Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Amarin, CenturyLink, Legg Mason, Rackspace, Transocean, Valero and More

Stocks were looking for direction on Wednesday after hitting new highs again. Investors have proven repeatedly for more than two years now that they want to buy all the dips. They also want to buy value or overlooked growth stories. 24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of new analyst research calls each day to find new investing and trading ideas for its readers. Some of these research reports cover stocks to Buy. Other reports cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

These are this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations from 24/7 Wall St.

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at J.P. Morgan.

Amarin Corp. PLC (NASDAQ: AMRN) was raised to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust.

Carlyle Group L.P. (NASDAQ: CG) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.

CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral, and the price target was cut to $33 from $37 (versus a $39.29 close), at Goldman Sachs.

Financial Engines Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGN) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray.

ALSO READ: Meet the New 2015 Warren Buffett Stocks

Insulet Corp. (NASDAQ: PODD) was downgraded to Hold from Buy and the price target was cut to $35 from $38 (versus a $32.36 close) at Canaccord Genuity.

Linear Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: LLTC) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS.

Legg Mason Inc. (NYSE: LM) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.

National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV) was started as Underperform with a $52 target price (versus a $55.13 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE: QIHU) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform with a $58 price target (versus a $49.87 close) at Pacific Crest. Canaccord Genuity maintained its Hold rating after earnings but raised the target price to $42 from $38.

Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) was started as Outperform and with a $105 price target (versus a $88.89 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) was started as Underperform and with a $16 price target (versus a $18.30 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

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

ALSO READ: 4 Top Biotech Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2015

Weatherford International PLC (NYSE: WFT) was started as Outperform and with a $16 price target (versus a $12.56 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray.

zulily Inc. (NASDAQ: ZU) received multiple downgrades last week after atrocious earnings and guidance. Now it has been downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at R.W. Baird.

In case you missed Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades, they included American Express, Box, Freescale Semiconductor, Micron Technology, Nordstrom and about a dozen more.

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.