Analyst upgrades:

• Merriman upgraded Dendreon (NASDAQ: DNDN) to Buy from Neutral on expectations shares will react positively to the full IMPACT data release on April 28. The firm thinks Provenge could represent the first cancer immunotherapy approved in the U.S. and raised its valuation range on the stock to $33-$34 from $18-$19.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE) as it believes the valuation is attractive, investor expectations are low, and the company's fertilizer and rail segments could recovery in FY10. The firm has a $19 target on shares. Goldman upgraded the auto sector to Neutral from Cautious and added Ford (NYSE: F) to its Conviction Buy list. The analyst does not believe Ford will have to declare bankruptcy and sees the company benefiting from Chrysler share declines and GM's (NYSE: GM) reduced product offerings. Ford's price target is $6
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) to Buy from Underperform.
• Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Analyst upgrades:

• Merriman upgraded shares of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to Buy from Neutral after its channel checks indicated a modest increase in ad spend per client in March. The upgrade is based on early indications that search pricing and ad spend are stabilizing, search volume continuing to grow at a double-digit rate, and Merriman's belief that consensus estimates are now at reasonable levels.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Alcoa (NYSE: AA) to Hold from Sell and raised its price target to $8 from $7.30 following the company's asset sales in March as it believes the financial overhang on the stock has been removed.
  
• Suntrust said Providence Service (NASDAQ: PRSC) has returned to profitability through demand stabilization for social services and cost controls. Shares were upgraded to Buy from Neutral.
• Telmex (NYSE: TMX) was upgraded to Neutral from Undeperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Bernstein.
  
• Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) was lifted to Neutral from Sell at UBS.

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

• Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) Q1 earnings were cut almost in half and were lower than expected.
• AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) earnings expectations for 2010 resulted in an analyst's upgrade.
• BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) was downgraded following its Q4 earnings report.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) beat Q4 earnings expectations but slashed its quarterly dividend.
• Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) posted a smaller-than-expected Q4 loss but sales and gross margins fell.
• Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) Q1 earnings and revenue fell and it offered guidance below estimates.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded on confidence ahead of the company's earnings report.
• Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ) reported a bigger-than-expected drop in Q1 earnings.

Analyst upgrades:

• Stephens upgraded Emergency Medical Services (NYSE: EMS) to Overweight from Equal Weight on valuation as they believe shares are undervalued at current levels. The firm has a $42 target on the stock.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) to Buy from Hold ahead of the company's earnings report as they expect the results to provide confidence in the dividend.
  
• Baird upgraded CoPart (NASDAQ: CPRT) to Outperform from Neutral due to the defensive nature of the salvage auction market, strong balance sheet, and potential growth beyond salvage and outside the U.S.
• First Financial (NASDAQ: FFBC) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Keefe Bruyette.
  
• GPC Biotech (NASDAQ: GPCB) was upgraded at Piper Jaffray to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded Agilent (NYSE:A) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $24 from $22. The firm expects Agilent's YoY order declines to bottom in 1H09 and for growth to return in 1Q10.
  
• Despite downgrading the Equity REIT industry to Underweight from Market Weight, Friedman Billings upgraded Home Properties (NYSE:HME) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect the company's exposure to Washington, D.C. The firm thinks Washington has the potential for stable demand fundamentals.
  
• Keefe Bruyette raised Education Realty (NYSE:EDR) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect the company's improved liquidity outlook.
• Cullen/Frost (NYSE:CFR) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
  
• Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
  
• FPIC Insurance (NASDAQ:FPIC) was lifted at Piper Jaffray to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

• Credit Suisse downgraded Deutsche Telekom (NYSE:DT) to Neutral from Outperform and France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) to Underperform from Neutral in conjunction with cutting the European Telecommunications Services sector to Market Weight from Overweight.
  
• Goldman downgraded Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) to Sell from Neutral and added shares to its Conviction Sell List. The firm, which lowered its target to $11 from $30, said HOG shares do not fully reflect the impact from unprecedented headwinds in global luxury motorcycle demand and credit.
  
• Jefferies downgraded Precision Cast (NYSE:PCP) to Hold from Buy following the recent rally as they believe near-term EPS growth will be challenging. The firm lowered its target to $72 from $75.
• AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Bernstein.
• Tenneco (NYSE:TEN) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at Wachovia.
• Burlington Northern (NYSE:BNI) was lowered to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Friedman Billings downgraded the Equity REIT sector to Underweight from Market Weight.

Analyst initiations:

• Ladenburg initiated Pentair (NYSE:PNR) with a Buy rating and $32 target. The firm believes the company's cost reduction and growth strategies will limit earnings declines from weak end markets.
  
• Fiat (Other OTC:FIATY) was initiated with a Hold rating at ING Group.
  
