Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded 3M Company (MMM) to buy from hold on expectations the company will deliver superior financial returns over the next 9 to 12 months and on valuation. The firm raised its target on shares to $92 from $84.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded CA Inc. (CA) to buy from hold as it believes cloud computing could accelerate the company's growth over the next 2 to 3 years. The firm raised its target on shares to $28 from $22.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Cooper Companies (COO) to outperform from market perform as it believes that the company has largely eliminated its execution risks while its new products should enable it to grow more quickly than the market.
• BioMarin (BMRN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Collins Stewart.
• Liquidity Services (LQDT) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to Outperform from Market Perform due to valuation and the company's better balance sheet following capital raises. The firm raised its target on shares to $16.50.
  
• Merriman upgraded Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ:BCSI) to Buy from Neutral to reflect stabilizing demand and merger synergies from the Packeteer acquisition.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Genomic Health (NASDAQ:GHDX) to Overweight from Market Weight based on valuation, a new colon cancer assay expected in 2010, and upside from new sales hires.
• Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  
• Great Plains Energy (NYSE:GXP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Ericsson (nASDAQ:ERIC) was upgraded at Societe Generale to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades:

• JP Morgan upgraded Alcoa (NYSE: AA) to Overweight from Neutral and added shares to its Focus List. The analyst said the equity offering and dividend cut provide enough "liquidity insurance" to make it through 2009 and now views risk/reward as attractive.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Asbury Automotive (NYSE: ABG) to Buy from Hold as it finds the current valuation attractive and thinks the company's cost savings will drive upside in a recovery. The firm raised its target price to $7 from $5.50.
  
• Barclays upgraded Beckman Coulter (NYSE: BEC) to Overweight from Equal Weight. Following their healthcare conference and management meetings, the firm sees increased visibility into revenues.
• Waddell & Reed (NYSE: WDR) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) was lifted to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.

If you are looking for a reliable company that is currently undervalued, Great Plains Energy Inc. (NYSE: GXP) might be perfect. GXP is a power company that gets almost all of its revenues from Kansas City Power & Light; this is a regulated business with highly predictable demand, and, not surprisingly, GXP has seen its revenues climb steadily over the past few years.

As an investor, you can rest assured that GXP will enjoy similar growth in the coming years, especially given its commitment to invest in its production capabilities, which will enable it to supply enough electricity for growing populations and growing demand. GXP is also in the process of acquiring Aquila, a Kansas City power company; this acquisition will help boost supply and will be an easy merger to navigate given that it operates in similar territories. I am betting that the company's stock could pop once that merger is complete and Wall Street sees the results -- a well-managed organization that has integrated the assets of this newly purchased business.

In addition to being a reliable generator of revenues, GXP is also appealing for a few other reasons. It has a wide range of sources, from coal to natural gas to wind, which will enhance its stability. GXP is also widely respected for its openness to green technology, and it recently agreed to the Sierra Club's demands for several modifications to a new coal-fired plant. It's a well-managed company, which is a large part of why GXP won the 2007 Edison Award, a prize given to top energy companies each year.

I like to check out the auto reviews at Edmunds.com . It comes as no surprise to me that the Pontiac Solstice from General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) has created quite a stir and received double acclaim as editors choice and consumers pick as the most significant vehicle of 2006. Solstice garnered 50% more award votes than the second place finishing Honda Civic and it is worthy of note that Chevrolet's Corvette finished the voting in close third place.

This simply shows that by the standards of knowledgeable auto reviewers and by consumers interested enough to dedicate some time to responding to a lengthy questionnaire, GM has taken two out of three of the top positions in consumer approval. This was the fifth annual reader poll at Edmunds.com . Votes were cast across 27 categories but I was unable to determine how many consumers actually participated in the voting. A good place for further discussions about the Pontiac Solstice can be found at Autoblog.