Apple: Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- CHANGE IN RATINGSAmerigroup (AGP) initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $42 price target. AGP is the HMO best positioned for health care reform.
Allegiant Travel
(ALGT) - Get Report
upgraded at Jesup & Lamont from Hold to Buy. $56 price target. Investors are not giving the company credit for potentially stronger second-half results.
Career Education
(CECO) - Get Report
upgraded at Barclays to Overweight from Equal Weight as it has superior earnings growth potential. Price target jumped to $43 from $29. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates lifted to $2.78 and $3.41, respectively.
Crude Carriers
(CRU)
initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $22 price target. Valuable access at a discount. Crude Carriers is a crude tanker vessel owner with 5 vessels.
Discovery Communications
(DISCA) - Get Report
rated new Buy at MKM Partners. $41 price target. Company should be able to generate higher advertising growth and continue to expand overseas.
Exelon
(EXC) - Get Report
downgraded at Soleil to Hold. Company will be hurt by lower commodity and power prices. $40 price target.
>> Who Owns Exelon?: Renaissance Technologies
Forest Laboratories
(FRX)
downgraded at Oppenheimer to Perform. There is a growing hole in the company's clinical pipeline.
Gilead Sciences
(GILD) - Get Report
estimates lowered at Morgan Stanley through 2012. Company cut sales guidance, because of health care reform. Equal-weight rating and $48 price target.
Gilead Sciences
(GILD) - Get Report
downgraded at Piper Jaffray. Rating lowered to Neutral from Overweight. Price target lowered to $50 from $60. 2010 EPS estimates lowered to $3.62 from $3.82.
>> Who Owns Gilead?: Maverick Capital
Molina Healthcare
(MOH) - Get Report
coverage initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $35 price target. Stronger near-term outlook after disappointing 2009 results could trigger revaluation in share on evidence that profitability is rebounding.
Parker Hannifin
(PH) - Get Report
upgraded at UBS from Sell to Neutral. $73 price target. Estimates also boosted, as the company is seeing better climate and industrial sales.
Parker Hannifin
(PH) - Get Report
numbers boosted at Goldman through 2012. Company is seeing higher sales across the board. Neutral rating and new $81 price target.
RPM International
(RPM) - Get Report
upgraded at BofA/Merrill to Buy from Neutral based on improvement in the company's consumer segment and eventual recovery in industrial segment. Price target raised to $25 from $23.
Strayer Education
(STRA) - Get Report
downgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Overweight on valuation. Price target increased to $272 from $240. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates held at $9.47 and $11.34, respectively.
VMware
(VMW) - Get Report
upgraded at BofA/Merrill to Neutral from Underperform following strong quarter and outlook. Price target jumped to $60 from $36.
VMWare
(VMW) - Get Report
upgraded at JMP from Market Perform to Outperform. $74 price target. Estimates also raised, as customers continue to spend on Computing as a Service.
Warner Chilcott
(WCRX)
initiated at BofA/Merrill with a Buy rating and $34 price target. Timely product approvals, solid execution and deals could support multiple expansion.
STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
target, estimates boosted at BofA/Merrill. AAPL price target surged to $300 from $260 after 2Q10 earnings blew past expectations. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates improved to $13.19 and $14.15, respectively. Maintain Buy.
>> Who Owns Apple?: Prince Al-Waleed
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
estimates, target increased at Goldman. Shares of AAPL now seen reaching $270. Estimates also upped, given better sales and operating leverage. Neutral rating.
Altera
(ALTR) - Get Report
estimates, target upped at Goldman. ALTR estimates were raised through 2012. Company is seeing higher sales and gross margins. Neutral rating and ne $24 price target.
Amphenol
(APH) - Get Report
estimates, target boosted at UBS. APH estimates were increased through 2011. Company is seeing higher demand across the board. Neutral rating and $52 price target.
Coach
(COH)
estimates, target boosted at Goldman. COH estimates were increased through 2012. Company is seeing better sales and gross margins. Neutral rating and new $43 price target.
Cisco Systems
(CSCO) - Get Report
target, estimates boosted at Barclays. CSCO price target increased to $31 from $28 on continued improvement in enterprise and healthy carrier markets. 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates lifted to $1.60 and $1.85, respectively. Overweight rating.
