Analyst upgrades:

• Friedman Billings upgraded Synovus (NYSE: SNV) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation following the recent weakness. BASF (OTC: BASFY) and Akzo Nobel (OTC: AKZOY) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS on valuation and believes cash flows can cover the company's dividend.
• JP Morgan upgraded H.B. Fuller (NYSE: FUL) to Overweight from Neutral citing benefits from lower raw material costs.
• CA, Inc (NASDAQ: CA) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Goldman removed Boeing (NYSE: BA) from the Conviction Sell List.
• WABCO Holdings (NYSE: WBC) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at KeyBanc.

Analyst downgrades:

• Oppenheimer downgraded Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA) to Perform from Outperform following the company's Q3 results as they believe a recovery of revenue from ZT Online will take longer than expected.
• Friedman Billings cut Walter Industries (NYSE: WLT) to Market Perform from Outperform as they believe the decline in steel demand will pressure met coal prices. The company's target was lowered to $30 from $53.
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Atlas Pipeline (NYSE: AHD) Holdings to Sell from Hold as they believe the company could potentially be in violation of its debt covenants as early as Q1. The company's target was lowered to $4 from $31.
• Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) was removed from Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Dover (NYSE: DOV) and Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) were downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Analyst initiations:

Earnings reports continue to dribble in as the quarter winds down. Much of the attention this week will be on homebuilders KB Home (NYSE: KBH) and Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) as investors look for any sign that the housing sector has bottomed (home sales numbers are also due out this week; see below). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial anticipate that both companies will report that they narrowed their losses in the most recent quarter.

KB Home's expected $1.25 per share loss, on revenue of $725.5 million, compares to the previous quarter loss of $3.30 and to a year-ago loss of $6.19. However, KB Home's losses in the past few quarters have been deeper than expected. The Los Angeles-based homebuilder's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.5%, less than the S&P 500. Analysts continue to recommend holding KB Home, and have for at least 120 days. Shares, however, reached a new 52-week high of $31.69 on Friday, and they are up 10.5% year to date.

Lennar is expected to post a loss of 52 cents per share, on revenue of $1.1 billion. That compares to the previous quarter's per-share loss of 76 cents and to a year-ago loss of $3.25. While Lennar also has tended in the past few quarters to miss expectations, the Miami-based company managed a positive surprise in the first quarter of 2008. Lennar's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.3%, about the same as KB Home's. Analysts also recommend holding Lennar. Friday, shares of Lennar also reached a 52-week high, $27.75, but they are down 6.4% year to date.

It is going to be an interesting week. The Fed and oil will be at odds, and tempers are sure to flare on the trading floors. There are many earnings and eco reports we are looking at, and it is hard to choose which will be front and center. Traders and investors will be closely following every move by the Fed as they will be releasing a policy statement at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Also, stocks within the homebuilders group will be front and center as a few key players will share their earnings results. Have you seen the charts of these companies lately? Click for a good comparison. And after you take a peek, you may also wonder if they are actually stock charts or ski slopes. So with that as the backdrop, here are a few names that may actually be undercovered and worth a look.

Tuesday, June 24

Anything related to the automobile industry has been under siege of late, and I can't imagine how that will change anytime soon. HB Fuller Co. (NYSE: FUL) is involved in the manufacturing of the industrial performance/adhesive products for the assembly/packaging and automobile markets. The fact that the economy is lagging would lead one to the realization that, unless we see a quick turnaround of epic proportions, the reality of a lower share price will come with the next earnings release. Several down days of late have also had increasing volume, and that is not a good sign for a stock that is beginning to show signs of breaking down. Even so, First Call is showing a $0.45 per share quarterly estimate on $347 million of revenue.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cisco Systems, Kirby and First Fed Financial were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• UBS downgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Neutral from Buy after channel checks indicated orders are slowing, which gives them concern over the July quarter.
  
• Stephens cut Kirby (NYSE: KEX) to Equal Weight from Overweight as they believe a good 2008 is already priced into shares and that the liquid barge industry cycle may be nearing a top.
  
