Microsoft Paying Companies to Make Windows Phones

Microsoft Paying Companies to Make Windows Phones. Unconfirmed reports say that Microsoft (MSFT) will reportedly make $2.6B in "support" payments to Smartphone manufactures persuade them to make one Windows Phone each. Some may call it a bribe and others say it’s a sign that Microsoft has lost the mobile device wars. Samsung (SSNLF) will receive $1.2B, Sony (SNE) $500M, Huawei $600M and others will receive $300M. Pre-market: 36.69 -0.07 (-0.19%)

Upgrades:

AOL (AOL): CRT Capital raised their rating from Fair Value to Buy and placed a target price of $57.00 on the company. Pre-market: 48.25 +1.00 (2.11%)

Big Lots (BIG): Raymond James raised their rating from Underperform to Market Perform.

CSX Corp (CSX): Argus raised their rating from Hold to Buy and placed a target price of $35.00 on the company. Pre-market: 27.69 -1.54 (-5.27%)

Micron Tech (MU): JMP Securities raised their rating from Market Perform to Outperform and placed a target price of $31.00 on the company. Pre-market: 23.45 +0.12 (0.51%)

Downgrades:

CSX Corp (CSX): Stifel lowered their rating from Buy to Hold. Pre-market: 27.69 -1.54 (-5.27%)

Diageo PLC (DEO): JPMorgan lowered their rating from Overweight to Neutral. Pre-market: 129.23 -1.45 (-1.11%)

Dollar General (DG): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce.

EMC Corp (EMC): Monness Crespi lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral. Pre-market: 26.18 -0.11 (-0.42%)

Family Dollar (FDO): Raymond James lowered their rating from Market Perform to Underperform.

Kroger (KR): Credit Suisse lowered their rating from Outperform to Neutral and lowered their target price from $48.00 to $39.00.

Norfolk Southern (NSC): Stifel lowered their rating from Buy to Hold. Pre-market: 89.35 -1.81 (-1.99%)

Coverage Initiated:

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD): CLSA initiated coverage with an Outperform rating.

Twitter (TWTR): Telsey Advisory initiated coverage with a Not Rated rating and a target price of $70.00. Pre-market: 61.20 -0.37 (-0.60%)

Earning Reports:

BB&T Corp (BBT): Reported EPS of $0.75 beating estimates by +$0.03.

BlackRock (BLK): Reported EPS of $4.92 beating estimates by +$0.59. Pre-market: 324.26 +11.51 (3.68%)

Citigroup (C): Reported EPS of $0.82 missing estimates by -$0.16. Pre-market: 53.25 -1.74 (-3.16%)

Goldman Sachs (GS): Reported EPS of $4.60 beating estimates by +$0.42. Pre-market: 179.00 +0.25 (0.14%)

Huntington Banc (HBAN): Reported EPS of $0.18 beating estimates by +$0.01. Pre-market: 9.74 -0.16 (-1.62%)

PNC (PNC): Reported EPS of $1.85 beating estimates by +$0.22. Pre-market: 80.69 +1.85 (2.35%)

PPG Industries (PPG): Reported EPS of $1.81 beating estimates by +$0.08. Pre-market: 192.00 +1.30 (0.68%)

UnitedHealth (UNH): Reported EPS of $1.41 beating estimates by +$0.01. Pre-market: 73.00 -1.84 (-2.46%)

Markets: 
Futures at 8:00: Dow -0.10%. S&P -0.18%. Nasdaq -0.03%. Crude +0.28% to $94.42. Gold -0.09% to $1234.40. U.S. 10 Year +7/32 to 2.871%.

Europe: London +0.06%. Paris -0.19%. Frankfurt -0.22%. 

Asia: Japan -0.39% to 15747.2. Hong Kong +0.37% to 22986. China +0.02% at 2024. India -0.11% to 21265. 

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World Economic Growth Accelerating

World Economic Growth Accelerating. The World Bank announced that they expect global economic growth to accelerate to 3.2% in 2014 from 2.4% in 2013. The banks Global Economic Prospects report forecast that the U.S. economy will expand by 2.8% from 1.8% and goes on to say that the worlds advanced economies seem "to be finally turning the corner" following the financial crisis.

Upgrades:

Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS): Credit Suisse raised their rating from Neutral to Outperform and raised their target price from $56.00 to $65.00.

Intel (INTC): BMO Capital raised their rating from Market Perform to Outperform and raised their target price from $21.00 to $31.00. Pre-market: 26.75 +0.24 (0.91%)

Western Digital (WDC): Pacific Crest raised their rating from Sector Perform to Outperform and placed a target price of $105.00 on the company. Pre-market: 88.70 +0.81 (0.92%)

Downgrades:

Airgas (ARG): Goldman Sachs lowered their rating from Neutral to Sell and placed a target price of $101.00 on the company.

Cirrus Logic (CRUS): Pacific Crest lowered their rating from Sector Perform to Underperform and placed a target price of $14.00 on the company. Pre-market: 19.30 -0.80 (-3.98%)

Dollar General (DG): S&P lowered their rating from 4 Stars to 2 Stars.

