Tw telecom shares jump after JPMorgan upgrade

Tw telecom shares jump after JPMorgan upgrade; analyst sees wireline stabilizing

• On 1:30 pm EST, Tuesday November 10, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of tw telecom inc. hit a 12-month high Tuesday, propelled by a JPMorgan upgrade on expectations for a recovery in the business telecommunications market.

JPMorgan analyst Mike McCormack raised the company to "overweight" from "neutral" in a note to investors, calling it "the best opportunity for investment in the telecommunications sector."

He said a meeting with top executives added evidence that the wireline business -- providing local and long-distance telephone service -- is starting to level off and could begin a recovery in the last months of the year.

McCormack said pricing is still competitive. "Management noted that aggressive competition exists in the low end of the market and AT&T and Verizon fiercely protect the high end," he said. "But in general pricing remains rational."

Tw telecom, formerly Time Warner Telecom, reported a third-quarter profit of $7.7 million last week, reversing a year-earlier loss. Revenue rose 5 percent to $304.8 million.

In afternoon trading Tuesday, its shares were up $1.14, or 8.2 percent, to $14.97 after reaching a high of $15.24. The stock had traded between $5.09 and $14.89 over the past year.