Alcoa (AA) (BEAV) (BODY) (ACHN) (AMAG) (AMAT) Ratings Reiterated

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), BE Aerospace (NASDAQ: BEAV), Body Central Acquisition Co. (NASDAQ: BODY), Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ACHN), AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAG) and Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Alcoa Inc. (AA).

Jefferies Group reiterated its "Buy" rating on BE Aerospace (BEAV). They have a price target of $48.00 on the company.

Jefferies Group reiterated its "Buy" rating on Body Central Acquisition Co. (BODY). They have a price target of $31.00 on the company.

ThinkEquity reiterated its "Buy" rating on Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACHN).

Jefferies Group reiterated its "Buy" rating on AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMAG). They have a price target of $12.00 on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT). They have a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Cabot (COG) (BRS) (CKH) (BBL) (AA) (ENI) Ratings, Price Targets

Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG), Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS), Seacor (NYSE: CKH), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BBL), Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) and Enersis (NYSE: ENI) ratings and price targets.

Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Bristow Group Inc. (BRS) is now covered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS). They have an “outperform” rating and a price target of $55.00 on the firm.

Seacor (CKH) is now covered by Credit Suisse. They have a “neutral” rating and a price target of $100.00 on the firm.

BHP Billiton (BBL) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $17.50 to $14.65. They have a “buy” rating on the firm.

Enersis (ENI) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating.

Alcoa (AA) (VVUS) (XRX) (VSH) (YNDX) (ELX) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX), Vishay (NYSE: VSH), Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX) and Emulex Co. (NYSE: ELX) ratings and price targets.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

VIVUS, Inc. (VVUS) had its “underperform” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group. They have a price target of $3.00 on the company.

Xerox Corp. (XRX) was downgraded by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating.

Vishay (VSH) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Yandex (YNDX) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating.

Emulex Co. (ELX) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $7.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the firm.

Alcoa (AA) Could Jump in 2012 on Production Cuts

Aluminum production is being cut back in 2012 as prices continue to weaken in the weak global economy. That could be beneficial to Alcoa (NYSE:AA) and other companies with significant exposure to aluminum.

That, however, won't help Alcoa in its latest quarter, which is expected to announce a loss after the market closes. Consensus is for the company to report a 2 cents a share loss, with Citigroup (NYSE:C) going against consensus, seeing it being much worse for the aluminum producer, saying they're looking for a loss of 7 cents a share for the quarter.

If production cuts are in align with assertions in 2012, it could be beneficial to Alcoa, as it could help boost aluminum prices because of lower demand.

Alcoa was trading at $9.33, up $0.17, or 1.86 percent, as of 12:03 PM EST.

Alcoa (AA) (DNDN) (AVAV) (AVD) (ITMN) (CHH) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Dendreon Co. (NASDAQ: DNDN), AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), American Vanguard Corp. (NYSE: AVD), InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) and Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) ratings and price targets.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Dahlman Rose.

Dendreon Co. (DNDN) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

AeroVironment (AVAV) is now covered by Sterne Agee. They placed an “Underperform” rating on the company.

American Vanguard Corp. (AVD) is now covered by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC). They placed an “Overweight” rating and a price target of $18.00 on the company.

InterMune, Inc. (ITMN) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $18.00.

Choice Hotels (CHH) was downgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underweight” rating. They have a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Alcoa (AA) (ELP) (ABAX) (APOL) (ROST) (AXS) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Companhia Paranaense De Energia (NYSE: ELP), Abaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABAX), Apollo Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL), Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) and Axis Capital (NYSE: AXS) ratings and price targets.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its “hold” rating reiterated by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB).

Companhia Paranaense De Energia (ELP) had its “neutral” rating reiterated by Zacks Investment Research. They have a price target of $22.00 on the company.

Abaxis, Inc. (ABAX) is now covered by Feltl & Co. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Apollo Group, Inc. (APOL) had its price target raised by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to $62.00.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) had its price target raised by Avondale Partners from $50.00 to $60.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Axis Capital (AXS) was downgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating.

Exide (XIDE) (AA) (DRIV) (ITMN) (JBHT) (ROST) Ratings, Price Targets

Exide Technologies (NASDAQ: XIDE), Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV), InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN), J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) and Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST) ratings and price targets.

Exide Technologies (XIDE) was upgraded by Wedbush from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Dahlman Rose.

Digital River, Inc. (DRIV) had its “neutral” rating reiterated by Robert W. Baird.

InterMune, Inc. (ITMN) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) had its “neutral” rating reiterated by Zacks Investment Research. They have a price target of $46.00 on the company.

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $44.00 to $46.00. They have a “sector perform” rating on the company.

Alcoa (AA) Under Pressure Before Earnings

Alcoa (NYSE:AA) will release its quarterly report on January 9 after the market closes, launching the fourth quarter earnings season.

