Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: AMD, IBM, Google, eBay, Verizon and More

Earnings season is well into full reporting, and a debt deal has been reached in Washington, D.C. Now that the S&P 500 Index has hit a new all-time high, many investors are wondering which stocks to buy and which to sell or avoid. 24/7 Wall St. peruses dozens of analyst research calls from Wall Street each morning to find new ideas. Some are stocks to buy and some are stocks to sell or to avoid. These are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall Street research firms.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) was reiterated as Underperform with a $3 price target at Credit Suisse, Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded AMD to Neutral from Buy and Citigroup lowered its price target to $4.50 from $5.00.

Albemarble Corp. (NYSE: ALB) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy on valuation and lowered estimates at Sterne Agee.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) was reiterated as Buy with a $65 price target (versus a $51.38 close) as an attractive entry point at a discount after the weakness from earnings, according to Argus.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) was reiterated as Outperform, but the price target was raised to $1,200 from $1,000 at Credit Suisse; Canaccord Genuity raised its price target up to $1,000 from $940.

HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HBC) was removed from the Credit Suisse Europe Focus List.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) was downgraded to Hold at Argus, and it also was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS late in the day on Thursday.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $78 price target (versus a $68.00 close) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. (NYSEL KMP) was reiterated as Buy with a $93 target (versus a $80.69 close) at Argus.

LG Display Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LPL) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: RNR) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral, but the price target was raised to $90 from $86 (versus a $93.49 close), at Credit Suisse.

Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche bank.

Here are 10 trends that will not change after the Washington, D.C., settlement to lift the debt ceiling and reopen the government.

One short-selling ETF manager sees four high-yield dividend cuts coming.

Merrill Lynch has raised its targets on top oil and energy stocks, some significantly.

Want to Retire Early? Start Here (Sponsor)

Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?

Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.

 

Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!

By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.