Hologic (HOLX) (HR) (JACK) (KEX) (KIM) (LGF) Upgraded

Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLX), Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE: HR), Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), Kirby Co. (NYSE: KEX), Kimco Realty Co. (NYSE: KIM) and Lions Gate (NYSE: LGF) were upgraded by analysts.

Hologic, Inc. (HOLX) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

Healthcare Realty Trust (HR) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Jack in the Box Inc. (JACK) was upgraded by RBC Capital to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $28.00 on the company, up from $2.00.

Kirby Co. (KEX) was upgraded by RBC Capital to an “outperform” rating. They have a price target of $80.00 on the company, up from $74.00.

Kimco Realty Co. (KIM) was upgraded by RBC Capital to an “Outperform” rating.

Lions Gate (LGF) was upgraded by Miller Tabak from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Positioned Well for the Future

It appears Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) has taken the steps they needed to to make the company more profitable, and have reached the stage where that is apparently about to come back to them.

Barclays says, "We spent two days on the road with JACK management. Our meetings were timely for two key reasons... First, comps have reached an inflection point, positive (1QF11) for the first time in seven quarters, with significant benefit from 'easy' compares. This improvement has been driven by internal initiatives rather than sustainable uptick in the broader macro. Second, the long-term refranchising initiative is nearing completion, with the focus shifting to life after such efforts and the future business drivers. The underlying company operated system will be stronger, having sold the lower volume and lower cash flow units, while the broader system will be a higher return, higher margin, and less capital intensive business, both net positives."

Barclays raised full year 2011 EPS estimate from $1.60 to $1.62 and full year 2012 from $1.80 to $1.84.

Barclays reiterates an "Equalweight" rating on Jack In The Box (JACK), which closed Friday at $22.49, down $0.05, or 0.22 percent. Barclays raised their price target on Jack In The Box from $19 to $20.

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) Battling to Rebuild Brand

Jack In The Box (NASDAQ:JACK) continues to struggle to rebuild its brand, and it's not coming cheap, as noted by Susquehanna, who maintains its "Neutral" rating on them, while lowering their price target.

Susquehanna said that, "growth. Lost company store profits from refranchising have not been offset by sufficient G&A savings and buybacks, and the margin gains from selling underperforming markets are being offset by food quality initiatives. In addition, the sales lift from re-models is being more than offset by related costs."

EPS for full year 2011 were lowered to $1.60 from $2.20 and its full year 2012 estimate is $1.97.

Jack In The Box closed Wednesday at $19.95, dropping $0.28, or 1.38 percent. Susquehanna has a price target of $20 on them, dropping by $2.