What analysts are saying: 'Buy' ratings maintained after Evine Live reports earnings

Evine Live reported its fourth-quarter and year-end results on Wednesday. The quarter was solid, with net sales up 4 percent to $201.2 million and adjusted earnings of 6 cents per share, compared with 0 cents per share in the fourth quarter last year.

The Eden Prairie-based company is now operating fully under the new Evine Live name. It used to be ValueVision Media.

Lake Street Capital Markets analyst Mark Argento called Evine's fourth quarter a solid end to a transition year in which the company changed management, adopted the new name and began the process of launching new proprietary products.

"We weren't looking for heroics in Q4," wrote Argento, "although we were impressed with how the core business performed."

Argento maintained his "buy" rating.

Analyst Mark Smith from Feltl and Co. maintained his "buy" rating on the company as well. "Management will continue to be opportunistic and nimble in its approach to adding new brands, programming and customers," Smith wrote. "The company will continue its metamorphosis in 2015."

Weak steel and iron-ore markets could hamper utility provider Allete

Turnure is assuming a modest contribution from the addition of St. Michael-based U.S. Water but has bigger concerns about the company's big industrial contracts in the mining industry especially after two recent shutdowns at Minnesota iron ore plants — one of which was in Allete's service area.

"Allete's regulated utility is uniquely exposed to large industrial customer concentration," wrote Turnure. "The company therefore has limited downside production in an environment of contracting demand."