Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded OpenTable (OPEN) to buy from hold, citing stronger than expected near-term trends and traction for the company's Spotlight offering. Citi upped its price target for shares to $70 from $46.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Werner (WERN) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation, the company's reduction in cost, and its above peer exposure to the pricing cycle.
• Goldman upgraded CarMax (KMX) to neutral from sell based on valuation and higher used car profitability. The firm has a $24 target on the stock.
• Apollo Group (APOL) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Nokia (NOK) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Zions Bancorp (ZION) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.

Late Monday, Standard & Poor's announced that Dress Barn (DBRN) has been selected to join its S&P MidCap 400 Index (MID). The retailer will replace outgoing MID member Terra Industries (TRA), which is in the process of being acquired by CF Industries (CF).

Dress Barn is slated to join MID after the close of trading on Friday, April 9, when CF's exchange offer to acquire Terra is expected to be complete. Meanwhile, NorthWestern Corp. (NWE) will step into Dress Barn's former spot in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index (SML).

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

• Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) announced improved results year over year, with book value up nearly 20%.
• BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ) Q4 earnings were in line with expectations but guidance for the year fell short.
• Cbeyond Inc. (CBEY) received an analyst's downgrade and lowered price target following its Q4 results.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) strong Q2 results fell short of analysts' estimates and shares declined.
• Dress Barn Inc. (DBRN) said it swung to a profit in Q2 and same-store sales increased, and it raised its outlook.

Dress Barn (DBRN), an apparel retailer that counts Kohl's (KSS) as a related company, posted second-quarter stats yesterday after the bell. Today, shares are trading higher thanks to the good news implied within the figures.

The first thing to know is that you can basically disregard the 73% increase in total sales. Remember that this was the result of an acquisition, which I mentioned back in September. The same-store revenue metric really comes into play with this report: it went up a very appealing 10%. On an adjusted basis, the business made 37 cents per share. What a difference a year makes, because in the comparable frame, 3 cents per share was actually lost.

The Federal Reserve's next Beige Book report is scheduled to be released this week. This report is a compilation of anecdotal information on current economic conditions from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank districts, and it is released eight times a year. The data comes from interviews with business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The previous report, released in January, showed some improvement in most districts and growth in consumer spending over the holiday period, though unemployment remained high. The December report showed modest improvement in eight of the districts.

Retailers were in the earnings spotlight last week and for the most part made a strong showing of it. Even as the earnings season winds down, some more retailers are scheduled to release quarterly results this week.

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

• Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) just beat low Q3 earnings estimates but revenue also declined.
• Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) earnings fell short of estimates but revenue was better than expected.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings.
• Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) posted a surprise Q3 profit but shares rose slightly on the news.
• Dress Barn Inc. (NASDAQ: DBRN) reported modest growth in both net income and revenue in Q4.
• FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) said that its Q1 earnings and revenue dropped but its cash flow has improved.

Dress Barn (NASDAQ: DBRN), a retailer that specializes in casual fashion, issued results for the fourth quarter on Wednesday after the bell. Net sales increased 4%, and adjusted income came in at 39 cents per diluted share versus 34 cents per diluted share one year ago.

The growth rates weren't all that notable, but Dress Barn, which counts Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) as a colleague, beat estimates, according to Reuters. The call was for 37 cents per share. The top line essentially met expectations.

Memphis-based package delivery giant FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) is generally seen as an indicator of the state of commerce in the U.S. Last week, not only did the Fed's Beige Book report suggest that the economy had stabilized over the summer, with signs of recovery in some districts, But FedEx also boosted its earnings guidance due to stronger-than-expected volume in its international priority-delivery service. So a question going in to FedEx's fiscal first-quarter report this week is whether the company is still a bellwether.

For the three months that ended in August, when FedEx opened distribution hubs in Chicago and Toledo and declared a quarterly dividend, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for it to report that earnings fell 60.2% from a year ago to $0.49 per share. That's also down 23.4% from the previous quarter, as well as less than the recently updated outlook. First quarter revenue is expected to be down 18.3% from a year ago to $8.2 billion.

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.

Last week, JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) posted a quarterly loss and lowered its guidance. But as interest in alternative energy continues to grow, analysts polled by Thomson Financial are still looking for good things from solar energy concerns scheduled to report earnings this week.

