Today started out strong and stayed positive all day, even if some commented that the highs were not held. The weak dollar helped commodities and helped stocks. A 10.1% October sales rise by the National Association of Realtors by those trying to get the home buyer tax credit didn't hurt either. Ditto for a reiteration that the recession is over.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,450.04 +131.88 (1.28%)
S&P 500 1,106.13 +14.75 (1.35%)
Nasdaq 2,175.96 +29.92 (1.39%)

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Just about a year ago, the shares of Diedrich Coffee (DDRX) were trading around 30 cents. Since then, it's been an incredible ride as the shares have reached $33.

Over the past month, Diedrich Coffee has actually been the target of a heated buyout battle from Peet's Coffee & Tea (PEET) and Green Mountain Coffee Roaster (GMCR). In fact, Monday Peet's upped its bid to $32 or $265 million. Investors think the bidding is not over, though.

"One of the guiding principles of our growth investing system is the concept that major trends tend to persist longer and go farther than originally expected," says Timothy Lutts.

In The Cabot Stock of the Month, he explains, "It's a principle that supports our current bullish market stance and our recommendation of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR), even though the stock is already up more than four-fold since March."

"The business, of course, is coffee, a true global mass-market product. And while Starbucks' stock peaked in 2006 (ending a 14-year run), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is younger and far less famous.

Traders had on their rally caps today, and the DJIA moved as high as 9,823 as it renewed its ascent toward 10,000. The index moved back down a bit at the end of the day as traders got lazy during a session in which most of the news came before the bell.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) and Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) both announced deals today that pumped some air into the M&A business. Financial shares are mostly moving higher because increased M&A activity generally means more fees for financial services companies. Trading volume was light, mostly due to the Yom Kippur holiday today.

Today's numbers:

Dow 9,789.44 +124.25 (1.29%)
S&P 500 1,062.88 +18.50 (1.77%)
Nasdaq 2,130.74 +39.82 (1.90%)

"Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) recently reported an outstanding second quarter," notes growth stock expert Michael Cintolo in The Cabot Market Letter.

The advisor explains, "Initially after the earnings report, the stock fell following its report, supposedly because revenue growth was light. But we think focusing on that detail misses the big picture.

"First, revenue growth is still accelerating; the second quarter's rose 61% from a year ago, compared to 60%, 56% and 45% growth the prior three quarters.

As the name suggests, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) is based in the pastoral state of Vermont. The company offers about 180 varieties of coffee, cocoa, and tea, which it sells to wholesale customers including supermarkets, convenience stores, resorts, and office delivery services.

Some of its biggest customers are ExxonMobil's convenience stores and McDonald's restaurants. In September, Green Mountain acquired Tully's Coffee, which has been chipping away at Starbucks' dominance in the Pacific Northwest.

For millions of Americans, and indeed for millions around the globe, there's nothing like a piping hot cup of coffee to help kick start the day. It's the beverage of choice for the hordes on Wall Street, many of whom rely on a strong cup of java to help propel them through a stressful trading day.

But Wall Street pros don't just relegate their relationship with coffee to what's inside their mugs.

The earnings crunch rolls on this coming week, with quarterly reports expected from Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Kellogg (NYSE: K), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and many others.

Below are some reporting companies for which analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high hopes. What does that mean? Well, all of them are expected to report double-digit earnings grown in the most recent quarter. They have tended to offer positive surprises in recent quarters. They have long-term EPS growth forecasts of greater than 10%, and they have earnings multiples that are higher than their industry or sector averages, or higher than at least one top competitor. And they all have First Call consensus recommendations to buy.

Stocks felt choppy all day, although the late day move and afternoon stability allowed stocks to have another solid day. Housing starts added some strength, and the buyers are still deciding they need to be in rather than out of the market.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 8,746.51 +25.07 (0.29%)
S&P 500 945.36 +2.49 (0.26%)
Nasdaq 1,836.89 +8.21 (0.45%)

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Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) has enjoyed a stellar run higher in 2009, with the shares up 105% year-to-date.

Today, the company announced that its board has approved a three-for-two stock split in the form of a stock dividend. All shareholders of record as of May 29 will receive one additional share of GMCR common stock for every two shares currently held, with distribution scheduled for June 8.

