Stryker (SYK) (POR) (RAX) (RHHBY) (SLM) (SUSQ) (SWFT) Upgraded

Stryker (NYSE: SYK), Portland General Electric Company (NYSE: POR), Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX), Roche Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: RHHBY), SLM Co. (NYSE: SLM), Susquehanna Bank (NASDAQ: SUSQ) and Swift Transportation (NASDAQ: SWFT) upgraded by analysts.

Stryker (SYK) was upgraded by Lazard Capital from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

Portland General Electric Company (POR) was upgraded by Williams Capital from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $27.00 on the company.

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (RAX) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Roche Holding Ltd. (RHHBY) was upgraded by RBS from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

SLM Co. (SLM) was upgraded by Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Susquehanna Bank (SUSQ) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Sell” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Swift Transportation (SWFT) was upgraded by Capstone from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Tyson (TSN) (GM) (TPCG) (IBM) (PNM) (SEE) (SUN) (SYK) Upgraded

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), General Motors (NYSE: GM), TPC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TPCG), IBM (NYSE: IBM), PNM Resources, Inc. (NYSE: PNM), Sealed Air Corp. (NYSE: SEE), Sunoco Incorporated (NYSE: SUN) and Stryker (NYSE: SYK) upgraded by analysts.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

General Motors (GM) was upgraded by Ticonderoga from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $42.00 on the company.

TPC Group, Inc. (TPCG) was upgraded by Macquarie from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

IBM (IBM) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $195.00 on the company.

PNM Resources, Inc. (PNM) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $16.00 on the company, up from $15.00.

Sealed Air Corp. (SEE) was upgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

Sunoco Incorporated (SUN) was upgraded by Macquarie from a “Neutral” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Stryker (SYK) was upgraded by Rodman & Renshaw from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $56.00 on the company.

Stryker (SYK) (BBG) (PLL) (BRKS) (STI) (CBOE) Upgraded

Stryker (NYSE: SYK), Bill Barrett Corp (NYSE: BBG), Pall Co. (NYSE: PLL), Brooks Automation, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKS), SunTrust (NYSE: STI) and CBOE Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CBOE) upgraded by analysts.

Stryker (SYK) was upgraded by Standpoint Research from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

Bill Barrett Corp. (BBG) was upgraded by Global Hunter Securities from an “Accumulate” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $59.00 on the company.

Pall Co. (PLL) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

Brooks Automation, Inc. (BRKS) was upgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) from a “Sell” rating to a “Hold” rating.

SunTrust (STI) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

CBOE Holdings, Inc. (CBOE) was upgraded by Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $27.50 on the company.

Ratings on (STLD) (IPI) (MOS) (BTU) (SYK) Reiterated by Analysts

Steel Dynamics, Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD), Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE: IPI), The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS), Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) and Stryker (NYSE: SYK) had ratings reiterated.

Dahlman Rose reiterated a "Buy" rating Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD). They have a price target of $26.00 on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated a "Neutral" rating on Stryker (SYK).

Bank of America (NYSE:JPM) reiterated a "Neutral" rating on Intrepid Potash, Inc. (IPI).

Citigroup (NYSE:C) reiterated a "Buy" rating on The Mosaic Company (MOS).

Dahlman Rose reiterated a "Buy" rating on Peabody Energy Corp. (BTU).

Price Targets on (DE) (LTD) (SYK) (ANF) Updated

Price targets on shares of Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD), Stryker (NYSE: SYK) and Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) were updated by analysts.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) from $74.00 to $78.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) cut their price target on Deere & Company (DE) from $109.00 to $105.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) raised their price target on Limited Brands (LTD) to $45.00.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on Stryker (SYK) to $72.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to $71.00.

Price Targets on (ANF) (SODA) (SYK) (EV) Updated

Price targets on shares of Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), Sodastream International (NASDAQ: SODA), Stryker (NYSE: SYK) and Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV) were updated by analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) raised their price target on Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to $85.00.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) raised their price target on Sodastream International (SODA) to $50.00.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) raised their price target on Stryker (SYK) to $72.00.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) cut their price target on Eaton Vance Corp. (EV) to $29.00. They have a “sell” rating on the company.

