Several analyst rating changes today.  Analyst notes courtesy of Street Insider.

Upgrades

Ardour Capital upgraded Darling (DAR) from Hold to Accumulate and raised price target to $9.50.  Shares up nearly 4% today but still trading below the 200 day moving average.  Get a FREE Darling Intl Technical Analysis

Ardour Capital also upgraded Akeena Solar (AKNS) from Hold to Buy and has a $1.25 price target (about 50% higher than the current price) AKNS is up about 5% today.  Get a FREE Akeena Solar Technical Analysis

Maintains

Citi maintains its Hold rating on Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) and price target of $7. “While $0.95/W for laminate cost and $2.50/W at the system level in CY2012 is better, it is still not competitive in the vast majority of the demand pool competing head-to-head with branded crystalline with targeted ~$1.00/W cost and lower BoS costs due to higher efficiencies. This leaves ENER heavily reliant on what has ultimately proven to be a small niche market for low load-bearing rooftops. From here, however, factory utilization has bottomed out, the big balance sheet writedown we have long called for has occurred, and Street estimates have finally come way down so the Sell is much less interesting and Hold seems more appropriate. That said, ENER should still lose money for the foreseeable future and need to raise money again within 4-6Qs so it will remain a tough road. Raising FY2011/FY2012 ests to ($1.86)/($0.84) from ($2.00)/($1.50), respectively, (Street ($1.35) and ($0.98)) on higher efficiencies and throughput.” Shares of ENER are up about 1% today, but have been sliding lower closer to the $5 level.  There really isn’t any big support level in this stock, so chances are good of sliding much lower.  Get a  FREE ENER Trend Analysis 

Canaccord Adams maintains Buy rating on Casella Waste Systems (CWST) and price target of $6.  “We estimate FQ4 revenue of $120M (-5% q/q, +2% y/y), adjusted EBITDA of $27.4M, and EPS of $(0.31). By comparison, the consensus revenue/adjusted EBITDA/EPS estimates are $124.2M/$27.1M/$(0.25).  We are comfortable with our estimates heading into Casella’s quarterly report. The April quarter is a bit of a seasonally slower period in terms of volumes, so we model slight (-2%) sequential revenue declines in both the solid waste and recycling segments. On the positive side, a significant pickup in recycling commodity prices has likely benefited the firm’s recycling segment, in our view.”  Shares of CWST are down 2% today but holding in at support around the 200 day moving average.  Get a FREE Casella Waste Trend Analysis

New Ratings

Feltl & Co (who?) initiated Green Plains Renewable Energy (GPRE) with a Hold and price target of $12.55.  Shares of GPRE are up more than 4% today but still trading below the 200 day moving average.  Get a FREE Green Plains Trend Analysis

Kaufman Bros. reinstated coverage on SunPower (SPWRA) with a Hold and $11 price target.  “We believe SunPower is a high quality name that should benefit from the high growth end markets of solar modules and solar power plants. Both the company and the industry are currently experiencing strong demand, that is likely to continue throughout 2010. However, the main concerns for SPWRA are both macro .. “ the ability to finance solar projects, particularly in Europe, along with FX concerns surrounding the Euro weakness.”

Wunderlich Securities initiates coverage on SunPower (SPWRA) with a Hold rating and a $14 price target. 

Shares of SPWRA are up 5% today and continue to look like they have bottomed out around the $10 level.  Get a  FREE Sunpower Trend Analysis