• Raymond James resumed coverage of Tailsman Energy (NYSE:TLM) with a Market Perform rating.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to Neutral from Sell on valuation and believes the company's guidance is realistic.
  
• SMH Capital upgraded GMX Resources (NASDAQ: GMXR) to Accumulate from Neutral and is positive on the company's capex reduction.
  
• Wachovia raised Nationwide Health Services (NYSE: NHP) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect the company's diversified portfolio and "solid" capital position.
• Portugal Telecom (NYSE: PT) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Omnicare (NYSE: OCR) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Soleil.
  
• SKF AB (OTC: SKFRY) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Neutral from Underweight.

Analyst downgrades:

Nippon Telephone (NYSE: NTT), a Japanese based telecommunications company, closed at $24.17 Thursday. NTT January option implied volatility of 60 is above its 26-week average of 35 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

China Telecom (NYSE: CHA), a provider of wireline telecommunication services in China, closed at $39 Thursday. Goldman Sachs has a Sell rating on CHA. CHA overall option implied volatility of 91 is above its 26-week average of 60 according to Chicago, suggesting larger price movement.

Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT), Europe's largest telecommunications carrier by sales, closed at $13.99 Thursday. DT January option implied volatility of 54 is above its 26-week average of 48 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movements.

Telmex (NYSE: TMX), an operator of wireline telecommunication systems in Mexico, closed at $17.28 Thursday. TMX December option implied volatility of 66 is above its 26-week average of 49 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

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

Analyst upgrades:

• Canaccord upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold citing valuation following the severe price decline following BHP Billiton's (NYSE: BHP) dropped bid.
• UBS upgraded Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation and defensive business mix.
• Jefferies upgraded shares of HealthSouth (NYSE: HLS) to Buy from Hold on valuation and maintains a $13.50 target.
• Melco PBL Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL) was raised to buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Neutral.
• HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Analyst downgrades:

The telecom business is definitely not recession-proof, as those that have followed the industry have recently realized, but it is not a field that is going to fade into the horizon any time soon either. Simply put, people need to communicate and the telecom business is poised to continue rolling with the new technology and bringing people what they need. If you see the value of telecom companies and agree that their future is, perhaps not golden, but definitely strong, then an investment in an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is an excellent way to invest in the future of the telecom field without placing all of your trust in one specific company.

iShares S&P Global Telecommunications Sector ETF (NYSE: IXP) let's you own shares in some of the most noted and reliable telecom companies by simply purchasing shares of the one ETF. With IXP you'll find your investment basket is loaded with companies such as Amercia Movil, S.A.B. (NYSE: AMX) a fixed and wireless provider in Latin America, AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) a telecom provider for customers in the U.S. and worldwide, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) a wireline and domestic wireless provider across the globe, as well as several other highly rated and well known telecom leaders.

iShares charges only a 0.48% fee to maintain IXP using computers rather than money managers. IXP also has typically paid about $1.50 per year in dividends -- IXP is down about (41%) this year so that's about a 4% yield -- and these companies seem to have the cash-generating ability to continue dividends.

Of the 44 stocks in IXP, the top 10 holdings total about 71% of all total assets. Take note of the global exposure you'll get by investing in the future of the telecom industry:

• 17.19%: AT&T INC(NYSE:T)
• 10.61%: VODAFONE GROUP PLC(NYSE:VOD)
• 9.47% : TELEFONICA SA(NYSE:TEF)
• 9.05%: VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS IN(NYSE:VZ)
• 5.01%: CHINA MOBILE LTD(NYSE:CHL)
• 4.94%: FRANCE TELECOM SA(NYSE:FTE)
• 4.57%: DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG-REG(NYSE:DT)
• 3.98%: NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE(NYSE:NTT)
• 3.21%: TELSTRA CORP LTD (Other OTC:TLS)
• 2.71%: BCE INCNYSE:BCE)

Mitch Tuchman is founder of MarketRiders an investment website that teaches individuals how to be their own investment advisors using ETFs

Analyst upgrades:

• Cowen upgraded Aaron Rents (NYSE: RNT) to Outperform from Neutral and believes the company's business model is gaining momentum despite the difficult environment. The firm views valuation as attractive.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of MedCath (NASDAQ: MDTH) to Hold from Sell on valuation following the recent sell-off. The company's target was lowered to $9 from $19.
  
• Stanford upgraded AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) to Buy from Hold based on valuation and because they believe its visibility over the next year has improved.
• Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB) was lifted to Buy from Hold at BB&T.
  
• Chico's FAS (NYSE: CHS) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
  
• FCStone (NASDAQ: FCSX) was raised to Strong Buy from Outperform at Raymond James.

