THOR Industries, Inc. (NYSE:THO) reported fiscal Q2 2026 diluted EPS of $0.34 against a Yahoo Finance consensus estimate of $0.04, representing a surprise of approximately 750%. Net sales came in at $2.126 billion compared to $2.018 billion in Q2 FY2025, reflecting a 5.3% year-over-year increase.

Q2 FY2026 Earnings Scorecard

Bottom Line

Operationally, the quarter represents a clear improvement from the prior year. Revenue returned to growth and profitability rebounded meaningfully, with diluted EPS swinging from a small loss to $0.34. The magnitude of the earnings beat versus consensus is mathematically significant.

However, gross margin declined modestly year-over-year and operating cash flow for the first six months remains negative due to working capital movements. The durability of the recovery will depend on sustained motorized demand, stabilization in towables, and margin discipline in the European segment.

The post Thor Industries Delivers 860% EPS Surprise — Stock Still Lags appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

If an insider is putting their money where their mouth is, there’s a reason for it.

We also have to consider that it’s the insiders who know their company the best. So, if they’re buying, dig a bit deeper.  Just don’t buy because a. CEO did.  Do your due diligence to keep your capital protected before jumping in.

That being said, here are three recent insider buys we’ve been tracking.

Asana Inc.

Keep an eye on beaten-down shares of Asana (NYSE: ASAN).

CEO Dustin Moskovitz just bought another 225,000 shares on July 8. He paid an average cost of $14.60 per share for a total of $3,285,000. He also picked up about $6.86 million worth of stock in March and June, picking up 450,000 shares at an average price of $15.25 per share.

From his current role as CEO, Moskovitz will transition to chair of the board. Dan Rogers will become Asana’s new CEO on July 21.

“Under Moskovitz’s leadership, Asana has grown into a leading enterprise work management platform for human and AI coordination. With more than 170,000 customers, Asana is trusted by over 85% of Fortune 500 companies and generates over $700 million in annual revenue,” as noted in a company press release.

We also have to consider that a good deal of negativity has been priced into the stock. Plus, this is a company with very strong sales predictability and no debt. Granted, 9% year over year isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s still expanding. In addition, operational guidance was recently increased by 5% to 5.5%.

With the negativity priced in, a new CEO, a strong but oversold stock, and significant insider buying, Asana appears to be an impressive opportunity.

Match Group 

Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) CEO Spencer Rascoff recently bought $2 million for 70,885 shares. 

He paid an average price of $27.89 a share for 53,398 of them and an average price of $28.54 for 17,487. Rascoff already bought $2 million worth of shares at an average price of $34.41 on Feb. 6. He now owns 137,478 shares of Match.

And, as quoted by Barron’s, “100 days in as CEO and more confident than ever in our team and Match Group’s future. Friday, I purchased $2 million of stock of MTCH, in addition to the $2 million I bought last quarter. Energized by the responsibility and privilege of defining the future of connections for this category.”

Even better, the company declared a quarterly dividend of 19 cents per share, which is payable on July 18 to shareholders of record as of July 3.

Advanced Micro Devices 

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Guido, bought 8,800 shares of the stock for just under $1 million on May 20.

With AMD, we have to remember the company is exposed to a multi-billion-dollar addressable market for data center AI chips. In fact, according to company Chair and CEO Lisa Su, the addressable market for AI chips will reach $500 billion by 2028, which is up from her prior estimate for $400 billion by the time 2027 rolls around.

“This is roughly equivalent to the annual sales for the entire semiconductor industry in 2023. Su is optimistic about the long-term market size potential for AI chips, and believes that AI demand has exceeded the company’s expectations over the past year,” as noted by Barron’s.

Also, the company’s latest generation of AI chips, the MI300, is its fastest ramping product ever. Lisa Su added that AMD’s MI300X chip, which rivals dominant AI chipmaker Nvidia’s H100, is “the most advanced AI accelerator in the industry,” as noted by Time.com.

Plus, analysts at HSBC just upgraded AMD to a buy rating on potential AI revenue upside. The firm has a $200 price target, citing AMD’s successfully launched M2350 series.

Thor Industries 

Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) co-founder and former CEO Peter Orthwein paid $256,200 on June 20 for 3,000 shares at an average price of $85.40 per share. The rebounding stock is now up to $92.42 and could potentially retest $102.50 near term.

Fueling more upside, the company re-authorized a $400 million share buyback program, which will expire on July 31, 2027. “As we look ahead, we will continue to be buyers of our stock as long as its price is disconnected with our long-term value proposition, underscoring our confidence in the strength of our company and the potential for future growth,” said Bob Martin President and CEO, as quoted in a company press release. 

Thor Industries also just paid out a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share, which was payable on July 15 to shareholders of record as of July 1.

The post This CEO Just Bought Millions More of His Company’s Stock appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Years of a low interest rate environment have reversed over the past 18 months. Yet, many investors continue to turn to equities. They offer not only growth potential but also solid and dependable dividends that help to provide an income stream. What this equates to is total return, one of the most powerful investment strategies.
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We like to remind our readers about the impact total return has on portfolios. It is one of the best ways to help improve the chances for overall investing success.  Total return is the combined increase in a stock’s value plus dividends. For instance, if you buy a stock at $20 that pays a 3% dividend, and it goes up to $22 in a year, your total return is 13%. That is, 10% for the increase in stock price and 3% for the dividends paid.

Four top large cap companies that are Wall Street favorites are expected to raise their dividends this week. The stocks are rated Buy at some of the top firms on Wall Street. While not all four may raise their dividends, top analysts expect them to. This is based on past increases in each firm’s dividend payouts.
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It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.

Commercial Metals

This top stock has backed up some recently and is offering an outstanding entry point. Commercial Metals Co. (NYSE: CMC) manufactures, recycles and fabricates steel and metal products in the United States, Poland, China and elsewhere.

The company processes and sells ferrous and nonferrous scrap metals to the following:

• Steel mills and foundries
• Aluminum sheet and ingot manufacturers
•  Brass and bronze ingot makers
• Copper refineries and mills
• Secondary lead smelters
• Specialty steel mills
• High-temperature alloy manufacturers

Its finished long steel products include reinforcing bar, merchant bar, light structural, and other special sections, as well as semi-finished billets for rerolling and forging applications.
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In addition, Commercial Metals provides fabricated steel products used to reinforce concrete primarily in the construction of the following:

• Commercial and noncommercial buildings
• Hospitals
• Convention centers
• Industrial plants
• Power plants
• Highways, bridges and dams
• Arenas and stadiums

It sells and rents construction-related products and equipment to concrete installers and other businesses. The company also manufactures and sells strength bars for the truck trailer industry, special bar steels for the energy market and armor plates for military vehicles. Other manufactured products include rebar, merchant bars and wire rods. And the company sells fabricated rebars, wire meshes, fabricated meshes, assembled rebar cages and other fabricated rebar by-products to fabricators, manufacturers, distributors and construction companies. (The states benefiting most from Biden infrastructure policies.)

Investors receive a 1.34% dividend. The company is expected to lift its $0.16 per share payout to $0.18.

UBS has a $63 target price on Commercial Metals stock. The consensus target is $61.60, and Monday’s closing share price was $48.06.

This industrial services giant makes sense for long-term growth investors. MSC Industrial Direct Inc. (NYSE: MSM) distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services in North America and the United Kingdom.
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The company’s MRO products include cutting the following:

• Tools
• Measuring instruments
• Tooling components
• Metalworking products
• Fasteners
• Flat stock products
• Raw materials
• Abrasives
• Machinery hand and power tools
• Safety and janitorial supplies
• Plumbing supplies
• Materials handling products
• Power transmission components
• Electrical supplies

MSC Industrial Direct offers approximately 2.1 million stock-keeping units through the following:

• Catalogs and brochures
• E-commerce channels, including its website
• Inventory management solutions and customer care centers
• Customer fulfillment centers
• Regional inventory centers and warehouses

It operates through a distribution network of six customer fulfillment centers, 10 regional inventory centers and 38 warehouses. The company serves individual machine shops, Fortune 1,000 manufacturing companies and government agencies. It also serves manufacturers of various sizes.

Shareholders currently receive a 3.17% dividend. The $0.79 per share dividend is expected to increase to $0.83.

Baird’s target price is $110, and MSC Industrial Direct stock has a consensus target of $104.60. The stock closed on Monday at $101.32.
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Penske Automotive

This company was started by automotive and racing legend Roger Penske. Its shares also have backed up to offer a better spot to buy. Penske Automotive Group Inc. (NYSE: PAG) is a diversified transportation services company. It operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships in the United States and internationally under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.
Penske Automotive is also involved in the following:

• Sale of new and used motor vehicles
• Maintenance and repair services
• Sale and placement of third-party finance and insurance products
• Third-party extended service and maintenance contracts
• Replacement and aftermarket automotive products
• Collision repair services
• Wholesale of parts

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In addition, it operates a heavy- and medium-duty truck dealership that offers Freightliner and Western Star branded trucks, as well as offers a range of used trucks. Further, it imports and distributes Western Star heavy-duty trucks, MAN heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses, and Dennis Eagle refuse collection vehicles. The company distributes diesel and gas engines, and power systems as well. (The 15 most fuel-efficient trucks.)

The current dividend yield is 1.69%, but the company is expected to lift the $0.72 per share to $0.78.

Benchmark’s $196 target price is well above the $168.40 consensus target, and Monday’s close at $155.83.
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Thor Industries

This is another Wall Street favorite that flies low on the radar screen of many investors. Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) designs, manufactures and sells recreational vehicles (RVs) and related parts and accessories in North America and Europe. (The strangest roadside attractions in every state.)

The company offers the following:

• Travel trailers
• Gasoline and diesel Class A, Class B and Class C motorhomes
• Conventional travel trailers and fifth wheels
• Luxury fifth wheels
• Motor caravans, caravans camper vans and urban vehicles

It also provides aluminum extrusion and specialized component products to RV and other manufacturers, as well as digital products and services for RVs. The company provides its products through independent and nonfranchise dealers.

Thor Industries stock comes with a 1.94% yield, but the expected dividend hike is to $0.46 per share from $0.45.

The $115 BMO Capital Markets price target compares with a $91.50 consensus target. The stock closed on Monday at $90.14.
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These four top companies with shares rated Buy across Wall Street are expected to lift the dividends they pay to shareholders. Not only is increasing dividends and returning capital to investors important, but it also shows that the company is doing well and has the earnings and cash flow strength to increase the payouts.

The post 4 Analyst Favorite ‘Strong Buy’ Stocks With Dividends Likely Rising This Week appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Markets were somewhat mixed on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones industries showing gains while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lagged. The Dow and S&P 500 were up 1.5% and 0.6%, respectively while the Nasdaq was just barely negative. Though negative tech earnings contributed to the slumping Nasdaq, the rest of the markets bounded on the most recent gross domestic product (GDP) report.

One reason for the Nasdaq pushing lower was weaker-than-expected earnings from Meta, formerly known as Facebook. Big tech has seen an especially weak showing this week so far, with Microsoft and Alphabet whiffing on earnings as well. This begs the question of whether Amazon and Apple can buck the trend when they report quarterly results after the close.

The preliminary report for the third quarter showed that GDP increased at a 2.6% annualized rate, after contracting 0.6% in the second quarter. The consensus estimate for the preliminary read on Q3 was increase of 2.4%, though estimates ranged from as low as 0.8% to as high as 3.7%.

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is reviewing additional analyst calls seen on Thursday. 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 Haliburton, Mattel, Netflix, Synchrony, Visa and more.

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Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY): Barclays upgraded the stock to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised its $6 price target to $19. The shares traded near $18 on Thursday. The 52-week range is $15.11 to $34.96.

Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE): HSBC Securities raised its Hold rating to Buy. The stock traded near $198 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $167.45 to $278.78.

Livent Corp. (NYSE: LTHM): B. Riley Securities resumed coverage with a Neutral rating but raised the price target to $32 from $30. Shares traded near $31 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $19.35 to $36.38.

Masco Corp. (NYSE: MAS): The Outperform rating at RBC Capital Markets fell to Sector Perform, and the analyst cut the $57 price target to $47. The stock traded near $47 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $42.33 to $71.06.

Medpace Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MEDP): When UBS upgraded the shares to Neutral from Sell, it also raised the $142 price target to $238. The 52-week trading range is $126.94 to $235.72, and the share price was near $215 on Thursday.

Mercury Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY): Raymond James initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $55 price target. Shares have traded as high as $72.28 in the past year but were changing hands near $49 on Thursday.

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META): Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight and cut its $205 price target to $105. KeyBanc Capital Markets cut its Overweight rating to Sector Weight. Cowen’s downgrade to Market Perform from Outperform included a price target cut to $135 from $205. The stock was last seen trading near $102, in a 52-week range of $97.36 to $353.83.

Pinduoduo Inc. (NASDAQ: PDD): As Barclays upgraded the shares to Overweight from Equal Weight, it raised its $66 price target to $70. The stock has traded as high as $95.58 a share in the past year but was last seen near $53. That is down nearly 9% year to date.

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: STX): UBS’s downgrade was from Buy to Neutral. The stock has traded as high as $117.67 a share in the past year but was last seen trading around $54. That is down over 52% year to date.

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ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW): MoffettNathanson’s upgrade was from Market Perform to Outperform with a $549 price target. The 52-week trading range is $337.00 to $707.60. Shares changed hands near $420 apiece on Thursday.

Silicon Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB): Needham cut its Buy rating to Hold. The shares traded near $115 on Thursday. The 52-week range is $109.44 to $211.98.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Benchmark downgraded the RV maker to Hold from Buy. The 52-week trading range is $66.26 to $115.47. Shares changed hands near $80 apiece on Thursday.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO): Benchmark’s downgrade was from Buy to Hold. The stock traded near $505 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $478.31 to $672.34.

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For nervous and frustrated investors looking for a safe harbor in a rough fourth quarter, seven blue chip stocks offer a degree of safety and some tempting dividends, which can really help with the total return potential.

The post Big Tech Earnings Can’t Hold Back Q3 GDP: Analysts Upgrade or Downgrade Livent, Meta, Pinduoduo and Others appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Markets ended September and the third quarter with a thud. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 saw their first three-quarter losing streak since the financial crisis in 2008. The Dow Jones industrial average was slightly more resilient but still had its worst span of losses since 2015. However, with the start of the fourth quarter hopefully comes new beginnings and opportunities for investors.

Each of the major averages opened on a positive note, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 up about 1% each, while the Dow lagged with about a half a percent gain.

Even with this solid start, there is a dark cloud looms over Wall Street. Specifically, Credit Suisse issued a memo over the weekend looking to convince major investors of the firm’s good financial standing. However, this backfired in spectacular fashion and the stock is down roughly 4%. It was down as much as 10% in premarket trading.

Previously, Credit Suisse had said that it was looking into the potential liquidation of some assets and business units, but the full plan will not be revealed until later this month. It is anyone’s guess where the Swiss bank will go from here.

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Here, 24/7 Wall St. is reviewing additional analyst calls seen on Monday. 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 Amgen, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Nike, Wells Fargo and more.

Box Inc. (NYSE: BOX): Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised the $32 price target to $34. Shares traded near $26 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $22.31 to $33.04.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C): The Goldman Sachs downgrade to Neutral from Buy included a price target cut to $47 from $54. Shares were last seen trading near $41. The 52-week range is $41.06 to $73.72.

