MOST NOTEWORTHY: AnnTaylor, FNB Corp and MFA Mortgage were today's noteworthy upgrades:
- Friedman Billings upgraded AnnTaylor (NYSE:ANN) to Outperform from Market Perform based on better management of the business by management, stabilizing fundamentals, and strong balance sheet and cash flow.
- B. Riley raised FNB Corp (NYSE:FNB) to Buy from Neutral as they feel more bullish about the company's prospects after meeting with management. The firm raised their target price to $16 from $15.50.
- Keefe Bruyette upgraded MFA Mortgage (NYSE:MFA) to Outperform from Market Perform following the company's 40M share equity offering, which they believe will add 2.5c a quarter to EPS.
OTHER UPGRADES:
- Dell (NASADAQ:DELL) was raised at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.
- Lehman upgraded Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
- Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Piper.