The Dow Jones industrials futures were slightly higher on Tuesday, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 plunged after investors opened the trading week with wild up and down moves once again. The Nasdaq was absolutely pounded, down almost 2.5%, the S&P 500 closed lower for the fifth consecutive day, while the Dow posted a new all-time intraday high and then barely closed positive.

One very promising item for investors is the transportation index hit a new all-time high Monday, and that often is a harbinger for an improving economy and a continued bull market run. However, top analysts on Wall Street continue pointing to “bubble” metrics, like the massive retail stock and option trading, huge hedge fund leverage and IPOs that don’t make money as examples, and many are urging caution.

While fourth-quarter earnings results are almost complete, most across Wall Street still are not only examining the results but also looking to see what guidance for the balance of the first quarter and the rest of the year looks like. With stocks very overbought, major Wall Street firms are warning of an impending 5% to 10% correction, so it makes sense now for investors to start building some cash reserves while repositioning portfolios for the rest of 2021.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week with a goal of finding new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock. Consensus analyst target data is from Refinitiv.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Tuesday February 23, 2021.

Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP) was raised from Underperform to Neutral with a $175 price target at Atlantic Equities. The posted consensus target is $177.07. The stock closed Monday at $167.70.

Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS) saw its target price raised to $80 from $54 at Telsey Advisory, which maintained a Market Perform rating on the retailer. The much lower $49 consensus compares with Monday’s $80.85 closing price.

Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Pivotal Research, which also lowered the price target to $34 from $42. The consensus target is $40.52. The last trade on Monday came in at $32.26, after shares retreated over 4% for the day.

Fastly Inc. (NYSE: FSLY) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said, not so fast bulls, the bears are in control of this stock, which is under the 200-day moving average. Shares last closed at $76.39 and have a consensus price target of $85.82.

Galapagos N.V. (NASDAQ: GLPG) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA Securities, which raised the price target to $94. The consensus target is higher at $95.73. The stock was last seen trading on Monday at $85.69.

GasLog Ltd. (NASDAQ: GLOG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which raised the price target to $5.80. The consensus target is $5.68. The last trade Monday came in at $5.90, up almost 20% after it reported an increase in sales.

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST) was downgraded at Jefferies from Buy to Hold with a $17 price target. The consensus target is $15.61. The shares were last seen trading at $16.69 on Monday.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) was raised to Outperform with a $500 price target from In Line at Evercore ISI. That compares with the much lower $426.54 consensus target and Monday’s final print of $401.55.

IQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: QI) was raised at KeyBanc Capital Markets from Sector Perform to Overweight with a $30 price target. The posted consensus target is $24.84, and the stock closed Monday at $23.88, down almost 4% on the day.

Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE: KOS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs, which raised the price target to $4.50. The consensus target for the small-cap energy company is $2.80. The shares closed at $2.82 on Monday.

Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at BofA Securities. The firm also lowered the price target to $28. The consensus target for the sprawling grocery chain is higher at $35.17. The final Monday trade was reported at $33.59.

Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NYSE: PANW) saw its target price raised to $455 from $440 at BMO Capital Markets, which sees upside on the cybersecurity leader to the $490 level. The consensus price target is $404.24. The stock closed Monday at $384.35, down over 3% for the day.

Principal Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: PFG) was downgraded to In Line from Outperform at Evercore ISI, though the firm raised the price target to $63. The consensus target for the insurance and financial services giant is $55.70. The stock closed Monday at $59.58, up over 8% for the day. With shares trading just below 52-week high, this could be a valuation call.

Qorvo Inc. (NASDAQ: QRVO) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that technical momentum should continue after recent earnings showed continued growth. Shares most recently closed at $172.28 and have a consensus price target of $190.50.
Real Real Inc. (NASDAQ: REAL) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $5.00 to $30.22 and have a $25.21 consensus price objective. The last trade for Monday came in at $28.61. The stock was down almost 11% in premarket action, after the report of a net loss for the fourth quarter.

Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG) was raised at JPMorgan from Neutral to Overweight with a $102 price target. The consensus target for the waste management giant is $105.46. The stock closed most recently at $89.00 a share.

Simon Properties Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG) was resumed in coverage with a Neutral rating at Citigroup, though it raised the price target to $110. The consensus target for the real estate giant is $109.82. The shares were last seen on Monday at $112.77, up over 3% on the day.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets, which raised the price target to $120. The consensus target for the ubiquitous coffee retailer is $108.86. The closing share price on Monday was $101.81 a share.

Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Raymond James, which has a $220 price target on the legacy semiconductor company. The consensus target is a much lower $180.40. Monday’s close was at $173.09 a share, down almost 3% on the day.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird, which raised the price target to $252. The consensus target is up at $283.50. The last trade for Monday was reported at $214.96, after close to a 4% increase for the day.

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Monday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Airbnb, Charles Schwab, Energy Transfer, JetBlue Airways, Phillips 66, Snap, Southwest Airlines, SunPower and VMWare. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on Delta Air Lines, Foot Locker, Nvidia, Petrobras and more.

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