BlackBerry 10 devices hit Canadian stores, shares surge

BlackBerry's comeback story is winning some fans among tech analyst elite and investors like what they hear, which means the BlackBerry maker's stock should be in the spotlight again on Tuesday.

The highly-anticipated new BlackBerry's Z10 is launching in Canada on Tuesday, while company boss Thorsten Heins is set to deliver a speech to Canadian investors this week at the Empire Club of Canada.

BlackBerry shares, trading on the Nasdaq, spiked 15 per cent to $14.98 after the market open on Tuesday.

The stock rallied some 15 per cent on Monday after a brokerage firm upgraded the stock, while word also got out that the Z10 smartphone won record orders at Canadian wireless carrier BCE Inc. Analysts also say sales are off to a strong start in the U.K., according to Bloomberg.

As well, brokerage firm Bernstein Research said it was upgrading the stock to "outperform," and the firm also hiked its price target, Reuters reported.

The upgrade comes after last week's glitzy launch of the company's new BlackBerry 10 smartphones and operating system, which initially saw the stock take a hit on mixed reviews and disappointment the phones wouldn't be available in the U.S. until March.