AngioDynamics (NASDAQ: ANGO) provides medical devices used by interventional radiologists and surgeons for the minimally invasive treatment of cancer and peripheral vascular disease. The firm's oncology product line includes image-guided radiofrequency ablation devices, used to kill cancer cells by heating and destroying them. The peripheral vascular line includes a variety of instruments to clear and drain non-cardiac arteries. The company's products are sold in more than thirty countries. Competitors include Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX).

The firm pleased investors late last month, when it reported fiscal Q4 EPS of 41 cents and revenues of $46.8 million. Analysts had been looking for 17 cents and $45.6 million. Management also guided FY09 EPS to 68 cents (64 cent consensus) and FY09 revenues to $205-$210 million ($201.32M consensus).

The stock popped through 50-day moving average resistance on the news and has since moved into a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with two "strong buys", two "buys" and three "holds". Analysts expect a 34% growth rate, through the next year. The ANGO PEG ratio (1.12), Price to Sales ratio (2.18), Price to Book ratio (1.02), Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (18.89), Sales Growth rate (14.43%) and EPS Growth rate (241.67%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. About 89% of the outstanding shares are held by institutional investors. Over the past fifty-two weeks, the stock has traded between $9.80 and $21.69. A stop-loss of $13.90 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ) designs, manufactures, and distributes medical devices for heart-related and neurological conditions. The firm's Cardiac Rhythm Management segment makes pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, to regulate heart rhythm. The Neuromodulation unit develops pacemaker-like implantable systems to treat chronic, intractable pain, and other nervous system disorders. The Cardiovascular division offers therapies and technologies for treating people with cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease. The Atrial Fibrillation segment develops products to diagnose, treat, and seek a cure for atrial fibrillation. Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) is a major competitor.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q2 EPS of 60 cents and revenues of $1.14 billion. Analysts had been expecting 55 cents and $1.06 billion. The CEO noted that revenue exceeded guidance in every business category. Management also guided Q3 EPS to 56-58 cents (53 cent consensus) and FY08 EPS to $2.28-$2.33 ($2.19 consensus).

The stock popped into a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern on the news. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with eight "strong buys", nine "buys", eight "holds" and one "sell". Analysts see a 15% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The STJ Sales Growth rate (19.92%), EPS Growth rate (33.33%), Operating Margin (23.26%), Net Profit Margin (16.24%), Return on Assets (12.43%), Return on Investment (16.12%) and Return on Equity (23.64%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 500 Index. Institutional investors hold about 87% of the outstanding shares. Over the past 52 weeks, STJ has traded between $36.90 and $48.49. A stop-loss of $40.60 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold a position in either of the stocks discussed above.

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Merit Medical Systems (NASDAQ: MMSI) develops and manufactures proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology and radiology. Offerings include the catheters, guide wires, inflation devices, needles, and tubing used in heart stent procedures, pacemaker placements, and angioplasties. As well, Merit makes products for endoscopy, dialysis, and other therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) are major competitors.

The firm pleased investors last week, when it guided Q2 EPS to 19-21 cents and Q2 revenues to about $57.4 million. Analysts had been expecting 16 cents and $55.77 million. Gross margins for the quarter were estimated at 42.7%, which would be a 500 basis point improvement from Q2'07. CL King subsequently upgraded the shares to "accumulate".

The stock popped on the news and has now begun to define a bullish "pennant" pattern. Prices frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers recommend the shares with two "strong buys", two "buys" and one "hold". Analysts expect a 20% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The MMSI Price to Book ratio (2.88), Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (25.88), EPS Growth rate (50.00%), Operating Margin (11.93%) and Return on Assets (8.46%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 82% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $10.89 and $19.48. A stop-loss of $16.50 looks good here. Note that the firm is expected to report Q2 results on July 23rd, after the close.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) got approval for its new drug-coated stent. The products are used to open clogged arteries, often in the place of by-pass surgery. The field has been dominated by deeply troubled medical device company Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX). It looks that the weakened company is in for much more pain.