CF Industries Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CF): RBC Capital Markets upgraded the shares to Outperform from Sector Perform, and it raised the $110 price target to $135. Shares have traded as high as $119.60 in the past year but were near $101 on Monday, which is up about 36% year to date.

DocuSign Inc. (NASDAQ: DOCU): Morgan Stanley’s downgrade was to Equal Weight from Overweight, and it slashed the $73 price target to $47. Shares traded near $52 on Monday, in a 52-week range of $51.12 to $288.50.

Livent Corp. (NYSE: LTHM): BofA Securities cut its Neutral rating to Underperform and lowered the price target to $27 from $31. The stock was last seen trading near $29, in a 52-week range of $19.35 to $36.38.

Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS): The RBC Capital Markets downgrade to Sector Perform from Outperform came with a price target cut to $65 from $85. The shares traded near $49 on Monday. The 52-week range is $33.59 to $79.28.
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New Gold Inc. (NYSE: NGD): As RBC Capital Markets changed its Sector Perform rating to Outperform, it also nudged the $1.00 price target up to $1.25. The 52-week trading range is $0.61 to $2.02. Shares changed hands near $1 apiece on Monday.

New Relic Inc. (NYSE: NEWR): The Overweight rating at J.P. Morgan was reduced to Neutral, and the $150 price target was slashed to $57. The 52-week trading range is $41.66 to $129.70. The share price was near $56 on Monday.

Southwestern Energy Co. (NYSE: SWN): Truist upgraded it to Buy from Hold. The analyst also raised the $7 price target to $11. The 52-week trading range is $3.81 to $9.87. The share price was near $6 on Monday.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Argus downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold. Shares were last seen trading near $70, in a 52-week range of $66.26 to $128.87.
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Seven dividend-paying sin stocks look like outstanding values now and should hold up well even in a protracted bear market. For investors not put off by these alcohol, gambling, tobacco, weapons and other stocks, they may have solid portfolio potential, regardless of the economy.

With global electric vehicle sales surging, is Tesla keeping up?

The post Credit Suisse’s Horror Story, and Analysts Upgrade or Downgrade Citigroup, Southwestern Energy and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The three major U.S. equity indexes closed lower Friday. The Nasdaq dropped 2.5%, the S&P 500 slipped by 1.6% and the Dow Jones industrials dipped by just over 1%. Crude oil has added about $7 a barrel since last Thursday morning and traded at around $119.50 early Monday morning. The Saudis have raised their contract prices to Asian customers, just as China begins relaxing its coronavirus-related lockdowns. That is expected to push demand, and prices, even higher. Consumer price index (CPI) data is due out Friday, along with the University of Michigan’s report on consumer sentiment.

After markets close Monday or before they open on Tuesday, Academy Sports, Coupa Software, GitLab and Hello Group are scheduled to report results.

Here is a look at two firms scheduled to release quarterly results first thing Wednesday morning.
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Campbell Soup

Over the past 12 months, shares of Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) have slipped by about 4.8%, while the consumer staples sector has gained about 6.8%. For the year to date, Campbell Soup has added about 7%, while the S&P 500 has declined by nearly 14%. On top of that, the maker of a variety of consumer food products also pays a solid dividend yield.

Analysts are neither hot nor cold on the shares. Of 20 brokerages covering the company, 13 have a Hold rating and five have rated the stock a Sell or Strong Sell. At a recent share price of around $45.70, the stock traded near its median price target of $46.00. At the high price target of $51.00, the upside potential is about 11.6%.

For the company’s third quarter of fiscal 2022, the consensus revenue estimate is $2.04 billion, which would be down 7.7% sequentially but by 3% higher year over year. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) are forecast at $0.61, down 11.1% sequentially and up 7.0% year over year. For the fiscal year ending in July, current estimates call for EPS of $2.78, down 6.9%, on sales of $8.42 billion, down by less than 0.7%.

Campbell Soup stock trades at 16.4 times expected 2022 EPS, 15.9 times estimated 2023 earnings of $2.87 and 15.2 times estimated 2024 earnings of $3.00 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $39.76 to $51.94. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.48 (yield of 3.24%). Total shareholder return for the past year was negative 4.3%.
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Thor Industries

From a pandemic low in March of 2020, shares of recreational vehicle maker Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) rose by 350% over the next 12 months. Since then, shares declined by 50% late last month to a 52-week low. Demand for RVs has declined, due in part to rising fuel costs and in part to price increases of 60% to 70% compared to pre-pandemic prices. Rival RV builder Winnebago has not fared much better and is scheduled to report quarterly results next week. In addition to its namesake brand, Thor Industries also manufactures Airstream, Jayco and more than a dozen other RV brands.

Of 13 brokerages covering the company, six have a Hold rating and four rate the stock at Buy or Strong Buy. At a share price of around $74.30, the upside potential based on a median price target of $92.00 is 23.8%. At the high price target of $155.00, the upside potential is about 108.6%.
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For the company’s third quarter of fiscal 2022, the consensus revenue estimate is $4.18 billion. That would be up 7.8% sequentially and by 20.8% year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $4.79, flat sequentially but 45.6% higher year over year. For the fiscal year ending in July, current estimates call for EPS of $18.05, up 52.4%, on sales of $15.98 billion, up nearly 30%.

Thor Industries stock trades at 4.1 times expected 2022 EPS, 6.4 times estimated 2023 earnings of $11.58 and 7.1 times estimated 2024 earnings of $10.41 per share. The stock’s 52-week range is $66.26 to $128.87. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.68 (yield of 2.31%). Total shareholder return for the past year was negative 35.6%.

The post Earnings Previews: Campbell Soup, Thor Industries appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Markets pushed higher on Wednesday on the back of strong earnings earlier in the morning, despite a staggering inflation print from Tuesday. The Nasdaq led the charge higher, up nearly 2% but has backed off as the day has gone on.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon was cautiously optimistic after a mixed earnings report on Wednesday morning. Dimon commented that he was “optimistic on the economy, at least for the short term.” However, he did note that there are still significant geopolitical and economic challenges ahead due to high inflation, supply chain issues and the Russian incursion into Ukraine.

Many investors look to the major banks to set the tone for earnings season. While JPMorgan definitely took a hit from Russia and it is reflected in the stock price, Dimon’s comments were a definite boon to the market in general.

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 AbbVie, Boston Scientific, CarMax, Eli Lilly, NetApp and many more.

Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO): Oppenheimer upgraded to an Outperform rating from Perform with a $64 price target. The 52-week trading range is $47.47 to $81.07, and shares were trading near $57 apiece on Wednesday.

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Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (NYSE: BAH): Goldman Sachs upgraded to a Buy rating from Neutral and raised the price target to $102 from $83. The stock traded near $88 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $69.68 to $91.00.

Bicycle Therapeutics PLC (NASDAQ: BCYC): B. Riley Securities downgraded to a Neutral rating from Buy and cut the price target to $33 from $62. The 52-week trading range is $21.53 to $62.08, and shares were trading near $23 apiece on Wednesday.

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM): UBS upgraded to a Buy rating from Neutral and raised the price target to $520 from $486. Shares were trading near $458 on Wednesday. The 52-week range is $351.20 to $475.44.

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: IART): Truist downgraded to a Hold rating from Buy and cut the price target to $71. The stock traded near $53 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $61.50 to $77.40.

Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA): New Street upgraded to a Buy rating from Neutral with a $280 price target. The stock traded near $219 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $134.59 to $346.47.

Sony Group Corp. (NYSE: SONY): CLSA downgraded to an Outperform rating from Buy. Shares were trading near $92. The 52-week range is $90.46 to $133.75.

Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO): Exane BNP Paribas downgraded to an Underperform rating from Neutral with a $65 price target. The stock traded near $81 on Wednesday. The 52-week trading range is $76.39 to $149.38.

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The post Jamie Dimon to the Rescue; Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades on Humana, Nvidia, Thor and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Markets bounced back Wednesday as oil prices cruised over $108 a barrel. Investors are still keeping an eye on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but there are domestic concerns regarding what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has to say regarding interest rates.

24/7 Wall St. is reviewing some big 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 Comcast, DraftKings, Kroger, Snap, Twitter and many more.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT): BofA Securities resumed coverage with a Buy rating and a $140 price target. The 52-week trading range is $105.36 to $142.60, and shares were trading near $119 apiece Wednesday.

Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO): Scotiabank upgraded it to Outperform from Sector Perform. The 52-week trading range is $114.66 to $120.87, and shares were trading near $117 apiece on Wednesday.

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Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH): Truist downgraded the stock to Hold from Buy. Shares were trading near $32 on Wednesday. The 52-week range is $27.37 to $49.20.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX): DZ Bank upgraded the shares to Buy from Hold and has a $167 price target. Shares were trading near $154 on Wednesday. The 52-week range is $92.86 to $155.75.

Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ): The Stephens upgrade to Equal Weight from Underweight included a price target cut to $425 from $500. Shares were trading near $423 on Wednesday. The 52-week range is $319.71 to $567.57.

Endo International PLC (NASDAQ: ENDP): Barclays lowered its Equal Weight rating to Underweight and cut the $5 price target to $2. Shares were trading near $2 on Wednesday. The 52-week range is $1.94 to $8.74.

Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO): Benchmark’s downgrade was to Hold from Buy. The stock was trading near $23 on Wednesday, and the 52-week range is $9.70 to $23.57.

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: FB): Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating but cut the price target to $325 from $360. Shares were trading near $203. The 52-week range is $190.22 to $384.33.

Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN): BTIG Research upgraded it from Neutral to Buy with a $15 price target. The 52-week trading range is $7.77 to $31.93, and shares were trading near $8 apiece Wednesday.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Truist downgraded it to a Hold rating from Buy, and the firm cut its $125 price target to $100. The stock was trading around $92 on Wednesday, and the 52-week range is $80.47 to $152.20.

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Five Warren Buffett top stock picks are ideal for growth and income investors to consider now, especially in what has become a very volatile and nervous market. They should hold up as interest rates rise, and they are all rated Buy by top Wall Street firms.

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The post Wednesday Afternoon’s Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Abbott Labs, Chevron, Meta Platforms and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The futures started lower then headed higher, as we get ready to end the trading week after a dreadful risk-off day across Wall Street. The consumer price index (CPI) results for December and the trailing 12 months both came in hotter than expected. The buy-the-dip crowd tried to rally and counter the massive selling pressure early in the day, but to no avail, as all the major indexes closed deeply in the red. Technology took a massive hit, as interest rates across the board went higher. The 10-year Treasury hit its highest yield since 2019, pushing through the 2% level as there was intense selling across the curve.

The hotter CPI report is likely to reignite speculation that the Federal Reserve will make the first increase in the federal funds a 50 basis point, or one-half one percent, as opposed to the expected 25 basis point increase. It already has been announced the rate increases will begin in March.

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.
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These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Friday, February 11, 2022.

Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM): BMO Capital Markets resumed coverage of the gold and silver mining giant. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $45.41 to $74.50 and have a huge $92.60 consensus price target. The stock closed trading on Thursday at $47.19, which was down almost 5% for the day.

Brunswick Corp. (NYSE: BC): Citigroup initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $118 target price. The consensus target is $121. The stock closed trading at $94.63 on Thursday.

Cogent Communications Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CCOI): JPMorgan upgraded the shares to Overweight from Neutral and has an $82 price target. The consensus target is $76.36. The stock closed on Thursday at $66.31.

Compass Minerals International Inc. (NYSE: CMP): JPMorgan downgraded the stock to Underweight from Neutral and lowered the price target to $52 from $57. The consensus target is $65.14. Thursday’s closing share price of $51.13 was down close to 4% on the day.
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Crown Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CCK): BMO Capital Markets raised the stock to Outperform from Market Perform and moved the price target up to $140 from $110. The consensus target is set at $135.81. The last trade for Thursday was reported at $115.43.

Datadog Inc. (NASDAQ: DDOG): KeyBanc Capital Markets raised its Sector Weight rating to Overweight with a $210 price objective. The consensus target is $210.27. Thursday’s final trade hit the tape at $174.60.

Fox Corp. (NASDAQ: FOXA): Morgan Stanley reiterated an Overweight rating on the broadcasting and media giant and bumped the $49 target price up to $50. Credit Suisse kept an Outperform rating and increased its target price to $50 from $48, while Goldman Sachs kept a Sell rating but lifted its price objective from $33 to $36. The consensus target is $45.88, and closing price on Thursday was $44.00 a share.

HeadHunter Group PLC (NASDAQ: HHR): Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from Equal Weight to Overweight and has a $60 price objective. The consensus target is $65.03. The shares closed trading on Thursday at $48.64.

HubSpot Inc. (NYSE: HUBS): Cowen’s upgrade to Outperform from Market Perform included a target price hike to $750 from $600. The consensus target is $758.04. The final trade for Thursday was reported at $534.46. Shares were up almost 10% in the premarket after the company posted strong fourth-quarter earnings and revenue.
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Knowles Corp. (NYSE: KN): Colliers Securities raised its Neutral rating to Buy with a $25.50 target price. The consensus target is $27. The shares closed Thursday at $22.21, up almost 4% for the day.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM): Morgan Stanley kept an Equal Weight rating on the casino and gambling heavyweight, and it raised the $52 price target to $56. Stifel reiterated a Hold rating and pushed its target price to $55 from $52, while Wells Fargo maintained an Overweight rating but sliced the $62 target to $60. The consensus target is $54.68, and the $47.07 closing share price on Thursday was down 3% for the day.

Nautilus Inc. (NYSE: NLS): While Craig Hallum upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold, it also trimmed the target price to $9 from $10. The consensus target is up at $12.50. The stock was last seen on Thursday trading at $5.24, down almost 8% after posting disappointing results.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH): Citigroup downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral with a $25 target price. The consensus target is $30.77, and the stock ended trading on Thursday at $22.63, down almost 5% after the company announced a massive $2.1 billion sale of debt for refinancing.

Paratek Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTK): WBB Securities raised the stock to Strong Buy from Buy and has an $11 target price. The consensus target is up at $21.50. The final trade for Thursday was reported at $3.99.

Peloton Interactive Inc. (NASDAQ: PTON): MKM Partners reiterated a Neutral rating on the shares but lifted the $30 target price to $35. The consensus target is $43.38, and shares closed at $37.36 Thursday, which was down over 3% for the day.

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII): Citigroup started coverage with a Buy rating and a $157 target price. That compares with a $136.75 consensus target and Thursday’s closing print of $119.43.

Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST): Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of the very popular discount retailer to Hold from Accumulate and chopped the target price to $106 from $130. The consensus target is $133.65. The final trade on Thursday was reported at $96.57.
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Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE: STNG): BofA Securities upgraded the stock to Neutral from Underperform and lifted the $13 price target to $15.50. The consensus target is up at $21.58. The shares were last seen up close to 4% on Thursday to $15.14.

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: SIX): Citigroup started coverage on the theme park giant with a Buy rating and a $54 target price. The consensus target is $53.80. Thursday’s final trade hit the tape at $45.17.

Sonic Automotive Inc. (NYSE: SAH): Zacks named this retailer its Bull of the Day stock. The analyst pointed out that this stock has moved lower of late, giving investors an excellent opportunity to buy the dip. Shares most recently closed at $48.35 and have a consensus price target of $70.29, which would be an all-time high.
Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Citigroup initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a $100 price objective. The consensus target is higher at $137.43, and the stock ended trading on Thursday at $95.70 after retreating almost 4% for the day.

TTM Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: TTMI): Truist Securities downgraded the stock to Buy from Hold and dropped the target price to $14 from $16. The consensus target is $17.79. The shares were last seen on Thursday at $11.75, down a stunning 18% despite posting earnings that surpassed estimates.

Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO): BTIG Research reiterated a Buy rating and raised the price target to $270 from $260. Wolfe Research keeps an Outperform rating and lifted the price target to $300 from $290. BofA Securities maintained a Buy rating and pushed its target price to $290 from $250, while Mizuho reiterated a Buy rating and the $250 target price went to $290. The stock was a rare winner Thursday, closing at $205.91 up almost 2% after the company blew out fourth-quarter revenue way past analyst estimates.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM): Gordon Haskett lifted its Hold rating to Accumulate but trimmed the target price on the upscale retailer to $200 from $205. The $188.50 consensus target is closer to Thursday’s final print of $158.01.

Yum China Holdings Inc. (NYSE: YUMC): Zacks selected this as its Bear of the Day, suggesting that American fast food in China not ringing the register. The stock has traded as high as $69.67 in the past year but closed on Thursday at $50.16, which is about 9% lower than 90 days ago.
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Given rising interest rates and an improving economy, the banking industry could be poised for some outsized total returns. Five stocks are among the best ideas for growth and income investors seeking a place to move capital and resources in 2022.

See how different paths have taken Lyft and Uber to the same destination.

Thursday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Advanced Micro Devices, Amgen, Chipotle Mexican Grill, DuPont, Lyft, MGM Resorts, Newmont, Omnicom, Progressive, TPG and Winnebago. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on American Express, Lowe’s, Uber, Walt Disney and more.
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The post Friday’s Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Agnico-Eagle Mines, Datadog, Fox, MGM Resorts, Norwegian Cruise, Peloton, Ross Stores, Twilio, Yum China and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

After years of a low interest rate environment, many investors have turned to equities not only for the growth potential but also for solid and dependable dividends that help to provide an income stream. What this equates to is total return, which is one of the most powerful investment strategies going.

We like to remind our readers about the impact total return has on portfolios because it is one of the best ways to help improve the chances for overall investing success. Again, total return is the combined increase in a stock’s value plus dividends. For instance, if you buy a stock at $20 that pays a 3% dividend, and it goes up to $22 in a year, your total return is 13%. That is, 10% for the increase in stock price and 3% for the dividends paid.

Four top large-cap companies are expected to raise their dividends this week, so we screened our 24/7 Wall St. research universe and found that all their stocks are rated Buy at some of the top firms on Wall Street. While it is always possible that not all these companies do raise their dividends, top analysts expect them to, and generally the data is based on past increases in the firm’s dividend payouts.

It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.
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Ameren

While lesser known than some of the other companies, this may be a perfect defensive stock to rotate to. Ameren Corp. (NYSE: AEE) operates as a public utility holding company in the United States engaged in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission and distribution activities, as well as rate-regulated natural gas distribution and transmission businesses.

The company primarily generates electricity through coal, nuclear and natural gas, as well as renewable sources, such as hydroelectric, methane gas and solar. Ameren serves residential, commercial and industrial customers. It also serves approximately 1.2 million electric customers and approximately 130,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri.

Shareholders currently receive a 2.73% yield. The company is expected to raise the dividend to $0.575 per share from $0.55.

BMO Capital Markets has a $91 price target on Ameren stock, in line with the $91.31 consensus target. The shares were trading at $81.15 early Monday.

KB Home

This very well-known company could be acquired. KB Home (NYSE: KBH) is one of the largest U.S. homebuilders, with roughly 2% market share. The company builds single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums for first-time, move-up and active adult buyers. It is positioned in roughly 40 markets, with around 70% to 75% of revenues attributable to the West and Central regions. It also provides mortgage services through a joint venture with Nationstar.

Founded in 1957, and the first homebuilder listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the company has built nearly 600,000 homes for families from coast to coast. Distinguished by its personalized homebuilding approach, KB Home lets each buyer choose their lot location, floor plan, décor choices, design features and other special touches that matter most to them.

Shareholders currently receive a 1.54% yield. The company is expected to raise the dividend to $0.21 per share from $0.15, which is a massive 40% increase

The Wedbush price target of $60 compares to the $54.60 consensus target. The stock traded at $38.55 Monday morning.

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Long-term growth investors will love this stock. RPM International (NYSE: RPM) manufactures, markets, and sells specialty chemicals for the industrial, specialty and consumer markets worldwide. Its products include the following:

• Waterproofing, coatings and institutional roofing systems
• Air barriers, tapes and foams
• Residential home weatherization systems
• Roofing and building maintenance and related services
• Sealing and bonding, and subfloor preparation, flooring, and in-plant glazing solutions
• Solutions for fire stopping and intumescent steel coating
• Rolled asphalt roofing materials and chemical admixtures
• Concrete and masonry admixtures, concrete fibers, curing and sealing compounds, structural grouts and mortars, epoxy adhesives, injection resins, polyurethane foams, floor hardeners and toppings, joint fillers, industrial and architectural coatings, decorative color/stains/stamps and restoration materials
• Insulated building cladding materials and concrete form wall systems
• Polymer flooring systems
• Fiberglass reinforced plastic gratings and shapes
• Corrosion-control coating, containment and railcar lining, fire and soundproofing, and heat and cryogenic insulation products
• Specialty construction products
• Amine curing agents, reactive diluents, specialty epoxy resins and other intermediates
• Fluorescent colorants and pigments
• Shellac-based-specialty and marine coatings
• Fire and water damage restoration, and carpet cleaning and disinfecting products
• Fuel additives
• Wood treatments, furniture finishes and touch-up products
• Nail enamels, polishes and coating components
• Specialty products for paint contractors and the DIYers, concrete restoration and flooring systems, metallic and faux finish coatings, cleaners and hobby paints and cements;
• Caulk, sealant, adhesive, insulating foam, spackling, glazing and patch and repair products.

Shareholders currently receive a 1.94% yield. The company is expected to raise the dividend to $0.40 per share from $0.38.

The $100 BMO Capital Markets price target is above the $95.23 consensus figure. RPM International stock was trading at $79.00.
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Thor Industries

This is another Wall Street favorite that flies low on the radar screen of many investors. Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) designs, manufactures and sells recreational vehicles (RVs) and related parts and accessories in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The company offers travel trailers; gasoline and diesel Class A, Class B and Class C motorhomes; conventional travel trailers and fifth wheels; luxury fifth wheels; and motor caravans, caravans, campervans and urban vehicles. It also provides aluminum extrusion and specialized component products to RV and other manufacturers; and digital products and services for RVs. The company provides its products through independent and nonfranchise dealers.

Shareholders currently receive a 1.29% yield. The company is expected to raise the dividend to $0.42 per share from $0.41.

Truist Securities lifted its $130 price target on Thor Industries stock to $142. The higher consensus target is $147.44, and shares were trading at $128.15.
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These four top stocks are rated Buy across Wall Street, and the companies are expected to lift the dividends they pay to shareholders. Not only is increasing dividends and returning capital to investors important, but it also shows that the company is doing well and has the earnings and cash flow strength to increase the payouts.

The post 4 Buy-Rated Analyst Favorites Expected to Raise Dividends This Week appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The futures were down on Monday, after the fourth quarter started off on the right foot with a big risk-on rally, helped along in part by the reopening trade stocks. Technology and health care soared as drugmaker Merck said Friday that its experimental pill for people sick with COVID-19 reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half. In Washington last week, House Speaker Pelosi was forced to scrap a planned Thursday vote on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package due to lack of support from progressives. Conservatives meanwhile are pushing back hard on the massive reconciliation spending bill.

Though the recent consumer price index and retail sales data has tempered some of the inflation and growth worries, mounting stagflation concerns continued to pick up, amid the ongoing supply chain and input pressures and recovery headwinds from the spread of the Delta variant. Federal Reserve assurances that rates will remain accommodative continue to provide a tailwind for equities though.

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, October 4, 2021.
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Akamai Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM): KeyBanc Capital Markets downgraded the shares to Equal Weight from Overweight. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $92.64 to $124.91 and has a $132.31 consensus price objective. The shares closed Friday at $105.48.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNY): UBS upgraded it to Buy from Neutral and boosted the price target to $215 from $141. The consensus target is $184.16. Friday’s closing share price was $192.68.
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AON PLC (NYSE: AON): JPMorgan’s downgrade was from Overweight to Neutral with a $283 price objective. The consensus target is $283.13. The stock closed on Friday at $291.08.

Coherent Inc. (NASDAQ: COHR): Stifel resumed coverage with a Hold rating and a $270 price target. The consensus target is $256.33. The last trade for Friday was reported at $253.12 a share.

ContextLogic Inc. (NASDAQ: WISH): Oppenheimer downgraded the popular meme stock to Underperform from Perform and has a $4 price target. The consensus target is much higher at $9.83. Friday’s last print was $5.35 per share.

DuPont de Nemours Inc. (NYSE: DD): JPMorgan upgraded the chemical and industrial leader to Overweight from Neutral and has an $85 price target. The shares were last seen on Friday trading at $69.13. The stock was up almost 3% in Monday’s premarket.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR): Zacks has named this as its Bear of the Day stock. The analyst pointed out that earnings looked good, but supply chain issues hamper future growth. Shares last closed at $96.57, and the consensus price target is $99.16.

Guidewire Software Inc. (NYSE: GWRE): BofA Securities downgraded the shares to Underperform from Neutral, and the firm also cut the target price to $125 from $132. The posted consensus target is $132.75. The closing trade for Friday came in at $118.47 a share.

John Bean Technologies Corp. (NYSE: JBT): JPMorgan raised the shares to Neutral from Underweight, and it has a $130 target price. The consensus target is $149.80, and the last trade for Friday hit the tape at $143.15.
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Leap Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: LPTX): Mizuho started coverage with a Buy rating and a $6 price target. The consensus price objective is $4.50. The stock ended Friday’s trading at $3.65 a share.

MultiPlan Corp. (NASDAQ: MPLN): Citigroup resumed coverage with a Buy rating and a $9 price target The consensus price objective is $8.75. The stock closed Friday at $5.60.

Nerdy Inc. (NASDAQ: NRDY): Canaccord Genuity started coverage with a Buy rating, and the firm has a $14 price target. The consensus target is $15. The last Friday trade was at $10.04 per share.

nLIGHT Inc. (NASDAQ: LASR): Stifel resumed coverage with a Buy rating and a $38 price target. The consensus target is $41. The stock closed Friday at $26.95, which was down almost 5% for the day.
Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU): B. Riley Securities raised the stock to Buy from Neutral and also lifted the target price to $22 from $15. The consensus price target is lower at $15.25, but the shares ended Friday’s trading session at $15.65.

Roper Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ROP): Raymond Hames raised its Outperform rating to Strong Buy from and has a $550 price objective. That compares with the lower $529.30 consensus target and Friday’s closing print of $447.58.

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV): Barclays raised its Equal Weight rating on the popular airline to Overweight and also hiked the target price to $75 from $64. The consensus target for the stock is just $65.63. Friday’s closing print was reported at $54.35, which was up almost 6% on the day.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Citing RV demand that continues to impress investors, Zacks has selected this as its Bull of the Day stock. Shares closed most recently at $126.78 and have a consensus price target of $147.44.

3M Co. (NYSE: MMM): JPMorgan downgraded the industrial giant to Neutral from Overweight and has a $210 price target. The consensus target is just $196.76, and the shares closed on Friday at $176.68.

Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO): BofA Securities downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral with a $217 price target. That compares with the $202.04 consensus target and Friday’s last trade at $201.36 per share.

Union Pacific Corp. (NYSE: UNP): Barclays upgraded the railroad giant to Overweight from Equal Weight and also raised the target price to $260 from $240. The posted consensus target is $244.59. The stock rose close to 3% on Friday to close at $201.74 a share.

Vertex Inc. (NASDAQ: VERX): BofA Securities downgraded the shares to Underweight from Neutral. The firm also dropped the price target from $24 to $20, while the consensus target is $26. Friday’s final trade was reported at $20.18, which was up almost 5% for the day, but the shares were sinking in the premarket, down over 3%.
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Five stocks that fund managers have been adding to their portfolios most are very strong ideas for growth investors with a degree of risk tolerance. They all have Buy ratings from major Wall Street analysts.

Friday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Alibaba, Amazon.com, Bed Bath & Beyond, Berkshire Hathaway, Canopy Growth, Dollar Tree, Facebook, IBM, MGM Resorts and Southwest Airlines.
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The post Monday’s Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Akamai, ContextLogic, DuPont, First Solar, Southwest Air, 3M, Union Pacific and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Going into the Fourth of July weekend, a lot of analysts are kicking back and checking out early, so the calls for the morning were few and far between. Friday’s futures were edging positive ahead of the June unemployment report. Estimates are calling for an acceleration in hiring, with nonfarm payrolls expected to rise by 720,000 for a sixth straight monthly gain. The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 5.6%, which would be a pandemic-era low. How stocks will respond to this report, or how the Federal Reserve will respond, is yet to be seen.

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.
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These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations for Friday, July 2, 2021.

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ARCO): JPMorgan resumed coverage with an Overweight rating and an $8.50 price target. Shares last closed near $6 apiece, and the consensus price target is $6.55 a share.

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ARCT): Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a $71 price target. The stock closed near $36 per share. The 52-week trading range is $24.87 to $129.71.

Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE: BE): Zacks has named this fuel cell producer as its Bear of the Day stock. The analyst suggests that investors should take profits after a large bounce in this alternate energy play. Shares last closed at $26.62, and the consensus price target is $32.40.

BRP Inc. (NASDAQ: DOOO): Raymond James started coverage with a Strong Buy rating. The stock last traded near $78, in a 52-week range of $40.03 to $96.44.

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH): Raymond James started coverage with an Outperform rating and a $45 price target. Shares last closed at $41 and have a consensus price target of $56.43.

ContextLogic (NASDAQ: WISH): Evercore ISI downgraded the stock to In Line from Outperform and cut the price target to $13 from $17. The stock most recently closed at about $12 a share, but it has a consensus price target of $18.00.

Harrow Health Inc. (NASDAQ: HROW): Ladenburg Thalmann initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $14.25 price target. The stock closed near $9, in a 52-week range of $4.65 to $11.24.
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HealthEquity Inc. (NASDAQ: HQY): Stephens initiated coverage at Overweight and with a $100 price target. The stock closed near $81, in a 52-week range of $45.82 to $93.32. Analysts have a consensus price target of $88.11.

Keysight Technologies Inc. (NYSE: KEYS): The Barclays downgrade to Equal Weight from Overweight came with a $162 price target. The stock most recently closed near $153, and it has a consensus price target of $161.86.

National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE: NSA): Robert Baird resumed coverage with an Outperform rating and a $54 price target. Shares last closed near $50, but the consensus price target is at $52.40.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: PNC): Wolfe Research raised its Underperform rating to Outperform and hiked the price target to $252 from $194. The shares closed most recently near $192 apiece, and the consensus price target is $197.72.

Renalytix PLC (NASDAQ: RNLX): Berenberg initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $38 price target. Shares closed at $30 or so, and the 52-week range is $90.91 to $35.71.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Raymond James initiated coverage with an Underperform rating. Shares closed near $116 and have a consensus price target of $142.22.

UWM Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UWMC): Keefe Bruyette initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating and an $8.50 price target. Shares closed near $8 apiece, in a 52-week range of $6.25 to $14.38. The consensus price target is $9.25.

