Dow Chemical: Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades

Morgan Stanley ups estimates and BofA/Merrill raises target on Dow Chemical.
By TSC Staff ,

NEW YORK (

TheStreet

) --

CHANGE IN RATINGS

Dick's Sporting Goods

(DKS) - Get Report

upgraded at Goldman from Neutral to Buy. $27 price target. Company has good unit growth visibility and the spending environment should normalize.

Johnson Controls

(JCI) - Get Report

upgraded at Goldman from Sell to Neutral. Estimates also raised, because of higher European production. $31 price target.

KAR Auction Services

(KAR) - Get Report

initiated at Barclays with an Equal Weight rating and $17 price target. KAR is quality company in an attractive industry, share price should appreciate over next few years, Barclays said. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates set at $0.94 and $1.26, respectively.

Kraft

( KFT) resumed at Barclays with an Overweight rating and $35 price target. Final deal in place for the acquisition of CBRY. 2009 EPS estimate raised to $2.03, 2010 cut to $2.04.

Lowe's

(LOW) - Get Report

downgraded at Goldman from Buy to Neutral. $25 price target. Macro data remains mixed, and HD has a better near-term fundamental outlook.

Quest Software

( QSFT) downgraded at Goldman from Buy to Sell. $16.50 price target. Estimates also lowered to reflect, lower maintenance revenue.

Charles Schwab

(SCHW) - Get Report

upgraded at BofA/Merrill to Buy from Neutral as it emerges stronger from prices wars with AMTD and ETFC. Maintain price target and estimates.

STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES

Abbott Labs

(ABT) - Get Report

estimates changed at Barclays. ABT 2010 EPS estimates lowered to $4.27, 2011 introduced at $4.83. Maintain Overweight rating and $60 price target.

Archer Daniels Midland

(ADM) - Get Report

estimates upped at Morgan Stanley through 2011. Company is seeing better results in ethanol and oilseed processing. Equal-weight rating and $33 price target.

Ameren

(AEE) - Get Report

added to Conviction Sell List at Goldman. Company trades at a premium to its peers and should see lower non-regulated earnings. New $22 price target .

Aflac

(AFL) - Get Report

price target boosted at BofA/Merrill to $63 from $60 on 4Q09 results which were ahead of consensus. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch reiterate Buy rating.

Aflac

(AFL) - Get Report

target increased at Morgan Stanley. Shares of AFL now seen reaching $65. Company is seeing better sales in Japan. Overweight rating.

TD Ameritrade

(AMTD) - Get Report

price target lowered at BofA/Merrill. AMTD price target sunk to $17 from $18.50 on potential decline in trade volume due to pricing. Maintain Underperform rating.

Anadarko

(APC) - Get Report

target trimmed, estimates higher at Barclays. APC price target cut by a dollar to $81 on neutral 4Q09 results. 2010 EPS estimate raised to $1.15 from $1.10. Maintain Overweight rating.

Baidu.com

(BIDU) - Get Report

numbers upped at Goldman. BIDU estimates were raised through 2011. Company would benefit from the potential for Google leaving China. Buy rating and new $550 price target.

CBS

(CBS) - Get Report

price target higher at Barclays. CBS price target raised to $17 from $13 after posting better than expected comps for the Dec quarter. Maintain estimates and Equal Weight rating.

Cummins

(CMI) - Get Report

target, estimate boosted at Barclays. CMI price target jumped to $64 from $58 after 4Q09 beat. 2010 EPS estimate raised to $2.45, from $1.95. Reiterate Overweight rating.

CVS Caremark

(CVS) - Get Report

cut from Conviction Buy List at Goldman. Near-term catalysts have been realized. $36 price target.

Dow Chemical

(DOW) - Get Report

estimates increased at Morgan Stanley through 2010. Company is seeing better sales and higher joint-venture earnings. Overweight rating and $43 price target.

Dow Chemical

(DOW) - Get Report

price target higher at BofA/Merrill. DOW price target raised by a dollar to $26 on stronger free cash flow. Reiterate Underperform rating.

