The War on Cash and Some Ways to Play it

I've been somewhat surprised at the relatively low level of resistance to the proclivity of governments and the banking system to move rapidly toward a cashless society.

When looking through comment sections of blogs and news sites, one of the major responses to the concerns is people from the U.S. will allude to the words on our currency that says it's a "legal tender," as if that will stop the forward motion of what has become a global initiative in many nations.

Immediately below is a list of the reasons I have been able to find as to why we should move towards a cashless society. They are from a variety of nations, and not all are given as reasons from any one country.
Stated reasons:

    Fight terrorism

    Tax evasion

    Black market

    Costs of currency production

    Improve credit rating of country (Uruguay)

    Encourages underground economy

    Money laundering

    Reductions in armed robbery

    Counterfeiting


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Trustmark (TRMK) (TCBI) (UNP) (CVX) (LMT) (MA) Downgraded

Trustmark (NASDAQ: TRMK), Texas Capital (NASDAQ: TCBI), Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE: LMT) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA) were downgraded by analysts.

Texas Capital (TCBI) was downgraded by Macquarie from an “Outperform” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Trustmark (TRMK) was downgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Union Pacific (UNP) was downgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $113.00 on the company.

Chevron (CVX) was downgraded by RBC Capital to an “Outperform” rating.

Lockheed Martin Co. (LMT) was downgraded by RBC Capital from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

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

Visa Inc. (V) Soars to Record High

Global payment firm Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) soared to a record high for the company on Monday, surging to as high as $99.37 on the day.

Along with MasterCard (NYSE:MA), Visa enjoys a relatively strong moat of protection against potential competitors, allowing them to continue to collect ongoing fees and generate solid profit margins.

Not only is that a competitive advantage in a good economic environment, but performs just as strongly in a weak one, as we've been in for years.

Those investors with a conservative bent should experience a good performance from both companies.

MasterCard (MA) (CBG) (ELT) (FARM) (FLR) (FTK) Ratings Reiterated

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG), Elster Group SE (NYSE: ELT), Farmer Bros Co. (NASDAQ: FARM), Fluor Co. (NYSE: FLR) and Flotek Industries Inc. (NYSE: FTK) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Overweight" rating on MasterCard (MA).

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Overweight" rating on CB Richard Ellis (CBG).

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Elster Group SE (ELT).

Singular Research reiterated its "Buy" rating on Farmer Bros Co. (FARM).

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Fluor Co. (FLR).

Singular Research reiterated its "Buy" rating on Flotek Industries Inc. (FTK).

MasterCard (MA) (SSNC) (MDR) (JCP) (AVP) (OLN) Ratings, Price Targets

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (SSNC), McDermott International (NYSE: MDR), J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP) and Olin Co. (NYSE: OLN) ratings and price target updates from analysts.

Jefferies (NYSE:JE) reiterated its “Buy” on SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (SSNC). They have a price target of $20.00 on the company.

McDermott International (MDR) had its price target lowered by KeyBanc to $18.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) to $375.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP) had its price target raised by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $29.00.

Avon Products, Inc. (AVP) was downgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $20.00 on the company.

Olin Co. (OLN) was downgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

NVIDIA (NVDA) (MA) (MSCC) (NIHD) (PWR) (SPRD) Price Targets Changed

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Microsemi Corporation (NASDAQ: MSCC), NII Holdings (NASDAQ: NIHD), Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) and Spreadtrum (NASDAQ: SPRD) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

NVIDIA (NVDA) had its price target raised by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to $17.00.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $385.00 to $410.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Microsemi Corporation (MSCC) had its price target lowered by Sterne Agee to $26.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

NII Holdings (NIHD) had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) to $45.00.

Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR) had its price target lowered by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) to $20.00.

Spreadtrum (SPRD) had its price target raised by Needham & Company from $30.00 to $32.00. They have a “Strong Buy” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) Price Target Raised

MasterCard (NYSE: MA) had its price targets boosted by several analysts.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $390.00 to $400.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

MasterCard had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $435.00.

MasterCard had its price target raised by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to $360.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

MasterCard had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $370.00 to $385.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

MasterCard had its price target raised by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) to $401.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) (HUB-B) (INFA) (IR) (LHO) (LTM) Price Targets Changed

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Hubbell Inc. (NASDAQ: HUB-B), Informatica Co. (NASDAQ: INFA), Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR), LaSalle Hotel Properties (NYSE: LHO) and Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $420.00.

Hubbell Inc. (HUB-B) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $63.00.

Informatica Co. (INFA) had its price target lowered by Stifel Nicolaus from $60.00 to $56.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to $36.00.

