Whole Foods: Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades
NEW YORK (
) --
CHANGE IN RATINGS
TD Ameritrade
(AMTD) - Get Report
upgraded at FBR to Outperform. $21 price target. Company is positioned well to generate above-average asset and earnings growth.
Beazer Homes
(BZH) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with a Neutral rating and $4.50 price target. Industry recovery will be offset by near term refinancing risks and limitations on land purchases.
Dell
(DELL) - Get Report
rated new Hold at Collins Stewart Coverage of Dell was started with a Hold rating. Turnaround effort may take longer, though the stock appears cheap.
DR Horton
(DHI) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $16 price target. Emphasis on speculative units offers potential volume upside.
Home Depot
(HD) - Get Report
upgraded at Oppenheimer from Perform to Outperform. $37 price target. Improving sales should drive higher earnings.
Hovnanian Enterprises
(HOV) - Get Report
initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $5 price target. Balance sheet restructuring will allow HOV to participate in the industry recovery.
KB Home
(KBH) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $20 price target. KB Home carries one of the highest exposures to first-time buyers across the industry (80% of sales).
Lennar
(LEN) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $21 price target. Lennar expected to benefit from industry-wide volume gains in 2010.
Mattel
(MAT) - Get Report
upgraded at UBS from Neutral to Buy. $26 price target. Company has solid momentum and inventory is under control. Management will also likely boost the dividend.
MDC Holdings
(MDC) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $43 price target. MDC controls three years of land supply, which is lowest among peers versus industry average of 6.4 years.
Microsoft
(MSFT) - Get Report
rated new Buy at Citigroup. $31 price target. Solid PC trends should help drive earnings upside.
Pulte Homes
(PHM) - Get Report
initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $14 price target. Merger synergy upside potential, noted Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.
Prudential Financial
(PRU) - Get Report
upgraded at Morgan Stanley from Equal-weight to Overweight. $63 price target. Sales trend are improving.
Penn Virginia
(PVA)
downgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Overweight on cash flow shortfall. Price target raised to $30 from $25. 2010 EPS estimate cut to 20 cents a share.
Quality Systems
(QSII)
upgraded at UBS from Sell to Neutral. $62 price target. Pipeline looks strong and the company should also do well in the small hospital market.
Reinsurance Group
(RGA) - Get Report
downgraded at Morgan Stanley from Overweight to Equal-weight. Valuation call.
Ryland Group
(RYL)
initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $28 price target. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch expected the homebuilder to experience favorable sales growth during 2010 due to its 60% of revenue from first-time buyers.
Swift Energy Company
(SFY) - Get Report
upgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Underweight. Drilling programs in South Texas should push shares higher. 2010 EPS estimate improved to $1.70 from $1.35. Price target raised to $30 from $25.
Sandisk
(SNDK)
upgraded at Morgan Stanley from Equal-weight to Overweight. $37 price target. Industry checks now show that NAND pricing will only fall 10% in the first quarter.
Scripps Networks
(SNI)
downgraded at UBS from Buy to Neutral. $41 price target. Stock is already pricing in better add growth. Costs are also rising.
Taubman Centers
(TCO) - Get Report
upgraded at BofA/Merrill to Buy from Neutral. Taubman Centers has the highest quality regional mall portfolio, strong balance sheet, and attractive valuation. Price target increased to $40 from $35.50.
Toll Brothers
(TOL) - Get Report
reinstated at BofA/Merrill with an Underperform rating and $16 price target. Challenges in the upper end of the market persist.
Unum Group
(UNM) - Get Report
upgraded at Morgan Stanley from Underweight to Equal-weight. Capital ratios are improving and credit concerns are dissipating.
Whiting Petroleum
(WLL) - Get Report
upgraded at Barclays to Overweight from Equal Weight as high-margin oil projects should fuel strong volume and reserve growth. Price target surged to $100 from $70. 2010 EPS estimate increased to $4.95 from $3.75.
STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES
Anadarko Petroleum
(APC) - Get Report
price target boosted at BofA/Merrill to $85 from $82 reflecting recent exploration success. Maintain Buy rating.
Capella Education
(CPLA) - Get Report
price target raised at Credit Suisse to $72 from $68. 4Q09 enrollment growth topped estimates. Maintain Neutral rating.
Foot Locker
(FL) - Get Report
target raised at Citigroup to $14. Industry data is showing better U.S. sales. Buy rating.
Genuine Parts
(GPC) - Get Report
price target raised at BofA/Merrill increased by a dollar to $45 on solid 4Q09 results. Estimates lowered through 2012. Maintain buy rating.
Genuine Parts
(GPC) - Get Report
numbers boosted at Goldman. GPC estimates were raised through 2011. Company should benefit from a cyclical recovery. Neutral rating and new $45 price target.
Navistar
(NAV) - Get Report
estimates, target increased at Goldman. Shares of NAV now seen reaching $40. Estimates also upped, given the new MRAP contract. Neutral rating.
Newfield Exploration
(NFX)
numbers raised at UBS. Shares of NFX now seen reaching $62. Estimates also boosted, given higher realized prices. Buy rating.
Palm
(PALM)
estimates, target lowered at Goldman. Shares of PALM now seen reaching $11. Verizon sales appear tepid. Neutral rating.
Potash
(POT)
estimates raised at Credit Suisse. POT 2010 EPS estimate lifted to $5.30 from $4.76. Maintain Outperform rating and $134 price target.
Qwest Communications
(Q)
numbers increased at Goldman. Shares of Q now seen reaching $3.25. Estimates also boosted, to reflect cost-cutting efforts. Sell rating.
Teva Pharmaceuticals
(TEVA) - Get Report
target raised at Goldman. Shares of TEVA now seen reaching $67. Visibility in generic forecasts continues to improve. Buy rating.
Whole Foods
(WFMI)
target, estimates boosted at Barclays. WFMI price target raised to $30 from $20. WFMI has improved value while maintaining reputation for quality. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates increased to $1.22 and $1.45, respectively. Maintain Equal Weight rating.
Whole Foods
(WFMI)
numbers boosted at Goldman through 2012. Comp sales are accelerating. Neutral rating and new $32 price target.
This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.com.