Ticker Talk

Internet stock analyst Henry Blodget, known for his bold--and correct--price target on Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) in late 1998 of $400 (before two subsequent splits), upgraded the shares again Thursday. But this time around he set his price target at--yawn--$100. The stock jumped $14.75, or 21%, to $84.19 after Merrill Lynch’s Blodget raised his rating to “buy” from “accumulate” and three other brokerages also upgraded the stock on expectations of profitability--or at least narrowing losses--at the leading online retailer. . . . Shares of Hollywood Park track owner Churchill Downs Inc. (CHDN) were also off and running Thursday, as an analyst said insiders have big bets on the stock. The horse racing company’s insiders rarely buy shares, but in 1999 they bought more than 300,000 of them, said Bob Gabele, director of insider research for First Call/Thomson Financial. Churchill rose $2.75, or 12%, to close at $26.25 on Nasdaq. The stock has declined 32% in the last year.