Analyst upgrades:

• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to Overweight from Neutral as they believe the company's market share gains in the e-commerce sector will continue and that new product lines are adding diversification of revenue streams.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) to Outperform from Market Perform citing new market launches that should drive subscriber growth and reduced ARPU deterioration.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Pride International (NYSE:PDE) to Buy from Hold as they believe investors will view the stock as a pure deepwater play beginning in Q2.
• PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ:PDLI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Altera (NYSE:ALTR) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Analyst downgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette downgraded Southside Bancshares (NASDAQ:SBSI), Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ:PRSP), Cullen/Frost (NYSE:CFR) and BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) to Underperform from Market Perform on valuation and the weakening economic outlook in the Southwest.
  
• Oppenheimer cut Varian Medial (NYSE:VAR) to Perform from Outperform as they believe U.S. hospitals could reduce capital spending budgets by 15%-25% in 2009.
  
• Dress Barn (NASDAQ:DBRN) was lowered to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust based on valuation and lack of near-term catalysts.
• JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) was downgraded at Jesup & Lamont to Hold from Buy.
  
• Credit Suisse cut Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS) to Underperform from Neutral.
  
• Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Analyst initiations:

• Merriman initiated Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ:CPST) with a Neutral rating and finds the stock fairly valued at current levels.
  
• Leerink sees a high likelihood that Momenta's (NASDAQ:MNTA) lead product candidates M-Enoxaparin and M-356 clear regulatory and legal hurdles. The firm has an Outperform rating and $16 fair value estimate on shares.
  
• NCI (NASDAQ:NCIT) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Wachovia based on valuation.
• Teradyne (NYSE:TER) was assumed at Barclays with an Overweight rating and $6 target.

I have been concerned about the strength of the banks insured by the FDIC. One commenter asked whether there were any good banks. To that end, I have identified four that might be among the more solid. I did this by screening for regional banks with profit margins over 30%, a stock market capitalizations above $500 million, and a recent improvement in operating performance accompanied by a rise in stock price.

Here are four to consider. The list below includes their name, location, and (net profit margin):

• City Holdings (NASDAQ: CHCO) Charleston, WV (33.7%)
• First Midwest Bankcorp (NASDAQ: FMBI) Itasca, IL (32.6%)
• Valley National (NYSE: VLY) Wayne, NJ (34.4%)
• Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ: PRSP) Houston, TX (35.0%)

If you're nervous about where your money is currently deposited, these four might be worth considering. But before you move your money, it would be worth reading their most recent annual reports and quarterly financial statements. Red flags to watch out for include negative cash flow; rising charge-offs and loan loss reserves, and lawsuits.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Properity Bancshares, MV Oil Trust and Bio-Reference Lab were today's noteworthy initiations:

• B. Riley initiated Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ:PRSP) with a Buy rating and $32 target. The firm thinks the company's lower risk profile is supported by its conservative management team and by the relative strength of the Texas economy and housing markets.
  
• Oppenheimer assumed MV Oil Trust (NYSE:MVO) with a Perform rating and believes the company's distribution growth is priced into shares.
  
• Bio-Reference Lab (NASDAQ:BRLI) was initiated with an Outperform rating at William Blair. The firm believes the company is well-positioned to benefit from robust industry growth trends.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Baird initiated Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACOR) with a Neutral rating and $28 target.
  
• Citigroup started Mindray Medical (NYSE:MR) with a Buy rating and $45 target.
  
• Goldman Sachs initiated H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) with a Neutral rating and $20 target.