Price Targets on (SYK) (PETM) (SMT) (SODA) (SPLS) Updated

Price targets on shares of Stryker (NYSE: SYK), Petsmart Inc (NASDAQ: PETM), SMART Technologies Inc (NYSE: SMT), Sodastream International (NASDAQ: SODA) and Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) were updated by analysts.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) raised their price target on Stryker (SYK) from $64.00 to $68.00. They have a “hold” rating on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) raised their price target on Petsmart Inc (PETM) to $45.00.

RBC Capital cut their price target on SMART Technologies Inc (SMT) from $12.00 to $10.00. They have a “sector perform” rating on the company.

Oppenheimer raised their price target on Sodastream International (SODA) from $50.00 to $60.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Citigroup cut their price target on Staples, Inc. (SPLS) to $20.00.

Ratings on (NTCT) (NTES) (PRFT) (SQNM) (STZ) (SYK) Reiterated

Ratings on shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT), Netease.com Inc (NASDAQ: NTES), Perficient, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRFT), Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM), Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ) and Stryker (NYSE: SYK) were reiterated by analysts.

Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating on NetScout Systems, Inc. (NTCT).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated a “buy” rating on Netease.com Inc (NTES).

BGB Securities reiterated a “buy” rating on Perficient, Inc. (PRFT).

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated an “overweight” rating on Sequenom (SQNM).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on Constellation Brands, Inc. (STZ).

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated a “hold” rating on Stryker (SYK).

Ratings on (SCGLY) (SYK) (TNB) (VTR) Upgraded

Ratings on shares of Societe Generale SA (NASDAQ: SCGLY), Stryker (NYSE: SYK), Thomas & Betts Co. (NYSE: TNB) and Ventas (NYSE: VTR) were upgraded by analysts.

RBS upgraded Societe Generale SA (SCGLY) from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) upgraded Stryker (SYK) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) upgraded Thomas & Betts Co. (TNB) from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating. They have a price target of $68.00 on the company.

Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Ventas (VTR) from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a price target of $60.00 on the company.

Dividend Yields for (SYK) (UNH) (ABC) (MCK) (DGX)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Stryker Corp (SYK), UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH), AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC), McKesson Corp (MCK) and Quest Diagnostics Inc (DGX).

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.

Stryker Corp (SYK) has a dividend yield of 1.22 percent on a declared dividend of $0.18. The payout ratio is 22.8 percent.

UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) has a dividend yield of 1.01 percent on a declared dividend of $0.12. The payout ratio is 10.2 percent.

AmerisourceBergen Corp (ABC) has a dividend yield of 0.98 percent on a declared dividend of $0.10. The payout ratio is 12.8 percent.

McKesson Corp (MCK) has a dividend yield of 0.87 percent on a declared dividend of $0.18. The payout ratio is 29.5 percent.

Quest Diagnostics Inc (DGX) has a dividend yield of 0.71 percent on a declared dividend of $0.10. The payout ratio is 11.4 percent.

Medical Device Makers (VOLC) (EW) (XRAY) Among Hardest Hit in Japan

A large number of sectors have been hit hard in Japan, depending on the exposure they have to the country, and one not mentioned too much so far is the medical devices market, where those with the most exposure to Japan are Volcano Corp (NASDAQ:VOLC) Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE:EW) and Dentsply International Inc (NASDAQ:XRAY).

About 30 percent of revenue generated by Volcano comes from Japan. Dentsply said key suppliers have been disrupted and has withdrawn its earnings guidance for 2011. Edwards Lifesciences Corp., which makes heart valves, generates about 17 percent of its revenue in Japan. At worst, Edwards sees disruptions being temporary and see no materially impact financial results from the earthquake damage.

Even so, analysts say every company should experience some degree of loss of sales as a result of the natural disaster.

Others device makers with significant exposure in Japan are Boston Scientific Corp (NYSE:BSX), with 12 percent of total sales in Japan, St Jude Medical Inc (NYSE:STJ) and Wright Medical Group Inc (NASDAQ:WMGI) at 11 percent each, Stryker Corp (NYSE:SYK) at 10 percent and Zimmer Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZMH) at 9 percent.