Emerson Electric

(EMR) - Get Report

numbers raised at Goldman. EMR estimates were increased through 2012. China is a strong growth driver, buy sales and margins are moving higher across the board. Neutral rating and new $51 price target.

Entergy

(ETR) - Get Report

estimates, target raised at Morgan Stanley. Shares of ETR now seen reaching $99. Estimates also boosted, given a pick-up in industrial volumes. Overweight rating.

Fiserv

(FISV) - Get Report

estimates, target lowered at Goldman. Shares of FISV now seen reaching $52. Estimates also reduced, given lower organic growth expectations. Neutral rating.

Hershey

(HSY) - Get Report

estimates upped at Goldman. HSY estimates were raised through 2011. Company is seeing a lower tax rate and interest expense. Sell rating and $33 price target.

Hershey

(HSY) - Get Report

target, estimate raised at Barclays. HSY price target lifted by a dollar to $38 on positive guidance. 2010 EPS estimate increased to 2 cents to $2.35, Barclays said. Maintain Equal Weight rating.

International Rectifier

(IRF)

numbers raised at Goldman through 2012. Company should benefit from improving auto and industrial fundamentals. Neutral rating and new $19 price target.

Lexmark

(LXK)

estimates raised at Morgan Stanley through 2011. Company is seeing better demand and increased profitability. Equal-weight rating.

Lexmark

(LXK)

price target boosted at Citi to $52 from $41 on very strong 4Q09 results and valuation. Citigroup added LXK to their Top Picks Live. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates raised to $4.01 and $4.62, respectively. Maintain Buy rating.

McDonald's

(MCD) - Get Report

added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman. Value message should pay off, while unemployment remains high. New $75 price target.

MGM Mirage

(MGM) - Get Report

target, estimate reduced at Barclays. MGM price target sunk to $8 from $10 to reflect difficult RevPAR environment. 2010 EPS estimate lowered to -$0.60 from -$0.28. Maintain Equal Weight rating.

Marathon Oil

(MRO) - Get Report

estimates lowered at Goldman. MRO estimates were cut through 2013. Company is seeing lower production rates. Neutral rating and $35 price target.

Nasdaq

I:IXIC

added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman. See strong revenue growth over the next couple of years, along with disciplined cost controls. New $25 price target.

News Corp.

(NWSA) - Get Report

estimates, target increased at Goldman. NWSA estimates were raised through 2012. Company is seeing better advertising trends across the globe. Neutral rating and new $14 price target.

Office Depot

(ODP) - Get Report

numbers boosted at Goldman. Shares of ODP now seen reaching $6.25. Estimates also raised, to reflect better government sales data. Neutral rating.

Plum Creek Timber

(PCL)

numbers boosted at Goldman. Shares of PCL now seen reaching $40. Estimates also raised, because of higher prices and real estate sales. Neutral rating.

Pentair

(PNR) - Get Report

estimates, target boosted at Goldman. Shares of PNR now seen reaching $38. Estimates also upped, to reflect higher order activity. Neutral rating.

Perrigo

(PRGO) - Get Report

estimates, target increased at Goldman. PRGO estimates were raised through 2012. Company is seeing higher prescription growth, which should boost future margins. Neutral rating and new $44 price target.

Riverbed Technology

(RVBD)

numbers upped at Goldman through 2011. Company is seeing better sales growth. Neutral rating and new $27 price target.

VeriSign

(VRSN) - Get Report

estimates changed at Credit Suisse. VRSN 2010 EPS estimates adjusted slightly to $1.51 from $1.52, 2011 introduced at $1.88, on positive 4Q09 results. Reiterate Outperform rating and $28.75 price target.

Verizon

(VZ) - Get Report

target, estimate cut at Barclays. VZ price target lowered by $2 to $33. 2010 EPS estimate plunged to $2.05 from $2.40. Barclays mentioned margin pressure in wireless and wireline. Maintain Equal Weight rating.

This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.com.

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