Automotive Retail

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE: LAD) today announced that its board of directors authorized a program to repurchase up to 2.0 million shares of the company's common stock. Purchases may be made from time to time, based on market conditions, legal requirements and other corporate considerations, in the...

Here are today's Put/Call Ratio leaders… 1. AsiaInfo Linkage (NASDAQ: ASIA) 4,251 puts, 57 calls 2. Hertz Global (NYSE: HTZ) 3,822 puts, 57 calls 3. International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) 2,616 puts, 40 calls 4. CarMax Group (NYSE: KMX) 3,418 puts, 137 calls 5. Frontline (NYSE: FRO) 8,684 puts...

Credit Suisse is out with a research report on Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (NYSE: EW) and is upgrading shares to Outperform from Neutral, but is lowering its price target to $81 from $83. In a note to clients, Credit Suisse writes, "Recent Underperformance Presents Buying Opportunity: Following the...

Oppenheimer & Co. is out with a research report on AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE: AZO) and is upgrading shares to Outperform. In a note to clients, Oppenheimer writes, "We have for some time maintained an upbeat stance toward Hardlines Retail and prospects for select well-positioned and high-quality...

Oppenheimer has upgraded AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) and PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) to Outperform.

Midas, Inc. (NYSE: MDS) today announced that its board of directors will explore and evaluate a range of strategic and financial alternatives to enhance value for stockholders. The company has retained J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to assist in this process. Strategic and financial alternatives may...

J.P. Morgan is maintaining its Underweight rating on Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) following the company's 3Q numbers. Says J.P. Morgan, in its report, “AAP reported operating EPS of $1.46 vs. $1.16 LY, above our estimate of $1.41 and consensus of $1.38. Total sales increased 4.4%, with same-...

Deutsche Bank has changed the price target on the following companies: Ford Motor (NYSE: F) - Buy, PT from $19 to $16.50, General Motors Co (NYSE: GM) - Buy, PT from $43 to $40, American Axle & Manufacturing (NYSE: AXL) - Hold, PT from $13.50 to $12, Autoliv (NYSE: ALV) - Hold, PT from $...

Citi has upgraded its rating from Hold to Buy and has raised its price target from $300 to $326 on AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) based on the company's attractiveness. Says Citi, in its report, “We are raising AZO to a Buy from Hold on: 1) continued industry momentum through July, 2) well positioned &...

Citigroup has upgraded AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) from Hold to Buy and has raised the price target from $300 to $326.

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning, after the Federal Open Markets Committee pledged to keep rates at an all-time low through mid-2013. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 31 points to 11,163.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 2.70 points to 1,169.00. Nasdaq 100...

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is expected to report its Q1 EPS at $1.45 on revenue of $1.43 billion. Macy's Inc (NYSE: M) is estimated to report its Q2 earnings at $0.49 per share on revenue of $5.87 billion. Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) is projected to report its Q4 EPS at $0.38...

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI) today announced that its board of directors authorized a program to repurchase up to $25.0 million of the company's common stock. Purchases may be made from time to time, based on market conditions, legal requirements and other corporate considerations, in the...

On CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer said during the Lightning Round that Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) is “not my favorite oil but you're fine.” He added, “I like Chevron (NYSE: CVX) more, but you're OK. Exxon will make a lot of money." Cramer said that Anworth Mortgage Asset (NYSE: ANH) is a “mortgage REIT...

The economy weighed heavily on U.S. stocks on Thursday, as many observers wondered if the country was on the verge of entering a double-dip recession. Still, a few small-cap stocks managed to defy Wall Street's massive meltdown, offering some bright spots in an overall dismal market. Yesterday the...