Investing

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Amphenol, Finish Line, Jack Henry, Kite Pharmaceutical, Ultra Petroleum and Many More

Lee Jackson

Published: August 29, 2017 9:15 am

Last Updated: March 20, 2020 11:15 am

The futures traded lower this morning on concerns over a North Korean rocket that was launched over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. That marks the first time since 2009 that Pyongyang has fired over Japan’s main islands. Toss in the continued bad news and issues associated with Hurricane Harvey, which has drifted back into the Gulf of Mexico, and investors are somewhat nervous, and some may be looking to sell today.

With this bull market now more than eight years old, investors have shown for more than five years that they will buy all market pullbacks. Those same investors also still are looking for new trading and investing ideas.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning to find new trading and investing ideas for its readers. Some analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while others cover stocks to sell or avoid.

These are this Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations.

Amphenol Inc. (NYSE: APH) saw its target price raised to $85 from $81 at RBC Capital Markets after the firm met with company management. That compares with the Wall Street consensus price target of $79.73. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $60.97 to $80.14. The shares closed trading on Monday at $79.75.

Carters Inc. (NYSE: CRI) was started with an Outperform rating at Macquarie, and the firm has $110 price target. That compares with the consensus target of $103.63. The 52-week range is $77.94 to $98.88. The shares closed Monday at $85.92.

Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Buckingham Research. The 52-week range is $9.80 to $24.52, and the consensus price target is set at $14.25. The stock closed Monday at $10.42, but shares traded down almost 30% in the premarket.

Helen of Troy Ltd. (NASDAQ: HELE) is stated with an Underperform rating at Merrill Lynch, and they put an $87 price target on the shares. That compares with the consensus target of $113. The 52-week range is $77.50 to $102.28. The stock closed trading Monday at $96.85.

Jack Henry & Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: JKHY) was started with a rating of Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald, and they have a price target posted at $112. That compares with the consensus target of $96.50. The 52-week range is $79.00 to $109.67. The stock closed Monday at $100.48.

Juno Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: JUNO) is raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Raymond James. The 52-week range for the stock is $17.52 to $37.70. The consensus price target is posted at $29.80. Shares closed way above that level on Monday at $36.48.

Kite Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: KITE) is raised to Neutral from Underperform at Wedbush. This comes on the heels of a huge bid for the company Monday from Gilead Sciences, so the timing and call are interesting. The 52-week range of the shares is $39.82 to $179.69. The consensus price target is $109.91, and the shares closed up 28% Monday at $178.05.

Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX) was started with as Buy rating at the Benchmark Company, and the analysts there have a $60 price objective. That compares with the consensus target of $52.40. The 52-week range is $38.75 to $52.80. The stock closed Monday at $45.20.

RBB Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: RBB) was started with a Buy rating at Stephens with a $25 price target. That compares with the consensus price objective of $25. The 52-week range is $21.75 to $24.19. The stock closed trading Monday at $22.47.

Venator Materials PLC (NASDAQ: VNTR) was started with a Buy rating at Citigroup with a $24 price objective, versus a Wall Street consensus price target of $23.70. The 52-week range for the stock is $17.85 to $21.34. The shares closed the day Monday at $20.05.

24/7 Wall St.
Top Tech and Blue Chips Highlight Jefferies Growth Stocks to Buy

Other key analysts upgrades and downgrades were seen in the following:

AveXis Inc. (NASDAQ: AVXS) was started with a rating of Reduce at Instinet and a stunning price objective of $52. The 52-week trading range is $32.31 to $99.45, and the consensus price objective is $108.70. The shares closed Monday at $96.98.

Dario Health Corp. (NASDAQ: DRIO) was started with a Buy rating and a $3 price objective at Aegis Capital. That’s versus the consensus price target of $8. The 52-week range is $1.81 to $4.70. The shares closed Monday at $2.

Heico Corp. (NYSE: HEI) is raised to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch. The 52-week range is $52.56 to $87.36, and the consensus price target is $85.67. The shares close Monday at $83.25

Loxo Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO) was downgraded to Market Perform from Market Outperform at JMP Securities. The 52-week range is $17.14 to $83.12. The consensus price objective is set at $81. The shares closed Monday at $78.56, up almost 6% on the day.

Silvercorp Metals Inc. (NYSE: SVM) was started with a Buy rating at Roth Capital. Its 52-week range is $2.65 to $3.67, and the consensus price target is posted at $4.14.

Triplepoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. (NASDAQ: TPVG) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Compass Point. The 52-week range for the shares is $10.25 to $14.41, and the consensus price target is $13.83. The shares closed Monday at $14.15 but were trading down almost 15% in Tuesday’s premarket.

Ultra Petroleum Corp. (NASDAQ: UPL) was started with a Buy rating at a firm called KLR Group. The analyst has a $14 price target, which compares with the consensus estimate of $17. The 52-week range is $0.85 to $15.75. The stock closed Monday at $7.61.

In case you missed it, here are Monday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades. They included CalAmp, Fiat Chrysler, Lowe’s, Plains All American, Ulta Beauty and more.

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