Analyst Upgrades: Electronic Arts Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Progress Software Corporation

Analysts are weighing in on video game maker Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), bank stock JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), and software developer Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ:PRGS). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on EA, JPM, and PRGS.

• EA is flat ahead of the bell, holding its own amid the broad-market weakness following an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" at BofA-Merrill Lynch. Cowen and Company also raised its price target on Electronic Arts Inc. by $2 to $81 -- above the stock's all-time high of $76.92, hit in late October. Since touching that peak, the shares have pulled back somewhat, closing at $64.48 on Thursday, and down more than 6% already in 2016. EA has so far failed to see gains from the release of its latest "Star Wars" game, and option traders are pessimistic ahead of the company's quarterly earnings report, due later this month. On the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the security has a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.95 -- higher than 87% of all readings from the past year.

• After reporting solid quarterly earnings on Thursday, JPM today earned an upgrade to "overweight" at Atlantic Equities and a price-target hike to $78 from $75 at BMO. Meanwhile UBS cut its price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. by $2 to $63. After settling at $58.20 yesterday, the stock is set to drop 2.8% at the open, thanks to a slump in global markets. Short-term option traders seem to be the only group not clearly optimistic on JPM lately. The stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.09 is higher than 96% of comparable readings from the last 52 weeks, showing an extreme preference for puts over calls among options expiring in the next three months.

• Benchmark raised its price target on PRGS to $31 this morning, following reports on Thursday that the company is exploring a possible sale. Progress Software Corporation announced a soft first-quarter forecast on Tuesday evening, but a stronger-than-forecast fourth-quarter adjusted profit -- along with those buyout rumors -- have helped keep the stock aloft this week. PRGS is currently sitting on a gain of 4% for 2016, as of Thursday's close at $25.01. Meanwhile, shorts have been hitting the exits -- short interest has fallen nearly 10% during the last two reporting periods, and now represents less than 2% of the equity's total available float.