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Every year I find myself asking the same question: What to get dad for Father's Day. Well, Kiplinger's offers not to get our dads the same old presents -- another tie, another power tool -- but stocks in companies he probably likes or uses their products. That's a great idea, I thought, and decided to counter with five of my own.

• Kiplinger's suggests: Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the seller of such brands as Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Guinness and José Cuervo. Diageo has held up better than most during the recession -- thanks to a balanced portfolio of products, with higher exposure to mid-price, mainstream brands and less exposure to ultra-premium brands. The shares look reasonably priced. At $56.01, Diageo trades at 15 times estimated June 2009 earnings of $3.82 a share. The stock yields 2.8%.

• Another to consider: Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP), the seller of such brands as Coors, Blue Moon, Pilsner and Rickard's. Beer, probably even more so than hard liquor is supposed to hold better during a recession given the cheaper price point. The company's recent quarterly profits more than doubled. The shares trade at 13 times forward earnings of $3.33 and yield 2.2%.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $22 from $16 citing the renegotiated royalty agreement with Samsung.
• Goldman also upgraded Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) to Buy from Sell and raised their target to $27 from $11 citing strong operating leverage as RevPAR recovers.
• KeyBanc upgraded Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN) to Hold from Underweight citing a recent improvement in freight demand.
• J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) was upgraded to buy from Underperform at Banc of America/Merrill.
• Savvis (NASDAQ: SVVS) was raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
• Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was upgraded at Citigroup to Buy from Hold.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) Q1 profit edged past expectations despite lower sales of Humira.
• AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) posted a smaller-than-expected Q1 loss, sending shares sharply higher.
• Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings, sending share higher.
• BP (NYSE: BP) and other oil companies were downgraded due to higher environmental costs.
• Charles Schwab Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHW) Q1 earnings declined but still topped analysts' expectations.
• Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) said Q1 earnings would be lower due to a weaker dollar and lower oil prices.

The venerable Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) sputtered through another dismal quarter as reported today. Even Warren Buffett's recent vote of confidence in the form of purchasing $300 million of HOG debt wasn't enough to pretty up a year/year decline in worldwide sales of 12%, and sales this quarter last year were well below the previous year. The company did ship 3.9% more bikes to dealers than in 2008, when dealers were sitting on large stocks of unsold units, but it anticipates shipping 10-13% fewer bikes overall in 2009 than 2008.

Domestic sales dropped 9.7%. Diluted earning reported were $.50, below analyst expectations and down from $.79 Q1 of 2008. Revenue for the quarter was $1.01 billion, down only $2.7 million from same quarter 2008. General merchandise, usually a steady cash-generator for the company, also fell by 10.5% from a year ago.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded HMS Holdings (NASDAQ: HMSY) to Buy from Hold on valuation as they believe the recent weakness provides an attractive entry point. The firm keeps a $36 price target on shares.
  
• Credit Suisse believes Universal Health (NYSE: UHS) is well positioned to gain market share, that earnings risk from the Las Vegas market is manageable, and that the balance sheet provides flexibility. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral and raised their target to $48 from $46.
  
• UBS upgraded RF Micro (NASDAQ: RFMD) to Buy from Neutral citing checks that indicate strengthening momentum, impact from recent restructuring, and expected debt reduction. The analyst raised RFMD estimates above consensus and upped the price target to $3 from $1.10.
• Liberty Capital (NASDAQ: LCAPA) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) was raised to Hold from Sell at Soleil.
  
• SunTrust (NYSE: STI) was lifted at Keefe Bruyette to Outperform from Market Perform.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) closed at $17.10. HOG named Keith Wandell as president and CEO, succeeding James Ziemer who is retiring. Wandell is currently COO and Pres of Johnson Controls (NYSE-JCI). HOG is expected to report Q1 EPS on April 16. HOG, April option implied volatility is at 100; April is at 97; above its 26-week average of 87, according to Track Data, suggesting larger movement.

NASDAQ 100-QQQQ overall implied volatility at 38; 26-week average is 43.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Late last year my colleague Joseph Lazzaro posted a story about NYU's 'Dr. Doom' Roubini: Stocks may fall another 20% during recession. That has to make one take pause when considering an investment in the stock market today, even after a major drop retesting November lows this week. On the other hand, Warren Buffett went out of his way to encourage the investing public and money managers alike that it was safe to go back into the market.

However, today it has been widely reported that Buffett sold off half of his holdings in Johnson & Johnson and trimmed his stake in Procter & Gamble.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says Buffett's now putting a terminal value on something we thought we were to hold forever.

Struggling. I'm struggling this morning with some of the things that Warren Buffett is doing with his cash these days. I am struggling because he is selling America, selling Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (Cramer's Take) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) (Cramer's Take), selling ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) (Cramer's Take) and selling U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) (Cramer's Take).

