Paper Products

Schweitzer-Mauduit International (NYSE: SWM) was downgraded by Oppenheimer from “outperform” to “perform.” SWM closed at $60 yesterday. SWM has a 52-week trading range of $19.37-$83.39. Feltl & Co downgraded Westinghouse Cogent Inc (NASDAQ: COGT) from “buy” to “hold.” COGT’s shares closed at $...

World’s largest white paper manufacturer, International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP), has announced good results for its first quarter. The company reported 2.5% increase in its revenue, which stood at $5.81 billion. It has reported a loss of $162 million, compared to a net income of $257 million a year...

Analysts Claudia Shank Hueston, Ariel Avila and Mark Masters at JP Morgan have released an update on International Paper Company (NYSE: IP). The company announced earlier today that it has acquired 13 corrugated packaging plants and two specialty packaging facilities in Asia from SCA for $200...

By Comstock Partners: The “Street” and the financial media are portraying a totally misleading impression that the economy is now undergoing a normal recovery as each new piece of economic data is issued.  At the same time the stock market has been in the process of pricing in the so-called...

By Comstock Partners: The near-euphoria in the market over the perceived surge in the economy is highly misleading.  The year-over-year percentage increases we are seeing in various economic indicators are only an indication of how far down we were.  It reminds us of the title of a book published a...

Popular Inc (NASDAQ: BPOP) was upgraded by B. Riley from “neutral” to “buy.” SXL’s shares jumped 12.13% to $3.42. BPOP’s shares have declined 5.86% over the past 52 weeks. Citigroup upgraded Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (NASDAQ: CP) from “sell” to “hold.” CP’s stock has risen by only 6.19% so...

Analysts at RBC Capital reiterate their “top pick” rating on Domtar (NYSE: UFS). The price target for UFS has been raised from $85 to $100. Shares of UFS closed at $69.80 yesterday. More Analyst Ratings here.

Below are the top 5 consumer goods stocks in terms of return on equity. The return on equity for Lorillard, Inc (NYSE: LO) is 264.7%. The trailing-twelve-month operating margins of LO are 44.47%. The return on equity for VeriFone Holdings, Inc (NYSE: PAY) is 223.7%. PAY has a PEG ratio of 0.94....

• Family Dollar (NYSE:FDO) posted fiscal second quarter earnings of 81 cents a share, which beat Zacks estimates of 77 cents, on inline revenues of $2.09 billion. The firm said it sees third-quarter earnings of 71 cents to 76 cents a share • MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM) posted fiscal second quarter...

Below are some key sections of the minutes of the Federal Reserve Board’s March 16th meeting. I have interspersed my commentary and interpretation where needed. "The information reviewed at the March 16 meeting suggested that economic activity expanded at a moderate pace in early 2010. Business...

Analysts at Soleil Securities Group maintain their "buy" rating on International Paper (NYSE: IP), while raising their estimates for the company. The target price for IP is set to $30. Soleil Securities believes that IP’s Q1 results will be impacted by higher input costs, including higher...

“As Wall Street awaits the release of several economic reports, options traders sought bearish positions in exchange-traded funds that track specific segments of the market. Among the most active names of the session was the iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM), an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that...

RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul C. Quinn maintained his Top Pick rating and price target of $85 for shares of Domtar Corporation (NYSE: UFS). Quinn said that long awaited sale of Domtar Corporation's forest products business shows that the company has moved closer to returning cash to investors....