TheStreet.com Ratings: Stock Upgrades, Downgrades

Each weekday, TheStreet.com Ratings updates its ratings on the stocks we cover. Our model projects a stock's total return potential over a 12-month period including both price appreciation and dividends. Our buy, hold or sell ratings designate how we expect these stocks to perform against a general benchmark of the equities market and interest rates.

While our model is quantitative, it uses both subjective and objective elements. For instance, subjective elements include expected equities market returns, future interest rates, implied industry outlook and forecasted company earnings. Objective elements include volatility of past operating revenue, financial strength and company cash flows.

Some recent rating changes are highlighted below.

International information technology provider Ness Technologies(NSTC Quote) has been upgraded to a buy from a hold. The company's revenues grew by 25.2% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to the same quarter a year ago. Ness has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. TheStreet.com Ratings feels this trend should continue. NSTC had been rated a hold since March 2006.

Schulman(SHLM Quote) has been upgraded to a buy from a hold. The company makes high performance plastic compounds and resins. Net operating cash flow shot up 52.8% in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company's current debt-to-equity level is below the industry average, suggesting there has been a successful management of debt levels. Schulman had been rated a hold since January 2007.