The futures traded modestly higher on Friday morning, as another volatile week on Wall Street is almost over. While many earnings reports have been positive, companies that disappoint are being hit hard. Despite the solid start, this earnings season is expected to be the worst year-over-year comparison since the Great Recession.
With an election coming up, and with what is still a very deep recession, investors should be considering how they want their assets positioned for the second half of 2020 and as 2021 comes into focus.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for long-term investors and short-term traders alike. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, and some cover stocks to sell or avoid.
Remember, no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision. Consensus analyst target prices are from Refinitiv.
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These are the top analyst calls we have seen on Friday, July 17, 2020.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD | AMD Price Prediction) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that AMD has been one of the biggest success stories in the semiconductor space over the past five years. Shares most recently closed at $54.92 and have a consensus price target of $54.40.
Bilibili Inc. (NASDAQ: BILI) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BOCOM. The stock closed Thursday at $42.54.
Cloudflare Inc. (NYSE: NET) was started with an Outperform rating at William Blair. The shares ended trading on Thursday at $35.10, but were up smartly in Friday’s premarket.
Curis Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) was started with an Overweight rating and a $4 price target at Cantor Fitzgerald. The consensus target on Wall Street is higher at $5, and the shares were last seen trading at $1.18.
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) saw its target price raised at Cowen to $63 from $60. That compares with the consensus price target of $56.89 and a Thursday close of $59.10 a share.
Dover Corp. (NYSE: DOV) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Baird, which has a $123 price target. The consensus target is $103.55, and the stock closed Thursday at $102.37.
Fiverr International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FIVR) was downgraded from Overweight to Neutral with a $77 price target at JPMorgan. The stock was last seen Thursday at $80.59, down over 2%.
Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) was upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform and the price target raised to $4.50 at RBC Capital Markets. The consensus target is $3.55, and the stock was last seen at $4.24 on Thursday.
Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT) was raised to Buy from Hold at Stifel, which also raised its price target to $60. The consensus target is $60.50, and the closing price on Thursday was $47.34.
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J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NYSE: JBHT) was upgraded to Hold from Sell the price target raised to $140 at Deutsche Bank. The posted consensus target is $113.63. The stock was last seen trading at $132.55 per share.
Lending Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: TREE) saw its target price raised to $375 from $275 at Needham after the company pre-announced very good second-quarter results Thursday. The last trade on Thursday was posted at $317.68, and the shares were up almost 5% in the premarket.
Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) saw its target price lowered at BofA Securities to $575 from $625, and Goldman Sachs lowered its price objective on the entertainment giant to $600 from $670. Credit Suisse downgraded the shares to Neutral from Outperform and dropped the price target to $525. Most of Wall Street adjusted target prices after the company reported mixed earnings Thursday after the close. While the shares closed at $527.39, the stock was trading down over 8% in premarket action.
Performance Food Group Co. (NASDAQ: PFGC) was started with a Buy rating and a $35 price objective at BTIG Research. The consensus target is $36.83. The last trade Thursday hit the tape at $27.39.
ShotSpotter Inc. (NASDAQ: SSTI) was resumed in coverage at B. Riley FBR with a Buy rating and a $30 price target. The consensus target is $31.86, and shares closed Thursday at $22.86.
Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) was downgraded to Underperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital Markets, which also lowered the price target to $16. The stock ended Thursday at $19.74 a share.
Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO) saw its target raised at Telsey Advisory Group to $155 from $140, though the analyst reiterated its Outperform rating. The stock closed at $142.25.
Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO) saw Cowen raise its $230 target price to a Wall Street high of $260. The consensus target is $209.81. The shares closed Thursday at $222.38.
Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UAA) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that this stock has been on a broader downward trend since 2015. Shares last closed at $10.36 and have a consensus price target of $9.27.
United Natural Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) was started with a Neutral rating at BTIG Research. The stock closed at $19.43 on Thursday.
Welbilt Inc. (NYSE: WBT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, which has an $8 price objective. That compares to the consensus of $9 and a Thursday closing price of $6.65.
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In addition, Goldman Sachs has three top aerospace and defense stocks to buy ahead of earnings. And check out eight coronavirus stocks that may have much more upside ahead and seven unpopular value stocks poised to surge.
And UBS has 10 Trump election victory stock picks and 10 Biden election victory stock picks.
Thursday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Cisco Systems, Dell Technologies, Dollar Tree, Hubspot, Jabil, Kraft Heinz, Novavax, Peloton Interactive, Shopify, Walt Disney and more.
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