Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded CME Group (CME) to Buy from Hold and has a $330 target on the stock. The firm believes increased regulatory concerns have created a buying opportunity and notes that CME Group's fundamentals are stable-to-improving.
• Susquehanna upgraded Priceline.com (PCLN) to Positive from Neutral and has a $230 target on the stock. The firm believes Priceline.com likely outperformed expectations in Q4.
• Citigroup upgraded AutoZone (AZO) to Buy from Hold citing an attractive valuation, favorable industry trends, and the potential for margin expansion. The firm raised its target price on shares to $188 from $176.
• Genzyme (GENZ) was raised to Sell from Conviction Sell at Goldman.
• Disney (DIS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Exxon Mobil (XOM) was upgraded at Collins Stewart to Buy from Hold.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Aflac Inc. (AFL) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings, though revenue fell short, and offered rosy guidance.
• Avon Products Inc. (AVP) posted Q4 earnings growth that met analysts' expectations but shares sold off.
• Cisco Systems inc. (CSCO) higher Q2 earnings topped the consensus estimate but cash flow fell.
• CME Group Inc. (CME) fell short of analysts' Q4 profit expectations, resulting in price-target cuts.
• ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings and revenue that boosted shares.

Shortly after the introduction of Apple, Inc.'s (AAPL) long anticipated iPad tablet computer I was quite surprised to receive an email from one of our more astute readers boldly stating "Game, set and match. See you at $300"

My immediate reaction was that this overly zealous stock trader and Apple enthusiast had let all reason escape his cranium. For me it reinforced how irrational investors are and how little they understand numbers. Apple stock will not reach $300 this year.

ExxonMobil (XOM) is a tricky stock to consider. The integrated oil entity reported fourth-quarter results on Monday, and there was good news and bad news. According to Jonathan Berr over at DailyFinance, net income was $1.27 per share, several pennies ahead of estimates. The top line also came in better than expected.

Unfortunately, profit on a dollar basis dropped over 20%. And higher oil prices are making things difficult at the refinery stage. While the earnings beat is good, these elements to the story must be given ample consideration.

U.S. stock futures were higher Monday morning as investors try to put January's performance behind them. Wall Street will focus on President Obama unveiled budget, while awaiting results from Exxon Mobil. Also, several economic indicators are due out this morning, including a manufacturing index.

President Barack Obama sent Congress a $3.83 trillion budget on Monday that would pour more money into the fight against high unemployment, boost taxes on the wealthy and freeze spending for a wide array of government programs. The deficit for this year would surge to a record-breaking $1.56 trillion. The president is due to speak about the budget at 10:45 a.m. Eastern.

Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) is going to be reporting its fourth quarter numbers on Monday. Going into Monday's report, Wall Street is expecting to see the company post earnings of $1.19 per share.

During the same period last year the company posted earnings of $1.55 a share.

As we move gradually closer to a stable economy where retail investors are again ready to enter the markets, we see a lot written about which stocks, sectors, and investment types are smart bets for future growth.

Money Magazine recently ran a piece in their Investor's Guide 2010 series entitled "10 Stocks That Can Keep Running," which offers three areas in which the markets are likely to be solid in the coming years. This author's opinion is they were mostly right. But there needs to be a little more explanation for the average retail investor.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barclays upgraded Schlumberger (SLB) to overweight from equal weight based on its deep management team, financial strength and increased exploration activity. The firm raised its target to $73 from $64.
• ThinkEquity upgraded SanDisk (SNDK) to buy from hold based on expectations for a solid 2010 with better NAND pricing trends, leaner channel inventories and lack of new fabs slated in 2010, among other reasons. The firm has a $35 target on the stock.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Pinnacle Financial (PNFP) to outperform from market perform, citing the company's strong management and balance sheet. The firm has a $16.50 price target on the stock.
• Watson Pharma (WPI) was raised to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• New York Times (NYT) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Tenet Healthcare (THC) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.

Could natural gas become the new, primary fuel for the United States in the 21st century?

It's possible, if new drilling techniques that have the potential to vastly increase the U.S.'s natural gas supplies are deemed safe by regulators.

Exxon-Mobil (XOM) jolted the energy world with its decision to buy natural gas giant XTO Energy (XTO) for $41 billion. The deal brings Exxon's enormous financial resources to XTO, which has made a name for itself via its expertise in the new technique of hydraulic fracturing, which enables companies to profitably access much more natural gas from current fields, and access gas at previously cost-prohibitive fields.

Natural gas has been the "black sheep" of the energy sector. Natural gas is trading at historic lows.

Why is this purchase noteworthy? Exxon Mobil (XOM) traditionally has been a pure oil company. Now Exxon makes a bold move into the natural gas segment by buying one of the largest US natural gas producers, XTO Energy (XTO).

The markets were slightly up most of the day, but traders seemed to be unsurprised by big news from Dubai and Citi. Many of the "most actives" only moved up or down a percentage point or two. It was not a day in which the market showed any conviction which was surprising given the number of potential catalysts early in the day.

The numbers:

Dow 10,501.43 +29.93 (0.29%)
S&P 500 1,114.10 +7.69 (0.70%)
Nasdaq 2,212.10 +21.79 (0.99%)

After reading an unbelievable sell recommendation by one of my BloggingStocks colleagues, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In Thirteen Dow stocks that are doomed, we are informed that 13 of the 30 are going down and we should all bail out before it is too late.

I find this silly on many levels. For one, 13 stocks amount to a large-cap index fund and since large-cap stocks have lagged the market the probability that they will outperform going forward is real and has many investors promoting them.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Visa (V) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $100 from $88, citing valuation and an improvement in key trends that include transactions, volume and international travel.
• FBR Capital upgraded Illinois Tool Works (ITW) to outperform from market perform to reflect valuation and expectations for earnings upside in the first half of 2010. The firm raised its target on shares to $58 from $55.
• Goldman added Brookdale Senior Living (BKD) to its conviction buy list based on a bottom in fundamentals and positive senior housing trends. The firm raised its target to $22 from $20.
• Exxon Mobil (XOM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Societe Generale.
• Newfield Exploration (NFX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• PPD (PPDI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says its buy of XTO is a clear signal that natural gas works.

Do you think Exxon (XOM) (Cramer's Take) is going to buy XTO (XTO) (Cramer's Take) -- the best of the best -- if it doesn't see the writing on the wall that it needs to have natural gas as part of its filling station repertoire? Do you think Exxon just wants to be in the home heating business? Do you think the most conservative company in the industry is all about just picking up some good domestic reserves when it has ignored doing so for years?

This is the biggest game-changing transaction in the nat gas patch that I can recall, because Exxon just endorsed both its reliability and its cleanliness. Remember, you do not see Exxon bidding on the Iraq fields. While it is doing some exploration across the globe, you bring in XTO because you want to dominate in natural gas at home.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) left much to be desired after its recent Q3 report. Earnings were down 68% compared to last year. Its refining business swung to a loss. Earnings fell short of analysts' expectations. Revenue decreased 40%. Should I go on?

Next: Dog of the Dow #7: General Electric (GE)