All three of the major indexes finished Tuesday in the red, but there were several big names that moved up to new 52-week highs in Tuesday's trading.

Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG): The drugstore giant had a really good day on Wall Street after posting better than expected earnings in the morning before the market opened. The company posted earnings of 44 cents per share versus analyst estimates of 39 cents. The stock set a new 52-week high of $38.44 and closed the day up 9.2% at $37.35.

Bruce Watson over at sister site DailyFinance.com highlighted some news that is actually more important than many people might believe. At first glance, it's almost a trite little curiosity. Upon further inspection, its vital nature becomes compelling.

The article discussed the elimination of personal check-writing at retail points of sale. A few Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) locations, as well as 70 Fresh & Easy supermarkets in California, are no longer accepting checks as a viable form of payment. Whole Foods is apparently taking the idea out for a test run, but Fresh & Easy seems to be more serious about the idea.

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

• Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) reported better-than-expected Q2 results, sending shares higher.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) said it swung to a Q2 profit despite a dearth of leveraged buyouts.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) Q2 earnings declined but still topped estimates, sending shares higher.
• Coinstar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) reported stellar Q2 results driven by its the popularity of RedBox.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) posted solid Q4 earnings but said revenues were flat due to currency effects.
• Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) lower Q2 earnings beat expectations by a penny but revenue fell short.

Whole Foods Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI), once the grocery darling of the investing market, took a serious wrong turn somewhere in the M&A market in 2007. Ever since the ill-fated acquisition of Wild Oats, WFMI has taken a dive, plunging from highs in the $60s (2006) and $50s (until late 2007) to as low as $8.68 this past December. So it was with great joy that investors heralded news of the company's fiscal third quarter results last night, exceeding analyst expectations, with earnings per share of $0.25, or $35.0 million, and sales up 2% over the year-ago quarter, to $1.9 billion. Same-store sales declined compared to the year-earlier quarter, but reversed their declining trend, down 2.5% from Q3 2008 but up from Q2 2009.

U.S. stock markets may be poised to rise, extending their gains from earlier this week, as traders bet that the worst of the steepest economic decline since the Great Depression is ending. Then again, they may end their recent winning streak.

It's one of those days.

S&P Futures expiring in September were little changed as investors digested the latest batch of earnings news. These recent quarterly reports have been largely viewed positively. Some investors may be worrying if stock valuations have gotten too rich.

It was easy to discount a company dedicated to selling high-end groceries in the midst of a terrible global downturn. And Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) has indeed suffered from investor fears. Shares of the company fell from year-ago levels of about $22 per share to lows of near $8 per share in the dark days of December 2008. They have since rebounded to the $22 level on green shoots speculation. On Monday, however, they tumbled again to $18.80. Is it time to buy?

That's a tricky question. First, the positives. Whole Foods is a well-managed grocery chain. It has been extremely disciplined in its expansion push, choosing good locations. It has also overcome relatively low revenues per employee by posting higher margins on items and much higher average cash register rings.

Michelle Obama has made healthy eating a priority in her role as first lady. Her emphasis on the earth-to-table approach to dining emphasizes local and organic ingredients -- and fits squarely with the mission of Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI).

Obama's White House garden is great top-of-mind stuff and demonstrates the value of a healthy lifestyle. It may not be for everyone, but there will be enough followers that will think more and more about going organic.

We all know the impact that celebrities have on businesses. One of the most obvious instances of this phenomenon comes from the Oprah Winfrey Show. For example, when a title makes it into her book club, millions of loyal followers immediately take action, and sales follow.

These days, Michelle Obama is giving Oprah a run for her money. The First Lady is being closely watched by millions, and she too has a loyal following. She also appears to have a fashion sense that resonates with consumers around the globe. We all saw the number of stories and speculation about her gown during the inauguration.

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

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) reported dismal Q1 numbers as same-store sales plunged.
• Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) dismal Q2 results were in line with analysts' expectations.
• Bankrate Inc. (NASDAQ: RATE) reported lower earnings and revenue for Q1 and offered no guidance.
• Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) earnings, revenue, and same-store sales all fell in the first quarter.
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) Q1 earnings declined but still topped analysts' expectations.

As earnings season begins to wind down, some apparel retailers are scheduled to report quarterly results this week. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters anticipate that Walmart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), the 800-pound gorilla in the space, will report that it earned $0.77 per share in the first quarter, about the same as in the first quarter of last year. But JCPenney Co. (NYSE: JCP), Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), and Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) are expected to report lower profits for the first quarter as consumers continued to hold off on spending. Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M) and Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) are expected to have swung to a loss year over year.

Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) and Winn Dixie Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: WINN) are likewise expected to report declining earnings, while the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (NYSE: GAP), parent of the A&P supermarket chain, is expected to have narrowed its net loss 68.9% to $0.28 per share.

This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks.

"We think there's enormous potential for profit as Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) recovers from its deeply oversold position," says Mike Cintolo. Here's the latest from The Cabot Top Ten report.

"Whole Foods is the fourth-largest grocery store operator in the U.S., a rank it's achieved, among far older competitors, by competing not on price but on quality. In particular, Whole Foods has succeeded by satisfying shoppers' demand for healthy, earth-friendly organic foods.

In a difficult economic environment, it is often wise for investors to consider stocks in more defensive and relatively recession-resistant sectors. And one such area is food and beverage stocks.

As the long-standing market maxim goes, consumers can pull back on spending for vacations, remodeling, and new cars, but they still need to eat and drink.

In that light, I turned to nine leading newsletter advisors who serve up their current favorite ideas in the food and beverage sector:

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Conviction Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $90 from $60. Goldman cites ICE's positioning and potential for upward EPS revisions for the upgrade.
  
• Jefferies upgraded FMC Technologies (NYSE: FTI) to Buy from Hold as they believe solid deepwater activity levels will lead to solid EPS results in 2009 and 2010. The firm raised their price target to $45 from $27.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and expects significant improvement in basis differentials for the company's Barnett production starting the second half of Q2. The firm raised their price target to $60 from $50.
• Elan Corp (NYSE: ELN) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Piper Jaffray.
  
• Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) was upgraded at Keefe Bruyette to Outperform from Market Perform.

Analyst upgrades:

• KeyBanc upgraded Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company has options to forestall covenant violations or bankruptcy, event if conditions deteriorate further.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to Market Perform from Underperform citing low expectations, favorable FTC settlement, progress on cost cutting, and valuation.
  
• JP Morgan believes First Merit (NASDAQ: FMER) is one of the best positioned Midwest banks to weather the storm and notes its compelling valuation and capital levels. The firm upgraded shares to Overweight from Neutral.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
  
• Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) was lifted to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Today was one of those strange Friday sessions where you just never felt stable. Interestingly enough, the 8.1% unemployment rate ended up moving the market up briefly, but only briefly. Most of the day was spent in red numbers with a rally that brought the markets back to a flat close.

The focus is still on what is coming out of Washington D.C. and just how long and how deep this recession is going to be.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:
Dow 6,626.94 +32.50 (+0.49%)
S&P 500 683.39 +0.84 (+0.12%)
Nasdaq 1,293.85 -5.74 (-0.44%)
Top Analyst Calls