PETsMART (PETM): UBS lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral and lowered their target price from $82.00 to $72.00. Pre-market: 65.88 -1.22 (-1.82%)

Unilever (UN/UL): JPMorgan lowered their rating from Neutral to Underweight. Pre-market: 38.32 -0.73 (-1.87%) / Pre-market: 39.30 -0.66 (-1.65%)

Coverage Initiated:

FedEx (FDX): Susquehanna initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $150.00.

Morgan Stanley (MS): Keefe Bruyette initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and target price of $34.00. Pre-market: 31.48 +0.38 (1.22%)

United Parcel Service (UPS): Susquehanna initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $107.00.

Earning Reports:

Bank of America (BAC): Reported EPS of $0.29 beating estimates by +$0.03. Pre-market: 17.16 +0.39 (2.33%)

Fastenal (FAST): Reported EPS of $0.33 missing estimates by -$0.01. After Hours: 48.49 +0.28 (0.58%)

Markets: 
Futures at 7:16: Dow +0.23%. S&P +0.20%. Nasdaq +0.34%. Crude +0.55% to $92.10. Gold -0.61% to $1237.80. U.S. 10 Year +1/32 to 2.868%.

Europe: London +0.40%. Paris +0.92%. Frankfurt +1.22%. 

Asia: Japan +2.50% to 15809. Hong Kong +0.49% to 22902. China -0.17% to 2023. India +1.22% to 21289. 

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Foster Wheeler to Be Acquired. Foster Wheeler (FWLT) will be acquired by U.K. engineering company Amec (AMCBF) for £1.9B ($3.13B) in cash and stock. Foster shareholders will receive 23% in Amec which will seek a U.S. listing. The company said in a statement that the transaction will position Amec "to serve across the whole oil and gas value chain," and that, "adding mid and downstream capabilities to Amec's existing upstream focus and bringing new customer relationships."

Upgrades:

Broadcom (BRCM): B. Riley raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $29.00 to $37.00. Pre-market: 29.05 +0.14 (0.48%)

Carnival (CCL): SunTrust raised their rating from Reduce to Neutral.

Jacobs Engineering (JEC): UBS raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $60.00 to $75.00.

Macys’ (M): Macquarie raised their rating from Neutral to Outperform.

Visa (V): Citigroup raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $212.00 to $265.00.

Downgrades:

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A/BRK.B): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Hold to Reduce. Pre-market: 114.80 -0.17 (-0.15%)

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

Charles Schwab (SCHW): CLSA lowered their rating from Outperform to Underperform.

Mattel (MAT): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Accumulate to Hold.

Oceaneering Intl (OII): ISI Group lowered their rating from Strong Buy to Neutral.

Ryder Systems (R): ResearchTeam lowered their rating from Accumulate to Hold.

SAP AG (SAP): Pacific Crest lowered their rating from Outperform to Market Perform. Pre-market: 83.07 -0.47 (-0.56%)

Symantec (SYMC): Morgan Stanley lowered their rating from Equal Weight to Underweight and placed a target price of $21.00 on the company. Pre-market: 22.95 -0.52 (-2.22%)

Transocean (RIG): ISI Group lowered their rating from Neutral to Cautious. Pre-market: 48.48 -0.05 (-0.10%)

Coverage Initiated:

Ford Motor Co (F): ISI Group initiated coverage with a Strong Buy rating and target price of $22.00. Pre-market: 16.34 +0.27 (1.68%)

General Motors (GM): ISI Group initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $45.00. Pre-market: 40.30 +0.27 (0.67%)

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): Atlantic Equities initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and target price of $36.00.

IBM (IBM): Atlantic Equities initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $195.00.

Markets: 
Futures at 6:20: Dow -0.1%. S&P -0.3%. Nasdaq -0.3%. Crude -0.7%to $92.11. Gold -0.1% to $1245.60. 

Europe: London 0.0%. Paris +0.1%. Frankfurt +0.2%. 

Asia: Japan +0.2% to 15912. Hong Kong +0.2% to 22889. China -0.2% to 2010. India +1.8% to 21134. 

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Employment Data Stuns Wall Street.

Employment Data Stuns Wall Street. The U.S. employment data for December was released this morning and the results stunned Wall Street. Wall Street economists had estimated that the economy would generate 196,000 new jobs down from Novembers 203,000 jobs. The actual results can in far less, at a terrible 74,000. The unemployment rate fell to 6.7% down from 7%, but analysts say that the decline was due to people giving up on looking for work. The latest data is giving more ammo to those who believe that President Obama’s economic policies are deeply flawed.

Upgrades:

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF): Janney Capital raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and placed a target price of $49.00 on the company.

Baidu (BIDU): Maxium raised their rating from Hold to Buy and placed a target price of $200.00 on the company.

Macy’s (M): Goldman Sachs raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $54.00 to $65.00.

Downgrades:

Baker Hughes (BHI): Iberia lowered their rating from Outperform to Sector Perform.

