Marvel stock upgraded

JPMorgan upgraded Marvel Entertainment's stock Tuesday from "neutral" to "overweight," which doesn't sound like an improvement to me, but I'm sure these are technical terms. Marvel closed the day up 99 cents to $18.52.

Marvel has recently been buying back stock, and "[s]ince launching its buyback program in July 2004, Marvel has purchased 25.5 million shares, or 26 percent of its float."

Analysis are also bullish regarding Marvel's 2007 film prospects:

[JPMorgan analyst Barton] Crockett said Marvel's 2007 movie slate is shaping up to be "unusually strong," with "Spider-Man 3" slated for May, "Fantastic Four 2" for July and "Ghost Rider" for February.

(Google is your friend: "'Overweight' means a stock is projected to outperform on a 12-month risk-adjusted basis.")