(By Salman - iStockAnalyst Writer)US stocks rallied on Monday as a pick up in corporate dealmaking boosted recovery hopes.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) : Shares of the networking giant rallied  over 5% on Monday after Barclays Capital equity research upped the company's shares to "overweight" from "equal weight" and raised its target price to $28 from $24.Barclays said it expects improved carrier demand, better figures from the company's Europe based operations and continued revenue upside in the US. Barclays now sees fiscal year 2010 EPS of $1.40 (vs. consensus estimates of $1.31), up from its previous estimate of $1.34.

Gander Mountain Co. (NASDAQ: GMTN): Shares soared over 35% Monday after outdoor-products retailer said  that it intends to cease its public listing and go private, with two of its largest shareholders agreeing to buy out shares held by the remaining shareholders. The company announced that it will reduce its number of beneficial shareholders to below 300 through a one-for-30,000 reverse stock split. After the split, any shareholders with less than one share will receive a cash payment of $5.15 for each share they held prior to the split. The price is a 35% premium to Gander Mountain's closing price of $3.82 a share on Friday. The funding for the cash payment will be provided by the group's two largest shareholders Gratco and Holiday Stationstores Inc. Gander Mountain said that the disadvantages of remaining a company subject to Securities and Exchange Commission requirements "outweighed the benefits of public company status to the company and its shareholders," Gander Mountain said. The company's board approved the recommendation of independent directors.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (NYSE: COG): Late on Sunday, the Houston-Texas based company said that it is complying with Pennsylvania regulators' order to halt some work at its wells in Susquehanna County. However, despite the halt, the company noted that the Pennsylvania order wouldn't affect drilling or existing production and it will end the third quarter with production slightly above the upper level of its prior forecast of 258 million to 268 million cubic feet a day. Cabot said that its Marcellus production reached a new high at the end of last week of 52 million cubic feet a day. "Because of this fact and the expeditious effort to resolve the Padep matter, we see no reason to adjust guidance at this point," the company said in a press release.