Embraer (ERJ) (EWBC) (JAZZ) (ALK) (AMRS) (COLM) (ERJ) Upgraded

Embraer (NYSE: ERJ), East West Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: EWBC), Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ), Alaska Air (NYSE: ALK), Amyris Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS), Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ: COLM) and Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) were upgraded by analysts.

East West Bancorp Inc. (EWBC) was upgraded by FBR Capital from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $23.00 on the company.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (JAZZ) was upgraded by Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $52.00 on the company, up from $29.00.

Alaska Air (ALK) was upgraded by Dahlman Rose from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $75.00 on the company.

Amyris Inc. (AMRS) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating. They have a price target of $32.00 on the company.

Columbia Sportswear (COLM) was upgraded by McAdams Wright Ragen from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $69.00 on the company.

Embraer (ERJ) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

Alexion (NASDAQ:ALXN), Cadence (NASDAQ:CADX), Cubist (NASDAQ:CBST), Dendreon (NASDAQ:DNDN), Human Genome (NASDAQ:HGSI) Could be Takeover Targets

With time and costs a major factor in the drug industry, companies appear to be hunting for takeover targets like Alexion (NASDAQ:ALXN), Cadence (NASDAQ:CADX), Cubist (NASDAQ:CBST), Dendreon (NASDAQ:DNDN) and Human Genome (NASDAQ:HGSI), which have a pipeline, or are close to developing a pipeline, with soon-to-be-approved drugs.

Others noted in a recent Barron's article as possible takeover candidates were Acorda (NASDAQ:ACOR), AMAG Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMAG), BioMarin (NASDAQ:BMRN), Cephalon (NASDAQ:CEPH), Jazz Pharma (NASDAQ:JAZZ), Onyx (NASDAQ:ONXX), United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR), and Salix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLXP).

Some of the companies rose on the assertions, with Cadence closing Monday at $7.76, gaining $0.47, or 6.52 percent.