Citigroup (C) (BAC) (F) (NUVA) (DISCA) (CF) Ratings, Price Targets

Citigroup (NYSE: C), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), NuVasive (NASDAQ: NUVA), Discovery (NASDAQ: DISCA) and CF Industries Holdings (NYSE: CF) ratings and price targets.

NuVasive (NUVA) is now covered by ThinkEquity. They have a “Buy” rating on the firm.

Discovery (DISCA) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Citigroup (NYSE:C).

Ford Motor Company (F) had its “Buy” rating reiterated by Citigroup.

Bank of America (BAC) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from $13.00 to $11.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the firm.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from $50.00 to $46.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the firm.

CF Industries Holdings (CF) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Ford (F) (MA) (INTC) (MCD) (MMM) (GMCR) Ratings, Price Targets

Ford (NYSE: F), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) ratings and price targets.

MasterCard (MA) was downgraded by Janney Montgomery Scott from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating.

Intel (INTC) is now covered by Roth Capital. They have a “neutral” rating on the firm.

Ford (F) is now covered by Guggenheim. They have a “neutral” rating on the firm.

McDonald’s (MCD) had its “conviction buy” rating reiterated by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).

3M Company (MMM) had its “reduce” rating reiterated by Nomura (NYSE:NMR).

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) had its “buy” rating reiterated by Canaccord Genuity.

Ford (F) (KTOS) (LEA) (MERU) (INVN) (DVAX) Get New Coverage

Ford (NYSE: F), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Lear Co. (NYSE: LEA), Meru Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: MERU), Invensense Inc. (NASDAQ: INVN) and Dynavax Technologies Co. (NASDAQ: DVAX) getting new coverage from analysts.

Guggenheim initiated coverage on Ford (F). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) initiated coverage on Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS). They placed a “Hold” rating on the company.

Guggenheim initiated coverage on Lear Co. (LEA). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

JMP Securities initiated coverage on Meru Networks Inc. (MERU). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) initiated coverage on Invensense Inc. (INVN). They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

MLV & Co initiated coverage on Dynavax Technologies Co. (DVAX). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $8.00 on the company.

Ford (F) Says Brand Sales Surpass 2 Million

According to Ford Motor (NYSE:F) sales analyst Erich Merkle, Ford brand vehicle sales surpassed the 2 million mark in the U.S. for 2011.

The company added that utility vehicles are poised for a 30 percent increase in sales, while Ford's smaller cars are on track for a 20 percent gain.

In 2010, Ford sold just over 1.9 million cars in the U.S. Brand sales were up close to 18 percent through November.

J.D. Power noted that overall auto sales in the United States are on pace to top $13 million.

For 2011, Ford holds a market share in the U.S. of close to 17 percent, making them the No. 2 automaker in the market. General Motors (NYSE:GM), with the help of the government, is No. 1 in sales, holding a 20 percent market share.

As of November, the Ford brand sold 1.86 million new vehicles in the U.S. market. After that was GM's Chevrolet brand at 1.61 million, Toyota Motor Corp's (NYSE:TM) Toyota brand at 1.29 million and Honda Motor Co's (NYSE:HMC) Honda brand at 0.93 million.

Ford was trading at $10.74, gaining $0.06, or 0.61 percent, as of 1:21 PM EST.

Ford (F) (GM) (TM) (HMC) Drop on U.S. Slowdown Concerns

Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC) all closed down on Tuesday on concerns over the probable slowing of car sales in the U.S., and most likely Europe as well.

Some of this came from data released by The Conference Board, which show less than 10 percent of consumers surveyed saying they planned on acquiring a car in the next 6 months.

That could be devastating, as many people buy cars in the U.S. during tax season. If the auto industry is slow over the next six months, it doesn't bode well for the rest of 2012.

The European market is also very suspect in 2012 in light of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in the region.

Honda closed Tuesday at $29.84, falling $0.42, or 1.39 percent. Toyota closed at $64.36, down $0.59, or 0.91 percent. General Motors ended the session at $20.09, declining $0.41, or 2 percent. Ford closed at $10.81, falling $0.14, or 1.28 percent.