According to The Wall Street Journal, ABT "received regulatory approval for its Xience V drug-coated stent, which is expected to be the top seller in the roughly $2 billion U.S. market because it appears to be more effective than rival devices." Boston Scientific will sell the new Abbott product, but with 40% of the revenue going to its rival, it is hard to see how that is a good deal.

BSX has been beaten by competition at almost every turn. It took on tremendous debt when it bought medical device company Guidant. It faced trouble when some Guidant products hit quality control issues. Boston Scientific stents came under criticism a year ago, when medical research questioned how effective they were.

BSX traded at almost $45 in 2004. It is now at about $12. With new competition and a bad balance sheet, that is not likely to change much.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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After hitting a one-year high of $16.67 last June, the stock hit a one-year low of $10.76 in January. BSX opened this morning at $13.20. So far today the stock has hit a low of $13.16 and a high of $13.56. As of 12:45, BSX is trading at $13.36, up$ 0.25 (1.9%). The chart for BSX looks bullish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a November bull-put credit spread below the $10 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 8.7% return in just six months as long as BSX is above $10 at November expiration. BSX would have to fall by more than 25% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

BSX hasn't been below $10.75 at all in the past year and has shown support around $12.50 recently. This trade could be risky if the company's earnings (due out in late July) disappoint, but even if that happens, this position could be protected by the support the stock might find at its 200 day moving average, which is currently around $13 and rising.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in BSX.

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Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) is a medical technology company, specializing in a variety of implantable biomedical devices. Leading products include pacemakers, stents, catheters, glucose monitoring systems and insulin pumps. The firm's Cardiac Surgery segment offers products for the repair and replacement of heart valves, surgical accessories, and surgical ablation products. A Physio-Control unit provides external defibrillation and emergency response systems. Medtronic sells its products to hospitals, clinics, third party healthcare providers and governmental healthcare programs. Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) are major competitors.

Investors were pleased last week, when Medtronic announced fiscal Q4 EPS of 78 cents and revenues of $3.86 billion. Analysts had been expecting 72 cents and $3.72 billion. Management also guided FY09 EPS to $2.94-$3.02 ($2.96 consensus) and FY09 revenues to $15-$15.5 billion ($15.14 consensus). UBS subsequently reiterated its "buy" rating on the shares.

MDT popped on the news and then moved into a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers recommend the issue with eight "strong buys," nine "buys" and eleven "holds." The MDT Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (24.29), Sales Growth rate (17.68%), Operating Margin (21.35%), Net Profit Margin (16.51%), Return on Assets (10.70%), Return on Investment (12.53%) and Return on Equity (19.82%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 77% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 100 and S&P 500 Indexes. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $44.26 and $57.99. A stop-loss of $44.90 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) provides machine vision computer systems that automate a range of manufacturing processes. Essentially, the systems link to video cameras and serve as eyes where human vision is insufficient. The firm's Modular Vision Systems automate the manufacture of discrete items (e.g: semiconductor chips) by locating, identifying, inspecting and measuring them during the manufacturing process. Its Surface Inspection Systems monitor the surfaces of materials processed in a continuous fashion (e.g: paper, metal, plastic) for imperfections. Cognex has offices throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX), Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and Sony (NYSE: SNE) are customers.

Cognex pleased investors earlier in the week, when it reported Q1 EPS of 20 cents and revenues of $60.5 million. Analysts had been looking for 17 cents and $59.9 million. Management also guided Q2 EPS to 20-24 cents (20 cent consensus) and Q2 revenues to $65-$68 million ($63.14 million consensus). The firm expects gross margin to remain in the low-70% range.

The CGNX share price popped on the news and then moved into a bullish "pennant" consolidation pattern. Stocks frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with one "strong buy", four "buys" and two "holds". Analysts see a 24% growth rate, through the next year. The CGNX Price to Book ratio (2.27) and EPS Growth rate (100.00%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutions hold about 94% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $14.67 and $26.45. A stop-loss of $22.00 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) is up almost 4% on a strong quarter.

