Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AGU, ALKS, ANN, APOL, PLCE, DHI, F, GHL, JPM, MSFT, MGM, PHM, STX, VOD)

These are some of this Thursday’s key analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) Removed from TD’s Action Buy List but target raised to $105.
Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (NYSE: ANN) Cut to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late Wednesday call).
Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus; Cut to Underperform at FBR.
The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE: DHI) Raised to Neutral at UBS.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Greenhill & Co. (NYSE: GHL) Cut to Market Perform at KBW.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) Reiterated Outperform at FBR.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) Target Cut to $28 from $30 at Barclays.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) Raised to Outperform at BMO.
PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) Raised to Neutral at UBS.
Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) Started as Hold at ThinkEquity (late Wednesday call).
Vodafone plc (NYSE: VOD) Raised to Buy at Nomura.

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JON C. OGG