| Company Name | Exchange | Ticker | Last Price | Total Analyst Coverage |
Upgrade/ Downgrade |
Analyst Name | Rating Company | Target Price |
Upside/ Downside (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veresen Inc | TSX | VSN | 16.74 | 11 | Upgrade to sector outperform from sector perform | David Noseworthy | CIBC World Markets | 18.50 | 10.5% |
| Silvercrest Mines Inc | TSX | SVL | 2.66 | 10 | Upgrade to buy from neutral | Joseph Reagor | Roth Capital Partners | 2.80 | 5.3% |
| BlackBerry Ltd | TSX | BB | 10.50 | 41 | Upgrade to speculative buy from market perform | Richard Tse | Cormark Securities Inc. | 12.86 | 22.5% |
| Descartes Systems Group Inc/The | TSX | DSG | 16.13 | 13 | Initiate with outperform | Steven Li | Raymond James | 19.58 | 21.4% |
| Novadaq Technologies Inc | TSX | NDQ | 24.85 | 13 | Downgrade to hold from buy | Douglas W Loe | Euro Pacific Canada Inc | 25.73 | 3.5% |
CIBC World Markets upgraded Veresen Inc (TSX: VSN), a Canadian corporation managing its pipeline transportation, midstream services, and power generation businesses, to sector outperform from sector perform increasing its price target to C$18.50 from C$14.00, indicating an upside of 10.5% from current levels. Recently, VSN reported that it has received a conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to export liquefied natural gas from a proposed export terminal on the Oregon coast to countries that don’t have free-trade-agreement status with the U.S.
Silvercrest Mines Inc (TSX: SVL), engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties, was upgraded to buy from neutral at Roth Capital Partners raising its price target to C$2.80 from C$2.77, indicating an upside of 5.3% from current levels.
Cormark Securities Inc. upgraded BlackBerry Ltd (TSX: BB), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market, to speculative buy from market perform increasing its price target to C$12.86 from C$8.15, indicating an upside of 22.5% from current levels. Analyst Richard Tse believes that despite declining earnings and estimates, positive news reports and non-operating changes will keep driving the positive sentiment.
Raymond James initiated coverage on Descartes Systems Group Inc/The (TSX: DSG), a global provider of federated network and global logistics technology solutions, with an outperform rating assigning a 12-month price target of C$19.58, indicating an upside of 21.4% from current levels.
Euro Pacific Canada Inc downgraded Novadaq Technologies Inc (TSX: NDQ), engaged in developing and commercializing medical imaging and therapeutic devices for use in the operating room, to hold from buy with a price target of C$25.73, indicating an upside of 3.5% from current levels.
| Company Name | Exchange | Ticker | Last Price |
Total Analyst Coverage |
Upgrade/ Downgrade |
Analyst Name | Rating Company | Target Price |
Upside/ Downside (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patterson-UTI Energy Inc | NASDAQ | PTEN | 30.91 | 27 | Upgrade to overweight from equalweight | Matthew Marietta | Stephens Inc | 36.00 | 16.5% |
| Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc | NASDAQ | ACHN | 3.61 | 13 | Upgrade to buy from hold | Jason Kolbert | Maxim Group LLC | 6.00 | 66.3% |
| First Bancorp/Troy NC | NASDAQ | FBNC | 19.18 | 4 | Upgrade to outperform from market perform | William J Wallace IV | Raymond James | 22.00 | 14.7% |
| NCI Building Systems Inc | NYSE | NCS | 17.02 | 11 | Initiate with outperform | Dan Oppenheim | Credit Suisse | 21.00 | 23.4% |
| LinnCo LLC | NASDAQ | LNCO | 26.71 | 10 | Downgrade to neutral from overweight | Spiro M Dounis | JPMorgan | 30.00 | 12.3% |
Stephens Inc upgraded Patterson-UTI Energy Inc (NASDAQ: PTEN), engaged in operating fleets for land-based drilling rigs, to overweight from equal-weight raising its price target to $36.00 from $30.00, indicating an upside of 16.5% from current levels. Recently, PTEN reported that severe bad weather has hampered its operations in the Appalachian region. The company now expects to generate first quarter revenues of about $240 million with a margin of 17%, lower than its earlier projection. However, the company notes that its other operations are not affected and demand remains robust for both its pressure pumping and drilling services even in the areas impacted by weather.
Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ACHN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of treatments for infectious diseases, was upgraded to buy from hold at Maxim Group LLC with a price target of $6.00, indicating an upside of 66.3% from current levels. The rating firm notes that the valuation of the stock is very attractive to invest.
Raymond James upgraded First Bancorp (NASDAQ: FBNC), a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico which provides commercial banking services through a network of offices, to outperform from market perform with a price target of $22.00, indicating an upside of 14.7% from current levels.
Credit Suisse initiated coverage on NCI Building Systems Inc (NYSE: NCS), a manufacturer and marketer of metal products for the non-residential construction industry, with an outperform rating assigning a 12-month price target of $21.00, indicating an upside of 23.4% from current levels. The rating firm believes that NCS will benefit from the recently started recovery in non-residential construction and a 100 million sqft increase will translate into $30 million of EBITDA for the company. A return in long-term average construction activity would represent incremental EBITDA potential to augment this growth.
JPMorgan downgraded LinnCo LLC (NASDAQ: LNCO), focused on the development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties, to neutral from overweight reducing its price target to $30.00 from $36.00, indicating an upside of 12.3% from current levels.
