Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Apple, Chipotle, CEMEX, CVS, Eli Lilly, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Incyte, MercadoLibre, US Steel and More

Investing

Published: April 11, 2019 8:45 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 10:14 pm

Stocks were indicated to open marginally higher on Thursday, but not be enough of a line to feel like the day’s direction has been set. The market has been choppy in recent days, but the major equity indexes are still up by the double-digit percentages and the S&P 500 remains within striking distance of its all-time highs. Investors should be considering how they want their assets positioned for the rest of 2019 and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional commentary has been added on most of the daily analyst reports, along with trading history. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was initiated with a Neutral rating and assigned a $209 price target at Credit Suisse. The stock has a 52-week range of $142.00 to $233.47 and a consensus target price of $190.94. After closing up 0.5% at $200.62 on Wednesday, it was indicated up 0.1% on Thursday.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, with the firm noting that after a 65% gain so far this year it is now fully valued and reflecting the turnaround’s upside. Shares closed most recently at $718.85. The consensus target price is $585.91, and the 52-week range is $315.95 to $721.21.

CEMEX SAB de C.V. (NYSE: CX) was initiated with a Neutral rating and assigned a $5.50 price target at Goldman Sachs.

CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) was initiated with an Outperform rating and assigned a $58 price target at BMO Capital Markets.

Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Guggenheim. The stock closed at $127.19 a share. The 52-week range is $77.09 to $132.13, and the consensus target price is $124.87.

Five Below Inc. (NASDAQ: FIVE) was raised to Overweight from Neutral with a $150 price target at JPMorgan. Shares closed at $129.15 and have a 52-week range of $69.37 to $136.13. The consensus target price is $135.06.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (NYSE: HPE) was initiated with an Underweight rating and assigned a $14 target price at Credit Suisse. The stock closed at $16.27, has a 52-week range of $12.09 to $17.88 and has a consensus target price of $16.80.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) was initiated with an Outperform rating and assigned a $173 price target at Credit Suisse, with the firm noting that IBM is about to be a very different company after the acquisition of Red Hat. Shares closed up 0.6% at $143.02 on Wednesday and were indicated up 0.3% at $143.50 on Thursday. The consensus target price is $141.06, and the 52-week trading range is $105.94 to $162.00.

Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ: INCY) was initiated with a Hold rating and assigned an $82 target price at Stifel. Shares closed at $83.41, in a 52-week range of $57.00 to $88.83. The consensus target price is $89.33.

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (NYSE: KDP) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, with the firm questioning how much more growth can be seen from its single-serving coffee pods. The most recent close was $28.06 a share. The 52-week range is $20.46 to $124.36, and the consensus target price is $28.44.

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Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Merrill Lynch. Shares closed at $37.58, in a 52-week range of $33.54 to $56.30 and with a consensus target price of $44.63.

MercadoLibre Inc. (NASDAQ: MELI) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at HSBC. Shares closed at $514.34 and have a 52-week range of $257.52 to $527.09. The consensus target price is $460.67.

Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: SGEN) was initiated with a Hold rating and assigned a $70 target price at Stifel. Shares closed at $80.91. The 52-week range is $47.75 to $84.37, and the consensus target price is $82.42.

United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) was downgraded to Underperform from Buy at Merrill Lynch. U.S. Steel closed at $17.25 a share, in a 52-week range of $17.09 to $39.23. The consensus target price is $24.71.

Yeti Holdings Inc. (NYSE: YETI) was initiated with an Outperform rating and a $35 target price at Cowen.

Waste Connections Inc. (NYSE: WCN) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel.

Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel. Shares closed at $102.93, in a 52-week range of $79.96 to $104.80 and with a consensus target price of $106.60.

Wednesday’s top analyst calls included Apple, Gilead Sciences, Nordstrom, Novartis, Tesla, Under Armour, Walt Disney, Wendy’s and many more.

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