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Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Apple, Bed Bath & Beyond, LabCorp, Tidewater and More
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Friday marks the first trading day of 2015, and the bull market is entering its sixth year. Investors have demonstrated over and over that they will buy value stocks when they are discounted or overlooked. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many fresh research calls each and every morning for new investing and trading ideas for its readers. Some research reports cover stocks to Buy. Other reports cover stocks to sell or to avoid.
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These are Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations. And a happy New Years wish from 24/7 Wall St.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was reiterated Buy and the price target was raised to $125 from $120 at Argus. The firm increased estimates based on iPhone 6 sales of 67.3 million units in the first quarter, for a 32% gain from a year ago, and iPhone revenue up 24% to $40.4 billion. The firm still sees further double-digit earnings per share growth in 2015 and 2016.
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) was raised to Buy from Hold and the price target was raised to $91 from $66, due to rising sales momentum, at Canaccord Genuity.
CHC Group Ltd. (NYSE: HELI) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy and the price target was slashed in half to $3.50 (versus a $3.22 close) at UBS.
ALSO READ: Credit Suisse’s 4 Top Focus List Stock Picks for 2015
Cnova N.V. (NASDAQ: CNV) was started as Outperform with a $13 price target (versus a $7.91 close) at Credit Suisse.
Kite Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: KITE) was maintained as Outperform but the price target was raised to $71 from $34 (versus a $57.67 close) at Credit Suisse. The firm’s target was way behind already, and the upgrade noted strong showing of CAR-T therapies, the recent successful IPO of competitor Juno Therapeutics, and physician enthusiasm for new immune-based and personalized therapies.
Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $130 price target (versus a $107.90 close) at Raymond James.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) was raised to Market Perform from Underperform at Raymond James.
Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) was maintained as Buy a Argus, but the price target was cut to $53 from $62 (versus a $32.41 close). The firm cut 2015 and 2016 earnings estimates due to slower offshore exploration and production after the recent decline in oil prices.
ALSO READ: 5 Stock Picks for 2015 With Massive Upside
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