Up/Downgrades (ASNA, AVGO, EME, IPXL, IHG, RBS, AIZ, BMR, CNW, CNQR, INFA, MTB, TYPE, RGA, SHPGY, SNN, FIRE, THOR, UNM, VRSN)

Published on Monday, 09 January 2012 09:30 Written by Danny Miller

New York, January 9^th (TradersHuddle.com) – Following are some of the top upgrades and downgrades before the market open.

Upgrades

Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ:ASNA) was upgraded to a Buy from Hold at BB&T.

Avago Technologies (NASDAQ:AVGO) was upgraded to a Buy from Neutral at Nomura.

EMCOR Group (NYSE:EME) was upgraded to a Buy from Hold at BB&T.

Impax Laboratories (NASDAQ:IPXL) was upgraded to a Buy from Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Intercontinental Hotels Group (NYSE:IHG) was upgraded to a Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Royal Bank of Scotland (NYSE:RBS) was upgraded to a Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.

Downgrades

Assurant (NYSE:AIZ), the specialized insurance company, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs.

BioMed Realty (NYSE:BMR) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

Con-way (NYSE:CNW), the provider of global supply chain solutions for manufacturing, industrial, retail, and government, was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at BB&T.

Concur Technologies (NASDAQ:CNQR) was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Informatica (NASDAQ:INFA) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB), the Buffalo, NY based regional bank, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Bank of America Merrill.

Monotype Imaging Holdings (NASDAQ:TYPE) was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Reinsurance Group of America (NYSE:RGA) was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Sterne Agee.

Shire plc (NASDAQ:SHPGY), the specialty Biopharmaceutical Company based in Dublin, Ireland, was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Societe Generale.

Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Sourcefire (NASDAQ:FIRE) was downgraded to a Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Thoratec (NASDAQ:THOR) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM), the disability and special risk insurer, was downgraded to a Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs.

VeriSign (NASDAQ:VRSN), the Internet infrastructure provider, was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Bank of America Merrill.