• First Fed Financial (NYSE: FED) was lowered to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse, citing credit quality deterioration.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• JP Morgan removed HB Fuller (NYSE: FUL) from its Focus List.
  
• RBC Capital downgraded SourceFire (NASDAQ: FIRE) to Sector Perform from Outperform.
  
• Goldman cut Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Sell from Neutral.

The makers of materials used to manufacture brand-name products often go unrecognized. Such an outfit in St. Paul, Minnesota understands this. As it says on the firm's website, "We create products you've maybe never heard of, but that are used in the essentials you'd rather not live without."

H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE:FUL) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of adhesives, sealants, paints and specialty chemical products. Its Global Adhesives division provides materials used in the manufacture of appliances, non-woven textiles, footwear, leather goods and automobiles. The Full-Valu/Specialty division makes chemical lines for ceramic tile applications, HVAC insulation, packaging, glass insulation, industrial paint applications and general glue uses. The company has direct operations in North America, Latin America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region.

The firm pleased investors last week, when it reported solid first quarter results and issued upside guidance for FY07 earnings. The CEO said, "Based upon the strong performance in the first quarter and the confidence we have in our strategy, processes, and ability to execute, we are raising our expectations for the year." The news popped the shares out of an early March "cup" into the late March "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 FUL with two "strong buys," three "buys" and one "hold." Analysts expect a 10% growth rate, through the next year. The FUL P/E ratio (18.87), Price to Sales ratio (1.11) and EPS Growth rate (38.91%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutional investors hold about 86% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 600 SmallCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $18.11 and $29.88. A stop-loss of $23.85 looks good here.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: RadioShack Corp (RSH), Juniper Networks, Inc (JNPR), H.B. Fuller Co (FUL) and Sepracor Inc (SEPR) were today's more notable downgrades:

• Morgan Stanley downgraded RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) to Underweight from Equal-Weight on concerns over the company's wireless fundamentals and top-line growth.

• Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) was downgraded to Strong Sell from Buy at Matrix USA. The firm sees downside to the intrinsic value calculation of $12 given the company's deteriorating fundamentals.

• H.B. Fuller Co (NYSE: FUL) was cut to Sell from Hold at Gabelli following a meeting with management to reflect the recent management exists and the broker's expectation for a challenging first-half of 2007.

• Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) was cut to Underperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings, as the firm believes generic availability of Ambien may be a bigger challenge to Seprecor's Lunesta than investors expect.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc (NYSE: JTX) was cut to Underweight from Market Weight at Thomas Wiesel as they believe the potential near-term competitive trends coupled with potential issues with rising financial product contribution will weigh on valuation.

• Bear Stearns cut Cerner Corp (NASDAQ: CERN) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

• Matrix USA downgraded InfoSpace, Inc (NASDAQ: INSP) to Hold from Buy on valuation.

• Prudential cut Unilever plc (NYSE: UL) to Neutral from Overweight.

• Breen Murray downgraded Century Casinos, Inc (NASDAQ: CNTY) to Hold from Buy.

• Cowen downgraded PeopleSupport, Inc (NASDAQ: PSPT) to Neutral from Outperform based on near-term visibility concerns.

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

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Energy Partners (EVEP) and HB Fuller (FUL) led a moderate initiation list Monday as the Dow and Nasdaq moved higher in early trading.

• AG Edwards initiated EV Energy Partners (NASDAQ:EVEP) a Buy and a $22 target, as the firm likes the company's experienced management team, debt-free balance sheet, and low-risk development opportunities.
• Keybanc initiated H.B. Fuller Co. (NYSE:FUL) with a Buy and $28 target, citing low manufacturing cost, portfolio mix and pricing power.
• CE Unterberg initiated Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ:SNDA) with a Buy and $21 target, as the firm is positive on the company's new revenue model.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• UBS Investment initiated Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) with a Buy and a $60.41 target.
• Finally, SG Cowen initiated International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) with a Neutral, citing valuation and a lack of traction in its services unit for the rating.

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