Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (NASDAQ: LHC) (TSX: SES)

RBC Capital Markets upgraded Secure Energy Services Inc (TSX: SES), a diversified energy services company, to outperform from sector perform increasing its price target to C$21.00 from C$20.00, indicating an upside of 12.3% from current levels. Recently, SES reported full year 2013 revenue (excluding oil purchase and resale) and EBITDA increase of 38% to C$541.9 million and C$137.5 million respectively, while total assets increased 35% to $1,039.7 million over 2012. The company also increased its dividend by 38% to C$0.20 per share for the year.

Canyon Services Group Inc (TSX: FRC), engaged in providing specialized stimulation services to exploring for and producing (E&P) companies, was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FirstEnergy Capital Corp raising its price target to C$15.00 from C$13.00, indicating an upside of 19.9% from current levels. Recently, FRC reported fourth quarter jobs increase of 34% to 654 from 489 in Q4 2012 and revenues increased by 23% to $104.2 million from the comparable quarter of 2012.

Raymond James upgraded Bird Construction Inc (TSX: BDT), a general contractor focusing primarily on projects in the industrial, mining, commercial and institutional sectors of the general contracting industry, to outperform from market perform increasing its price target to C$16.00 from C$12.00, indicating an upside of 19% from current levels.

Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Guestlogix Inc (TSX: GXI), a provider of onboard store technology and retail solutions that enable passenger travel operators to process ancillary revenue transactions on a global basis, with a speculative buy assigning a 12-month price target of C$2.00, indicating an upside of 38.9% from current levels.

National Bank Financial downgraded Canexus Corp (TSX: CUS), engaged in manufacturing a wide range of chemical products, to underperform from sector perform lowering its price target to C$5.00 from the earlier target of C$6.50, indicating a downside of 4.6% from current levels.

RBC Capital Markets upgraded LHC Group Inc (NASDAQ: LHC), a provider of post-acute health care services to patients through its home nursing agencies, hospices and long-term acute care hospitals, to sector perform from underperform increasing its price target to $21.00 from $20.00, a downside of 5.7% from current levels. Recently, LHC reported fourth quarter net service revenue at $165.3 million, up 2% over the same period in 2012, while net income stood at $5 million or 29 cents per share. For full year 2013, net service revenues increased to $658.3 million from $637.6 million in 2012 and net income stood at $22.3 million or $1.30 per share.

GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: GTAT), a diversified technology company with crystal growth equipment and solutions for the global solar, light emitting diode (LED) and electronics industries, was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse raising its price target to $24.00 from $18.00, indicating an upside of 37.1% from current levels. The rating firm upgraded the stock on positive outlook after a deal with Apple under which GTAT will provide apple with polysilicon and sapphire glass for its products.

Raymond James upgraded Clean Harbors Inc (NYSE: CLH), a provider of environmental, energy and industrial services throughout North America, to strong buy from market perform with a price target of $60.00, an upside of 14.4% from current levels.

Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Regency Energy Partners LP (NYSE: RGP), engaged in the gathering and processing, contract compression, treating and transportation of natural gas and the transportation, fractionation and storage of natural gas liquids (NGLs), with a hold rating assigning a 12-month price target of $29.00, indicating an upside of 5.9% from current levels. The rating firm believes that RGP offers a diversified play on the gathering and processing segment with assets spread across several of the unconventional shale plays in North America. Further, the investment bank anticipates that after the closure of the acquisition of PVR Partners LP in 1Q14, RGP will gain exposure to the growing natural gas production story out of the Marcellus where production is expected to account for ~20% of natural gas production by 2015 in the lower 48 states from only ~2.5% in 2010.

Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC downgraded Numerex Corp (NASDAQ: NMRX), a provider of business services, technology, and products used in the development and support of machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, to hold from buy with a price target of $15.00, indicating an upside of 15.3% from current levels.