QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM) Downgraded by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley cut shares of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report published on Tuesday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $70.00 price target (up previously from $63.00) on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, October 3rd. Cowen and Company reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, November 7th. Susquehanna Bancshares Inc initiated coverage on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Tuesday, December 20th. They issued a positive rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Vetr downgraded shares of QUALCOMM from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating and set a $73.01 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, December 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of QUALCOMM from $70.00 to $67.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $67.82.

Source: The Cerbat Gem Investing News and Analysis

Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) Downgraded by Deutsche Bank AG

Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE:BEN) was downgraded by stock analysts at Deutsche Bank AG from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

BEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays PLC reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of Franklin Resources in a research report on Tuesday, October 11th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Franklin Resources from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 25th. Jefferies Group LLC raised their price objective on shares of Franklin Resources from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 11th. Credit Suisse Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Thursday, November 10th. Finally, J P Morgan Chase & Co reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Franklin Resources in a report on Thursday, January 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $37.28.

Source: The Cerbat Gem Investing News and Analysis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA) Upgraded by Bank of America Corporation

Bank of America Corporation upgraded shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning.

TEVA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank AG cut their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited from $68.00 to $54.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 16th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $63.00 to $42.00 in a report on Sunday, December 4th. Jefferies Group LLC reissued a hold rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited in a report on Monday, January 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited from $71.00 to $58.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 14th. Finally, BTIG Research cut shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Sunday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $55.85.

Source: The Cerbat Gem Investing News and Analysis

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Upgraded by Bank of America Corporation

Bank of America Corporation upgraded shares of International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $162.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines Corporation and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Saturday, October 15th. Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of International Business Machines Corporation in a report on Saturday, January 21st. Jefferies Group LLC reaffirmed a sell rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of International Business Machines Corporation in a report on Friday, January 20th. Citigroup Inc. reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of International Business Machines Corporation in a report on Friday, January 20th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up previously from $175.00) on shares of International Business Machines Corporation in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $162.98.

Source: The Cerbat Gem Investing News and Analysis

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) Downgrades by Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning. Robert W. Baird currently has $140.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $146.00.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on APD. Credit Suisse Group began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, October 3rd. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $167.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 21st. Jefferies Group LLC restated a neutral rating on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, December 5th. Finally, Citigroup Inc. upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $139.00 to $165.00 in a report on Monday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $153.20.

Source: Sports Perspectives

Walt Disney Company (The) (DIS) Upgraded by Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Walt Disney Company (The) (NYSE:DIS) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report published on Monday. Morgan Stanley currently has $124.00 price target on the entertainment giant’s stock.

DIS has been the topic of several other research reports. Cowen and Company set a $90.00 price objective on Walt Disney Company (The) and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Zacks Investment Research lowered Walt Disney Company (The) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 19th. RBC Capital Markets upgraded Walt Disney Company (The) from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and increased their target price for the company from $101.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 5th. Brean Capital reiterated a hold rating on shares of Walt Disney Company (The) in a research report on Thursday, October 27th. Finally, Jefferies Group LLC reiterated a hold rating and set a $92.00 target price on shares of Walt Disney Company (The) in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $113.94.

Source: American Banking and Market News

A Dividend King With 60 Consecutive Years of Dividend Increases

When it comes to world class long-term wealth compounders, often the best choice isn’t the next great hyper-growth tech stock, but something far duller.

Take, for example, industrial companies such as 3M (MMM), which have legendary track records of consistent outperformance and dividend growth that span over half a century.

Emerson Electric (EMR) is another such legend, a venerable dividend king with 60 consecutive years of payout growth to its name. Investors can view data on all of the dividend kings here.

However, in recent years Emerson has faced some very serious growth headwinds.

Let’s take a closer look to see just what has made Emerson such a great business in decades past, what investors can expect going forward, and whether or not you might want to add it as a core holding to your own diversified dividend portfolio at this time.

Source: DailyTradeAlert

Johnson & Johnson: The Likely Dividend Increase In May Is A Good Reason To Step In And Buy

Johnson & Johnson just released 4Q earnings.

The company will likely increase the dividend in May.

The stock is a buy at the current price, even more so when factoring in the likely dividend increase.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a consumer staples company that is a Dividend Champion. At the current market price, before the dividend increase announcement for the May dividend, the stock is a buy for dividend growth investors.