Beam (BEAM) (ERJ) (F) (GM) (JCI) (BWA) Get New Coverage

Beam Inc. (BEAM), Embraer SA (ERJ), Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Johnson Controls (JCI) and Borg Warner (BWA) getting new coverage from analysts.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) initiated coverage on Beam Inc. (BEAM). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Cowen & Company initiated coverage on Embraer SA (ERJ). They placed an "Outperform" rating on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Ford Motor (NYSE:F). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on General Motors (NYSE:GM). They placed a "Buy" rating on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Johnson Controls (JCI). They placed a "Neutral" rating on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Lear (LEA). They placed a "Neutral" rating on the company.

Hospira (HSP) (DTE) (F) (HNR) (IGT) Ratings, Price Targets

Hospira, Inc. (HSP), DTE Energy Co. (DTE), Ford (F), Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (HNR) and International Game Technology (IGT) ratings and price targets.

Barclays Capital reiterated its “Equal Weight” rating on Hospira, Inc. (HSP).

Zacks Investment Research reiterated its “Neutral” rating on DTE Energy Co. (DTE). They have a price target of $55.00 on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) reiterated its “Buy” rating on Ford (F).

Rodman & Renshaw reiterated its “Outperform” rating on Harvest Natural Resources, Inc. (HNR).

Barclays Capital reiterated its “Equal Weight” rating on International Game Technology (IGT).

Ford (F) (LPNT) (MAT) (MRVL) (ESV) (FNGN) EPS Changes

Ford (NYSE: F), Lifepoint Hospitals (NASDAQ: LPNT), Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL), ENSCO PLC (NYSE: ESV) and Financial Engines Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGN) had their EPS estimates adjusted by analysts.

Ford (F) had its EPS estimates cut by UBS AG. They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $15.00 on the company.

Lifepoint Hospitals (LPNT) had its EPS estimates raised by Oppenheimer. The y have a “Market Perform” rating and a price target of $41.00 on the company.

Mattel, Inc. (MAT) had its EPS estimates raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) had its EPS estimates cut by ThinkEquity. They have a “Hold” rating and a price target of $15.00 on the company.

ENSCO PLC (ESV) had its EPS estimates were by UBS AG. They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $62.00 on the company.

Financial Engines Inc. (FNGN) had its EPS estimates were by Goldman Sachs. They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $25.00 on the company.

Ford (F) (SZYM) (MTZ) (TESO) (PLCM) (SGY) Ratings Reiterated

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), Solazyme, Inc. (NASDAQ:SZYM), MasTec (NYSE:MTZ), Tesco (NASDAQ:TESO) and Polycom (NASDAQ: PLCM) and Stone Energy (NYSE:SGY) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Ladenburg Thalmann reiterated its "Buy" rating on Stone Energy (NYSE:SGY). They raised their price target on them from $30 to $34.

FBR Capital reiterated its "Buy" rating on MasTec (NYSE:MTZ). They lowered their price target on them from $28 to $24.

Dahlman Rose reiterated its "Buy" rating on Tesco (NASDAQ:TESO). They lowered their price target on them from $20 to $18.

FBN Securities reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Polycom (NASDAQ:PLCM). They raised their price target on them from $21 to $22.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Buy" rating on Solazyme, Inc. (NASDAQ:SZYM). They have a price target of $19 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F).

Ford (F) Recalling Over 20,000 Trucks, SUVs

Citing faulty switches, Ford (NYSE:F) announced its recalling 20,450 trucks and SUVs in the U.S.

The switches in question are those used in tail lights and turn signals, which in some cases have failed vehicle owners, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Included in the recall are Ranger pickups from model years 2004 through 2011, Excursion SUVs from 2002 through 2005. Other trucks from 2002 through 2007 are also listed on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Also included in the recall are over 6,000 parts from dealers suspected to have potential flaws.

Ford was trading at $12.94, falling $0.15, or 1.15 percent, as of 10:25 AM EDT.

Ford (F) Most Shorted Auto Maker on NYSE

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is the most shorted automaker on the New York Stock Exchange, with 176,983,288 shares sold short on April 29th, 2011.

Another 158,160,676 shares of Ford Motor were sold short on April 15.

Ford Motor Company primarily develops, manufactures, distributes, and services vehicles and parts around the world. It also markets financing, insurance and leasing through a subsidiary.

Ford Closed Monday at $15.13, up $0.05, or 0.33 percent.

Acme Packet (APKT) (AMZN) (F) HRB) Get EPS Changes from Analysts

Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Ford (NYSE: F) and H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) received changes in EPS estimates from analysts.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) cut its EPS estimates on Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $180 on them.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised its EPS estimate on Acme Packet, Inc. (APKT). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $78 on the firm.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) lowered its EPS estimate on Ford (F). They have a “Neutral” rating and a $1.75 EPS target on the auto maker. They had a previous EPS target of $1.78 on the company.

