The S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) is down today by 0.06% and stands at 1,291. Here are three stocks that are helping pull the index out of a hole.

EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) is up today after J.P. Morgan upgraded the stock from neutral to overweight. Bret Jensen has written that EMC is a good buy for 2012. Its price is attractive and its balance sheet is in good shape. What’s more, “the company is selling for just 9 times operating cash flow.” EMC shares recently traded at $22.58, up $0.49, or 2.22%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $19.84 to $28.73. Volume today was 15,690,009 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 21,460,600 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 22.46, while trailing earnings are $1.00 per share.

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Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) announced last friday that it was merging its business and consumer units in an effort to build efficiency. The stock has done well ever since. Fitch says that margins in both the telecom and cable sectors are strong enough to handle an economic downturn and stiff competition within both sectors. S shares recently traded at $2.35, up $0.05, or 2.17%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $2.10 to $6.45. Volume today was 15,293,072 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 43,356,200 shares. The company’s trailing earnings are $-0.84 per share.

Limited Brands (NYSE:LTD): Fitch deemed Limited Brands a “best-in-class” operator amongst other retailers on Monday, and the stock has done well ever since. The CFO of Limited Brands will participate in the Annual ICR XChange Conference today at 12:20 p.m. EST. LTD shares recently traded at $40.13, up $0.64, or 1.62%. They have traded in a 52-week range of $28.05 to $45.45. Volume today was 2,641,610 shares versus a 3-month average volume of 3,432,020 shares. The company’s trailing P/E is 13.64, while trailing earnings are $2.94 per share.

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To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Gillette at staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Damien Hoffman at editors@wallstcheatsheet.com

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