Larger diversified firms with less exposure are Medtronic Inc (NYSE:MDT), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) with from 5 percent to 6 percent of sales coming from Japan.

Of drugmakers, the largest exposure is Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) with about 8 percent of sales coming from Japan. Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) only has about 3 percent of sales come from there.

Volcano Corp. closed Tuesday at $23.56, down $1.21, or 4.88 percent. Edwards Lifesciences closed at $86.23, dropping $2.23, or 2.52 percent. Densply closed at $35.63, falling $1.55, or 4.17 percent.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) to Boost Earnings on Acquisitions, Portfolio

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) reported earnings inline with guidance and expectations, and is poised for a solid earnings performance in 2011.

The company said their earnings will be generated by their diversified portfolio and acquisitions they recently made.

Susquehanna introduced their full year 2012 EPS and revenue estimates for Stryker at $4.12 and $8.7 billion.

They reiterate their "Positive" rating on Stryker, which closed Wednesday at $57.35, losing $1.02, or 1.75 percent. Susquehanna raised their price target on Stryker from $63 to $70.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) EPS Growth Rate Estimate Boosted by Soleil

Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) had its EPS estimates raised by Soleil, with overall growth rates for the next three to five years projected to reach an average of 15 percent; an increase over the previous estimate of 13 percent.

Consequently Soleil is raising their full year EPS estimates for 2010 and 2011 to $3.30 and $3.77 to $3.33 and $3.92.

In the fourth quarter Stryker repurchased 6.1 million share at $51.50 a share, or $314 million.

Soleil Securities maintains their "Buy" rating on Stryker, which closed Tuesday at $58.00, gaining $3.30, or 6.03 percent. Soleil boosted their price target on them from $71 to $84.

JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) MedTech Favorites Include St. Jude (NYSE:STJ), Covidien (NYSE:COV), Insulet (Nasdaq:PODD), BioMimetic Therapeutics (Nasdaq:BMTI)

JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) gave their 2011 outlook on numerous companies within the MedTech sector today, with their favorites being St. Jude (NYSE:STJ), Covidien (NYSE:COV), Insulet (Nasdaq:PODD) and BioMimetic Therapeutics (Nasdaq:BMTI)

Those companies with the sector JPMorgan expects to outperform include Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), Stryker (NYSE:SYK), Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR), Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW), Nxstage Medical (Nasdaq:NXTM), Hologic (Nasdaq:HOLX), Heartware (Nasdaq:HTWR), Volcano (Nasdaq:VOLC) and SonoSite (Nasdaq:SONO).

MedTech companies viewed with downside by JPMorgan are Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq:ISRG), Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX), Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), Wright Medical Group (Nasdaq:WMGI), CareFusion (NYSE:CFN), Thoratec (Nasdaq:THOR) NuVasive (Nasdaq:NUVA), Mako Surgical (Nasdaq:MAKO) and American Medical Systems (Nasdaq:AMMD).

St. Jude closed Tuesday at $42.28, losing $0.47, or 1.10 percent. Covidien closed at $47.45, gaining $1.79, or 3.92 percent. Insulet ended the day at $16.07, up $0.57, or 3.68 percent. BioMimetic Therapeutics closed at $13.46, up $0.76, or 5.98 percent.

Stryker (NYSE:SYK) Sues Zimmer Over (NYSE:ZMH) Patent Infringement

Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) has sued rival Zimmer Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ZMH) over patent infringement over a device used to clears damaged tissue during joint surgery, as well as cleaning bones during the same process.

The targeted product in question is Zimmer’s Pulsavac Plus system, which Stryker claims infringes on three of their patents in the U.S.

Stryker is seeking a court order for them to stop Zimmer from using the system and to be compensated with cash.

Patents alleged to be infringed upon are for the use of pulsing liquid to loosen up debris during a surgery and allow it to be removed via suction. Doctors are able to see the are they're working on clearer as a result.

The unit of Stryker selling the InterPulse and SurgiLav systems generated revenue of $2.6 billion in 2009, 39 percent of overall revenue.

The unit using Zimmer’s Pulsavac Plus generated revenue of $2.77.6 million last year, or 6.8 percent of the annual revenue of the company.