Equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) increased their price target on shares of Ruth S Hospitality Group (NASDAQ: RUTH) from $7.75 to $8.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “RUTH posted another decent quarter (+14% EPS growth) despite higher y/y food costs and a choppy macro environment. With April sales trends solid, incremental pricing now in the menu, and a gradual pick... 

Investment analysts at Citigroup (NYSE: C) increased their target price on shares of Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) from $32.00 to $34.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday. The analysts wrote, “ORCL has underperformed software peers since the Nov quarter earnings report by over 14%. The most significant risk in our view to the long-term story is the potential for SaaS to eat into Oracle’s applications revenue. In parallel, Oracle is early in its Fusion applications release, which is likely... 

Research analysts at Citigroup (NYSE: C) dropped their target price on shares of Sup Energy Svcs (NYSE: SPN) from $41.00 to $38.00 in a report released on Monday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “SPN defied expectations with a strong quarter both in terms of the financial result (20% EPS beat, 8% EBITDA beat) and recalibrated outlook (guidance upwardly narrowed). We believe that the consensus 2012 EPS will likely settle toward the low end... 

Analysts at Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) upped their price target on shares of V.F. (NYSE: VFC) to $180.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “VFC posted upside to 1Q due largely to stronger than expected sales. We believe the larger takeaway from the quarter is that guidance remains conservative. We are raising our 2012 estimates as well as our price target to $180, which... 

eBay’s net income increased 20% in the first quarter, to $570 million or $0.44 a share, from the same quarter a year earlier.  Revenue increased 29% to $3.3 billion.  Net income was $0.55 a share, excluding special items.  This was above the expectations of Wall Street analysts, who predicted $0.51 a share and revenue of $3.15 billion. The company’s chief executive, John J. Donahoe, described the numbers as “a strong start of the year” and hinted at the need to do more with mobile devices. ... 

Investment analysts at Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC) lifted their target price on shares of Covidien plc (NYSE: COV) from $60.00 to $64.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “COV reported their FQ2 (March) with revenues up 6% (CC) and adjusted EPS up 13%, slightly beating us and consensus estimates. The strength in the business came from the medical device division (up 7% CC and representing 68% of... 

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by Zacks in a note issued to investors on Monday. They currently have a $55.00 target price on the stock. Zacks’ analyst wrote, “Gilead’s first quarter 2012 adjusted earnings of $0.61 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.92 per share. Higher-than-expected expenses led to the earnings miss in the quarter. Revenues climbed 19% aided by higher product sales. We are optimistic on the growth... 

Citigroup reached a deal last year to split EMI Music Publishing between Sony and the Universal Music Group.  Universal bid $1.9 billion for the company’s record labels and Sony pledged $2.2 billion for the rest of the company.  Regulators on both continents are paying close attention to the companies’ growth and the amount of leverage they would gain over competitors and digital music services.  Digital music services rely on licenses from labels and publishers, with music publishers controlling... 

Assurant (NYSE: AIZ)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by Zacks in a research note issued to investors on Monday. They currently have a $43.00 price target on the stock. Zacks’ analyst wrote, “Assurant’s first-quarter earnings outshined the Zacks Consensus Estimate led by significant contributions from Specialty Property, Health and Solutions as well as Employee Benefits, and a lower share count. Apparently, the company seems to have outperformed the... 

AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by Zacks in a research note issued on Monday. They currently have a $46.00 price target on the stock. Zacks’ analyst wrote, “AstraZeneca’s first-quarter 2012 core earnings of $1.81 per ADS were 4 cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Earnings were down 19% (CER) year over year. Higher tax rate and lower revenues hurt earnings during the quarter. Even though we are encouraged by the company’s... 

Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by Zacks in a research note issued on Monday. They currently have a $32.00 price target on the stock. Zacks’ analyst wrote, “Iron Mountain reported a modest first quarter with earnings coming in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but the top line fell short. Revenue failed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in spite of a year-on-year increase of 0.7%. The company recorded strong... 

Citigroup  (NYSE: C) remains battered by a slew of lawsuits, and now, one has been filed  against the firm over the compensation policies in place for their top  executives. Specifically, the suit has been filed by a shareholder against Chief  Executive Officer Vikram Pandit and the directors, according to a recent Reuters  report. The firm’s  performance has been disappointing on many levels over the preceding years, and  the suit alleges that Citigoup’s board continued to award the top... 

Across Wall Street, investors have been clamoring for returns on equities since the depths of the financial crisis. The large financial service institutions, once famous for their generous dividend payouts, were forced to slash them to raise capital levels and pass the stress tests. As the economic environment continues to rebound and banks return to profitability, dividend plans have become the center piece for a financial service rebound of investor confidence. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC), the San... 

