The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA fell more than 102 points to 12,926.86 (-0.79%), the NASDAQ fell 30 points (-1%) to 2,970.45, and the S&P 500 fell -0.84% or more than 11 points to 1,366.94.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reiterated ‘outperform’ with a $22 target price at Credit Suisse; F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) started as ‘overweight’ at Morgan Stanley; Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) raised to ‘overweight’ at Evercore; Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) cut to ‘neutral’ at Citigroup; and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $146 at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) is down -5.1% at $60.77; ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is down -0.6% at $72.44; D.R. Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) is down -2.1% at $15.06 (our coverage here); Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) is down -0.15% at $47.37; Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is down -5% at $34.11; Potlach Corp. (NYSE: PCH) is down -1.7% at $30.53; and Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX) is up 0.32% at $7.90.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) is up 14.2% at $26.17 after posting a new 52-week high this morning of $26.25. The company has hired advisers for a possible sale of the company. More coverage here and here.

LSI Corp. (NYSE: LSI) is up 1% at $8.01. The semiconductor maker got a boost from a story in Barron’s magazine over the weekend. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee begins its two-day meeting. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 9:00 a.m. – S&P Case-Shiller housing price index
• 10:00 a.m. – New home sales
• 10:00 a.m. – Conference board consumer confidence
• 10:00 a.m. – FHFA house price index
• 10:00 a.m. – Richmond Fed manufacturing index
• 11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
• 1:00 p.m. – 2-year note auction

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Paul Ausick

ARM Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: ARMH) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) Added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs; Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) maintained Buy but removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

CafePress Inc. (NASDAQ: PRSS) Started as Buy at Janney

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE: DRQ) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Reiterated Outperform with $22 target at Credit Suisse.

Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) Raised to Overweight at Evercore.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) Reiterated Buy with $39 target at Argus.

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. (NYSE: NSM) Started as Outperform with $20 target at Credit Suisse; Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo; Started as Buy with $18 target at BofA/ML.

priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $811 at Credit Suisse.

Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $146 at BofA/ML.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox.  We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

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JON C. OGG

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $740 at Canaccord Genuity.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Reiterated Outperform with $65 target at Credit Suisse.

Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ: COCO) Raised to Equal-weight at Barclays.

eBay Inc, (NASDAQ: EBAY) Raised to Buy at Benchmark; Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray; maintained as Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Buy at Wunderlich.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Reiterated Buy with $34 target at Argus.

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Zynga, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) Raised to Hold at Needham.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox.  We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

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JON C. OGG

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Cut to Neutral at BTIG.

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN) named the value stock of the day at Zacks.

E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) Reiterated Neutral at Zacks.

LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) Started as Hold at Needham.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) Reiterated Outperform with $82 target at Credit Suisse.

Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Maintained Hold but raised estimates at Argus.

Randgold Resources Limited (NASDAQ: GOLD) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

SBA Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: SBAC) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) Raised to Buy at Argus.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Credit Suisse has previewed top banks and noted on Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM): “We look BAC, C and JPM to benefit from improved trading in 1Q.” The firm talked up loan growth and demand and sees attractive valuations with improved profitability and greater capital deployment.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox.  We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

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JON C. OGG

After the first hour of trading, Plexus is up more than 13% at $37.64. Volume has already topped the daily average of 312,000 shares traded. The contract electronics manufacturer beat earnings estimates and has forecast higher revenues for the current quarter.

NetScout is up nearly 12% at $19.03. Volume is already higher than the daily average of 280,000 shares traded. The services delivery management company delivered better-than-expected revenues and earnings but lowered its EPS and revenue estimates for the full fiscal year.

Hanwha SolarOne is up nearly 9% at $2.04. Volume is near the average daily volume of 1.02 million shares traded. The solar panel maker is rising on expectations that prices have stabilized and that shipments will rise.

F5 Networks is up more than 11% at $120.89. Volume is already more than double the daily average of about 1.9 million shares traded. The network software maker reported better-than-expected quarterly revenues and earnings.

Johnson Controls is down more than -8% at $32.62. Volume is already nearly double the daily average of 4.7 million shares traded. The auto parts and control systems supplier posted solid earnings, but lowered forecasts.

Paul Ausick

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 336 points to 12,101.92 (2.85%), the NASDAQ rose more than 80 points (3.19%) to 2,603.73, and the S&P 500 rose 2.98% or nearly 36 points to 1,241.22.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan. Other ratings actions today include F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) cut from ‘perform’ to ‘underperform’ at Oppenheimer; Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) raised from ‘outperform’ to ‘Top Pick’ at FBR Capital; Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) added to ‘Strong Buy List’ at Zacks; and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) lowered from ‘Top Pick List’ to ‘outperform’ and target price lowered from $61 to $58 at RBC Capital Markets.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is up 4% at $26.18; General Mills Inc. is down about -1% at $39.19; Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) is up nearly 7% at $39.05; Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down -4% at $48.66; and Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) is up more than 22% at $14.46. After markets close today we get earnings from Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL). See our 360 coverage on Oracle here and coverage of the ConAgra and General Mills reports here.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Targacept Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT) is down more than -35% at $5.01, after posting a new 52-week low of $4.92 earlier in the day. The pharmaceutical maker’s anti-depressant drug, developed in conjunction with AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN) has failed a late-stage trial.

Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is up nearly 38% at $13.81. The oil & gas exploration company has signed a production-sharing agreement for a block offshore of Angola. Cobalt owns 40% of the project and is the operator.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is up nearly 33% at $2.93. The solar panel maker has sold about 86 megawatts of generation to TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) for approximately $455 million.

