3 Top PowerRatings Upgrades for Investors: ATVI, CLHB, PCG

Three stocks have earned PowerRatings upgrades as of Friday's close: a video game software company, a waste management company and a member of the diversified utilities industry.

And while none of these stocks belongs to industry groups that are as highly rated as the stocks are, the Long Term PowerRatings of 9 that all three of these stocks have recently earned clearly underscores all three as stocks that are likely to be both more reliable and better performers than the average stock.

First up is Activision (ATVI@ATVI | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) which, like all three stocks in today's report, has earned a Long Term PowerRatings upgrade from 8 to 9. Activision is the highest rated stock in the 6-rated Multimedia & Graphics Software industry group, an industry group that includes Electronic Arts (ERTS@ERTS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO@TTWO | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating).

Shareholders in Activision are scheduled to vote on a planned merger with Vivendi Games in early July. But that hasn't stopped analysts from upgrading the stock from a "buy" to a "strong buy". The stock's PowerRating last received an upgrade in mid-May, moving from a 7 to an 8.

Clean Harbors (CLHB@CLHB | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is a stock that we have written about in the past as part of a look at a pair of companies in the Waste Management industry. (See our "A Pair of Top PowerRatings Stocks for Investors: AW, CLHB.")

As noted earlier this month, Clean Harbors operates non-nuclear hazardous waste management/treatment centers throughout North America. CLHB had been an 8-rated stock since late April, and is trading within a point of its 52-week high at 74.39 as of this writing.

These days it is common to see utilities stocks on any list of high Long Term PowerRatings stocks. And today's list is no exception. PG&E Corp (PCG@PCG | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is a member of the Diversified Utilities industry - along with a virtual strike force of similarly high rated utilities stocks. In fact, PG&E is one among five 9-rated stocks in this industry group, with another six stocks having Long Term PowerRatings of 8.

Since mid-May, shares of PG&E have switched between Long Term PowerRatings of 8 and 9 as the stock has moved from the low 40s to the high 30s. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.90, and is trading in the lower half of its 52-week price range from 49.52 to 36.26.

Remember that stocks with Long Term PowerRatings of 9 have been higher one year later by more than 79%. 9-rated stocks have also tended to gain, on average, 18% in a year's time.

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David Penn is Senior Editor of PowerRatings.net.