Record CPI Inflation: Analysts Upgrade or Downgrade BioNTech, Freeport McMoRan, Hasbro, Synchrony Financial and More

Investing

Published: July 13, 2022 2:36 pm

Last Updated: July 14, 2022 7:30 am

Markets turned lower late on Wednesday after shocking inflation data was released earlier in the day. The Dow Jones industrials led the charge lower, down about 0.6%, while the S&P 500 was down closer to 0.4%. The Nasdaq was almost breaking even for the day.

The consumer price index for June saw an inflation print of 9.1%, beating out the consensus estimate calling for an increase of 8.8%. This is the biggest increase since November of 1981.

With inflation hitting record levels, this is likely to lock in another 75-basis-point increase from the Federal Reserve. We can expect this announcement closer to the end of the month, specifically July 26 or 27.

24/7 Wall St. is reviewing additional analyst calls seen on Wednesday. We have included the latest call on each stock, as well as a recent trading history and the consensus targets among analysts. Note that analyst calls seen earlier in the day were on Herbalife, JetBlue, Snowflake, Southwest Airlines and more.

Ambev S.A. (NYSE: ABEV): J.P. Morgan’s upgrade was to an Overweight rating. The stock traded near $3 on Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $2.42 to $3.55.

Bath & Body Works Inc. (NYSE: BBWI): Evercore ISI downgraded the stock to In Line from Outperform. Raymond James initiated coverage with a Strong Buy rating and a $45 price target. The 52-week trading range is $25.75 to $82.00, and shares traded above $27 apiece on Wednesday.

BioNTech S.E. (NASDAQ: BNTX): SVB Leerink upgraded the shares to Outperform from Market Perform. The 52-week trading range is $117.08 to $464.00. The stock traded near $168 on Wednesday.

Caesars Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR): KeyBanc Capital Markets downgraded it to Sector Weight from Overweight. The 52-week range is $36.41 to $119.81. Shares traded near $38 apiece on Wednesday.

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Freeport McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX): Exane BNP Paribas upgraded the stock to Outperform from Neutral. On the other hand, Citigroup lowered its Buy rating to Neutral and cut the $48 price target to $28. The shares traded near $26 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $25.37 to $51.99.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS): Deutsche Bank’s downgrade was to Hold from Buy, and it cut the price target to $9 from $12. The stock traded near $8 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $7.79 to $32.26.

Hasbro Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS): KeyBanc Capital Markets downgraded the shares to Sector Weight from Overweight. The 52-week trading range is $78.32 to $105.73, and shares traded above $81 apiece on Wednesday.

Sherwin-Williams Co. (NYSE: SHW): The BofA Securities downgrade to Neutral from Buy included a price target cut to $292 from $313. The 52-week trading range is $214.22 to $354.15, and shares were trading near $245 on Wednesday.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF): Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight and cut the $45 price target to $32. The stock traded near $30 on Wednesday, in a 52-week range of $27.22 to $52.49.