UPDATE: Sterne Agee Upgrades DST Systems to Buy, Reiterates $71 PT

In a report published Friday, Sterne Agee Group upgraded its rating on DST Systems DST from Neutral to Buy, and reiterated its $71.00 price target. Sterne Agee noted, “We are upgrading DST to a Buy with a $71 price target. We believe DST is on a clear path to monetize a significant amount of its non-core assets, something investors have waited years to see. As monetization events occur, we expect the stock to continue to respond positively. Our sum-of-the-parts analysis yields a fair value of $71, but we note that there are multiple points of conservatism in our analysis. On a fundamental basis, we expect to see improving trends in 2013.” DST Systems closed on Thursday at $61.85.