Goldman Sachs raised its EPS on H&R Block, Inc. (HRB). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $17 on HRB.

Barclays Likes Lear (LEA) (JCI) (TEN) (DAN) in Auto Parts Sector

Barclays (NYSE:BCS) analyst Brian Johnson recommends buying shares of Ford (NYSE:F) and General Motors (NYSE:GM) as the stock price of both companies have fallen over 14 percent recently, but he also likes the auto parts sector, eyeing companies like Dana Holding (NYSE:DAN), Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), Lear Corp. (NYSE:LEA) and Tenneco (NYSE:TEN).

Of particular note for the parts industry is the commercial truck segment, where things are taking off because orders have come back strong.

As for auto sales, the reason Johnson is bullish there is from price increases on vehicles from the manufacturers, Turbo Ecoboost technology from Ford, and production estimates are probably understated.

Tenneco closed Thursday at $43.60, gaining $0.30, or 0.69 percent. Lear Corporation ended the day at $48.97, rising $0.74, or 1.53 percent. Johnson Controls closed the session at $40.73, up $0.60, or 1.50 percent. Dana Holding closed at $18.33, increasing $0.51, or 2.86 percent.

Morgan Stanley (MS) Sees Ford (F) (GM) (TM) (HMC) Production Falling

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) said it has reduced its 2011 vehicle production forecast by about 10 percent from last year, as auto makers like Ford (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM), Toyota (NYSE:TM) and Honda (NYSE:HMC), among others, will definitely be negatively affected by the disasters in Japan.

The bank said the temporary shutdowns and slowdowns will probably affect the results of the second and third quarters.

Auto production in the U.S. is estimated to fall from 14 million units in prior projections to 12.4 million vehicles for the year. That is instead of the former expected growth of about 12 percent for the industry in America.

Specific estimates for individual automakers haven't been made yet, as the impact from the disaster is still largely unknown that specifically on each company.

The largest effect will probably be margins and earnings pressure, along with one-time charges.

Ford was trading at $14.60, down $0.02, or 0.17 percent, as of 12:00 PM EDT. General Motors was at $29.30, falling $0.67, or 2.24 percent. Toyota was trading at $76.03, dropping $1.22, or 1.58 percent. Honda was at $35.66, losing $0.02, or 0.06 percent.

GM (GM) Raising Vehicle Prices on Rising Costs

With the price of oil and metal rising, General Motors (NYSE:GM) said it is going to raise the price of its cars and trucks by an average of $123 a vehicle, joining major competitors Ford (NYSE:F) and Toyota (NYSE:TM), which have already done the same.

This shows the rising price of oil in particular is starting to weight on the industry and have a potentially detrimental impact on sales as the companies protect margins and earnings in light of the need to offer discounts to generate sales in the ongoing weak U.S. economy.

GM said the price increases will affect almost all Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC models, and will go into effect in the American market on May 2. Only the U.S. market will have prices increased at this time.

According to the Labor Department, the Producer Price Index increased 0.7 percent in March, and has soared 5.8 percent over the last 12 months.

General Motors closed Monday at $29.97, falling $0.27, or 0.89 percent.

Ford's (F) F-150 Pickup Recall Expands to Almost 1.2 Million

The recall of Ford Motor's (NYSE:F) F-150 pickups has expanded to almost 1.2 million trucks because of possible defective air bags.

James Vondale, director of Ford's safety office, said, "To reassure customers of Ford's commitment to safety, and to eliminate any possible customer confusion, Ford is voluntarily recalling this remaining population of vehicles."

Even so, the auto maker was pressured by government safety regulators to make the decision.

The problem is related to air bags being unexpectedly deployed because of an electrical short, and covers F-150 pickup truck made from 2004 through 2006.

Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in May that some drivers reported injuries that included burns from contact with the air bag, bruises, neck and back pain and minor cuts.

Ford was trading at $14.65, down $0.33, or 2.20 percent, as of 12:25 PM EDT.

Ford (F) Expects Asian Production Slowdown

After taking some big hits on Tuesday early in the trading session, shares of Ford Motor (NYSE:F) rebounded some after the company said it may have to completely halt production in the Asia-Pacific region in the latter part of April, or a minimum, slow it down.

