U.S. Banks Must Raise Capital

U.S. Banks Must Raise Capital. The eight largest banks in the U.S. have to hold an additional $68B in capital to absorb future losses. U.S. regulators voted to raise the "leverage ratio" to 5-6% of their total assets which is above Basel III standard of 3%. The banks affected include Bank of America (BAC), Bank of New York Mellon (BK), Citigroup (C),  Goldman Sachs (GS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), State Street (ST), Wells Fargo (WFC). The banks will have until January 1, 2018 to comply.

Upgrades:

Alcoa (AA): Deutsche Bank raised their rating from Sell to Hold and placed a target price of $10.00 on the company. Pre-market: 13.01 +0.48 (3.83%)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): The ReasearchTeam raised their rating from Hold to Accumulate. Pre-market: 123.69 +0.56 (0.45%)

Nike (NKE): Stifel raised their rating from Hold to Buy and placed a target price of $87.00 on the company.

Downgrades:

Apache Corp. (APA): Deutsche Bank lowered their rating from Buy to Hold and placed a target price of $91.00 on the company. Pre-market: 84.70 -0.48 (-0.56%)

Arris Group (ARRS): The Street.com lowered their rating from Buy to Hold.

Credit Suisse (CS): JPMorgan lowered their rating from Neutral to Underweight. Pre-market: 32.27 -0.01 (-0.03%)

Cisco Systems (CSCO): Wunderlich lowered their rating from Buy to Hold and lowered their target price from $25.00 to $24.00.

The Hershey Comp. (HSY): Goldman Sachs lowered their rating from Neutral to Sell and placed a target price of $70.00 on the company. Pre-market: 99.37 -2.35 (-2.31%)

Royal Caribbean (RCL): Pareto lowered their rating from Buy to Hold.

Coverage Initiated:

Ball Corp. (BLL): Credit Suisse initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $59.00.

Cabela’s (CAB): Credit Suisse initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $71.00.

CBS Corp. (CBS): JPMorgan initiated coverage with an Overweight rating.

General Motors (GM): JPMorgan initiated coverage with an Underweight rating and target price of $33.00. Pre-market: 33.94 -0.59 (-1.71%)

International Paper (IP): Credit Suisse initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and target price of $67.00.

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG): Sterne Agee initiated coverage with an Underperform rating and target price of $440.00. Pre-market: 438.76 -51.08 (-10.43%)

Kellogg Comp. (K): Nomura initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $70.00.

Earning Reports:

Alcoa (AA): Reported EPS of $0.09 beating estimates by +$0.04. Pre-market: 13.01 +0.48 (3.83%)

Constellation Brands (STZ): Reported EPS of $0.81 beating estimates by +$0.05. Pre-market: 84.75 +3.27 (4.01%)

Progressive (PGR): Reported EPS of $0.54 beating estimates by +$0.15. Pre-market: 24.86 +0.70 (2.90%)

WD-40 (WDFC): Reported EPS of $0.67 missing estimates by -$0.01.

Markets: 
Futures at 8:41: Dow +0.35%. S&P +0.27%. Nasdaq +0.43%. Crude +0.13% to $102.69. Gold -0.37% to $1304.00. U.S. 10 Year -6/32 to 2.705%.

Europe: London +0.8%. Paris +0.4%. Frankfurt +0.4%. 

Asia: Japan -2.1% to 14300. Hong Kong +1.1% to 22843. China +0.3% to 2105. India +1.6% to 22702. 

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IMF Worries About Emerging Markets Economic Growth

IMF Worries About Emerging Markets Economic Growth. The International Monetary Fund has lowered their world economic outlook mostly due to slower projected growth in Brazil and Russia. The IMF now projects that world economic activity will grow by 3.6% in 2014 and 3.7% in 2015. The U.S. economy is expected to grow at a modest 2.8% in 2014 and 3% in 2015.

