Walmart (WMT) is teaming up with T-Mobile, which is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom (DTEGY), to offer a unlimited talking and texting for $45 per month, the USA Today reported.

The Walmart-branded discounted plan -- Walmart Family Mobile -- will offer 100 megabytes of data. Family members can share the data capacity. Any leftover capacity can be carried over to the next month. When the 100 MB is used up, additional data can be purchased. For example, an extra 200 MB will cost $10, 500 MB will go for $25, and 1 gigabyte for $40.

Analyst Upgrades

• Macquarie upgraded Boeing (BA) to outperform from neutral based on increased delivery forecasts for next year. The firm has an $83 target on the stock.
• William Blair upgraded Polycom (PLCM) to outperform from market perform, citing strong industry demand and improving execution.
• Rodman & Renshaw upgraded Idera Pharmaceuticals (IDRA) to outperform from market perform to reflect the company's platform technologies and partnership potential.
• Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Jacobs Engineering (JEC) was raised to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Felcor Lodging (FCH) was upgraded at FBR Capital to outperform from market perform.

Analyst Upgrades

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded MSCI Inc. (MXB) to outperform from market perform on valuation following Monday's sell-off as it views the acquisition of RiskMetrics (RISK) favorably. The firm has a $36 price target on shares. UBS also upgraded MSCI, to buy from neutral, and raised its target to $40 from $34, citing the recent pullback in shares and the accretive acquisition of RiskMetrics.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Suncor (SU) to hold from sell on valuation and raised its price target on shares to $28 from $20. The firm continues to prefer Canadian Natural (CNQ) to Suncor, however, and raised its target on shares to $80 from $78.
• JMP Securities upgraded Grubb & Ellis (GBE) to outperform from market perform based on the improved operating environment and balance sheet, and valuation, among other reasons.
• Dell (DELL) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• FEMSA (FMX) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Westar Energy (WR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Deere (DE) to overweight from neutral and raised its target on shares to $65 from $52. JPMorgan believes the company's fundamentals are improving and sees signs of a recovery in forestry, turf and earth-moving equipment.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Valmont (VMI) to neutral from underweight on valuation following the company's Q4 results. The firm lowered its target price on shares to $70 from $74.
• Soleil upgraded Group 1 Automotive (GPI) to buy from hold on valuation with a $36 price target. The firm believes negative news flow for Toyota has created an opportunity to accumulate shares.
• Bernstein upgraded Deutsche Telekom (DT) to outperform from market perform.
• Nucor (NUE) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• American Eagle (AEO) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Option traders took a bullish interest in the Diversified Utilities industry and bearish interest in the Wireless Communications industry today.

Bullish Volatility Skews

• SCANA Corp. (SCG) -- part of the Diversified Utilities industry -- came in at the top with a volatility skew of 1.30. This may come as a surprise as SCG is down 4.47% for the past month.

As the number four wireless carrier, the situation is grim for T-Mobile USA. In this industry, size does matter in terms of network coverage and access to phone options. Plus, there is downward pressure on pricing, such as from prepaid operators like Leap (LEAP) and MetroPCS (PCS).

Now, it looks like shareholders are losing their patience with T-Mobile, which is actually owned by German giant Deutsche Telekom AG (DT).

Analyst upgrades:

• JPMorgan upgraded Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) to Overweight from Neutral following its gold valuation analysis. The firm set a $54 price target on Barrick shares and a $47 price target on Goldcorp shares.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) to Overweight from Market Weight and raised its target to $24 from $15, citing the company's improving end market demand, competitive position, and valuation.
• Barclays upgraded AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) to Overweight from Equal Weight, citing the company's improved liquidity position and what they believe to be the beginning of a multi-year profit cycle for the sector. Despite the upgrade, the firm lowered its target to $14 from $20.
• Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• Toshiba (OTC: TOSBF) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect upcoming catalysts and the company's opportunity in subsalt. FBR raised its target on shares to $60 from $50.
• Citigroup upgraded Marvel (NYSE: MVL) to Hold from Sell on expectations the acquisition by Disney (NYSE: DIS) will close. The firm raised its target on shares to $50 from $31.
• JPMorgan upgraded Cubic (NYSE: CUB) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the Vix ERG acquisition and increased sales visibility. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $38.
• Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Thompson Creek (NYSE: TC) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

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