Fossil Group (FOSL): KeyBanc lowered their rating from Hold to Underweight and placed a target price of $100.00 on the company.

Pacific Sunwear (PSUN): Janney Capital lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral.

Pfizer (PFE): Cowen lowered their rating from Outperform to Market Perform.

Schlumberger (SLB): Iberia lowered their rating from Outperform to Sector Perform.

Total SA (TOT): BNP Paribas lowered their rating from Outperform to Neutral.

Whole Foods Market (WWFM): Cleveland Research lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral.

Coverage Initiated:

Micron Tech (MU): Argus initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $31.00.

Precision Cast Parts (PCP): Cleveland Research initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $320.00.

TRW Automotive (TRW): FBR Capital initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and target price of $75.00.

Visteon (VC): FBR Capital initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and target price of $100.00.

Earning Reports:

Alcoa (AA): Reported EPS of $0.04 missing estimates by -$0.02.

Barracuda Networks (CUDA): Reported EPS of $0.01 beating estimates by +$0.01.

Helen of Troy (HELE): Reported EPS of $1.16 beating estimates by +$0.07.

Infosys (INFY): Reported EPS of $50.32 beating estimates by +3.58.

PriceSmart (PSMT): Reported EPS of $0.71 missing estimates by -$0.03.

Markets: 
Futures at 8:57: Dow +0.20%. S&P +0.07%. Nasdaq +0.24%. Crude +1.64% to $93.18. Gold +0.78% to $1239.20. U.S. 10 Year +17/32 to 2.905%.

Europe: London +0.90%. Paris +0.69%. Frankfurt +0.70%. 

Asia: Japan +0.20% to 15912. Hong Kong +0.26% to 22846. China -0.71% to 2013. India +0.22% to 20758. 

#RLPaler #WallStreet #PreMarket #WealthManagement #EarningReports #AnalystsRatings

Alcoa to Kickoff Q4 Earnings Season Today.

Alcoa to Kickoff Q4 Earnings Season Today. Alcoa (AA) will kickoff the Q4 earnings season today after the market close. Wall Street always watches very closely as since some believe that the company can give indications of how other industrial companies performed.  The first few days and weeks of earning season can be volatile as Wall Street interprets earning results.  Alcoa is expected to report Q4 EPS of $0.06 on a decline of revenue of 8.8% to %5.38 billion.   

Upgrades:

Dupont (DD): Bank of America Merrill Lynch raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and placed a target price of $70.00 on the company.

Forest Labs (FRX): Buckingham raised their rating from Neutral to Buy and raised their target price from $63.00 to $84.00.

Halliburton (HAL): Howard Weil raised their rating from Sector Perform to Outperform.

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Jefferies raised their rating from Hold to Buy and raised their target price from $102.00 to $108.00.

McDonalds (MCD): Morgan Stanley raised their rating from Equal Weight to Overweight and raised their target price from $93.00 to $115.00.

Smith & Wesson (SWHC): Sidoti raised their rating from Neutral to Buy.

Downgrades:

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD): Morgan Stanley lowered their rating from Overweight to Underweight and lowered their target price from $144.00 to $143.00.

Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO): Howard Weil lowered their rating from Outperform to Sector Perform.

ENSCO (ESV): Howard Weil lowered their rating from Focus List to Outperform.

Family Dollar (FDO): MKM Partners lowered their rating from Buy to Neutral.

Yum! Brands (YUM): Morgan Stanley lowered their rating from Overweight to Equal Weight and lowered their target price from $81.00 to $77.00.

Coverage Initiated:

Bank of America (BAC): Nomura initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $19.00.

Charles Schwab (SCHW): Nomura initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $23.00.

Citigroup (C): Nomura initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $70.00.

CVS Caremark (CVS): Leerink initiated coverage with a Outperform rating and target price of $85.00.

E*Trade (ETFC): Nomura initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $23.00.

Goldman Sachs (GS): Nomura initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $172.00.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM): Nomura initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $61.00.

Morgan Stanley (MS): Nomura initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $34.00.

Raymond James (RJF): Nomura initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $60.00.

TD Ameritrade (AMTD): Nomura initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and target price of $32.00.

Western Union (WU): BTIG initiated coverage with a Buy rating and target price of $23.00.

Earning Reports:

Family Dollar (FDO): Reported EPS of $0.68 missing estimates by -$0.01.

Supervalu (SVU): Reported EPS of $0.13 in-line with estimates.

Markets: 
Futures at 9:14: Dow +0.24%. S&P +0.10%. Nasdaq +0.16%. Crude +0.34% to $92.63. Gold +0.05% to $1226.10. U.S. 10 Year +4/32 to 2.978%.

Europe: London -0.02%. Paris -0.14%. Frankfurt +0.17%.

Asia: Japan -1.50% to 15880. Hong Kong -0.91% to 22787. China -0.82% to 2028. India -0.08% to 20713. 

#RLPaler #WallStreet #PreMarket #WealthManagement #EarningReports #AnalystsRatings