FeedPosted Oct 20th 2009 10:00AM by Jim Cramer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Google (GOOG), Intel (INTC), Market matters, Scandals, Sun Microsystems (JAVA), Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Cramer on BloggingStocks
The Street.com's Jim Cramer says that it's awful knowing that Galleon had every single nuance of the next Intel call. The call. The edge. The inside scoop. At one point, you could have it. At one point, before Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD), persistence, hard work, going to meetings, doing everything you could to learn a company entitled you to a callback from the company. The rules were clear: If you got something that was material and non-public, you couldn't trade on it, you were frozen. But there were some blurred lines and the intensive research shops with great industry contacts could get an ever-so-slight heads up that could make a difference. Or you could go to a one-on-one where management might let slip something no one had, and you could have that momentary head start.
But Regulation FD ended all that. All the insider calls, the disclosure at one-on-ones, anything that smacked even of proprietary information. The rules were no longer voluntary. It wasn't a question of freezing. It was a question of talking. You couldn't talk to "them." Hedge funds could not talk one-on-one to anyone of authority at a company. The insider would face prosecution, do you weren't even supposed to try.
Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: A mockery of the game
Posted Feb 8th 2009 9:40AM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings reports, Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Walt Disney (DIS), Applied Materials (AMAT), Clorox Co (CLX), Merck and Co (MRK), News Corp'B' (NWS), Burger King Hldgs (BKC), Akamai Technologies (AKAM)
Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:
Continue reading Earnings highlights: Toyota, Disney, Merck, Marathon, News Corp. and others
Posted Feb 6th 2009 11:50AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Dell (DELL), Costco Wholesale (COST), Analyst initiations, Akamai Technologies (AKAM)
Analyst upgrades:
- Baird upgraded Carlisle (NYSE:CSL) to Outperform from Neutral and lowered their target to $25 from $33 following the company's Q4 results citing attractive valuation and solid execution.
- Citigroup upgraded Talbots (NYSE:TLB) to Hold from Sell on valuation as they believe the company's cash flow is improving and does not expect the company to face bankruptcy in next three years.
- Jefferies upgraded shares of Spectra Energy (NYSE:SE) to Hold from Underperform on valuation following the company's Q4 results and raised their target price to $15 from $11.75.
- Costco (NASDAQ:COST) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
- AU Optronics (NYSE:AUO) and LG Display (NYSE:LPL) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
- Alpha Natural (NYSE:ANR) was raised to Buy from Hold at Natixis.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: COST, LPL, SWCEY, AKAM, LEAP
Posted Feb 5th 2009 11:45AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Dell (DELL), Chubb Corp (CB), Analyst initiations, Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL)
Analyst upgrades:
- Citigroup upgraded shares of Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q4 results as they believe fundamentals are stabilizing. The firm raised their target price to $22 from $12.
- Baird upgraded Theravance (NASDAQ: THRX) to Outperform from Neutral. The firm said the company looks poised to realize the two-product success necessary to drive profitability, and Horizon will likely play a role in succeeding $7B+ Advair. Note that last night Theravance/Glaxo (GSK) reported positive results for Horizon.
- RBC Capital said Aeterna Zentaris (NASDAQ: AEZS) is on the cusp of a Cetrorelix deal and has turned more positive on shares. Shares were upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform.
- Marvell Tech (NASDAQ: MRVL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the firm's Conviction Buy List.
- Sangamo BioSciences (NASDAQ: SGMO) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Merriman.
- Arthur J. Gallagher (NYSE: AJG) was upgraded at Piper Jaffray to Buy from Neutral.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AKAM, MRVL, THRX, DELL, CRNT, TRV, AEIS ...
Posted Feb 2nd 2009 1:00PM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Pfizer (PFE), Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Analyst initiations, Akamai Technologies (AKAM), SanDisk Corp (SNDK)
Analyst upgrades:
- Merriman upgraded shares of Akamai (NASDAQ:AKAM) to Buy from Neutral as they believe consensus expectations are now realistic and already reflect macro headwinds. Merriman also thinks the company's cost reductions could generate upside to EPS estimates.
- JP Morgan upgraded Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company's diabetes drug will gain U.S. approval.
- Credit Suisse upgraded Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to Outperform from Neutral and raised their target to $20 from $19 citing the merits of the Wyeth (WYE) deal and valuation.
- Quality Systems (NASDAQ:QSII) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
- Parexel (NASDAQ:PRXL) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.
- Ferro (NYSE:FOE) was upgraded at KeyBanc to Hold from Underweight.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AKAM, PFE, NYX, SCHW, SNDK
Posted Nov 5th 2008 1:00PM by Todd Harrison (RSS feed)
Filed under: Best Buy (BBY), Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Juniper Networks (JNPR), Tech for the rest of us, Politics, Technology, Obama Picks
This post was written by Minyanville contributor Sean Udall.
Through my career I've generally stayed apolitical with regard to investment and trading decisions, but there have been times when some higher percentage trades have presented themselves due to political circumstances. Examples include: the tech push in Clinton's second term, the defense sector after Bush's 2000 victory, as well as the oil patch. Based on that, here are some overriding thoughts, in no particular order.