International Coal (NYSE:ICO) is up almost 9% on positive earnings.

NetFlix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is off almost 14% on weak guidance.

CIT (NYSE:CIT) is off 13% after raising $1.5 billion.

Shares may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) is trading up 15% on positive trials of one of its products.

IAC/Interactive (NASDAQ:IACI) is trading up 6% on news that CEO Barry Diller won the right in a cout case to break-up the company.

Schering-Plough (NYSE:SGP) is down 19% on negative news on one of its most important drugs.

Thornburg (NYSE:TMA) is off 15% on news that the company is still trying to raise more capital.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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LifeCell Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFC) provides surgeons with regenerative and reconstructive tissue matrices for soft tissue repair. Products include AlloDerm, for plastic reconstructive, general surgical, burn and periodontal procedures; Strattice, for plastic reconstructive and general surgical procedures; Graftjacket, for orthopedic applications and lower extremity wounds; Allocraft, for bone grafting procedures; and Repliform, for urogynecologic surgical procedures. The materials are sold in the US and abroad, through a direct sales force and through such distributors as Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX).

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q4 EPS of 19 cents and revenues of $52.6 million. Analysts had been expecting 17 cents and $52.2 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $0.98-$1.06 ($1.04 consensus) and FY08 revenues to $233-$243 million ($238.89M consensus). Needham subsequently upgraded the issue to "strong buy" and boosted its price target to $55.

The stock price popped on the news and has since been consolidating the gain in a bullish "flag" pattern. Stocks frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers now recommend the issue with two "strong buys", three "buys" and six "holds". Analysts expect a 33% growth rate, through the next year. The LIFC Sales Growth rate (32.76%), Operating Margin (22.72%), Net Profit Margin (14.07%), Return on Assets (14.37%) and Return on Investment (17.89%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 90% of the outstanding shares. Over the past 52 weeks, LIFC has traded between $23.29 and $48.28. A stop-loss of $35.50 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in either of the stocks mentioned above.

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Recent data suggests that America's largest industrial companies are piling up cash. The New York Times reports: "According to S.& P., the total cash held by companies in its industrial index exceeded $600 billion in February, up from about $203 billion in 1998."

That is good news if the money does something other than sit in the bank. A number of very large companies like Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) don't need anywhere near the tons of greenbacks in their accounts and they add more every quarter.

The money probably has two potential uses. One is to buy other companies -- as the market falls, there are going to be more deals at lower prices. Of course, many deals don't work. Some of these will fail to find economies of scale and lead to write-offs like the Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) buyout of Guidant. Everyone lost as the BSX shares fell apart.

The second option is that companies could just do the simple thing and turn the cash back to shareholders. Everyone wins and it is hard to screw up a big one-time dividend.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com

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Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) provides machine vision computer systems that automate a range of manufacturing processes. Essentially, the systems link to video cameras and serve as eyes where human vision is insufficient. The firm's Modular Vision Systems automate the manufacture of discrete items (e.g: semiconductor chips) by locating, identifying, inspecting and measuring them during the manufacturing process. Its Surface Inspection Systems monitor the surfaces of materials processed in a continuous fashion (e.g: paper, metal, plastic) for imperfections. Cognex has offices throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX), Ford Motor (NYSE: F) and Sony (NYSE: SNE) are customers.

The company pleased investors earlier in the month, when it reported Q4 EPS of 25 cents and revenues of $65.3 million. Analysts had been expecting 20 cents and $60.9 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 13-18 cents (18 cent consensus) and Q1 revenues to $58-$61 million ($58.45 million consensus). In discussing the coming year, the CEO alluded to the introduction of "a number of important new products." Needham subsequently upgraded the shares to "strong buy" and declared a price target of $25.

