A Big Upgrade for Immucor

In addition to following professional firms, anyone can use Motley Fool CAPS
to monitor the collective opinions of more than 130,000 members, some
of whom demonstrate better investing insight than published analysts do.

More top-performing CAPS members are having that bullish feeling about Immucor (Nasdaq: BLUD) lately, enough to upgrade it from the three- and four-star ranks it had held for months to the highest-possible five stars.
A total of 457 members have given their opinion on Immucor, with many
of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.

As hospitals have tightened capital spending and delayed orders of major purchases, medical device makers such as Intuitive Surgical (Nasdaq: ISRG) and Hansen Medical (Nasdaq: HNSN), as well as implantable device makers like Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) and Medtronic
(NYSE: MDT), have been experiencing slower sales. Blood transfusion
specialist Immucor -- a manufacturer of automated systems for various
types of blood tests -- has also experienced pressure on domestic sales
of its Galileo system. But demand for the consumable reagents for such systems remains strong, which is nice because the reagents account for about 90% of Immucor's total revenue.

In its most recent quarter, Immucor beat Wall Street's earnings
expectations, with revenue growing 12%. The company also anticipates
that fiscal 2009 profit will come in at the high end of, or slightly
above, its previous guidance. Even though Immucor signed a five-year
renewal agreement with Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX)
to be its preferred vendor for reagents and blood-bank automation
systems, shares have taken a hit recently after the Department of
Justice began investigating Immucor and competitor Johnson & Johnson
(NYSE: JNJ) for possible antitrust violations. Regardless of the
possible short-term issues, many CAPS members see great long-term
potential in Immucor.                

To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about Immucor -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS
and have a look. The community research and resources in CAPS are
totally free, unlike analyst opinions reserved for paying clients.

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