U.S. Steel: Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- CHANGE IN RATINGS

AK Steel (AKS) upgraded at Citigroup from Hold to Buy. $21 price target. Company expects to see utilization rates grow, and should benefit from a more stable China steel market.

Ciena (CIEN) rated new Buy at Citigroup. Acquisition of NT assets makes sense, especially with a low price tag. $17.50 price target.

Crane (CR) upgraded at BofA Merrill. Rating raised to Neutral from Underperform. Price target raised to $32 from $22. 2009 EPS estimates raised to $2.13 from $1.92.

Edwards Lifesciences (EW) upgraded at Goldman. $95 price target. Company has a new product cycle and the sales ramp should drive higher margins.

Nasdaq (NDAQ) upgraded at Fox-Pitt from In-Line to Outperform. Estimates also raised, to reflect higher expected market share. $29 price target.

National Gas (NFG) upgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Underweight. Shares now seen reaching $49, up from $35. 2009 and 2010 EPS estimates increased to $2.63 from $2.53 and to $2.45 from $2.43, respectively.

Nuvasive (NUVA) downgraded at Goldman from Buy to Neutral. $45 price target. See limited upside to current earnings expectations, as core growth is slowing.

IMS Health (RX) downgraded at BofA Merrill. Rating lowered to Underperform from Neutral. Maintains $18 price target. Lowers 2009 EPS estimates to $1.60 from $1.65.

Sandisk (SNDK) downgraded at Goldman from Buy to Neutral. Valuation call, based on a $24 price target. See better upside potential in TXN.

Target (TGT) upgraded at Citigroup from Sell to Buy. $61 price target. See significant earnings leverage, as same-store sales improve.