What analysts are saying: St. Jude and Target

St. Jude Medical on Monday acquired Endosense, a Swiss-based maker of a catheter with special measurement technology.

JPMorgan analysts see the technology as a potential differentiator in the treatment of atrial fibrillation that can also be applied to other St. Jude products. "Our sense is that this is an area of active development," the analysts wrote. "We would expect to hear more about the long-term plans for the Endosense technology at St. Jude's February analyst meeting."

Analysts covering Target Corp. were less than thrilled with the retailer's second-quarter results released Wednesday. U.S. stores showed tepid growth and Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said "we continue to learn, adjust and refine operations" halfway through its major store expansion into Canada.

Three analysts downgraded their recommendations on Target. David Strasser from Janney Montgomery Scott moved from "buy" to "neutral." Mark Miller from William Blair & Co. from "outperform" to "underperform." And Gregory Melich from ISI Group moved from "strong buy" to "buy." Overall analysts hold 12 "buys," 15 "holds" and one "sell" on Target.