LaSalle Hotel Properties (LHO) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $31.00 to $26.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Life Time Fitness (LTM) had its price target lowered by RBC Capital from $48.00 to $44.00. They have a “Sector Perform” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) (LULU) (M) (MDT) (MDVN) Get New Coverage

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU), Macy’s (NYSE: M), Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) and Medivation Inc (NASDAQ: MDVN) getting new coverage from analysts.

William Blair initiated coverage on MasterCard (MA). They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Lululemon (LULU). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $51.00 on the company.

Macquarie initiated coverage on Macy’s (M). They placed an "Outperform” rating on the company.

Cowen initiated coverage on Medtronic, Inc. (MDT). They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Summer Street Research initiated coverage on Medivation Inc. (MDVN). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $27.00 on the company.

Allstate (ALL) (WGBS) (HPY) (MA) (FIRE) (AMRI) Get New Coverage

Allstate (NYSE: ALL), WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: WGBS), Heartland Payment Systems Inc (NYSE: HPY), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Sourcefire, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIRE) and Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRI) getting new coverage.

Madison Williams initiated coverage on WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. (WGBS). They placed an “Accumulate” rating on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Heartland Payment Systems Inc (HPY). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $25.00 on the company.

Evercore Partners initiated coverage on Allstate (ALL). They placed an “Overweight” rating and a price target of $36.00 on the company.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on MasterCard (MA). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $390.00 on the company.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) initiated coverage on Sourcefire, Inc. (FIRE). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Madison Williams initiated coverage on Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (AMRI). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $7.00 on the company.

SPX (SPW) (AAP) (CHH) (CSC) (FIRE) (LINC) (MA) Price Targets Changed

SPX Corp (NYSE: SPW), Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP), Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH), Computer Sciences (NYSE: CSC), Sourcefire, Inc. (NASDAQ: FIRE), Lincoln Educational Services Corp (NASDAQ: LINC) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA) price targets adjusted by analysts.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $63.00 to $59.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Choice Hotels (CHH) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $37.00 to $34.00. They have an “Underweight” rating on the company.

Computer Sciences (CSC) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $42.00 to $38.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Sourcefire, Inc. (FIRE) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $22.00 to $24.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Lincoln Educational Services Corp. (LINC) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $14.00 to $11.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $335.00 to $370.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

SPX Corp. (SPW) had its price target lowered by Barclays Capital from $104.00 to $80.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) (AREX) (EMR) (SPW) (TWX) (WFR) Price Targets Changed

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Approach Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: AREX), Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR), SPX Corp (NYSE: SPW), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc (NYSE: WFR) price targets adjusted by analysts.

Approach Resources Inc. (AREX) had its price target lowered by Rodman & Renshaw from $33.00 to $30.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Emerson Electric Co. (EMR) had its price target lowered by analysts at Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to $59.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

MasterCard (MA) had its price target raised by FBR Capital from $330.00 to $390.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

SPX Corp. (SPW) had its price target lowered by FBR Capital from $92.00 to $88.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Time Warner Inc. (TWX) had its price target lowered by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) to $36.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (WFR) had its price target lowered by UBS AG to $12.00. They have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Price Targets (MA) (MRK) (NTGR) (PETD) (RDNT) Weekly Recap

Price targets on shares of MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK), NetGear Inc (NASDAQ: NTGR), Petroleum Development Co. (NASDAQ: PETD) and Radnet Incorporated (NASDAQ: RDNT) updated by analysts during the last week.

Argus raised their price target on MasterCard (MA) from $300.00 to $325.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Merck & Co Inc (MRK) from $40.00 to $42.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) raised their price target on NetGear Inc (NASDAQ: NTGR) from $44.00 to $50.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Pritchard cut their price target on Petroleum Development Co. (PETD) from $52.00 to $50.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Morgan Keegan raised their price target on Radnet Incorporated (RDNT) from $4.30 to $5.15. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Price Targets on (MA) (MRK) (NTGR) (PETD) (RDNT) Updated

Price targets on MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK), NetGear Inc (NASDAQ: NTGR), Petroleum Development Co. (NASDAQ: PETD) and Radnet Incorporated (NASDAQ: RDNT) were updated by analysts.

Argus raised their price target on MasterCard (MA) from $300.00 to $325.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Merck & Co Inc (MRK) from $40.00 to $42.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) raised their price target on NetGear Inc (NTGR) from $44.00 to $50.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Pritchard cut their price target on Petroleum Development Co. (PETD) from $52.00 to $50.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Morgan Keegan raised their price target on Radnet Incorporated (RDNT) from $4.30 to $5.15. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Ratings on (KSS) (LOW) (LXP) (MA) (MRK) Reiterated

Ratings on Kohls Corp (NYSE: KSS), Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW), Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP), MasterCard (NYSE: MA) and Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) were reiterated by analysts.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated an “equal weight” rating on Kohls Corp (KSS).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated an “overweight” rating on Lowe’s (LOW).

