Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AAPL, BLK, BX, CZR, DPZ, FB, HPQ, LEAP, LGF, JWN, PDC, PGR, SHLD, S, SYNC, VRA, VMW, ZNGA)

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By Jon C. Ogg Updated Published
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Jon Ogg
These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls this Friday ahead of the key jobs and employment data.

The well known analyst Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray is considered one of the top Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) analysts out there.  Munster is a big Apple bull and he calls the move from Apple into the television market a “when rather than an if” and he thinks Apple can take up to 10% of the market. Munster expects an announcement soon and he thinks that the price tag will be about $2,000 for the unit.

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.

The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) Raised to the Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR) Started as Neutral at Macquarie.

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) Started as Outperform at R.W. Baird.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

Leap Wireless International (NASDAQ: LEAP) Cut to Underperform at BMO; Maintained Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF) Raised to Outperform at RBC.

Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) Raised to Buy at Nomura; Started as Outperform at RBC.

Pioneer Drilling Company, Inc. (NYSE: PDC) named as Value Stock of the Day at Zacks.

Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Sears Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) Raised to Outperform and named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Synacor, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNC) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus; Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRA) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) Raised to Buy at Mizuho.

Zynga, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) Raised to Neutral at Stern Agee.

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JON C. OGG

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About the Author Jon C. Ogg →

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

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