Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Biogen, Comerica, Deere, NVIDIA, 21st Century Fox and More

Photo of Lee Jackson
By Lee Jackson Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Biogen, Comerica, Deere, NVIDIA, 21st Century Fox and More

© Thinkstock

[cnxvideo id=”625480″ placement=”ros”]The march to the Dow Jones Industrial Average 20,000 level took a hit yesterday as the venerable index had just its second triple-digit down day in the past two months, and it really should come as no surprise. While the so-called Trump rally has been a surprise and a powerful force for the market, shares are clearly overbought, and the market feels tired. The futures are trading somewhat mixed this morning and the market could open slightly to the upside.

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 Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations. Since this is the week between holidays, many of the firms we cover will not resume full coverage until after the new year, so the published volume is again reasonably light.

Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ANTH) was downgraded from Buy to Hold at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, which also slashed its price target from $6 to $1. That compares to a Wall Street consensus target of $4.67. The stock was also downgraded at Jefferies to Hold from Buy, and at Citigroup from Buy to Neutral. Anthera said that the drug Sollpura, which is meant to help a specific kind of maldigestion in cystic fibrosis patients, “narrowly missed” the primary endpoint for the study. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $0.67 to $4.90. The stock was pummeled yesterday and closed at $0.74.

[nativounit]

AveXis Inc. (NASDAQ: AVXS) was reiterated at Outperform with an $85 price target at BMO Capital Markets. That compares with a consensus target of $78.33. The 52-week range is $16.11 to $72.72. The shares closed yesterday at $48.59.

Biogen Inc.‘s (NASDAQ: BIIB) price target was raised from $375 to $386 at Raymond James. The consensus price target for the biotech leader is $340.25, and the 52 week range is $223.02 to $333.65. The stock closed yesterday at $289.25.

Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) had its price target raised to $71 from $68 at Piper Jaffray. The consensus price target is posted at $66.21. The 52-week range is $30.48 to $70.44. The stock closed yesterday at $68.63.

Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE: CW) had its price target increased to $105 from $100 at Merrill Lynch. The firm also reiterated its Neutral rating. The 52-week range is $62.57 to $107.61, and the consensus price target is $101.60. The shares closed yesterday at $99.63.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) was listed as a top idea for 2017 in morning research from Baird. The firm has an Outperform rating and a $117 price target for the stock. The consensus price target is $100.25. The 52-week range is $70.16 to $104.83. The stock close Wednesday at $103.41.

Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) had the price target raised to $60 from $48 at Drexel Hamilton. That compares with the Wall Street price target of $51.56. The 52-week range is $37.79 to $59.45. The stock closed yesterday at $50.90.

NVIDIA Inc. (NASDAQ: NVDA) was trading lower this morning as Citron Research said late yesterday that it feels the stock could trade back to the $90 level. The stock is one of the best performers in the S&P 500 this year. The 52-week range for the shares is $24.75 to $119.73. The consensus price target is $92.65. The shares closed down almost 7% yesterday at $109.25.

Senior Housing Inc. (NYSE: SNH) was started at Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald with a $23 price objective. That’s versus a consensus target of $20.64. The 52-week range was not posted. The stock closed trading at $18.09.

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (NASDAQ: FOXA) had the price target on the stock raised to $32 from $31 at Wedbush. That is versus a consensus target of $31.40. The 52-week range for the broadcast and media conglomerate is $22.66 to $31.25. The shares closed Wednesday at $28.45.

[wallst_email_signup]

In case you missed it, Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Amazon.com, AmerisourceBergen, Bank of New York Mellon, Nike, NVIDIA and more.

Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to see daily analyst upgrades and downgrades and other key research items directly on your own feed.

Photo of Lee Jackson
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.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618