Analyst Upgrades

• Interpublic Group (IPG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Radware (RDWR) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Fluor (FLR) and Waddell & Reed (WDR) to buy from hold, as well as AllianceBernstein (AB) to hold from sell, at Citigroup.
• MetroCorp (MCBI) and American Capital (AGNC) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• International Flavors (IFF) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• BioCryst (BCRX) and Southern Company (SO) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Bunge (BG) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.

Online jewelry retailer Blue Nile (NILE) took the earnings stage Friday morning, with the company reporting a third-quarter profit of $2.8 million, or 19 cents per share -- up 7.7% from its year-ago results. Net sales for the quarter added 0.8% to $67.5 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were looking for a third-quarter profit of 18 cents per share on $72.1 million in revenue.

For the current quarter, Blue Nile predicted a profit of 41 cents to 46 cents per share, with sales arriving between $106 million and $115 million. Analysts anticipate a fourth-quarter profit of 43 cents per share from Blue Nile.

Diamonds are always popular around Valentine's Day, but lingering unemployment problems and consumer confidence woes have hit most jewelry stores hard. But not Blue Nile (NILE).

This online retailer of fine custom-made rings, earrings and necklaces allows consumers to browse a huge array of diamonds without paying a middle man. This allows for some great deals, making NILE your best bet to cash in on jewelry sales this Valentine's Day.

Next: Limited Brands (LTD)

At the time of this writing, Louis Navellier did not own shares of NILE in personal or client portfolios.

Valentine's Day may be a commercialized holiday to some, but there's no denying that its big business. And this coming Valentine's Day may be extra sweet since it falls on a Sunday, making it a great excuse for a romantic night out. In fact, total Valentine's Day spending is expected to reach $17.6 billion this year, up 3.3% over 2009, according to consumer spending researchers at IBISWorld.

That's a big payday, and one that investors should be paying attention to.

Today was one of those weak days where you would tell yourself, "this could have been much worse." China tightened its reserve requirements again ahead of its long week off for the Chinese New Year. Greek concerns were back out that its recession might hamper a bailout. University of Michigan sentiment surveys showed a decline versus just a month ago. And the bias is still sour... Yet today's move was not as bad as it could have been.

Here were the unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,100.66 -43.53 (-0.43%)
S&P 500 1,075.88 -2.59 (-0.24%)
Nasdaq 2,183.53 +6.12 (0.28%)

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades

As John, Paul, George, and Ringo once said, "Money can't buy me love." While true, money can buy long-stemmed roses, expensive dinners, theater tickets, and jewelry. On the flip side, this money can be tucked away for a rainy day -- the fancy floral delivery replaced with daisies from the grocery store, the pricey meal forgone for the cozy neighborhood spot (or fondue at home).

Many of us have long criticized St. Valentine's Day as a holiday conceptualized and fueled by Hallmark and American Greetings (NYSE: AM). But even more of us fall into its trap, spending a nice chunk of change in mid-February to prove our affection to our significant other.

If you thought Black Friday was just for brick-and-mortar retail, think again. The official start of the online shopping rush is the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday (Cyber Monday is its name), but don't think that companies like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) are going to wait that long. They're in the game now. And they want your attention. More importantly, they want you to use the virtual shopping carts at their respective sites early and often. It's really crucial this year, because the economy stinks, and growth in spending isn't going to be great.

According to CNBC, Amazon's strategy is to use very low prices as a way of stopping competitors like eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) dead in their electronic tracks. This Christmas season, retailers, whether online or not, may find themselves in a no-win situation. They have to lower prices to encourage people to shop. But quality growth in top-line sales is questionable. When managements see the bad news flow about the global recession, they become scared and want to become even more aggressive in terms of pricing. The strategy may work and it may not. It's a vicious circle. Don't get me wrong, the retail industry faces this problem every year at this time, but you have to agree that the current economic cycle is particularly noxious. It's times like these, however, when retailers should want to offer more than just a value proposition. They should want to offer a differentiated shopping experience, a better selection of items. They should strive to offer up a brand image that makes you want to hit their inventories first. They need to step away from trying to undercut all their competitors and instead figure out how to stock the right merchandise in the right amounts. And when it comes to a business like Amazon, I think there's great opportunity to go beyond low-pricing strategies. Quite frankly, I don't care whether Amazon has the lowest prices or not. I find it easier to do some of my holiday shopping on the site. It saves me time during this busy season, I trust the security of the platform, and I know that the supply chain is efficient and reliable. And I definitely think of Amazon first when looking to do online shopping because of its valuable brand equity.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Nvidia, Entropic Comm and Cleveland Cliffs were today's noteworthy initiations:

• Piper initiated Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) with a Neutral rating and $23 target and believes the rate at which the company gained market share over the past two years is unsustainable. The firm expects EPS deceleration over the next few years.
  