Last quarter the aluminum company generated mixed results, and analysts are looking at revenue of $5.78 billion and earnings of a penny a share for the latest quarter.

Consensus for EPS is 7 cents to 17 cents, and revenue consensus is from $5.4 billion to $6.16 billion.

Last month the EPS estimates of Alcoa were cut by UBS (NYSE:UBS) and Jefferies (NYSE:JEF). Higher costs and lower aluminum prices were cited as the reasons behind the changes.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) cut its price target on Alcoa from $12.00 to $10.00, and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) recently lowered its estimates on the company.

Alcoa was trading at $9.14, down $0.22, or 2.40 percent, as of 11:29 AM EST.

Alcoa (AA) (EA) (INVN) (YHOO) (ACH) (GILD) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Electronic Arts Inc. (NYSE: EA), Invensense Inc. (NASDAQ: INVN), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), Aluminum Corporation of China (NYSE: ACH) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) had ratings and price targets adjusted by analysts.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated

by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC). They have a price target of $28.00 on the firm.

Invensense Inc. (INVN) is now covered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). They have a “Buy” rating on the firm.

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) had its “Overweight” rating reiterated by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC).

Aluminum Corporation of China (ACH) is now covered by First Global. They have an “Underperform” rating on the firm.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Citigroup (NYSE:C). They have a price target of $49.00 on the firm.

Alcoa (AA) Rating Reiterated by Jefferies (JEF)

Alcoa (NYSE: AA) had its rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE: JEF). They have a "Buy" rating on the company.

Other recent analyst action on Alcoa includes a downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating. They have a price target of $11.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) lowered its price target on Alcoa to $9.50. They have a "Neutral rating on the firm.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) lowered its EPS estimates on Alcoa. They have a price target of $13.00 on the firm.

Alcoa was trading at $8.80, falling $0.06, or 0.73 percent, as of 11:20 AM EST.

Alcoa (AA) (YHOO) (VVUS) (WAG) (ATU) (BBBY) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa (AA), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), Walgreen (NYSE: WAG), Actuant (ATU) and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) ratings and price targets.

VIVUS, Inc. (VVUS) had its “Underperform” rating reiterated by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF).

Walgreen (WAG) had its “Neutral” rating reiterated by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM).

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Needham & Company.

Alcoa (AA) had its estimates lowered by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS). They have an "Overweight" rating and price target of $13 on the firm.

Actuant (ATU) had its price target raised by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $31.00. They have a "Buy" rating on the stock.

Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) had its estimates raised by UBS (NYSE:UBS). They have a "Neutral" rating and a price target of $64.00 on the firm.

Alcoa (AA) (ULTI) (VLO) (WBMD) (ADSK) (BNS) Downgraded

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTI), Valero Energy Co. (NYSE: VLO), Webmd Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD), Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) and Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS) were downgraded by analysts.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. (ULTI) was downgraded by Canaccord Genuity from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Valero Energy Co. (VLO) was downgraded by Benchmark Co. from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $23.00 on the company.

Webmd Health Corp. (WBMD) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Strong Buy” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Autodesk (ADSK) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) was downgraded by Canaccord Genuity from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Alcoa (AA) (WIRE) (WMB) (WSH) (ACTV) (ADSK) Ratings, Price Targets

Alcoa Inc. (AA), Encore Wire Corp (WIRE), Williams (WMB), Willis Group Holdings PLC (WSH), Active Network (ACTV) and Autodesk (ADSK) ratings and price targets.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) downgraded Alcoa Inc. (AA) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Global Hunter Securities initiated coverage on Encore Wire Corp. (WIRE). They placed an “Accumulate” rating and a price target of $30.00 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Williams (WMB). They have a price target of $38.00 on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) upgraded Willis Group Holdings PLC (WSH) from a
“Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $42.00
on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage on Active Network (ACTV). They
placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs downgraded Autodesk (ADSK) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating.

Alcoa (AA) (WOR) (X) (ZEUS) (AKS) (AXL) Get New Coverage

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Worthington (NYSE: WOR), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Olympic Steel, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZEUS), AK Steel Holding Co. (NYSE: AKS) and American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AXL) getting new coverage from analysts.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Worthington (WOR). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on U.S. Steel (X). They placed an “Underperform” rating on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Olympic Steel, Inc. (ZEUS). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Alcoa Inc. (AA). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on AK Steel Holding Co. (AKS). They placed an “Underperform” rating on the company.

RBC Capital initiated coverage on American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AXL). They placed a “Sector Perform” rating on the company.

