Analyst Upgrades

• Boeing (BA) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Alcoa (AA) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BP (BP) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• Office Depot (ODP) and Staples (SPLS) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Kennametal (KMT) and Polyone (POL) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Airgas (ARG) to outperform from market perform at William Blair.
• EchoStar (SATS) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.

This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"Athletic apparel manufacturer Under Armour (UA) has been a solid performer in 2010, gaining 110% over the past year," notes Bernie Schaeffer.

The editor of Schaeffer's Investment Research explains, "The stock -- our top pick for 2011 -- has been in a strong uptrend since early September, and is trading above all major moving averages.

Analyst Upgrades

• Google (GOOG) to outperform from neutral at Wedbush.
• Nike (NKE) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Apollo Group (APOL) to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• JDSU (JDSU) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• NetApp (NTAP) to overweight from equal weight and Verigy (VRGY) to equal weight from underweight at Barclays.
• RSC Holdings (RRR) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Exelon (EXC) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Aon (AON) and Willis Group (WSH) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• BMC Software (BMC) to outperform from neutral at Cowen.

Analyst Upgrades

• Walgreen (WAG) and Triumph Group (TGI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Focus Media (FMCN) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Home Depot (HD) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Arbitron (ARB) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Waddell & Reed (WDR) and Legg Mason (LM) to overweight from equal weight, and Janus Capital (JNS) to overweight from underweight, at Barclays.
• Central Euro Media (CETV) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• GenOn Energy (GEN) and Ntelos (NTLS) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Cooper Tire (CTB) to buy from neutral and Goodyear Tire (GT) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Interesting development in the world of football sponsorships, as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady decided to leave Nike (NKE) and jump ship to Under Armour (UA). This is a rather interesting decision for Brady, as NKE is a true heavyweight in the world of performance athletic apparel. But Brady's jump to UA shows that the company is here to stay.

Brady is set to appear in different in-store and advertising promotional campaigns. As part of the new deal, Brady will wear UA apparel and footwear while training and he will debut the new UA Fierce cleat.

Analyst Upgrades

• BB&T (BBT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Amylin (AMLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Morton's Restaurant (MRT) to outperform from market perform.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Excel Maritime (EXM) to buy from hold.
• JinkoSolar (JKS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Compellent (CML) to overweight from neutral.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from neutral.
• Goldman upgraded Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to conviction buy from buy and American Electric (AEP) to buy from neutral.
• Motorola (MOT) was upgraded due to increasing carrier support by MKM Partners.
• Under Armour (UA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Baltimore-based performance-apparel firm Under Armour (UA) reported third-quarter earnings Tuesday morning, topping the results of a year ago and analysts' estimates. UA pulled in 68 cents per share ($34.9 million), which is 33% better than the 52 cents per share ($26.2 million) earned a year ago.

Moreover, the results were better than the 60 cents per share that Wall Street expected. UA noted that the results were boosted by roughly a nickel thanks to a lower-than-expected tax rate. As for sales, UA saw an increase of 22% to $328.6 million. The Street expected $322.4 million in sales.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) to buy from hold based on valuation. The firm keeps a $39 target on the stock.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Kenexa (KNXA) to overweight from neutral, citing a strengthening of trends for the company. The firm has a $29 price target on the stock.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Gaylord Entertainment (GET) to buy from neutral on expectations the company will benefit from strong trends in 2011. The firm raised its target for shares to $35 from $32.50.
• MeadWestvaco (MWV) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• EADS (EADSY) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Under Armour, Inc. (UA) closed up $1.06 to $45.23. UA October put option implied volatility is at 48, January is at 52. This is above its 26-week average of 44, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Research In Motion Limited (RIMM) October 45 call volatility decreased 4%.

Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (CHTP) October 7.50 call volatility decreased 57%.

