back on supply.

Heating oil futures were down Monday, with the June heating oil contract closing at $2.87 a gallon, down 7 cents, or 2.3 percent.

Petrobras closed Monday at $33.62, rising $0.58, or 1.76 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) Down on Refining Losses

The misguided strategy of Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), the state-run oil giant from Brazil, to fix prices in order to control the cost of fuel for Brazil consumers, was pressured down even after profits rose to record levels in the first quarter.

Profits were up from the higher price of oil, exchange rate advantages and investment earnings. The investment earnings came from using the $70 billion in a stock offering for that purpose.

The company's earnings came in at $6.7 billion for the quarter

Petrobras' refining unit on the other had a loss of $58 million on the price fixing mentioned above, where the effects from the policy are felt the most.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Friday at $33.04, down $0.63, or 1.87 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) (TSO) (SHI) (CVX) (APC) Trade Positive as Oil, Gas Rise

Crude oil, natural gas and gasoline prices jumped Tuesday, pushing up the share prices of Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO), SINOPEC Shangai Petrochemical (NYSE:SHI), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Anadarko (NYSE:APC).

Benchmark crude for May delivery rose $1.33 to settle at $103.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Heating oil jumped 3.94 cents to settle at $3.0012 a gallon. Gasoline futures climbed 10.13 cents to settle at $3.3797 a gallon, while natural gas for June delivery increased 8.7 cents to settle at $4.303 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Uncertainty remains as to the effects of the flooding along the Mississippi River could have on regional refinery operations, which could slow down gasoline production and put upward pressure on prices.

Anadarko (APC) closed at $77.14, up $0.77, or 1.01 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) (BPL) (HNR) (GEOI) (DVN) Trade Mixed as Oil Prices Jump

Most oil and related companies performed strong Monday, as Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Buckeye Partners L.P. (NYSE:BPL), Harvest Natural Resources (NYSE:HNR), GeoResources (NASDAQ:GEOI) and Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) traded up as the price of oil rebounded.

Crude oil for June delivery climbed $5.37 to settle at $102.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the largest one-day boost since February 22.

Brent crude for June settlement jumped $6.77, or 6.2 percent, to $115.90 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Wholesale gasoline prices soared 5 percent on Monday to $3.20 a gallon on fears that refineries in Mississippi may have to shut down because of the Mississippi River flooding.

The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular gasoline Monday fell by a penny to $3.96, according to AAA.

Immediate delivery futures of Texas crude oil rose $5.53 to $102.71 a barrel. Natural gas was up 0.06 cents to $4.17 per mbtu, while gasoline prices fell 20.17 cents to 329.18 cents a gallon.

GeoResources (NASDAQ:GEOI) closed Monday at $24.89, falling $0.94, or 3.64 percent.

Shares of (PBR) (BRY) (VQ) (BPL) (CVX) Trade Mixed as Oil Closed Down 15% Last Week

Companies exposed to oil and the industry traded mixed to end the week, as oil prices plummeted 15 percent last week, taking Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY), Venoco Inc. (NYSE:VQ), Buckeye Partners L.P. (NYSE:BPL), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), and others, down with it.

Light, sweet crude oil for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped $2.62 to settle at $97.18 a barrel, matching the eight-week low of March 15. The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) closed down 1.1 percent on Friday.

For the week, the June oil futures contract fell 14.7 percent to $113.93.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery fell $2.62, or 2.6%, to close at $97.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent crude finished the day off $1.67 at $109.13 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Republicans went on the offensive against higher oil and gas prices by passing a bill to hasten the leasing process dragging on in the Gulf of Mexico as the Obama administration drag their feet on taking action. The bill would also require leasing to be allowed off the coast of Virginia.

According to Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the bill helped push down the price of oil as it sent a message to the market they're serious about the future supply.

All Obama has done so far has obsessed on the fantasy of green, clean or so-called alternative energy; a dubious matter at best, and at worst, ignoring what they country needs now and is available to it.

In other Nymex trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.12 cents to $2.8457 a U.S. gallon and gasoline futures were down 0.53 cents to $3.0901 a U.S. gallon. Natural gas fell 3.4 cents to $4.297 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Petrobras (PBR) closed Friday at $34.35, dropping $0.13, or 0.38 percent.

