U.S. stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors await economic data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 12 points to 12,182, while futures on the S&P 500 index rose 1.3 points to 1,311.30. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 6.75 points to 2,323.75.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 50 points to 12,221, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index rising 4 points to 1,314 and the Nasdaq Composite Index climbing 7 points to 2,743.

Analyst Upgrades

• Credit Suisse upgraded AT&T (T) to outperform from neutral and has a $35 target on the stock. Credit Suisse believes the impact from AT&T's loss of iPhone exclusivity will be less than expected and that the stock should benefit from its earnings growth and dividend yield.
• Goldman upgraded Freeport McMoRan (FCX) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $94 from $79 based on improving copper fundamentals.
• Benchmark Co. upgraded Valueclick (VCLK) to vuy from hold on expectations Google Instant (GOOG) could drive marketing traffic. The firm raised its target price for Valueclick shares to $15 from $11.
• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Research In Motion (RIMM) was upgraded to buy from sell at Societe Generale.
• CarMax (KMX) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

The coming week will bring late-season earnings reports from Best Buy Inc. (BBY), ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG), Oracle Corp. (ORCL) and Walgreen Co. (WAG), all of which are expected to post earnings and revenue growth, according to analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Below is a closer look at a few other companies reporting this week for which expectations are high.

In the three months that ended in January, Williams-Sonoma (WSM) saw strong holiday sales, declared a quarterly dividend, and announced the retirement of its CEO. Analysts expect the San Francisco-based home products retailer to report that fiscal fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled from the same period of last year to $0.74 per share. Revenue for the period is expected to be 6.2% higher to $1.1 billion. For the full year, the forecast calls for earnings of $0.81 per share (+56.8%) on $3.1 billion in revenue (-8.3%). Williams-Sonoma earnings results have been better than expected in recent quarters -- beating consensus estimates by more than 200% in the third quarter.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded TiVo (TIVO) to overweight from neutral as it believes Thursday's appeal win against DISH Network could lead to revenue upside. The firm raised its target price for shares to $23 from $15.
• Collins Stewart upgraded DISH Network (DISH) to buy from hold on valuation, as it believes much of the impact from the negative appeals ruling is priced into the stock. The firm has a $30 target for shares.
• Cowen upgraded Ciena (CIEN) to outperform from neutral. The firm believes Ciena's acquisition of MEN is transformative and will accelerate top line growth.
• Progress Software (PRGS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Needham.
• Allergan (AGN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.
• Public Service (PEG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.

Even in a holiday shortened week so close to the end of the calendar year, there are still some earnings reports dribbling in. Question is, will any of the companies reporting quarterly results this week offer up a gift for investors?

Apropos of the season, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high expectations for American Greetings Corp.'s (AM) fiscal third quarter 2010 earnings. The nation's second largest provider of greeting cards announced record second quarter results and declared a quarterly dividend during the three months that ended in November. American Greetings is expected to report that earnings rose 43.9% from a year ago to $0.66 per share. Revenue for the quarter is expected to total $445.4 million, or 1.9% lower than a year ago. So far, the full-year forecast is for its profit to more than double to $2.00 per share while revenue falls 5.6% from a year ago to $1.6 billion. This Cleveland-based company creamed earnings estimates in the past two quarters.

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:

When businesses grow beyond a certain size, they can find that disparate hardware and software systems slow the implementation of new procedures and impede growth. There is an company in Bedford, Massachusetts, that helps firms develop business applications that overcome those problems.

Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS) provides programs designed to simplify and accelerate the development, deployment, integration and management of business software applications. The firm's various product lines help developers detect and act on patterns in high velocity data streams; achieve standards-based mainframe integration; connect applications running on various platforms; and integrate data for distributed applications. Customers include Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM) and the U.S. Army.

When businesses grow beyond a certain size, they can find that disparate hardware and software systems slow the implementation of new procedures and impede growth. There is an outfit in Bedford, Massachusetts that helps firms develop business applications that overcome those problems.

Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS) provides programs designed to simplify and accelerate the development, deployment, integration and management of business software applications. The firm's various product lines help developers detect and act on patterns in high velocity data streams; achieve standards-based mainframe integration; connect applications running on various platforms; and integrate data for distributed applications. Customers include DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX), The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) and Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM). Competitors include Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL).

The company pleased investors last week, when it announced Q2 EPS of 45 cents and revenues of $120 million. Analysts had been expecting 41 cents and $116.3 million. Management also guided Q3 EPS to 42-44 cents (43 cent consensus), Q3 revenues to $118-$120 million ($117.90M consensus), FY07 EPS to $1.72-$1.75 ($1.72 consensus) and FY07 revenues to $475-$485 million ($477.32M consensus). The news kept PRGS shares cycling through a positive 14-week trading channel. The price is currently consolidating near the base of that channel, where oversold CCI, Stochastic and MACD technical parameters suggest the potential for a rise back toward the top.

Brokers recommend the issue with two "strong buys," three "buys" and one "hold." Analysts see an18% average annual growth rate through the next five years. The PRGS Price to Sales ratio (2.75), Price to Book ratio (2.74) and Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (24.59) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutions hold about 95% 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 $21.33 and $34.45. A stop-loss of $28 looks good here.

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