Analyst Action: New Stock Ratings

A sampling of new ratings and changes issued Wednesday by Wall Street analysts:

* Apollo Group Inc. (ticker: APOL; close and change: $29.06, up $2.69) was rated new “buy” by Hambrecht & Quist, with a 12-month target price of $43.

* Campbell Soup Co. (CPB; $42.25, up 56 cents) was downgraded to “perform in line” from “outperform” by Schroder & Co.

* Carnival Corp. (CCL; $45, up $1.25) was raised to “buy” from “hold” by Lazard Freres & Co.

* Corinthian Colleges Inc. (COCO; $17.50, up $1.75) was rated new “buy” by Hambrecht & Quist, with a 12-month target price of $32.

* Dell Computer Corp. (DELL; $39.81, down $4.25) was downgraded to “hold” from “buy” by Warburg Dillon Read.

* Launch Media Inc. (LAUN; $24.50, up $2.38) was rated new “focus list” by Hambrecht & Quist.

* MIPS Technologies Inc. (MIPS; $35.69, up $1.81) was rated “strong buy” in new coverage by Credit Suisse First Boston, with a target of $60.

* Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI; $43.38, up 38 cents) was rated new “strong buy” by Pacific Crest Securities.