Hess (HES) (PBR) (CRK) (CXPO) Pressured as Oil Falls

Shares of oil and oil-related companies Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK) and Crimson Exploration (NASDAQ:CXPO) were pressured Thursday as crude for June delivery dropped below the $100 a barrel mark.

Crude oil for June delivery was down $9.44, or 8.6 percent, to $99.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price has fallen 12 percent so far this week, declining every day of the week. Crude has soared 25 percent over the last year.

Gasoline for May delivery was down 22.71 cents, or 6.8 percent, to $3.0954 a gallon on the Nymex, the lowest settlement in five weeks. Gasoline has jumped 39 percent in a year.

Averaged across the nation, regular gasoline at the pump increased 0.3 cent to $3.985 a gallon on Wednesday, according to the website of AAA. That's highest price of gasoline since July 24, 2008.

Heating oil for May delivery was down 25.61 cents, or 8.1 percent, to $2.8869 a gallon on the Nymex. Heating oil has climbed 32 percent over the last year.

The New York Mercantile Exchange reported that oil futures settled at $99.80, down $9.44 or 8.6 percent on Thursday.

Government figures show gasoline demand in America has dropped about 2 percent over the last month, which added to rises in inventory, should push gasoline prices down again.

Hess Corporation (HES) closed Thursday at $76.52, down $0.91, or 1.18 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) (:EGY) (XCO) (HES) Trade Down on Slowing Oil Demand

Oil companies and other industry-related companies Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Vaalco Energy (NYSE:EGY), Exco Resources Inc. (NYSE:XCO) and Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES) all closed down Wednesday as oil prices took a breather.

Oil prices dropped after a government report showed that inventories are growing as demand softens in the U.S. Benchmark crude for June delivery was down $1.81 to settle at $109.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other NYMEX trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.78 cents to settle at $3.143 a gallon, gasoline futures lost 0.69 cent to $3.3225 a gallon and natural gas was lower by 9.4 cents to $4.644 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The U.S. dollar index dropped 0.15 percent to $73.01, down from Tuesday's 73.127 close. The dollar index has fallen 7.5 percent so far in 2011.

Hess Corporation (HES) closed Wednesday at $77.43, falling $2.40, or 3.01 percent.

Petrobras (PBR) (TSO) (BRY) (CPE) Drop as Oil Prices Fall

Decreasing demand for fuel has pushed down oil inventories and the price of oil, putting pressure on Petrobras (NYSE:PBR), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO), Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY) and Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE).

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled down $2.47, or 2.2%, at $111.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. London Brent crude for June fell $2.67 to settle at $122.45 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled down $1.85 cents, or 0.6%, at $3.3294 a gallon. June heating oil lost 6.13 cents, or 1.9%, to settle at $3.1908 a gallon.

Gasoline prices on average across America have jumped to just under $4.00 a gallon, rising to $3.97 a gallon for regular gas, according to AAA.

Silver is considered the key catalyst for downward pressure on oil prices and trading, as it has become a proxy to some for risk appetite among commodity traders.

After selling out of silver commodity traders followed up with divesting of positions in oil as well.

Even so, it appears the slight strengthening of the U.S dollar played a bit role Tuesday as well.

Tesoro Corporation (TSO) closed Tuesday at $25.01, falling $1.28, or 4.87 percent.

Exxon (XOM) (FTK) (GEOI) (KOG) (PBR) Trade Down on Volatile Energy Day

On a volatile day for oil prices, shares of Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE:FTK), GeoResources (NASDAQ:GEOI), Kodiak Oil & Gas (Amex:KOG), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) closed Down on the uncertainty following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Crude futures settled lower Monday after the death of Osama bin Laden stirred up oil markets, as traders attempted to measure the impact of the event on the stability in the Middle East.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled 41 cents, or 0.4%, lower at $113.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, in a volatile session that saw both two-and-a-half year highs near $115 a barrel and a decline to $110.82 a barrel.

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange closed 77 cents lower at $125.12 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled 5.05 cents, or 1.5 percent down at $3.3479 a gallon. June heating oil settled 2.37 cents, or 0.7 percent lower at $3.2521 a gallon.

Exxon closed Monday at $86.97, dropping $1.01, or 1.15 percent.

