Upgrades and Downgrades Ahead of the Opening Bell (NKA, AMLN, ANDE, DRH, KFRC, MPW, PLD, QNST, RHI, TC, PANL, ASCA, FE, LAZ, OPEN, TMRK, THS)

Published on Monday, 21 June 2010 07:52 Written by Danny Miller

New York, June 21^th (TradersHuddle.com) – Following are some of the top changes in analysts’ ratings before the market open.

Research Firms Initiate:

Niska Gas Storage (NYSE:NKA), the independent owner and operator of natural gas storage assets in North America, was initiated with an Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Upgrades:

Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMLN), the biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines for diabetes and obesity, was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Canaccord.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE), the agricultural distributor and grain merchandiser, was upgraded to Buy from Hold at BB&T.

Diamondrock Hospitality (NYSE:DRH), the upscale hotel REIT, was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.

Kforce, Inc. (NASDAQ:KFRC), the full-service, professional staffing firm, was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW), the healthcare facilities REIT, was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Wells Fargo.

ProLogis (NYSE:PLD), the industrial and distribution space provider, was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Wells Fargo.

QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST), the vertical marketing and internet Media Company, was upgraded to Overweight from Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI), the largest specialized staffing services firm in the world, was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE:TC), the miner and processor of molybdenum, was upgraded to a Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Universal Display (NASDAQ:PANL), high-resolution, full color, light weight Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology, was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Cowen.

Downgrades:

Ameristar Casinos  (NASDAQ:ASCA), the gaming company that owns and operates casinos resorts in several states in the U.S., was downgraded to Hold from Buy at KeyBanc.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE), the diversified energy company, was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Citigroup.

Lazard (NYSE:LAZ), the provider of domestic and international financial advisory services and global transaction execution to corporations, was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman.

OpenTable  (NASDAQ:OPEN), the restaurant reservation website operator, was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Citigroup.

Terremark Worldwide (NASDAQ:TMRK), the provider of information technology infrastructure services, was downgraded to Hold at The Benchmark Company.

TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS), the food maker, was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust.