A number of stocks were upgraded and downgraded by equities research analysts today, as reported by Analyst Ratings Network (http://bit.ly/equitybriefdaily) and Equity Brief:
CIBC upgraded shares of RBC Capital (RY) from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating.
Topeka Capital initiated coverage on shares of The Ryland Group, Inc. (RYL). They issued a buy rating on the stock. They wrote, "We estimate RYL`s community opening plan could produce triple-digit EPS growth in 2013 as it grows inside the current footprint. We believe demand is rising for RYL`s homes due to declines in competing supply and improving economies in its key MSAs. We also believe RYL`s historical sales mix of one-third entry-level and two-thirds move-up could be a competitive advantage if lending standards tighten due to fiscal cliff and Dodd-Frank issues."
Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on shares of Sally Beauty Holdings Inc (SBH). They issued a neutral rating on the stock and set a $24.00 price target.
Deutsche Bank raised its price target on shares of Starbucks (SBUX) from $56.00 to $58.00. They have a buy rating on the stock.
Dougherty & Co downgraded shares of School Specialty, Inc. (SCHS) from a buy rating to a neutral rating.
Zacks reiterated its neutral rating on shares of Siemens ADR (SI). They have a $110.00 price target on the stock. Zacks` analyst wrote, "We are maintaining our Neutral recommendation on Siemens AG with a $110 target price. Both revenue and orders increased year-over-year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, but it was not up to the mark. Revenue also increased sequentially for the sixth quarter in a row. The order backlog for all the sectors were 21.5 billion at the end of the fourth quarter 2012. The company reported order growth across all its segments. Overall the company had a reasonably good quarter. Cash flow also grew 13% year over year driven by efficient working capital management, which includes significant reductions in inventories and higher level of collections. "
Zacks reiterated its neutral rating on shares of Skechers USA, Inc. (SKX). They have a $20.00 price target on the stock.
Howard Weil initiated coverage on shares of US Silica Holdings Inc (SLCA). They issued an outperform rating on the stock and set a $19.00 price target.
Global Hunter Securities upgraded shares of Silver Standard Resources Inc. (SSRI) from an accumulate rating to a buy rating. They wrote, "Silver Standard Resources (SSRI) provided the results of its feasibility study on the Pitarrilla project in Mexico. The feasibility study had an after-tax NPV of $737 million and a 12.8% IRR with $741 million in initial capital required for construction. As a result of the feasibility study we are increasing our price target from $21 to $22 and increasing our rating from Accumulate to Buy."
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