Athenahealth Surges in Debut

Editor's Note: In this feature from Stockpickr, we highlight lists of stocks that have been upgraded by analysts or are experiencing activist-investor situations or some other market-moving events.

Rumors of the Day: Shares of Cree(CREE Quote) continue to rise Thursday on reinvigorated rumors that General Electric(GE Quote) could buy the semiconductor manufacturer. Shares of Cree gained $1.96, or 6.1%, to $33.97 in recent trading, while GE slip a slight 31 cents, or 0.7%, at $41.18.

Meanwhile, Nasdaq(NDAQ Quote) shares climbed on an early morning report that the exchange would sell its 30% stake in the London Stock Exchange Group to Borse Dubai in a larger, three-way deal for Nordic exchange operator OMX. Nasdaq stock was trading 2.7% higher at $37.

Today's Hot List: Athenahealth(ATHN Quote) soared in its public debut Thursday. Shares of company, which provides Internet-based business services to medical practices, were trading up 88% at $33.80. The company priced 6 million shares at $18 each, above the expected $14-$18 range.

Bear Stearns(BSC Quote) reported third-quarter earnings per share of $1.16, which fell short of the $1.78 analyst consensus estimate. Revenue of $1.3 billion also fell short of the $1.64 billion consensus. Bear said it will boost its share-buyback program to $2.5 billion. Shares rose 1.3% to $117.09.

Analyst Downgrades: Morgan Stanley downgraded Accenture(ACN Quote) from overweight to equal-weight and lowered its price target from $48 to $42. Shares of the consulting and outsourcing firm initially dropped but were recently up 10 cents at $39.32.