The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Desjardins Securities analyst Keith Howlett upgraded Canadian Tire ($149.50) to "buy" from "hold," based on recent price weakness. The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Howlett expects Canadian Tire to be a beneficiary if Sears Canada (80 cents) exits the market. Mr. Howlett says in a note: "Canadian Tire has been an ongoing beneficiary of sales erosion at Sears Canada over the last 7–10 years. Canadian Tire's namesake stores currently compete with Sears Canada in tools and hardware, home environment appliances (humidifiers, air conditioners, vacuums, etc), outdoor power equipment (snowblowers, ridemowers, etc), small kitchen appliances and tableware, selected home installation services and exercise equipment. ... The management team is being organized around the objective of serving the customer effectively across all distribution channels and across all banners. A senior executive from Home Depot Canada has recently been added to the executive team to focus on delivery of the omni-channel promise." Mr. Howlett maintained a $169 target price for shares of Canadian Tire. The analyst average price target is $176.89.