Football season is right around the corner and you can expect athletic apparel stocks to benefit --- the question is, who will lead the way? Most people will assume Nike (NKE) --- a safe assumption given the company's wide spectrum of offerings, ranging from apparel to shoes. That said, I don't think that we can overlook NKE's competitor Under Armour (UA). For those not familiar with the company, UA makes performance athletic wear, ranging from underwear to camouflage hunting wear. A majority of UA's clothing offerings are made of the company's moisture-wicking and heat-dispersing fabrics, which help keep athletes dry during workouts and competition. The company's products are available on the Internet, through catalogs, and at more than 20,000 stores nationwide. Not only is UA a major competitor to NKE, but it is also the world's leading compression sports apparel brand - holding almost 80% of market share.

Baseball season is officially under way and it's all a numbers game. Kiplinger has highlighted five stocks that may be in play --- Jarden, Under Armour, PepsiCo, Hibbett Sports and Siriius Radio-- so here is their pitch and my thoughts on taking a swing at any of them.

Oddly, the Kiplinger story makes note of the fact that baseball and investing are both driven by numbers, yet provides very few of them to support their thesis.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded MicroStrategy (MSTR) to outperform from market perform after channel checks indicated MicroStrategy 9 product cycle's continued to gain momentum in Q4. The firm raised its target price on shares to $120 from $87.
• Following a management meeting, Baird upgraded Woodward Governor (WGOV) to outperform from neutral based on long-term energy control growth opportunities and low Street expectations. The firm raised its target to $33 from $24.
• Citigroup upgraded Under Armour (UA) to hold from sell as it believes the company's initiatives in footwear will accelerate growth and share downside is limited at current levels. The firm raised its target on shares to $31 from $24.
• Procter & Gamble (PG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Aflac (AFL) was upgraded to equal weight from underweight at Barclays.
• MGM Mirage (MGM) was raised to buy from neutral at Goldman.

The global recession has taken its toll on many companies, as have cheap knockoffs of products. When you can get a comparable product for half the price, why wouldn't you purchase the cheaper product? While such practices may not take a major bite out of the profits of athletic apparel companies like Nike (NKE) or Under Armour (UA), it is having a devastating impact on Russian company OAO Izhmash. Haven't heard of OAO Izhmash, if you haven't, I can almost guarantee that you have heard of its major product: the AK-47.

Analyst upgrades:

• Target (NYSE: TGT) was upgraded two ratings to Buy from Sell at Citigroup, and it raised its price estimate on shares to $61 from $44. The firm sees significant earnings upside as the company's same-store sales improve and finds the valuation attractive at current levels.
• Motorola (NYSE: MOT) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital citing valuation, new product launches, and expectations that the Mobile Devices division will be profitable. The price target is $11.
• AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup as it believes the company's Q3 results were solid and the China steel market is stabilizing. The firm raised its target to $21 from $17.
• Ceradyne (NASDAQ: CRDN) was upgraded at Wells Fargo to Market Perform from Underperform. The firm thinks that earnings expectations for the company have now reached more reasonable levels, limiting risk.
• FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital ahead of the company's Q3 results due to valuation as it views the risk/reward on shares compelling. The firm raised its price target to $25 from $19.
• Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) was upgraded at Goldman to Buy from Neutral, citing 2H10 margin expansion and analog share gains. Target was raised to $29 from $27.
• Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital as the firm thinks the company will benefit from a labor market recovery next year. Roth notes that the stock's valuation has lagged behind most of its peers in recent months and it set an $18 target.

Analyst upgrades:

• Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Canaccord, which cited the company's strong Q1 results.
• Pali Capital raised T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW) to Neutral from Sell following the company's better-than-expected Q3 results.
• Under Armour (NYSE: UA) was upgraded to Neutral from Negative at Susquehanna following positive checks ahead of the company's Tuesday's Q3 report.
• Stifel Nicolaus raised American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Buy from Hold, as the firm thinks the company is close to reaching "normalized" earnings.
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) to Sell from Conviction Sell.
• RBC Capital upgraded Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) to Outperform from Sector Perform.
• American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform by Pacific Crest.