Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (NYSE: BLOX) (TSX: RUS)

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The following stocks were upgraded/downgraded on February 20, 2014
Company Name Exchange Ticker Last Price Total Analyst Coverage Upgrade/
Downgrade
Analyst Name Rating Company Target Price Upside/
Downside (%)
Russel Metals Inc TSX RUS 28.83 7 Upgrade to outperform from market perform Frederic Bastien Raymond James 34.00 17.9%
Alamos Gold Inc TSX AGI 11.05 18 Upgrade to buy from hold Matthew Sheppard Jacob Securities Inc 16.00 44.8%
Quebecor Inc TSX QBR/B 25.50 17 Upgrade to buy from hold Dvai Ghose Canaccord Genuity Corp 27.00 5.9%
Cardinal Energy Ltd TSX CJ 12.86 6 Initiate with outperform Dan Payne National Bank Financial 17.00 32.2%
Osisko Mining Corp TSX OSK 7.06 15 Downgrade to sector perform from sector outperform Cosmos Chiu CIBC World Markets 7.00 -0.8%

Raymond James upgraded Russel Metals Inc (TSX: RUS), a metals distribution company engaged in three metals distribution segments: metals service centers, energy tubular products and steel distributors, to outperform from market perform increasing its price target to C$34.00 from C$26.00, indicating an upside of 17.9% from current levels. For the fourth quarter of 2013, RUS posted earnings of C$23 million or 37 Canadian cents per share, compared to C$20 million or 34 Canadian cents per share reported in the same quarter last year. RUS declared a quarterly dividend of 35 Canadian cents per share payable on March 17, 2014 to shareholders of record as of March 5, 2014.

Alamos Gold Inc (TSX: AGI), engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and extraction of precious metals, was upgraded to buy from hold at Jacob Securities Inc with a price target of C$16.00, indicating an upside of 44.8% from current levels. For the fourth quarter of 2013, AGI reported that it sold 42,198 ounces of gold generating revenues of C$53.8 million. During the quarter, AGI produced 39,000 ounces of gold.

Canaccord Genuity Corp upgraded Quebecor Inc (TSX: QBR/B), a media company engaged in publishing, distribution, multimedia, and broadcasting, to buy from hold with a price target of C$27.00, indicating an upside of 5.9% from current levels.

National Bank Financial initiated coverage on Cardinal Energy Ltd (TSX: CJ), a junior oil focused company, with an outperform rating assigning a 12-month price target of C$17.00, indicating an upside of 32.2% from current levels.

CIBC World Markets downgraded Osisko Mining Corp (TSX: OSK), engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring, developing and operating gold properties, to sector perform from sector outperform with a price target of C$7.00, indicating a downside of 0.8% from current levels.

The following stocks were upgraded/downgraded on February 20, 2014
Company Name Exchange Ticker Last Price Total Analyst
Coverage
Upgrade/
Downgrade
Analyst Name Rating Company Target Price Upside/
Downside (%)
Infoblox Inc NYSE BLOX 21.31 12 Upgrade to buy/neutral from neutral/neutral Kent Schofield Goldman Sachs 27.00 26.7%
American Equity Investment Life Holding Co NYSE AEL 21.78 7 Upgrade to outperform from market perform Randy Binner FBR Capital Markets 25.00 14.8%
HCI Group Inc NYSE HCI 47.25 4 Upgrade to market outperform from market outperform Matthew J Carletti JMP Securities 48.00 1.6%
Laredo Petroleum Inc NYSE LPI 27.74 23 Initiate with accumulate Michael Kelly Global Hunter Securities 32.00 15.4%
Legacy Reserves LP NASDAQ LGCY 26.06 13 Downgrade to hold from buy Abhishek Sinha Wunderlich Securities 26.00 -0.2%

Goldman Sachs upgraded Infoblox Inc (NYSE: BLOX), engaged in manufacturing devices that allow users to create and manage dynamic computer networks, to buy/neutral from neutral/neutral maintaining its price target to $27.00, indicating an upside of 26.7% from current levels. The rating firm believes that BLOX will accelerate its product revenue growth from the increased share gain in the underpenetrated DDI market and DNS firewall products to contribute more as meaningful revenues.

American Equity Investment Life Holding Co (NYSE: AEL), engaged in the development and sale of fixed index and fixed rate annuity products, was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital Markets with a 12-month price target of $25.00, indicating an upside of 14.8% from current levels.

JMP Securities upgraded HCI Group Inc (NYSE: HCI), engaged in the property and casualty insurance business, to market outperform from market perform with a price target of $48.00, indicating an upside of 1.6% from current levels.

Global Hunter Securities initiated coverage on Laredo Petroleum Inc (NYSE: LPI), an independent energy company focused on the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and natural gas, with an accumulate rating assigning a 12-month price target of $32.00, indicating an upside of 15.4% from current levels. The rating firm believes that LPI is well positioned with its most compelling Midland Basin acreage position per $ of EV – possessing extremely high quality and thick Wolfcamp/Cline intervals, holding a contiguous position and scale with 142K net acres.

Wunderlich Securities downgraded Legacy Reserves LP (NASDAQ: LGCY), an independent oil and natural gas limited partnership business engaged in the acquisition and development of oil and natural gas properties, to hold from buy lowering its price target to $26.00 from $31.00, indicating a downside of 0.2% from current levels.

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