Analyst Upgrades

• Auriga upgraded Computer Programs & Systems (CPSI) to hold from sell after channel checks indicated Q1 could be the bottom for stagnation of new system sales. The firm raised its target for shares to $38 from $32.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Tetra Tech (TTEK) to buy from neutral due to valuation. The firm has a $26 price target on the stock.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Energy Transfer Equity (ETE) to buy from hold and raised its target for shares to $40 from $27.
• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Mariott (MAR) was raised to buy from sell at Societe Generale.
• Telus (TU) was upgraded at TD Newcrest to action list buy from buy.

Palm (PALM) got hit in yesterday's after-hours session after announcing its third-quarter earnings report to Wall Street. According to BusinessWeek, an adjusted loss of 61 cents per diluted share was recorded on the bottom line. Analysts thought the loss wouldn't be so severe; they projected red ink of 42 cents per share.

Shares of Palm were down over 15% in extended trading. That's enough to scare any shareholder into rethinking the investment thesis with this business.

Shares of Research In Motion's (RIMM), first recommended on May 5, 2009, at a price of $77.07, remain in recovery mode.

After arcing to $88, RIMM's shares had swooned to about $54 in the fall 2009, including a protracted drop below the key, 50-day moving average -- a technical support breach that raised caution flags.

Research in Motion (RIMM) closed at $73.55. RIMM is expected to report Q4 EPS on March 30. March option implied volatility is at 37, April is at 45, June at 40; versus its 26-week average of 46, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement into EPS.

SPDR Homebuilders (XHB) closed at $16.73. XHB March call option implied volatility is at 23, puts at 30, April calls are at 22, puts are at 31, below its 26-week average of 37, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Analyst Upgrades

• JMP Securities views Yahoo!'s (YHOO) risk-reward as compelling, especially as cyclical and secular growth of online advertising improves. The firm upgraded shares to outperform from market perform and has a $21 target.
• FBR Capital upgraded PNC Financial (PNC) to outperform from market perform, citing an attractive valuation and better risk profile following the company's capital raise. The firm raised its target price on shares to $65 fro $55.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded SEI Investments (SEIC) to buy from neutral on expectations the company's revenues will accelerate in 2011. The firm has a $28 price target on shares.
• Research in Motion (RIMM) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Cisco (CSCO) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Macy's (M) was upgraded to buy from hold at Soleil.

Research In Motion Limited (RIMM) found itself basking in the glow of an analyst love-fest this morning. Bright and early, RBC raised its rating on RIMM from outperform to top pick, while Wedbush Morgan initiated coverage of the BlackBerry parent with an upbeat outperform rating.

In a note to clients, RBC argued that the stock's current price doesn't reflect potential bullish catalysts -- such as a new Web browser, fresh developer tools, and the prospect of a touchscreen Bold phone.

Has Facebook found its edge on Twitter? The largest social networking site in the world, with more than 400 million users, has struggled to strike a decisive blow against the microblogging service, which surged to a user base of 60 million last year. Despite the large disparity in members, the two have been fighting for ownership of the "status update." The latest data from Facebook, however, shows that it may have an angle for beating Twitter.

According to Facebook-watcher InsideFacebook, 25% of the company's 400 million users access the social media platform from mobile devices, putting it squarely in Twitter's domain. That's 100 million mobile users, putting it up 67% relative to Twitter. The battle for status from mobile devices is where you'd expect to see the fight fought, but the other utilities being accessed from smartphones may ultimately determine the winner.

Research in Motion (RIMM) closed $66.67. RIMM is expected to report Q4 EPS on March 30. March option implied volatility is at 40, June is at 43, versus its 26-week average of 48 according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Motorola (MOT) closed at $6.57. Barron's said MOT shares look increasingly attractive on a sum-of-the-parts basis. March and April option implied volatility of 48 is below its 26-week average of 52, according to Track Data, suggesting slightly decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

As I sit in the Istanbul Airport watching the snow fall outside, I'm reminded of the song by the great Willie Nelson. Some of the best memories of my childhood include singing that song with my father, as we traveled on holiday from campsite to campsite. Today, those words have a much different meaning.

