STOCKS NEWS US-BofA-Merrill upgrades Ford to buy

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1112 ET 24April2009-BofA-Merrill upgrades Ford to buy
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Bank of America-Merrill Lynch on Friday upgraded Ford Motor Co to buy
from neutral, following the release of the automaker's first-quarter results,
which came in better than expected.
The easing of Ford's cash burn will make it more likely that the company
will get through 2009 and beyond without any government support and little risk
of bankruptcy, the firm wrote.
It added that any pain at General Motors or Chrysler would be Ford's
gain. [nWNAB7900]
Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net

1104 ET 24April2009-Deckers tumbles after second-quarter outlook
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Shares of shoe company Deckers Outdoor fell on Friday after the
company forecast a second-quarter loss, though it also reported first-quarter
results that beat expectations.
For details, see [nBNG423996]
The stock slid 7 percent to $59.36 while the Dow Jones U.S. Footwear index
<.DJUSFT> was off 0.4 percent to 277.17. Among other components of the index,
Crocs dropped 3.9 percent to $2.25 and Nike edged 0.4 percent
lower to $54.20.
Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net

1052 ET 24April2009-Mohawk Industries jumps after outlook
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Shares of Mohawk Industries Inc jumped on Friday after the company
reported a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss but issued second-quarter
guidance that topped Wall Street expectations.
The maker of floor covering products forecast second-quarter earnings
between 43 cents to 52 cents a share, excluding a $15 million restructuring
charge, topping the consensus estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters
of 27 cents a share.
The stock was subsequently upgraded by Longbow Research to a "neutral" from
a "sell" rating, citing the company's ability to cut costs.
Shares surged more than 22 percent to $46.40.
Reuters Messaging:rm://Charles.mikolajczak.reuters.com@reuters.net

1044 ET 24April2009-Baird downgrades two education companies
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Robert W. Baird on Friday downgraded both DeVry Inc and Lincoln
Educational Services Corp to neutral from outperform, as part of a
larger call on education stocks. The firm argued that post-secondary education
companies are currently at the peak in terms of fundamentals.
Baird also cut its targets on several more companies in the sector,
including Apollo Group Inc , Capella Education Co and Career
Education Corp .
For details, see [nBNG428502]
Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net

1038 ET 24April2009-Wal-Mart modifies jobs deal after union talks
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Wal-Mart Stores Inc has agreed to revise a plan on a payroll cut
involving 2,000 mid-level managers across its outlets in China, after a trade
union stepped in to mediate, according to state media.
The Shenzhen Federation of Trade Union became involved after the company
announced it would eliminate a layer of management in all its stores, leaving
affected employees the option of taking a lower position with lower pay, the
Xinhua news agency reported.
For details, see [nPEK329939]
Shares of Wal-Mart, a Dow component, rose 0.2 percent to $48.94 on Friday.
Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
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