Top Analysts Upgrades and Downgrades: Altera, Chevron, Exxon, Discover Financial, LinkedIn, Lululemon and More

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By Lee Jackson Published
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After a gigantic rally sparked by an ambitious European quantitative easing move Thursday, investors are looking for a modest open on Friday as some of the tremendous gains generated by the rally are digested. The rally was so strong, it got all the major indexes close to where they ended 2014. 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 Friday’s leading analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations from top research calls from around Wall Street.

Altera Corp. (NASDAQ: ALTR) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

Avolon Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: AVOL) was started at Overweight at J.P. Morgan with a $24 price target. Shares closed on Thursday at $19.10.

Boston Properties Inc. (NYSE: BXP) was downgraded from Buy to Neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

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Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperfrom at Credit Suisse.

CubeSmart (NYSE: CUBE) was raised to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) was added to the Top Picks List at FBR. Shares closed Thursday down almost 6% at $57.32.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) was raised to Strong Buy at Raymond James.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at J.P. Morgan.

Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE: MUR) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Thursday’s top analyst calls included Dunkin’ Brands, Eaton, Checkpoint Software, eBay, Emerson, Honeywell, SanDisk 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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