The price popped on the news and then moved into a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Stocks frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers now recommend the issue with two "strong buys", three "buys" and two "holds". Analysts see a 25% growth rate, through the next year. The CGNX Price to Book ratio (1.78), Operating Margin (12.00%), Net Profit Margin (11.92%) and Revenue per Employee ($282k) compare favorably with industry averages. Institutions hold about 90% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $14.67 and $25.87. A stop-loss of $16.80 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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UBS downgraded American Express (NYSE: AXP) to "sell" from "buy," according to the AP.

Citigroup upgraded Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to "hold" from "sell," according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Bear Stearns cut Ford (NYSE: F) from "outperform" to "peer perform" and GM (NYSE: GM) to "under perform" from "peer perform."

Thornburg Mortgage (NYSE: TMA) was raised to "buy" from "hold" at Jefferies according to Briefing.com.

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• Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) was upgraded at Banc of America from Neutral to Buy.
• KB Home (NYSE: KBH) and Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) were both upgraded at BoA from Neutral to Buy while Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) was upgraded from Sell to Neutral. KBH shares are up over 3.3% in premarket trading, PHM's over 7.2%, and TOL over 1.1%.
• Potash Corp. (NYSE: POT) was upgraded at Citigroup from Hold to Buy. POT shares are up nearly 1.6% in premarket trading.
• SiRF Technology (NASDAQ: SIRF) received at least four downgrades after reporting sharply lower fourth-quarter profit that missed Wall Street expectations. Sales missed too. SIRF shares are down nearly 43% in premarket action.

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MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Merrill initiated CTC Media (NASDAQ: CTCM) with a Buy rating, citing the company's healthy ad growth outlook and substantial barriers to entry.
  
• B. Riley initiated Callidus Software (NASDAQ: CALD) with a Buy rating and $7 target and believes the company's growing On-Demand offering is being overlooked by investors.
• Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN) was assumed with an Overweight rating at JP Morgan. The firm views the company as an attractive investment opportunity given the company's growing pipeline of differentiated antibody therapies and partnership with Genentech (NYSE: DNA).

• Cowen initiated Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) with a Neutral rating and St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ) with an Outperform rating.
  
• Lehman initiated UDR Inc (NYSE: UDR) with an Equal Weight rating.

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In the business world, innvoation leads to longevity. There is a medical products firm in Deerfield, Illinois that was the first manufacturer of commercially prepared intravenous solutions. It was also responsible for such landmark developments as the first container that could store blood for more than a few hours, the first means of separating plasma from whole blood and storing it for future use, and the first disposable total-bypass blood-oxygenator. The company has been in business for 76 years.

Baxter International (NYSE: BAX) is a diversified medical products and services company. It provides devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology for the treatment of hemophilia, immune disorders, cancer, infectious diseases, kidney disease and trauma. The BioScience segment manufactures plasma-based therapies for immune disorders, biosurgery products for hemostasis, and vaccines. The Medication Delivery unit makes intravenous solutions and administration sets. The Renal segment manufactures products for peritoneal dialysis, a home therapy for people with end-stage renal disease. Boston Scientific (NYSEL: BSX) is a major competitor.

Investors were pleased last week, when Citigroup upgraded the shares from "hold" to "buy." Analyst Matthew J. Dodds said the firm can increase its gross margins above Wall Street expectations, a welcome prediction ahead of the Baxter's fourth quarter report (1/24). He also predicted 2008 EPS of $3.21, versus the Street expectation of $3.10.

Altogether, brokers now recommend the shares with five "buys" and four "holds". Analysts expect a 14% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The BAX EPS Growth rate (22.81%), Operating Margin (18.88%), Net Profit Margin (15.08%), Return on Assets (11.83%), Return on Investment (15.51%) and Return on Equity (26.30%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 85% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 500 and S&P 100 Indexes. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $47.20 and $65.20. A stop-loss of $56.25 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com. He does not hold positions in any of the stocks mentioned above.

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