Source: Seeking Alpha

5 Safe Dividend Stocks to Buy for Retirement

Finding long-term dividend winners isn't just about good current yield -- it's about income growth and bulletproof businesses

With President Donald Trump into his first month in office, it’s time for investors to focus on how to navigate what likely will be a bumpy investing road — certainly this year, but potentially for years to come.

Indeed, possible changes to Wall Street rules and regulations (including Glass-Steagall), re-negotiations of trade agreements (including the long-established NAFTA pact, or outright cancellation of newer agreements like TPP) and an America-focused trade policy will shape the way investors peer into their investment crystal balls.

What always will matter for investors — particularly those planning for retirement — is building a portfolio that includes no-brainer dividend stocks that can stand the ups and downs of the markets.

Picking winners and losers for the next few months will be fraught with uncertainty. My advice? Focus on things like balance sheets, cash flows, dividend hike histories and diversification. That’ll provide you with a solid base for the future.

As a note: These dividend stocks don’t come with screamingly high yields, and instead sit around the 3%-4% area. That’s because what we’re looking for here is good dividend yield, but excellent dividend quality. Plus, in most of these cases, there’s room for dividend growth, which will improve your yield on cost over time.

Source: InvestorPlace

Microsoft's Valuation Scaring You? Here Are 2 Great Higher-Yielding Tech Blue Chip Alternatives

Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM are some of the biggest dividend growth blue chips out there.

However, in the last few years, all three have struggled to grow and adapt to a fast-changing tech landscape.

Microsoft has recently proven the best at executing on management's turnaround plan, BUT the market has reacted by sending shares soaring.

However, valuation-wise, all three stocks can still make excellent long-term investments, though Cisco is clearly the most undervalued of all three.

That being said, major risks remain for all three companies that you need to know before investing in any of these dividend growth tech giants.

Up until recently, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), and IBM (NYSE:IBM), have been pretty big disappointments for investors. That's not surprising given that all three tech giants have struggled to grow in an increasingly competitive, and fast-changing tech landscape.

Source: Seeking Alpha

VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) Downgraded by Evercore ISI

Yesterday VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) traded 0.25% higher at $51.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $52.97 and its 200-day moving average is $56.97. The last stock close price is down -9.63% from the 200-day moving average, compared to the S&P 500 which has increased 0.06% over the same time. 6,358,955 shares of the stock were exchanged, up from an average trading volume of 3,181,530

Evercore ISI has downgraded VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) to Hold in a report released on 02/01/2017.

Previously on 1/30/2017, Vetr Inc. reported about VF Corp (NYSE:VFC) raised the target price from $0.00 to $58.67. At the time, this indicated a possible upside of 0.14%.

Source: Breaking Finance News

Leggett & Platt (LEG) Upgraded by Raymond James

Leggett & Platt (LEG) was Upgraded by Raymond James to ” Strong Buy”. Earlier the firm had a rating of “Mkt Perform ” on the company shares. Raymond James advised their Clients and Investors in a research report released on Feb 1, 2017.

On the company’s financial health, Leggett & Platt reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the analyst consensus estimate by $ -0.05 based on the information available during the earnings call on Jan 30, 2017. Analyst had a consensus of $0.58. The company had revenue of $903.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $921.94 million. The company’s revenue was down -4.3 % compared to the same quarter last year.During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 EPS.

Source: Hignland Mirror

Amgen (AMGN) Upgraded by BofA/Merrill

Amgen (AMGN) was Upgraded by BofA/Merrill to ” Buy”. Earlier the firm had a rating of “Neutral ” on the company shares. BofA/Merrill advised their Clients and Investors in a research report released on Feb 1, 2017.

Based on several research reports , Amgen was Downgraded by Credit Suisse to ” Neutral” on Dec 20, 2016. Amgen was Initiated by Oppenheimer to “Outperform” on Dec 13, 2016. Mizuho Initiated Amgen on Nov 8, 2016 to “Buy”, Price Target of the shares are set at $164.

On the company’s financial health, Amgen reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the analyst consensus estimate by $ 0.23 according to the earnings call on Oct 27, 2016. Analyst had a consensus of $2.79. The company had revenue of $5811.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5702.65 million. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.72 EPS.

Source: Hignland Mirror