Welbilt Inc. (NYSE: WBT): C.L. King downgraded the stock to a Neutral rating from Buy. It has a 52-week trading range of $5.21 to $25.19 and recently closed near $23 a share.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO): Raymond James started coverage with a Market Perform rating. Shares last closed at about $70, and the 52-week range is $44.33 to $87.53.
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Five All-American companies should have solid holiday weekend sales and are poised to be solid investments for the second half of 2021. Furthermore, these top Fourth of July stock picks are all rated Buy at BofA Securities.

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.

Thursday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included AutoNation, Enbridge, Gap, JinkoSolar, Micron Technology, Nvidia, Tractor Supply, Twilio and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on Celanese, First Hawaiian, Peloton International, Qorvo and more.
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The post Friday’s Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Bloom Energy, Camping World, ContextLogic, National Storage, PNC Financial and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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The major indexes had an explosive start to the week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up about 1.8% and the S&P 500 up 1.4%. The Nasdaq lagged the rest of the group, up only 0.8%. The catalyst for Monday’s move was a strong showing from industrial stocks, while tech remained somewhat mixed. All this makes for a stock picker’s market, and who better to pick these stocks than CNBC’s Jim Cramer.

Cramer has been a force in the market for years, dishing out advice and analysis to savvy investors. He makes no bones about how he encounters the market with well-founded technical and fundamental analysis at a level to which many a trader and investor aspire.

It is no secret that Cramer has been a fount not just of breaking news surrounding everyone’s favorite stocks and companies, but he also actively engages and encourages more people to get their money to work for them via smart investing. With the recent surge in meme stocks and interest in cryptocurrencies, Cramer has shifted and grown with the times. He even has investment strategies on the cutting edge.

Cramer has maintained a popular show on CNBC for years now, “Mad Money,” that many people watch to make sense of the daily market moves. He also runs the popular finance website TheStreet.com. Furthermore, you can see him make cameos on other shows over the course of the trading day on CNBC. When not on the air, you can find him on Twitter, dishing out even more knowledge.

24/7 Wall St. has compiled and distilled some of Cramer’s top picks and analysis here:

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Perhaps the highlight of “Mad Money” was Cramer’s take on pandemic stocks. He noted that companies that crushed it during the pandemic have seen their stocks pull back recently despite the fact that business is still booming in some of these big names. A few of the picks included Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO), Brunswick Corp. (NYSE: BC), Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), and The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

Overall, Cramer believes that stocks like Campbell Soup and Disney that have underperformed recently and could be on track to more gains. For instance, Disney’s streaming service garnered a lot of attention over the pandemic, but while more people are getting back out there, the company could stand to see a resurgence in its theme parks. Separately, Campbell Soup has pulled back, but the company has taken a fair amount of market share over the course of the pandemic.

For the Lightning Round, Cramer had a few choice picks, as well as a few stocks that investors should steer clear of. Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) was one of the bigger names mentioned in the segment. Cramer’s take was that it’s OK, “It got an upgrade today. You know I prefer Chevron … but you’re going to be fine in Marathon. It’s just not as high quality as I would like, but it’s a $13 stock that’s probably going higher.”

Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) was a quick dismissal from Jimmy Chill, “Life’s too short. Let’s pick another one of these.”

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. (NYSE: LPX): Cramer took a somewhat mixed position on this one, “What happens when that multiple shrinks it usually means that the earnings are going to fall apart next year. I disagree with that judgment. I’m with you. I know the stock can go lower because the chart is hideous, but I want to stick with Louisiana-Pacific.”

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Friday’s futures took a turn for the worse after the broad markets had a somewhat mixed performance on Thursday. There was a large push by the tech sector, putting the Nasdaq within striking distance of all-time highs. All the major banks, industrials and energy stocks took a hit on Thursday, largely due to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks. Although inflation seems to be looming, the Fed is focusing more on near-term unemployment and repairing supply chains as the United States reopens.

Despite the resurfacing concerns across Wall Street for tapering of the quantitative easing program and 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. Also note that money markets continue to see massive inflows, which is another big plus.

With major Wall Street firms still warning of the potential for 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.
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These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Friday, June 18, 2021.

Abiomed Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD): Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $360 price target. Shares closed Thursday near $313 apiece, in a 52-week range of $234.39 to 387.40. The consensus price target is $374.00.

Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK): Wolfe Research upgraded it to an Outperform rating from Peer Perform. The stock was last seen near $63, in a 52-week range of $33.00 to $74.25. The consensus price target is $82.00.

Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB): Piper Sandler upgraded the stock to Overweight from Neutral and raised the price target to $450 from $384. The stock closed near $383, in a 52-week range of $223.25 to $468.55. Analysts have a consensus price target of $405.41 for the stock.

Cardlytics Inc. (NASDAQ: CDLX): Needham initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $135 price target. The consensus price target is $146.00, and the stock closed at around $111 per share. The 52-week trading range is $55.89 to $161.47.

Churchill Downs Inc. (NASDAQ: CHDN): Macquarie started coverage with an Outperform rating and a $254 price target. The stock closed near $192, in a 52-week range of $121.56 to $258.32.

Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ: CRUS): Loop Capital initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $111 price target. The shares last closed near $80, and the consensus price target is $99.27.
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Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL): Wolfe Research raised its Underperform rating to Outperform. The stock most recently closed at $44.57 and has a consensus price target of $55.83.

Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN): JPMorgan upgraded the stock to Overweight from Neutral and has a $141 price target. Shares last closed near $95 and have a consensus price target of $113.92.

Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO): Morgan Stanley’s upgrade to Equal Weight from Underweight included a price target raise to $15 from $12. The stock was last seen trading near $13. The consensus target is $14.43. The 52-week trading range is $3.73 to $14.16.

Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH): Morgan Stanley resumed coverage with an Overweight rating and a $180 price target. Shares last closed at $150.25, and the consensus price target is $167.38.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY): Morgan Stanley both upgraded it to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised the price target to $40 from $32. The consensus price target is $31.52. The stock has a 52-week range of $8.52 to $32.52 and recently closed near $28 a share.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO): Zacks named this as its Bull of the Day. The analyst said that it is time for bulls to camp out in this bounce play opportunity. The stock most recently closed at $104.84 and has a consensus price target of $143.44.

Tupperware Brands Corp. (NYSE: TUP): Zacks selected this as its Bear of the Day stock, saying that while this stock has fallen from great heights, it might have room to go lower. Shares last closed at $21.18, and the consensus price target is $39.33.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL): Wolfe Research upgraded it to Peer Perform from Underperform. The stock recently closed near $54 a share, in a 52-week range of $29.23 to $63.70. Analysts have a consensus price target of $60.26.
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Four tech stocks from the Raymond James Analysts Current Favorites picks are not overextended or overbought and have the biggest percentage upside to the price targets. They may be very good ideas for aggressive growth investors looking to reset portfolios for the rest of the year.

Did Warren Buffett sell GM, Merck, Sirius XM and other stocks too soon? And meme stocks on the move Thursday included AMC, Canoo and Cleveland-Cliffs.

Thursday’s early top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Altria, Bill.com, Boot Barn, Camping World, Charter Communications, Coca-Cola and Jack in the Box. Analyst calls seen later in the day were on American Express, Northern Trust, Nvidia, QuantumScape and Stanley Black & Decker and more.
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Stocks traded higher on the first day of December, but Tuesday was being met with profit-taking. Many investors have missed the run back to all-time highs, and now they are having to decide how they want their assets positioned heading into 2021, as the elections wind down and the coronavirus vaccine starts to become available.

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 Wednesday, December 2, 2020.

Aaron’s Co. Inc. (NYSE: AAN) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Truist Securities.
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Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Truist Securities. The stock closed up almost 1% at $25.54 a share on Tuesday, and it has a $22.90 consensus target price.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that this retail stock has become especially bullish recently. Shares most recently closed at $57.14, and they have a consensus price target of $68.32.

Genuine Parts Co. (NYSE: GPC) was downgraded to Underperform from Buy with a $106 price objective at BofA Securities. The stock closed up 3.3% at $101.67 on Tuesday but was indicated down 2.8% at $98.80 early Wednesday.

Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) was raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank. The stock closed up 13.4% at $36.52 a share on Tuesday and has a $30.31 consensus target price.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) stock closed up 4.6% at $67.08 a share on Tuesday after raising guidance. Mizuho reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target to $75 from $70.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) was last seen trading up over 8% at $58.50 on Wednesday after its earnings report. Wedbush Securities reiterated it as Neutral with a $57 price target.

Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: OVID) was last seen trading down 51% at $3.27 on Wednesday morning after its investigational study to treat Angelman syndrome did not meet expectations. Citigroup downgraded the shares to Neutral from Buy and slashed the price target to $4 from $10.

Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTON) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $140 from $125 (versus a $112.03 prior close) at Needham.
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PROG Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PRG) was started with a Buy rating and a $65 price target (versus a $55.60 prior close) at Truist Securities. KeyBanc Capital Markets started it as Overweight and assigned a $65 price target.

RealReal Inc. (NASDAQ: REAL) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that the real deal here is earnings estimates are on sale. Shares last closed at $14.29, and they have a consensus price target of $17.46.

Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) was down 1.8% at $241.35 ahead of earnings, and the post-earnings reaction and on the report of it acquiring Slack had its shares down over 5% at $228.25 on Wednesday morning. Piper Sandler maintained its Overweight rating but cut its target price to $278 from $285.

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight with a $415 price target (versus a $334.32 prior close) at Wells Fargo.

Slack Technologies Inc. (NYSE: WORK) was confirmed as being acquired by Salesforce.com. Robert W. Baird downgraded Slack to Neutral from Outperform, and Canaccord Genuity downgraded it to Hold from Buy. MKM Partners lowered its Buy rating to Neutral.

Stitch Fix Inc. (NASDAQ: SFIX) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $46 from $34 at Needham. The stock closed down about 1% at $40.07 a share on Tuesday, and it has a $31.11 consensus target price.

Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE: NOVA) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

10x Genomics Inc. (NASDAQ: TXG) was started with a Neutral rating and a $150 price target at Goldman Sachs. The shares closed down 2.1% at $149.84 apiece, and they had a $148.57 consensus analyst target.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was started with a Neutral rating and a $107 price target at Wedbush Securities.

Trip.com Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: TCOM) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $38 from $33 (versus a $34.41 prior close) at Mizuho.

Total S.E. (NYSE: TOT) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $66 price target at MoffettNathanson.

Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: WLL) was started with a Buy rating and a $30 price target (versus a $22.58 prior close) at MKM Partners.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO) was started with an Outperform rating and a $67 price target (versus a $55.61 prior close, after a 5% drop) at Wedbush Securities.
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Gold had a scorching run earlier this year, but there are plenty of reasons for investors to have another look now. BofA Securities remains positive on these four top picks for 2021.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included BioNTech, Charles Schwab, FedEx, First Solar, Micron Technologies, Nio, Occidental Petroleum, Salesforce.com, Square and Zoom Video Communications.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed most aspects of life in America and elsewhere, but one of the biggest changes is how people travel. Many workers are still stuck at home working or looking for a job, but the travel industry has had to pivot and adapt in ways many industries could not even fathom. Summer airline traffic is down sharply and international flights are essentially off-limits.

Hotels are still seeing very low occupancy rates, cruises are all docked and off-limits, and restaurants and bars are generally either on reduced capacity or are not open yet. Public venues such as theme parks, stadiums, casinos, movie theaters, playhouses and museums are also closed or on reduced capacity.

One thing that has changed in travel is that families are exploring the great outdoors again. Purchases of recreational vehicles, or RVs, as well as anything related to camping and outside activities, have surged as a result of the pandemic. This theme is one of the only ways that a family can safely travel and not feel like they are at risk as much as if they fly or go into large crowded areas. They also generally allow adults to continue work remotely without being stuck in a study, living room or kitchen at home.

Stronger sales of motorhomes, fifth wheels and gear for camping and being outdoors owe their success to the pandemic. Earlier in the year, the thought would have been that people can’t afford that after unemployment was forced upon millions and the recession hit everyone in a period of days or weeks. As people adapted in time, though, these sales started picking up, and the related stocks surged in response. This trend may not be over, at least until there are adequate vaccines or treatments for COVID-19, but these trends already may have reached their zenith.

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Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) is a top destination for purchasing RVs and anything tied to camping, and it is the largest retailer of RVs and related products in America. This stock started 2020 at about $14.50, and it fell to under $4 at the peak of the panic selling in March. Ahead of earnings, its closing high was at $42.49, for a gain of nearly 1,000% from trough to peak.

When Camping World released its earnings for the second quarter, a serious “sell the news” reaction was seen. While the selling may seem obvious, it also should make investors look elsewhere. Camping World’s revenue for the quarter ending in June rose by 9.0% to $1.607 billion, and its gross profit rose by 19.2% to $488.6 million. Its gross margin also rose by 260 basis points to 30.4%, as its general expenses fell by 10.5% to $271.6 million.

The drop in Camping World shares was down by about 17% to $35.30 as of Thursday afternoon, and Camping World’s consensus price target from Refinitiv was just $26 ahead of earnings. One note has been seen so far: BMO Capital Markets has raised its target price to $36 from $13 after the report. Monness Crespi & Hardt has had a Buy rating on Camping World, for quite some time, and raised its target price to a street-high $49 from $33, the fifth price target hike from the firm in 2020.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO) is a gold standard when it comes to RV manufacturing. This stock started 2020 at nearly $53 and fell to under $20 during the peak of the panic in March. It was back above $70 by June and closed at $60.27 most recently. The stock’s drop on Thursday afternoon was almost 5% to $57.40.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) is much larger than Winnebago, as its market cap of $6.3 billion is roughly three times as large. This company manufactures numerous lines of RVs in the towable and motorized groups. It literally has too many brand names to count, but Airstream, Globetrotter, Jayco are just some of them. Thor’s stock was down 3.5% at $113.76 on Thursday. It started 2020 at close to $74 and went to under $35 during the selling panic, before peaking above $120.

Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) might not seem like an RV company in the Camping World theme, until you see what RVs parks are also full of and until you think of the same great outdoors theme. Polaris shares were last seen down 2.3% at $104.70 on Thursday afternoon, with a market cap of $6.4 billion and a 52-week trading range of $37.35 to $108.98.

Brunswick Corp. (NYSE: BC), which is tied to boating and so part of the outdoors theme, was down 4.2% at $65.65, with a $5.2 billion market cap and a $25.22 to $73.99 range in the past 52 weeks. MasterCraft Boat Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: MCFT) also is in boating, and it has only a $389 million market cap, but its stock drop of 3.5% to $20.62 on Thursday compares with a 52-week range of $4.90 to $23.53. Malibu Boats Inc. (NASDAQ: MBUU) has a $1.2 billion market cap, but its 4.1% drop to $58.53 is within a 52-week range of $18.02 to $63.88.

What will be interesting to see is how these companies do once the school year kicks in. Many kids will not be going back to a physical classroom but will be distance learning. That can be done from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. For the adults who now may not ever be going back to their former office desks, RVs are not just portable hotel rooms. They are portable offices too.

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While the Nasdaq hit 10,000 for the first time, the Dow Jones industrials and S&P 500 both took a bit of a breather on profit-taking on Tuesday. The indexes were all marginally higher on Wednesday morning, and they have recovered the lion’s shares of their losses from the peak of the panic selling in March. The investing community has been pivoting beyond the COVID-19 pandemic as the economy opens up, as well as looking beyond the bad news dominating the media right now, beyond the economic recession and weak earnings.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for long-term investors and short-term traders alike. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, and some cover stocks to sell or avoid.

