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

• Accenture Ltd. (NYSE: ACN) lower Q4 earnings met analysts' expectations but the Q1 outlook was weak.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) posted a Q1 net loss and said it will skip its dividend this quarter.
• Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) earnings prospects for 2010 resulted in an analyst's downgrade.
• Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) Q1 earnings beat by a penny but revenue fell short of estimates.
• Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI) shares rose after it forecast Q3 earnings above Wall Street estimates.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $265 from $170, citing higher iPhone expectations, new partnerships, and likely upward revisions to Street estimates driven by gross margins.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm views a possible deal between end General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal positively, as it thinks NBC will provide higher-margin growth for Comcast.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Michael Baker (AMEX: BKR) to Buy from Neutral after the company completed the sale of its Energy business. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $40.
• Jefferies assumed coverage of Endo Pharma (NASDAQ: ENDP) and upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. The firm cites valuation, a strong base business, and solid cash flow for the upgrade, and has a $30 target price on shares.
• Marten Transport (NASDAQ: MRTN) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
• U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.

Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH - option chain) shares are headed higher today after the company reported its positive results from a phase two clinical trial of its bipolar I disorder drug NUVIGIL. The company plans to advance the drug to phase three trials, and hopes to launch the drug in the third-quarter of 2009. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on CEPH.

CEPH opened this morning at $66.50. So far today the stock has hit a low of $65.66 and a high of $68.13. As of 12:00, CEPH is trading at $67.51, up 4.32 (6.8%). The chart for CEPH looks bullish and S&P gives CEPH a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking.

Monday, May 5

• Happy Cinco de Mayo!
• Day one of the two-day FDA Anesthetic/Life Support Drugs & Drug Safety/Risk Management Advisory Committees meeting: Purdue Pharma's NDA for Oxycontin.
  
• Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) to report Q1 earnings; conference call Tuesday at 10:00am.

Tuesday, May 6

• Day two of the two-day FDA Anesthetic/Life Support Drugs & Drug Safety/Risk Mgmt Advisory Committees meeting: Cephalon's (NASDAQ:CEPH) sNDA for Fentora.
• Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 12:00pm.
• Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.

Wednesday, May 7

• Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MMC) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
• Transocean (NYSE:RIG) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
• Hot Topic (NASDAQ:HOTT) and Zumiez (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) to report April sales at 4:00pm.

Thursday, May 8

• Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) to report April sales at 8:00am. Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) to report sales at 8:15am. Target (NYSE:TGT) to report sales at 8:30am.
  
• NVidia (NADAQ:NVDA) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.

Friday, May 9

• PDUFA date for Adolor Corp (NYSE:ADLR) and GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE:GSK) Entereg for management of Post-operative Ileus.
• American International Group (NYSE:AIG) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
• Sotheby's (NYSE:BID) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 9:00am.

Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) shares are trading higher today on news that Takeda Pharmaceutical, a Japanese firm, has agreed to buy Cephalon competitor Millennium Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MLNM) for $25 a share. MLNM is trading up almost 50% to $24.45 currently, indicating that investors think this deal will most likely happen. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on CEPH.

After hitting a one-year high of $84.83 in June, the stock hit a one-year low of $56.20 in February. CEPH opened this morning at $64.94. So far today the stock has hit a low of $64.45 and a high of $66.18. As of 12:45, CEPH is trading at $65.27, up 1.05 (1.6%). The chart for CEPH is neutral and improving, while S&P gives the stock a bullish 4 Stars (out of 5) buy rating.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a May bull-put credit spread below the $55 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 7.5% return in just five weeks as long as CEPH is above $55 at May expiration. Cephalon would have to fall by more than 15% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

CEPH hasn't been below $56 at all in the past year and has shown support around $59 recently. This trade could be risky if the company's earnings (due out on 5/1) disappoint, but even if that happens, that position could be protected by support the stock might find between $55 and $60, where it bottomed out in the past two months.

Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer.

DISCLOSURE: Mr. Archer owns and/or controls diversified portfolios of long and short stock and option positions that may include holdings in companies he writes about. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in CEPH or MLNM.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Allscripts, Supertel Hospitality, Cephalon, Limelight Networks and Financial Federal were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at JP Morgan following its weak Q3 results and guidance.
  
• Supertel Hospitality (NASDAQ: SPPR) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird and to Market Perform from Outperform at JMP Securities following its disappointing Q3 report.
  
• JMP securities downgraded Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Market Outperform from Strong Buy citing uninspiring Q3 revenue growth.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW) to Market Perform from Outperform citing the tough pricing environment, competition, and upcoming IPO lockup expiration on 12/5.
  
• The firm also downgraded shares of Financial Federal (NYSE: FIF) to Underperform from Market Perform, as they expect the company to be impacted substantially from the slowing economy.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• JP Morgan removed Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) and CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG) from its Focus List.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded Home Diagnostics (NASDAQ: HDIX) to Hold from Buy.
  
• Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.
  
• Banc of America downgraded RPM, Inc (NYSE: RPM) to Neutral from Buy.

Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) is actually a lucky company today. Shares are getting hit hard (down 4.26% as of 12:08), but this could have been much worse, and it might still if the original reports become worse. Then CEPH shares could see a lot more selling. Reuters reported on "Dear Doctor" letter the company has been sending, warning them about deaths related to its FENTORA pain drug. FENTORA is a pain management drug used by cancer patients.

The company has reportedly sent out two seperate letters about serious side effects and deaths that occurred in Fentora users. It says that the deaths were tied to improper patient selection or dosing, or from improper product substitution.

The bad news follows a string of good news for the company and the drug. Only in late August, the FDA granted an Orphan Drug Designation to TREANDA, the company's investigational treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. In mid-August, the company released positive data on FENTORA from its Pivotal Study of FENTORA in Opioid-tolerant patients with non-cancer breakthrough pain.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: TDK Corp. (TDK), Maquire Properties (MPG), BankAtlantic Bancorp (BBX), ON Semiconductor (ONNN) and Amgen (AMGN) were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• UBS downgraded TDK Corp. (NYSE: TDK) to Reduce from Neutral after the company's operating profit missed estimates.

• Deutsche Bank cut Maguire Properties (NYSE: MPG) to Sell from Hold following the company's disappointing Q2 report.

• Sandler cut BankAtlantic Bancorp (NYSE: BBX) to Sell from Hold on valuation.

• Valuation and debt levels pushed Unterberg to downgrade ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) to Market Perform from Buy.

• William Blair downgraded shares of Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Market Perform from Outperform as they believe the CMS decision on ESA reimbursement guidelines is extremely restrictive regarding Aranesp use in oncology...

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Lyondell Chemical Co (NYSE: LYO) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight.

• UBS cut FMC Technologies (NYSE: FTI) to Reduce from Neutral.

• Stanford downgraded MoSys (NASDAQ: MOSY) to Hold from Buy.

• Brean Murray downgraded SumTotal Systems (NASDAQ: SUMT) to Hold from Buy.

• Buckingham cut Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Accumulate from Strong Buy.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Specialty pharmaceutical companies make up today's most noteworthy list:

• The Bank of America initiated Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY), Mentor Corp (NYSE: MNT), Alcon, Inc (NYSE: ACL) and Allergan, Inc (NYSE: AGN) with Buy ratings and initiated Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH), Forest Laboratories, Inc (NYSE: FRX), Sepracor Inc (NASDAQ: SEPR) with Neutral ratings. Bank of America's top pick is Shire plc as the firm expects the company to launch six products or product extensions by mid-2008, followed by Mentor Corp, as the conversion to silicone breast implants should drive a period of stronger-than-expected sales and earnings.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) was initiated at Buckingham with an Underperform rating and General Motors (GM) was started with a Neutral rating.

• Nollenberger believes Under Armour, Inc (NYSE: UA), started with a Buy rating, is positioned to outperform the market based on the strength of its brand name and demand through the continued introduction of new products along with European growth.

• Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NYSE: BRL) was initiated with an Equal Weight rating and $53 target at Morgan Stanley.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: First Data Corp (FDC), Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc (PNK), Cephalon, Inc (CEPH) and Verint Systems Inc (VRNT) were some of today's downgrades:

• UBS downgraded First Data Corp (NYSE: FDC) to Neutral from Buy following the acquisition by KKR.

• Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK) was cut to Hold from Buy at Matrix USA, as the firm believes post-hurricane reconstruction efforts are leading to significant capital expenditures, which limits upside.

• Cephalon Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) was removed from American Technology's Focus List with shares up 15% in three weeks as the approval of Nuvigil without a Black Box warning has passed.

• JP Morgan cut shares of Verint Systems (NASDAQ: VRNT) to Underweight from Neutral, citing risks and costs associated from the Witness Systems' (WITS) acquisition.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Labor Ready, Inc (NYSE: LRW) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman based on the slowdown in U.S. residential construction activity.

• Citigroup downgraded International Paper Co (NYSE: IP) to Hold from Buy with a $39 target.

• Bernstein cut MedImmune, Inc (NASDAQ: MEDI) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• Sanders Morris downgraded Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc (NYSE: DWA) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.

• JP Morgan downgraded Icagen, Inc (NASDAQ: ICGN) to Neutral from Overweight.

• Friedman Billings cut CompuDyne Corp (NASDAQ: CDCY) to Market Perform from Outperform following Q4 results.

• Roth Capital cut LivePerson, Inc (NASDAQ: LPSN) to Sell from Hold.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Merrill Lynch & Co (MER), Kraft Foods Inc (KFT) and US Steel Corp (X) were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Goldman Sachs upgraded Merrill Lynch & Co (NYSE: MER) to Buy from Neutral with a $107 target, believing the sell-off in Merrill shares is overdone.