Analyst downgrades:

• RBC Capital downgraded Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) to Sector Perform from Outperform based on reduced valuation parameters and lack of catalysts. The company's target was lowered to $9 from $15.
• Kellogg (NYSE: K) and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) were cut to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
  
• Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ: ESLR) was downgraded at JP Morgan to Underweight from Neutral.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman and to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Analyst upgrades:

• Piper upgraded Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the company's strong competitive position and low valuation. The firm does not expect Intel to miss Q3 estimates.
  
• Goldman upgraded shares of Deutsche Telecom (NYSE: DT) to Buy from Neutral and added the stock to the Conviction Buy List as they believe the dividend is well covered.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Landstar System (NASDAQ: LSTR) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and potential near-term catalysts from hurricane-related activities.
• Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings.
  
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded at JMP Securities to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Baird lifted Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) to Neutral from Underperform.

Analyst downgrades:

• Jefferies downgraded VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) to Underperform from Buy as they believe reduced consumer spending and rising unemployment levels will hurt the company's hospital and lab volumes in FY09. The company's target was lowered to $25 from $35.
  
• Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Total System (NYSE: TSS) to Perform from Outperform to reflect the challenging macro environment and the customer portfolio risk from bank consolidation.

Minyanville contributor Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

Goldman Sachs removed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) from its conviction buy list. I've jested in the past that this list tends to have little conviction itself. At any rate, I'm still in a holding pattern on AAPL as it moves closer to levels that I really find attractive -- $125 and lower.

Though the stock made a nice turn off lows, AAPL appears to be assessing whether the Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) news will have a material spillover effect. Some of DELL's weakness is due to AAPL so we will have to see how much macro driven issues affect AAPL's peak season growth. Piper noted that AAPL is in need of a Mac refresh -- this is true and is in the works.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has announced it will start selling Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android-based phones. Time will tell if this hits the iPhone's growth, but I don't suspect it will.

"I've always been a big fan of putting into the market on a regular basis regardless of what is happening in the overall market," explains Chuck Carlson, long considered one of the advisory industry's leading experts on dividend reinvestment plans.

Here, the editor of The DRIP Investor offers a 10-stock "autopilot" portfolio that is diversified among 10 high quality dividend-paying stocks and requiring a monthly investment of under $500.

Carlson says, "If I've learned anything in the more than a quarter of a century of following the markets, it is this fact - buying stocks when you know you should (i.e. during sharp down moves) is really difficult. Our heads says we should; after all, substantial market downturns create the best values.

"But our emotions usually take control, thus making it very difficult to pull the trigger and put money into the market when stocks are falling.

"That's why I've always been a big fan of 401(k) plans. With these investment vehicles, investment programs are put on 'autopilot,' with dollars being put into the market on a regular basis (usually each paycheck) regardless of what is happening in the overall market.

"Fortunately, investors can duplicate the autopilot feature of 401(k) plans with their DRIP investments by taking advantage of automatic monthly investment features provided by most DRIPs.

Yesterday's announcement by Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) to cut but not eliminate its dividend payment got me wondering if there were other companies out there with absurdly high dividend yields that hadn't cut their payments. High-dividend yields are an old-fashioned way to look at companies and one that's fallen out of fashion as tech companies plowed their profits into research. But a 10% yield -- hey even a 7% yield -- is something we'd all be happy to find these days.

Traditionally, companies with high-dividend yields were those with low-growth potential, like utilities. Like Freddie, many of the current high-yield companies were created by a falling stock price. And like Freddie, they could always cut the dividend to keep the yield from getting out of whack. But, if they think the stock will rebound, maybe they won't cut it for fear the dividend cut would be yet another thing to drive off investors.

The highest yielding big company I found was Biovail (NYSE: BVF), Canada's biggest drug maker. The company was hit with an SEC complaint that key executives were lying about earnings. The company and the founder just settled a fight over the future direction of the company -- with the founder stepping aside. The stock, at about $10, has been cut in half in the last year. In May the company declared a quarterly dividend of 37.5 cents a share, which gives it a 15% yield at the current price.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Lam Research, Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) to Outperform from Neutral citing margin expansion and valuation. Lam was named the firm's top pick in SCE names for 2H08.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Deutsche Telekom (NYSE:DT) to Overweight from Neutral as they expect a stronger second half of the year for the industry.
  
• France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill and to Buy from Hold at Societe Generale after the company walked away without bidding for Sweden's TeliaSonera.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• UBS upgraded American Express (NYSE:AXP), Capital One (NYSE:COF) and Discover (NYSE:DFS) to Neutral from Sell.
  
• New York Times(NYSE:NYT) was raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
  
• RBC Capital raised Sanmina (NASDAQ:SANM) to Sector Perform from Underperform.
  
• Merrill upgraded Sirius Satellite (NASDAQ:SIRI) to Buy from Neutral.