What has happened in this most recent drive of the gains is that many analyst calls have included upgrades and price target hikes, but often stocks are managing to move even beyond what the ratings and expectations might have indicated.

Remember, no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision. Consensus analyst target prices are from Refinitiv.

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These are the top analyst calls we have seen on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed up 3.1% at $343.99 a share and hit a new all-time high of $345.61 on Tuesday, not counting Wednesday’s jump to $348 in premarket trading. Deutsche Bank reiterated Apple as Buy and raised its price target to $350 from $320.

Arcus Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RCUS) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $45 from $22 (versus a $29.57 prior close) at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, which noted that it was adding in TIGIT to its model as competitor data provided some proof of concept.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) was maintained as Underweight and its price target was raised to $6 from $4 at Wells Fargo. Shares closed down 7.8% at $9.09 on Tuesday, with a $6.96 consensus price target.

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: BMRN) was reiterated as Buy and its price objective was raised to $130 from $120 (versus a $105.09 close) at BofA Securities.

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $270 from $185 at Jefferies. Boeing closed down almost 6% at $216.81 on Tuesday, but that is still up over 100% from its lows. The consensus price target is $171.55.

Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $135 from $100 (versus a $113.55 close) at Needham.

Carrier Global Corp. (NYSE: CARR) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) was downgraded to Underperform from Sector Perform with a $100 price target at RBC Capital Markets. Chevron closed down 1.6% at $101.53 on Tuesday and was indicated down 1.1% more at $100.40 on Wednesday. The consensus price target was $98.19.

Chewy Inc. (NYSE: CHWY) was up 5.6% at $51.51 ahead of earnings but was down 1.9% at $50.61 afterward. Wedbush Securities maintained its Outperform rating but raised its target price to $55 from $53, and it said the results are not just a one-time pop. BofA Securities reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price objective to $60 from $47, and UBS maintained its Neutral rating and raised its target to $49 from $45.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform and the price target is $48 (versus a $48.05 close) at Robert W. Baird. Cisco had a $48.62 prior consensus target price and a 52-week trading range of $32.40 to $58.26.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (NASDAQ: CTSH) was raised to Neutral from Underperform and the price objective was raised to $60 from $49 (versus a $57.19 close) at BofA Securities.

Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy and its price target was raised to $56 from $50 (versus a $61.69 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Duluth Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTH) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that this stock saw an epic short squeeze. Shares most recently closed at $9.36 and have a consensus price target of $6.33.

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eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) was raised to Hold from Underperform and its price target was raised to $52 from $30 (versus a $49.75 close) at Jefferies. Its consensus price target was $47.43, and its 52-week high is $51.88.

Encore Wire Corp. (NASDAQ: WIRE) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that despite having the lowest Zack’s rank, this stock might be worth a deeper look. Shares last closed at $51.42, with a consensus price target of $56.50.

Etsy Inc. (NYSE: ETSY) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, and its price target was raised to $110 from $71 in the call, based on the stay-at-home driving demand and Etsy having enough leverage to boost its “take rate” and signaling that sellers are helping to fund Etsy’s marketing spending.

Five Below Inc. (NASDAQ: FIVE) was down 3.2% at $103.90 ahead of earnings but was indicated up 11% at $115 or so on Wednesday morning. BofA Securities reiterated it as Buy and raised its price objective to $140 from $120. Wells Fargo reiterated its Overweight rating and raised its target to $120 from $115, while UBS maintained a Neutral rating but raised its target to $114 from $104.

GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) was down 1% at $4.96 ahead of earnings and was down another 6% at $4.65 afterward. Wedbush reiterated it as Neutral and raised its price target to $5.00 from $4.25.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) was reiterated as Neutral with a $1.75 price target (versus a $1.60 close) at Wedbush, with the firm noting that significant demand and cost headwinds are likely to persist into 2021.

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) was reiterated as Buy and its price target was raised to $280 from $265 (versus a $256.76 close) at UBS. Home Depot hit a new high of $258.29 on Tuesday, and its consensus target price was $250.22 ahead of this call.

Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE: MIC) was raised to Hold from Buy and its price target was raised to $42 from $34 (versus a $31.77 close) at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform with a $55 price target (versus a $53.15 close) at Wedbush. The firm noted that strength in the third quarter appears to be a peak and that the valuation is toppy considering that demand and pricing conditions in the memory market are now more likely to deteriorate.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was reiterated as Overweight and the price target was raised to $140 from $62 (versus a $110.75 close) at KeyBanc Capital Markets. It has a 52-week trading range of $32.30 to $114.71, and its consensus price target was $91.43.

TrueCar Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $5 price target (versus a $2.88 close) at B. Riley FBR. The stock was indicated up over 14% at $3.44 on Wednesday, and its prior consensus target price was $3.24.

United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) were both downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan for the same reason: both stocks have rallied to the point that the underlying business conditions do not merit more bargain buying and momentum chasing. United was down 8% at $44.64 on Tuesday and down another 4% at $42.80 on Wednesday. JetBlue was down 8.8% at $14.21 on Tuesday and down another 6% at $13.35 on Wednesday. Both stocks had more than doubled from their lows.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO) was reiterated as Overweight and the price target was raised to $80 from $45 (versus a $68.09 close) at KeyBanc Capital Markets. It has a 52-week range of $16.94 to $70.36, and its consensus price target was $51.75.

Yext Inc. (NYSE: YEXT) was started with a Buy rating and a $19 price target at Needham. Shares were down 3.2% at $15.60 on Tuesday and were indicated up 2.5% at $16.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a $17.50 consensus target price, and its 52-week range is $8.56 to $22.65.

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Jefferies has five health care stocks in which it has conviction behind the Buy ratings for significant upside in the second half of 2020.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Avaya, Biogen, Broadcom, Chevron, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, MGIC Investment, RealReal, Sprout Social, T-Mobile, Zoom Video Communications, Zynga and more.

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Stocks sold off on profit-taking and no major news driving events on Monday, and that was also seen on Tuesday morning, with the Dow Jones industrials and S&P 500 futures indicated down 0.3% to 0.4% ahead of the opening bell. Investors are seeing more upside calls for 2020 stock market performance, and all those recession calls in recent months were simply nothing more than an error or head fakes. Many pressing issues and risks to consider remain now that the bull market has raged longer than in our lifetimes. Investors should be considering what changes they should make to their portfolios and assets heading into 2020.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading, and additional comments and trading data have been added on some calls. The consensus price targets mentioned and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations for Tuesday, December 10, 2019.

AdaptHealth Corp. (NASDAQ: AHCO) was started as Buy with a $12 target price at Deutsche Bank.

Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $67 target price at Goldman Sachs.

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CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy and the target price was cut to $75 from $80 at Citigroup.

Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN) was raised to Overweight from Neutral with a $34 target price at JPMorgan.

Eldorado Resorts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERI) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that a planned acquisition of Caesars will add almost $9 billion in debt to an already stressed balance sheet. Shares of Eldorado last closed at $52.92, with a consensus price target of $61.45.

Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) was raised to Neutral from Underweight with a $65 target price at JPMorgan.

International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral with a $40 target price at Goldman Sachs.

ITT Inc. (NYSE: ITT) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the target price was raised to $81 from $70 at Goldman Sachs.

LTC Properties Inc. (NYSE: LTC) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform with a $43 target price at Wells Fargo.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) was downgraded to Underperform from Hold at Needham, with the firm noting that Netflix needs to include a lower-priced service to compete with new entrants (Apple, Disney+, Hulu, CBS) but that its balance sheet will not really support a lower-tier priced service. The call also notes that as many as 4 million subscribers may cancel in 2020. Shares closed down 1.6% at $302.50 and have a 52-week range of $231.23 to $385.99. The consensus price target is $361.18.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) was reiterated as Buy and the price objective was raised to $105 from $98 at Merrill Lynch. Shares closed at $96.63, in a 52-week range of $66.53 to $97.63. The consensus price target is $102.97.

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) was reiterated as Buy and the price objective was raised to $145 from $140 at Merrill Lynch.

ObsEva SA (NASDAQ: OBSV) saw its shares fall 29% to $3.23 on Monday, but they were indicated up 26% at 44.08 on Monday. Wedbush Securities maintained its Outperform rating and has a whopping $36 price target, as the firm sees frontline potential and thinks Linzagolix without ABT could dominate the market.

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Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) was reiterated as Neutral with a $55 target price (versus a $55.31 prior close) at Wedbush, with the firm noting that Oracle needs to pick up the pace and that it remains on the sidelines looking for meaningful and more sustainable progress in rebooting database growth from either cloud/autonomous or BYOL.

Owens-Illinois Inc. (NYSE: OI) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $13 target price at Goldman Sachs.

Packaging Corp. of America (NYSE: PKG) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral with a $102 target price at Goldman Sachs.

Prologis Inc. (NYSE: PLD) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $100 price target at Wells Fargo.

Redfin Corp. (NASDAQ: RDFN) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the price target was raised to $25 from $18.50 at D.A. Davidson.

Rapid7 Inc. (NASDAQ: RPD) was started as Overweight with a $67 target price at Piper Jaffray.

RingCentral Inc. (NYSE: RNG) was started as Overweight with a $194 target price at Piper Jaffray.

State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $86 target price at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that the world’s leading electric automaker is still way ahead of the competition. Shares most recently closed at $339.53 and have a consensus price target of $283.48.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was reiterated as Underperform and the price objective was lowered to $45 from $47 at Merrill Lynch.

Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) was started as Overweight with a $170 target price at Piper Jaffray.

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RBC Capital Markets issued new Outperform ratings in the food services and restaurant business. These include Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), with a $97 target; McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD), with a $218 target; Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), with a $337 target; and Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE: QSR), with a $77 target. Brinker, Chipotle, Dunkin’, Wendy’s and Yum Brands were all started with Sector Perform ratings in the new RBC coverage.

Wedbush has a cautious view of many homebuilders for 2020, after noting that there will be tougher comps in the second half of the year, while it actually sees the near-term setup looking enticing. The firm would maintain current holdings in the homebuilders and look to initiate new positions in names that have pulled back from recent highs. The firm’s Outperform names that fit that bill include Century Communities Inc. (NYSE: CCS), Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN), Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE: BZH) and Taylor Morrison Home Corp. (NYSE: TMHC).

Raymond James is bullish on oil surging in 2020 to 2021, and the firm has six strong buys for the outsized upside that will win if the firm is correct.

Monday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Adobe, Chevron, Dow, JD.com, Lululemon, 3M, Macy’s, Nucor, PNC, RH, RingCentral, WingStop, Zillow and many more.

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The futures traded slightly lower Wednesday morning after Speaker Pelosi announced on Tuesday that she is planning a formal impeachment inquiry of the president. Investors were not pleased when the headlines hit the tape yesterday, and we could have some follow-through selling today. This is a time when investors should be considering exactly how they want their portfolios and assets positioned for the final months of 2019 and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading, and additional comments and trading data have been added on some of the calls. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

Arvinas Inc. (NASDAQ: ARVN) was started with an Outperform rating at Wedbush, which has a $35 price target on the shares. That compares with the Wall Street consensus target of $29.50. The stock closed Tuesday at $23.67.

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Berry Global Group Inc. (NASDAQ: BERY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch. The analysts have set the price target for the stock at $51. The consensus target is higher at $58.25, and shares were last seen trading at $39.18.

BancCorpSouth Bank (NYSE: BXS) was raised to Buy from Hold at SunTrust, which raised its price target to $33. That compares to the consensus target of $30.78. The stock ended trading Tuesday at $29.07.

Chart Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: GTLS) was started with a Neutral rating and a $73 price target at JPMorgan. The consensus figure is much higher at $101.90. The last trade on Tuesday came in at $65.14.

Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) was started with a Buy rating at Benchmark, which has a $64 price target for the cable and media giant. The consensus target is much lower at $49.92. The shares closed Tuesday at $45.71.

Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) was downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital Markets. The firm also dropped the price target to $10. The consensus target is $8.17. The shares closed on Tuesday at $6.91.

Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ: GLUU) was started with a Buy rating and an $8 target at D.A. Davidson. That compares to the consensus target of $7.89. The stock ended Tuesday trading at $4.74.

Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (NYSE: HGV) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Janney, which has a $36 target. The consensus target is $34.86, and the closing price Tuesday was $32.69.

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Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) saw its target price raised to $220 at Telsey Advisory Group after the firm met with the retailer’s chief financial officer. The consensus price target is $226.89, and the stock ended Tuesday at $225.81.

Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HURN) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that this health care focused firm is expected to grow earnings by the double digits this year. Its shares most recently closed at $61.22, with a consensus price target of $67.33.

Ichor Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: ICHR) was downgraded from Outperform to Market Perform with a $26 price target at Cowen. The consensus target is $26.38, and the stock closed right in line at $26.00 on Tuesday.

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) was raised from Market Perform to Outperform with a $35 price target at Raymond James. The consensus target is $31.17. The stock closed above that level on Tuesday at $31.44.

Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) is another builder that was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Raymond James, which has a $61 price objective here. The consensus target is set at $60.13. The stock was last seen trading at $55.20.

Liberty Global PLC (NASDAQ: LBTYA) was downgraded to Equal Weight with a $30 price target from Overweight at Barclays. The consensus target is slightly lower at $29.37. The stock closed Tuesday at $24.74.

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI) was started with a Neutral rating and a $235 price target at Atlantic Equities. The consensus target is $247.50. The closing trade on Tuesday came in at $225.61.

Nabors Industries Inc. (NYSE: NBER) was downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital Markets. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $1.60 to $6.65, with a $3.51 consensus price target. The shares closed trading on Tuesday at $2.17 and were slightly lower in premarket action.

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Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that it thinks the North American RV market may be near the bottom. Shares last closed at $50.55. The consensus price target is $64.00.

Ultra Clean Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UCTT) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Cowen, which also lowered the target price to $18. The current consensus target is $17.60. Shares were last seen on Tuesday at $16.05.

Viper Energy Partners L.P. (NASDAQ: VNOM) was started with a Buy rating and a price objective of $35 at Goldman Sachs. That compares to the higher consensus target of $39.81. The stock ended Tuesday trading at $29.24.

Wayfair Inc. (NYSE: W) was started with a Neutral rating and a $125 price target at UBS. The consensus target is much higher at $154.41. The stock closed Tuesday at $116.04.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Apple, Blackstone, CBS, Global Payments, Netflix, Ralph Lauren, Walt Disney, Wynn Resorts and many more.

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Stocks closed 1% lower on the Dow Jones industrial average and 0.7% lower on the S&P 500 in Tuesday’s post-tariff trading session, but most of those losses were being made up on overseas strength on Wednesday. The bull market is well over 10 years old and the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all still have double-digit percentage gains so far in 2019. Investors should be considering how to position their portfolios and assets heading into late 2019 and as 2020 approaches.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while some calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading, and additional comments and trading data have been added on some of the calls. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations for Wednesday, September 4, 2019.

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) was reiterated as Overweight and its target price was raised to $81 from $80 at Piper Jaffray. Shares closed down 0.5% at $65.40 on Tuesday and were indicated up the same amount as it fell on Wednesday. AbbVie has a 52-week trading range of $62.66 to $96.60 and a consensus target price of $85.25.

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Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that this company has soared in 2019 to easily outpace the broader transportation-air market. Shares of Allegiant most recently closed at $141.56, with a consensus price target of $162.92.

