Stock Under $10 with 50-100% upside potential - 14 Days FREE!

Ahead Of The Bell: Advisory Board Upgraded

NEW YORK (AP) ¿ An analyst upgraded health care consulting company Advisory Board Co. Wednesday, citing improvements in operating budgets, pricing, admissions and profitability for hospitals despite high levels of debt.

Frank Sparacino of First Analysis Securities raised his rating to "Overweight" from "Equal Weight" and initiated a share price target of $30.

The financial health of hospitals has been strong since the beginning of this year and should boost Advisory Board to double-digit earnings growth by March, Sparacino said.

Advisory Board, which offers subscription-based programs to health care systems, has made significant progress in automating data collection and shown "stellar execution in a difficult environment" compared to its competitors, Sparacino said.

Still, he said he expects 2010 contract renewal rates at the low end of historical ranges given a challenging first half of the fiscal year.

Shares of Advisory Board finished Tuesday's trading at $25.01.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Select the service that is right for you!

COMPARE ALL SERVICES
Action Alerts PLUS
TRY IT FREE

Jim Cramer and Stephanie Link actively manage a real portfolio and reveal their money management tactics while giving advanced notice before every trade.

Product Features:
  • $2.5+ million portfolio
  • Large-cap and dividend focus
  • Intraday trade alerts from Cramer
  • Weekly roundups
Dividend Stock Advisor
TRY IT FREE
New! $49.95/yr

Jim Cramer's protege, David Peltier, identifies the best of breed dividend stocks that will pay a reliable AND significant income stream.

Product Features:
  • Diversified model portfolio of dividend stocks
  • Alerts when market news affect the portfolio
  • Bi-weekly updates with exact steps to take - BUY, HOLD, SELL
Stocks Under $10
TRY IT FREE

David Peltier, uncovers low dollar stocks with extraordinary upside potential that are flying under Wall Street's radar.

Product Features:
  • Model portfolio
  • Stocks trading below $10
  • Intraday trade alerts
  • Weekly roundups
Real Money
TRY IT FREE

24/7 market commentary from Jim Cramer and 20+ veteran Wall Street gurus. Get access to the latest trading ideas on stocks, options, and ETFs as well as a real-time forum to see the pros exchanging their investment ideas.

Product Features:
  • Jim Cramer + 20 Wall Street pros
  • Intraday commentary & news
  • Real-time trading forum
  • Actionable trade ideas
Real Money Pro
TRY IT FREE

All of Real Money, plus 15 more of Wall Street's sharpest minds delivering actionable trading ideas, a comprehensive look at the market, and fundamental and technical analysis.

Product Features:
  • Real Money + Doug Kass + 15 more Wall Street Pros
  • Intraday commentary & news
  • Ultra-actionable trading ideas
Options Profits
TRY IT FREE

Our options trading pros provide daily market commentary and over 100 monthly option trading ideas and strategies to help you become a well-seasoned trader.

Product Features:
  • 100+ monthly options trading ideas
  • Actionable options commentary & news
  • Real-time trading community
  • Options TV
To begin commenting right away, you can log in below using your Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Yahoo login credentials. Alternatively, you can post a comment as a "guest" just by entering an email address. Your use of the commenting tool is subject to multiple terms of service/use and privacy policies - see here for more details.
DOW 15,354.40 121.18 0.80%
NASDAQ 3,498.97 33.73 0.97%
S&P 500 1,667.47 17.00 1.03%
US 10 Yr 1.949% +0.084

Brokerage Partners

Advertising Partners
Special Features

Free Newsletters from TheStreet

After the Bell

Before the Bell

Booyah! Newsletter

Midday Bell

TheStreet Top 10 Stories

Winners & Losers

We respect your privacy. Manage Newsletters
Top Rated Stocks Top Rated Funds Top Rated ETFs