The futures were lower Friday, as we look to close out a very volatile trading week after a massive risk-off day on Thursday. The song remains the same, as the potential conflict in Ukraine continues to keep investors’ attention. Reports have indicated that U.S. officials maintain that Russia has removed no troops from the Ukraine border, a claim Russia has denied. While hopes for a solution via diplomacy are still on the table, many across Wall Street remain skeptical. Federal Reserve policy and inflation are the other items continuing to stay front and center.

The major indexes were crushed Thursday, with the Nasdaq down almost 3%, the S&P 500 down over 2% and the Dow Jones industrials down close to 2%. The only buying was in the Treasury market, as a flight to safety was largely responsible for yields dropping across the curve, with the benchmark 10-year note falling below the 2% level. Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude posted losses, as rumblings that a nuclear deal resurrection with Iran could be on the horizon.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week with a goal of finding fresh 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 18, 2022.

Altice USA Inc. (NYSE: ATUS): Atlantic Equities downgraded the shares to Neutral from Overweight and cut the target price to $13 from $21. The consensus target is $23.24 for now, especially after the stock closed Thursday at $11.83, down almost 18% despite posting results that exceeded expectations.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT): UBS kept a Neutral rating on the legacy semiconductor capital equipment giant but lifted its target price to $160 from $150. Needham reiterated a Buy rating and raised the target price to $172 from $166. Mizuho also kept a Buy rating on the shares, and it nudged up the target price to $180 from $178. The consensus price objective is $172.61, and Thursday’s last trade was reported at $136.47, down over 3% for the day.

Atlas Corp. (NYSE: ATCO): BofA Securities downgraded the stock to Underperform from Neutral and has a $14.50 target. The consensus target is $18.06. Thursday’s final trade was posted at $14.76, down over 8% on the day.

Block Inc. (NYSE: SQ): Daiwa Securities started coverage of the former Square with a Buy rating and a $160 target price. The consensus is up at $231.93. well above the $104.02 closing price on Thursday.

Charles River Laboratories International Inc. (NYSE: CRL): Citigroup upgraded the shares from Neutral to Buy with a $400 price objective. The $418.45 consensus target is higher, and Thursday’s closing print of $291.63 was down almost 5% for the day.

Coeur Mining Inc. (NYSE: CDE): Canaccord Genuity downgraded the gold-mining stock to Hold from Buy and has a $4.75 target price. The consensus target is up at $7.67. The last trade Thursday came in at $4.52.

Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED) Wolfe Research upgraded the legacy utility stock to Peer Perform from Underperform and has an $82 price target. The consensus target is lower at $78.13. Thursday’s closing trade was reported at $81.45.

Core & Main Inc. (NYSE: CNM): BofA Securities cut the stock to Underperform from Neutral and lowered the $31 target price to $25. The consensus target is $32.75. The final trade on Thursday hit the tape at $21.99, which was down almost 7% for the day.

Fastly Inc. (NYSE: FSLY): Morgan Stanley reiterated an Equal Weight rating and cut the target price to $25 from $43. BofA Securities stayed with an Underperform rating and trimmed its $32 target price to $28, while Piper Sandler maintained a Neutral rating and lowered the price target to $23 from $35. The consensus target is $37.22 for now, as the shares closed Thursday at $19.20, down a stunning 34% after badly missing earnings expectations.

Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC): Citigroup kept a Buy rating on shares of the home generator giant and moved the price target to $380 from $375. Oppenheimer maintained an Outperform rating but slashed the target price to $450 from $540. Canaccord Genuity kept a Buy training and sliced the target to $556 from $575. The consensus target is $473.28, and Thursday’s final trade was reported at $302.80 down over 4%.

McCormick & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MKC): Argus raised the spices and seasoning giant to Buy from Hold with a $112 pierce target. The consensus target is $94.23. The shares ended Thursday at $98.08.

Navitas Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: NVTS): Needham initiated coverage on the dynamic chip stock with a Buy rating and a $16 target price. The consensus target is higher at $19.40. The stock closed on Thursday at $9.46.

ONE Gas Inc. (NYSE: OGS): BofA Securities upgraded the shares to Buy from Neutral and has an $83 target price. The consensus target is $80. The last trade Thursday of $76.98 a share was up over 2% for the day.

Outset Medical Inc. (NYSE: OM): Morgan Stanley raised the shares from Equal Weight to Overweight with a $50 price target. The consensus target is $60.80. The stock closed Thursday at $38.94, up close to 14% after the company topped revenue estimates.
Packaging Corp. of America (NYSE: PKG): UBS upgraded the stock to Neutral from Sell and raised the target price to $154 from $127. The consensus target is $151.80. Thursday’s closing trade was reported at $148.53.

Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA): Loop Capital downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy and has a $110 price target. The consensus target is higher at $152.67. The stock closed Thursday at $82.28, down almost 16% after the company’s outlook going forward disappointed analysts.

Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP): All of Wall Street weighed in on this high-profile stock. Jefferies reiterated a Buy rating but guillotined the price target to $1,350 from $1,800. Goldman Sachs stayed with a Neutral rating and slashed the price target to $833 from $1,570. Citigroup maintained a Neutral rating and cut the target price to $882 from $978, while Stifel kept a Buy rating and chopped the target price to $1,000 from $1,300. The consensus target for now is $2,093.24, and Thursday’s closing share price of $660 was down almost 12% after a big earnings miss.

SM Energy Co. (NYSE: SM): Zacks has selected this as its Bull of the Day. The analyst points out that this stock is looking at huge earnings growth over the next year and still has a low valuation. Shares last closed at $35.21 and have a consensus price target of $45.04, which would be a 52-week high.

Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM): JPMorgan started coverage with an Overweight rating but, oddly, with no price target. The consensus target is $36.60, and the stock closed on Thursday at $32.97.

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING): Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy rating on the popular restaurant chain and lifted the $168 target price to $186. Deutsche Bank kept a Hold rating and trimmed its target to $168 from $172, while Baird kept an Outperform rating and boosted the target from $167 to $184. The consensus target is $178.58, and the closing share price of $155.26 on Thursday was down almost 5% on the day.

Six top value stock picks from Jefferies are outstanding ideas for investors looking to stay long the market but concerned over the current volatility and geopolitical issues. The companies look poised to deliver earnings and free cash flow results that will propel the shares prices higher over the next year.

Thursday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Airbnb, Alcoa, Beyond Meat, Fidelity National Information Services, Marriott International, Monster Beverage, Paramount Global, Shopify, Spirit AeroSystems, Toast, Yum! Brands and ZoomInfo Technologies. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on DoorDash, Hilton, Nvidia, 3M and more.

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