Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (ANN) declining same-store sales offset better-than-expected Q3 earnings.
• Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) reached a new 52-week high after Q3 results handily exceeded expectations.
• Dillard's Inc. (DDS) said that it swung to a Q3 profit due to cost cutting as revenue declined year over year.
• GameStop Corp. (GME) reported uninspiring Q3 numbers that included a slump in same-store sales.
• Home Depot Inc. (HD) lower Q3 earnings and revenue beat analysts' estimates, but shares still declined.

GameStop (GME) posted what I thought was a mediocre third quarter. Total sales went up about 8%, and earnings per share increased a few pennies to 31 cents. When you think video games, you think growth. That doesn't feel like growth, does it? Not the kind that sends a stock to the moon, certainly. Furthermore, same-store sales saw a decrease of 7.8%, driven by lackluster hardware transactions. Indeed, we may be hitting a point in the console cycle where the demand for systems from Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nintendo (NTDOY) has essentially been satiated.

Here's the big question on the mind of traders: unimpressive Q3 or not, should GameStop be bought now?

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded FPL Group (FPL) to buy from hold on valuation and recommends buying the stock into the staff recommendation. The firm raised its target on shares to $58 from $55.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Smithfield Foods (SFD) to buy from hold as it believes the company's fundamentals and export demand outlook are improving. The firm raised its target on shares to $20 from $12.
• Credit Suisse upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $60 from $55 based on strong net inflows and potential operating leverage.
• Microchip (MCHP) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Toll Brothers (TOL) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Ascent Solar (ASTI) was upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.

Analyst upgrades:

• RBC Capital upgraded Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) to Outperform from Sector Perform and said the company has attractive franchise value and earnings power, and is nearing the start of a credit driven earnings recovery. The firm raised its target to $22 from $19.
• Oppenheimer assumed coverage of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) and upgraded shares to Outperform from Perform. The firm expects Amazon's revenue growth to re-accelerate over the next several quarters, making consensus estimates too conservative. Opco set a $130 price target on the stock.
• Barclays upgraded Ford (NYSE: F) to Equal Weight from Underweight and believes the company will report Q3 results above the Street. The firm raised its Q3 EPS estimate to 7 cents from 16 cents, vs. consensus of 21 cents, and its price target to $8 from $7.
• Charles River Labs (NYSE: CRL) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
• Briggs & Stratton (NYSE: BGG) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Sealed Air (NYSE: SEE) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.

"The video game industry was once thought to be virtually recession proof; unfortunately, recession reality has intruded," notes Geoffrey Seiler, who adds, "Boosters, however, are pointing to new games scheduled for release later this year as a reason for optimism."

In his always-informative BullMarket.com, the advisors offers an in-depth review of the sector, highlights potential opportunities in GameStop (NYSE: GME), Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), and Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI).

"When you get right down to it, success in the video game business isn't much different from the movie business: developers are only as good as their last hit game.

An update on two short positions: GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), recommended on May 26, 2009 at a price of $26.00, and Telefonica S.A. (NYSE: TEF), recommended on the same day at a price of $61.11.

GameStop: Hold Short. It's still hard to make the case for growth in high-end / sophisticated games amid a slowdown in consumer spending. The era of the 'frugal consumer' is upon us: basic games are in, pricey games are out. Cover Short on a bounce off $20, $17, $15, or $10. Buy/Stop Loss if you sold shares in this company: $33.

September is drawing to a close. What does this signify? Well, one of my favorite times of the year, Halloween, will soon be upon us. Even more than that, holiday shopping is about to begin in earnest. Is your portfolio ready?

I've been checking around for investments in the retail sector. Problem is, so many of them have already had significant run-ups. However, even with these higher stock prices, the sector still might be an interesting one to look at since it's possible that Christmas could turn out okay. A post on DailyFinance discusses a report from the International Council of Shopping Centers, which basically states that numbers from this holiday season should see an improvement over last year's data.

It's finally happened. Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) has reduced the price of its Wii gaming console. What once was $250 is now $200 (or, technically, $199.99, the psychologically important way of designating the new cost).

