The futures were mixed on Friday, as investors get ready to wrap up a wild and woolly trading week on Wall Street. All three of the major indexes and the Russell 2000 were bludgeoned Thursday as once again the fear of rising interest rates took its toll on equities, especially in the tech-heavy Nasdaq, after the 10-year Treasury sold off and closed at the highest yield in over a year. Top analysts continue pointing to “bubble” metrics, like the massive “meme” retail stock and option trading, huge hedge fund leverage and IPOs that don’t make money as examples, and many are urging caution.

With fourth-quarter earnings results all but complete, most across Wall Street have not only been examining the final results but looking to see what guidance for the balance of the first quarter and the rest of 2021 looks like. With stocks very overbought, and major Wall Street firms still warning of the potential for impending 5% to 10% correction, it makes sense 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 Friday, February 25, 2021.

American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) was raised from Neutral to Overweight with a $55 price target at Atlantic Equities. The consensus target for the insurance giant is $44.60. The shares were last seen on Thursday at $43.95, down over 3% for the day.

Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) was downgraded to Outperform from Strong Buy at Raymond James, which lowered the price target on the retailer to $120. The consensus target is $120.76, and the final trade for Thursday was at $102.94. That was down almost 10% after the company posted disappointing results.

Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) was raised at Morgan Stanley from Equal Weight to Overweight with a $420 price target. The consensus target is much lower at $265.05. The last trade for Thursday was reported at $263.66, down over 7% for the day.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that fewer road trips and vacations, along with COVID-related shutdowns, are revealing the cracks here. Shares last closed at $154.08 and have a consensus price target of $159.86.

Delek US Holdings Inc. (NYSE: DK) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Mizuho, though the firm raised the price target to $28. The $22.67 consensus target is lower, and Thursday’s closing price was $25.45 a share.

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) saw its target price raised to $79 from $73 at Cowen after it posted strong numbers after the close. The consensus target for the venerable Austin, Texas, tech giant is $82.84. The stock closed on Thursday at $79.68.

Fate Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE) was started at BofA Securities with a Buy rating and a $115 price target. Wedbush downgraded it to Neutral from Overweight. The consensus target is $103. The shares closed at $86.27, down almost 10% on Thursday after a mixed earnings report.

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which cited soaring PC demand and sales. The firm also raised the price target on the tech hardware giant to $38. The consensus target is $25.53, and Thursday’s close was at $28.19.

ICON PLC (NASDAQ: ICLR) was raised from Hold to Buy with a $280 price target at Truist Securities. The consensus target is $217.83. The shares closed at $184.44 on Thursday.

L Brands Inc. (NYSE: LB) was raised at Morgan Stanley from Equal Weight to Overweight with a $65 target, while Evercore ISI upgraded the stock from In-Line to Outperform with a $75 price objective. The company posted solid fourth-quarter results, as it prepares to separate its Victoria’s Secret business. The consensus price target is $54.81, and the shares closed Thursday at $52.36.

LivePerson Inc. (NASDAQ: LPSN) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which raised the price target to $79. The consensus target is $71.60, and Thursday’s close was at $58.17. The shares were up over 10% in premarket trading. This is a classic reopening trade.

Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST) was raised to Outperform from In-Line at Evercore ISI. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $50.06 to $95.11 and have a $102.25 consensus price objective.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) was raised from Neutral to Outperform with a $70 price target at Daiwa Securities. The consensus target is up at $74.28. The last trade on Thursday came in at $61.21, after retreating almost 15% on the day, despite posting solid results earlier in the week.

Paya Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYA) was started at Raymond James with an Outperform rating and a $15 price target. The consensus target is just higher at $15.80. Thursday’s final trade came in at $11.72 a share.

Sage Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SAGE) was downgraded from Buy to Neutral with an $81 price target at Mizuho. The consensus target is much higher at $102. The stock closed on Thursday at $83.45.
Steve Madden Ltd. (NASDAQ: SHOO) saw its target price raised to $39 from $36 at Telsey Advisory. The analysts noted that the company delivered better than expected fourth-quarter earnings results, driven in part by the topline performance despite the pandemic. The consensus target for the high-end shoe retailer is $36.67, and the shares were last seen on Thursday at $37.75.

Sunnova Energy International (NASDAQ: NOVA) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse, which raised the price target to $56. The consensus target is $56.73, and the most recent close at $41.84 was almost 10% lower than the day before.

Tenaris S.A. (NYSE: TS) saw its target price raised to $27 from $22 at Cowen, after a fourth-quarter earnings beat and an exceptionally strong EBITDA outlook. The consensus price target is just $18.71. Thursday’s final trade was reported at $21.94, which was 17% higher for the day. However, shares pulled back almost 7% in the premarket.

Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) saw its target price raised to $95 from $77.25 at Pivotal Research. The analyst noted that while the company has had its share of operational struggles over the past few years, they believe it has turned a significant corner operationally. The consensus target for the social media giant is $60.59. The final Thursday trade hit the tape at $74.59, up almost 4% on the day.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that a shift away from airlines and hotels is bringing big bucks back to recreational vehicles. Shares most recently closed at $68.94 and have a consensus price target of $76.82.

Zscaler Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS) was raised from Neutral to Buy with a $240 price target at BTIG Research. The posted consensus target is $216.20. On Thursday, shares fell almost 6% to close at $195.79, but they were up almost 7% in Friday’s premarket after the company posted stellar results.

Five BofA Securities high-quality stock picks have good prospects for the rest of 2021 and may be an alternative for conservative investors dismayed by the low Treasury and certificate of deposit rates.

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Thursday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included AstraZeneca, Dollar General, Lowe’s, Nike, Nvidia, Shopify and Square. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on AT&T, Expedia, Mattel, Urban Outfitters and more.

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