Upgrades:

Eli Lilly (LLY): BMO Capital raised their rating from Underperform to Market Perform and placed a target price of $62.00 on the company. Pre-market: 57.99 -0.63 (-1.07%)

Google (GOOGL): S&P raised their rating from 3 Stars to 4 Stars. Pre-market: 545.04 +4.41 (0.82%)

Nike (NKE): Stifel Nicolaus raised their rating from Hold to Buy and placed a target price of $87.00 on the company. Pre-market: 72.24 +1.41 (1.99%)

Downgrades:

American Eagle Outfitters (AEO): Janney Capital lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral and placed a target price of $10.00 on the company. Pre-market: 11.60 -0.08 (-0.68%)

Canadian Imperial Bank (CM): First Call lowered their rating from Buy to Hold.

Cisco Systems (CSCO): Wunderlich lowered their rating from Buy to Hold and lowered their target price from $25.00 to $24.00. Pre-market: 22.75 -0.10 (-0.44%)

Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS): Wells Fargo lowered their rating from Market Perform to Underperform.

Royal Caribbean (RCL): Pareto lowered their rating from Buy to Hold. Pre-market: 52.73 -0.03 (-0.06%)

Coverage Initiated:

Pinnacle Foods (PF): Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a Buy and placed a target price of $32.00 on the company.

Earning Reports:

Intl Speedway (ISCA): Reported EPS of $0.33 missing estimates by -$0.01.

Markets: 
Futures at 8:38: Dow +0.03%. S&P +0.05%. Nasdaq +0.23%. Crude +0.85% to $101.33. Gold +1.18% to $1313.80. US 10 Year -2/32 to 2.712%

Europe: London -0.85%. Paris -0.71%. Frankfurt -0.66%. 

Asia: Japan -1.36% to 14607. Hong Kong +0.98% to 22597. China +1.92% to 2098. India closed. 

#RLPaler #TopWealthManager #WallStreet #Stocks 

Overseas Business Activity Slows

Overseas Business Activity Slows. Business activities in both China and the Eurozone are continuing to slow. For the fifth straight month in China, the flash manufacturing PMI fell to 48.1 in March from 48.5 in February and missing economist estimates of 48.7. In the Eurozone the flash composite PMI fell to 53.2 from 53.3 in February but topped economist consensus of 52.6. The latest PMI survey signals a 0.5% increase in Q1 GDP after growth of 0.3% in Q4.

Upgrades:

Boston Scientific (BSX): Bernstein raised their rating from Market Perform to Outperform and raised their target price from $12.00 to $15.00. Pre-market: 13.07 +0.25 (1.95%)

Ensco PLC (ESV): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Ross Stores (ROST): RBC Capital raised their rating from Sector Perform to Outperform and raised their target price from $79.00 to $81.00. Pre-market: 74.40 +1.43 (1.96%)

United Continental Holdings (UAL): Raymond James raised their rating from Market Perform to Outperform and placed a target price of $52.00 on the company. Pre-market: 45.02 +0.69 (1.56%)

US Bancorp (USB): Atlantic Equities raised their rating from Underweight to Neutral. Pre-market: 43.08 +0.06 (0.14%)

VMware (VMW): Sterne Agee raised their rating from Neutral to Buy. Pre-market: 110.33 +1.12 (1.03%)

Wells Fargo (WFC): Atlantic Equities raised their rating from Underweight to Neutral. Pre-market: 49.50 +0.38 (0.77%)

Yelp (YELP): JMP Securities raised their rating from Market Perform to Outperform and placed a target price of $113.00 on the company. Pre-market: 86.00 +2.57 (3.08%)

Downgrades:

Abbott (ABT): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce.

AFLAC (AFL): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce.

