Top Analyst Downgrades and Stocks to Sell: Cepheid, J.C. Penney, Walmart and More

October 1, 2013 by Jon C. Ogg

Bull and BearVolatility has resumed in stocks, and investors are looking for bargains. They also are looking to see where they need to protect their portfolios. Investors often get to see analyst reports with Buy ratings but are left in the dark about when to sell or avoid a stock. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many fresh research calls each and every morning to find great ideas, and these are this Tuesday’s top analyst downgrades and cautious research notes from Wall Street.

Aixtron SE (NASDAQ: AIXG) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD) was downgraded to Outperform from Strong Buy at Raymond James.

Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, but the firm actually raised its price target to $41 (versus a $39.04 close).

Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Genomic Health Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX) was downgraded to Underperform from an already cautious Neutral and the price target was cut to $33 from $36 by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Argus.

PetroQuest Energy Inc. (NYSE: PQ) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at J.P. Morgan.

Rubicon Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: RBCN) was downgraded to Underperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Universal Display Corp. (NASDAQ: OLED) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was removed from the US 1 list at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, but this was due to the expiration of its 12-month term on the list.

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