Today's noteworthy upgrades include: AK Steel (AKS) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan... AXIS Capital (AXS) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Capital... Aetna (AET) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill... Angie's List (ANGI) upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Northland... Assurant (AIZ) upgraded to Buy at SunTrust... BP (BP) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Argus... Capital One (COF) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley... Choice Hotels (CHH) upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan... Emerge Energy (EMES) upgraded to Outperform at Baird... FARO Technologies (FARO) upgraded to Hold from Sell at Noble Financial... First Interstate (FIBK) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray... HD Supply (HDS) upgraded on positive catalysts at RBC Capital... Hess Corp. (HES) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Societe Generale... Hi-Crush Partners (HCLP) upgraded to Outperform at Baird... Kraft Heinz (KHC) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein... Murphy Oil (MUR) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS... Navigant Consulting (NCI) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Avondale... OpenText (OTEX) upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital... Oracle (ORCL) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies... Sonus (SONS) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Barrington... Southwest (LUV) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan... Spectranetics (SPNC) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Northland... Staples (SPLS) upgraded to Hold from Sell at Evercore ISI... Starz (STRZA) upgraded to Buy from Outperform at CLSA... U.S. Steel (X) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan... Western Digital (WDC) upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at CLSA... eHealth (EHTH) upgraded on positive mix shift at Stifel.

Check out this morning's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.  UP AFTER EARNINGS... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists. 1... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

"We executed well in the first quarter, with results generally in-line with our expectations, which we believe positions us well for the remainder of 2024," said Kevin P. Riley, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Interstate BancSystem, Inc. "With our strong financial performance, we expect to continue to generate improvements in our capital ratios and maintain a healthy dividend for our shareholders."

Notable companies reporting before tomorrow's open, with earnings consensus, include Merck (MRK), consensus $1.87... Caterpillar (CAT), consensus $5.14... Comcast (CMSCA), consensus 99c... Honeywell (HON), consensus $2.17... Bristol-Myers (BMY), consensus ($4.44)... Altria (MO), consensus $1.15... Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP), consensus 35c... GE Vernova (GEV), consensus (37c)... Royal Caribbean (RCL), consensus $1.33... Tractor Supply (TSCO), consensus $1.72... Mobileye (MBLY), consensus (6c)... Textron (TXT), consensus $1.23... LabCorp (LH), consensus $3.48... Southwest Airlines (LUV), consensus (34c)... American Airlines (AAL), consensus (29c)... Harley-Davidson (HOG), consensus $1.51.

Vertex (VERX) announced that it has been selected to join the Oracle Independent Software Vendor, ISV, Accelerator for SaaS Initiative. With expertise in Oracle (ORCL) Cloud Fusion Cloud Applications integrations, Vertex continues to leverage the power of contract and tax data to optimize customer operations and outcomes. "Building on our longstanding relationship with Oracle, we are thrilled to join the Oracle ISV Accelerator," said Bradd Wildstein, Vice President, Indirect Sales at Vertex, Inc. "Through this partnership, Vertex can now enhance our customers' finance and sales processes by integrating essential tax solutions into Oracle Fusion Applications. It's more than just data integration - it's about unifying disparate functions, streamlining operations, and amplifying benefits for our mutual customers."

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison said the company is moving its world headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee, Ashley Capoot of CNBC reports. Ellison said Oracle is moving to a "huge campus" and it is closer to "the center of the industry we're most concerned about, which is the health-care industry." Reference Link

Says will continue to buy back stock "hand over fist." Says Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) "the only U.S. solution" for U.S. Steel (X). Says will have to "re-assess value" of U.S. Steel. Says targeting net debt to EBITDA of 2.5x. Says balance sheet in "great shape, near record liquidity." Sees CapEx ~$1B/year from 2025-2028. Comments taken from Q1 earnings conference call.