>> Who Owns Cisco?: Ken Fisher
Delta Air Lines
(DAL) - Get Report
estimates raised at UBS. DAL estimates were increased through 2011. Company is cutting costs and should see higher sales. Buy rating and $17 price target.
Eaton
(ETN) - Get Report
estimates, target raised at Goldman. ETN estimates were increased through 2012. Company boosted its guidance, because of higher realized margins. Neutral rating and new $88 price target.
Edwards Lifesciences
(EW) - Get Report
numbers boosted at Goldman. Shares of EW now seen reaching $120. Estimates also increased, as the company is realizing higher margins. Buy rating.
Harley-Davidson
(HOG) - Get Report
estimates boosted at Goldman through 2012. Company is seeing higher motorcycle profits and improved credit costs. Sell rating and $30 price target.
>> Who Owns Harley-Davidson?: Chris Davis
Illinois Tool Works
(ITW) - Get Report
numbers upped at Goldman. Shares of ITW now seen reaching $61. Estimates also raised, as the company appears to be regaining sales momentum. Buy rating.
J.C. Penney
(JCP) - Get Report
estimates, target raised at Goldman. Shares of JCP now seen reaching $38. Estimates also increased, given higher expected same-store sales. Buy rating.
Jacobs Engineering
(JEC) - Get Report
numbers boosted at FBR. Shares of JEC now seen reaching $53. Estimates were also increased, to match the company's new guidance. Outperform rating.
Jefferies
(JEF) - Get Report
estimates lowered at Goldman. JEF estimates were reduced through 2012. Company will be hurt by a higher share count and is seeing softer trading revenue. Sell rating and $26 price target.
Johnson & Johnson
(JNJ) - Get Report
estimates lowered at Goldman through 2012. Company is being hurt by healthcare reform. Neutral rating and $65 price target.
>> Who Owns Johnson & Johnson?: Warren Buffett
Juniper Networks
(JNPR) - Get Report
estimates upped at Goldman through 2011. Accounting uncertainty has created a buying opportunity. Still, deferred revenues are growing and the company is seeing higher operating margins. Buy rating and $34 price target.
Microsoft
(MSFT) - Get Report
estimates tweaked at Barclays. MSFT 2010 and 2011 EPS estimates raised to $2.04 and $2.29, respectively. Consumer PC strength and improving IT spending trends, Barclays noted. Reiterate Equal Weight rating and $35 target.
Omnicomm
(OMC) - Get Report
estimates, target raised at Morgan Stanley. Shares of OMC now seen reaching $51. Company is seeing better organic sales growth. Overweight rating.
Paccar
(PCAR) - Get Report
estimates, target boosted at Goldman. Shares of PCAR now seen reaching $47. Estimates also upped, because of a continued truck recovery. Neutral rating.
Panera Bread
(PNRA)
numbers increased at Goldman through 2012. Company is realizing better sales and margins. Neutral rating and new $85 price target.
Synovus Financial
(SNV) - Get Report
estimates lowered at FBR through 2011. Company will likely need to raise capital soon. Underperform rating and $2.50 price target.
Steel Dynamics
(STLD) - Get Report
estimates cut at UBS through 2011. Company is seeing a more muted recovery. Buy rating and $23 price target.
Seagate Technology
(STX) - Get Report
estimates upped at UBS through 2011. Company will likely resume its share buyback. Buy rating and $31 price target.
Total System Services
(TSS) - Get Report
numbers boosted at Goldman. Shares of TSS now seen reaching $14. Estimates also increased, as the company is benefitting from a better macro environment. Sell rating.
Tupperware
(TUP) - Get Report
estimates, target raised at Goldman. Shares of TUP now seen reaching $60. Estimates also increased, given strong sales momentum. Neutral rating.
Weatherford
(WFT) - Get Report
estimates lowered at Goldman through 2012. Weaker international results are offsetting growth in North America. Neutral rating and $19 price target.
>> Who Owns Weatherford?: George Soros
Xilinx
(XLNX) - Get Report
estimates increased at UBS through 2011. Company should see better demand in the industrial and communications markets. Buy rating and $32 price target.
Yahoo!
(YHOO)
estimates, target increased at Goldman. YHOO estimates were boosted through 2012. Company is seeing a lower tax rate and expected to buy back more stock. Neutral rating and new $20 price target.
This article was written by a staff member of TheStreet.com.
