Rival home improvement chains Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) and Lowe's Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week. Not surprisingly, given the ongoing housing slump, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect both companies to post earnings lower than in the same period a year ago. For Home Depot, that's 61 cents per share, down 20.8%, and for Lowe's, 56 cents per share, down 16.4%. Meanwhile, cabinet maker American Woodmark Corp. (NASDAQ: AMWD), for whom Home Depot and Lowe's are major distributors, is also expected to report lower earnings: 11 cents per share, down 67.6%.

The presidential campaigns have prompted much discussion of energy policy and alternative energy sources. Some solar-energy-related concerns are scheduled to report this week, and expectations seem to be high. Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) is expected to report 81 cents per share earnings, up 67.9%; ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) is expected to post earnings of 32 cents per share, up 62.5%; and Suntech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP) is expected to have earnings of 32 cents per share, up 21.9%. Even China Sunergy Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: CSUN) is expected to have swung to a profit of 3 cents per share, from a per-share loss of 14 cents a year ago.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: PSS World Medical (PSSI), Rockwell (ROK), Open Text (OTEX), Sanderson Farms (SAFM) and Mentor (MNT) were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• PSS World Medical (NASDAQ: PSSI) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Robert W. Baird. Baird said the quarter was impacted by one-time items and that core operations remain strong while private label, home care and HCIT initiatives may contribute to substantial margin improvement.
  
• Friedman Billings added Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to its Top Picks list based on valuation and growth drivers.
  
• Merrill Lynch upped shares of Open Text Corporation (NASDAQ: OTEX) to Neutral from Sell. Kaufman Brothers upgraded shares of the stock to Buy from Hold with a $27 target to reflect the company's better-than-expected Q4 results.
• Sanderson Farms Inc (NASDAQ: SAFM) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Strong Sell on valuation and accelerating sales of the company's poultry products.
  
• The firm upgraded shares of Mentor Corporation (NYSE: MNT) to Buy from Sell given the company's good performance and low risk.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Cache Inc (NASDAQ: CACH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral with a $19 target at First Albany and to Outperform from Market Perform at Piper Jaffray.
  
• Gabelli upgraded shares of Diageo (NYSE: DEO) to Buy from Hold.
  
• RBC Capital Markets raised shares of Knology Inc (NASDAQ: KNOL) to Outperform from Sector Perform.
  
• Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of Maxygen Inc (NASDAQ: MAXY) to Neutral from Sell.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

MOST NOTABLE: Cabela's Inc (CAB), Time Warner Inc (TWX), Open Text Corp (OTEX) and Tortoise Capital Resources Corp (TTO) were some of today's more notable initiations:

• Cabela's inc (NYSE: CAB) was initiated with an Outperform rating and $30 target. The firm is confident in Cabela's outlook given the company's substantial store expansion opportunities, encouraging operating environment and valuation.

• Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) was started with a Buy rating and $25 target at UBS.

• Benchmark initiated Open Text Corp (NASDAQ: OTEX) with a Sell rating.

• Tortoise Capital Resources (NYSE: TTO )was initiated by both Ferris Baker and Stifel with a Buy rating.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• CIBC initiated Volterra Semiconductor Corp (NASDAQ: VLTR) with a Sector Performer rating.

• Goldman initiated Savvis, Inc (NASDAQ: SVVS) with a Buy rating and $50 target.

• Cowen started Cogent Communications Group, Inc (NASDAQ: CCOI) with an Outperform rating.

• Avondale initiated Callaway Golf Co (NYSE: ELY) with a Market Outperform rating and $20 target.

• ThinkEquity started Adventrx Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NYSE: ANX) with a Buy rating and $5 target.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).