Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA - option chain) shares are rising after the company announced it has signed an agreement with Proctor & Gamble (PG) to create a partnership that will combine both companies' over-the-counter medicine divisions. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on TEVA.

TEVA opened Thursday morning at $50.13. In morning trading, the stock hit a low of $49.86 and a high of $50.59. As of 12:20, TEVA was trading at $50.58 up $1.46 (3.0%). The chart for TEVA looks bullish and S&P gives TEVA a positive 4 stars (out of 5) buy ranking.

Could a stock that you made 1,100% on still have room to run? Yes, it is possible. In particular if it had a near death experience as a penny stock for a while.

That is the case with Newcastle Investments (NCT), the CMBS lender and real estate investment company that reached a recent high of $7.10 and has settled back down, most recently hovering between $6.70 to $7.00. It closed Thursday December 23 at $6.71.

Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA - option chain) shares are rising today after the company announced this morning that a Phase 3 study of its multiple sclerosis drug laquinimod met its primary endpoint. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on TEVA.

TEVA opened this morning at $52.48. So far today the stock has hit a low of $51.96 and a high of $52.73. As of 11:55, TEVA is trading at $52.27 up $3.00 (6.1%). The chart for TEVA looks bullish and S&P gives TEVA a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking

It's that time of year when I start thinking about my 2011 stock picks, and enough folks have been nudging me that I might as well get on with it. The list will not be finalized until the end of the month. During the interim time I will take readers through a number of possibilities, explaining the rational for my suggestions along the way and adding and subtracting until I get the list down to ten.

Today I will start by reviewing opportunities discussed in another post and determine which of these stocks might provide the best value. The list was originally cast as a globally diversified, large cap, dividend paying and relatively stable group of companies that would likely weather any storm. See: Chasing Value: Bonds, Gold, Stocks and Capital Flight

It certainly is presumptuous, perhaps even self serving of me to assume the market is going higher in the face of so much uncertainty.

The reason I hold this belief is that so much money is sitting on the sidelines and much of it is getting restless. It's one thing for those on a fixed income to suffer because the Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates so low, but it is quite another thing to expect $2 trillion dollars of corporate cash to want to live like senior citizens. That cash is a bigger drag on earnings with each passing day.

"Among our latest buy recommendations -- based on the value investing strategy of Ben Graham -- we like Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA)," says J. Royden Ward.

The editor of Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter explains, "Gilead is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and markets therapeutic treatments to combat viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Its shares undervalued at 9.7 times forward 12-month EPS.

"Teva, based in Israel, develops, makes and sells generic and proprietary-branded (store brand) drugs. Its shares are clearly undervalued at 10.6 times forward EPS. We consider both stocks to be very low risk.

"Investing in conservative stocks to build or rebuild the core of your portfolio makes sense right now; investors should buy companies that have a long history of steady earnings and dividend growth, through good times and tough times," says J. Royden Ward.

The editor of the specialty newsletter, Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter, explains, "The obvious benefit of adhering to a disciplined system of value investing like ours is that you build long-term profits and, ideally, financial independence.

"Now that health care reform has become law, what will it mean for investors in health care-related companies? One company that is likely to be among the biggest beneficiaries is Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA)," says Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor explains, "With 32 million Americans gaining health insurance coverage , the reform package is certain to accelerate the growing use of generic drugs, a trend rooted both in demographics and in the push to cut costs.

"Generic drugs already benefit from our aging population, who take more drugs by the year. The additional numbers of insured Americans will mean a surge in people able to afford medications (and to see the doctors that prescribe them).

How many days in a row can stocks rise? Now we are seeing the panic buying or a melt-up, as some in the media are calling it. A stronger Philly Fed index helped, as did CPI and weekly jobless claims. Today was either 8 or 9 days up for the DJIA. Rumors of Greece needing to go the IMF and even a rumor that the Fed might lift the discount rate again did not even kill the market.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,779.17 +45.50 (0.42%)
S&P 500 1,165.82 -0.39 (-0.03%)
Nasdaq 2,391.28 +2.19 (0.09%)

"The health care picks in our growth portfolio should prosper whatever the outcome of the raging health care debate," suggests growth stock specialist Stephen Leeb.

In The Complete Investor, he explains, "That's because they're leveraged to demographic realities, and in particular to the tide of aging baby boomers," Here, he reviews on portfolio holding -- Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA).

Leeb says, "Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical is the world's largest manufacturer of generic drugs. Capitalized at $49 billion, Teva pulled in some $11 billion in revenues in 2008, with generic drugs contributing more than two-thirds of those sales.

The Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter focuses on stocks that meet the strict value criteria of the legendary investor. Here, J. Royden Ward looks to Teva Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: TEVA), noting, "Teva is based in Israel and develops, makes and sells generic and proprietary-branded (store brand) drugs."

The advisor explains, "The company is one of the largest generic drug-producing companies in the world and, in addition, sells active ingredients to other pharmaceutical companies.

"Teva's aggressive acquisition and product development programs are driving strong sales growth. The company recently purchased U.S.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals for $7.5 billion. Barr will increase Teva's generic drug sales significantly in the U.S. and parts of Europe.

"Stocks are likely in a new downtrend," says Michael Ashbaugh. In Marketwatch's The Technical Indicator, he looks at the S&P's prospects and some drug stocks set to buck the trend.

"The S&P 500 has violated its major moving averages in the closely tracked 900 area. The recent downturn was convincingly bearish, placing the burden on market bulls to reassert the uptrend.

"After finding resistance in the 923 area, the S&P sold off sharply, edging back under its 200-day moving average, which currently holds at 900 and now marks resistance. This is bearish price action.

"Generic drug mak Teva Pharmaceutical, Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) delivered respectable earnings results," says Jack Adamo, who added the stock his Insiders Plus model portfolio.

"The company's earnings were up 4% on a proforma non-GAAP basis. In this case, that's the correct measurement. Net GAAP earnings were up tremendously, but aren't really representative of normal business factors.

"Although Teva gets much of its earnings from its proprietary multiple sclerosis drug, Copaxone, its primary business is generic drugs. That segment is inherently lumpy because profitability is greatly affected by which generic drugs it brings to market before any other generic company.

Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA - option chain) shares have moved higher today after the Food & Drug Administration approved the company's generic version Pulmicort, an asthma drug made by competitor AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN). If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on TEVA.

TEVA opened this morning at $43.00. So far today the stock has hit a low of $42.55 and a high of $43.78. As of 12:25, TEVA is trading at $42.84, up $0.65 (1.5%). The chart for TEVA looks bullish and S&P gives TEVA a positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy ranking.

For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bull-put credit spread below the $35 range.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of AllianceBernstein (NYSE: AB) to Outperform from Market Perform as they find AB's risk/reward attractive given its attractive long-term business model. Wachovia upgraded Watson Pharma (NYSE: WPI) and Teva Pharma (NASDAQ: TEVA) to Outperform from Market Perform citing valuations and positive drivers for generics that include patent expirations and market share expansion.
• UBS raised Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Neutral from Sell on expected pricing power following the HBOS (OTC: HBOOY) acquisition.
• Otter Tail (NASDAQ: OTTR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) was upgraded at Citigroup to Hold from Sell.
• Merrill upgraded Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI) to Neutral from Underperform.

Analyst downgrades:

• JP Morgan downgraded shares of Lloyds TSB Group to Underweight from Neutral on capital concerns and believes the HBOS acquisition is not in the best interest of shareholders.
• Stephens downgraded Universal Truckload (NASDAQ: UACL) to Equal Weight from Overweight on valuation and concerns about a slowdown in the flatbed sector. The firm's target remains $28.