Upgrades and Downgrades

Atmel downgraded at Goldman8:21 AM EDT Goldman downgraded ATML to Neutral from Buy. Estimates for FY09 raised to ($0.05) from ($0.10). The firm believes that the market is fully valuing the co.'s strong microcontroller franchise and that restructuring catalysts for the disposal of the ASIC business have now passed. Maintained $4.50 target price.
CBS downgraded at Natixis7:45 AM EDT CBS was downgraded Hold to Sell, Natixis Bleichroder said. $6 price target. Valuation call, as the company has more advertising dependency than its peers.
DISH Network upgraded at Credit Suisse7:49 AM EDT Credit Suisse upgraded DISH to Outperform from Neutral. The firm believes that the co. is nearing an inflection point as its fundamentals are stabilizing after the challenges it has faced over the past 18 months. Increased price target to $22 from $18.
Human Genome upgraded at ThinkEquity7:42 AM EDT HGSI was upgraded from Accumulate to Buy, ThinkEquity said. $26 price target. Benlysta estimates are too conservative.
Hologic estimates, target boosted at Barclays8:06 AM EDT HOLX estimates increased through 2010, Barclays Capital said. On the other hand, sales uncertainty remains. Equal-weight rating and new $15 price target.
Hologic downgraded at Citigroup7:35 AM EDT HOLX was downgraded from Buy to Hold, Citigroup said $16 price target. Valuation call, as the company lacks near-term catalysts.
Lamar Advertising downgraded at Goldman8:23 AM EDT Goldman downgraded LAMR to Sell from Neutral to reflect a more risk than reward profile. The firm sees more favorable opportunities within their coverage group and believes the co. is fully valued. Maintained $15 price target.
Savvis upgraded at Morgan Stanley7:59 AM EDT SVVS upgraded at Morgan Stanley. Rating raised to Overweight from Equal-weight. Establishes $21 price target. 2009 EPS estimates raised to -$0.11 from -$0.29.
WMS Industries upgraded at JP Morgan8:05 AM EDT WMS upgraded at JP Morgan. Rating raised to Overweight from Neutral. Price target raised to $43 from $29. Fiscal 2010 EPS estimates raised to $1.83 from $1.73.
WMS Industries target boosted at Merrill/BofA7:58 AM EDT WMS target increased to $41, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America said. Company realize higher gaming margins last quarter. Buy rating.
Weyerhaeuser downgraded at Credit Suisse8:15 AM EDT WY downgraded at Credit Suisse. Rating lowered to Underperform from Neutral. Maintains $34 target price and 2009 EPS estimates of -$2.02.
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STOCK COMMENTS / EPS CHANGES
Applied Materials target boosted at Merrill/BofA7:57 AM EDT AMAT shares now seen reaching $14.50, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America said. Sales should improve to merely being flat in the July quarter, driven by silicon and services. Neutral rating.
Caterpillar target increased at Merrill/BofA7:48 AM EDT Shares of CAT now seen reaching $52, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America said. Cost-cutting should sustain business until demand materially improves. Buy rating.
Clorox Company numbers raised at Goldman8:24 AM EDT Goldman raised its FY09 estimates on CLX to $4.35 from $4.33. The co. experienced significant gross margin expansion and is expected to beat FY10 guidance. Maintained Buy rating.
Clorox target increased at Barclays8:10 AM EDT Shares of CLX now seen reaching $59, according to Barclays Capital. Company posted a strong quarter, with high earnings quality. Equal-weight rating.
Cablevision target raised at Goldman8:21 AM EDT Goldman raised its target price on CVC to $23 from $22 to reflect management's plan of spinning off MSG. Estimates for FY09 also raised to $0.89 from $0.85. Maintained Neutral rating.
Dow Chemical target raised at Goldman8:22 AM EDT Goldman said it is raising its target on DOW to $26 from $23. The co. has been able to wring out fixed costs and acquisition synergies at an accelerated rate, thus driving margin expansion sooner than expected and beating their recent quarters consensus estimates. Estimates raised for FY09 to $0.25 from ($0.07). Maintained Buy rating
Emergency Medical Services target raised at Goldman8:22 AM EDT Goldman raised EMS target price to $40 from $30. Estimates for FY09 raised to $2.40 from $2.11. The increase of numbers was to reflect the $0.14 2Q beat and operating leverage on a raised outlook for EmCare contract wins. Maintained Neutral rating.
Ford Motor target raised at Merrill/BofA7:47 AM EDT Shares of F now seen reaching $11, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America said. Company should continue to win back market share and has a relatively strong balance sheet. Buy rating. Buy rating.
Herbalife numbers boosted at Merrill/BofA7:53 AM EDT HLF estimates increased to $39, according to Merrill Lynch/Bank of America. Company posted a strong quarter and is facing easy upcoming comps. Buy rating.