• Piper believes Entropic Comm (NASDAQ: ENTR) is a key benefactor from the general adoption of high definition video consumer goods, as well as from growth in multi-room DVRs. The firm assumed shares with a Buy rating and $10 target.
  
• Cleveland Cliffs (NYSE: CLF) was started with a Buy rating and $135 target at Deutsche Bank. The firm believes CLF is a leveraged play on bulk commodities' momentum.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Merrill initiated Allied Capital (NYSE: ALD) with a Neutral rating.
  
• Stifel initiated Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) with a Buy rating and $54 target, and initiated Bank of Florida (NASDAQ: BOFL) with a Buy rating.

Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE), a leading online retailer of diamonds and jewelry, is recently down $14.64 (or over 27%) to $39.20 in pre-open trading.

NILE management indicated Q1 consumer spending on luxury goods is looking soft, and will likely impact future results.

RBCM has a target price of $55 on NILE. NILE over all option implied volatility of 126 it above its 26-week average of 65 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

There are stock pull-backs, and then there are stock pull-backs that signal 'opportunity.' Or should one say here just 'sparkles' with opportunity?

Online diamond company Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) is the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry, and part of the reason it attained that status is the company's philosophy: Blue Nile believes choosing the right engagement ring doesn't have to be complicated.

The company's web site is a pillar on which the NILE foundation stands: its structured so that the typical person can navigate carat / cut / clarity / color characteristics of diamonds and ring characteristics with relative ease. A 30-day return policy puts the potential purchaser at ease.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: UQM Technologies, Blue Nile, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Massey Energy and Hartford Financial were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Merriman downgraded shares of UQM Technologies Inc (AMEX: UQM) to Neutral from Buy after Phoenix Motorcars delayed its electric vehicle manufacturing ramp, as they view the company's Phoenix Motorcars relationship as the primary driver for near-term growth.
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Blue Nile Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) to Sell from Hold on valuation as they believe near-term risks outweigh rewards. They see risk to Q3 revenue estimates and their analysis suggests an in-line quarter at best.
• NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: NPSP) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Oppenheimer and to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. Oppenheimer lowered shares following disappointing Gattex data; Jefferies believes the P3 GATTEX results in short bowel syndrome make the chances of successful low-dose approval unpredictable.
• Friedman Billings downgraded Massey Energy Company (NYSE: MEE) to Underperform from Market Perform based on valuation, 2008/2009 outlook, spinoff of Patriot Coal appears to be a better investment option, and another blow to mountaintop mining and permit issues.
• JP Morgan removed The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE: HIG) from their Focus List; however, they believe the company's fundamental outlook remains positive and expects strong Q3 results.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Morgan Stanley downgraded EV3 Inc (NASDAQ: EVVV) to Underweight from Equal Weight.
• Business Objects SA (NASDAQ: BOBJ) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Roth Capital.
• Goldman downgraded The Nasdaq Stock Market Inc (NASDAQ: NDAQ) to Neutral from Buy.
• Banc of America downgraded The Pepsi Bottling Group Inc (NYSE: PBG) to Neutral from Buy.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: EMC Corp, Blue Nile, Getty Images and Sonus Networks were today's noteworthy initiations:

• EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) was initiated with a Buy rating and $24 target at Banc of America as they believe the company's core business is undervalued and should benefit from penetration of new market segments. Deutsche Bank views shares of the stock as fully valued at current levels, starting shares off with a Hold rating and $20 target. Jefferies believes the divergence in valuation of core EMC and majority-held VMWare Inc (NYSE: VMW) creates an attractive entry point. The firm started EMC shares with a Buy rating and $25 target.
  
• CIBC finds shares of Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) fairly valued and sees challenges as competition increases. The firm started shares with a Sector Performer rating.
  
• CIBC also initiated shares of Getty Images Inc (NYSE: GYI) with a Sector Performer rating, as the firm believes the company's earnings visibility is limited while the business model is in transition.
  
