ValuePlays

UPGRADES
OmniVision OVTI AmTech Research Sell » Neutral
Pier 1 Imports PIR Morgan Keegan Underperform » Mkt Perform
SMSC SMSC Needham & Co Buy » Strong Buy
Smart Modular Tech SMOD Needham & Co Hold » Buy
Park Electrochem PKE Needham & Co Hold » Buy
Petrobras Brasileiro PBR Citigroup Hold » Buy
Darden Restaurants DRI Morgan Keegan Mkt Perform » Outperform
RadioShack RSH Banc of America Sec Sell » Neutral
Nationwide NFS Banc of America Sec Sell » Neutral
CBRL Group CBRL Morgan Keegan Mkt Perform » Outperform
Dot Hill Systems HILL Friedman Billings Mkt Perform » Outperform
MasterCard MA Bear Stearns Peer Perform » Outperform
Heartland Payment Systems HPY Robert W. Baird Neutral » Outperform
Wynn Resorts WYNN UBS Sell » Neutral
Buckeye Tech BKI UBS Sell » Buy
Holly HOC UBS Neutral » Buy
Hancock Holding HBHC Keefe Bruyette Mkt Perform » Outperform

DOWNGRADES
Kinder Morgan Prtnrs KMP SMH Capital Buy » Neutral
BB&T Corp BBT Fox Pitt In Line » Underperform
Sterling Banc SBIB Fox Pitt Outperform » In Line
FBR Capital Markets FBCM Jefferies & Co Buy » Hold
Altus Pharma ALTU Collins Stewart Buy » Market Perform
priceline.com PCLN Stifel Nicolaus Buy » Hold
Orbitz OWW Stifel Nicolaus Buy » Hold
Expedia EXPE Stifel Nicolaus Buy » Hold
Hess HES Citigroup Buy » Hold
VeraSun Energy VSE Friedman Billings Outperform » Mkt Perform
Atlas America ATLS Friedman Billings Outperform » Mkt Perform
Altus Pharma ALTU Wachovia Outperform » Mkt Perform
LDK Solar LDK Piper Jaffray Neutral » Sell

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Friday’s Picks
Jeff Macke recommends getting long Disney (DIS). Open $32.33

Karen Finerman likes ValueClick (VCLK).Open $22.63

Pete Najarian prefers Microsoft (MSFT).Open $35.52

Thursday’s Results
Jeff Macke likes Disney (DIS). Open $32.26 Close $32.33 GAIN

Guy Adami prefers Sallie Mae (SLM). Open $22.89 Close $20.53 LOSS

Tim Seymour recommends Cameco (CCJ). Open $36.70 Close $38.59 GAIN

Pete Najarian says Morgan Stanley (MS) is a buy. Open $50.08 Close $51.37 GAIN

Results since 6/21/2007:

Guy Adami= 57-45 = 60%
John Najarian= 13-4 = 76%
Jeff Macke= 59-40 = 64%
Pete Najarian= 47-40 = 55%
Tim Seymore= 7-7 = 50%
Karen Finerman= 37-30 = 55%
Stacey Briere-Gilbert= 3-0 = 100
Ned Riley= 1-0 = 100%
Carter Worth= 0-1 = 0%

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Whitney Tilson sent this to me earlier today. It is great…

Read it here:

The author is unknown, if anyone does know who it is, let me know, they deserve credit.

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TRID Trident Microsystems Inc 5.79
TKG Telkom Sa Ltd 78.04
TIN Temple-Inland Inc 30.42
TGT Target Corp 50.10
OMX Officemax Inc Del 21.10
OLP One Liberty Propertie … 17.75
OFSI Omni Finl Svcs Inc 4.29
ODP Office Depot, Inc 13.39
OC Owens Corning New 20.25
MBI MBIA Inc 20.97
MAIR Mair Holdings Inc 4.38
M Macy’s, Inc. 26.20

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Switch cell phone carriers, Gasparino, Bonuses, Magna Carta

– It will not be as expensive to switch carriers soon

– This is just funny.

– This is the very least they could do, considering what they have done to shareholders.

– Of all the things to do with your money, this is just one of the best.

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Google (GOOG) and Research in Motion (RIMM) have solved the problem stopping most Blackberry users from using Google calendar.

Blackberry users may now download a “sync” function for their devices that syncs the calendar on their Blackberries with their online Google calendar.

View it here:

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Much has been said about Bernanke & Co. the past four months. Despite it all, this is the truest test of his Chairmanship to date.

