Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Blackstone Group (BX) to outperform from market perform following the company's Q3 results and maintains an $18.50 price target on shares.
• Baird upgraded Astec (ASTE) to outperform from neutral citing relative valuation and upside from new multi-year U.S. highway funding legislation. The firm raised its target to $33 from $27.
• Goldman upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to conviction buy from neutral citing "significant" long-term growth drivers that include international growth. The firm raised its target to $45 from $36.
• Ariad Pharmaceuticals (ARIA) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Energizer (ENR) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• AstraZeneca (AZN) was upgraded to buy from hold at RBS.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation following the company's Q4 results but lowered its target on shares to $134 from $137.
• Citigroup upgraded Calpine (NYSE: CPN) to Buy from Hold on valuation following Wednesday's sell-off. The firm believes Harbinger's share sale reflects an issue with the shareholders, not with the company, and raised its price target on the stock to $16.50 from $13.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX) to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $17 from $16 based on valuation and the improved freight environment.
• Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• Webster Financial (NYSE: WBS) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
• Dr. Reddy's Labs (NYSE: RDY) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says its acquisition of Harleysville could make it a great regional player in the East.

When we look back at the coming great banking consolidation making a host of new colossuses, we will think about First Niagara's (NASDAQ: FNFG) (Cramer's Take) acquisition of Harleysville National (NASDAQ: HNBC) (Cramer's Take) announced on a sleepy Monday near the end of July 2009.

First Niagara, a Lockport, N.Y., bank, earlier this year received a gift from the FDIC -- a big chunk of PNC Financial (NYSE: PNC) (Cramer's Take) branches -- made necessary because PNC had too much market power courtesy of its now seemingly disastrous acquisition of National City. That move gave First Niagara a foothold in western Pennsylvania to complement its New York base.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Webster Financial, Eaton and Macrovision were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Webster Financial (NYSE: WBS) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation as they feel the company is adequately capitalized and in a position to withstand the weakening credit markets.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Eaton (NYSE: ETN) to Overweight from Neutral citing bullish management comments at its conference last week.
  
• Piper upgraded Macrovision (NASDAQ: MVSN) to Buy from Neutral citing the closure of the Gemstar deal.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Lehman upgraded U.S. stocks to Overweight from Underweight.
  
• Goldman added Hess Corp (NYSE: HES) and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS) to its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) was raised at HSBC to Neutral from Underweight.
  
• Jefferies upgraded ASM International (NASDAQ: ASMI) to Hold from Underperform.