Humana numbers raised at Goldman8:22 AM EDT Goldman raised its numbers on HUM to $32 from $28 to reflect better visibility. In 2010 the co. is expected to expand its MA-PFFS footprint even as competitors exit the product line, lower operating cost reductions, add a large MA group contract along with a multi-year CMS contract, seek to overturn the recent Dept. of Defense decision to terminate the co.'s South Region TRICARE health administration contract, and grow its MA enrollment. Maintained Neutral rating.
Humana estimates lowered at UBS8:19 AM EDT HUM 2010 estimate cut to reflect potential Medicare margin pressure. Neutral rating and $32 price target.
Humana target raised at Credit Suisse7:49 AM EDT Credit Suisse raised its target on HUM to $40 from $35 to reflect the impact of administrative cost savings and new contracts. Maintained Outperform rating.
Humana target increased at Citigroup7:37 AM EDT Shares of HUM now seen reaching $53, Citigroup said. Company has grown its book value. Buy rating.
Kraft Foods numbers boosted at Morgan Stanley8:31 AM EDT Shares of KFT now seen reaching $27, Morgan Stanley said. Estimates also increased, to reflect recent earnings power. That said, the current risk/reward in the stock appears unfavorable. Equal-weight rating.
Masco estimates boosted at Morgan Stanley8:33 AM EDT MAS estimates raised through 2011, Morgan Stanley said. Cost controls should help margins for the eventual recovery. Equal-weight rating.
MGM MIRAGE estimates raised at Goldman8:24 AM EDT Goldman raised its FY09 estimates to ($0.29) from ($0.38). Cites signs of stabilization, expectations of higher margins due to cost cuts, lowered D&A, and declining interest expense assumptions. Maintained Neutral rating.
MGM Mirage numbers raised at Barclays8:11 AM EDT Shares of MGM now seen reaching $10, Barclays Capital said. Estimates also increased, to reflect a stabilizing environment. Equal-weight rating.
MGM Mirage target cut at Citigroup7:38 AM EDT Shares of MGM now seen reaching $6.55, Citigroup said. Increased supply from City Center could cannibalize other properties. Sell rating.
Marathon Oil numbers lowered at Barclays8:05 AM EDT Shares of MRO now seen reaching $36, according to Barclays Capital. Estimates cut also through 2010, to reflect weak US production results and high refining costs. Equal-weight rating.
Noble Energy target raised at FBR7:19 AM EDT NBL target boosted to $70 a share, Friedman, Billings Ramsey said. Company should benefit from its Israeli gas discoveries. Market Perform rating.
3PAR estimates raised at Goldman8:25 AM EDT Goldman raised its FY09 estimates on PAR to ($0.08) from ($0.09) based on growth in the future as the firm believes hardware will be the first category to rebound with better enterprise IT spending. Maintained Neutral rating.
Principal Financial target increased at FBR7:21 AM EDT PFG target boosted to $34, Friedman, Billings Ramsey said. Company posted a strong quarter, driven by cost savings. Outperform rating.
PharMerica Corp. numbers raised at Credit Suisse7:50 AM EDT Credit Suisse raised its numbers on PMC to $21 from $20. The co. has lowered its D&A, interest, and tax rates which have played into their favor. They are also seeking higher utilization rates and cutting down their bad debt reserves to improve their margins. Maintained Neutral rating.
Republic Services target raised at Credit Suisse7:49 AM EDT Credit Suisse raised its target on RSG to $30 from $26. Cites strong execution on cost synergies and stabilization of volumes in waste. Maintained Outperform rating.
Molson Coors Brewing target raised at Goldman8:23 AM EDT Goldman raised its target on TAP to $53 from $51. The co. will be able to flow much of the $500 million merger synergies through to investors, spending will be limited due to its duopolistic structure and cash generation of its key competitors, and valuation remains attractive at this juncture. Estimates raised for FY09 to $3.45 from $3.38. Maintained Buy rating.
Molson Coors numbers raised at Merrill/BofA7:54 AM EDT TAP estimates increased through 2010, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America said. Company is seeing better pricing and cutting costs. Neutral rating and new $50 price target.
Time Warner Cable estimates lowered at Goldman8:24 AM EDT Goldman lowered its FY09 estimates to $2.88 from $2.92 as YOY revenue generating unit (RGU) trends have not shown an improvement from Q2 so far and posted a 70% decline in RGU net add trends YOY. Maintained Sell rating.
Texas Roadhouse target raised at Credit Suisse7:50 AM EDT Credit Suisse said it is going to raised TXRH numbers to $12 from $10.50. Cites more favorable commodity trends, partially offset by a weaker comp outlook and associated deleverage. Maintained Neutral rating.
Weight Watchers estimates raised at UBS8:17 AM EDT WTW estimates increased through 2010, UBS said. Company seeing higher attendance trends. Neutral rating and $26 price target.