• JP Morgan added Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) to its Focus List with a $40 target, believing valuation reflects the overhang from Altria Group's (MO) share distribution.

• Prudential upgraded shares of US Steel Corp (NYSE: X) to Neutral from Underweight citing synergies from the Lone Star acquisition and the increase in scrap prices.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $88 from $69 to reflect a favorable risk/reward profile and the imminent approval of Nuvigil following FDA approval of draft labeling for the drug.

• Bank of America upgraded Sonoco Products Co (NYSE: SON) to Buy from Neutral with a $44 target.

• Baird upgraded Micron Technology, Inc (NYSE: MU) to Outperform from Neutral.

• Credit Suisse upgraded PG&E Corp (NYSE: PCG) to Outperform from Neutral with a $53 target citing valuation.

• Matrix USA upgraded TJX Cos (NYSE: TJX) to Buy from Hold on relative valuation.

• William Blair upgraded Blue Nile, Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) to Outperform from Market Perform citing near-term fundamentals, improved long-term cash flow, long-term growth potential and downside protection.

• Kaufman Bros upgraded Avid Technology, Inc (NASDAQ: AVID) to Buy from Hold with a $40 target.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Some of today's more notable upgrades include Nokia Corp (NOK), SanDisk Corp (SNDK), RealNetworks, Inc (RNWK) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (VRTX):

• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Nokia Corp (NYSE: NOK) to Buy from Hold citing increased emerging markets demand, valuation, and expectations for upcoming N76 and Barracuda.

• Oppenheimer also upgraded SanDisk Corp (NASDAQ: SNDK) to Buy from Neutral with a $50 target, as the firm believes the worst of seasonal price declines has occurred and that 2007 Samsung royalty revenues appear intact.

• Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of RealNetworks Inc (NASDAQ: RNWK) to Neutral from Sell, citing valuation.

• Vertex Pharma Inc (NASDAQ: VRTX) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Bank of America, citing valuation.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• American Technology added Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) to its Focus List as the firm believes the recent pullback provides a buying opportunity. The brokerage believes it sees a significant near-term catalyst with Nuvigil's PDUFA date of March 31, 2007.

• Lehman upgraded Xilinx, Inc (NASDAQ: XLNX) to Overweight from Equal-Weight. Goldman upgraded Amdocs Ltd (DOX) to Buy from Neutral with a $41 target; the firm expects Amdocs to benefit from the health 2007 telco fundamentals.

• UBS upgraded J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) to Buy from Neutral on valuation.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Radian Group Inc (RDN) in conjunction with their upgrade of MGIC Investment Corp (MTG), to Buy from Hold, to reflect the planned merger.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Ericsson (ERIC), Intel (INTC) and General Electric (GE) top today's upgrade list.

• Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ:ERIC) was upgraded at RBC Capital Markets to Outperform from Sector Perform. The upgrade followed checks that indicated the mobile phone maker gained market share and improved its top-line metrics.
• Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) and General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE) were added to Citigroup's Recommended List.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Cephalon, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEPH) was upgraded at CIBC to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer citing expectations for strong Fentora and Provigil sales.
• Hansen Natural Corp. (NASDAQ:HANS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord Adams and added to their Best Ideas List citing reduced Street expectations and valuation.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: International Game Tech (IGT), Cephalon (CEPH) and CVS Corp (CVS) top today's list of upgrades.

• International Game Tech (NYSE:IGT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Soleil and to Outperform from Peer Perform at Bear Stearns. Both firms cited valuation as the reason.
• Cephalon, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEPH) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Buy at First Albany following the news that the company was granted a composition of matter patent covering Nuvigil by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
• CVS Corp (NYSE:CVS) was added to Goldman Sachs Americas Conviction Buy List based on valuation.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• American Tech upgraded EDO Corp (NYSE:EDO) to Hold from Sell based on valuation.
• Dean Foods Company (NYSE:DF) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at A.G. Edwards based on valuation.
• Finally, Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ:BRCM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Raymond James.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Yahoo! (YHOO) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) top today's extensive list of upgrades.

• Yahoo!, Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) was upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Neutral on valuation as the company heads into the seasonally-strong period.
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation, margin expansion and consistent execution.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSUN) business is bottoming, according to J.P. Morgan. They believe a new CEO could help a recovery, prompting the firm to upgrade the retailer to Neutral from Underweight.
• Cephalon, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEPH) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Leerink Swann. The upgrade was based on increasing confidence in their pain franchise, positive feedback from MEDACorp consultants and increased confidence in earnings power.
• Finally, L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LLL) was added to Goldman Sachs' Americas Buy List. Goldman cited the above average organic revenue growth, new management strategy and defense contract opportunities.

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