Alternative fuel system company Fuel Systems Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: FSYS) continues to progress. The company Thursday reported Q3 EPS of 77 cents versus the 43 cents First Call EPS estimate and the stock was up $8.82 to $42.63 at mid-day. I'm reiterating my Buy rating for the company, first recommended on August 17, 2009 at a price of $30.42, but wait for a pull-back following Thursday's surge. If bought FSYS in August, you're up about 40%.

Fuel Systems' Q3 revenue increased 10% to $116.2 million, with the company reporting a record 47,000 systems installations, up from 37,000 and 30,000 in Q2 and Q1, respectively. Demand for alternative fuel vehicles was strong, especially in Italy, which offset weakness in its industrial business, and a negative foreign exchange impact, the company noted.

Readers of my columns know that my investment bias favors the energy sector, including companies that offer alternative energy solutions. And with the aforementioned in mind Fuel Systems (NASDAQ: FSYS) is worth a review.

Fuel System appears to be well-positioned to benefit from Congress' proposed extension of tax incentives and credits for natural gas vehicles and infrastructure. The proposed bill also mandates that 50% of the U.S. government's vehicle covert to natural gas in the years ahead. The First Call FY2009/FY2010 EPS estimates for FSYS are $1.61 to $1.97.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) to Hold from Sell citing reduced legacy risks and strength in the fixed income franchise.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Fuel Systems (NASDAQ: FSYS) to Buy from Neutral based on valuation, the OEM market in Europe for alternative transportation is growing faster than expected, and the $30M equity raise was smaller than expected.
• Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform by FBR Capital. The firm believes that the company will benefit from copper supply issues over the long term, and it thinks the stock has reached an attractive entry point.
• Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• American Tower (NYSE: AMT) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) was upgraded at Barclays to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Patriot Coal (NYSE: PCX) to Hold from Sell on easing credit and liquidity concerns following the company's guidance. The firm raised its target on the stock to $7.50 from $4.
  
• UBS upgraded Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $90 from $65 as they expect pent-up replacement demand in enterprise to drive 2010 estimates higher and for the consumer smartphone opportunity to grow in 2009 and 2010.
  
• Goldman upgraded Suncor (NYSE: SU) to Conviction Buy from Sell and raised their target to $33 from $25 citing their bullish view on crude oil for 2H09 and 2010 and in the company's ability to lower operating and capital costs in the oil sands region.
• Canadian National (CNI) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
  
• Applied Micro Circuits (NASDAQ: AMCC) was lifted at Oppenheimer to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.

While the release of economic data doesn't stop next week (see economic schedule highlights below), the earnings season does wind down dramatically. Most of the S&P 500 companies already have reported on the past quarter, which means dismal earnings news is largely behind us, at least for a while. About the only companies of note expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters to report falling earnings this week are Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. (NYSE: WEN), Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL), Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO), and Steinway Musical Instruments Inc. (NYSE: LVB).

While PetSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) and Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) quarterly profits are expected to be about the same as a year ago, Liz Claiborne Inc. (NYSE: LIZ), Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. (NYSE: KCP), Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN), and Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) are expected to have swung to losses in the most recent quarter.

This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

For his top idea for 2009, Bob Bogda looks to a play on reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels. In SmallCapInvestor, the advisor selects Fuel Systems Solutions (NASDAQ: FSYS).

"When it comes to reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, there are abstract theories and then there are practical tools.

"Fuel Systems Solutions falls squarely into the latter category, as a growing number of car and bus manufacturers discover how its equipment helps vehicles run more efficiently on cleaner sources of fuel, investors are reaping the benefits.