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) was reiterated as Underperform and the price objective was lowered to $7 from $10 (versus a $7.40 prior close) at Merrill Lynch. It had a consensus target price of $12.92 ahead of this call, and its 52-week trading range is $7.25 to $23.60.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) was maintained as Buy but its target price was lowered to $8 from $10 (versus a $6.78 close, after a 14.6% drop) at Citigroup. The consensus target price was $12.95, and the 52-week trading range is $6.64 to $13.10.

Coupa Software Inc. (NASDAQ: COUP) was down over 3.2% at $134.40 on Tuesday ahead of earnings, but its shares were last seen up 11.3% at $149.60 in the post-earnings reactions. Oppenheimer reiterated its Outperform rating and raised the target price to $170 from $160. Goldman Sachs reiterated its Buy rating and raised its target to $174 from $140. Wedbush Securities reiterated its Outperform rating with a $180 target price, and Morgan Stanley maintained an Equal Weight rating but raised its target price to $146 from $122.

Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $180 from $150 at Oppenheimer. The stock closed down 0.3% at $155.63, and it had a consensus target price of $161.73 ahead of this call.

Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) was started with a Neutral rating at Northcoast Research. Shares closed at $226.87 and had a consensus target price of $283.29.

DuPont de Nemours Inc. (NYSE: DD) was reiterated as Overweight and the price target was raised to $85 from $78 (versus a $67.45 close) at Morgan Stanley.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy with a $42 target price at UBS. It closed down 1.37% at $39.74 and had a consensus target price of $42.21.

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) was removed from the Best Ideas List at Wedbush despite an Outperform rating and a $122 target price. The firm sees few near-term catalysts ahead of the launch of “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” in mid-November, and it is also less confident in upside to guidance for free-to-play title “Apex Legends” as the game seems to be performing within the guidance range over its first six months.

Internap Corp. (NASDAQ: INAP) was downgraded to Outperform from Strong Buy at Raymond James.

International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that the stock has tumbled 25% in the past year as part of a much broader industry downturn. Shares closed at $38.06, with a consensus price target of $48.08.

Kura Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: KURA) was reiterated as Outperform with a $30 target price (versus a $15.03 close) at Wedbush. The firm noted that positive Phase 2 data for tipifarnib in HRAS-mutant urothelial cancer met its primary endpoint.

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Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) was reiterated as Neutral and the price target was raised to $87 from $84 at UBS. Nike closed up 0.2% at $84.67 ahead of the call, and its consensus target price was $92.50. The 52-week range is $66.53 to $90.00.

ObsEva S.A. (NASDAQ: OBSV) was reiterated as Outperform with a $38 target price (versus a $9.73 close) at Wedbush. The firm noted that Nolasiban/IVF’s new data reinforces its bullish view, with Phase 3 study results due in the fourth quarter.

Papa John’s International Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $70 target price (versus a $46.59 close) at Northcoast Research.

Roku Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $185 from $135 (versus a $156.88 close) at D.A. Davidson. Roku has a consensus target price of $119.87 and a 52-week trading range of $26.30 to $157.22.

StoneCo Ltd. (NASDAQ: STNE) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $38 target price (versus a $30.09 close) at Guggenheim. This was Warren Buffett’s best performing stock of 2019, and its consensus target price was $34.67.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was reiterated as Underperform and the price objective was lowered to $47 from $58 (versus a $44.22 close, after a 3.7% drop) at Merrill Lynch. It had a consensus analyst target of $70.90 ahead of this call, and its 52-week trading range is $42.05 to $109.94.

Viad Corp. (NYSE: VVI) was reiterated as Buy and the price target is $85 (versus a $64.63 close) at Janney. The firm called Viad its favorite stock of the type in its coverage universe as an overlooked growth story with the potential benefit of strategic options in the future.

World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: WWE) was reiterated as Neutral and the price target was lowered to $79 from $86 at Citigroup. Evercore ISI started coverage as Outperform with a $90 target price. Shares closed down almost 3% at $69.37 ahead of the calls, and the prior consensus target price was $97.33.

Y-mAbs Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: YMAB) was started with an Outperform rating and assigned a $38 target price (versus a $25.61 close) at Wedbush. The firm called it undervalued, based on its core and late-stage market opportunities supporting the current share price at a low-cost to no-cost option to label expansions and earlier-stage pipeline efforts.

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If you are an income investor who just cannot stomach the low Treasury yields at this point (under 1.5% on the 10-year note), here are eight alternative investments to Treasury notes and bonds as the markets and yields stand at this point in 2019.

Wedbush has issued a report on the top regional banks and noted that the solid loan growth has been one of the few bright spots for the group this year. It has concerns over whether that loan growth can continue and sees a disconnect between positive borrower sentiment, strong loan pipelines and no signs of emerging credit deterioration, as well as how the media portrays the economy and the shape of the yield curve in particular. The report went on:

The fear is the headline risk of a recession turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. That said, we maintain our cautious view of the bank group given the unfavorable rate environment, which has gotten worse since July with the precipitous drop in the 10-year treasury. Plus, a number of leading economic indicators are down from recent peak levels and most are in a downtrend, making us even more cautious on our 2020 outlook. … We lowered our EPS estimates for our entire bank group by 2% in 2020 and are below consensus on almost every bank.

Tuesday’s top analyst calls included Annaly Capital Management, Amazon.com, Enterprise Products Partners, Kinder Morgan, Lululemon Athletica, RealReal, Snap, Square, Under Armour and many more.

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Stocks were indicated to open higher on Tuesday as bond yields appear to be stabilizing after the yield curve inverted late last week. Investors need to consider how they want their investments and assets positioned for the rest of the year and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new trading and investing ideas for our readers. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional commentary and trading data have been added on some of the daily analyst reports. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Tuesday, March 26, 2019.

Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) was maintained as Overweight and the price target was lowered to $35 from $47 (versus a $28.02 prior close) at Morgan Stanley.

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Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT) was raised to Outperform from Neutral with a $149 price target (versus a $121.97 close) at Macquarie.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was reiterated as Overweight and the price target was raised to $220 from $197 at Morgan Stanley. Piper Jaffray reiterated its Overweight rating and raised its target to $201 from $187. Still, Goldman Sachs maintained its Neutral rating and Oppenheimer maintained its Perform rating. Merrill Lynch kept its Buy rating but questioned why Apple released all this March when most of it will not be ready to roll out until the fall. Citi maintained its Buy rating and $220 target but warned that the event on Monday does not look like a new catalyst just on the merits of the new services.

Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $188 from $175 (versus a $154.69 close) at Credit Suisse. The firm feels Autodesk is able to achieve and likely exceed its long-term targets.

BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT) was raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) was under fire by activists to replace its entire board of directors, sending shares up 23% to $17.05 in early trading. Raymond James raised the shares to Strong Buy from Market Perform with a $20 price target.

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) was started with a Neutral rating at Merrill Lynch.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Inc. (NYSE: ELS) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform with a $112 price target (versus a $114.32 close) at Wells Fargo.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: INO) was started with an Overweight rating and assigned a $12 price target (versus a $3.62 prior close) at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Liquidia Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: LQDA) was reiterated as Outperform with a $49 price target (versus a $10.84 closing price) at Wedbush Securities, with the firm noting an extended cash runway after a capital raise and multiple potential catalysts in 2019 and 2020.

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Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) was started as Overweight and assigned a $200 target price (versus a $173.78 close) at Piper Jaffray. The consensus target price is $186.38, and the 52-week range is $124.46 to $292.76.

Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.

Sun Communities Inc. (NYSE: SUI) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform with a $118 price target (versus a $117.90 close) at Wells Fargo.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was started with an Underperform rating at Merrill Lynch.

United Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ: UTHR) was reiterated as Underperform and the target price was lowered to $98 from $105 (versus a $120.29 close) at Credit Suisse. The consensus target price is $126.00, and the 52-week trading range is $100.06 to $130.00.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTX) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at William Blair.

Voya Financial Inc. (NYSE: VOYA) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $66 from $59 (versus $48.07 close) at Credit Suisse.

Credit Suisse has addressed macro-views. On the inverted yield curve happening for the first time since August 2006, it has noted that the yield curve should steepen from current levels. Also, the firm expects that Chinese economic momentum should stabilize as opposed to accelerating, but that will still be a much better backdrop than in 2018.

Monday’s top analyst calls were in shares of Akamai Technologies, Analog Devices, Enphase Energy, LivePerson, NCR, Nu Skin, Tiffany, Valero Energy and many more.

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Stocks were looking for direction on Monday morning with a light news day. Friday’s small market gains put the Dow Jones industrial average up over 2,400 points from its lows on January 3, and investors need to consider how they want their assets positioned for the rest of 2019 and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional commentary has been added on most of the daily analyst reports, along with trading history. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen om Monday, February 4, 2019.

AON PLC (NYSE: AON) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $200 target price (versus a $167.46 prior close) at MKM Partners. Shares closed up 7.2% on Friday, and the stock has a consensus target price of $165.94. Its 52-week trading range is $134.79 to $168.49, and that high was also seen on Friday.

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ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was raised to Buy from Neutral and its target price was raised to $82 from $76 (versus a $68.678 close) at Goldman Sachs. Conoco has a 52-week range of $50.18 to $80.24, and its consensus target price was $74.72 ahead of the call.

Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE: ETH) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James. It closed down 0.5% at $18.89 on Friday, with a consensus target price of $22.75 and a 52-week trading range of $16.90 to $25.55.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) was started as Neutral with a $3.50 target price (versus a $3.78 close) at Goldman Sachs. Groupon has a 52-week range of $2.80 to $5.52, and it had a consensus target price of $4.26.

IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IAC) was started with a Neutral rating Goldman Sachs. Shares closed at $211.09 on Friday. The consensus target price is $237.30, and a 52-week trading range is $128.80 to $223.54.

Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ICPT) was raised to Strong Buy from Outperform at Raymond James.

JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $20 target price (versus a $15.15 close) at Goldman Sachs. It had a consensus target price of $12.80, and its 52-week trading range is $7.11 to $21.60.

KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform with an $18 price target (versus a $16.63 close) at Wedbush Securities. The call was based on valuation and on earnings inconsistency.

MacroGenics Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral and the target price was lowered to $10 from $22 (versus an $11.43 close) at Citigroup. The 52-week range is $11.00 to $32.74.

Match Group Inc. (NASDAQ: MTCH) was started with a Sell rating and assigned a $45 price target (versus a $54.73 close) at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed up 2.3% on Friday and were indicated down about 5% at $52.05 on Monday, with a prior consensus target price of $50.25.

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NextEra Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: NEP) was raised to Outperform from Neutral with a $44 price target (versus a $41.01 close) at Macquarie. Shares closed up 2.1% on Friday and have a 52-week range of $36.84 to $50.66. The consensus target price was $50.08.

Okta Inc. (NASDAQ: OKTA) was downgraded to Sector Weight from Overweight at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Shares closed up 1.4% at $83.56 on Friday but were indicated down almost 2% at $82.00 on Monday. The consensus target price was $76.41. The 52-week trading range is $27.71 to $83.58.

Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform with a $17 price target (versus a $15.33 close) at Wedbush, with the downgrade based on valuation and some fading catalysts that have caught up to the story.

Shutterfly Inc. (NASDAQ: SFLY) was started with a Sell rating and assigned a $40 target price (versus a $44.53 close) at Goldman Sachs. The stock had a consensus target price of $66.25, and it has a 52-week trading range of $35.08 to $100.34.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform with a $62 price target (versus a $63.89 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Triton International Ltd. (NYSE: TRTN) was downgraded to Underperform from Buy with a $32 price target (versus a $35.57 close) at Merrill Lynch.

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VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) was started with an In-Line rating and assigned a $160 price target (versus a $150.52 close) at Evercore ISI. The 52-week range is $108.46 to $169.25, and the consensus target price is $167.13.

WisdomTree Investments Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF) was maintained as Outperform but the target price was lowered to $8 at Credit Suisse. The firm lowered its earnings estimates due to a higher operating expense forecast. Citigroup also downgraded the stock to Sell from Neutral.

Xilinx Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy with a $122 price target (versus a $112.02 close) at Goldman Sachs. The consensus analyst target was $102.48, and the 52-week trading range is $62.27 to $113.44.

Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $42 target price (versus a $37.17 close) at Goldman Sachs. Yelp’s consensus target price was $37.18, and it has a 52-week range of $29.33 to $52.50.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ZBH) was reiterated as Underperform and the price target was lowered to $101 from $102 at Credit Suisse, with the company’s view of continued losses in the knee market outweighing an earnings beat and improving supply lifting sentiment.

Friday’s top analyst calls included Alibaba, Amazon.com, AVEO, Baker Hughes, Celgene, DowDuPont, Facebook, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, U.S. Steel and many more.

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Stocks have been trading mixed for the better part of two weeks now, and the major indices were looking for direction on Friday. The bull market is now over nine years old, and investors still are considering how they want to be positioned for the rest of 2018 and beyond. One trend that has kept working is for investors to buy all the big pullbacks.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some analyst and research reports cover stocks to buy. Others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional color and commentary has been added on most of the daily analyst reports. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and other research calls from Friday, March 16, 2018.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $36 from $35 at Credit Suisse, with the firm raising earnings estimates in 2018 and 2019. Bank of America has a 52-week trading range of $22.07 to $33.05, and it has a consensus analyst target price of $34.62.

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Broadcom Ltd. (NASDAQ: AVGO) was up 2.75% at $267.76 ahead of earnings and was last seen down 1.6% at $263.50 afterward. JPMorgan started coverage as Overweight with a $340 price target, and Wells Fargo started coverage as Market Perform. Broadcom has a 52-week range of $208.44 to $285.68.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP) was started with an Outperform rating at CIBC. Shares closed at $40.50 and have a 52-week range of $36.51 to $46.88.

Dominion Energy Inc. (NYSE: D) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, and UBS downgraded it to Neutral from Buy. The shares closed down 3.1% at $71.24 on Thursday and were indicated down 0.7% at $70.75 on Friday.

Farmland Partners Inc. (NYSE: FPI) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform and the $9 fair value estimate was maintained as Janney. The firm fears an expected global retaliation against tariffs with respect to U.S. exports of soybeans, corn, wheat and other agricultural products.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) was started with a Neutral rating and assigned a $4.80 price target (versus a $4.76 prior close) at Barclays. Intelsat has a 52-week range of $2.44 to $7.47 and a consensus price target of $3.44.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $325 price target at Loop Capital. Netflix has a 52-week range of $138.66 to $333.98 and a consensus price target of $280.15.

NextEra Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: NEP) was raised to Buy from Underperform with a $43 price objective (versus a $39.12 close) at Merrill Lynch, with the firm noting that it has a strong pipeline through 2022.

Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to receive the daily analyst calls and other market research calls directly on your feed.

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Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA) was reiterated as Outperform with a $73 price target (versus a $61.85 close) at Wedbush Securities. The firm says that Pegasystems is winning new customers and large contracts over major CRM vendors, and that it is really the only CRM major with capabilities in robotic automation.

Quality Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: QTS) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $45 price target (versus a $37.09 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Tenaris S.A. (NYSE: TS) was raised to Neutral from Sell at UBS. The stock closed down 1.4% at $35.01 on Thursday but was indicated up 1.7% at $35.61 on Friday. The 52-week range is $25.91 to $37.48, and the consensus price target is $35.63.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was raised to Buy from Hold at Argus, with the independent research firm saying that the pullback has provided a favorable entry point for new investors. Thor closed down 1.7% at $120.74 on Thursday and was indicated up 1.9% at $123.10 on Friday morning, in a 52-week range of $87.96 to $161.48 and with a consensus target price of $164.67.

