The futures were higher across the board on Monday, as we start a new trading week in which investors are looking to recoup some of the losses sustained last week as the S&P 500 logged five straight losing days for the first time since February. The big market-moving data that hit on Friday was that the producer price index increased 0.7% in August from a month ago, above the 0.6% Dow Jones estimate. Final demand prices rose 8.3% from a year ago, the biggest increase on record going back to 2010. The data pretty much confirms what many on Wall Street already know, that the so-called transitory inflation may be here for longer than expected.

Despite worries and the potential for a “taper tantrum” like we saw in 2013, the Federal Reserve is vowing to keep interest rates contained. With that in mind, Fed officials have strongly hinted that the $120 billion per month quantitative easing purchases will start to be cut back as early as November, and all the massive bond-buying could be completed by the end of 2022.

With major Wall Street firms still warning of the potential for impending 5% to 10% correction across the board (which may have seen a beginning last week), it makes sense for investors to continue building some cash reserves into any market strength 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 Monday, September 13, 2021.

Airbnb Inc. (NASDAQ: ABNB): Goldman Sachs started coverage with a Sell rating and a $132 price target. The consensus target price is much higher at $175.71. The last trade for Friday came in at $165.20 per share.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN): Goldman Sachs started coverage of the tech behemoth’s stock with a Buy rating and a massive $4,250 price target. The consensus target is $4,142.65, and the stock was last seen at $3,469.15 on Friday.

Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI): Morgan Stanley resumed coverage with an Equal Weight rating and a $179 price target. The consensus target is up at $191. Friday’s closing trade was at $169.94 a share.

Anheuser-Busch InBev S.A./N.V. (NYSE: BUD): Because this stock has an inconsistent history when it comes to beating the numbers and now estimates are falling, Zacks has named it the Bear of the Day. Shares closed most recently at $57.42 apiece and have a consensus price target of $75.00.

AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO): D.A. Davidson downgraded the car parts giant to Neutral from Buy and has a $1,600 price target. The consensus target for is $1,660. Friday’s closing share price was $1,550.56.

Azul S.A. (NYSE: AZUL): Though BofA Securities downgraded the South American airline to Underperform from Neutral, the firm raised the target price to $20.80 from $15. The consensus price target is $24.75. The stock closed Friday at $20.02.

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX): Cowen raised the medical instruments and supplies leader to Outperform from Market Perform and has a $98 price target. The consensus target is just $93.64. The stock last traded on Friday at $80.92 per share.

CareMax Inc. (NASDAQ: CMAX): Piper Sandler raised its Neutral rating to Overweight with a $14 price target. The consensus price objective is $14 as well. The shares were last seen on Friday at $9.41.

Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CG): BMO Capital Markets upgraded the stock to Outperform from Market Perform and lifted the target price on the private equity giant to $65 from $59. The consensus price objective is $58.38. The last trade to hit the tape Friday was reported at $48.81.

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWD): Goldman Sachs downgraded the cybersecurity software leader to Neutral from Buy and has a $305 price target. The consensus price target is $310.62. The shares closed Friday at $262 and were down close to 2% in Monday’s premarket.

Chewy Inc. (NASDAQ: CHWY): Goldman Sachs started coverage of the pet food and accessories retailer with a Neutral rating and an $80 target price. That compares with a $93.93 consensus target and Friday’s closing print of $74.99.

Diodes Inc. (NASDAQ: DIOD): Zacks has selected this as its Bull of the Day. The analyst says that this stock consistently exceeds expectations and has a great valuation for a semiconductor maker. Shares last closed at $93.63, and the consensus price target is $102.00.

EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: EOG): Tudor Pickering raised the independent energy company to Buy from Hold and has an $82 price target. The higher consensus target is $99.85, and Friday’s closing price was $67.14 a share.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB): Goldman Sachs started coverage with a Buy rating and a huge $455 price target. The consensus target for the social media giant is $415.54. The shares closed Friday at $378.69.

General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS): Credit Suisse downgraded the consumer staples leader to Neutral from Outperform and lowered the target price to $62 from $68. The consensus price target is $63.21. The last trade to hit the tape Friday came in at $58.43.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM): Bernstein raised its Market Perform rating to Outperform and has a $58.90 price objective. The consensus target price is $44.96. Friday’s closing trade was reported at $42.29.

Mid-America Apartments Communities Inc. (NYSE: MAA): BTIG Research upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral and has a $218 price target. The consensus target is $197.57, and Friday’s close was at $189.49.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE): BTIG Research downgraded the sports apparel and shoe giant to Neutral from Buy. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock has traded between $11.74 and $174.38, and it has a consensus price target of $184.13.

Physicians Realty Trust (NYSE: DOC): Morgan Stanley downgraded it to Equal Weight from Overweight and has a $20 price target. The consensus target is $20.29. The stock was last seen on Friday trading at $18.26.

Revolve Group Inc. (NYSE: RVLV): The Jefferies upgrade to Buy from Hold included a target price hike to $80 from $65. The consensus price target is $70.94. The final trade for Friday was booked at $62.54.

Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL): Wolfe Research started coverage with an Outperform rating and a $550 price target. The consensus target is $532.42. The last trade Friday came in at $471.68.

UDR Inc. (NYSE: UDR): BTIG Research raised its Neutral rating to Buy with a $60 price target. That compares with the $56.47 consensus target and Friday’s closing print of $52.75.

The trading action last week hints that a long-overdue market correction may be coming, so investors now may be considering taking some profits and moving to calmer waters. Five conservative stocks look like outstanding ideas now for income-hungry investors.

Five blue chip companies are expected to raise their dividends this week, including JPMorgan and Microsoft. This shows that these companies are doing well and have the earnings and cash flow strength to increase their payouts.

Friday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included American Tower, Best Buy, Beyond Meat, Editas Medicine, Freeport McMoRan, First Solar and UnitedHealth. More analyst calls were seen later in the day, including on Affirm, Crown Castle, Humana, Ingersoll Rand and Palo Alto Networks.

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