Up/Downgrades (AYI, BA, JCP, PAA, SNDK, STI, AMTD, MO, ACOM, PLCE, CSTR, GPN, GS, ITW, INTC, ICE, KSS, LTD, JWN, PM, RFMD, TRV)

Published on Friday, 06 January 2012 10:16 Written by Danny Miller

New York, January 6^th (TradersHuddle.com) – Following are some of the top upgrades and downgrades before the market open.

Upgrades

Acuity Brands (NYSE:AYI), the provider of technologically advanced, sustainable lighting products and lighting-related solutions, was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Wedbush. 

Boeing (NYSE:BA), the world’s second largest commercial aircraft maker, was upgraded to Top Pick Live List at Citigroup.

J. C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), the department stores operator based in Plano, TX, was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie.

Plains All American (NYSE:PAA) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK), the maker of flash storage products, was upgraded to a Buy from Neutral at Sterne Agee. The firm set its target price at $57.

SunTrust Banks (NYSE:STI), the super regional banking holding company with operations in the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast, was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie.

TD Ameritrade (NYSE:AMTD), the provider of online brokerage services for independent individual investors, was upgraded to a Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Downgrades

Altria (NYSE:MO), the tobacco holding Company, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Davenport.

Ancestry.com (NASDAQ:ACOM) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Morgan Keegan. The firm lowered its target price to $27 from $30.

Children's Place (NASDAQ:PLCE) was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs.

Coinstar (NASDAQ:CSTR), the owner and operator of the redbox DVD rental kiosks chain, was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform. The firm lowered its target price to $42 from $60.

Global Payment (NYSE:GPN), the provider of credit card, check, and eCommerce transactions processing, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at SunTrust.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo.

Illinois Tool (NYSE:ITW) was downgraded to a Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), the world’s largest chipmaker, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Sterne Agee. The firm set its target price at $26.

IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE:ICE) was downgraded to a Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS), the family oriented department store, was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Argus and to a Neutral from Buy at Bank of America Merrill.

Limited (NYSE:LTD), the operator of specialty stores like Victoria Secret and Bath and Body Works, was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral.

Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN), the high-end department store operator, was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral and to a Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), the tobacco company maker of Marlboro cigarettes, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Davenport.

RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ:RFMD) was downgraded to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer, following downside guidance.

Travelers (NYSE:TRV), the property and casualty producer, was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.