Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Neutral from Sell and said liquidity is no longer a near-term concern. The firm lowered Pacific Sunwear's target to $1.50 from $3. Citigroup upgraded shares to Hold from Sell on valuation following the recent weakness and believes Pacific Sunwear has sufficient liquidity to remain a going concern.
  
• Calyon believes Reliant Energy (NYSE: RRI) will be successful in unwinding the Merrill Lynch Retail credit sleeve and obtaining alternative collateral. The firm upgraded shares to Buy from Add.
  
• JP Morgan said Cogent's (NASDAQ: COGT) position in homeland security and the defense markets make it less sensitive to an economic downturn, making valuation attractive. JP Morgan upgraded shares to Overweight from Neutral and raised its target to $13 from $10.50.
• Goldman added Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) to its Conviction Buy List and removed Riverbed (NASDAQ: RVBD) from the Conviction Sell List.
  
• J.M. Smucker (NYSE: SJM) was raised to Buy from Underperform at Merrill Lynch.

Last December, over 100 stocks were featured in our Top Picks for 2007 report. Now, at mid-year, we turn to the 20 advisors whose picks showed the strongest gains to get an update on their previous picks, as well as a new favorite stock for the second half of the year.

Mark Mowrey, editor of the Prudent Speculator TechValue Report, chose Cogent Inc. (NASDAQ: COGT), which rose 41% as of June 1, 2007. Although he maintains a $24 price target for those who own the stock, he no longer is recommending purchase.

For his new top idea, Mark looks at United Online Inc. (NASDAQ: UNTD). The advisor explains, "For as many reasons to be wary of the company, we find more to like about this net-centric company.

"Founded as Juno Online Services in May 1995, and formed via the merger of that company with fellow dial-up Internet services provider NetZero in June 2001, United Online is one of a select few surviving early Net access players.

"As UNTD milks the dial-up business for cash flow, management hopes to transition as many of those paying customers as they can to a new broadband offering. Still, revenue from the communications segment is declining at a rapid clip, falling 13 percent in 2006 to $375.9 million.

"So what is there to like about a company with declining revenue in its core business, the only savior for which is entry into an even more competitive space? The general answer is the provision of services folks utilize once they're already on the Net.

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

Cogent Inc. (NASDAQ: COGT) is a top speculative idea from Mark Mowrey, editor of the Prudent Speculator TechValue Report. He explains, "Cogent's identification technology emphasizes the uniqueness of the human fingerprint as the best method for identifying its owner.

"Other potentially more reliable technologies exist, such as retinal, facial, voice, and vascular identification, but none has proved as long-term successful in the field as fingerprint matching. Applications include the obvious, like law enforcement and access restriction, and the not so obvious, such as laptop security and fingerprint-based payment systems.

"Revenue peaked in 2005, the bulk coming from two primary customers: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Electoral Council of Venezuela. Work continues with both agencies, but orders have become less predictable.