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Wedbush Morgan Downgrades Blockbuster (BBI) to Neutral

August 14, 2009 11:43 AM EDT
BBI Hot Sheet
Rating Summary:
    0 Buy, 0 Hold, 0 Sell

Rating Trend: = Flat

Today's Overall Ratings:
    Up: 16 | Down: 7 | New: 23
Wedbush Morgan downgrades Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) from Outperform to Neutral, citing pressure from Redbox on one side and from creditors on the others.

The firm said upside potential for the stock is limited near-term until the company is able to restructure its heavy debt burden. The firm commented, "The company is presently buffeted by a confluence of negative forces—slowing customer traffic, increasing competition and costlier debt. As pressure from Coinstar's (Nasdaq: CSTR) Redbox DVD rental kiosks intensifies, Blockbuster’s profitability is eroding precisely when it needs to generate sufficient free cash flow to retire a large amount of debt in 12 – 16 months."

Shares of BBI are down 14% today to $0.74 per share.

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