Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Vistaprint (VPRT) to buy from hold on valuation following the recent pullback in shares. The firm also raised its price target on the stock to $62 from $55.
• Fox-Pitt upgraded Eaton Vance (EV) to outperform from in line citing strong fundamentals. The firm raised its target to $36 from $34.
• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Hospitality Properties (HPT) to buy from hold citing valuation and expected cash dividend in 2010. The firm has a $22 target on the stock.
• The Advisory Board (ABCO) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at First Analysis.
• Technip (TKPPY) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Jefferies upgraded Energy XXI (EXXI) to hold from underperform and raised its target to $2 from $1.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: VPRT, EV, HPT, NRG, GTE, BNHNA, VAR, ITRI and FARO

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: VPRT, EV, HPT, NRG, GTE, BNHNA, VAR, ITRI and FARO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Amazon, Inc. (AMZN) is in the clouds. So are Google, Inc. (GOOG), EMC (EMC) and Cisco (CSCO). Now, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is joining them, having announced on Tuesday its new Windows Azure cloud computing system. The new product will be released on January 1, 2010 -- a new solution for a new year.

Azure will deliver an online platform for the software development set to build their own mousetraps and provide plenty of storage space for users. Testing began a year ago, and full live version will be celebrated next year. For the first month, Azure will be free. The charges start in February.

Continue reading Microsoft latest to head into the sky: New cloud solution announced

Microsoft latest to head into the sky: New cloud solution announced originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Neither company is saying a thing yet, but word is Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) and EMC (NYSE: EMC) are joining up to sell a new collection of products designed to deliver cloud computing capabilities, Reuters reports. Called vBlock, the cloud solution is intended to help the companies compete more effectively with IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ).

The partnership, which no one is admitting to, involves a joint venture between Cisco and EMC that will sell vBlock. The former will supply the networking equipment and servers, with the latter kicking in the storage gear and virtualization technology through its VMWare (NYSE: VMW) subsidiary. The joint venture will put the systems together, integrate the components for clients, and make the whole pile of cables and silicon work. A formal announcement is expected next week.

Continue reading Cisco and EMC link up in the clouds

Cisco and EMC link up in the clouds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Windows 7, the latest operating system from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is expected to help jumpstart some IT spending. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) also sees this happening. A new operating system often means a chance to upgrade from dated equipment that isn't worth upgrading, especially with favorable pricing for technology right now. Everything's coming together for a strong 2010 for the high-tech sector, so it's also worth watching Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and EMC (NYSE: EMC).

Continue reading Stars aligned for increase in IT spending

Stars aligned for increase in IT spending originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A lot of earnings reports were issued last week. The market was busy sorting them all out. I'm going to take a fast look at several of the issuing companies.

American Express (NYSE: AXP): Don't leave home without it. Good advice for the card, perhaps, but what about the company? Should your portfolio leave home and forget this stock? I'd say so. It's not that American Express lost the earnings game. On the contrary, Bloomberg reported a beat. American Express earned 44 cents per share from continuing operations, adjusted. This was six pennies ahead of forecasts. Okay, I applaud such performance. And shares are way off the single-digit 52-week low. Thing is, I'm in love with another card business. Visa (NYSE: V). As I've stated before, I enjoy the beauty of Visa's lower-risk model. It doesn't have to put up with loan risk. Yes, the situation at American Express might be improving, but I'm not going to buy this one.

Continue reading Quick opinions on some quarterly earnings: AXP, MRK, MCD, NYT, UP ...

Quick opinions on some quarterly earnings: AXP, MRK, MCD, NYT, UP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Fed Has Begun Bank Bonus Audit
• Ford Pushing Hard to Boost Sales in Asia

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Weak dollar powering profits

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Weak dollar powering profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Bull-Bear, down to the wire... (BP, CSCO, EMC, NVAX, SEPR, VG)

Closing Bell: Bull-Bear, down to the wire... (BP, CSCO, EMC, NVAX, SEPR, VG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To get a valuation juiced up, all it takes is two bidders. And, that's what Data Domain (NASDAQ: DDUP) got. The data deduplication company has been the target of two rival bidders: NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) and EMC (NYSE: EMC).