On Friday consumer inflation numbers were released. The CPI jumped 0.8% in November, crushing October’s 0.3% rise. It was largest increase since September 2005. The core CPI, excluding volatile food and energy prices, advanced 0.3%, it biggest rise since January. The results passed Wall Street forecasts of a 0.6% headline CPI increase and 0.2% core gain.

Now, IF the Fed is truly in a neutral stance and is not being told what to do by the markets, then they CANNOT cut rates again in January, barring a dramatic deterioration of the economic landscape.

Recent numbers portray an economy that is growing faster than expectation with jobs and output ahead of expectations. That being said inflation now becomes the primary concern for all and it is getting to the point it is a problem.

Energy prices it seem have finally crept into the picture outside of our gas tanks and heating systems. Now that they have, they cannot be ignored.

Should Bernanke opt to cut rates in the face of the current situation is January, all creditability will be lost. It will then be clear he is taking his direction from the markets which ALWAYS want lower rates, whether is is the right thing or not. That being said we will have to update this again as we get closer to decision day but it is unlikely recent numbers are aberrations.

Investors ought to get in the right frame of mind going into the new year…

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Yeah, I know it has only been one day, but at least Sprint’s (S) new CEO knows what the company’s #1 problem is.

New CEO Dan Hesse said his first priority will be to tackle the customer-service problems and customer defections that have plagued the company in the past year saying, “I read the magazines and Consumer Reports like everyone else.” Good

An internal Sprint document recently disclosed described the company’s “inferior results” in customer service. It pointed out that Sprint resolved just 53% of problems on the first call, compared with 71% for Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA despite Sprint having nearly 3X’s as many customer service reps.

Hesse was the pioneer of AT&T’s (T) “Digital One Rate” plan, which introduced flat-rate pricing to U.S. wireless consumers in the late 1990s. Prior the “One Rate” plan, most Americans were accustomed to paying for wireless service by the minute, incurring extra charges for roaming or long-distance calling. In short, they revolutionized the cell phone industry. Hess has the experience and a proven track record, if he complete step two below, he has a chance at success.

The second thing he can do is chop heads. Sprint and Nextel have never merged on a corporate level and until they do, real success will be elusive. I have no idea whose fault it is and two full years after the merger was completed it really no longer matters. Anyone from either side who stands in the way, see ya’.

Fortunately for potential shareholders, both of these steps will take time to accomplish. The evidence that they are being implemented will become apparent before their results show up in earnings and that gives those who wish to buy shares plenty of time to wait.

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Here is the list:

UPGRADES
PS Business Parks PSB KeyBanc Capital Mkts Underweight » Hold
Home Prop of NY HME KeyBanc Capital Mkts Hold » Buy
Watsco WSO BB&T Capital Mkts Hold » Buy
Buckeye Partners BPL SMH Capital Sell » Neutral
Applied Signal APSG BB&T Capital Mkts Underweight » Hold
Verint Systems VRNT Lehman Brothers Equal-weight » Overweight
American Medical AMMD Piper Jaffray Neutral » Buy
Corel CREL Piper Jaffray Neutral » Buy
GSI Commerce GSIC Piper Jaffray Neutral » Buy
Take-Two TTWO Citigroup Hold » Buy
NYMEX NMX Deutsche Securities Hold » Buy
Amdocs DOX Cantor Fitzgerald Hold » Buy
Celera Genomics CRA JMP Securities Mkt Perform » Mkt Outperform
Blue Nile NILE Citigroup Hold » Buy
Agrium AGU CIBC Wrld Mkts Sector Perform » Sector Outperform
Maxim Integrated MXIM Citigroup Hold » Buy
Plantronics PLT Robert W. Baird Neutral » Outperform

DOWNGRADES
Kingsway Fin KFS Ferris Baker Watts Neutral » Sell
Force Protection FRPT Dougherty & Company Buy » Neutral
United Dominion UDR KeyBanc Capital Mkts Buy » Hold
SL Green Rlty SLG KeyBanc Capital Mkts Buy » Hold
Post Properties PPS KeyBanc Capital Mkts Hold » Underweight
First Potomac Realty FPO KeyBanc Capital Mkts Buy » Hold
Mack-Cali Realty CLI KeyBanc Capital Mkts Buy » Hold
AvalonBay AVB KeyBanc Capital Mkts Hold » Underweight
Diebold DBD Wedbush Morgan Buy » Hold
Darden Restaurants DRI Banc of America Sec Buy » Neutral
Tribune TRB Deutsche Securities Buy » Hold
Tecumseh Prods TECUA Robert W. Baird Outperform » Neutral
Golden Telecom GLDN JP Morgan Overweight » Neutral
BP BP JP Morgan Overweight » Neutral
Grant Prideco GRP Banc of America Sec Buy » Neutral
Exelon EXC Jefferies & Co Buy » Hold