Bank of America (BAC): Alantic Equities lowered their rating from Overweight to Neutral and lowered their target price from $20.00 to $18.50. Pre-market: 45.02 +0.69 (1.56%)

National Oilwell (NOV): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce. Pre-market: 74.58 +0.11 (0.15%)

Nike (NKE): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce. Pre-market: 75.49 +0.28 (0.37%)

Tiffany & Co. (TIF): Goldman Sachs lowered their rating from Conviction Buy to Buy and lowered their target price from $101.00 to $100.00. Pre-market: 89.11 -1.62 (-1.79%)

Coverage Initiated:

T-Mobile (TMUS): Evercore initiated coverage with an Equal Weight rating and target price of $34.00.

Markets: 
Futures at 8:34: Dow +0.20%. S&P +0.26%. Nasdaq +0.31%. Crude +0.52% to $99.98. Gold -0.97% to $1323.10. U.S. 10 Year -6/32 to 2.768%.

Europe: London -0.13%. Paris -0.20%. Frankfurt -0.23%. 

Asia: Japan +1.77% to 14475.3. Hong Kong +1.91% to 21846. China +0.91% to 2066. India +1.38% to 22055. 

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Panic for people with Bitcoins

Panic for people with Bitcoins. One of the largest Bitcoin exchanges has disappeared causing the price of Bitcoins to tank. One of the world’s largest Bitcoin exchanges Mt Gox website is gone. Reports say that the company may have experienced a major security breach and is about to go bankrupt. A leaked document shows that 744,400 bitcoins worth $350M have been stolen from the company.

Upgrades:

Canadian Imperial Bank (CM): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Ensco PLC (ESV): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Hormel Foods (HRL): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

McDonalds (MCD): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Nike (NKE): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

UnitedHealth (UNH): ResearchTeam raised their rating from Reduce to Hold.

Verizon (VZ): JPMorgan raised their rating from Neutral to Overweight and raised their target price from $54.00 to $57.00. Pre-market: 46.06 -0.17 (-0.37%)

Downgrades:

Sonoco Products (SON): S&P lowered their rating from 3 stars to 1 star.

Tenet Healthcare (THC): CRT Capital lowered their rating from Buy to Fair Value and lowered their rating from $51.00 to $41.50. Pre-market: 47.63 -0.70 (-1.45%)

Coverage Initiated:

Adobe Systems (ADBE): Susquehanna initiated coverage with a Positive rating and target price of $83.00. Pre-market: 68.83 +0.07 (0.09%)

Alaska Air (ALK): Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $100.00.

Delta Air Lines (DAL): Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $40.00.

Spirit Airlines (SAVE): Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $65.00. Pre-market: 56.00 +0.71 (1.28%)

Southwest Airlines (LUV): Stifel initiated coverage with a Hold rating.

United Continental (UAL): Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $60.00. Pre-market: 46.12 +0.02 (0.04%)

Earning Reports:

EOG Resources (EOG): Reported EPS of $2.00 beating estimates by +$0.05. Pre-market: 183.10 +2.70 (1.50%)

Home Depot (HD): Reported EPS of $0.73 beating estimates by +$0.03. Pre-market: 79.70 +1.83 (2.35%)

Macy’s (M): Reported EPS of $2.31 beating estimates by +$0.14. Pre-market: 51.64 -1.42 (-2.68%)

Office Depot (ODP): Reported EPS of -$0.03 missing estimates by -$0.07. Pre-market: 4.34 -1.01 (-18.88%)

Toll Brothers (TOLL): Reported EPS of $0.25 beating estimates by +$0.06. Pre-market: 38.30 -0.04 (-0.10%)

Markets: 
Futures at 7:43: Dow -0.13%. S&P -0.22%. Nasdaq -0.17%. Crude -0.89% to $101.90. Gold -0.38% to $1332.90. U.S. 10 Year 0/32 to 2.738%.

Europe: London -1.05%. Paris -0.53%. Frankfurt -0.50%. 

Asia: Japan +1.44% to 15051.6. Hong Kong -0.32% to 22317. China -2.05% to 2034. India +0.20% to 20844. 

