Tupperware's (TUP) stock performance is a case study in institutional investor (II) strategy, which is why I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for the company, first recommended on April 28, 2009 at a price of $23.48.

If you bought Tupperware in April, you're up an astounding 105%. The reason? IIs are looking past TUP's likely 2-4% revenue decline for 2009, to a probable double-digit revenue gain in 2010. In other words, the big players in the market are already well into 2010. That's the stance typical investors should take as well - always thinking about conditions 6-9 months ahead - if you'd like your stock portfolio to surge.

I guess Wall Street over did it a little bit, on the downside, with Tupperware earlier this year, driving shares down to about $11 in March. I caught the TUP train at $23.48 on April 28, 2009.

TUP is now at $38.10, good for a smooth 60% gain. And Tupperware's growth story remains intact: Tupperware will benefit from the U.S. 'frugal consumer' trend toward many, many more leftovers and fewer meals out. Hence, I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP).

It goes without saying that this market remains a stock picker's market. Select the wrong stock, and there's a 30-40% haircut up ahead; select the correct stock, and you're positioned for the recovery with modest downside exposure. For a chance at the latter, consider Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP).

Tupperware will benefit from the trend toward many, many more leftovers and fewer meals out, as Americans rebuild savings amid the housing and stock market slumps.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says these companies believed they could ride out the storm, but that wasn't the reality.

Have I been had? That's how I feel recently about two interviews I conducted on "Mad Money," one with Bruce Carbonari of Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO) (Cramer's Take) and the other with Rick Goings from Tupperware (NYSE: TUP) (Cramer's Take).

Let me say from the outset that these two companies and these two CEOs have been gracious enough to come on my show to talk about their businesses and their prospects and how they would survive in tough times.

Both have what I call accidentally high yields. Both are upbeat people and like to see the good in their businesses. They are not "downbeat" -- perhaps even when they should be.

If you've been watching earnings this past week, or if you read last week's Week in Preview, then this coming week may leave you feeling a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day. That is, again analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect earnings declines to be more frequent and deeper than earnings gains.

Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT), Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW), Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC), IAC Interactivecorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO), Elizabeth Arden Inc. (NASDAQ: RDEN), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), Diebold Inc. (NYSE: DBD), Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL), ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT), and Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week, and they're all expected to report double-digit declines in earnings.

But again this week, let's take a look who Wall Street feels may have done well in the past quarter.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wachovia upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations for greater pricing power given Goldman's position as the largest remaining independent securities firm.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Investment Technology Group Inc (NYSE: ITG) to Outperform from Market Perform as they believe the company will take market share with the reshaping of the large wire-house brokerage community. The company's target was raised to $37 from $33.
• Broadpoint raised Hoku Scientific Inc (NASDAQ: HOKU) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the contract with Tianwei New Energy reduces financing risk.
• ACE Ltd (NYSE: ACE) and The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE: TRV) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: ACLS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold and Evergreen Solar Inc (NASDAQ: ESLR) was lifted to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.

Analyst downgrades:

The U.S. stock market's choppy, volatile pattern continues. Technically, the Dow's rally from the February 2008 and March 2008 market lows around 11,800 to the 13,100-range is displaying signs that it may have been a false rally: the rally failed at the 200-day moving average and closed Thursday, for the second straight day, below the 50-day moving average.

Further, the fundamental story does not look good, either: $130 per barrel oil, a housing market showing no signs of recovery and the specter of scant job creation for at least the next two or three months does not exactly represent the strongest magnets to attract new money to the market.

On February 4, 2008, I provided five defensive stocks worthy of consideration. Listed below is a progress report, with revised recommendations for each.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) - a diversified consumer products giant, extraordinaire.
February 4, 2008 price: $66. Sell / Stop Loss: $47.
May 22, 2008 price: $65.62. Revised recommendation: I'd continue to hold PG here if I owned it, definitely buy it if I didn't. Revised Sell / Stop Loss: $47.

