• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of National City (NYSE: NCC) to Outperform from Perform on valuation as they believe the bank is not seeing a mass exodus of depositors.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP) to Outperform from Market Perform due to what the firm sees as the company's solid cash flow growth outlook, strong balance sheet, and discounted valuation.
  
• Baird upgraded Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation and improving 2009 prospects from 8800, 8600, and 7100 products and better Opex management..
• Take-Two (NASDAQ: TTWO) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Cowen.
  
• UBS raised Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was raised to Buy from Hold at Keybanc.

• Merriman downgraded shares of TheStreet.com (NASDAQ: TSCM) and Bankrate (NASDAQ: RATE) to Neutral from Buy to reflect concerns about display advertising trends and the company's above average exposure to the financial vertical.
  
• Baird downgraded Monaco Coach (NYSE: MNC) to Neutral from Outperform and Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) and Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) to Underperform from Neutral citing valuations and checks that indicate "dreadful" fundamentals.
  
• RBC Capital downgraded Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to Sector Perform from Outperform citing weakening consumer spending, reduced visibility, and risks to valuation. The company's target was lowered to $140 from $200.

Millions hit the road every year, to enjoy some time away from home. Some travelers, however, find it convenient to take home along with them. That's the crowd that does business with a Coburg, Oregon firm that makes the big ones.

Monaco Coach (NYSE:MNC) designs, manufactures and sells recreational vehicles in the United States and Canada. The company makes 37 models of motor coaches and 34 towable recreational vehicles. It also operates motor home resorts in California and Las Vegas that provide golf, swimming, tennis and full RV utility hookups. The company sells its vehicles through nearly 600 North American dealers.

The firm surprised investors last week, with fourth quarter results that essentially matched the Street on the top line and beat it on the bottom. Management also offered FY07 revenue guidance that beat the consensus view. The CEO pointed to improved manufacturing efficiency as a central factor in attaining good Q4 numbers and projecting solid FY07 results. Shares popped on the news and then began consolidating the gain in a bullish "pennant" pattern. Stocks frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling when they entered them. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with nine "holds." Analysts see a 92% growth rate, through the next year. The MNC Price to Sales ratio (0.40), Price to Book ratio (1.66) and Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (18.18) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutional investors hold about 94% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $10.02 and $17.95. A stop-loss of $15.40 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com.