Goldman Sachs (GS) Adds Merrill Lynch (MER) to Buy List
A Goldman Sachs analyst Monday added Merrill Lynch & Co. to its Americas Conviction Buy List, a roster of preferred stocks, saying investors are too focused on exposure to subprime mortgages and not focused enough on momentum in the investment bank's other businesses.
Goldman Sachs analyst William F. Tanona upgraded Merrill Lynch to "Buy" from "Neutral." Merrill's stock is down 17 percent since an all-time high on Jan. 18 because of "investor concerns about subprime mortgage and potential contagion to adjacent markets." Meanwhile, similar banks are down only 7 percent in that timeframe.
The sell-off is overdone, Tanona said. Investors aren't giving management enough credit for the positive momentum the company has built over the last few years, he said. He expects Merrill Lynch to beat Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter profit.
Tanona's $107 price target is 31 percent higher than the stock's close at $81.67 on the New York Stock Exchange Friday. Merrill replaced Jefferies Group Inc. on the Conviction Buy List.
Shares of Merrill Lynch rose $1.48 to $83.15 in premarket trading Monday.
Published by APLabels: GS, Hot Stocks, JEF, MER, NKM
Goldman Sachs (GS) Adds Merrill Lynch (MER) to Buy List
A Goldman Sachs analyst Monday added Merrill Lynch & Co. to its Americas Conviction Buy List, a roster of preferred stocks, saying investors are too focused on exposure to subprime mortgages and not focused enough on momentum in the investment bank's other businesses.
Goldman Sachs analyst William F. Tanona upgraded Merrill Lynch to "Buy" from "Neutral." Merrill's stock is down 17 percent since an all-time high on Jan. 18 because of "investor concerns about subprime mortgage and potential contagion to adjacent markets." Meanwhile, similar banks are down only 7 percent in that timeframe.
The sell-off is overdone, Tanona said. Investors aren't giving management enough credit for the positive momentum the company has built over the last few years, he said. He expects Merrill Lynch to beat Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter profit.
Tanona's $107 price target is 31 percent higher than the stock's close at $81.67 on the New York Stock Exchange Friday. Merrill replaced Jefferies Group Inc. on the Conviction Buy List.
Shares of Merrill Lynch rose $1.48 to $83.15 in premarket trading Monday.
Published by AP
Goldman Sachs analyst William F. Tanona upgraded Merrill Lynch to "Buy" from "Neutral." Merrill's stock is down 17 percent since an all-time high on Jan. 18 because of "investor concerns about subprime mortgage and potential contagion to adjacent markets." Meanwhile, similar banks are down only 7 percent in that timeframe.
The sell-off is overdone, Tanona said. Investors aren't giving management enough credit for the positive momentum the company has built over the last few years, he said. He expects Merrill Lynch to beat Wall Street's expectations for first-quarter profit.
Tanona's $107 price target is 31 percent higher than the stock's close at $81.67 on the New York Stock Exchange Friday. Merrill replaced Jefferies Group Inc. on the Conviction Buy List.
Shares of Merrill Lynch rose $1.48 to $83.15 in premarket trading Monday.
Published by AP
Labels: GS, Hot Stocks, JEF, MER, NKM





