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

• Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) beat Q1 estimates as consumers spent their government stimulus checks.
• Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) posted better than-expected Q2 results but offered cautious Q3 guidance.
• Cyberonics Inc. (NASDAQ: CYBX) beat Q4 expectations and offered full-year guidance.
• FactSet Research Systems (NYSE: FDS) had better-than-expected Q3 results and 500 new subscribers.
• General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) raised its full-year guidance, sending shares up near the 52-week high.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) results beat the previous quarter and analysts' estimates.
• John Wiley & Sons Inc. (NYSE: JW.A) doubled its Q4 earnings due to an acquisition.
• Life Partners Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPHI) lifted its Q1 outlook after "best quarter" in company history.
• Lindsay Corp. (NYSE: LNN) Q3 profits nearly doubled, but the share price plunged anyway.
• Meade Instruments Corp. (NASDAQ: MEAD) narrowed its full-year net loss due to restructuring.
• Pall Corp. (NYSE: PLL) beat Q1 expectations on sales growth that was broadly based across markets.
• Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN) beat Q1 estimates on strong demand for agricultural equipment.
• Vermont Pure Holdings Ltd. (AMEX: VPS) posted strong Q2 results despite a bad debt write-off.
• Western Union Co. (NYSE: WU) said 2008 profits would beat estimates and announced share buyback.

More earnings highlights from this week: Morgan Stanley, FedEx, Ford, GE, Circuit City and others

On Thursday, publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc. (NYSE: JW.A) reported that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled. Not so good news from retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR), which said Thursday that its fiscal first quarter loss narrowed, but still fell short of analysts' forecasts.

Wiley said that, for the quarter ended April 30, earnings soared to $29 million, or 49 cents per share, from $14.4 million, or 25 cents per share, in the same period of the previous year ago. Revenue grew 11% to $433 million. Results were lifted by the company's 2007 acquisition of Blackwell Publishing.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected 35 cents per share on $427.1 million in sales.

For the full year, earnings rose 48% to $147.5 million, or $2.49 per share, and revenue grew 36% to $1.67 billion. Wiley also announced its 15th consecutive annual dividend increase.

John Wiley shares rose $1.10 Thursday to $49.76, just shy of its 52-week high, but was trading lower Friday morning. Shares are up 13.3% year to date.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Palm (PALM), Fuel Tech (FTEK), Weyerhaeuser (WY), and John Wiley & Sons (JW.A) were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform by Morgan Keegan, who expects PALM's recapitalization to bring more financial discipline, better growth from new products, and views the valuation as compelling.
• FuelTech Inc (NASDAQ: FTEK) was upgraded to Buy from Accumulate at ThinkEquity, which believes the company technologies are well-positioned as the U.S. Clean Air Act takes effect.
• Bank of America upgraded Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) to Buy from Neutral, citing valuation and their prediction that the company's restructuring will create value for shareholders.
• John Wiley & Sons Inc (NYSE: JW.A) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Stifel Nicolaus & Co, which views the company as a consistent performer with emerging catalysts and reasonable valuation.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Circuit City Stores Inc (NYSE: CC) was added to the SMid Money List at JP Morgan.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.
• United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform by Bernstein.
• BreitBurn Energy Partners LP (NASDAQ: BBEP) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by AG Edwards.