| Company Name | Exchange | Ticker | Last Price | Total Analyst Coverage |
Upgrade/ Downgrade |
Analyst Name | Rating Company | Target Price |
Upside/ Downside (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarmforce Industries Inc | TSX | AF | 10.10 | 2 | Upgrade to speculative buy from hold | Brian D Pow | Acumen Capital Finance | 10.90 | 7.9% |
| NuVista Energy Ltd | TSX | NVA | 7.58 | 14 | Upgrade to sector outperform from sector perform | Adam Gill | CIBC World Markets | 10.50 | 38.5% |
| HealthLease Properties Real Estate Investment Trust | TSX | HLP-U | 10.18 | 7 | Initiate with sector outperform | Dean M Wilkinson | CIBC World Markets | 12.00 | 17.9% |
| North American Palladium Ltd | TSX | PDL | 0.62 | 10 | Downgrade to underperform from neutral | Daniel Greenspan | Macquarie | 0.60 | -3.2% |
| Gasfrac Energy Services Inc | TSX | GFS | 1.82 | 7 | Downgrade to sector underperform from sector perform | Vladislav C Vlad | Scotia Capital | 2.00 | 9.9% |
Acumen Capital Finance upgraded Alarmforce Industries Inc (TSX: AF), engaged in providing security alarm monitoring, personal emergency response monitoring and related services to subscribers throughout Canada and selected centers across the United States, to speculative buy from hold, raising the price target to C$10.90 from C$10.50, an upside of 7.9% from current levels.
NuVista Energy Ltd (TSX: NVA), an independent oil and natural gas company engaged in the exploration for, and the development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas reserves in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan was upgraded at CIBC World Markets, to sector outperform from sector perform, raising the price target to C$10.50 from C$9.50, an upside of 38.5% from current levels. In December 2013, NuVista announced the disposition of non-core assets in its W3/W4 operating areas for gross proceeds of $30.2 million. Net proceeds from this transaction will initially be used to reduce outstanding bank debt, then ultimately re-deployed into profitable investment in Wapiti Montney play.
CIBC World Markets initiated coverage on HealthLease Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: HLP-U), an open-ended real estate investment, with sector outperform assigning a 12-month price target of C$12.00, an upside of 17.9% from current levels.
Macquarie downgraded North American Palladium Ltd (TSX: PDL), a precious metals producer that operates its flagship Lac des Iles mine (LDI) located in Ontario, Canada, to underperform from neutral, reducing the price target to C$0.60 from C$0.90, a downside of 3.2% from current levels.
Gasfrac Energy Services Inc (TSX: GFS), an oil and gas service company, providing liquid petroleum gas (LPG) fracturing services to oil and gas companies in Canada and the US was downgraded at Scotia Capital to sector underperform from sector perform, reducing the price target to C$2.00 from C$2.50, an upside of 9.9% from current levels.
| Company Name | Exchange | Ticker | Last Price |
Total Analyst Coverage |
Upgrade/ Downgrade |
Analyst Name | Rating Company | Target Price |
Upside/ Downside (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc | NASDAQ | CRZO | 42.61 | 23 | Upgrade to neutral from underperform | Mark Lear | Credit Suisse | 45.00 | 5.6% |
| PDC Energy Inc | NASDAQ | PDCE | 49.54 | 22 | Upgrade to buy from hold | Gabriele Sorbara | Topeka Capital Markets Inc | 68.00 | 37.3% |
| Kofax Ltd | NASDAQ | KFX | 7.29 | 9 | Initiate with buy | Jeff Van Rhee | Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC | 10.00 | 37.2% |
| New York Community Bancorp Inc | NYSE | NYCB | 16.36 | 23 | Downgrade to market perform from outperform | Collyn Bement Gilbert | Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | 17.00 | 3.9% |
| West Corp | NASDAQ | WSTC | 25.00 | 12 | Downgrade to equalweight from overweight | Manav Patnaik | Barclays | 27.00 | 8.0% |
Credit Suisse upgraded Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc (NASDAQ: CRZO), an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the United States and the United Kingdom, to neutral from underperform, raising the price target to $45.00 from $37.00, an upside of 5.6% from current levels. Analyst Mark Lear upgraded the stock following a favorable meeting with Carrizo’s management at a recent analyst meeting. The analyst notes that the company’s improving oil growth outlook and increased confidence in the depth of its Eagle Ford project inventory bodes well for the stock.
PDC Energy Inc (NASDAQ: PDCE), an independent exploration and production company, which acquires, develops, explores, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and crude oil, was upgraded at Topeka Capital Markets Inc, to buy from hold, raising the price target to $68.00 from $64.00, an upside of 37.3% from current levels.
Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC initiated coverage on Kofax Ltd (NASDAQ: KFX), a provider of smart process applications software and related maintenance and professional services for the critical First Mile of interactions between businesses, government agencies and other organizations, with buy assigning a 12-month price target of $10.00, an upside of 37.2% from current levels.
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded New York Community Bancorp Inc (NYSE: NYCB), a bank holding company, to market perform from outperform, maintaining the price target at $17.00, an upside of 3.9% from current levels.
West Corp (NASDAQ: WSTC), a provider of technology-driven, communication services, was downgraded at Barclays to equal-weight from overweight. However, the target price was increased to $27.00 from $26.00, an upside of 8.0% from current levels.
