Although Bank of America surprised with better than expected earnings, Apple forecast disappointing fourth quarter results to weigh down the markets to a modestly lower close with the Dow falling 29 points to 11,467. Nasdaq lost 3 points to 2280.

On the upside

Piper Jaffray analyst Michael E. Cox upgraded Gibraltar Industries (Nasdaq: ROCK) as the company reduced expenses and raised their prices.

Jefferies & Co. analyst Lawrence Klatzkin said in a client note that Las Vegas Sands' (NYSE: LVS) stock price is undervalued.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky called the threat that Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone poses to Research in Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) popular BlackBerry device over exaggerated.

On the downside

Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Rommel Dionisio downgraded Nautilus (Nasdaq: NLS) due to higher costs and lower consumer spending.

Shares of Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) fell as oil prices rebounded and a survey indicated pessimism about the industry among airline executives.

Wilmington Trust (NYSE: WL) swung to a second quarter loss due to significant charges for investment losses prompting a downgrade.

In the broad market, advancing issues outpaced decliners by a margin of moer than 5 to 3 on the NYSE and by 9 to 7 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks added 5 points to 698.