Prestige Brand Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PBH) is up nearly 21% at $11.27. The drug and cleaning supplies company paid $660 million for a selection of nonprescription drugs from GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK).

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is up more than 18% at $1.50. The home builder is riding the wave of good news about new housing starts.

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) is up about 9% at $39.85, after posting a new 52-week high earlier of $39.86. The healthcare company raised fiscal year guidance and boosted its quarterly dividend by 30%, to $0.1625/share.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. The most widely anticipated report for tomorrow is due at 8:30 a.m. from the National Association of Realtors, which will be revising its new home sales data from 2007 forward. Lower sales of up to -13% are expected. Here are other noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
• 1:00 p.m. – 7-year Treasury note auction

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Paul Ausick

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) Added to Strong Buy List at Zacks Investment Research.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) Reduced to Outperform from the “Top Pick” and target lowered to $58 from $61 by RBC Capital Markets.
BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) cut to Underperform and named as Bear of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) named as value stock of the day at Zacks Investment Research.
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (NYSE: MAA) Raised to Outperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.
Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) Cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.
OpenTable Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) Started as Outperform with a $49.00 price target objective at Credit Suisse.
Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) Raised to “Top Pick” from Outperform at FBR Capital Markets.
Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

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JON C. OGG

The SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) rose by 10.9%. but the gain from trough to peak was far more.  We have offered some color on each and shown how much implied upside is there to the Thomson Reuters consensus analyst price target as well.  These gainers are listed lowest to highest on a percentage basis for the month.

Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) rose by 36.5% as shares rose from $11.50 to $15.70. Analysts have a consensus price target of $24.40. The company acquires and develops oil and gas properties in the Gulf Coast states.  The company announced a $500 million share buyback during October, but it also announced that its President & COO has left the company.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) saw a 38.4% gain as the stock rose from $17.78 at the end of September to $24.60 at the end of October.  Analysts have a consensus price target of $31.50.  Valero was the subject of buyout speculation and its shares have not really sold off after word came that one rumored acquirer was not looking o acquire it.

National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV) saw a 39.3% rise from $51.22 at the end of September to $71.33 at October’s end.  Analysts have a consensus price target of $89.75. If the offshore oil market is going to be opened back up, having a an offshore rig manufacturing business is going to be robust again.

Joy Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) saw a gain of 39.8% from $62.38 on September 30 up to $87.20 at the end of October.  Analysts have a consensus price target of $102.00.

Juniper Networks, Inc. NYSE: JNPR) rose by 41.8% in October $24.47 versus $17.26.  The turnaround in networking is being seen in the stock. Analysts have a consensus price target of $25.03. Juniper has risen off of lows just as many other networking equipment players have seen.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) rolled on and on for a 42.3% gain as shares went from $10.09 at the end of September to $14.36 at the end of October.  Analysts have a consensus price target of $18.69.  Goodyear is back to profits and shares are actually still very cheap at about 7-times a blended forward P/E for 2011 and 2012 estimates.

El Paso Corp. (NYSE: EP) saw a 43.1% gain for the month but we would not that this is due mostly to the acquisition of the company.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) had a very large run as the network equipment player bounced hard off its lows.  A move from $71.05 at the end of September to $103.95 was up 46.3%. Analysts have a consensus price target of $106.67.

Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE: NBR) was one of the top performers for October as the shares rose from $12.26 to $18.33, generating a 49.5% gain. The $100 million payout for the CEO exit is under criticism, but the oil and gas driller did beat earnings and has reorganized its management structure.  Analysts have a consensus price target of $27.33.

Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) saw a rise of 51.5% as the stock rose from $28.53 on a dividend-adjusted basis up to $43.16. Analysts have a consensus price target of $47.25.  In late October came word of higher 2012 guidance as well as a buyback of up to $200 million in its stock over the next year.

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JON C. OGG

AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) Started as Sell at Stifel Nicolaus.
Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. (NYSE: AHT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
DENTSPLY International (NASDAQ: XRAY) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
Equity One Inc. (NYSE: EQY) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Started as Hold at Jefferies.
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE: IVN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Maidenform Brands, Inc. (NYSE: MFB) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Precision Drilling Corporation (NYSE: PDS) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Started as Underperform at Jefferies.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.

With gold and silver bouncing after what looked like a bursting bubble, here is a list of the top-rated precious metals funds expected to win in uncertain times from Zacks.

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JON C. OGG

Dysfunctional boards have helped create problems at large public companies that have lost billions of dollars in market value. Current SEC and other government agencies’ regulations make it almost impossible for shareholders to remove directors. Investors in these companies, therefore, have little choice. They can decide to live with these boards, or — if they think the governance of the companies will not get any better — sell their stock.

To find the most dysfunctional boards, 24/7 Wall St. looked at the S&P 500 companies. We chose companies whose stock prices have fallen at least 33% over the last five years, but excluded those with revenues lower than $5 billion in 2010. Finally, the board troubles at Hewlett-Packard, Bank of America, and Yahoo! have been so well chronicled that we excluded them from the list as well.

Among the subjective guidelines 24/7 Wall St. editors used to further determine the effectiveness of a board was the length of service among board members. Boards with long-serving board members can be an impediment to change if companies run into troubles, such as in the case of GE. (NYSE: GS) Another factor we looked at was whether a company’s board supported a poor performing CEO for several years, as in the case of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). Ironically, the reverse — electing too many CEOs — may also indicate a dysfunctional board. This is a sign the board cannot effectively choose chief executives and strategies that will help its company return value to shareholders consistently, such as in the case of Hewlett-Packard. 24/7 Wall St. came up with eight “American Companies With The Most Dysfunctional Boards”.