Equity Brief: Ratings Changes for December 6th: AAPL, AINV, AIV, ANR, ARE, ASNA, AZO, BCR

2012-12-06 16:11:26 -
A number of stocks were upgraded and downgraded by equities research analysts
today, as reported by Analyst Ratings Network ( bit.ly/equitybriefdaily)
and Equity Brief:

Oracle Investment Research upgraded shares of Apple, Inc (AAPL) from a hold
rating to a buy rating.

Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Apollo Investment Corp. (AINV).
They issued a market perform rating on the stock.

UBS AG upgraded shares of Apartment Investment & Management Co (AIV) from a
neutral rating to a buy rating. UBS AG now has a $28.00 price target on the
stock.

Howard Weil lowered its price target on shares of Alpha Natural Resources (ANR)
from $13.00 to $11.00. They have an outperform rating on the stock.

UBS AG upgraded shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (ARE) from a
neutral rating to a 
  
    
      
        

	    
  
  buy rating. UBS AG now has a $75.00 price target on the
stock, up previously from $74.00.

BB&T downgraded shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc (ASNA) from a buy rating to a
hold rating.

RBC Capital lowered its price target on shares of AutoZone, Inc. (AZO) from
$395.00 to $390.00. They have a sector perform rating on the stock.

Zacks reiterated its neutral rating on shares of AutoZone, Inc. (AZO). They have
a $385.00 price target on the stock. Zacks' analyst wrote, "AutoZone is focused
on an aggressive share repurchase program and intends to grow sales through
expansion of hub stores. The company posted a 15.6% year-over-year rise in
earnings per share to $5.41 in the fiscal first quarter ended November
17, 2012, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by $0.01. The company's
revenues increased 3.5% to $1.99 billion and domestic same-store sales increased
0.2% during the quarter. However, we remain concerned about the rising gas
prices and the company's heavy reliance on its private label brands that may
affect its margins. As such, we continue with our Neutral recommendation on the
stock and set a target price of $385.00. "

Oppenheimer downgraded shares of AutoZone, Inc. (AZO) from an outperform rating
to a perform rating. Their analysts now have a $400.00 price target on the
stock, down previously from $461.00.

Zacks reiterated its neutral rating on shares of C.R. Bard, Inc. (BCR). They
have a $103.00 price target on the stock.

UBS AG upgraded shares of Boston Properties (BXP) from a neutral rating to a buy
rating. UBS AG now has a $120.00 price target on the stock, up previously from
$112.00.

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