PAREXEL (PRXL) (RFMD) (ECL) (LO) (MO) (EQR) Upgraded

PAREXEL International Co. (NASDAQ: PRXL), RF Micro Device (NASDAQ: RFMD), Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL), Lorillard Inc. (NYSE: LO), Altria Group (NYSE: MO) and Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) upgraded by analysts.

PAREXEL International Co. (PRXL) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from an “Underperform” rating to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $19.50 on the company.

RF Micro Device (RFMD) was upgraded by Needham & Company from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. The have a price target of $7.00 on the company.

Ecolab Inc. (ECL) was upgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $55.00 on the company. They cited valuation as the catalyst behind the call.

Lorillard Inc. (LO) was upgraded by Davenport from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $120.00 on the company.

Altria Group (MO) was upgraded by Davenport from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $31.00 on the company.

Equity Residential (EQR) was upgraded by FBR Capital from an “Underperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Price Targets on (CRAY) (CROX) (DIOD) (DTSI) (EQR) Updated

Price targets on Cray Inc. (NASDAQ: CRAY), Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX), Diodes (NASDAQ: DIOD), DTS (NASDAQ: DTSI) and Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR)updated by analysts.

Needham & Company cut their price target on Cray Inc. (CRAY) from $10.00 to $8.50. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Crocs (CROX) from $23.00 to $26.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Collins Stewart raised their price target on Diodes (DIOD) from $35.00 to $37.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Brigantine raised their price target on DTS (DTSI) from $42.00 to $45.00. They have a “hold” rating on the company.

FBR Capital raised their price target on Equity Residential (EQR) from $54.00 to $56.50. They have an “underperform” rating on the company.

Ratings on (AIZ) (ATI) (CCI) (EQR) (DNB) Reiterated

Ratings on Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ), Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: ATI), Crown Castle (NYSE: CCI), Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) and Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB) reiterated by Analysts.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated a “neutral” rating on Assurant, Inc. (AIZ). They have a price target of $44 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated a “neutral” rating on Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (ATI).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Equity Residential (EQR). They now have a price target of $56 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Crown Castle (CCI).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Dun & Bradstreet (DNB).

Colonial Properties (NYSE:CLP), Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA), Camden Property (NYSE:CPT) FBR's Top REIT Picks

Taking into account the regional outlook for REITs in 2011, FBR said their favorite picks in the group are Colonial Properties (NYSE:CLP), Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE:MAA) and Camden Property (NYSE:CPT).

On the other hand, the weakest outlooks in the group are Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR), AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB), and Associated Estates (NYSE:AEC).

FBR said, "In our MSA Monitor screen, we utilize 3Q10 REIT data and current one-, two- and three-year forward forecasts from a variety of data providers, coupled with our proprietary model, and conclude that Colonial Properties Trust (Market Perform), Mid-America Apartment Communities (Underperform), and Camden Property Trust (Underperform) could have the strongest 12-month-forward regional outlooks. Equity Residential (Underperform), AvalonBay Communities (Outperform), and Associated Estates (Outperform) could have the weakest.

"Following the climb by HME were move-ups for CPT and MAA, unsurprising given the high Texas/Sunbelt exposure. Stocks that declined in the current ranking were ESS and AVB, both falling two spots, followed by single-spot drops by AIV, AEC, and UDR. Remaining unchanged were CLP and EQR."

Colonial Properties closed Friday at $17.96, up $0.39, or 2.22 percent. Mid-America was at $62.87, up $0.99, or 1.60 percent. Camden ended at $52.36, up $0.98, or 1.91 percent.

Equity Residential ended the week at $51.56, up Friday by $0.36, or 0.70 percent. Avalonbay closed at $113.12, up $2.64, or 2.39 percent. Associated Estates closed at $15.37, up $0.09, or 0.59 percent.