Analyst opinions on stocks making headlines in Friday’sitting market

From Standard & Poor’s Equity Research

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12/26/2008- 11:23am S&P REITERATES STRONG BUY OPINION ON SHARES OF APPLE (AAPL)

Wal-Mart (WMT) announces the availability of certain AAPL iPhone products on Sunday December 28 by way of some 2,500 Wal-Mart stores. This is roughly 10 times the number of AAPL’s admit stores. We view this move as the company following through on existing strategies to add iPhone distribution partners and to build brand awareness with a broader consumer audience. We believe this move will support the market-share gains that we project for AAPL’s smart phone products in 2009. We assert our FY 09 (Sep) EPS estimate of $5.50 and our P/E-based 12-month target recompense of $127. /T. Smith, CFA

12/26/2008- 12:40pm S&P RAISES RECOMMENDATION ON SHARES OF GIBRALTAR INDUSTRIES TO BUY FROM HOLD (ROCK)

Our opinion change is based on estimation. On a more pessimistic outlook because of the construction products business, we are cutting our ‘08 EPS reckon to $1.32 from $1.45 and trimming ’09’s to $0.89 from $1.17. Based on our revised estimate for ‘09, we are reducing our 12-month mark price to $12 from $15. Based on our projected P/E, ROCK would sell toward the low end of its historical sweep. But after a recent sharp price marasmus, we think ROCK is attractively valued, selling at in regard to 11.6X our revised ‘09 EPS estimate and with a general dividend yield of nearly 2%. /L. Larkin

12/26/2008- 12:55pm S&P UPGRADES RECOMMENDATION ON ADSS OF TOTAL SA TO STRONG BUY FROM BUY (TOT)

We believe TOT is origin suited for a depressed awkward oil cost setting due to its geographical diversification, lack of derivatives exposure, and one of the highest percentages of production and earnings derived from low-cost production areas amid major European oil companies. TOT is in addition rapidly growing its Middle East appearance, another low-cost area, and it believes this area will represent 20% of worldwide production in 4 years. We raise our profits. per ADS estimates to $7.83 from $7.75 in ‘08 and to $8.14 from $7.90 in ‘09. We elevate our 12-month target price by $1 to $92. /C. Tiscareno

Original text: http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/dec2008/pi20081226_025438.htm?campaign_id=rss_null