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Thursday’s Picks
Jeff Macke likes Disney (DIS). Open $32.26

Guy Adami prefers Sallie Mae (SLM). Open $22.89

Tim Seymour recommends Cameco (CCJ). Open $36.70

Pete Najarian says Morgan Stanley (MS) is a buy. Open $50.08

Wednesday’s Picks:
Jeff Macke recommends Best Buy (BBY).Open $51.62 Close $51.20 LOSS

Guy Adami likes Oracle (ORCL).Open $21.25 Close $20.76 LOSS

Pete Najarian prefers Cypress (CY). Open $34.83 Close $35.61 GAIN

Results since 6/21/2007:

Guy Adami= 56-45 = 59%
John Najarian= 13-4 = 76%
Jeff Macke= 58-40 = 62%
Pete Najarian= 46-40 = 54%
Tim Seymore= 6-7 = 57%
Karen Finerman= 37-30 = 55%
Stacey Briere-Gilbert= 3-0 = 100
Ned Riley= 1-0 = 100%
Carter Worth= 0-1 = 0%

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I become a bigger and bigger fan of Whitney every time I hear or read his thoughts. Here he discusses housing inventory.

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Here are the notable events forthcoming for Sherwin Williams (SHW) and NL Industries (NL)

– Rhode Island Supreme Court schedule finally released

– Responses the RI “lead free” abatement plan filed.

Short list? Sure is….

Essentially that is what lead paint litigation has been reduced to. When you throw into the mix the recent RI Supreme Court lead paint related ruling, one has to think that these dates are now reduced to the day “this stuff is finally behind us” not “hopefully we prevail”.

It what has become a colossal waste of time, the lead paint litigation saga is virtually over. The true irony here? The only company that will actually contribute to any abatement will be DuPont (DD), who settled with RI to avoid what at the time was thought to be a more costly legal outcome. Now, before we feel sorry for DuPont, we need to remember that both they and RI AG Patrick Lynch did their best to assure this money never “went to the children” as it was donated to Boston Hospitals and a Washington DC DuPont controlled charity.

One can only assume recent public filing in court by the defendants lead to the recent “release” of funds to the state.

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Blogystyle, Best Deals, Raising emotionally healthy kids, Bosses

– What do Jessica Simpson and investing have in common?

– What was the best deal of 2007?

– Parents, check this out

– Dumb bosses

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Airlines are making a move to fill pilot ranks that to be honest, really do not make me want to run out and jump into a plane. As a matter of fact, they make me want to avoid them.

Faced with competition for pilots from overseas carriers and private companies, airlines including American Airlines (AMR), United (UAUA) and US Airways (LCC) have announced several measures to address the shortage.

*They are lowering the flight hour requirements for pilots from 1500 to 500, with only 50 of those hours in multi-engine planes.
*Raising the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65.
*Partnering with flight schools to offer “accelerated” educational programs.

Now, correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t the most likely people to get into an accident in an automobile the young & inexperienced and the elderly? Is it really the best move to place those very demographics behind the wheel of a DC-10? Perhaps a better move to become more competitive when hiring would be to raise the starting salary from the $24,000 a year it sits at now? Essentially there is not really a shortage of pilots, just pilots that will work for that money when better money is available elsewhere.

When CVS (CVS) needed additional pharmacists in order to accomplish its expansion plan, they began a program that paid for schooling for applicants in return for a 5 year commitment after graduation.
Is there anything stopping airlines from enacting a similar program?
Would you feel safe if CVS lowered the standards for those dispensing your medicine?

Admittedly the younger hires will be co-pilots, not pilots out of the gate but as the airlines continue to lower the experience requirement, these folks will eventually find themselves behind the controls with potentially thousands of hours less flying time than their predecessors had.

If we had a shortage of heart surgeons, would any of us be rushing to get in line for an operation from a doctor who was allowed to graduate with a GPA below 2.0 or only required to have 1 year rather than 3 of residency? Me either.

The move to raise the retirement age alone is estimated to net 1,500 additional pilots in the first year alone. That means 1500 people who last year and this year were considered to have a skill set that the unstoppable aging process would have deteriorated to the point that it was no longer safe to have them pilot airlines.

Now, because we need more folks, we can just move the needle? I am sure the vast majority of these pilots, and let’s not forget, these folks will be pilots, not co-pilots, who will be just fine flying. But, if say 15 of them aren’t, isn’t that a huge problem?

Lowering the standard to accomplish a goal is never the best choice, more often than not the results can be tragic…

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