Probable parts shortages because of the earthquake in Japan continue to be the impetus behind the situation.

Ford said in a filing, “Should the supply of a key material or component from Japan be disrupted and an alternate supply not be available, we could have to reduce or temporarily cease production of vehicles, which could adversely affect our and Ford Motor Credit Co.’s financial condition and results of operations.”

Competitors Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) and Nissan Motors (NSANY) continue to come to grips in their domestic market. Some analysts believe the Detroit car makers, including General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Ford, will be able to grow more market share as a result, but that doesn't seem to be as certain as some may think, as it doesn't matter how many parts are short, but what those parts will be and if they're interchangeable or have alternative sources.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) analyst Noriyuki Matsushima noted last week, “The full extent of damage to the supply chain and production disruption from the power outages are being underestimated by the market, and we would avoid the sector as things stand.”

I think he's right. It appears there is far too much optimism in the auto sector by analysts and media outlets, who seem to ignore the realities and focus on their own wishful thinking.

Ford closed Tuesday at $14.91, up $0.05, or 0.34 percent. In after hours the company was trading the same, as of 6:30 PM EDT.

Toyota (TM) Warns of Summer Car Shortages

In a warning message sent to auto dealers, Toyota (NYSE:TM) said it expects there to be car shortages in the summer months, citing consequences from the earthquake in Japan, which could limit shipments.

In a memo recently sent to dealers, the company said the amount of supply could be "significantly impacted" from recent events.

The company said they're still going researching the circumstances to make a determination on what production levels for May, June and July will be.

Major competitors like Ford Motor (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Honda (NYSE:HMC) have all been impacted by the disaster in Japan, and there remains a lot of questions for those company as well, although Japanese companies are expected to incur the most impact.

Toyota was trading at $77.30, gaining $0.80, or 1.05 percent, as of 1:46 PM EDT.

Will Sirius (SIRI) Get Boost from (F) (GM) (HMC) (TM) April Incentives

As the auto industry goes so goes Sirius (NASDAQ:SIRI), as Ford Motor (NYSE:F), General Motors (NYSE:GM), Toyota (NYSE:TM) and Honda (NYSE:HMC), among others, are rolling out incentives after a slower March.

Most of the auto companies cut back on incentives in March to protect margins and earnings, and even though they enjoyed a better month than the year and month before, there were signs of slowing down.

Concerns over how consumers will respond to the rising price of gas, which could result in them holding on to their tax returns rather than spend their money, is also a major reason for boosting incentives again.

Parts shortages also weigh on the industry, as ongoing concern about the real depths of the crisis have many doubting how much supply is really there.

All of this doesn't matter for Sirius, in the sense that whatever the real situation is, it will manifest itself no matter what the auto industry communicates.

This will either push up sales or it won't. There are either enough parts or there aren't. While we don't know it, and it makes it hard to make investing decisions, we'll just have to watch closes and wait it out to see where sales really are standing.

Incentives will do nothing if some of the sales can't be made because the cars aren't being built. And that could play out for a couple of months, and we still have aftershocks in Japan which are a legitimate threat.

As to the cars that are available for sale, the high gas price issue is still a key factor, as mentioned, and that won't be entirely overcome if consumers are convinced they need to protect their capital in case of emergency situations. That happened when gas prices rose not too long ago, and it is approaching the numbers where it could do it again.

Sirius shareholders and potential investors are pretty much held captive at this time until this unfolds, unless they want to take a big risk. Now it's shooting craps though, and there is no certainty which way things will go.

Sirius closed Friday at $1.76, even with Thursday's close.

Ford (F) Building Digital Child Crash Dummies

With the goal of building better safety features in its vehicles, Ford Motor (NYSE:F) said they've launched research into one of the world’s first digital human child body models.

“We study injury trends in the field, and we know that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for people from age 1 to 34,” said Dr. Steve Rouhana, Senior Technical Leader for Safety, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “We want to better understand how injuries to younger occupants may be different.”

“Our restraint systems are developed to help reduce serious injuries and fatalities in the field, and they have proven to be very effective,” Rouhana added. “But crash injuries still occur. The more you know about the human body, the more we can consider how to make our restraint systems even better."

“A child’s body is very different from an adult’s. Building a digital human model of a child will help us design future systems that offer better protection for our young passengers.”

Ford closed Wednesday at $15.73, falling $0.06, or 0.38 percent.