• Coverage of Sonus Networks Inc (NASDAQ: SONS) was resumed with an Overweight rating and $8 target at Thomas Weisel. Their checks indicate the company is experiencing increased order activity in 2H07, and they expect an improved Q3 followed by a very strong Q4.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) was initiated with an Overweight rating at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Oppenheimer initiated Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: CNSL) with a Buy rating and $24 target.
  
• UBS initiated the U.S. homebuilding sector with a Pessimistic outlook.
  
• UBS initiated shares of Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) with a Neutral rating and $37 target.
  
• Bear started shares of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) with a Peer Perform rating.
  

MOST NOTEWORTHY: The process control sector, R.H. Donnelley, Vonage, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Transocean were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Baird reduced estimates across the board in the process control sector due to lower expectations for North American industrial and residential construction. The firm downgraded Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP), Regal-Beloit Corp (NYSE: RBC) and Baldor Electric (NYSE: BEZ) to Neutral from Outperform and AO Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS) to Underperform from Neutral.
• Goldman downgraded shares of R.H. Donnelley Corporation (NYSE: RHD) to Neutral from Buy after the company updated its 2007 guidance to reflect deteriorating trends in local advertising.
  
• Vonage Holdings Corp (NYSE: VG) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Soleil due to liquidity concerns.
  
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank on valuation and mixed near-term trends.
  
• Transocean Inc (NYSE: RIG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Gabelli. Even though the deepwater market continues to be strong, the firm is concerned regarding the continuing weakness in the jackup market as well as the limited upside potential due to the company's ships being in use through 2009.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• XM Satellite Radio Holdings (NASDAQ: XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc (NASDAQ: SIRI) were downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
  
• Blue Nile Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Suntrust.
  
• Citigroup downgraded shares of CheckFree Corporation (NASDAQ: CKFR) to Hold from Buy.
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded McAfee Inc (NYSE: MFE) to Underweight from Equal Weight.

So you need to buy some diamond jewelry, but don't know anything about the market? That's all right. There's a place online that explains shape, cut, color, clarity, carat weight, certification and setting ... and then let's you design your piece right there on the site. It's the largest online diamond retailer in the world.

Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) sells diamond, platinum, gold, pearl, and sterling silver jewelry on web sites based in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Products include settings, wedding bands, earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and watches. The Blue Nile web sites showcase in-depth educational materials and online tools that place consumers in control of the jewelry shopping process. Prices are significantly below traditional retail. Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) is a major competitor.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q2 EPS of 23 cents and revenues of $72.1 million. Analysts had been expecting 18 cents and $67.1 million. Management also guided Q3 EPS to 13-15 cents (13 cent consensus), Q3 revenues to $66-$67.5 million ($62.7M consensus), FY07 EPS to 94-99 cents (90 cent consensus) and FY07 revenues to $312-$318 million ($306M consensus). The news popped the shares out of a late-July/early August "cup" into the mid-August "handle" of a Cup & Handle formation. The price is now showing signs of completing the pattern with a bullish rise from the right-hand side of the "handle."

Brokers recommend the shares with three "strong buys," one "buy," eight "holds" and two "sells." Analysts see a 27% growth rate through the next year. The NILE Sales Growth rate (26.67%), EPS Growth rate (27.78%), Return on Assets (16.81%), Return on Investment (30.68%), Return on Equity (31.12%) and Revenue per Employee ($1.77M) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $33.05 and $98.50. A stop-loss of $73.75 looks good here.

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

Monday August 6

• Blue Nile Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 5pm.
• SINA Corporation (NASDAQ: SINA) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 9pm.

Tuesday August 7

• Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 11am.
• Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.

Wednesday August 8

• Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 8am.
• Hot Topic Inc (NASDAQ: HOTT) to report monthly sales at 4pm.

Thursday August 9

• More monthly sales reports, including: Chicos FAS Inc (NYSE: CHS) at 7:30am; Limited Brands Inc (NYSE: LTD) at 7:30am; Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT) at 8am; AnnTaylor Stores Corporation (NYSE: ANN) at 8am; and Abercrombie & Fitch Co (NYSE: ANF) at 8:15am.

Friday August 10

• EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 12pm.
• PDUFA date for Solvay SA (OTC: SVYSY) and Wyeth's (NYSE: WYE) Bifeprunox for the treatment of Schizophrenia.