Well, today the wrangling stopped -- with EMC as the victor. The company has agreed to shell out $2.4 billion for Data Domain.

Continue reading EMC wins the bidding war for Data Domain

EMC wins the bidding war for Data Domain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The wishy-washy return to Q3 (AA, DDUP, EMC, DNDN, CVX, FSLR, GS)

Closing Bell: The wishy-washy return to Q3 (AA, DDUP, EMC, DNDN, CVX, FSLR, GS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Coming Week: Volatile Trading Ahead
• Options Traders See Further TiVo Upside

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Tech's unjustified super bull market run

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Tech's unjustified super bull market run originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A race has broken out for Data Domain Inc (NASDAQ: DDUP). NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) offered $1.5 billion for the company two weeks ago, and EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) decided it had to get in on the action, upping the ante to $1.8 billion yesterday. Data Domain shares gained 16% on the news in late trading yesterday, resulting in EMC's bid carrying a 17% premium.

EMC sees Data Domain as its ticket into the market for software-based storage management, as the target company's products help reduce the amount of disk space needed to store data. With large, high-profile clients like AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and the U.S. Defense Department, Data Domain was able to double its top line to $274 million in 2008. It pulled in net income of $21.6 million last year, up from a loss of $3.7 million in 2007.

Continue reading EMC on the prowl, offers $1.8 billion for Data Domain

EMC on the prowl, offers $1.8 billion for Data Domain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Trying To Find Direction (AAPL, EBAY, JBLU, GM, VMW, UPS, EMC)

Closing Bell: Trying To Find Direction (AAPL, EBAY, JBLU, GM, VMW, UPS, EMC) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading EMC Corp. knows data storage is a growth sector

EMC Corp. knows data storage is a growth sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For software operator EMC (NYSE: EMC), a key goal was to hit $15 billion in revenues in 2008. Unfortunately, the company missed the mark by about $100 million.

Going into Q3, EMC was on track to hit its goal, but, of course, the economy went into a tailspin in Q4, and EMC couldn't avoid the impact. In the quarter, the company's revenues inched up 5% to $4.02 billion. Net income was $288 million, or $0.14 per share.

Unfortunately, the outlook looks fairly bad for 2009. Based on a variety of surveys, IT spending could drop 10% for the first half of this year.

Continue reading EMC prepares for an IT freeze

EMC prepares for an IT freeze originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Stocks in the news: DD, VZ, YHOO, AXP, TXN, IBM, SI, VMW, EMC, AMGN ...

Stocks in the news: DD, VZ, YHOO, AXP, TXN, IBM, SI, VMW, EMC, AMGN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Apollo Group Inc. (NYSE: APOL) posted its third straight quarter of growth as enrollment soared.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) earnings prospects will pick up after the first quarter, predicts Jim Cramer.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) lowered its guidance due to slower traffic and sales during the holiday season.
• EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) reaffirmed its revenue and earnings guidance and announced job cuts.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded as Wall Street's Q4 and full-year estimates came down.
• KB Home (NYSE: KBH) failed to narrow its loss as much as expected but beat revenue estimates.
• Logitech International (NASDAQ: LOGI) withdrew its guidance and said it was cutting its global workforce.
• Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) posted strong Q2 results that easily beat earnings expectations (is it a buy?).
• Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) 2009 outlook fell short of estimates but it predicted 2010 growth.
• Premier Exhibitions Inc. (NASDAQ: PRXI) worse-than-expected Q3 numbers resulted in an downgrade.
• Satyam Computer Sciences Ltd. (NYSE: SAY) admited that it had been inflating earnings for years.
• Super Micro Computer Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) was downgraded after preliminary results missed estimates.
• Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) now expects a loss in 2008 rather than the profit in its previous guidance.
• WD-40 Co. (NASDAQ: WDFC) topped Q1 expectations but also lowered its guidance, sending shares lower.

