UPF

The company's fundamental outlook remains unchanged since then and the stock may continue to "underperform BP peers," Patterson wrote in a note.

And what would happen if they underperformed?" Vitanov wonders.

Barclays lifted the company's price target to BRL 31 from BRL 30 and the rating to "hold" from the previous "underperform".

24 November 2011 - RBC Capital Markets has cut its advice on Danish Danske Bank A/S (CPH:DANSKE) to "underperform" from "sector perform" and its share price target to DKK69 from DKK82.

8 September 2011 - Credit Suisse has axed its rating on French drug manufacturer Ipsen (EPA:IPN) to "underperform" from "neutral", slashing the share price target to EUR21 from EUR29 after the firm issued recently its first-half figures.

Credit Suisse's "underperform" rating means that the total return on the company's shares -- price gains plus dividend -- is expected to be at least 10% to 15% lower than the sector average in the next twelve months.

Credit Suisse also upgraded Novartis AG, Switzerland's second-largest drugmaker, to "neutral" from "underperform," while increasing its price estimate on the stock to 60 Swiss francs from 51, to reflect new foreign exchange assumptions and defensive characteristics.

Subsequent rationalizations will identify 12% to 20% of the SKUs that either underperform and need improvement or elimination.

Instead, we find that working magnets chronically underperform and are often costly from a maintenance standpoint."

One year's top-performing money managers are as likely to underperform the market the following year as they are to turn in a superior performance.

(DOW) to Underperform from Neutral and Westlake Chemical (WLK) to Underperform from Buy, noting their commodity exposure.