Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded AstraZeneca (AZN) to neutral from underweight after the company's U.S. Crestor patent was ruled valid. The firm believes the ruling could lead to AstraZeneca announcing a sizeable share buyback program. AstraZeneca was also upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill and to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Peabody Energy (BTU) to buy from hold, citing valuation and attractive fundamentals in the coal sector. The firm has a $57.50 price target for shares, and also maintains buy ratings on Arch Coal (ACI) and Alpha Natural (ANR).
• Oppenheimer upgraded NextEra Energy (NEE) to outperform from perform, citing valuation and an improving regulation outlook in Florida. The firm maintains a $55 price target for shares.
• Eaton Vance (EV) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Dynamex (DDMX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.
• Soleil upgraded RPM (RPM) to buy from gradually accumulate.

Last week's preview raised the question of whether consumers were turning to comfort foods in these uncertain times, specifically in terms of second quarter earnings of Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB) and Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD). Campbell's strong earnings growth topped expectations, while Krispy Kreme narrowed its loss, though it fell short of estimates.

This coming week should bring reports from more food-related companies, from cereal maker General Mills and food packager CongAgra to grocery chain Kroger, to the parent companies of restaurants Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Carl's Jr., and Hardees. Also look for reports from tech-related companies such as Oracle, Adobe, and Palm, as well as from financials Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, and from economic bellwether FedEx.

Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting from some of the companies reporting earnings this week, as compared to their results from the same period of last year:

Dynamex (NASDAQ: DDMX) provides delivery and logistics services in the United States and Canada. The firm focuses on intracity services involving both scheduled and on-demand delivery of time-sensitive items such as medical supplies, financial documents, electronics and office products. It uses third-party air and ground carriers to provide same-day intercity services. Dynamex also manages clients' vehicle fleets, mailrooms and inventory-tracking call centers. The company operates from some 50 North American facilities. FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) is a major competitor.

Dynamex pleased investors last month, when it reported fiscal Q2 EPS of 33 cents. That topped the analyst consensus view by a penny. Revenues increased 10.9% (yr/yr) to $112 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to $1.45-$1.55 ($1.54 Street estimate) and FY08 revenues to $455.18-$463.46 million ($445.48M Street estimate).