Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Callaway Golf, Juniper Networks, Marvell Technology, Oasis Petroleum, Skechers, US Steel, Zayo, Zillow and More

Lee Jackson

Published: April 18, 2018 9:00 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 12:50 am

The futures looked slightly higher Wednesday morning after two solid days of gains for investors. As predicted, the early first-quarter earnings results have come in solid, and investors will be watching closely as more of the top U.S. companies report and give forward guidance. With this bull market now over nine years old, the one trend that has prevailed for more than five years has been for investors to buy all the big pullbacks. In addition, investors still have to decide how they want to be positioned for the rest of 2018 and beyond.

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.

Additional color and commentary has also been added on some of these daily analyst calls. The consensus analyst price target data are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and other research calls from Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

Callaway Golf Co. (NYSE: ELY) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at D.A. Davidson. The Wall Street consensus price target is $18.05, and with the shares closing at $17.71 on Tuesday, so this could be a valuation call. The 52-week trading range is $11.19 to $17.71.

Juniper Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs. The consensus price target is $26.40, and shares closed Tuesday at $25.41, but were trading off almost 5% in the premarket on the Goldman call. The 52-week trading range for the shares is $23.68 to $30.96.

Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) was started with a Buy rating with a $27 price target at Longbow. That compares with the Wall Street consensus target of $28.11. The 52-week trading range for the shares is $14.64 to $25.18, and the stock closed trading Tuesday at $22.25.

Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS) is resumed in coverage with an Overweight rating at JPMorgan, along with a $16 price target. That compares with the Wall Street consensus target of $12.21. The shares closed trading Tuesday at $9.22, in a 52-week range of $6.69 to $13.03.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OLLI) was resumed with a Buy rating at Credit Suisse. The consensus price target is set at $61.92. The stock closed trading Tuesday at $62.60. The 52-week range is $32.35 to $62.90.

Skechers USA Inc. (NYSE: SKX) was resumed with a Buy rating at Citigroup. The consensus price objective is $48.50. The 52-week range for the stock is $22.64 to $43.08, and the shares ended on Tuesday at $42.45.

United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) was started with a Sell rating at UBS. The consensus price target on Wall Street is set at $48.71. The shares closed Tuesday at $36.36, in a 52-week trading range of $18.55 to $47.64.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE) is raised to Buy from Hold at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. The consensus price target is $64.83. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $41.67 to $71.99. The shares are trading sharply higher in the premarket, as yesterday the FDA approved the company’s Crysvita drug.

Zayo Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ZAYO) is raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank. The consensus price objective is $41.64. The shares closed Tuesday at $36.42. The 52-week trading range is $29.73 to $37.95.

Zillow Group Inc. (NYSE: ZG) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley. The consensus price target is set at $51.61, and the stock closed trading Tuesday at $49.39. The 52-week trading range for the online real estate giant is $35.39 to $59.73.

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

AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) was started with a Sell rating at UBS. The consensus price target on Wall Street is $6.190. The shares closed Tuesday at $4.71, but are trading down modestly in the premarket action. The 52-week trading range is $4.00 to $7.54.

Atlassian Corp. PLC (NASDAQ: TEAM) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. The consensus price target is set at $58.75. The shares closed Tuesday at $62.06, so the analysts may be making a valuation call. The 52-week trading range is $30.91 to $62.75.

AquaVenture Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: WAAS) was started with a Market Outperform rating and a $22 price target at JMP Securities. That compares with the Wall Street consensus target of $21. The 52-week trading range for the shares is $10.87 to $18.83. The stock closed Tuesday at $13.77.

Healthcare Services Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HCSG) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS. The downgrade looks to be earnings related. The consensus price target is posted at $58.50. The 52-week trading range for the shares is $38.26 to $56.20.

Oxford Industries Inc. (NYSE: OXM) was resumed with a Buy rating at Citigroup. The consensus price target across Wall Street is $85.88. The shares ended Tuesday’s trading at $78.10, in a 52-week range of $52.61 to $84.32.

Terreno Realty Corp. (NASDAQ: TRNO) is raised to Buy from Neutral at Compass Point. The consensus price objective is posted at $37.13. The stock closed trading Tuesday at $35.38, and the 52-week range is $29.35 to $38.54.

Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) was downgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS. The consensus price objective is posted at $31. The stock closed trading Tuesday at $27.92. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $25.96 to $35.62.

Welbilt Inc. (NYSE: WBT) is raised to Buy from Neutral at Longbow. The consensus price target is $24, and the share closed Tuesday at $19.06. The 52-week trading range is $18.51 to $23.77.

In case you missed it, here are Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades. They included Bristol-Myers, Chesapeake Energy, Coca-Cola, Dropbox, GrubHub, Merck, Netflix, Twitter and more.