AvalonBay Communities Downgraded at KBW Research (AVB)

Multifamily dwellings REIT AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AVB) on Tuesday saw its shares downgraded by analysts at KBW Research as part of a valuation call.

The firm cut its rating on AVB from “Outperform” to “Market Perform” with a new $117 price target. That target represents a small expected upside of 6% to the stock’s Friday closing price of $110.39.

A KBW analyst commented, “The stock is up approximately 20% since mid-May and we think it’s time for investors to take some profits. While we view AVB as a core holding and expect above-average core growth over the next couple years, AVB’s full valuation drives our downgrade. New PT is $117, pointing to a 9% potential return; NAV and estimates remain unchanged for now.”

AvalonBay shares were mostly flat in premarket trading Tuesday.

The Bottom Line
Shares of AVB have a 3.23% dividend yield, based on Friday’s closing stock price of $110.39. The stock has technical support in the $100 price area. If the shares can firm up, we see overhead resistance around the $120 price level. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (AVB) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

Picking the Right Nursing Home is More Than Just About Cost

With the population increasingly getting older, more and more people are faced with difficult decisions regarding older family members that can no longer be cared for in a normal home situation.

Before you even start worrying about the costs of nursing homes, ensure that the financial estate of your loved one has been squared away first. It’s a good idea to address this issue sooner (before anything goes wrong) than later. Sit down with an estate tax attorney, discuss your options, and get a plan in place.

The most important aspect of choosing a nursing home is the quality of care your loved one will receive. Again, this research is better done sooner rather than later.

Half of nursing home stays come after a hospital stay, so being prepared is clearly smart move. Each state has a so-called “long-term-care ombudsman” who advocates for nursing home residents and, generally, oversees paid staff as well as volunteers certified to handle complaints. To find out more information, you can visit www.ltcombudsman.org. You’ll also want to research nursing home health inspections, staffing, fire safety, and quality measures at www.medicare.gov/NHcompare.

Life is more than money, so remember to think long and hard about what is truly important to you and your family when it comes to caring for a loved one in their later years.

Paul Rubillo is the founder and CEO of Dividend.com.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

KBW Research Initiates Coverage on Moody’s as a “Market Perform” (MCO)

Analysts at KBW Research on Thursday started coverage on credit ratings agency Moody’s Corporation (MCO) with a neautral “Market Perform” rating.

The firm also set a $25 price target on the stock, which represents an expected 14% upside to its Wednesday closing price of $21.95.

A KBW analyst commented, “We believe that Moody’s will continue to be an important player in U.S. and international capital markets. While its reputation has been tarnished by the financial crisis and regulatory agencies have focused on ways to constrain its influence, alternatives remain limited and its earnings power remains strong. We do believe that concerns regarding legal and regulatory issues will continue to pressure the stock.”

Moody’s shares rose 10 cents, or +0.5%, in premarket trading Thursday.

The Bottom Line
We have avoided shares of MCO since our early June 2008 coverage began, when the stock was trading at $39.13. The company has a dividend yield of 1.91%, based on last night’s closing stock price of $21.95. The stock has technical support in the $18 price area. If the shares can rebound, we see overhead resistance around the $24 price level. We would remain on the sidelines for now.

Moody’s Corporation (MCO) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

Intel Broadens Their Reach with McAfee Deal

Intel (INTC) has long been known as a dominate hardware producer, with market share for its processors dwarfing that of the competition.

We’re Back!

We have received a number of emails and calls wondering why we have not published in thus far in August.

Market Wrap-Up for Aug.2 (FCX, CLF, BHP, BEN, MA, V, more)

What an amazing start to the week! The catalyst for today’s early 180+ point rally was actually the strong European markets and really nothing else.

Commodity-related shares got a big boost in today’s trading. Shares of Freeport McMoran (FCX), BHP Billiton (BHP), Cliffs’ Natural Resources (CLF) were all flying higher. Some of the stronger names from last week continued to ride higher once again, including Franklin Resources (BEN) and Public Storage (PSA). Interestingly enough, Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) headed opposite direction, which has not been the usual case recently. Both of these financial plays have tended to outperform the rest of the sector. Volume was once again mediocre on this big gain for the markets. Market experts continue to poo-pooh the accumulation/distribution factor and we are having a tough time getting super-bullish here if the volume trends remain the same.

A couple of things I wanted to pass along to our readers that we are carefully following, and what we hope our site is going to be able to be of assistance with. According to a recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, nearly half (47%) of early baby boomers aged 56 to 62 are at risk of outliving their retirement savings. Late boomers (46 to 55) and generation Xers (36 to 45) are also at a huge risk – 43% and 45% of those groups, respectively, will be unable to afford the growing cost of retirement.

I am very aware of these dangers that are building out there, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Social Security and its ability to be there for many of us when the time comes. It’s time to not leave much to chance, so we are hoping our readers become firm in their stance to not let this happen. A great way to ensure your retirement savings doesn’t run short is to invest on a consistent basis in high-quality dividend-paying stocks. We feature our “Best Dividend Stocks” list, where we believe investors can look to when looking to initiate or add to existing positions. If we remove a name from our list, that means we do not recommend putting new funds in that particular name at this current time. If we feel a stock is in real danger, we will sound the sirens with a “Sell” call, which is very rare (as we did with BP plc (BP)).

We’ll keep subscribers alerted to any further changes in our recommendations as they happen. Keep your head straight and don’t look for any “get rich” detours. Way too many have ventured, only to see capital disappear not too long afterward. It’s one thing to invest in yourself (such as starting a business), but always stay away from the penny-stock magic and get-rich quick options’ seminars. For the most part, the only ones making money there are the brokers.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.

Ockham Recognized for Second Quarter Performance

We are pleased to announce the Bank of New York’s ConvergEx has selected Ockham Research to receive its Best Bullish Stock Selection Award for the second quarter 2010.

Beware: Analyst Bulls Continue to Run Over Wall Street

At Ockham, we often like to check in on the prevailing school of thought among Wall Street analysts.

RIM says Toronto Stock Exchange OKs buyback plan
(AP)
AP – The Toronto Stock Exchange approved a plan by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. to repurchase up to about 22.5 million shares, the company said Tuesday.

CALGARY, Alberta, Nov.

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Emerging Stock Report Initiates Independent Research Coverage on NexMed, Inc. (GlobeNewswire)