Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Monsanto, Virgin America and More

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By Lee Jackson Published
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With stocks indicated slightly higher after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the vaunted 18,000 level, investors will look to extend gains and perhaps see yet another day of records for the indexes on this trading shortened Christmas Eve. 24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning to find new investment and trading ideas for its readers. Some analyst research reports cover new stocks to buy, and others cover stocks to sell or avoid.

Here are Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations from top research calls from around Wall Street.

Arctic Cat Inc. (NASDAQ: ACAT) was started at a Market Perform rating at Wells Fargo.

Ellington Financial LLC (NYSE: EFC) was started at Hold at MLV & Co. with a $21 price target. The shares closed Tuesday at $20.75.

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) was started at Buy at MLV & Co. with a $12 price objective.

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Miller Tabak.

OvaScience Inc. (NASDAQ: OVAS) was raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Virgin America Inc. (NASDAQ: VA) saw its post-IPO quiet period end, with numerous firms weighing in. Cowen started the stock at Outperform with a $42 target. Deutsche Bank started it at a Buy rating with a $44 target. Merrill Lynch started it at Buy with a $40 target, and Raymond James started it with a Market Perform rating.

If you missed Tuesdays top analysts upgrades, downgrades and initiations, they were in Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Kimberly Clark, Red Hat, Sonus Networks and more.

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About the Author Lee Jackson →

Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad and diverse career, which included a stint as the creative services director at the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry and world.

Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans over 30 years, with nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career was marked by his presence on the sell side during pivotal Wall Street events, from the dot.com rise and bubble to the Long Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of market volatility.

Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, acquired from a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing on various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies and workings of Wall Street in a way that only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.

Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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