Ticker Talk

Among Thursday’s stock brokerage analyst action: Northwest Airlines (ticker: NWAC; close and change: $28, up $1.50) was raised to “buy” from “market perform” by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, with a 12-month target price of $42; Park Place Entertainment (PPE; $9.06, up 94 cents) was raised to “strong buy” from “buy” by BT Alex. Brown, with a target “in the $9-to-$10 range”; Computer Sciences (CSC; $59.63, up 25 cents) was rated “outperform” in new coverage by Salomon Smith Barney, with a target of $70; and Intimate Brands (IBI; $51, up $2.38) was downgraded to “sell” from “accumulate” by Parker Hunter Inc.