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.

"Happy New Year. No, I'm not seven weeks late. 1.3 billion Chinese are celebrating the biggest holiday of the year -- Chinese New Year," notes Tony Sagami.

The contributing editor to UnCommon Wisdom explains, "The Lunar New Year is considered to be a combination of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all rolled into an elaborate celebration of reflection, gratitude, renewal and hope. It is the single most celebrated holiday in China.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Viacom (VIA) to buy from hold due to valuation and expectations that share buybacks will resume this year. The firm raised its price target on shares to $37 from $28.
• Canadian Natural (CNQ) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse. The firm upgraded shares based on valuation and the outlook for heavy crude.
• UBS upgraded Key Energy (KEG) to buy from neutral, citing increased E&P well spending, a possible shorter term rally in gas activity and improved utilization. Target raised to $12.50 from $9.50.
• Shire (SHPGY) was raised to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• PNC Financial (PNC) was upgraded at Bernstein to outperform from market perform.
• Pacer International (PACR) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.

Shanda Interactive (SNDA), an electronic media company based in China that distributes online games and other content, reported Q3 earnings on Tuesday after the bell. According to our earnings preview, analysts were expecting 88 cents per American Depositary Share (ADS). On a reported basis, 90 cents per ADS was recorded. On an adjusted basis, the business achieved $1.08 per ADS.

Shanda not only did well in terms of an earnings beat, but it grew the top line quite admirably. Gross margin, unfortunately, saw a dip on both a year-over-year and a sequential basis.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Vale SA (NYSE: VALE) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company will benefit from higher realized prices. The firm raised its target on shares to $30 from $23.
• Soleil upgraded Education Management (NASDAQ: EDMC) to Buy from Gradually Accumulate following the company's Q1 results and raised its target on shares to $34 from $32.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) to Outperform from Neutral. The firm also added the stock to its Focus List and raised its target on shares to $49 from $41. Credit Suisse believes Medtronic's base business is stabilizing and the stock's risk/reward is compelling.
• Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.
• Martha Stewart (NYSE: MSO) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Morgan Joseph.
• Dominion Resources (NYSE: D) was upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) to Outperform from Perform following the better-than-expected Q3 results to reflect an improving outlook for all the company's segments. The firm raised its target on shares to $36.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded C.R. Bard (NYSE: BCR) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's underlying growth trends will improve. The firm raised its target on shares to $88 from $78.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm upgraded the stock after Cognizant reported better-than-expected Q3 results.
• Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) was upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform at RBC Capital.
• Digital River (NASDAQ: DRIV) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Collins Stewart and to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Steris (NYSE: STE) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.

"Shanda Interactive, a Chinese purveyor of interactive entertainment and media technology, offered U.S. investors a piece of its video game business, Shanda Games (NASDAQ: GAME)," notes Brandon Clay.

In his Invest with an Edge, he explains, "Shanda Games has its risks but also packs a lot of potential, especially as a speculative China play.

"GAME was one of the most widely-anticipated IPOs of 2009. The buzz surrounding Shanda Games was so intense that the company raised the offering from 63 million to 83.5 million shares just to meet demand.

Last week, we saw Shanda Games Ltd. (NASDAQ: GAME) raise a cool $1 billion in its IPO.

And today, there was another big-time offering: Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings picked up $950 in its IPO (issuing 50 million shares at $19 each). This is the second largest IPO of 2009.

Talecris is one of the largest producers/marketers of plasma-derived protein therapies, dealing with things like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), primary immune deficiencies (PI), alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, bleeding disorders, and severe trauma.

Analyst upgrades:

• Kaufman Bros. upgraded American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC) to Buy from Hold as it believes the follow-on contract from Sinovel has positive implications. The firm has a $36 price target on shares.
• Goldman upgraded Nike (NYSE: NKE) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation, visible long-term growth, and signs of sales stabilization. The firm has a $75 target on shares.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ: HBAN) to Buy from Hold on valuation following the recent underperformance. The firm raised its target on shares to $5.50 from $4.
• Novartis (NYSE: NVS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• eHealth (NASDAQ: EHTH) was upgraded to Buy from Accumulate at ThinkEquity.
• China Precision Steel (NASDAQ: CPSL) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Roth Capital.

One of the fastest growing sectors in the Chinese economy is online gaming, and, the leading player in the market is Shanda (NASDAQ: GAME).

With much investor anticipation, the company's shares hit the U.S. market today in a big-time IPO. The company priced 83.5 million shares at $12.50, making it a billion-dollar offering (the only one this year)

Shanda has a variety of games -- including 20 multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and 11 advanced casual games. In fact, there are plans to launch 16 more MMORPGS and eight advanced games.

Back in April, Changyou.com (NASDAQ: CYOU) launched its IPO and since then the stock price is up an impressive 138%. The online gaming company is based in China.

Well, now investors will get another chance at a similar offering as Shanghai-based Shanda Games Limited has filed to go public.

Founded in 2001 -- as a division of Shanda Interactive Entertainment (NYSE: SNDA) -- Shanda Games is a big player in the fast-growing space of massively multi-player online role-playing games, or MMORPGs. In fact, the company has 18 such titles in its portfolio (as well as 11 advanced casual games).

The latest rumor churning throughout the web is that Apple's iTV, yes iTV, will now incorporate some sort of gaming experience. It seems as if Greg Canessa, the Vice President of video game platforms at PopCap games, had a slip up in a recent interview with Wired where he indicated that his role at PopCap will be to help "customiz(e) the user interface and display for Zune, iPod, Apple TV, Nintendo DS, PSP."

Recently, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stated that games specifically designed for the iPod will not play on the iTV. However, this faux pas, among others, could indicate that Apple is creating a game interface to compete with Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo in the family living room. (Then again, the Internet is rife with Apple rumors.)

If true, the question becomes: is Apple spreading itself too thin? Desktops, laptops, a music store, multiple music players, the iPhone, and now a gaming console? We'll see how far Apple's iconic brand (and the esteem it generates) can carry them.