On The Fly: Top five analyst upgrades

Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. American Express (AXP) upgraded to Buy from Hold at DZ Bank. 2. Duke Energy (DUK) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Citi with analyst Praful Mehta saying Duke has dealt with his primary concern about its credit following tax reform with its recent deals. 3. Anixter (AXE) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Longbow with analyst Shawn Harrison citing checks which showed that North American enterprise spending accelerated as the second quarter progressed while industrial spending grew in the high-single to low double digits. 4. RLI Corp. (RLI) upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform at RBC Capital with analyst Mark Dwelle saying the company has "resolved reserve and margin concerns" that previously drove his negative view, with the re-emergence of growth placing its earnings and return on equity on a more "favorable track." 5. Beacon Roofing (BECN) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens with analyst Trey Grooms pointing out that his industry checks show distributors have been able to make up some lost ground over the busier selling months and noting that roofing manufacturers have pushed through three separate price increases year-to-date and plan for another in the August/September time frame. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.