Alcoa (AA) (AAPL) (X) (ACI) (TIBX) (Z) Get New Coverage

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI), TIBCO Software (NASDAQ: TIBX) and Zillow Inc. (NYSE: Z) getting new coverage from analysts.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on Alcoa Inc. (AA). They placed an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Evercore Partners initiated coverage on Apple, Inc. (AAPL). They placed an “Overweight” rating and a price target of $600.00 on the company.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on U.S. Steel (X). They placed an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $30.00 on the company.

Barclays Capital initiated coverage on Arch Coal, Inc. (ACI). They placed an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $22.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage on TIBCO Software (TIBX). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $32.00 on the company.

ThinkEquity initiated coverage on Zillow Inc. (Z). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Alcoa (AA) (TSS) (WSH) (ACGL) (BK) (DGX) EPS Estimates Changed

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Total System Services, Inc. (NYSE: TSS), Willis Group Holdings PLC (NYSE: WSH), Arch Capital (NASDAQ: ACGL), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK) and Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) had EPS estimates on them adjusted by analysts.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its EPS estimates cut by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $11.50 on the company.

Total System Services, Inc. (TSS) had its EPS estimates raised by Sterne Agee. They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $22.00 on the company.

Willis Group Holdings PLC (WSH) had its EPS estimates cut by UBS AG. They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $38.00 on the company.

Arch Capital (ACGL) had its EPS estimates cut by UBS AG. They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $34.00 on the company.

Bank of New York Mellon (BK) had its EPS estimates cut by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS). They have an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $26.00 on the company.

Quest Diagnostics Inc. (DGX) had its EPS estimates raised by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS). They have an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $65.00 on the company.

Alcoa (AA) (WYN) (ADS) (AEO) (WXS) (ANF) Get New Coverage

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), Alliance Data Systems Co. (NYSE: ADS), American Eagle (NYSE: AEO), Wright Express Co. (NYSE: WXS) and Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) getting new coverage from analysts.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) is now covered by Stifel Nicolaus. They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) is now covered by Nomura. They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Alliance Data Systems Co. (ADS) is now covered by William Blair. They placed a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

American Eagle (AEO) is now covered by FBR Capital. They placed a “Market Perform” rating on the company.

Wright Express Co. (WXS) is now covered by William Blair. They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) is now covered by Macquarie. They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $85.00 on the company.

Alcoa (AA) (AAPL) (WMT) (VSAT) (ANDE) (CERN) Ratings Reiterated

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), ViaSat (NASDAQ: VSAT), The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE) and Cerner Corp. (NASDAQ: CERN) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Wunderlich reiterated its "Hold" rating on ViaSat (VSAT).

Citigroup (NYSE:C) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT).

Citigroup reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Alcoa Inc. (AA). They have a price target of $10.00 on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Apple, Inc (AAPL). They have a price target of $490.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on The Andersons, Inc. (ANDE).

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Cerner Corp. (CERN).

Alcoa (AA) (SINA) (BLL) (ST) (BLK) (XRX) Price Targets Changed

Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Sina (NASDAQ: SINA), Ball Co. (NYSE: BLL), Sensata Tech (NYSE: ST), BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) and Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX) had their price targets adjusted by analysts.

Alcoa Inc. (AA) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $15.50.

Sina (SINA) had its price target lowered by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from $165.00 to $92.90.

Ball Co. (BLL) had its price target lowered by Longbow Research from $48.00 to $46.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Sensata Tech (ST) had its price target lowered by Oppenheimer from $41.00 to $39.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) had its price target lowered by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $167.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Xerox Corp. (XRX) had its price target lowered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $10.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Alcoa's (AA) Earnings Confirm Ongoing Recession

There is no way to spin the dreadful results coming in the third quarter for Alcoa (NYSE:AA), as even after analysts continued to lower their expectations for the quarter, Alcoa still missed by wide margin.

Earnings came in at $172 million, or 15 cents a share, 7 cents below the 22 cents a share analysts surveyed by FactSet were looking for. However, it was an improvement over the $61 million, or 6 cents a share generated in the same quarter last year.

The narrative is the low price of aluminum, which dropped 12 percent for the quarter, confirming the recession continues on, in spite of the official storyline that we've been in a recovery.

In reality, analysts had slashed their projections for the quarter by close to 25 percent, making the performance of Alcoa even worse than the numbers show.

To underscore the weak margins, revenue actually increased for the quarter to $6.42 billion, surpassing expectations of $6.24 billion.

There is no doubt other sectors will get hammered as the anemic earnings season unfolds.

Gold should start to rebound, as well as silver. Silver could take another hit, as when it goes down it's based upon industrial demand, and when it goes up, it's usually because of its demand as a precious metal, similar to gold. That's why silver is more volatile than its stronger cousin.

The share price of Alcoa has slumped by about 40 percent in the third quarter, closing at $10.30, up $0.21, or 2.08 percent. The company was getting crushed in after hours trading, down to $9.82, losing $0.50, or 4.85 percent.