PetroQuest (PQ) (BPL) (NOV) (PBR) (RDS-A) Trade Mixed on Gas, Oil Price Jumps

Shell (NYSE:RDS-A), PetroQuest Energy (NYSE:PQ), Buckeye Partners L.P. (NYSE:BPL), National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV) and Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) close mix Friday as oil and gasoline prices jump again.

Nymex light, sweet crude oil for June delivery rose $1.07 a barrel, to $113.93 a barrel. That's the highest close in two-a-half-years.

On Nymex, reformulated gasoline blendstock futures for May delivery expired at $3.4648 a gallon, up 3.5 cents Friday. That is the highest level since July 14, 2008. Prices have soared 23.17 cents, or 7.2 percent, over the past week.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said the nationwide average price of regular gasoline was $3.909 a gallon Friday, up 6.1 cents from last week.

May heating oil expired at $3.2558 a gallon, up 2.42 cents, and the highest since April 8.

Tightening inventory and higher gasoline prices continue to push oil prices up. Another major factor, as it is with most commodities, is the ongoing collapse of the U.S. dollar. That will continue based on Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments he's not going to raise interest rates.

Shell closed Friday at $77.48, falling $0.13, or 0.17 percent.

Range Resources (RRC) (PBR) (TTES) (END) (ECA) Close Mixed as Oil, Gas Rise

Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), T-3 Energy Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTES), Endeavour International (NYSE:END), Encana Corp. (NYSE:ECA) and Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) closed mixed as oil, gasoline and natural gas moved up in price Thursday.

Oil settled higher in volatile trading Thursday, pushed up by a collapsing U.S. dollar. After soaring to close to $114 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 10 cents, at $112.86, in futures trading in New York.

Brent North Sea crude oil fell 11 cents to settle at $125.02 a barrel on the Ice Futures exchange.

In futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas climbed 15.7 cents to settle at $4.63 per million British thermal units.

Gasoline for May delivery jumped 1.04 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $3.4298 a gallon, the highest settlement since July 14, 2008. Futures have risen 47 percent in the past year.

The Dollar Index fell to the lowest level since July 31, 2008. The index was down 0.5 percent to 73.139, its eighth straight daily decline.

Callon (CPE) (CHK) (PBR) (COP) Close Up as Oil Settles at $112.21

Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE), Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) closed up as oil for June delivery fell below the $112.21 it settled at, as the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 PM EDT that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million.

Oil for June delivery settled at $112.21 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has risen 33 percent in the past year.

Prices dropped from the settlement after the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 p.m. that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million. June oil was down 49 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $111.79 a barrel in electronic trading at 4:32 PM EDT.

Brent crude for June settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange jumped 48 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $124.14 a barrel.

The dollar fell for a sixth day against the euro, equaling the longest losing streak since May 2009. Expectations are the Federal Reserve will continue to keep measures in to allegedly support the U.S. economy.

Gasoline rose more than 53 cents a gallon from January to March as unrest in Libya threatened its oil fields and helped push oil from $91 to $107 a barrel. The national average for gasoline is closing in on $3.90 a gallon. Diesel is at about $4.14.

Oil averaged $94.64 a barrel between January and March, compared with $78.89 in the same period last year.

Natural gas prices remain low compared with three years ago. It's currently trading at $4.38 per 1,000 cubic feet. In April 2008, natural gas contracts garnered over twice that.

Petrohawk (HK) (CRK) (RDS-A) (PBR) Close Mixed as Oil Prices Pull Back

Oil prices will probably keep climbing toward the highs of 2008 as growing demand isn't matched by additional supplies and the price jump has been slow to cut into consumption, as Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK), Petrohawk Energy Corp. (NYSE:HK), Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A) closed mixed Monday, April 25.

The front-month Brent crude-oil futures contract, the London benchmark, pulled back from a 2½-year high of $127 a barrel on April 11, amid concerns that soaring prices are hurting demand. It settled at $123.66 a barrel on Monday, up 5.4 percent so far in April. The front-month June contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange pulled back one cent to $112.28, still up 5.2 percent this month and 23 percent in 2011.

Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped a penny to settle at $112.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude fell 33 cents to settle at $123.66 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil was down 1.73 cents to settle at $3.1989 a gallon and gasoline futures increased a little less than a penny to settle at $3.2785 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 2.3 cents to $4.389 per 1,000 cubic feet.