#TopWealthManager #RLPaler #WallStreet #AnalystsRatings #EarningReports #FinancialPlanning 

Intel Reports Mixed Results

Intel Reports Mixed Results. Intel (INTC) reported that their Q4 net profit rose +6.4% to $2.63B and that the company’s revenue increased +2.6% to $13.83B topping forecast. But the company also report EPS of only $0.51 missing Wall Street estimates by a penny. Intel also said that it "saw the (PC) market stabilize in the back half" of 2013. Sales at the PC CPU division were flat and operating profit rose 20%. PC sales have been in a decline for some time as consumers switch to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Pre-market: 25.29 -1.25 (-4.71%)

Upgrades:

American Express (AXP): Buckingham raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $90.00 to $104.00. Pre-market: 89.15 +1.37 (1.56%)

American Express (AXP): Susquehanna raised their rating from Neutral to Positive and raised their target price from $90.00 to $107.00. Pre-market: 89.15 +1.37 (1.56%)

IBM (IBM): CLSA raised their rating from Outperform to Buy and raised their target price from $215.00 to $225.00. Pre-market: 189.00 +0.24 (0.13%)

Downgrades:

Best Buy (BBY): UBS lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral and lowered their target price from $48.00 to $29.00. Pre-market: 27.10 +0.27 (1.01%)

Best Buy (BBY): Goldman Sachs lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral and lowered their target price from $45.00 to $28.00. Pre-market: 27.10 +0.27 (1.01%)

Coverage Initiated:

Activision Blizzard (ATVI): CRT Capital initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $23.00. Pre-market: 17.41 +0.08 (0.46%)

Electronic Arts (EA): CRT Capital initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $26.00. Pre-market: 22.80 +1.26 (5.85%)

LinkedIn (LNKD): Topeka initiated coverage with a Hold rating. Pre-market: 229.50 -1.06 (-0.46%)

Nike (NKE): Macquarie initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $80.00. Pre-market: 74.82 +0.03 (0.04%)

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO): CRT Capital initiated coverage with a Fair Value rating and target price of $19.00. Pre-market: 16.68 0.00 (0.00%)

Earning Reports:

American Express (AXP): Reported EPS of 1.21 missing estimates by -$0.04. Pre-market: 89.15 +1.37 (1.56%)

BNY Mellon (BK): Reported EPS of $0.54 in-line with estimates. Pre-market: 33.46 -0.46 (-1.36%)

Comerica (CMA): Reported EPS of $0.77 beating estimates by +$0.03. Pre-market: 47.67 +0.24 (0.51%)

General Electric (GE): Reported EPS of $0.53 in-line with estimates. Pre-market: 26.55 -0.65 (-2.39%)

Intel (INTC): Reported EPS of 0.51 missing estimates by -$0.01. Pre-market: 25.29 -1.25 (-4.71%)

Morgan Stanley (MS): Reported EPS of $0.50 beating estimates by +$0.08. Pre-market: 32.45 +0.45 (1.41%)

Sallie Mae (SLM): Reported EPS of 0.61 missing estimates by -$0.12.

Schlumberger (SLB): Reported EPS of $1.35 beating estimates by +$0.02. Pre-market: 89.80 +1.19 (1.34%)

SunTrust Bank (STI): Reported EPS of $0.77 beating estimates by +$0.08. Pre-market: 38.55 +0.54 (1.42%)

Markets: 
Futures at 8:32: Dow +0.08%. S&P +0.05%. Nasdaq -0.05%. Crude +0.79% to $94.70. Gold +0.30% to $1243.90. U.S. 10 Year +3/32 to 2.837%.

Europe: London -0.01%. Paris -0.04%. Frankfurt +0.08%. 

Asia: Japan -0.08% to 15734. Hong Kong +0.64% to 23133. China -0.93% to 2005. India -0.95% to 21063. 

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