Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: 3M, Campbell Soup, Cracker Barrel, Deere, Johnson Controls, Panera and More

Thinkstock

After the holiday shortened week, Wall Street now looks ahead to a full week of trading. After some very solid gains last week, which saw all the major indexes trading at all-time highs, the futures are pointing to a lower open. Markets overseas are trading lower as well.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning to find new trading and investing ideas for its readers. Some analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or avoid.

These are this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations.

3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) was reiterated at a Buy at Jefferies, but the firm lowered its price target to $200 from $210. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $134.64 to $182.27. The Wall Street consensus price target is $179.20. The shares ended trading last Friday at $173.49.

Campbell Soup Co.‘s (NYSE: CPB) price target was raised to $60 from $58 at RBC Capital Markets, and compares with a consensus price objective of $58.46. The 52-week range is $50.54 to $67.89. The stock closed Friday up over 1% to $57.52.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Maxim Group, which set its target price at $170. The 52-week range is $118.02 to $179.82, and the consensus price target is $161.40. The stock closed last Friday at $164.33.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) was reiterated at Hold at Jefferies, but the firm raised the price target to $95 from $85. The 52-week range is $70.16 to $104.83. The consensus price target is $85.21. Shares closed last Friday at $103.92.

DuPont Fabros Technology Inc. (NYSE: DFT) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Robert W. Baird. The firm sets its price target at $44, versus a consensus target of $47.33. The shares have traded within a 52-week range of $28.83 to $48.97. The stock ended trading last Friday at $41.38.

Finisar Corp. (NASDAQ: FNSR) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Buy at Needham, which raise its price target to $42 from $38. The 52-week range is $11.26 to $33.20, and the consensus target is set at $33. The stock ended last Friday at $32.76.

Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE: JCI) was started at a Buy rating at Citigroup with a $54 price objective. That compares to a consensus target of $49.45. The 52-week range for the shares is $28.94 to $48.97. The stock closed trading last Friday at $45.89.

Mentor Graphics Corp. (NASDAQ: MENT) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse. The Wall Street consensus price target is $35.63, and the 52-week range is $16.10 to $37.03. The shares closed last Friday at $36.76.

Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Wedbush, with the analysts citing valuation. The consensus price target is posted at $234.05, and the 52-week range is $178.99 to $224.15. The stock closed trading on Friday at $217.16.

Other key analysts upgrades and downgrades were seen in the following:

Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP) was added to the Analyst Focus List at JPMorgan The consensus price target is $167.32, and the 52-week trading range is $131.59 to $172.82. The stock closed Friday at $170.86.

H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at BTIG Research. The consensus price objective is $26.13, and shares have traded in a 52-week range of $19.18 to $37.35. The stock closed Friday at $23.98.

Conoco Phillips Inc. (NYSE: COP) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs. The consensus price target is $55.57, and the 52-week range is $31.05 to $54.75. The shares closed last Friday at $45.75.

CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at Piper Jaffray. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $5.67 to $8.67. The consensus price target is posted at $7.06, but the shares closed above that level on Friday at $8.56.

Hasbro Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray. The 52-week trading range is $64.91 to $88.83. The shares closed last Friday at $87.94, up over 1% on the day.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at Piper Jaffray. The consensus price target is $25.90, and the 52-week range is $17 to $30.74. The stock closed last Friday at $25.57.

WPX Energy Inc. (NYSE: WPX) is raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank. The 52-week range is $2.53 to $13.92. The consensus price target is posted at $15.63, and the shares closed Friday at $13.28.

If you missed last week’s analyst upgrades and downgrades, they included Analog Devices, First Solar, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Intel, Urban Outfitters and more.

Is Your Money Earning the Best Possible Rate? (Sponsor)

Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.

However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.

There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.