Thursday’s futures were somewhat mixed, after the broad markets have seen multiple record-setting sessions this week. Part of the positive push on Wednesday came from some economic numbers showing better than expected job growth, but investors are still holding their breath for the June employment report that comes out Friday. However, Wednesday’s private payrolls and Thursday’s jobless claims seem to suggest that Friday’s report will be fairly positive.

Wall Street is concerned about tapering of the quantitative easing program, but despite a clear building of inflationary pressures, the Federal Reserve is vowing to keep interest rates contained. That could be one reason for the continued moves higher in the equity markets, even after sell-offs. Another big plus is the continued massive inflows into money markets.

With major Wall Street firms still warning of the potential for an impending 5% to 10% correction across the board, it makes sense for investors to continue building some cash reserves into the market strength while repositioning portfolios for the coming quarter and 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 for Thursday, July 1, 2021.

Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AGIO): Raymond James initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating. Shares last closed near $55 apiece, and the consensus price target is $65.33 a share.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AXL): KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded the stock to an Overweight rating from Sector Weight and has a $14 price target. The stock closed near $10 per share. The 52-week trading range is $4.82 to $13.06.

AutoNation Inc. (NYSE: AN): This retailer was selected as Bull of the Day at Zacks. The analyst makes the case that investors are ready to ride this stock to all-time highs. Shares last closed at $94.81 and have a consensus price target of $112.43, which would be an all-time high.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY): B. Riley Securities initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $44 price target. The stock last traded near $33, in a 52-week range of $7.39 to $53.90.

Bluebird Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: BLUE): Berenberg downgraded it to a Hold rating from Buy with a $35 price target. The stock closed near $32, in a 52-week range of $24.24 to $68.39. Analysts have a consensus price target of $49.00.

CareMax Inc. (NASDAQ: CMAX): Piper Sandler initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a $14 price target. The stock closed near $13, in a 52-week range of $9.90 to $18.42.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX): KeyBanc Capital Markets downgraded it to Sector Weight from Overweight. The stock most recently closed near $58 and has a consensus price target of $71.72.

Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB): Goldman Sachs upgraded its Sell rating to Neutral and raised the price target to $41 from $35. Shares last closed near $40, but the consensus price target is at $41.66.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS): Wells Fargo reiterated an Overweight rating and raised the price target to $45 from $40. The shares closed most recently near $34 apiece, and the consensus price target is $36.37.

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS): For the second day in a row, Zacks named this solar play as its Bear of the Day stock. This time, the analyst pointed out that investors might want to lock in profits after a 50% bounce. Shares last closed at $56.02, but the consensus price target is down at $40.59.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU): Summit Insights downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy. Shares last closed near $85 and have a consensus price target of $118.82.

Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA): BMO Capital Markets reiterated an Outperform rating and raised the price target to $1,000 from $750. Shares closed near $800 apiece, in a 52-week range of $383.13 to $806.50. The consensus price target is $737.00.
Qorvo Inc. (NASDAQ: QRVO): Argus initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $225 price target. The consensus price target is $208.26. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $107.69 to $201.68 and recently closed near $196 a share.

Taboola.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: TBLA): JMP Securities initiated coverage with a Market Outperform rating and a $17 price target. Shares last closed at $10 or so, and the 52-week range is $9.80 to $17.20.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Citigroup’s upgrade to Buy from Neutral came with a $150 price target. The stock most recently closed at $113 a share but has a consensus price target of $142.22.

Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO): Northcoast upgraded its Neutral rating to Buy and has a $220 price target. The stock closed near $186, in a 52-week range of $127.78 to $200.75. Analysts have a consensus price target of $197.50.

Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO): Daiwa Securities initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $463 price target. The stock last traded near $394 a share, in a 52-week range of $214.32 to $457.30. The consensus price target is $460.79.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX): Raymond James initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating. Shares closed near $202 apiece, in a 52-week range of $185.13 to $306.08. The consensus price target is $260.73.

Given a very willing consumer base of buyers for the vehicles that run on electricity, the prospects for the companies involved in the charging station growth are very bright. Eight stocks offer investors various angles on playing the massive potential of this infrastructure growth.

See how Warren Buffett’s portfolio jumped almost 10% in the second quarter. Also, check out the meme stocks that were on the move on Wednesday, and see some of Jim Cramer’s top picks for the end of the second quarter.

Wednesday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Allegro, JinkoSolar, Masco, Micron Technology, Plug Power, Smith & Wesson and Virgin Galactic. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on Chesapeake Energy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Unity Software and more.

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