Investing
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: athenahealth, AT&T, Cepheid, Chevron, Dollar General, Mobileye and Many More
Published:
Last Updated:
Stocks were looking for direction on Wednesday, but that is after a very strong gain on Tuesday. Investors have proven that they will buy stocks on pullbacks for four years now, or will buy into strength, in a bull market that is nearing seven years old. 24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning of the week to find new investing and trading ideas for its readers. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while other calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.
These are this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations.
Athenahealth Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) was maintained as Underperform with a $105 price target (versus $167.87 prior close) at Jefferies. The firm urges caution ahead of its analyst meeting next week, saying that 2016 guidance and inpatient revenue ramps could both be disappointing. Canaccord Genuity maintained its Hold rating and $140 price target.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) was reiterated as Buy with a very high $40.00 price target (versus a $33.77 close) at Jefferies. The firm said that meetings with AT&T support a positive view on integrating DirecTV, high revenue per user and maintaining its rational pricing behavior.
Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo. Canaccord Genuity reiterated its Hold rating, noting that good 2016 guidance is overshadowed by lowering 2017 targets. Cepheid closed down 2% at $35.21 on Tuesday, with a consensus price target of $42.41 and a 52-week trading range of $29.21 to $63.69.
Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup, citing a solid balance sheet and based on its valuation. Chevron closed at $92.48, and it has a consensus analyst price target of $96.81 and a 52-week range of $69.58 to $114.82.
Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) was maintained as Outperform but with a price target lowered to $82 from $88 (versus $65.72 close) at RBC Capital Markets. Dollar General has a consensus analyst price target of $82.09 and a 52-week range of $59.75 to $81.42.
Mobileye N.V. (NYSE: MBLY) was started with a Buy rating and was assigned a $68 price target (versus a $43.46 close) at Evercore ISI. Mobileye has a consensus price target of close to $72.50 and a 52-week trading range of $32.41 to $64.48.
ALSO READ: 6 Analyst Stock Picks With Massive Upside Targets
Additional key analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations were seen in the following Wednesday morning:
ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Guggenheim.
CF Industries Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CF) was raised to the US 1 List with a $65.00 price objective (versus a $45.00 close) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NYSE: DECK) was reiterated as Buy with a $72 price target (versus a $48.91 close) at Canaccord Genuity. The firm said that it has planned promotions and minimal cancellations, and it also said that UGG is evolving and expanding.
Diamondback Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FANG) was started as Buy with a $94 price target (versus a $78.20 close) at Deutsche Bank.
Diamondrock Hospitality Co. (NYSE: DRH) was started as Neutral with a $12 fair market value at Janney Capital Markets.
Eagle Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: EGBN) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform, but the price target was raised to $55 from $48 (versus a $55.18 close), at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.
Eni SpA (NYSE: E) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Citigroup.
Halyard Health Inc. (NYSE: HYH) was started as Buy with a $38 price target at Stifel.
Hersha Hospitality Trust (NYSE: HT) was started as Neutral with a $21 fair market value at Janney Capital Markets.
ALSO READ: The 100 Largest Private Companies in America
ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC) was raised to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair.
Laredo Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: LPI) was started as Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC (NYSE: OZM) was added to the US 1 List at Merrill Lynch with a $10 price objective (versus a $6.17 closing price).
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OGXI) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel.
On Deck Capital Inc. (NYSE: ONDK) was raised to Outperform with a $14.50 price target (versus a $9.01 close) at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.
Parsley Energy Inc. (NYSE: PE) was started as Buy with a $24 price target (versus a $19.76 close) at Deutsche Bank.
Sotherly Hotels Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHO) was started as Neutral with a $7 fair market value at Janney Capital Markets.
Swift Energy Co. (NYSE: SFY) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Trimble Navigation Ltd. (NASDAQ: TRMB) was started as Outperform with a $28 price target (versus a $22.78 close) at Wedbush Securities.
8point3 Energy Partners L.P. (NASDAQ: CAFD) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the price target was raised to $17 from $14 (versus a $12.25 close) at Goldman Sachs.
ALSO READ: Jefferies Has 4 Blue Chip High-Dividend Franchise Picks to Buy Now
In case you missed Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades, they were in AbbVie, CDW, CSC, Eli Lilly, Ericsson, Gold Fields, JD.com, Nokia, Rackspace and over a dozen more companies.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
