Analyst Upgrades

• Marriott (MAR) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Owens-Illinois (OI) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• FirstMerit (FMER) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Safeway (SWY) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Babcock & Wilcox (BWC) to buy from neutral, as well as Jacobs Engineering (JEC) and W. R. Berkley (WRB) to neutral from sell, at Goldman.
• Pioneer Natural (PXD) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Teekay Tankers (TNK) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

"Glass is also more eco-friendly than other materials, benefiting Owens-Illinois (NYSE: OI), the world's largest supplier of glass containers," says quantitiative analyst Vahan Janjigian, editor of The Forbes Growth Investor.

"The company's bottles are used for beer, wine, liquor, tea, juice, food, and pharmaceuticals. Major customers include Anheuser-Busch, SAB Miller, Molson Coors, Diageo, PepsiCo, H.J. Heinz, and Heineken.

"Glass containers offer several advantages over alternatives such as aluminum and plastic. They preserve purity and flavor, they are infinitely recyclable, and there is no shortage of raw materials.

"Glass is also cost-efficient for the customer, which is particularly important in developing countries where containers are often reused and refilled 30-50 times before being recycled.

Readers of this space know that the investment bias is toward large-cap companies with demonstrated business models and who have a competitive advantage in established markets, preferably with a favorable global trend as a support. And with the above in mind, Owens-Illinois is worth an evaluation.

Owens-Illinois, Inc. (NYSE: OI) is the world's largest maker of glass containers. Owens makes a variety of containers, including bottles in a wide range of shapes and sizes used to hold beer, soft drinks, liquor, wine, juice, and other beverages.

Analysts really like Owens' market-leading positions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. Analysts also like OI's blue-chip clientele list.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may have plans for a gPhone, but their real objective is to run their own mobile network, reported the Wall Street Journal. The company is reportedly looking at a $4.6B wireless network bid.
• Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Development may look to take a 9%, or approximately $700M, stake in Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NYSE: AMD), the Financial Times' Alphaville blog noted. An investment may draw the attention of the U.S. committee on foreign investment.

OTHER PAPERS:

• According to Business Week's "Inside Wall Street" column, the patent Biodel Inc (NASDAQ: BIOD) was granted in September for its VIAdel technology was "key," as it opens up markets for products estimated at $2.3B.
• Glass container maker Owens-Illinois Inc (NYSE: OI) is defying the current market tumble due to earnings momentum, reported Business Week's "Inside Wall Street" column.
• According to BW's "Inside Wall Street" column, some money professionals are "snapping up" shares of retailer Staples Inc (NASDAQ: SPLS) despite the housing slump, credit crunch and rising gas prices.