• Keefe Bruyette upgraded BB&T (NYSE: BBT) to Market Perform from Underperform as it believes downside risk has been reduced following the company's capital raise. The firm raised its target price to $23 from $15.
  
• Janney Montgomery upgraded FEI Company (NASDAQ: FEIC) to Buy from Neutral on expectations margins will improve and various country stimulus packages will provide benefits in 2010. The firm has a $31 target on the stock.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Tyco Electronics (NYSE: TEL) to Buy from Hold as it believes automotive headwinds are priced in and the company's long-term fundamentals are intact. The firm raised its target price to $25 from $19.
• Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
  
• J.B. Hunt (NYSE: JBHT) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
  
• Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP) was upgraded at Oppenheimer to Outperform from Perform.

• Citigroup upgraded Phillips-Van Heusen (NYSE: PVH) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q1 results as it believes management is executing well in the current environment and that the company could meet the high end of guidance. The firm raised its price target to $24 from $19.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Cliffs Natural (NYSE: CLF) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes capacity utilization has stabilized and CLF's valuation is attractive at current levels. The firm raised its price target to $27 from $23.
  
• Thomas Weisel believes demand at Microchip's industrial (NASDAQ: MCHP) customers has troughed and that market share loss concerns are unwarranted. The firm upgraded shares to Overweight from Market Weight and raised its target to $27 from $19.
• CBS Corp (NYSE: CBS) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.
  
• U-Store It Trust (NYSE: YSI) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  
• Ener1 (NASDAQ: HEV) was lifted at Banc of America/Merrill to Buy from Neutral.

• UBS upgraded Safeway (NYSE:SWY) to Buy from Neutral based on valuation.
  
• AthroCare (NASDAQ:ARTC) was raised to Neutral from Negative at Susquehanna on valuation.
• BT Group (NYSE:BT) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) was upgraded at Goldman to Buy from Neutral.
  
• China Mobile (NYSE:CHL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Albany Molecular (NASDAQ:AMRI) to Underperform from Hold on concerns regarding the company's exposure to small biopharma as their checks suggest biopharmaceutical companies that rely on the capital markets to fund operations are cutting back significantly on R&D projects. The firm lowered their target to $8 from $10.
• Baird downgraded Sirona Dental (NASDAQ:SIRO) to Neutral from Outperform and lowered their target to $15 from $21 due to lack of catalysts and better options in dental.
  
• Stephens cut Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) to Equal Weight from Overweight on the expectation that weaker volumes will lead to pricing pressure. The firm lowered their target to $24 from $36.
• Teco Energy (NYSE:TE) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at KeyBanc.
  
• RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ:RFMD) was lowered to Underperform from Buy at Merrill Lynch.
  
• Energy Conversion (NASDAQ:ENER) was cut to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.

Hub Group (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading freight transportation management company, specializing in cost-efficient intermodal methods. Goods are taken to and from Hub operating centers by truck and carried between centers by rail. The company operates a network of over 30 centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. It also provides truck brokerage and logistics services involving shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management and load planning.

The company pleased investors earlier in the month, when it reported Q4 EPS of 43 cents and revenues of $445.5 million. Analysts had been expecting 37 cents and $426.6 million. Management also guided FY08 EPS to the range $1.50-$1.62 ($1.57 consensus). Bear Stearns subsequently reiterated its "outperform" rating on the issue and boosted its price target to $40.

With energy prices skyrocketing, corporate America is intensely interested in ways of stretching its shipping dollars. Many companies work with a Downers Grove, Illinois firm that takes the cost efficient route all the way.

Hub Group (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading freight transportation management company, specializing in cost-efficient intermodal methods. Goods are taken to and from Hub operating centers by truck and carried between centers by rail. The company operates a network of over 30 centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. It also provides truck brokerage and logistics services involving shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management and load planning.

The company surprised the Street earlier in the month, when it reported Q1 EPS of 29 cents and revenues of $393.3 million. Analysts had been expecting 25 cents and $377.6 million. Management also guided FY07 EPS to the range $1.31-$1.40 ($1.36 consensus). Robert W. Baird subsequently upgraded the shares to "outperform" and declared a $40 price target. The issue popped on the news and then passed into a bullish "pennant" consolidation pattern. Stocks frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling when they entered them. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Altogether, brokers recommend the shares with three "strong buys," two "buys" and three "holds." Analysts see a 21% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The HUBG Price to Sales ratio (0.87), Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (23.33), EPS Growth rate (45.00%), Return on Assets (11.02%), Return on Investment (16.61%), Return on Equity (19.56%) and Revenue per Employee ($1.09M) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutions hold about 95% 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 $19.76 and $37.20. A stop-loss of $31.70 looks good here.

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