Analysts' Upgrades and Downgrades
Friday's Analysts' Upgrades and Downgrades
TSC Staff
12/15/06 - 10:20 AM EST
CHANGE IN RATINGS
Allied Capital (ALD Quote) initiated at Morgan Stanley:
Morgan Stanley initiates Allied Capital with an overweight rating and a $39 price target.
Avery Dennison (AVY Quote) downgraded at JP Morgan:
AVY was downgraded from Overweight to Neutral at JP Morgan. Stock also cut from the focus list, as the stock now looks fully valued.
Ciena (CIEN Quote) upgraded at Deutsche:
CIEN was upgraded from Hold to Buy at Deutsche Bank. $36 price target. Stock offers best upside potential in the group. Deal exposure helps to offset consolidation among customers.
DRS Technologies (DRS Quote) upgraded at Morgan Stanley:
Morgan Stanley upgrades DRS Technologies to equalweight from underweight and gives the company a $55 price target.
Encana (ECA Quote) downgraded at Citigroup:
ECA downgraded from Buy to Sell at Citigroup. $47 price target. Company guided to lower 2007 production growth, and the stock has already enjoyed a solid run.
Ecolab (ECL Quote) downgraded at Goldman Sachs:
Goldman Sachs downgrades ECL to Neutral and removes from Americas Buy list on valuation concerns.
Forward Air (FWRD Quote) downgraded at Baird:
FWRD was downgraded from Outperform to Neutral at Robert Baird. $35 price target. Difficult external environment is weighing on the company's ability to achieve earnings goals.
International Rectifier (IRF Quote) downgraded at UBS:
IRF downgraded to Neutral rating from Buy at UBS. Maintains price target at $43.50 and 2007 estimates at $2.26.
Lowe's (LOW Quote) upgraded at Bear:
LOW was upgraded to Outperform at Bear Stearns. $39 price target. Expect earnings to hit an inflection point in the second half of 2007. $39 price target.
Monsanto (MON Quote) upgraded at Goldman Sachs:
Goldman Sachs upgrades MON to Buy from Neutral and adds to Americas Buy list.
Patterson-UTI (PTEN Quote) downgraded at Morgan Stanley:
Morgan Stanley downgrades Patterson-UTI to sell, as fundamentals in the US land drilling market return to more normal conditions.
SunTrust (STI Quote) downgraded at FBR:
FBR downgrades SunTrust Banks to underperform on valuation, with a price target of $79.
Temple-Inland (TIN Quote) upgraded at Deutsche:
TIN was upgraded from Hold to Buy at Deutsche Bank. $55 price target. Assets hold long-term value, ultimately worth as much as $70.
Weyerhaeuser (WY Quote) upgraded at Deutsche Bank:
Morgan Stanley upgrades Weyerhaeuser from hold to buy, and raises price target from $55 to $80.
STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES
Adobe (ADBE Quote) numbers raised at UBS:
ADBE numbers raised at UBS. Price target lifts to $50 from $46 and 2008 EPS estimates rise to $1.46 from $1.44. Reiterates Buy rating.
Adobe (ADBE Quote) numbers raised at Jefferies:
ADBE numbers raised at Jefferies. Price target lifts to $50 from $45 and 2008 EPS estimates bump up a penny to $1.76. Reiterates Buy rating.
AMD (AMD Quote) numbers raised at Jefferies:
AMD numbers raised at Jefferies. Price target lifts to $22 from $19 and 2007 EPS estimates bump up to $1.09 from $0.97. Reiterates Hold rating.
Bear Stearns (BSC Quote) price target raised at Goldman Sachs:
BSC estimates raised at Goldman. New target set at $182 from $155. 2007 EPS estimates rise to $16.05 from $14.70 and 2008 estimates rise to $17.40 from $15.70. Reiterates Neutral rating.
Ciena (CIEN Quote) numbers raised at UBS:
CIEN numbers raised at UBS. Price target lifts to $27 from $24. 2007 EPS estimates rise to $1.17 from $0.97. Reiterates Reduce rating.
Charles River Labs (CRL Quote) numbers raised at Jefferies:
CRL numbers raised at Jefferies. Price target rises to $44 from $42. 2007 EPS estimates lift to $2.46 from $2.40. Reiterates Hold rating.
Lehman Brothers (LEH Quote) numbers raised at Goldman Sachs:
LEH numbers raised at Goldman. Price target lifts to $87 from $78.50. 2007 EPS estimates rise to $7.55 from $7.25 and 2008 estimates rise to $8.30 from $7.80. Reiterates Neutral rating.
Research in Motion (RIMM Quote) target price raised at Credit Suisse:
Credit Suisse is raising its target price on RIMM to $75 from $65. Cites solid momentum but expectations are high. Maintained Underperform rating.
Thermo Fisher (TMO Quote) numbers raised at UBS:
TMO numbers raised at UBS. Price target lifts to $56 from $52. Reiterates Buy rating.