STOCKS NEWS US-M. Stanley downgrades Apache, Chesapeake

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1133 EST 15March2010
M. Stanley downgrades Apache, Chesapeake

Morgan Stanley lowered its long-term natural gas price forecast, citing weak summer pricing and storage availability, and downgraded Apache Corp and Chesapeake Energy Corp .

The brokerage cut ratings on both Apache and Chesapeake to 'equal weight' from 'overweight.' While Chesapeake's downward revision was on less appealing valuation compared to peers, the analysts said the catalysts identified for Apache had played out.

For details, see

Shares of Chesapeake fell 2.5 percent to $25 while Apache sank 3.7 percent to $102.90.

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1120 EST 15March2010
KeyBanc upgrades two rail companies to 'buy'

KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded American Railcar Industries and Greenbrier Cos Inc to 'buy' from 'hold,' and said improving railcar fundamentals could result in better sentiment and backlog growth.

'We are seeing evidence of declining railroad velocity, firming lease rates, rising steel prices, and sequential increases in rail car loadings, which should lead to more railcars coming out of storage,' analyst Steve Barger said in a note dated March 14.

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Shares of Greenbrier rose 4.7 percent to $10.85 while American Railcar gained 8.8 percent to $11.19.

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1107 EST 15March2010
Medtronic rallies after comments by researchers

A noninvasive procedure that freezes and kills problem-causing heart tissue was nearly 10 times better at eliminating a potentially serious heart rhythm disorder than conventional anti-arrhythmic drugs, researchers said on Monday.

The clinical trial of Medtronic Inc's cryoablation system looked at 245 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, a condition marked by intermittent episodes abnormal heart rhythm that cause the upper chambers of the heart to quiver. For details, see

Shares of Medtronic rose 3.3 percent to $45.38.

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1103 EST 15March2010
OPEC to urge compliance, keep target steady

OPEC ministers ahead of their meeting on March 17 say there is no need to change output targets with oil prices above their preferred range, but soft demand is prompting calls to curb overproduction.

'In my opinion, I don't think we are going to see any change, even though inventories are high,' Qatar's Oil Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah told Reuters by telephone on Monday.

'The oil price and fluctuation is one of the many reasons that would lead to a rollover in supply targets.'

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1100 EST 15March2010
Petrohawk to sell Louisiana asset for $320 mln

Petrohawk Energy Corp said it agreed to sell its interest in Terryville Field, Louisiana, to a private company for $320 million.

The sale is the second of the four asset packages the company expects to sell in 2010.

For details, see

The stock fell 2 percent to $21.75.

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