Strong growth at Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) in the third quarter prompted it to lift its guidance back in October. Analysts expect the Chinese company to post profits that are 76.3% higher than a year ago, or $1.18 per share on revenues of $268.4 million (+225.0%). Though Trina Solar missed estimates in the second quarter, analysts on average recommend buying TSL. Shares are down 81.4% from a year ago and trading near an all-time low.

Earnings of rival LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) are expect to have risen 47.9% to $0.71 per share on revenues of $486.7 million (+206.6%). Also based in China, LDK has not missed estimates in recent quarters; in fact, it blew past expectations in the second quarter. Yet the consensus recommendation is to hold LDK. Like Trina Solar, LDK's shares are trading near an all-time low; the share price has fallen 50.0% in the past year.

Analysts anticipate third-quarter earnings for Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to be a whopping 96.3% higher than a year ago, or $0.54 per share on revenues of $248.0 million (+154.5%). The company easily topped estimates in the previous quarter. ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) and Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) are also expected to report earnings growth of 29.7% ($0.37 per share) and 23.8% ($0.42 per share), respectively. All three of these stocks reached 52-week lows last week, and all are considered buys.

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:

US Airways (NYSE:LCC) is up 5% on rumors of merger talks with United (NASDAQ:UAUA).

Dress Barn (NASDAQ:DBRN) is up about 7% on good earnings.

Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:ESLR) is off 6% on a downgrade by Merrill.

Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD) is down 5% after reporting a poor quarter.

Stocks may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Father's Day is around the corner. Why not spend some time looking at the coming earnings and how Dad's Day may have an impact. It is funny to see how many of the companies reporting earnings this week actually have links to Father's Day.

While this column has been obviously bearish of late, there are a few potential winners that may appear, just in time for the big day. Time to stock up on gifts for dear-ole-dad, or get farther away from stocks? You tell me... (by the way, comments and ideas are always appreciated)

Monday, May 26

Markets will be flat. I am certain that stocks on the U.S. Market will close at the exact price they closed last Friday. But what do I know!

Women's apparel retailer Dress Barn (NASDAQ: DBRN) took its turn in the earnings confessional this morning, reporting a 38% increase in fourth-quarter profit. The company posted a profit of $33.6 million, or 48 cents per share, up from $24.4 million (35 cents) in the year-ago period.

Excluding unique items, DBRN would have earned 45 cents per share, topping analysts' expectations of 42 cents. Sales were up 11% during the reporting period to $379.9 million - above the consensus view of $377.1 million - and same-store sales grew by 5%.

DBRN officials were realistic about the current economic environment, however. While the trendier maurices brand has continued to post strong sales, economic concerns have indirectly resulted in greater-than-expected inventory levels at the eponymous Dressbarn chain. As a result, first-quarter markdowns have increased. For fiscal 2008, Dress Barn expects to earn between $1.40 and $1.50 per share, below analysts' outlook of $1.54 per share (before items). Same-store sales are expected to rise 3% to 4%.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Yahoo! (YHOO), Genzyme (GENZ) and Dress Barn (DBRN) were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan as the firm believes the company has addressed weakness in display advertising with recent partnership announcements and the acquisition of Right Media. Additionally, the firm still sees upside to Panama.
• Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ: GENZ) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs, citing valuation and a favorable risk/reward.
• Merriman upgraded shares of Dress Barn (NASDAQ: DBRN) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the improved sales trends in May and sees the stock trading at the high end of its peer group average or in a range of $25.50-$27.00.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Buy from Sell at Societe Generale, which also added shares to its Premium List.
• Lehman Brothers upgraded AvalonBay Communities (NYSE: AVB) to Equal Weight from Underweight, as the firm views AVB as a close comp to Archstone-Smith Trust (NYSE: ASN). Lehman also upgraded Post Properties (NYSE: PPS) to Equal Weight from Underweight, citing industry M&A activity, and China Life Insurance (NYSE: LFC) to Buy from Neutral, citing valuation.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of BG Group plc (NYSE: BRG) to Buy from Hold to reflect expected growth in the company's liquefied natural gas business.
• Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Robert W Baird, which expects improved performance at JBoss and a positive mix shift in the core O/S business following the release of RHEL 5.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).