Regional Banks

Stifel Nicolaus has initiated coverage on the following companies: First Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: THFF), Hold German American Bancorp (NASDAQ: GABC), Hold New Mountain Finance Corporation (NYSE: NMFC), Hold

Analysts at Jefferies & Company upgraded Susquehanna Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ: SUSQ) from “hold” to “buy.” SUSQ's shares closed at $7.69 yesterday. SUSQ's trailing-twelve-month operating margin is 14.56%. Analysts at Deutsche Bank upgraded Legg Mason (NYSE: LM) from “hold” to “buy.” LM's shares...

Jefferies, which initiated coverage of Western Alliance (NYSE: WAL), is providing some color on the stock. “We like WAL as a risk/reward play on credit recovery and decent growth prospects as the company continues to gain share in a weaker and more rational competitive landscape post-cycle,”...

Jefferies, which upgraded shares of Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUSQ), is providing some color on the stock. “We have adjusted our model to account for the Tower deal: 1) 2011 holds at $0.40, 2) 2012 goes to $0.70 from $0.65, 3) 2013 goes to $1.00 from $0.90. Assumptions on Tower deal...

Jefferies & Company has initiated coverage on Western Alliance (NYSE: WAL) with a Buy rating and $8.50 price target.

Jefferies & Company has changed ratings on the following companies: Susquehanna Bancshares (NASDAQ: SUSQ) from Hold to Buy The Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) from Buy to Hold, PT lowers from $32 to $22

The law firm of Brower Piven today announced that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, on behalf of all persons who held shares of the common stock of Green Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRNB) on June 16, 2011, against GRNB and...

At 10:10 am, the Dow rose 0.69% to 12,126.85, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index moved up 0.70% to 1,289.11 and the NASDAQ composite index gained 0.69% to 2,706.80. The industries that are driving the market today are: Management Services: This industry jumped 2.78% by 10:10 am. The top...

Shares of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) gained about 0.35% after the company appointed Mike Sorabella as Chief Executive Officer of Shoebuy.com. Mr. Sorabella served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Shoebuy for six years. Shares of Accenture plc (NYSE: ACN) gained about 5.2% as the company will...

Sterne Agee is out with its report today on Investors Bancorp (NASDAQ: ISBC), maintaining Buy. In a note to clients, Sterne Agee writes, "Investors continue to report quarterly earnings improvements as the net interest margin expands and the company grows loans at a double-digit clip. While the...

First BanCorp (NYSE: FBP) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with two funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. under which Oaktree would purchase an aggregate of approximately $175.5 million of common stock of the Corporation at a per share price of $3.50. The...

Regions Bank (NYSE: RF) and Western Union (NYSE: WU) today announced an agreement to offer the Western Union® global money transfer service and the Western Union expedited bill pay service across 1,700 Regions Bank locations in the U.S.

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning. Greek Parliament is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the EUR28.4 billion, five-year austerity package. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 13 points to 11,977.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 1.80 points to 1,274.50....

Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are: Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) reported a 14% rise in its fourth-quarter profit. Nike reported its quarterly earnings at $594 million, or $1.24 per share, up from $522 million, or $1.06 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Its revenue surged 14% to $...

Accenture (ACN) rose 5% after the S&P 500 index named the consulting firm to replace Marshall & Ilsley (MI), a holding bank. The index also named Amerigroup (AGP), the managed health care provider, to replace Nationwide Health Properties (NHP).