Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Altria, Barclays, E*Trade, Petrobras, Range Resources, Vale, Etsy, Jabil, Wix and More

Jon C. Ogg

Published: September 21, 2016 8:50 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 3:20 am

Stocks were indicated higher on Wednesday morning ahead of the September Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision on interest rates. Even after last week’s selling and more market volatility returning, it is obvious that investors will still buy stocks after any real weakness. Those same investors also want to find new ideas to generate income or gains ahead.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning of the week in an effort to find new investing and trading ideas. Some analyst research reports cover stocks to buy, and some feature stocks to sell or avoid.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Wednesday morning:

Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) was started as Hold at Jefferies with a $70 price target. It closed most recently at $62.97, and the firm expects more near-term pressure than usual. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $53.68 to $70.15 and a consensus analyst price target of $69.11.

Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) was raised to Buy from Hold at HSBC. It closed in New York trading at $8.62, with a 52-week range of $6.76 to $15.86 and a consensus price target of $9.85.

E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) was started with an Outperform rating and assigned a $33 price target (versus a $28.19 prior close) at Credit Suisse. The 52-week range is $19.61 to $30.98, and the consensus price target is $29.77.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Raymond James. Shares closed at $9.22, in a 52-week range of $2.71 to $10.24. The consensus price target is $7.16.

Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) was started with an Outperform rating and assigned a $49 price target (versus a $36.58 close) at Credit Suisse. Its 52-week range is $19.21 to $46.96, and it has a consensus price target of $48.76.

Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight with a $4 price target (versus a $5.11 close) at Barclays. The 52-week range is $2.13 to $6.26. The consensus price target is $5.40.

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Other key analyst upgrades and downgrades were seen as follows:

Amira Nature Foods Ltd. (NYSE: ANFI) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $13 price target (versus a $7.09 close) at Jefferies. The firm noted that an overreaction to allegations has created an attractive entry point, with a discredited short campaign and an oversupply of basmati rice.

Aviragen Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: AVIR) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $2.50 price target (versus a $1.60 close) at Ladenburg Thalmann.

E.P. Energy Corp. (NYSE: EPE) raised to Neutral from Sell with a $5 price target (versus a $3.62 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Etsy Inc. (NYSE: ETSY) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $17 price target (versus a $13.51 close) at Monnes Crespi & Hardt.

Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $27 price target (versus a $23.16 close) at UBS.

Mirna Inc. (NASDAQ: MIRN) was downgraded to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer.

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) was started with a Hold rating and assigned a $96 price target (versus a $99.21 close) at Jefferies.

Post Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POST) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform and the price target was cut to $83 from $90 (versus a $78.42 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) was started as Buy with a $61 price target (versus a $47.66 close) at Jefferies. The firm sees organic EBIT development as a peer best, with cost saving and vapor developments helping further. They also see a re-rating with a buyback and higher dividend yield.

Skechers USA Inc. (NYSE: SKX) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight and the price target was cut to $25 from $41 (versus a $23.23 close) at Morgan Stanley.

Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLK) was started with a Neutral rating and was given a $60 price target (versus a $58.37 close) at Mizuho.

West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. (NYSE: WST) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo.

Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: WIX) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included American Electric Power, Broadcom, Ford, General Motors, JD.com, Sarepta Therapeutics, Valeant Pharmaceuticals and over a dozen more.