For more earnings highlights, see Intel, Walmart, Chevron, Family Dollar, Monsanto and others

Upcoming earnings releases include Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA), Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), Linear Technologies (NASDAQ: LLTC) , Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX), Genentech (NYSE: DNA), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Marshall & Ilsley (NYSE: MI), Sealy (NYSE: ZZ), Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Time Warner, Satyam, Google, KB Home, Mosaic and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• DJIA: -27.08 (8,742.62)
• S&P500: +3.08 (909.73)
• NASDAQ: +17.95 (1,617)

Continue reading Closing Bell: Markets mixed as traders look to Obama plan, jobless claims; EMC, WFMI up, WMT, SLB, JAVA down

Closing Bell: Markets mixed as traders look to Obama plan, jobless claims; EMC, WFMI up, WMT, SLB, JAVA down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the current environment, it's pretty tough selling multimillion-dollar software systems. So, this week EMC (NYSE: EMC), a global software company, announced it is paring back its operations by laying off 2,400 employees (the current workforce stands at 33,000).

However, EMC had some good news. Quarterly revenues are expected to come in at $4 billion, up 4% over the past year. Earnings are projected at $0.13 to $0.14 per share.

If anything, the recession is giving EMC an excuse to restructure itself. Over the past few years, the company has bulked up with major acquisitions and now has an extensive portfolio of software solutions.

So, by reducing operating costs, profits are likely to be robust. After all, EMC provides software that is critical for many organizations and is difficult to unwind.

All in all, Wall Street likes the news. In today's trading, EMC's shares are up 3.5% to $11.57.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Streetsmart Guide to Short Selling: Techniques the Pros Use to Profit in Any Market. He is also the founder of BizEquity, a valuation website.

EMC slashes jobs -- good time to restructure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) surprised when it said that December same-store sales rose 1.7% excluding fuel. This was lower than the average estimate of an increase of 2.8% in a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters. WMT also cut its forecast for fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations due to higher expenses and lower-than-expected sales at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart International. WMT shares were down over 8% in premarket trading.
  
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) reported that for December, same-store sales fell 4%, and total sales fell 2% from the year-earlier month. Comparable sales fell 2% in the U.S. and 11% internationally. This was below analyst estimates of a 3.7% decline. COST shares were down 1.8% in premarket trading.
  
• Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) reported that December domestic same-store sales fell 7.3%, with Kmart sales down 1.1% and Sears domestic sales falling 12.8%. Sears also gave revenue and earnings estimates, higher than what analyst estimated. SHLD shares soared over 10% in premarket trading.
  
• Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM) said that comparable sales in the 8 weeks to Dec. 28 fell 24.2%. Total sales declined 22.6%. The company also said fourth-quarter earnings will likely be at the lower end of the range, much lower than the average estimate. WSM shares were 1.7% higher in premarket trading.
  

• EMC (NYSE: EMC), the data-storage firm, announced 2,400 job cuts, or about 6% of its workforce. EMC also cut the salaries of top executives. Its preliminary results, though, were inline with estimates. EMC shares rose 4.2% in premarket trading.
  
• Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) said it is closing its main plant in Ireland, cutting 1,900 jobs as it is moving production to Poland. Dell shares were down 1.4% in premarket trading.
  
• Lenovo Group warned it expects a loss for its latest quarter and said it will lay off 2,500, or 11%, of its workforce worldwide. Shares plunged over 25% in Hong Kong.

Continue reading Stocks in the news: WMT, COST, SHLD, WSM, EMC, DELL, M, MSFT, BBBY

Stocks in the news: WMT, COST, SHLD, WSM, EMC, DELL, M, MSFT, BBBY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Cadbury (NYSE: CBY) to Hold from Sell on the company's pricing initiatives and their expectations for margin expansion.
  
• Jefferies upgraded shares of Medicis (NYSE: MRX) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $16 from $12.50 as they believe the company's settlement with Impax should lift valuation and drive higher earnings.
  
• Cowen upgraded Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) to Neutral from Underperform on valuation. Shares were also upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Underperform.
• Signet Group (NYSE: SIG) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
  
• EMC Corp (NYSE: EMC) was upgraded to Buy from Accumulate at ThinkPanmure.
  
• DSP Group (NASDAQ: DSPG) was upgraded at RBC Capital to Sector Perform from Underperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: CBY, MRX, EMC, WSM, TSRA, DAI, PALM, RTP, INTU, BHP, RGC ...

Analyst calls: CBY, MRX, EMC, WSM, TSRA, DAI, PALM, RTP, INTU, BHP, RGC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.