We’re just a few days into December, but already this is shaping up to be a historic month for Wall Street: Once again the S&P 500 has closed at an all-time high. But the rising tide doesn’t lift all boats, necessarily. The stock market is becoming increasingly selective, where a minority of stocks will likely continue to account for the vast majority of returns. The select few will be quality stocks that are characterized by strong sales and earnings growth. And as we near the end of 2013, we’re seeing which stocks have what it takes to attract new money in this market.
To get a pulse on the latest buying opportunities (and the stocks you should now avoid), let’s look at these stocks which have been upgraded and downgraded. Over the weekend I noticed 58 big-name stocks were on the move and have revised their ratings to reflect the latest data. I’ll start with the 13 stocks that have been upgraded to buys.
Upgrades
Last Week’s Holds, Now Buys
| Symbol | Company Name | Quantitative Grade | Fundamental Grade |
| ADM | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company | B | C |
| AVGO | Avago Technologies Limited | B | B |
| BRK.B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | B | C |
| EQT | EQT Corporation | B | B |
| GIS | General Mills, Inc. | B | C |
| GOOG | Google Inc. | B | B |
| KORS | Michael Kors Holdings Ltd | B | B |
| LVS | Las Vegas Sands Corp. | C | B |
| MDLZ | Mondelez International, Inc. | B | B |
| OKE | ONEOK, Inc. | B | C |
| ORLY | O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. | B | B |
| SE | Spectra Energy Corp | B | B |
| WYNN | Wynn Resorts, Limited | B | B |
Last Week’s Sells, Now Holds
| Symbol | Company Name | Quantitative Grade | Fundamental Grade |
| A | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | C | C |
| AAPL | Apple Inc. | D | B |
| ADI | Analog Devices, Inc. | D | C |
| ALXN | Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | D | B |
| CPB | Campbell Soup Company | C | C |
| DG | Dollar General Corporation | C | B |
| GPS | The Gap, Inc. | D | B |
| ITW | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | C | C |
| KMX | CarMax, Inc. | D | B |
| NTRS | Northern Trust Corporation | D | C |
| NUE | Nucor Corporation | D | C |
| PSX | Phillips 66 | C | D |
| SJR | Shaw Communications Inc. | C | C |
Downgrades
Last Week’s Buys, Now Holds
| Symbol | Company Name | Quantitative Grade | Fundamental Grade |
| AMAT | Applied Materials, Inc. | B | C |
| BAC | Bank of America Corporation | C | B |
| BX | The Blackstone Group L.P. | B | C |
| CHKP | Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. | C | B |
| ESRX | Express Scripts Holding Company | C | C |
| HCA | HCA Holdings, Inc. | C | C |
| HIG | The Hartford Financial Services Group | C | C |
| IX | Orix Corporation | B | C |
| LYG | Lloyds Banking Group plc | B | C |
| M | Macy’s Inc | C | B |
| MSI | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | C | B |
| NMR | Nomura Holdings, Inc. | B | C |
| NOK | Nokia Oyj | B | C |
| PAYX | Paychex, Inc. | C | C |
| PEP | PepsiCo, Inc. | C | C |
| PFE | Pfizer Inc. | C | C |
| STX | Seagate Technology PLC | B | C |
| VIP | VimpelCom Ltd. | B | D |
Last Week’s Holds, Now Sells
| Symbol | Company Name | Quantitative Grade | Fundamental Grade |
| BEAM | Beam Inc. | D | C |
| C | Citigroup Inc. | D | C |
| COST | Costco Wholesale Corporation | D | C |
| EL | The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. | D | C |
| ERIC | LM Ericsson Telefon AB | D | C |
| FLR | Fluor Corporation | D | C |
| KYO | Kyocera Corporation | D | C |
| MCD | McDonald’s Corporation | D | C |
| PUK | Prudential plc | D | C |
| REGN | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | D | B |
| SNY | Sanofi | D | C |
| WBK | Westpac Banking Corp | D | B |
| WFT | Weatherford International Ltd. | D | C |
| WMT | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | D | C |
