Some analysts raised their price targets for Abercrombie & Fitch Co. on Wednesday, citing the retailer's strong 2012 earnings outlook and international prospects.

During an analyst day on Tuesday, Abercrombie & Fitch forecast 2012 earnings of $4.75 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect earnings of $4.31 per share.

The New Albany, Ohio-based chain also forecast revenue of $7.5 billion or more by 2015.

Edward Yruma of KeyBanc Capital Markets said in a client note that the revenue guidance relies mostly on aggressive overseas growth. He boosted the company's price target to $75 from $65 and maintained a "Buy" rating.

Betty Chen at Wedbush Securities boosted Abercrombie & Fitch's price target to $60 from $57 and kept a "Neutral" rating. She also increased the company's 2011 earnings estimate to $2.95 from $2.85 per share and raised her 2012 forecast to $4.75 from $3.88 per share, citing more international store openings.

But Chen said in a client note that the stock has been outperforming of late and that she "would prefer to become more constructive on a pullback as we remain concerned with the ability to increase U.S. store productivity given the domestic retail environment."

Retailers in the U.S. struggled during the recession as consumers pulled back on spending. Rising costs have pressured many to raise prices or prepare to boost prices, leaving experts to wonder how shoppers will react when they are also contending with increasing gas prices.

Shares of Cisco Systems Inc. led the technology sector higher Wednesday after CEO John Chambers vowed to take "bold steps" to turn the company around following recent missteps — including three disappointing quarterly reports.

In a memo to employees that the technology bellwether posted on its corporate blog Tuesday, Chambers offered few specifics but suggested that big changes are coming.

Shares of Cisco, which is the world's largest maker of networking equipment, on Wednesday rose 85 cents, or 5 percent — the most of any stock in the Dow Jones industrial average — to $18.07 in trading. The stock is still down about 10.4 percent year-to-date.

In a research note published during trading on Tuesday, Wedbush Morgan analyst Rohit Chopra called the memo a "necessary first step in order to reinvigorate growth" and added that he is "more optimistic about the company's prospects." In trading that day, Cisco shares rose 16 cents, or 1 percent, to close at 17.22.

Cisco has branched out beyond its core business of selling routers and switches that form the backbone of the Internet. It has moved into related areas such as cable set-top boxes and digital cameras that have made the company more visible to consumers.

Stock indexes are pushing higher ahead of the release of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting. The report is expected to give details into the central bank's views about how healthy the economy is.

Stocks had edged lower in early trading after a survey from the Institute of Supply Management showed a slower growth rate at service companies than analysts had predicted.

Microsoft, Intel and Cisco Systems are leading the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones industrial average.

The Dow is up 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 12,415 in midday trading. The S&P is up 3, or 0.2 percent, to 1,335. The Nasdaq composite is up 11, or 0.4 percent, to 2,800.

Stocks rose Thursday on stronger corporate earnings and hopes that the job market may be improving.

Software company Red Hat Inc., chip maker Micron Technology Inc. and Chef Boyardee maker ConAgra Foods Inc. all reported results that beat expectations. Earnings growth has been strong across U.S. companies, which are benefiting from lower costs and stronger revenue overseas.

The government also said fewer people filed for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are slowing. The average number of unemployment filings over the last four weeks has dropped to its lowest level since July 2008.

"Corporate earnings continue to be exceptionally strong," said Oliver Pursche, president of Gary Goldberg Financial Services. "I think the markets continue to focus on the underlying recovery of the U.S. economy."

Investors are turning their attention away from a long list of recent worries including high oil prices, violence in Libya and Japan's nuclear crisis. Portugal also headed closer to a bailout after its government resigned late Wednesday. European leaders are meeting to discuss the region's debt problems.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 73 points, or 0.6 percent, to 12,159. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 9 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,307. The Nasdaq composite index rose 29 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,727.

Oil hovered around $106 per barrel Thursday after government reports gave a mixed read on the U.S. economic recovery.

The Commerce Department said companies trimmed orders for manufactured goods in February, suggesting that businesses are limiting their spending right now. More positive news came from the Labor Department, which said fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that employers could be expanding their work forces.

Benchmark crude prices fluctuated as traders digested the news. The contract for May delivery added 52 cents at $106.27 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Prices have jumped 24 percent since the middle of February, when a rebellion broke out in Libya and eventually squeezed off production that supplied nearly 2 percent of the world's oil. While rebels and pro-Gadhafi forces still battle in Libya, and the U.S. and other nations enforce a no-fly zone, some oil companies are taking their workers out of Yemen where anti-government protests have been intensifying. Yemen produces only 0.3 percent of the world's oil, according to the International Energy Administration, but it is an important transit point for crude shipments in the Middle East.