Ivanhoe (IVN) (AET) (WSR) (ALKS) (NVDA) (CATY) Upgraded

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (NYSE: IVN), Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET), Whitestone Reit (NYSE: WSR), Alkermes Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS), NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ: CATY) upgraded by analysts.

Whitestone Reit (WSR) was upgraded by Hilliard Lyons from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $12.50 on the company.

Aetna Inc. (AET) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $51.00 on the company, up from $47.00.

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (IVN) was upgraded by TD Newcrest from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Alkermes Inc. (ALKS) was upgraded by UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $21.00 on the company, up from $20.50.

NVIDIA (NVDA) was upgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) was upgraded by Cantor Fitzgerald from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Cathay (CATY) (ZION) (AWI) (TCB) (BMS) (BOKF) Upgraded

Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ: CATY), Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ: ZION), Armstrong World Industries (NYSE: AWI), TCF Financial Co. (NYSE: TCB), Bemis (NYSE: BMS) and BOK Financial Co. (NASDAQ: BOKF) upgraded by analysts.

Zions Bancorporation (ZION) was upgraded by RBC Capital from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $20.00 on the company, down from $25.00.

Armstrong World Industries (AWI) was upgraded by BB&T (NYSE:BBT) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating.

TCF Financial Co. (TCB) was upgraded by FBR Capital from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating. They have a price target of $11.00 on the company, down from $12.00.

Bemis (BMS) was upgraded by Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Buy” rating.

BOK Financial Co. (BOKF) was upgraded by Stifel Nicolaus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $56.00 on the company.

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) was upgraded by RBC Capital from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $15.00 on the company, down from $18.00.

Cathay General (NASDAQ:CATY) Jumps, EPS Estimates Raised

Shares of Cathay General Bancorp (NASDAQ:CATY) jumped as the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations.

FBR says, "Overall, 4Q results were generally better than anticipated, accentuated by greater-than-expected NIM expansion and lower credit costs. Management's guidance for NIM exceeds what is baked into Street assumptions for 2011 and 2012, albeit benefit to net interest income will be moderated by a smaller balance sheet. Reserve releases will also continue to drive earnings visibility, especially as management addresses the company's watch list loans. This should pave the way to lift the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that CATY is under as well as facilitate the repayment of TARP (likely in early 2012). We are increasing our respective FY11 and FY12 core EPS estimates to $1.05 (from $0.85) and $1.65 (from $1.40) to reflect higher net interest margin and lower provision expense assumptions."

FBR Capital maintains a "Market Perform" rating on Cathay General Bancorp (CATY), which closed Tuesday at $17.49, gaining $1.28, or 7.90 percent. FBR raised their price target on Cathay from $15 to $17.