UPDATE: Stifel Nicolaus Upgrades Mercury General to Hold on Valuation

Stifel Nicolaus upgrade Mercury General MCY from Sell to Hold. Stifel Nicolaus commented, "Mercury's shares closed at $38.35 on Tuesday, which is less than 1% above our $38 fair value estimate. … Since January 2nd, Mercury's shares have traded down by over 5% in response to recently-passed California auto insurance regulations that prohibit insurers from knowingly using parts of inferior quality (i.e., most usually non-OEM parts). We estimate that the regulations could boost claim costs by about 1.7%, adding about 120 bps to Mercury's full-year combined ratios in 2013 and 2014." Mercury General closed at $38.35 on Tuesday.