Analyst Upgrades

• Merriman upgraded Penn National (PENN) to buy from neutral, citing the company's strong balance sheet and management team. The firm also raised its target range for shares to $34 to $37.60.
• BMO Capital upgraded Cooper Companies (COO) to outperform from market perform and raised its price target to $55 from $46. The firm sees upside to Street estimates and increased visibility.
• Argus upgraded Watson Pharma (WPI) to buy from hold based on valuation.
• Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Allstate (ALL) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Weingarten Realty (WRI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Investors nervous about the possibly stalled economic recovery -- or worse, the beginning of the latter phase of a double-dip recession -- were not pleased with last week's housing numbers. Things were perhaps ameliorated somewhat by durable goods order numbers and a revised GDP that weren't as bad as expected, but that didn't stop the Dow from dipping below 10,000 later in the week, before fighting its way back above the benchmark to end the week, thanks largely to Fed chair Bernanke's comments on Friday.

Though the end of August is usually quiet, this week lots more economic data are due out, including more housing numbers: The Case-Shiller Home Price Index for June on Tuesday, construction spending numbers for July on Wednesday, and NAR's pending home sales for July on Thursday. There's not expected to be much to get excited about in these numbers.

Patriot Coal Corporation (PCX) was in focus Wednesday morning, thanks to some management shake-ups announced late Tuesday night. The company said that Paul Vining, who serves as president and chief operating officer, will step down effective immediately. However, Vining will do his part to ensure a smooth transition by staying on in a senior advisory role, potentially through the end of the year.

In order to fill the two roles left vacant by Vining, CEO Richard Whiting will now add the title of "president" to his resume. Meanwhile, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Charles Ebetino Jr. scored a promotion to chief operating officer.

Analyst upgrades:

• Morgan Keegan upgraded Copano Energy (CPNO) to Outperform from Market Perform based on the $300M capital infusion it received from TPG Capital.
• Wells Fargo upgraded SunTrust (STI) to Market Perform from Underperform following the company's Q2 results citing improving credit quality trends and valuation.
• UBS upgraded Baidu (BIDU) to Buy from Neutral based on solid fundamentals following the strong Q2 report and guidance and valuation. The firm raised its price target to $92 from $69.
• Baxter (BAX) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• JetBlue (JBLU) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Soleil.
• Penn Virginia GP (PVG) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.

Analyst downgrades:

• Piper Jaffray downgraded Beckman Coulter (BEC) to Neutral from Overweight following the company's weaker than expected Q2 results and lowered guidance. The firm lowered its target for shares to $60 from $74. Shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies and to Neutral from outperform at Baird following the company's reduced guidance.
• Keefe Bruyette cut AmeriCredit (ACF) to Market Perform from Outperform following the acquisition by General Motors (GM, MTLQQ).
• FBR Capital downgraded SunTrust (STI) to Market Perform from Outperform and lowered its price target to $27 from $34. The analyst believes larger banks are better positioned than regionals due to greater prospects of reserve releases.
• Travelers (TRV) was downgraded to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer.
• Lender Processing (LPS) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman.
• Penn Virginia Resource (PVR) was downgraded to Sector Perform at RBC Capital.

Analyst initiations:

• ThinkEquity assumed coverage of SanDisk (SNDK) with a Buy rating.
• Macquarie initiated Allergan (AGN) with an Outperform rating and $75 price target.
• Macquarie also initiated Cooper Companies (COO) with an Outperform rating and $45 price target.
• NCR Corp (NCR) was initiated with a Hold rating at KeyBanc.
• CryoLife (CRY) was started at Benchmark Co. with a Buy rating and $8 target.
• China New Borun (BORN) was initiated with an Overweight rating and $7.40 target at Piper Jaffray.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded ConocoPhillips (COP) to outperform from perform after the company sold its stake in Syncrude. The firm has a $70 price target for shares.
• Leerink upgraded UnitedHealth (UNH) to outperform from market perform. The firm sees upside to the company's 2010 guidance and finds shares attractively valued at currently levels.
• Citigroup upgraded both Mirant (MIR) and RRI Energy (RRI) to hold from sell after the two companies agreed to merge.
• Cooper Companies (COO) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Expedia (EXPE) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• A123 Systems (AONE) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded 3M Company (MMM) to buy from hold on expectations the company will deliver superior financial returns over the next 9 to 12 months and on valuation. The firm raised its target on shares to $92 from $84.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded CA Inc. (CA) to buy from hold as it believes cloud computing could accelerate the company's growth over the next 2 to 3 years. The firm raised its target on shares to $28 from $22.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Cooper Companies (COO) to outperform from market perform as it believes that the company has largely eliminated its execution risks while its new products should enable it to grow more quickly than the market.
• BioMarin (BMRN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Collins Stewart.
• Liquidity Services (LQDT) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) earnings prospects and declining sales resulted in a downgrade.
• America's Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) stronger-than-expected Q1 results led shares to a four-year high.
• ArcSight Inc. (NASDAQ: ARST) reported strong Q1 numbers on increasing demand for cyber security.
• Brown-Forman Inc. (NYSE: BF.B) Q1 results easily topped expectations despite a decline in revenue.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) posted a Q3 loss but revenue improved sequentially, and shares rose.

Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company reported earnings last night, posting a third-quarter profit of $21.91 million, or 48 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, COO earned 54 cents per share, missing analysts' estimates of 62 cents per share. COO also lowered its 2009 guidance below analysts' forecasts. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on COO.

This morning, COO opened at $25.58. So far today the stock has hit a low of $23.55 and a high of $25.70. As of 11:45, COO is trading at $25.15, down $1.52 (-5.7%). The chart for COO looks neutral and S&P gives COO a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Here's a peek at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting from companies scheduled to report quarterly results in the first week of June, 2008.

The following companies are expected to post earnings growth, compared to the same period in the previous year:

• Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) up 136.6% (from a loss) to $1.12 per share, on $499.1 million in revenue
• Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) up 58.3% to 12 cents per share, on $71.8 million in revenue
• Vimpelcom Communications (NYSE: VIP) up 54.2% to 59 cents per share, on $2.1 billion in revenue
• Focus Media Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) up 36.4% to 33 cents per share, on $161.3 million in revenue
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) up 29.7% to 37 cents per share, on $238.4 million in revenue
• Greif Inc. (NYSE: GEF) up 24.1% to 87 cents per share, on $839.9 million in revenue
• Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) up 18.4% to $2.44 per share, on $474.8 million in revenue
• Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) up 17.4% to 46 cents per share, on $451.6 million in revenue
• Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) up 15.4% to 26 cents per share, on $1.0 billion in revenue
• Cooper Companies Inc. (NYSE: COO) up 14.6% to 48 cents per share, on $256.7 million in revenue
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX) up 1.9% to $2.08 per share, on $161.6 million in revenue

Here are a few highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Analogic Corp. (NASDAQ: ALOG) easily beat expectations, sending shares higher.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) posted a loss and forecast sales for 2008 below estimates.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.'s (NYSE: CCE) earnings outlook led shares to a 52-week high.
• Cooper Cos. (NYSE: COO) swung to a loss on acquistion costs and litigation.
• Copart Inc. (NASDAQ: CPRT) beat expectations, sending shares to a new high.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) posted a solid quarter, in line with expectations.
• Cost Plus Inc. (NASDAQ: CPWM) posted a smaller-than-expected net loss.
• Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: FLE) narrowed its loss through improved efficiency.
• General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reaffirmed its 4Q forecast, but the forward outlook disappointed investors.
• H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) warned of a deep loss due to the mortgage meltdown.
• Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY) beat estimates and revised its guidance.
• Leap Wireless International Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) posted a loss, but share prices rose anyway.
• Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LEH) earnings fell for the third quarter in a row.
• Methode Electronics Inc. (NYSE: MEI) beat estimates, spurred by international sales.
• Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) swung to a loss, surprising Wall Street.
• Synopsys Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) beat expectations and offered guidance.
• Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) raised its guidance for the fourth quarter.

Shares of Cooper Cos. (NYSE: COO) are trading down 11.26% in the premarket (8:58 a.m.) following last night's fourth quarter earnings release.

