Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ABT, AMZN, APO, CAT, HD, MA, KORS, MSFT, OXY, SNDK, TTM, V, ZUMZ)

April 12, 2013 by Jon C. Ogg

Investors and traders are looking for new ideas as the markets challenge new all-time highs to generate income and profits. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many analyst calls and research notes to find great ideas from value stocks to growth stocks to dividend stocks. Some are stocks to buy and some are stocks to sell. These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from select Wall St. research calls this Friday.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) reiterated Outperform with $334 price target at Credit Suisse.

Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO) started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) was one of our fresh stocks that need to catch up to the bull market. Now Credit Suisse is maintaining its Outperform rating but is cutting the price target down to $110 from $123 on the equipment and machinery giant.

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.

MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) cut to Neutral from Buy at Stern Agee.

Michael Kors Holding Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) started as Underperform at CLSA.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) took at least three big downgrades on Thursday, and now CLSA has downgraded the software giant to Outperform from Buy and the $36 target was cut to $34.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) reiterated Buy with $105 price target at Argus.

SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) started as Market Perform at BMO.

Tata Motors Ltd. (NYSE: TTM) started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) cut to Neutral from Buy at Stern Agee.

Zumiez Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) raised to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Merrill Lynch sees upside earnings surprises from these eight large companies during earnings season.

UBS is calling the pullback in refining stocks a buying opportunity and the firm also gave a list of MLPs that are still very safe to buy.

Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored

A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.