The 11 Biggest and Best Analyst Upgrades of June

July 1, 2017 by Chris Lange

With traditional Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P stocks, analysts are currently assigning targets with 8% to 15% upside. Any rational investor understands that there is a much larger risk when an analyst calls for more than 100% upside.

While some of the price targets discussed here call for a stock to double, or even to rise exponentially, it is important to understand that not every analyst call comes true. Sometimes their assumptions get changed by outside events, and in some cases analysts just get their whole view wrong and the great upside turns into serious pain.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. This ends up being hundreds of analyst calls over the course of each month. Here we’ve taken a look at some the best analyst upgrades that happened over the course of June. Some of these stocks are expected to double — or even rise much more.

Nutanix Inc. (NASDAQ: NTNX) recently announced a new partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google. Nutanix ultimately formed this partnership to allow customers to move application workloads easily between on-premise data centers running on Nutanix gear and Google’s public cloud. As a result, Credit Suisse reiterated an Outperform rating with a $38 price target, versus an $18.64 price (implying upside of 104%) on June 28.

The brokerage firm believes this partnership is an endorsement of Nutanix’s road map. Over time, the firm believes this will allow it to tap into the $32 billion total addressable market at a faster pace by leveraging the hybrid cloud structure. Additionally, this move confirms Credit Suisse’s view on the company’s growth potential and its above-consensus estimates could prove conservative. Credit Suisse assumes revenues of $762 million (+71%) and $1.2 billion (+52%) in fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2018, respectively.

Shares of Nutanix were last seen at $20.15, with a consensus analyst price target of $27.76 and a 52-week trading range of $14.38 to $46.78.

Alphabet shares closed out the week at $929.68. The stock has a 52-week range of $699.00 to $1,008.61 and a consensus price target of $1,061.17.

Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) shares hit a new all-time high after the company reported its most recent quarterly results. Most analysts chased the stock after reading the report, but one analyst call stood out from the rest. Merrill Lynch was the biggest bull for Oracle and actually raised its price objective to the highest on the street. The brokerage firm reiterated its Buy rating but raised its price target to $62 from $54 on June 22. This compares with the previous closing price of $46.33, implying an upside of 34%.

Although this call might seem small compared to the other featured here, it may be the most valuable considering the market cap. Merrill Lynch basically believes that the license decline of 10% to 15% in the past several quarters is a self-induced near-term phenomenon in light of the cloud transition, which is inflecting higher year over year for the first time in two years. The firm thinks the risk is to the upside if the company can deliver on lowered earnings expectations in the future.

Shares of Oracle were most recently trading at $50.14. The consensus price target is $54.71 and a 52-week range of $37.62 to $51.85.

Aqua Metals Inc. (NASDAQ: AQMS) was started as Buy and assigned a $25 price target at Rodman & Renshaw on June 22. This might feel controversial, and not just because of the 100% implied upside. The stock was up at $16 as recently as May but has traded most recently around $12. While this is a call to double, Aqua Metals is volatile and has a 52-week trading range of $8.13 to $22.75. Shares were last seen at $12.55, with a consensus price target of $26.25.

Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: SGMO) has a Buy rating and a $17 price target at Jefferies. This implies an upside of 109%, versus a closing price of $9.20 on June 22. The company had an impressive showing at American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy annual meeting that positively influenced the firm’s view on the stock. One plus is that Sangamo’s differentiated tech versus CRISPR/Cas9 has been refined and provides a hedge. The technology also has been recently validated by Pfizer, and it is in the lead developmentally with programs in the clinic. Shares of Sangamo traded at $8.80 with a 52-week range of $2.65 to $9.65 and a consensus price target of $11.80.

Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: EIGR) was given an Outperform rating by Wedbush Securities on June 21, and the price target was raised to $34 from $28. That compared with a prior close of just $6.75. While it is more than unusual for an analyst to call for 400% upside, other analysts also have massive upside targets nearly as positive for this speculative stock. Eiger Pharma shares ended the week at $7.90, with a consensus price target of $32.75 and a 52-week range of $6.10 to $20.63.

Jefferies gave Abeona Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: ABEO) a Buy rating with a $22 price target (versus a $5.60 close on June 22), implying incredible upside of 340%. Jefferies believes Abeona’s lead ABO-102 is on an expedited path to regulatory approval in MPS IIIA, and its EB gene therapy program is another shot on goal — data from both programs has been encouraging and the firm believes this stock is substantially undervalued. Shares of Abeona were last seen at $6.40, within a 52-week range of $2.31 to $9.44 and with a consensus price target of $18.33.

Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (NYSE: HLX) was upgraded to Outperform at Cowen, with its price target raised to $10 from $8. The firm noted that the stock is a top pick and the low case is baked into the price, and also that it now has a very attractive risk-reward profile. That $10 target compared with a $4.90 share price at that time, which implies upside just over 100%. Shares of Helix closed Friday at $5.64, with a consensus price target of $9.13 and a 52-week range of $4.82 to $11.87.

Recro Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: REPH) was reiterated as Buy with a $21 fair value estimate at Janney on June 14. This was up over 200% from the $6.47 prior closing price. The firm sees IV-Meloxicam leading to more opioid-free recovery after surgery after new Phase 3 data. Recro Pharma has a 52-week range of $5.81 to $12.50, and its market cap is tiny at $135 million. Shares were last changing hands at $7.03, with a consensus price target of $18.50.

Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: ATRA) has a Buy rating and a $30 price target, which implied upside of 109%. This company is on track to start its ATA129 Phase 3 in EBV-PTLD in the second half of this year, which will remove a major overhang, and Jefferies believes the trial also has a good chance to succeed. Several other earlier-stage programs already have valuable proof-of-concept clinical data the market is missing. Shares of Atara were last seen at $14.00. The 52-week range is $11.80 to $25.73, and the consensus price target is $30.25.

Intellia Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: NTLA) has a Buy rating and a $36 price target, implying upside of 141% from the closing price of $15.30 on June 22. Jefferies considers this company at the forefront of science and medicine using gene-editing to induce permanent changes. As Intellia continues to optimize translating its technology/platform to the clinic, the firm believes it will gain in value and appeal to larger biotech/pharma. Shares were trading at $16.00, in a 52-week range of $10.83 to $24.90. The consensus price target is $26.60.

Ignyta Inc. (NASDAQ: RXDX) has a Buy rating and a $27 price target, implying upside of 170% from the June 21 close of $10.00. The lead program, entrectinib, is a targeted therapy that has demonstrated solid activity versus select cancer-causing gene alterations, including NTRK/ROS1/ALK. The drug has differentiated central nervous system activity, which Jefferies believes can make it a preferred agent in a proportion of ROS1 non-small cell lung cancer points. Shares ended the week at $10.35, with a consensus price target of $20.50 and a 52-week range of $4.15 to $11.45.

Sponsored: Attention Savvy Investors: Speak to 3 Financial Experts – FREE

Ever wanted an extra set of eyes on an investment you’re considering? Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply
clicking here
you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help guide you through the financial decisions you’re making. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.


Click here
to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.