Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Deere, Dunkin’, Fortinet, Occidental, Splunk, Spotify, UTC and More

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By Lee Jackson Updated Published
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Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Deere, Dunkin’, Fortinet, Occidental, Splunk, Spotify, UTC and More

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The futures looked slightly higher on Monday morning as investors continue to process the record-setting levels the S&P 500 hit last week. All eyes are focused on the G-20 meeting this week in Osaka, Japan, where President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi to discuss trade and hopefully come to some agreements. Investors should be considering how they want their portfolios and assets positioned for the second half of 2019 and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading and additional comments and trading data have been added on some of the calls. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics come from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations from Monday, June 24, 2019.

3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) was raised to Neutral from Sell at B. Riley FBR, which has an $8 price target for the stock. That compares with the Wall Street consensus target price of $9.50. The shares were last seen on Friday at $8.95 apiece.

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AGCO Corp. (NYSE: AGCO | AGCO Price Prediction) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies with a price target raised to $90. The consensus price target is $72.80. The stock closed Friday at $74.74.

Concert Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: CNCE) was started with a Buy rating at SunTrust, which has a $30 price target for the stock. That compares with a much lower consensus target of $21.14. The shares closed trading on Friday at $10.91 but were up almost 15% in the premarket.

Deere Inc. (NYSE: DE) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, with a price target raised to $190 as well. The consensus price target is $157.50. Shares closed way above that consensus on Friday at $164.28.

Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Wedbush, which set a $92 price objective. The consensus target for the beloved doughnut chain is $75.82. The stock closed Friday at $79.64 a share.

Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, where the analysts have set a price target of $93. Across Wall Street, the consensus target is $91.62. The stock was last seen Friday at $76.13.

NRG Energy Inc. (NYSE: NRG) was added to the Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs, and the analysts have set a $56 price target. The consensus price target is $47.09. The stock closed below both levels Friday at $35.17.

Occidental Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OXY) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which also set its price target at $55 The consensus target is $70.22. Occidental, which is in the process of buying Anadarko Petroleum, closed Friday at $50.61.

Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ: RCII) was raised to Equal Weight from Underperform at Stephens. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $11.98 to $26.75, and the consensus price target is $26. That compares with a Friday close of $24.18.

Rockwell Medical Inc. (NASDAQ: RMTI) was started with an Overweight rating at Piper Jaffray, and the analysts there have a $10 price target. The consensus target is $11.50. The stock closed Friday at $2.99, but shares were up over 4% in the premarket.

Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLK) was resumed in coverage at Piper Jaffray with an Overweight rating and a $160 price objective. The consensus target is $151.44. The shares ended trading last Friday at $124.34.

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Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE: SPOT) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Evercore ISI. Shares of the popular music streaming service have traded in a 52-week range of $103.29 to $198.99, and the consensus price target is $168.33. Friday’s last trade was posted at $148.31.

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform and a $23 price target at Bernstein. The consensus target is $23.75, and shares ended Friday at $18.88.

United Technology Corp. (NYSE: UTX) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Cowen. The price target for defense and industrial giant UTC, which is merging with Raytheon, was raised to $150. The consensus target is $152. The stock ended Friday at $128.75.

Upland Software Inc. (NASDAQ: UPDL) saw its price target raised to $53 from $50 at Needham. The consensus price target is $55.86. The stock ended last week at $47.79, down almost 7% on Friday.

WEC Energy Group Inc. (NYSE: WEC) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Merrill Lynch. The firm did raise the target price to $85. The consensus price target is $77.50, and the stock was last seen at $85.42.

Waitr Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: WTRH) was started with an Outperform rating and a $10 price objective at RBC Capital Markets. The consensus price target is much higher at $16.25. The stock was last seen trading at $5.52.

In case you missed it, check out last Friday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades. They included Carnival, Caterpillar, Darden Restaurants, Fiserv, KeyCorp, Micron Technology, Phillips 66 and more.

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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.

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