The contact lens maker reported a quarterly loss of $24.2 million, or 54 cents per share. Analysts had been expecting to see Cooper show fourth-quarter earnings of 68 cents per share. Included in the company's figures is $20.3 million costs related to acquisitions, stock-based, compensation and litigation. Looking back a year ago, COO posted a profit of $13.6 million, or 30 cents per share, in the same quarter.

The company posted an 17.5% jump in fourth-quarter sales, which rose up to $253.8 million from $216 million a year earlier. Analysts forecast quarterly sales of $248.8 million.

Looking ahead to the company's full year numbers, Cooper anticipates earnings of $1.30 to $1.80 per share, which is below analysts' expectations for earnings of $2.85 per share. The company also boosted its revenue outlook from$1.02 billion to $1.09 billion upwards to a range of $1.04 billion to $1.09 billion.

Eliza Popescu is a financial writer for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Business Objects, Cognos and Cooper Companies were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) to Hold from Buy on valuation, as they believe shares reflect prospects for growth.
  
• Business Objects (NASDAQ: BOBJ) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS following the acquisition by SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, as the firm finds the acquisition price fair and does not expect a counter-bid. Soleil believes the SAP offer is reflected in the stock price, and downgraded Business Objects to Hold from Buy.
  
• Roth Capital downgraded shares of Cognos (NASDAQ: COGN) to Hold from Buy based on recent share appreciation as shares capture a vast majority of a potential takeover bid; Goldman downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy and Jefferies downgraded shares to Hold from Buy on valuation.
  
• JP Morgan lowered shares of Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO) to Underweight from Neutral. The firm believes Street estimates are too high given a negative mix shift in the company's contact lens business, which could lead to a FY08 EPS shortfall.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Goldman downgraded JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Elizabeth Arden (NASDAQ: RDEN) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust.
  
• UBS downgraded Healthcare REITs to Market Weight from Overweight. UBS downgraded Health Care REIT (NYSE: HCN) and Ventas (NYSE: VTR) to Neutral from Buy and Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI) to Sell from Neutral.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Patterson-UTI Energy, Nabors Industries, US Steel Group, Cooper Companies and Continental AG were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Bernstein upgraded Patterson-UTI Energy Inc (NASDAQ: PTEN) and Nabors Industries Limited (NYSE: NBR) to Outperform from Market Perform citing valuations and secular growth trends.
• Citigroup upgraded US Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) to Buy from Hold and raised their target to $118 to reflect operating catalysts and their expectations for domestic steel markets to improve in Q4 and 2008.
• Cooper Companies Inc (NYSE: COO) was also upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup despite the lowered guidance as they believe the company's products are improving and earnings upside is possible.
• WestLB upgraded Continental AG (OTC: CTTAY) to Buy from Hold after the tire marker announced plans to reorganize its company structure into six divisions following the purchase of Siemens AG's (NYSE: SI) VDO automotive unit.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Tempur Pedic International (NYSE: TPX) was upped to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC World Markets.
• Friedman Billings upgraded shares of Stone Energy Corporation (NYSE: SGY) to Outperform from Market Perform.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY) to Buy from Hold.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Bernstein.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: The U.S. Beverage Sector topped today's list of upgrades.

• Bernstein upgraded the U.S. Beverage Sector to Marketweight from Underweight because the group is trading closer to fair value.
  
• Bernstein upgraded Anheuser-Busch Cos (NYSE: BUD) to Market Perform from Underperform with a $54 target; the firm expects upside to earnings and valuation support.
  
• Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform with a $38 target; the firm believes negative earnings revisions from their third-quarter miss are over and 2007 guidance looks conservative.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• UBS upgraded Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO) to Neutral from Reduce to reflect the possibility of a takeout; they feel likely acquirers are Essilor or Alcon (ACL).

• Wachovia upgraded Volcom Inc (NASDAQ: VLCM) to Outperform from Market Perform; the firm's analysis indicate Volcom's brand remains strong, footwear is off to a good start and outerwear is not an area of exposure.

• Lehman Bros. upgraded shares of Vodafone Group ADR (NYSE: VOD) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

• Citigroup upgraded Nintendo ltd ADS (OTC: NTDOY) to Buy from Hold.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).