Altria (MO) (AMTD) (MRVL) (VWDRY) (PM) Ratings, Price Targets

Altria (NYSE:MO), TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD), Marvell (NASDAQ:MRVL), Vestas Wind Systems: (OTC:VWDRY) and Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) ratings and price targets.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) upgraded TD Ameritrade (AMTD) from a "Neutral" rating to a "Buy" rating.

Mizuho initiated coverage on Marvell (MRVL). They have a "Buy" rating and price target of $17.00 on the company.

Vestas Wind Systems: (VWDRY) was upgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a "Sell" rating to a "Neutral" rating.

Philip Morris International (PM) was downgraded from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating by Davenport.

Altria (MO) was downgraded from a "Buy" rating to a "Neutral" rating by Davenport.

Altria (MO) (NP) (OME) (CRRFY) (DHI) (DLR) Downgraded

Altria Group (NYSE: MO), Neenah Paper Inc. (NYSE: NP), Omega Protein Co. (NYSE: OME), CARREFOUR SA (OTC: CRRFY), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) and Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR) were downgraded by analysts.

Altria Group (MO) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Neenah Paper Inc. (NP) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Omega Protein Co. (OME) was downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

CARREFOUR SA (CRRFY) was downgraded by ING Group from a “Hold” rating to a “Sell” rating.

D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $10.00 on the company.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR) was downgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $63.00 on the company.

Altria (MO) (MF) (MPWR) (DOW) (DRIV) (EDMC) Price Targets Changed

Altria Group (NYSE: MO), MF Global Holdings Ltd (NYSE: MF), Monolithic Power Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: MPWR), The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV) and Education Management Corp. (NASDAQ: EDMC) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

MF Global Holdings Ltd (MF) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from $6.00 to $3.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Altria Group (MO) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $28.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Monolithic Power Systems Inc. (MPWR) had its price target lowered by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) from $18.00 to $15.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) had its price target lowered by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $40.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Digital River, Inc. (DRIV) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from $24.50 to $19.00. They have a “Hold” rating on the company.

Education Management Corp. (EDMC) had its price target raised by Wunderlich to $27.00.

Pioneer (PXD) (GKSR) (MO) (SYY) (SSI) (CATO) (RGS) (MOCO) Declare Dividends

The Board of Directors of Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (NYSE:PXD) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.04 per share payable 10/14/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/30/11.

The Board of Directors of G & K Services (NASDAQ:GKSR) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.13 per share payable 9/29/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/22/11.

The Board of Directors of Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.41 per share payable 10/11/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/15/11.

The Board of Directors of Sysco Corp. (NYSE:SYY) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.26 per share payable 10/28/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 10/7/11.

The Board of Directors of Stage Stores Inc (NYSE:SSI) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.09 per share payable 9/21/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/6/11.

The Board of Directors of Cato Corp. (NYSE:CATO) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.23 per share payable 9/26/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/12/11.

The Board of Directors of Regis Corp. (NYSE:RGS) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.06 per share payable 9/22/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 9/8/11.

The Board of Directors of MOCON Inc. (NASDAQ:MOCO) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.10 per share payable 11/18/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 11/4/11.

PAREXEL (PRXL) (RFMD) (ECL) (LO) (MO) (EQR) Upgraded

PAREXEL International Co. (NASDAQ: PRXL), RF Micro Device (NASDAQ: RFMD), Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL), Lorillard Inc. (NYSE: LO), Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) upgraded by analysts.

PAREXEL International Co. (PRXL) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $19.50 on the company.

RF Micro Device (RFMD) was upgraded by Needham & Company from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. The have a price target of $7.00 on the company.

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $55.00 on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

Lorillard Inc. (LO) was upgraded by Davenport from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $120.00 on the company.

Altria Group (MO) was upgraded by Davenport from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Equity Residential (EQR) was upgraded by FBR Capital from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Altria (MO) (NVTL) (PCAR) (RTIX) (AIZ) (TAC) Upgraded

Altria Group (NYSE: MO), Novatel Wireless Inc (NASDAQ: NVTL), PACCAR (NASDAQ: PCAR), RTI Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ: RTIX), Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) and TransAlta Co. (NYSE: TAC) upgraded by analysts.

Altria Group (MO) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $29.00 on the company.

Novatel Wireless Inc. (NVTL) was upgraded by Brigantine from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target $6.00 on the company.

PACCAR (PCAR) was upgraded by McAdams Wright Ragen from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

RTI Biologics Inc. (RTIX) was upgraded by The Benchmark Company from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $4.00 on the company.

Assurant, Inc. (AIZ) was upgraded by Sterne Agee from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $46.00 on the company, up from $43.00.

TransAlta Co. (TAC) was upgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Dividends on (KNX) (MO) (MPW) (PPDI) (RDK) Declared

Knight Transportation Inc. (NYSE:KNX), Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO), Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW), Pharmaceutical Product Development (NASDAQ:PPDI) and Ruddick Corp. (NYSE:RDK) declare dividends.

The Board of Directors of Knight Transportation Inc. (KNX) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.06 per share payable 6/24/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/3/11.

The Board of Directors of Altria Group Inc. (MO) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.38 per share payable 7/11/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/15/11.

The Board of Directors of Medical Properties Trust (MPW) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.20 per share payable 7/14/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/16/11.

The Board of Directors of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPDI) declared a second quarter common stock dividend of $0.15 per share payable 6/29/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/15/11.

The Board of Directors of Ruddick Corp. (NYSE:RDK) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.13 per share payable 7/1/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/10/11.