Citigroup (NYSE: C), the beleaguered New York based banking behemoth may see it’s stock price suffering, but has achieved acclaim in foreign markets recently, most specifically, Latin America. Custody Risk has named Citi Fund Administrator of the Year, noting that Citi’s extensive experience in addressing the specific challenges of global investors and its ability to tap the intellectual capital of Citi’s local network, to help clients deepen their insight, extend their reach and expand their... 

Equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) increased their target price on shares of Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH) from $24.00 to $28.00 in a report issued on Monday. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “Following its 1Q conference call, we provide the following three key takeaways (as well as pre-call bullets in the body of this note). First, April orders have improved “significantly”, following strong acceleration... 

Investment analysts at Drexel Hamilton raised their target price on shares of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY) from $55.00 to $60.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “Revenues are targeted for modest 3.7% and 1.1% year-year gains, reflecting the tug and pull of waning defense exposure as civil programs accelerate. Q1 financials registered solid progress as Teledyne shifts gears from last... 

Analysts at Compass Point decreased their price target on shares of Hudson City Bancorp (NASDAQ: HCBK) from $8.50 to $7.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “Thus, given that the company is putting the brakes on its bread and butter mortgage production, and has little experience in alternative products, we see few alternatives that would be more attractive to shareholders than... 

The late Osama bin Laden went to great lengths to remain young in his household that consisted of three women. He used the very popular Just for Men dye for his hair to eliminate the grey hairs that had encroached on both his scalp and beard. A new book also says the leader of al Qaeda used a natural Viagra that consisted of Avena syrup. The syrup is an aphrodisiac taken from a variety of different wild oats. The three women in his household consisted of one who was 26 years younger than bin Laden.... 

Chevron Corp announced its first quarter earnings on Friday. The Sam Ramon, California based Chevron said net income for the quarter increased by 4.2%, as the increased price of oil boosted the company’s profits from its production and exploration arm. Refining margins were improved, which offset a drop in oil production. Chevron’s profit was $6.47 billion a per share rate of $3.27. That was up from the $6.21 billion and $3.09 per share from the same quarter one year ago. Net charges totally... 

Two United Nations heads have taken a firm stand against the problem of human trafficking, most importantly child trafficking in tourism. The two UN heads have pledged to eradicate this hidden scourge using joint efforts. The UN Director on Drugs and Crime Yury Fedotov and the Secretary General for the UN World Tourism Organization, Taleb Rifai, called for the global effort at every level of society. Both entities signed a formal memorandum to step up the cooperation against this type of exploitation.... 

Ladenburg Thalmann started coverage on shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACAD) in a research note issued on Monday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the stock. The analysts wrote, “Our investment thesis rests on the prospects of pimavanserin’s clinical development in Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP). If the ongoing pimavanserin PDP pivotal trial is successful (September 2012), we believe investors should consider the potential of the drug not only in PDP, but... 

Chrysler earned $473 million in the first quarter of 2012.  This figure was more than quadruple its $116 million profit in the period a year earlier.  It is also more than the company’s entire net income for 2011. Chrysler’s first-quarter revenue rose 25%, to $16.36 billion, from the same period last year.  The results exceeded analysts’ expectations. Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Chrysler (and Fiat), said, “It is fair to say that Chrysler is firing on all cylinders.  I really... 

Nintendo reported its first operating loss ever for the financial year ending March 31.  The company reported a deficit of ¥37.3 billion, or $460 million.  The results were slightly better than analysts’ forecast of a ¥41.4 billion loss.  David Gibson, an analyst for Macquarie bank in Tokyo said, “They have been beaten by smartphones and tablets, in particular, for consumers’ spending and, more importantly, time.” The company has been hammered by a steep decrease in sales of the Wii,... 

In Mexico, the attorney general’s office launched a preliminary investigation into whether Wal-Mart Stores bribed officials to expand its business.  A New York Times report revealed a pattern of suspicious payments made to various authorities in Mexico totaling around $24 million.  It is believed that the payments were intended to overcome any objections to Wal-Mart’s rapid expansion plans in Mexico. The attorney general’s office announced that it had started a probe to determine... 

The Red Cross says that 16 people were killed at a church service at a university on Sunday. The attack took place Sunday morning during a church service at Bayero University. Gunmen, police said, attacked an on campus Catholic mass using small explosives to make worshippers flee the mass and then shooting them as they ran from the building. Police said an exact count of those killed and wounded was still being assessed as they were combing area hospitals to get an exact figure. No one has claimed...