Why did Nintendo do this? Because both Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sony (NYSE: SNE) have cut the costs of their own entertainment systems. Plus, we're simply at that point in the latest video-game cycle when cuts are implemented. Hardware eventually becomes less expensive. When demand levels fall off, more casual, value-oriented consumers are courted with cheaper prices.

Perhaps Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is looking to make video games a centerpiece of its product offerings. Video game rival Gamestop Corp. (NYSE: GME) could be a potential takeover target for the largest consumer electronics retailer in the U.S. Best Buy recently stated that game sales is a focus area, so there is more truth to this rumor than not.

After all, retailers will use every trick in the book to get feet inside the doors. So many products in retail are loss leaders, but they get traffic inside, and statistically that translates into sales for a certain portion of customers. By buying Gamestop, Best Buy would become one of the premium video game retailers in the U.S., causing even more foot traffic to creep inside its brick-and-mortar locations. This has been a rumor in the past, but it makes sense now more than ever.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Frontline (NYSE: FRO) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect the company's above-average day rates and alleviated near-term financing pressures. The firm raised its target on shares to $23 from $14.
• Baird upgraded Varian Medical (NASDAQ: VARI) to Outperform from Neutral and said checks at ESTRO meeting indicate European radiation therapy market demand will remain "respectable" in 2010 and that launch of Unique could drive incremental demand in developing markets. The firm has a $49 target on shares.
• Goldman believes GameStop (NYSE: GME) Street expectations are beatable and valuation is attractive. The firm upgraded shares to Conviction Buy from Neutral and has a $28 target.
• Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
• KKR Financial (NYSE: KFN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities.
• Cathay Pacific (OTC: CPCAY) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

So you've heard the news I'm sure. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is not standing still in the video-game wars. It recently reduced the price of the Xbox 360 Elite system by $100. We now have parity between an Xbox 360 unit and a Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 console.

It's going to be interesting to see how hardware sales perform in the coming months. Intuitively, one would have to expect a bump in the number of units sold for both companies. But which one will win out?

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO) strong Q2 results beat expectations due to rising same-store sales.
• Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) Q3 earnings topped low expectations and revenue declined.
• Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) posted better-than-expected Q3 results but shares fell on weaker margins.
• Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) CEO said its new advertising efforts will boost sales over the long run.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) had a better-than-expected Q2 profit but same-store sales fell.
• BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (NYSE: BJ) reported solid Q2 numbers and raised its full-year guidance.

This was one of those days that the overseas stock markets had a boost for the U.S. and the strength just stayed around. Despite a worse jobless claims figure, there was an actual positive report in the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing data and the Leading Indicators did not hurt the market either.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 9,348.54 +69.38 (0.75%)
S&P 500 1,007.37 +10.91 (1.09%)
Nasdaq 1,989.22 +19.98 (1.01%)

Top 10 Analyst Calls

GameStop (NYSE: GME - option chain) stock is trading lower today after the company announced it earned 0.23 per share in the second quarter, a nickel below expected results. Also, GME lowered its full-year forecast, blaming an industry-wide slowdown. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on GME.

This morning, GME opened at $23.24. So far today the stock has hit a low of $23.01 and a high of $24.10. As of 11:50, GME is trading at $23.88, down $1.30 (-5.2%). The chart for GME looks bullish and S&P gives GME a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), the electronics mecca that competes with retailers such as Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Target (NYSE: TGT), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), and GameStop (NYSE: GME), will be issuing earnings for the first fiscal quarter on Tuesday, June 16. According to this source, Best Buy will see a decline in net income. Analysts believe that the retailer will do $0.34 per share, which represents a drop of about 20%.

But, according to that same source, Best Buy has beaten the analysts at their game in the last two quarters. If you ask me, I think the company has a good chance of beating the forecast yet again. With all the euphoria in the equities market as of late, and with all the talk about the recession possibly coming to an end late this year, I feel that consumers must have been in a better mood in the most recent quarter. And one would assume a big name like Best Buy would get its share of the traffic.