"This stock dividend allows us to share our success with our loyal stockholders to the extent of our authorized stock and underscores our confidence in the strength of our Company and its prospects for the future," said President and CEO Larry Blanford in a statement.

Is it realistic to expect Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) to deliver double-digit earnings growth in this environment?

Seriously, can retail customers afford premium coffee when budgets are severely strained and debts are high?

No way. Premium coffee is a luxury item, and though many are addicted to java, cutting back is relatively easy to do. In that dynamic, sales are likely to slow.

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.

"Investors who can find the diamonds in the rough stand to profit handsomely," says small cap growth stock expert and money manager Jim Oberweis, Jr.

In his The Oberweis Report, he suggests Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) is one stock that fits the bill. As his top pick for 2009, he looks to the maker of specialty coffees and single-cup home brewing systems.

"There is no question that any company whose growth depends on selling goods to the U.S. consumer, especially non-essential goods, would seem risky at the present moment. But stock prices for most retail companies are already down in the dumps and reflect significantly reduced expectations.

"We've been looking for growth companies that won't be as badly affected as many folks believe. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is one stock that fits the bill.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) provides specialty coffee products to more than 7,000 wholesale customers, under the brand names Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Newman's Own Organics and Keurig. The customer list includes supermarkets, resorts, office delivery services and convenience stores. The firm also conducts direct mail and e-commerce operations. Green Mountain has been ranked first on the Business Ethics list of "100 Best Corporate Citizens," for the past two years. Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) are competitors.

The firm surprised investors late last month, when it announced fiscal Q1 EPS of 12 cents and revenues of $126.4 million. Analysts had been expecting 11 cents and $118 million. The CEO attributed success to the robust growth rate of Keurig brewer sales. Management also guided Q2 EPS to 19-23 cents (20 cent consensus), FY08 EPS to 72-77 cents (73 cent consensus) and FY08 revenues to about $478.4-$495.5 million ($455 million consensus).

MOST NOTEWORTHY: General Motors, Green Mountain Coffee, Orexigen and Norsk Hydro were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) to Neutral from Sell as they believe the agreement with the United Auto Workers union offsets a worsening outlook for sales.
  
• Piper Jaffray upgraded shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) to Outperform from Market Perform after a meeting with management as they believe shares offer a compelling buying opportunity at current levels based on their 2009 estimates.
  
• JMP Securities upgraded shares of Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OREX) to Strong Buy from Market Outperform as they believe the company's lead product candidates, Empatic and Contrave, could become front-line therapies for obesity due to improved durability of efficacy, increased safety and tolerability, and lack of addiction.
  
• Norsk Hydro (NYSE: NHY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup. The firm sees upside in the stock from the volume growth and further improvements in downstream operations.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Lehman upgraded Temple Inland (NYSE TIN) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.
  
• HSBC upgraded ENI SpA (NYSE: E) to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• Nollenberger raised shares of Symyx Technologies (NASDAQ: SMMX) to Buy from Neutral.

When your coffee needs develop beyond the "cup o' joe" stage, there's an outfit in Waterbury, Vermont that's prepared to satisfy your refined tastes.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ:GMCR) provides specialty coffee products to more than 7,000 wholesale customers, under the brand names Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Newman's Own Organics and Keurig. The customer list includes supermarkets, resorts, office delivery services and convenience stores. The firm also conducts direct mail and e-commerce operations. Green Mountain was recently ranked first on the Business Ethics list of "100 Best Corporate Citizens."

The firm surprised investors earlier in the month, when it announced fiscal Q1 EPS of 40 cents and revenues of $83.3 million. Analysts had been expecting 24 cents and $78.9 million. Management also guided Q2 revenues to $75-$79 million ($73.51M consensus). The share price popped on the news and then began formation of a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern. Stocks frequently exit a flag with a move in the same direction they were traveling when they entered it. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend GMCR with one "strong buy", one "buy" and one "hold". Analysts see a 35 percent growth rate, through the next year. The stock's Price to Sales ratio (1.95) and Sales Growth rate (30.44%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutional investors hold about 53 percent of the outstanding shares. Over the past 52 weeks, GMCR has traded between $35.00 and $65.60. A stop-loss of $52.90 looks good here if one were to buy the stock.

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