I just drained the last few electrons of my BlackBerry's battery, as I told my family the bad news. My flight has been canceled, and it will be another day before I get home, and another weekend lost in the air.

About an hour ago, Apple (AAPL) finally unveiled its much anticipated and rumored tablet computer -- the iPad. For the past couple of years, many wondered why Apple never got into the netbook market. Steve Jobs, Apple's founder, CEO and visionary explained that netbooks simply are not better than laptops. The iPad, however, according to Jobs is.

Specs, from Engadget: The Apple iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds, and has a 9.7-inch touchscreen LCD display. It's running Apple's own 1GHz "A4" chip, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It'll come in three sizes and prices points: 16GB -- sold for $499, 32GB -- sold for $599, and 64GB -- $699.

Monday morning, mobile phone firm Motorola (MOT) found itself on the lips of lawyers and judges. The first reason is that a lawsuit commenced in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of MOT stock purchasers who made their purchase from December 6, 2007 through January 22, 2008.

The lawsuit alleges that Motorola and "certain of its officers and directors" violated federal securities laws by "intentionally and knowingly misstating the 2007 fourth quarter earnings projections and sales demands for the RAZR2 during the 2007 holiday shopping season." The suit states that Motorola's RAZR2 did not attract buyers thanks to its $299 price tag and the fact that it had not improved enough from the RAZR. Nevertheless, Motorola made positive statements all while losing "significant market share" to its competition. The defendants claim that Motorola senior execs knew that Motorola was not on track to hit their profit forecast of 12 cents to 14 cents per share, and would like a bit of compensation.

The market held up well considering the news flow today. The jobless claims grew again and the retail sales were far from impressive. We had Obama publicly attacking the banks for more taxes, and even that didn't hurt the bank stocks. A well-received 30-Year Treasury auction helped with those who might spread fear about a bond market bubble as well.

Here are the unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,711.60 +30.83 (0.29%)
S&P 500 1,148.61 +2.93 (0.26%)
Nasdaq 2,318.01 +10.11 (0.44%)

Top Analyst Upgrades/Downgrades
Top Day Trader Alerts
Top Stock Rumors

Eastman Kodak (EK) is grabbing headlines after the film firm filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), alleging that Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and Research In Motion Limited's (RIMM) BlackBerry camera phones infringe on Kodak's patents. Kodak is asking the ITC to block Apple and RIMM from importing the offending devices.

Additionally, the iconic photography company filed two suits against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Kodak is claiming infringement of patents "related to digital cameras and certain computer processes."

McDonald's (MCD) isn't the only company tapping into the "billions" game. In a bit of chest-thumping while Google (GOOG) announced its new cell phone, Apple (AAPL) let the world know that iPhone and iPod Touch users have pulled down 3 billion applications from the company's App Store since its launch a year and a half ago.

Steve Jobs, the company CEO, said, "This is like nothing we've ever seen before." He didn't reveal how many of these apps were free -- and whether billions and billions of downloads translate to billions and billions of dollars.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded United Parcel Service (UPS) to outperform from neutral based on operating leverage, improving industry pricing and exposure to a cyclical recovery. The firm raised its target to $70 from $61.
• JMP Securities upgraded Qualcomm (QCOM) following positive wireless industry checks. The firm, which has a $60 target on the stock, believes Qualcomm is the best positioned wireless company to enable 3G deployments and the early ramp of 4G technology.
• Credit Suisse has taken a more positive stance on the potash sector given the settlement of the Chinese contracts and improving near-term fundamentals. The firm upgraded Potash (POT) to outperform from neutral and raised its price target to $135 from $119. Credit Suisse also raised Intrepid Potash (IPI) to neutral from underperform and raised its price target to $30 from $28.
• Avery Dennison (AVY) was raised to outperform from neutral at Baird.
• Biogen Idec (BIIB) was upgraded at BofA/Merrill to neutral from underperform.
• RadioShack (RSH) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.