What's more American than these stocks? These are not small trimmings. He sold more than half of his 52 million shares of Johnson & Johnson and he sold it at a 20-year low relative to its yield. That doesn't sound like "Buy America." That sounds like "Sell America." Yet, on Oct. 16, 2008, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at 9000 and the S&P 500 at 950, Buffett penned a now-famous op-ed submission to The New York Times saying it was time to buy America. Those who bought America that day are feeling ... well, downright un-American. Or at least they're feeling poorer.

Amazingly, this week is about to end with stock markets logging gains. Not grim earnings, not glum retail sales, not dismal car sales, nor even weaker-than-expected jobs report seemed able to put a dent in investors' hopes the stimulus bill would pass.

And it's not even the Dow stocks that are leading the advances. As of noon today, the Dow was up about 3% for the week, while the S&P 500 gained about 4.5% and the Nasdaq composite soared some 7%. If you're sorry you didn't take part of this rally, and think perhaps there's more to come after the Senate finally approves the stimulus plan, then BloggingStocks contributors have some ideas for long-term holdings, as well as a few warnings:

In the News:

In the News:
10 Biggest Gaffes of the Financial Crisis
Wall Street and the rest of the financial industry have long had a reputation for attracting some of the best and brightest minds around. Then came the financial crisis. The continuing crisis is turning out incidents of seemingly utter tone-deafness and greed at a remarkable pace. Here are the 10 worst so far.
http://www.smartmoney.com/Investing/Stocks/10-Biggest-Gaffes-of-the-Financial-Crisis/

Traders today were again fighting mostly over whether the DJIA should trade above the 8,000 mark. But the good news was that the "Bad Bank" plan may be replaced with Uncle Sam acting as an "insurer of last resort," which would put a floor in values. Treasury Secretary Geithner also noted that the U.S. would be very aggressive in its stimulus and stabilization pact. This all sent shares higher late in the day despite the plan's massive cost. Housing data in pending home sales failed to nudge any opinion, as the gains were due to distressed selling.

Today's unofficial closing bell levels:
DJIA: 8,078.36 +141.53 +1.78%
NASDAQ: 1,516.30 +21.87 +1.46%
S&P 500: 838.51 +13.07 +1.58%
52-Week Highs... we actually have some highs!
Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) CEO Warren Buffett has swooped in to buy $300 million of Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) distressed debt. And Harley will pay through the nose for Buffett's generosity. That's because Berkshire will get 15% interest on the senior unsecured notes. I guess Buffett likes wallowing in the mud.

Harley is suffering from the downturn and Buffett sees himself getting a great deal on the debt of a company that will ultimately survive. As I posted, Harley's fourth-quarter profit fell 58% due to weaker demand for its motorcycles. The net income of $77.8 million, or 34 cents a share, was the lowest quarterly profit in nine years. Harley will cut 1,100 jobs and close three plants to save $60 million a year. 70% of the firings will take place in 2009 and the rest in 2010.

But Harley stock is up on the news. Frankly that 15% interest rate tells me just how risky Harley is. And I am sure it needs the cash badly if it's willing to pay such a high interest rate. It must be great to be Buffett.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College. His eighth book is You Can't Order Change: Lessons from Jim McNerney's Turnaround at Boeing. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: APD) met Q1 profit estimates and lowered its guidance.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stellar Q1 results easily topped analysts' expectations, sending shares higher.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) unimpressive Q2 results due to holiday sales were in line with expectations.
• General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Q4 profits were dragged down finance, consumer divisions.
• Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) Q4 earnings tumbled on lower demand globally and domestically.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings but lower revenue.
• Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) released its dismal Q2 results early and announced job cuts.
• Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (NYSE: POT) Q4 earnings more than doubled on higher prices.
• Seagate Technology (NYSE: STX) fell after posting losses and guidance for more weakness ahead.
• Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) warned that it would post its biggest loss ever in full-year 2008.
• State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT) earnings tumbled on charges but still topped analysts' estimates.
• UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) Q4 earnings were in line with estimates and it reaffirmed its outlook.
• United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) modest Q4 earnings growth was in line with expectations.

For more highlights from this week, see eBay, Google, IBM, Southwest, UAL, AMR, Northern Trust and others

Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) profit fell 58% in the fourth quarter as the U.S. slowdown caused demand to shrink here and overseas.

Harley sales and profits are shrinking. Its sales fell 6.8% to $1.29 billions and its net income fell 58% to $77.8 million, or 34 cents a share. Analysts expected earnings to be 23% higher, or 57 cents a share on sales of $1.29 billion. For the same period in 2007, it earned $186.1 million, or 78 cents a share.

Harley is taking action -- including plant closures that would result in 1,100 workers losing their jobs. Specifically, it plans to consolidate two engine and transmission plants in Milwaukee into another Wisconsin facility. It will shrink its paint and frame operations at its York, PA plant and close a distribution facility in Franklin, WI. Harley also plans to end its domestic transportation fleet, and to cut shipments between 10% and 13% in 2009.

It's clear that fewer people can borrow or otherwise afford a new Harley -- with its stock down 70% in the last year, the HOG slaughter is likely to continue.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.