CHANGE IN RATINGS - UPGRADES & DOWN GRADES

Analysts' Actions: ORCL, MTB, COF

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- CHANGE IN RATINGS - UPGRADES & DOWN GRADES

 

Assurant (AIZ) downgraded at BofA/Merrill from Buy to Neutral, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch said. Company is facing increased regulatory risk. $45 price target.

Armstrong World (AWI) downgraded at Stifel from Buy to Hold, Stifel Nicolaus said. Valuation call.

BB&T (BBT) downgraded at Guggenheim from Buy to Hold, Guggenheim said. Valuation call, based on a $34 price target.

Blackrock (BLK) downgraded at Morgan Stanley from Overweight to Equal-weight, Morgan Stanley said. Valuation call, based on a $224 price target.

Capital One (COF) upgraded at Guggenheim from Neutral to Buy, Guggenheim said. $67 price target. Recent acquisitions should add to earnings.

Cintas (CTAS) downgraded at Baird from Outperform to Neutral, Robert Baird said. Valuation call, based on a $45 price target.

Cloud Peak Energy (CLD) downgraded to hold at TheStreet Ratings.

Edgewater Technology (EDGW) downgraded to hold at TheStreet Ratings.

Hudson City (HCBK) rated new Buy at Compass Point. Valuation call, based on an $8.50 price target.

LinkedIn (LNKD) upgraded at Goldman from Neutral to Buy, Goldman Sachs said. $135 price target. Estimates also boosted, given higher operating metrics.

Allscripts (MDRX) downgraded at JP Morgan from Overweight to Neutral, JP Morgan said. Performance has lagged since the Eclipsys merger.

MicroStrategy (MSTR) rated new Buy at Think. $160 price target. License business is likely to show accelerated growth over the next couple of years.

M&T Bank (MTB) downgraded at Guggenheim from Buy to Neutral, Guggenheim said. $96 price target. Company is less attractive in an improving economy.

Nisource (NI) upgraded at Keybanc from Hold to Buy, Keybanc said. $26.50 price target. Stock is attractive, based on a sum-of-the-parts valuation.

Regions Financial (RF) upgraded at Guggenheim from Neutral to Buy, Guggenheim said. Valuation call, based on a $9 price target.

Royal Gold (RGLD) upgraded at National Bank Financial to Outperform from Sector Perform, National Bank Financial. $82 price target. Recent sell off overdone.

Silicon Laboratories (SLAB) upgraded at UBS to Buy from Neutral, UBS said. $50 price target. Expect new CEO to raise R&D efficiency.

US Silica (SLCA) rated new Buy at Dahlman. $25 price target. Company is leveraged to growth in the fracture proppant market.

Suntrust (STI) downgraded at Guggenheim from Buy to Neutral, Guggenheim said. Valuation call, based on a $26 price target.

STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES

Amedisys (AMED) numbers raised at Jefferies. Shares of AMED now seen reaching $16.50, Jefferies said. Estimates also raised to reflect benefit of agency rationalization efforts. Hold rating.Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) numbers raised at Citigroup. Shares of AMG now seen reaching $129, according to Citigroup. Estimates also increased as deal floodgates begin to open. Buy rating.
Caterpillar (CAT) target cut at Raymond James to $130, according to Raymond James. Sales growth appears to be decelerating. Outperform rating.
Cintas (CTAS) estimates, target raised at Citigroup. Shares of CTAS now seen reaching $47, according to Citigroup. Estimates also increased on solid fundamental trends. Buy rating.
Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) numbers lowered at UBS. Shares of DPS now seen reaching $40, according to UBS. Estimates also lowered as volumes remain weak. Neutral rating.
HSBC (HBC) target raised at UBS to $47.68, UBS said. Improved yield curve environment. Maintain Neutral rating.
Home Depot (HD) numbers raised at Credit Suisse. Shares of HD now seen reaching $55, according to Credit Suisse. Estimates also increased, as the company can continue to improve margins. Outperform rating.
Jabil Circuit (JBL) numbers raised at Citigroup. Shares of JBL now seen reaching $30, according to Citigroup. Estimates also increased as company continues to invest in high margin materials technology group. Neutral rating.
Micron technology (MU) numbers raised at Citigroup. Shares of MU now seen reaching $12, according to Citigroup. Estimates also increased on DRAM rebound. Buy rating.
Old Dominion (ODFL) numbers upped at Morgan Stanley. ODFL estimates were boosted through 2013, Morgan Stanley said. Company is leveraged to better industry pricing. Overweight rating.
Oracle (ORCL) estimates increased at Morgan Stanley through 2013, Morgan Stanley said. Company is carrying a lot of operating momentum into the coming quarters. Overweight rating and $33 price target.
Oracle estimates, target raised at UBS. Shares of ORCL now seen reaching $36, UBS said. Estimates also increased on bigger pipeline and better conversion. Buy rating.
Penn National (PENN) numbers increased at BofA/Merrill. PENN estimates were raised through 2013, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch said. Sales have been tracking ahead of expectations through February. Buy rating and new $50 price target.
Research in Motion (RIMM) estimates upped at Morgan Stanley through 2014, Morgan Stanley said. Company may have done better than previously expected, but estimates remain below consensus. Equal-weight rating.
US Silica (SLCA) numbers raised at Morgan Stanley. Shares of SLCA now seen reaching $28, according to Morgan Stanley. Estimates also increased, given a better pricing outlook. Overweight rating.
Tiffany & Co. (TIF) numbers raised at Sterne Agee. Shares of TIF now seen reaching $83, according to Sterne Agee. Estimates also increased on strong outlook from management. Buy rating.
Williams-Sonoma (WSM) target raised at UBS to $40, UBS said. Management believes it is making prudent investments. Neutral rating.

TheStreet Staff

03/21/12 - 08:33 AM EDT