Coverage on (GOOD) (KO) (LKFN) (LO) (MO) Initiated

Coverage on Gladstone Commercial Corp (NASDAQ: GOOD), The Coca Cola Co (NYSE: KO), Lakeland Financial Co. (NASDAQ: LKFN), Lorillard Inc. (NYSE: LO) and Altria Group (NYSE: MO) was initiated by analysts.

Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Gladstone Commercial Corp (GOOD). They placed a “buy” rating on the company.

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) initiated coverage on The Coca Cola Co (KO). They placed an “outperform” rating and a price target of $76.00 on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Lakeland Financial Co. (LKFN). They placed a “buy” rating on the company.

Wells Fargo & Co. initiated coverage on Lorillard Inc. (LO). They placed a “market perform” rating and a price target of $108.00 on the company.

Wells Fargo & Co. initiated coverage on Altria Group (MO). They placed a “market perform” rating and a price target of $27.00 on the company.

All-Time Highs for (MD) (MO) (PMIC) (PNW) (RAH) Reached May 6

Mednax Inc (NYSE:MD), Altria Group (NYSE:MO), Penn Millers Holding (NASDAQ:PMIC), Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW) and Ralcorp Holdings (NYSE:RAH) all breached all-time highs on Friday, May 6.

Mednax Inc (MD) closed at $73.10, gaining $0.60, or 0.83 percent. They traded as high as $74.10 on the day.

Altria Group (MO) closed Friday at $26.96, rising $0.28, or 1.05 percent. They traded as high as $27.16 on the day.

Penn Millers Holding (PMIC) closed Friday at $17.33, climbing $0.51, or 3.03 percent. They traded as high as $17.55 on the day.

Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) closed at $44.15, up $0.31, or 0.71 percent. They traded as high as $44.48 on the day.

Ralcorp Holdings (RAH) closed at $90.34, gaining $0.14, or 0.16 percent. They traded as high as $90.78 on the day.

Dividend Yields for (WFMI) (RAI) (MO) (LO) (CAG)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Whole Foods Market Inc (WFMI), Reynolds American Inc (RAI), Altria Group Inc (MO), Lorillard Inc (LO) and ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) .

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.

Whole Foods Market Inc (WFMI) has a dividend yield of 0.64 percent on a declared dividend of $0.10. The payout ratio is 19.5 percent.

Reynolds American Inc (RAI) has a dividend yield of 5.71 percent on a declared dividend of $0.53. The payout ratio is 87.5 percent.

Altria Group Inc (MO) has a dividend yield of 5.67 percent on a declared dividend of $0.38. The payout ratio is 84.8 percent.

Lorillard Inc (LO) has a dividend yield of 4.88 percent on a declared dividend of $1.30. The payout ratio is 75.9 percent.

ConAgra Foods Inc (CAG) has a dividend yield of 3.76 percent on a declared dividend of $0.23. The payout ratio is 45.9 percent.

MGM Resorts (MGM) (LLL) (MO) (NFLX) Downgraded April 26

Shares of MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) were all downgraded by several brokerages on April 26.

BB&T (NYSE:BBT) downgraded L-3 Communications (LLL) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) downgraded MGM Resorts (MGM) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating. They have a price target of $11.00 MGM, down from the previous $14.

Argus downgraded Altria Group (MO) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Sell” rating. They have a price target of $170.00 on Netflix.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO), Lorillard (NYSE:LO), Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI) Battle Back Against Justice Department

Cigarette manufacturers Altria Group (NYSE:MO), Lorillard (NYSE:LO) and Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI) are fighting back against proposed requirements of the Justice Department in a lawsuit that has been going on for 12 years.

The nation's largest cigarette manufacturers on Thursday said the Justice Department's proposed corrective statements about smoking's dangers are inflammatory and inaccurate and violate guidelines set by the court overseeing the lawsuit.

The tobacco companies, including Philip Morris USA, maker of top-selling Marlboro cigarettes, also asked a U.S. district judge to toss out the 12-year-old lawsuit, saying the Food and Drug Administration's authority over the industry makes the court's involvement unnecessary.

Last week, the Justice Department released 14 "corrective statements" that it says the companies should be required to make as part of the lawsuit. It wants the companies to admit that they lied to the public and would force the industry to pay for an advertising campaign of self-criticism.

But the companies said the proposed statements don't meet the court's requirements that the statements be "purely factual and uncontroversial." They also said the proposed statements are "plainly designed soley to shame and humiliate" the companies.




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Four Altria (NYSE:MO) Class Status Requests Rejected by Judge

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) had a court victory against claimants seeking class-action status concerning light cigarettes offered by the company, as four lawsuits filed against the cigarette maker were rejected concerning being allowed to proceed in class-action status.

Canaccord said, "A district court of Maine refused to grant class-action status to four suits leveled against Altria’s Philip Morris unit by smokers seeking refunds for light cigarettes. Smokers have alleged the tobacco company relied on deceptive advertisements in marketing its low-tar cigarettes; they claim that Philip Morris used descriptors to suggest the brands were less harmful than regular cigarettes, even though it knew users would be getting the same level of tar or nicotine from them. But the district court of Maine, which is coordinating multi-district litigation from several states on the matter, said that each state’s class includes everyone who purchased light cigarettes in the relevant limitations periods, which necessarily includes people who knew light cigarettes weren’t healthier than others."

The court ruled that "Those class members were not injured by the defendants’ misconduct and thus do not have standing. Furthermore, in view of the proliferation of information decrying the health risks of all cigarettes there is no telling how many potential class members are similarly situated.”

Altria isn't out of the legal waters yet though, as there are 15 more lawsuits waiting in the wings to be ruled on. Lawyers for Altria are optimistic this ruling will be persuasive concerning the remaining lawsuits and believed they'll be denied class status as well.

Altria closed Monday at $24.43, gaining $0.07, or 0.29 percent.