The market has moved to the phase where many if not most participants want and expect a pullback. Since the market confounds the greatest number of players most of the time, is a big pullback a lower probability event now? Moreover, does the selling panic of much of October turn into a buying panic in the coming weeks and months? I'm letting the charts lead me here but aware that this bullish case could possibly trump terrible economic conditions.
I still think the alt energy patch (solar, wind, battery tech, clean coal) will produce some of the best winners, but a lot of easy money has been made in just days. Quality and fundamentals will likely count much more now than over the past few months. Also, extended runs may become vulnerable quickly if policy decisions do not show quick tangible follow-through. Companies with the best balance sheets and funding sources will benefit the most and have the least downside on sharp technical pullbacks.
Continue reading Post-election investment thoughts: Energy, tech, infrastructure
Posted Aug 4th 2008 11:30AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Nortel Networks (NT), Genentech Inc (DNA), Amgen Inc (AMGN), Analyst initiations, Deere and Co (DE), Akamai Technologies (AKAM)
Analyst upgrades:
- Jefferies upgraded shares of Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) to Buy from Hold on valuation, as they see a long-term buying opportunity following the recent correction. The firm maintains a $29 target.
- Moody's (NYSE: MCO) was upgraded to Overweight from Underweight at Lehman.
- Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Merrill Lynch.
Analyst downgrades:
- Jefferies downgraded shares of Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT) to Hold from Buy on concerns about the company's ability to hit expectations and drive margin expansion in the face of an eroding CDMA revenue stream. The firm lowered their target to $7.25 from $11.
- B. Riley cut Charlotte Russe (NASDAQ: CHIC) to Neutral from Buy on concerns about how well the company can perform with the interim management team, especially in light of the current retail environment. The firm lowered their target to $14 from $17. Roth Capital downgraded shares to Sell from Hold to reflect the management uncertainty and lowered their target to $9 from $14.
- Goldman cut Warner Music (NYSE: WMG) to Sell from Neutral and Deere (NYSE: DE) to Neutral from Buy.
Analyst initiations:
- Banc of America expects top-line growth at Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to be driven by Denosumab and for investors to look to the stock for biotech exposure following the potential acquisition of Genentech (NYSE: DNA). The firm started shares with a Buy rating and $70 target.
- Sirius Satellite (NASDAQ: SIRI) was initiated at JP Morgan with a Neutral rating.
Posted Jul 31st 2008 4:02PM by Jon Ogg (RSS feed)
Filed under: Motorola (MOT), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Akamai Technologies (AKAM)
You could have tossed a coin today and come up with the same predictions for if the market was going to close up or down. The 1.9% GDP report was lighter than the 2.2% estimates, but despite feeling like a recession, it isn't formally a recession. Equities headed south as did oil prices by more than $2.00 per barrel. Investors chose to focus on the bad data today and take profits. The bears came roaring back by the close.
Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:
DJIA 11373.38 (-212.91)
S&P500 1266.96 (-17.30)
NASDAQ 2325.55 (-4.17)
10YR T-NOTE 3.979% (-0.069%)
KEY ANALYST DOWNGRADES
Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:
AKAM) was today's big loser in tech, media, telecom. The company beat estimates last night but guidance was a few percentage points light and the investment community still demands growth here. Shares were down by 26% to a new 52-week low at $23.10 in the final minutes.
Continue reading Closing bell: Bears win, non-recession GDP fails to impress
Posted Jul 31st 2008 3:02PM by Todd Harrison (RSS feed)
Filed under: Technical Analysis, Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Bargain stocks, Technology, NASDAQ
Minyanville Professor Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.
While Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) is starting to get compellingly cheap on a valuation basis. It's also supposed to be one of those names that beats numbers like clockwork. AKAM's forward numbers are still sporting plenty of growth, but they have been lowered. Now many analysts will also lower numbers.
Unfortunately, we're not in a market that is looking forward. It's discounting companies that "could" have a re-acceleration of growth when the economy materially picks up steam again, or when the world realizes that we're not in recession/depression. The market we're in still overly punishes stocks that "feel" like they might have the bad news mostly (or fully) priced in. AKAM around $30 was feeling like a miss that was priced in. However, after hours the stock traded down a quick $5-6 and from this current level the near term direction will likely be determined by how much love is still left in the analyst community. If the analysts defend the name we could see a quick snapback.
Continue reading Still fight left In Akamai
Posted May 22nd 2008 11:09AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, , Akamai Technologies (AKAM), Barclays plc ADS (BCS)
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Barclays, Merrill Lynch and Akamai were today's noteworthy downgrades:
- Lehman downgraded shares of Barclays(NYSE:BCS)to Equal Weight from Overweight as they believe the uncertainty of more write-downs will weigh on the stock.
- Ladenburg Thalmann downgraded shares of Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER) to Sell from Neutral as they believe disruptions in cash and hedge markets will result in lower than expected earnings. The firm lowered MER's EPS estimates and target to $39 from $49.
- Goldman cut Akamai (NASDAQ:AKAM) to Sell from Neutral based on valuation and competitive pressures.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:
- Merrill downgraded Semtech (NASDAQ:SMTC) to Sell from Neutral.
- Piper downgraded CDC Corp (CHINA) to Neutral from Buy.
- American Electric Power (AEP) was lowered at Jefferies to Hold from Buy.
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