Cola-Cola (NYSE: KO) - because no one ever went broke, holding Coke.
February 4, 2008 price: $59. Sell / Stop Loss: $43.
May 22, 2008 price: $58.27. Revised recommendation: I'd continue to hold KO here if I owned it, definitely buy it if I didn't. Revised Sell / Stop Loss: $47.

Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) sells household goods, beauty items and personal care products. Kitchen and home items are Tupperware branded. Beauty and personal care brands include Avroy Shlain, BeautiControl, Fuller, NaturCare, Nutrimetics, Nuvo and Swissgarde. Goods are marketed by a sales force of 2.1 million independent contractors, who take orders for items presented to small gatherings of customers they know. Other sales channels involve the Internet, infomercials and mall kiosks. The firm operates in nearly 100 countries.

Tupperware surprised the Street late last month, with Q4 EPS of 93 cents and revenues of $576.9 million. Analysts had been expecting 80 cents and $532.1 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 44-49 cents (43 cent consensus), FY08 EPS to $2.50-$2.60 ($2.32 consensus) and FY08 revenues to $2.14-$2.18 billion ($2.04B consensus).

Awhile back, amid the subprime default fall-out, more-somber outlook for the U.S. economy and hence, the markets, yours truly suggested that investors increase the number of defensive stocks in their portfolios. In doing so I drew on a lesson offered by my late Uncle Nick, a lifelong New York Giants fan and season ticket holder. The wisdom:

In tough times, think established companies. Something, as my Uncle Nick would say, "As strong as the New York Giants' defensive front four." And I added that in case one hadn't noticed lately, the defensive front four of the Giants, also the favorite football team of yours truly, is still pretty good.

(My late Uncle Nick, of course, based his advise on the Giants' longstanding tradition of building a strong defense first, because, according to many revered football head coaches, Vince Lombardi and Bill Parcells among them, defense wins championships.)

Most mergers are driven by the notion, sometimes wildly mistaken, that the combination will bring both a competitive advantage. Some pairs of companies, however, seem so intuitively right for one another, no bottom-line considerations should be allowed to interfere with their matrimony. Like a BB gun and an empty bottle, these two were meant for one another.

The funeral industry is one of the last bastions against the pervasive move down-market. Not even Ikea sells a casket. Yet.

There are two American companies, though, that if combined, could offer a new application for a product that people have trusted for decades -- I'm talking, of course, about a Tupperware Casket. I even have a slogan: Burp 'em and bury 'em.

One of Hillenbrand Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HB)'s best holdings is the Batesville Casket Company. While the funeral services portion of HB has enjoyed steady growth, it is now facing possible antitrust charges for allegedly conspiring with funeral home companies to prevent discounters and online retailers from marketing their wares. Pairing up with Tupperware (NYSE: TUP) on a line of budget burial goods might take the teeth out of that charge.

Continuing with our defensive stock series: given the current choppy / consolidating markets (or perhaps worse), Tupperware (NYSE: TUP) doesn't strictly-fit the defensive stock definition, as it's in the consumer / discretionary segment. Still, given TUP's potential, it warrants a review by investors.

Tupperware's signature product is the food storage container that carries the company's patented seal. One could make the case that U.S. shoppers will buy fewer of these containers as the U.S. economy slows, as they are, strictly speaking, a discretionary purchase. Still, we know from previous belt-tightening periods Americans tend to cut back on dining out. Undoubtedly that means more home prepared meals, and leftovers, which need containers -- a positive trend for Tupperware.

Further, with sales in more than 100 countries, Tupperware is adequately-positioned to benefit from continued good-to-excellent GDP growth in emerging markets. The Reuters F2007/2008 revenue consensus estimates for TUP are $1.91 billion / $1.99 billion. Tupperware's shares fell $1.83 to $33.63 in Wednesday afternoon trading.