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (NASDAQ: FOXA) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $43 price target (versus a $37.15 close) at Loop Capital. The 52-week range is $24.81 to $39.14, and the consensus price target is $40.91.

WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the price objective was raised to $240 from $236 (versus a $193.57 close) at Merrill Lynch. WellCare has a 52-week range of $136.23 to $221.75 and a consensus price target of $228.53.

Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) was raised to Outperform from Neutral and the price target was raised to $135 from $95 (versus a $102.23 close) at Robert W. Baird. Western Digital has a 52-week range of $71.38 to $104.60 and a consensus price target of $113.89.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $54 price target (versus a $42.95 close) at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. It has a 52-week range of $24.15 to $58.65, and the consensus price target is $57.86.

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RBC Capital Markets has identified four potential technology buyout targets.

Deutsche Bank has five serious airline picks for upside ahead.

Robert W. Baird sees four top American restaurant destinations as attractive for investors’ appetites too.

You might not believe just how much March Madness is capturing in gambling dollars.

Thursday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades were in shares of AON, Broadcom, Expedia, Exxon Mobil, Match, Mylan, Ocean Rig UDW, Signet, Transocean and many more.

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Stocks have hit new all-time highs in recent days, and they are indicated to open higher on Friday. The trend that has continued to prevail has been for investors to buy all the big market sell-offs. Investors are also looking for new investing and trading ideas to generate gains and income ahead.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week in an effort to find some of those new investing and trading ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of the daily analyst reports and research reports cover stocks to buy. Other reports cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional color and commentary has been added on most of these daily analyst calls. The consensus analyst price targets mentioned and other valuation metrics are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and other research calls from Friday, December 8, 2017.

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Align Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) was started as Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Athenahealth Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) was started as Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Ball Corp. (NYSE: BLL) was downgraded to Underweight from Sector Weight with a $36 price target (versus a $40.81 prior close) at Keybanc Capital Markets. The 52-week trading range is $35.65 to $43.24, and the consensus analyst target price is $45.00.

Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) was raised to Strong Buy from Buy with a $32 price target at Needham. The stock was down 0.8% at $25.04 on Thursday and indicated up 2.8% at $25.75 on Friday morning. It has a 52-week range of $20.69 to $29.93 and a consensus target price of $31.27.

Capstead Mortgage Corp. (NYSE: CMO) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

Carvana Co. (NYSE: CVNA) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Checkpoint Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CKPT) was started as Buy with an $11 price target (versus a $4.71 close) at H.C. Wainwright.

Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight with a $22 price target (versus a $20.76 close) at Piper Jaffray. The shares were indicated down 0.6% at $20.64 on Friday. It has a 52-week range of $19.40 to $27.98, and a consensus target price of $28.06.

Fairmount Santrol Holdings Inc. (NYSE: FMSA) was started as Buy with an $8 price target (versus a $4.85 close) at Seaport Global.

Flowserve Corp. (NYSE: FLS) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral with a $37 price target (versus a $42.65 close) at Goldman Sachs. The 52-week range is $37.51 to $52.10, and the consensus target price is $43.46.

GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) was started with a Neutral rating and assigned a $52 price target (versus a $48.15 close) at Wedbush Securities. The analyst called it a good strategy and execution but said it’s priced in and full valued. It has a 52-week range of $34.27 to $51.29 and a consensus target price of $52.64.

Gulfport Energy Corp. (NASDAQ: GPOR) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $26 price target (versus a $12.35 close) at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. While this is a call for shares to double and then some, its volatility is evident with a 52-week trading range of $10.90 to $29.92.

Henry Schein Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) was started as Buy and the price target was set at $79 (versus a $67.57 close) at Deutsche Bank. It has a 52-week range of $65.28 to $93.50 and a consensus target price of $81.17.

Hi-Crush Partners L.P. (NYSE: HCLP) was started as Buy with a $17 price target (versus a $10.10 close) at Seaport Global.

Ingersoll-Rand PLC (NYSE: IR) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral with a $35 price target (versus a $37.36 close) at Goldman Sachs.

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Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) was started as Neutral with a $10.50 price target (versus a $10.52 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Lipocine Inc. (NASDAQ: LPCN) was started as Buy and assigned a $10 price target (versus $3.46 close) at H.C. Wainwright.

Medidata Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: MDSO) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $78 price target (versus a $65.47 close) at Deutsche Bank.

Perrigo Co. PLC (NYSE: PRGO) was raised to Buy from Hold at Argus.

Repligen Corp. (NASDAQ: RGEN) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $45 price target (versus a $34.58 close) at Citigroup. The 52-week range is $28.48 to $46.81. The consensus analyst target is $45.29.

Sage Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SAGE) was up huge on Thursday and up another 5% at $164.43 on Friday’s early indications. Canaccord Genuity maintained its Buy rating but raised its target all the way up to $190 from $140. The consensus analyst target was $185 or so.

Silgan Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: SLGN) was downgraded to Underweight from Sector Weight with a $25 price target (versus a $28.99 close) at Keybanc Capital Markets. It has a 52-week range of $25.16 to $32.50 and a consensus target price of $30.83.

Smart Sand Inc. (NASDAQ: SND) was started as Buy with a $15 price target (versus a $7.90 close) at Seaport Global. It has a 52-week range of $4.81 to $21.99 and a consensus target price of $9.03.

Synaptics Inc. (NASDAQ: SYNA) was raised to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer, with the firm noting that the major mobile exposure has been reduced and is priced in.

Teladoc Inc. (NYSE: TDOC) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $39 price target (versus a $33.75 close) at Deutsche Bank. It has a 52-week range of $15.65 to $37.90.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Argus.

U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SLCA) was started as Buy with a $59 price target (versus a $32.47 close) at Seaport Global. The consensus target price is $43.23. Shares have traded between $24.26 and $61.49 in the past year.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ: VOD) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays. Its American depositary shares were indicated up 0.5% to $31.22, in a 52-week range of $24.31 to $31.25. The consensus target price is $37.12.

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As far as how the market is valued now given the gains that have been seen: the S&P 500 is valued at roughly 20.3 times expected 2017 normalized earnings per share and valued at roughly 19 times expected 2018 normalized earnings per share.

For a 2018 outlook, large-cap biotech looks good for both growth and value investors alike.

Also for 2018, here is how Exxon Mobil, GE, IBM, Merck and Disney almost accidentally could become the top performing Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks.

Thursday’s top analyst calls included Aetna, AIG, Applied Materials, AutoZone, Delphi, First Solar, Toll Brothers and many more.

Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to receive the daily analyst calls and other market research calls directly on your feed.

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[cnxvideo id=”655243″ placement=”ros”]Stocks may be at all-time highs, but a lack of catalysts has shares soft on Friday. Low interest rates and a lack of other asset classes offering a return keep pushing investors toward stocks. The bull market is now seven and a half years old. Regardless of the issues, investors keep proving that they will buy any market sell-off. It is also the case that investors are looking for new ideas to generate income or gains.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning of the week. The goal is to find new investing and trading ideas. Some of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy. Others feature stocks to sell or avoid.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Friday morning:

AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) was downgraded to Underweight from Sector Weight with a $4 price target by KeyBanc Capital Markets. Shares closed most recently at $5.15, in 52-week trading range of $1.64 to $7.09. The consensus analyst price target is $5.75.

Allergan PLC (NYSE: AGN) was raised to Buy from Hold and the price target was raised to $318 from $246 (versus a $252.93 prior close) at Mizuho. It has a 52-week range of $195.50 to $322.68 and a consensus price target of $295.38.

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ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan. The stock closed at $6.55, has a 52-week range of $2.93 to $8.44 and has a consensus price target of $7.86.

Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $26.50 price target (versus a $23.11 close) at Citigroup. Jefferies reiterated a Hold rating and $20 target. Symantec has a 52-week range of $16.14 to $23.17 and a consensus price target of $23.60.

Teck Resources Ltd. (NYSE: TCK) was started with a Sell rating and given a lower price target of $10 (versus a $16.50 close) at Berenberg. The consensus price target is $14.69, and the 52-week range is $2.56 to $16.94.

United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) was downgraded to Underweight from Sector Weight with a $18 price target at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Shares closed at $21.81. The stock has a consensus target price of $21.73 and a 52-week range of $6.15 to $27.64.

You can follow @Jonogg on Twitter if you want the daily analyst calls and research updates directly on your Twitter feed.

Other key analyst upgrades and downgrades were seen as follows:

Angie’s List Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGI) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $12 price target (versus an $8.99 close) at Raymond James.

Aratana Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PETX) was started as Buy with a $13 price target (versus an $8.96 close) at Jefferies.

Cardtronics PLC (NASDAQ: CATM) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform with a $57 price target (versus a $54.67 close) at Credit Suisse.

Hormel Foods Corp. (NYSE: HRL) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $44 price target (versus a $37.04 close) at BMO Capital Markets.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (NYSE: MAA) was raised to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

NetEase Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

NiSource (NYSE: NI) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral with a $25 price target (versus a $24.99 close) at Credit Suisse.

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Olympic Steel Inc. (NASDAQ: ZEUS) was downgraded to Underweight from Sector Weight at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RH) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) was downgraded to Sector Weight from Overweight at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Wunderlich.

The latest data from S&P shows the following data for second-quarter earnings season: The S&P 500 is trading at 18.0 times the forward 12 month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Excluding the energy sector drag, S&P 500 earning per share (EPS) growth would be a gain of 2.9%. The earnings beat rate is currently 65%, with 93% of the S&P having reported earnings so far. Aggregate S&P 500 earnings are estimated at $29.16 and down 2.1% year over year, which would much better than the 5.2% decline expected at the start of earnings season.

Here is an analyst montage view and news analysis of how much Medivation Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN) might actually fetch in its buyout quest.

Thursday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Cisco, Enterprise Products, J.C. Penney, Kinder Morgan, NetApp, Priceline, Digital Ally and over a dozen more.

The post Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: AK Steel, Allergan, ArcelorMittal, Symantec, Teck Resources, US Steel, Emerson, Hormel and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Stocks were marginally higher on Thursday morning in hopes of European Central Bank quantitative easing. Investors have shown time and gain that they will buy stocks when they go on sale or when they see value. 24/7 Wall St. looks over dozens of analyst research reports each morning to find new trading and investing ideas for its readers. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, and some cover stocks to sell or avoid. These are this Thursday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades from 24/7 Wall St.

Avago Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: AVGO) is up big after solid earnings and guidance. Canaccord Genuity reiterated its Buy rating and raised the price target to $122 from $97.

Avis Budget Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR) was started as Outperform with a $72 price target (versus a $59.81 close) at Credit Suisse.

BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) was started as Overweight at Barclays.

CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.

Energy Transfer Partners L.P. (NYSE: ETP) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: INFI) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) was started as Overweight with a $45 price target (versus a $40.44 close) at Barclays.

KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR) was started as Overweight with a $26 price target (versus a $21.98 close) at Barclays.

ALSO READ: Good News on Kinder Morgan’s Dividend on Low Oil

Mobileye N.V. (NYSE: MBLY) was raised to Buy from Hold and given a $53 price target (versus a $41.81 close) at Deutsche Bank after having lost one-third of its value from the post-IPO peak.

Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO) was downgraded to Underperform from Buy at Merrill Lynch.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital Markets.

Tupperware Brands Corp. (NYSE: TUP) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS after its big run-up.

ALSO READ: The Best and Worst Run States in America

In case you missed Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades, they were in BP, Cypress Semiconductor, El Pollo Loco, CBOE, Halliburton, J.C. Penney, SanDisk and a dozen or so more.

In addition, 24/7 Wall St. is looking at the Dow laggards to see what could potentially turn them around in 2015. Here is what could make Exxon and Chevron the best performing DJIA stocks in 2015. Also, here is what could make IBM the best performing DJIA stock of 2015, or even make McDonald’s the best DJIA stock of 2015.

The post Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Avis, BHP, CSX, Mobileye, Walmart, P&G and More appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The steel industry tends to go with the pulse of U.S. and international economic growth. Mired in slow growth for years, the top steel stocks became relegated to the Wall Street doghouse. They were forced to slow operations to a crawl and furlough workers. New growth in the car and airline business, and a resumption of building primarily in commercial real estate, are starting to heat up the space again.

In a Tuesday research report from UBS, the steel analysts are cautiously optimistic on a return to growth for the steel industry. They believe that steel demand is heating up and the automotive and manufacturing sectors can drive that growth forward. While they expect steel prices actually will fall next year, the producers that have lowered costs and restructured are poised to do very well. Here are stocks to buy and the stocks to avoid in the steel industry.

Nucor Corp. (NYSE: NUE) remains a top stock to buy at UBS. Nucor earned $0.46 a share in the third quarter, up from $0.26 in the first quarter and $0.27 in the second. The sequential jump is impressive and keeps earnings moving in the right direction. Investors are paid a 2.9% dividend. UBS has lifted its price target on the stock recently from $50 to $52. The Thomson/First Call consensus target is at $53. Nucor closed Monday at $50.73.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: STLD) is the other steel stock to buy at UBS. Solid results from the company’s core steel operations segment were the main driver behind better-than-expected third-quarter results. The strong steel results were driven by higher shipments and larger metal margin (high realized prices and decline in scrap costs). UBS has a $21 price target for the stock, and the consensus is at $18. The stock closed Monday at $18.29.

In this report, the UBS analysts were not very positive on other names for a variety of reasons. They expect that higher fixed and legacy type costs will have a severe impact on some of the other well-known names in the sector. Both Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. (NYSE: RS) and the venerable United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) were downgraded to Neutral ratings. AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) and ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) were downgraded to Sell, based on what UBS called very deteriorating fundamentals.

The solid rise in the U.S. automotive industry bodes extremely well for the top companies there. Both Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) have had one of the best sales years in a decade. Auto parts makers like TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW) also stand to benefit. With the average age of American consumers’ cars growing every year, the business and sales of these companies are poised to grow for some time. Sales increases will help the top steel names to buy.

Top manufacturing names also will benefit from the improved economy. Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI), Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR) and Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) will all ratchet up their use of steel and steel products as things improve.

The steel industry is a deeply cyclical one that depends on economic growth. The past five years have been very tough. Fortunately, many of the executives at these top firms have seen bad times before. Those that planned accordingly and made the right corporate moves are now ready to benefit as business returns.

The post UBS Thinks Steel Is Ready to Shine: Stocks to Buy and Sell appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall St. research calls this Wednesday. With this being the week of Christmas, analyst upgrades and downgrades are likely going to be very light until after January 2.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Avery Dennison Corp. (NYSE: AVY) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

BP PLC (NYSE: BP) reiterated Hold but raised estimates at Argus.

Conns Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN) named as growth stock of the day at Zacks.

Culp Inc. (NYSE: CFI) named value stock of the day at Zacks.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) reiterated Buy with $42 target at Argus.

Credit Suisse commented that Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) could make the software as a service (SaaS) market come with higher multiples. Those noted positively were RNOW and TLEO, and others were CNQR, CSOD, CTCT, JIVE, MKTG, RP, SNCR and ULTI.

Most investors and traders were out on Monday, but here are some of the standout calls that were still listed with upgrades and downgrades on Monday:

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) reiterated Buy but the price target was raised to $33 from $25 at Needham.

General Motor Co. (NYSE: GM) started as Buy with $35 price target at Goldman Sachs.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) reiterated Buy but price target was raised to $26 from $19 at Needham.

Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) reiterated Buy with $76 target at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

24/7 Wall St. again reiterates its Strong Sell rating on the Mayan Calendar.

JON C. OGG

The post Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (A, AVY, BP, CONN, CFI, THO, ORCL, FB, GM, YHOO, YUM) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning, but only the DJIA remained negative until the afternoon. Economic news from Europe was mixed ahead of a G7 meeting related to Spain (our story here). Asian markets were higher yesterday, but not enough to really influence today’s US markets. The non-manufacturing PMI number was released after the US markets opened and provided a lift to equities (our story here). Financial stocks supported the market all day (our story here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.34% at 82.837. The GSCI commodity index is up about 0.5% at 584.39, with commodities prices mixed. WTI crude oil closed up 0.4%% at $84.29/barrel. Brent crude trades down -0.06% at $98.79/barrel. Natural gas rose 1.3% today to $2.45/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up 0.2% today, at $1,616.90/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 26 points to 12,127.88 (0.22%), the NASDAQ rose more than 18 points (0.66%) to 2,778.11, and the S&P 500 rose 0.57% or more than 7 points to 1,285.50.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Dollar General (NYSE: DG) reiterated as ‘buy’ at BMO Capital Markets; Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) raised to ‘market perform’ at JMP Securities; Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) cut to ‘hold’ at ThinkEquity; Catalyst Health Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSI) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; and United Rentals Inc. (NYSE: URI) started as ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have been scarce, but here are some price changes for reporting companies as of the last half hour of trading today: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is up 14.6% at $1.02; United Natural Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) is up 2.5% at $51.47 after posting a new 52-week high of $53.99 earlier today; Layne Christensen Co. (NASDAQ: LAYN) is up 3.4% at $19.23; and Dollar General is down -3.4% at $46.83.

On Wednesday, we are scheduled to get earnings reports from Harry Winston Diamond Corp. (NYSE: HWD), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV), Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO), and Men’s Wearhouse Inc. (NYSE: MW).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Westport Innovations Inc. (NASDAQ: WPRT) is up 20.5% at $26.84. The diesel engine technology company has entered a joint development deal with Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT). More coverage here.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is up 8.9% at $9.75. The online coupon provider had no news other than a positive analyst’s appraisal.

Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is down -10.4% at $38.86. The wholesale provider of industrial and construction supplies reported weak sales for May.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Altlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo, San Francisco Fed President John Williams, and Fed Vice-Chair Janet Yellen are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 8:30 a.m. – Productivity and costs data
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
• 2:00 p.m. – Beige book
• 3:00 p.m. – Treasury STRIPS

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Paul Ausick

The post 24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — June 5, 2012 (DG, MRVL, BRCD, CHSI, URI, JASO, UNFI, LAYN, HWD, HOV, MW, THO, WPRT, CAT, GRPN, FAST) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Tuesday morning.

AON Corporation (NYSE: AON) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) Reiterated Outperform with $26 target at Credit Suisse.
Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR) Started as Sell at Cantor Fitzgerald.
Digital River Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) Started as Buy with $230 target at Stern Agee.  (LINK: FULL DETAILS)
Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack Inc. (NYSE: PBY) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE: SNH) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
Seaspan Corporation (NYSE: SSW) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Started as Underweight at Barclays.
Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) downgraded to Hold at RBS and Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
Sunoco Logistics, LP (NYSE: SXL) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) Cut to Sell at Brean Murray.
Zoltek Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZOLT) Cut to Underperform at Needham (LINK: FULL SUMMARY).

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

The post Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AON, AZN, CSCO, DLR, DRIV, HSIC, IBM, PBY, CRM, SNH, SSW, SIRI, SOHU, SXL, THO, URBN, ZOLT) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These are some of this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls.

Cabela’s Inc. (NYSE: CAB) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Hercules Tech Growth Capital (NASDAQ: HTGC) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Micron Technology Inc. (NYSE: MU) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc. (NYSE: MSM) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Raised to Neutral at Janney.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan; Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Treehouse Foods Inc. (NYSE: THS) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

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JON C. OGG

The post Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (CAB, EMR, HTGC, MU, MSM, NFLX, LUV, S, THO, THS) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Earnings season has all but ended as far as the great market-movers.  That does not mean that there are not some interesting companies reporting earnings that need to be watched.  The corporate earnings reports that we will be watching are Fuelcell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL), The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY), Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV), Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU), National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM), and Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR).

We have added in Thomson Reuters estimates, added in price action, and added in color if appropriate on each. As a reminder, some of the days and estimates could have changed, and many may change before the actual reports.

Fuelcell Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL) is due on Monday and this one has been a disaster in alternative energy.  We do not even care about the losses nor do we interpret anything that the company says as being a sector-moving event. All that matters is whether or not the company can reach profits by 2013 or so.

The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY) is just one more auto parts company with earnings, but it is one which some investors are hoping is a buyout.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.30 EPS and $537.03 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.25 EPS and $534.44 million in revenues.  With shares around $13.60, the 52-week range is $7.86 to $15.96.

Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) is not about the movie, but it is about RVs. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.67 EPS and $848.92 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.83 EPS and $869.73 million in revenues.  With shares around $31.00, the 52-week range is $20.74 to $39.12.

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is due on Tuesday and we are not expecting anything of any merit other than from “other operations” as housing data just stinks now.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.51 EPS and $263 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are -$0.38 EPS and $341.35 million in revenues.  With shares around $2.46, the 52-week range is $2.31 to $6.19.

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) is due Wednesday and the equipment maker could have some very volatile shares as traders will have very little else to focus on.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.10 EPS and $428.1 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.06 EPS and $456.42 million in revenues.  With shares around $25.30, the 52-week range is $11.86 to $29.24.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) is due next Thursday and it has been impossible to not notice that the chart is becoming strained after a monster run up in the yoga and athletic-wear retailer.  Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.38 EPS and $180.91 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.40 EPS and $196.95 million in revenues.  With shares around $87.25, the 52-week range is $31.08 to $102.83.  We do not expect that investors will be happy with a “meet and reaffirm guidance” quarter.  As a reminder, we saw this as one of the top analyst calls of last week based upon its chart and valuation.

National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) is due next Thursday and we want to remind that this is only being evaluated for the Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) angle. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.27 EPS and $365.15 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.29 EPS and $374.9 million in revenues.

Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) is due with earnings next Friday morning. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.33 EPS and $242.89 million in revenue; next quarter estimates are $0.38 EPS and $253.9 million in revenues.  With shares around $21.57, the 52-week range is $11.98 to $46.09.  Keep in mind that this one got killed last quarter as shares fell from $40 to $25 and its shares have traded in a range of $21 to $25 almost ever since.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, dividend trends, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

The post Key Earnings to Watch This Coming Week (FCEL, PBY, THO, HOV, CIEN, LULU, NSM, TXN, FNSR) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO) is not a typical company we would cover for an earnings report.  Today is no normal earnings report.  The company did post rather impressive numbers, but that is not the issue.  The company disclosed in its press release that it may have restatements on prior reports due to auditor discussions.  If there are two phases investors hate, it is “restatements” and “material adverse events.”

Net income for the quarter was $34.1 million versus $2.1 million a year ago; earnings were $0.66 EPS versus estimates from Thomson Reuters of $0.60 EPS.  Sales for the quarter were $680.19 million, up 64% from $415.47 million a year ago and versus $679.1 million expected.

The problem is not earnings.  It is accounting.  These were preliminary results that have not been completed under auditor review.  And the possible restatement is what hurt shares today.  As started by the company:

• “The Company will file a Form 12b-25 (Notification of Late Filing and Application for Extension to File) with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 30, 2010 (the “Company’s 10-Q”).  The extension is required because the Company’s independent auditor, Deloitte & Touche LLP (“Deloitte”), has not yet completed its review of the interim financial statements to be included in the Company’s 10-Q due to their evaluation of certain accounting positions previously taken by the Company….. Deloitte is addressing issues relating to the accounting treatment for (a) the Company’s transactions with Stephen Adams and FreedomRoads that were consummated in January 2009, and (b) repurchase reserves relating to agreements with lenders to the Company’s independent dealers and revenue recognition issues with respect to transactions with its independent dealers.  The Company’s accounting treatment for these matters is described in the Company’s 10-K.  The Company continues to work with Deloitte to address these matters.  If the Company is required to change its accounting for these items, there could be material adverse changes to the Company’s results of operations and financial condition for fiscal 2009 and for the first three quarters of fiscal 2010.”

Material adverse changes, that won’t give anyone out there (except short sellers) a THO for Thor….  We have seen over 5 million shares trade hands and the stock is down 6% at $26.34.  At the peak of selling today, the stock briefly traded under $21.00 per share.  The 52-week trading range is $16.65 to $36.85 and the average daily volume is a mere 750,000 shares.

JON C. OGG

The post Thor Drops Accounting Hammer (THO) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) hit a yearly high of $97.33 as options traders place bets in anticipation of positive earnings.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) hit a yearly high of $28.58 as Citigroup gives the company a buy rating in anticipation of the declaration of a dividend or stock buy backs in 2010.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) hit a yearly high of $43.68 as rumors of a takeover circulated.  The shares promptly dropped as the rumored purchaser, Danone SA, denied the reports.

Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) hit a yearly high of $30.64 as it reported that its 4Q profits had quadrupled.  

Valassis Communications (NYSE: VCI) hit a yearly high of $25.25, boosted by positive news coming out of Gannett.

Walgreen Company (NYSE: WAG) hit a yearly high of $37.53 after the company’s earnings beat analysts estimates.

Garrett W. McIntyre

The post 52-Week High Club appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

It almost never matter what the markets do anymore.  Some stocks just can’t get it right.  Most of these lows that we chose to outline did not even have real news out themselves today.  We decided to include the closing bell levels.

• DJIA          8,468.48 (+48.99; +0.58%)
• NASDAQ   1,524.90 (+3.36; +0.22%)
• S&P500     868.15 (+4.99; +0.58%)

Here are some of today’s 52-week low stocks and brief comments:

STOCK (TICKER)                                    Low      Prev.Low
Atlas Pipeline Partners (APL)                   $5.00     $5.39

• Just do not look at the dividend, it is not one you can trust.

4 Kids Entertain. (KDE)                            $1.97      $2.01

• At least it is close to book, or before you start factoring for losses and settlements.

Hansen Medical, Inc. (HNSN)                   $6.16       $6.20

• So much for protection in medical devices, so much for "the next ISRG" as a stock.

IPC The Hospitalist Company, (IPCM)       $13.46   $13.50

• This was formerly one of the few post-IPO’s which was doinggreat. Physician practices are not immune to recessions, and futureoperations may not be as protected or profitable as in prior years witha new administration.

Lufkin Industries, Inc. (LUFK)                    $32.00   $32.02

• Oil field pump units and highway trailers deep in the heart of Texas, with those two downstream sectors in the tank.

Synaptics Incorporated (SYNA)                  $14.43   $14.69

• Buying fewer cellphones means less need for toughscreen phone technology.

Thor Industries (THO)                                $12.09     $12.32

• RV’ing stinks as a business in a recession, even if gas is finally affordable again.

Track Data Corporation (TRAC)                  $0.82    $0.85

• Great investment and news tools, but crummy market has more and more players hanging up their hats.

Transocean (RIG)                                      $41.95   $43.25

• Low oil prices, offshore drilling too expensive for new projects to be started now; shares down roughly 75%.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the 24/7 Wall St. team!!!!

The post Coal for Christmas: Stocks on 52-Week Lows (APL, KDE, HNSN, IPCM, LUFK, SYNA, THO, TRAC, RIG) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These are some of the top pre-market analyst upgrades we are seeing this Wednesday morning:

• Comerica (CMA) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.
• Iron Mountain (IRM) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
• Regions Financial (RF) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.
• SPSS Inc. (SPSS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
• TD Ameritrade (AMTD) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
• Thor Industries (THO) Raised to Neutral at Baird.
• Transdigm Group (TDG) Raised to Buy at UBS.

Jon C. Ogg
November 5, 2008

The post Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (CMA, FITB, IRM, RF, SPSS, AMTD, THO, TDG) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO) issued its preliminary sales and backlog guidance, and as the company sells RV’s you could have likely guessed that sales were down sharply.  Thor said that for the quarter ended October 31, sales were roughly $439.2 million.  This is down a sharp 42% from $763.7 million last year, and significantly under estimates.

The company did not give earnings guidance.  ThomsonReuters (First Call) has estimates listed as over $484 million inrevenues, and the lowest estimates was just under $420 million.

RV sales were pretty grim.  The quarterly sales came in at roughly$331.2 million.  This is a drop of more than 50% from the$664.2 million seen last year.

The company better be thankful that it sells buses.  It reported thatquarterly bus sales were $108.0 million, a gain of 8.5% from $99.5million reported last year. 

One key area to focus on is backlog, as this is used to measurefuture strength or weakness.  Thatis not looking good at all. 

Thor’s backlog at the end ofthe quarter was $381.2 million, down almost 20% from the $476.1 million backlogat the end the same quarter in 2007.   RV backlog was$124.5 million, down a sharp 50% from the $249.7 million last year.Its backlog in buses was up more than 13% from lastyear to $256.6 million.

The company listed its cash and equivalents at roughly $286 million,which the company said will give it "a significant competitiveadvantage in these difficult times."  Thor better hoard that cash allit can.  It sounds like it is going to need it.

Thor’s shares have already been smacked by Thor’s Hammer.  Shares aredown 0.5% at $17.57 today, but the 52-week trading range is $14.68 to$46.00.  Its current market cap is $975 million.

Winnebago Industries Inc. (WGO), its key competitor in RV sales, isactually doing far worse in stock performance.  Its shares are downless than 1% today at $5.95, but its 52-week trading range is $4.22 to$24.83.

If you have ever wanted to own an RV and flush with cash to go on along driving tour around the USA, the RV dealers right now willprobably cut you the deal of a lifetime.

Jon C. Ogg
November 4, 2008

The post Thor’s RV Sales Follow Credit Off The Cliff (THO, WGO) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These are not all of the analyst downgrades this Monday morning, but these are some of the standout calls we have seen affecting shares early with more than two hours to the open:

• Apple (AAPL) Cut to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Bankrate (RATE) Cut to Neutral at Merriman Curhan Ford.
• ConocoPhillips (COP) Cut To Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
• Infinera (INFN) Cut To Sell at Goldman Sachs.
• Motorola (MOT) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
• Smart Modular Tech (SMOD) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• TheStreet.com (TSCM) Cut to Neutral at Merriman Curhan Ford.
• Thor Industries (THO) Cut to Underperform at Baird.
• Washington Mutual (WM) Cut to Underperform at KBW.
• Winnebago Industries (WGO) Cut to Underperform at Baird.

Jon C. Ogg
September 29, 2008

The post Early Bird Analyst Downgrades (AAPL, RATE, COP, INFN, MOT, SMOD, TSCM, THO, WM, WGO) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Collective Brands (PSS) An unfavorable verdict in a lawsuit with Adidas.Drops to $9.14 from 52-week high of $37.20

Sunoco  (SUN) Analyst downgrade. Down to $43.88 from 52-week high of $80.40.

Thor Industries (THO) Bad quarter, new CFO. Drops to $25.18 from 52-week high of $52.31.

DSP Group (DSPG) Falls on week quarter. Down to $8.97 from 52-week high of $22.30.

Franklin Bank  (FBTX) Company drops out of S&P Small Cap index. Drops to $.83 from 52-week high of $17.

Douglas A McIntyre

The post The 52-Week Low Club (PSS)(SUN)(THO) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..