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc reiterated an “outperform” rating on Lexington Realty Trust (LXP).

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated a “buy” rating on MasterCard (MA).

Goldman Sachs placed a price target of $40.00 on Merck & Co Inc (MRK). They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Price Targets On (MA) (KNXA) (MOLX) (MRO) (PCS) Updated by Analysts

Analysts have updated their price targets on MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Kenexa Co. (NASDAQ: KNXA), Molex Inc (NASDAQ: MOLX), Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE: MRO) and MetroPCS (NYSE: PCS).

Longbow Research raised their price target on Kenexa Co. (KNXA) from $29.00 to $36.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Oppenheimer raised their price target on MasterCard (MA) from $295.00 to $315.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Longbow Research raised their price target on Molex Inc (MOLX) from $30.00 to $32.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Marathon Oil Co. (MRO) to $60.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company. They boosted their EPS estimates on the company citing improved downstream earnings as the catalyst.

Oppenheimer raised their price target on MetroPCS (PCS) from $19.00 to $21.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Price Targets On (HAIN) (IPXL) (KNXA) (LVS) (MA) Updated by Analysts

Analysts have updated their price targets on The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN), Impax Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPXL), Kenexa Co. (NASDAQ: KNXA), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA).

Citigroup (NYSE:C) raised their price target on The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (HAIN) from $34.00 to $42.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised their price target on Impax Laboratories, Inc. (IPXL) to $29.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company. They also boosted their EPS estimates on Impax after stronger guidance.

Feltl & Co. raised their price target on Kenexa Co. (KNXA) from $33.00 to $35.00. They have a “strong buy” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) cut their price target on Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) from $56.00 to $55.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

FBR Capital raised their price target on MasterCard (MA) from $290.00 to $330.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Shares of (PCS) (BAC) (JPM) (AVP) (MA) (GM) Jump Today

Shares of MetroPCS Communications (NYSE:PCS), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Alcoa (NYSE:AA), Mastercard (NYSE:MA), Avon Products (NYSE:AVP) and General Motors (NYSE:GM) all pushing up today.

A report from MetroPCS Communications set the tone, as it reported that earnings in the first quarter had more than doubled over the same quarter last year. That helped push up shares of Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T), as new customer additions broke a quarterly record at the company.

Financials were also moving up today, with banking giants Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citigroup (NYSE:C) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) all trading positive.

Mastercard jumped on revenue and earnings surpassing expectations for the latest quarter. Profits were up 24 percent year-over-year.

General Motors (GM) got a bump from the 26 percent increase in vehicle sales in April, although that didn't help major competitors like Ford Motor (NYSE:F) or Toyota (NYSE:TM), which were trading down.

Continual but unlikely rumors that Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) is looking to acquire Alcoa (NYSE:AA) pushed the share price of the aluminum producer up, up over 3 percent at one point, although pulling back as the day has gone on.

Avon Product soared 5 percent, and has held throughout the day, as the company's earnings in the first quarter were more than triple over last year in the same quarter, while margins improved.

Ratings on (MA) (MCD) (MHGC) (MIG) (MKL) Reiterated

Ratings on MasterCard (NYSE: MA), McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD), Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC), Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: MIG) and Markel Co. (NYSE: MKL) reiterated by analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated an “overweight” rating on MasterCard (MA).

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) reiterated a “hold” rating on McDonald’s (MCD). They have a price target of $80.00 on the company.

Jefferies reiterated a “hold” rating on Morgans Hotel Group Co. (MHGC). They have a price target of $9.00 on the company.

Wunderlich reiterated a “buy” rating on Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc. (MIG).

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of Markel Co. (MKL).

Price Targets on (MA) (DOX) (HLS) (LEA) (LO) Raised by Analysts

Amdocs Limited (NYSE: DOX), HealthSouth (NYSE: HLS), Lear Co. (NYSE: LEA), Lorillard Inc. (NYSE: LO) and MasterCard (NYSE: MA) get price targets raised today by analysts.

ThinkEquity raised their price target on Amdocs Limited (DOX) to $32.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) raised their price target on HealthSouth (HLS) to $30.00. They have an “overweight” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised their price target on Lear Co. (LEA) to $65.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs raised their price target on Lorillard Inc. (LO) to $118.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs raised their price target on MasterCard (MA) to $310.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.