Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: BP, Chevron, Lululemon, Petrobras, Motorola, Shake Shack, Under Armour and Many More

September 11, 2015 by Jon C. Ogg

Stocks held their gains on Thursday and futures were indicated higher overnight, but they have since softened and gone in the red. Investors keep buying many aspects of the dips, a trend that is now four years in the making, despite this sell-off having been worse than the formal 10% correction.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day to find new trading and investing ideas for its readers. Some analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. These are this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations.

BankUnited Inc. (NYSE: BKU) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and the price objective was set at $42.00. BankUnited closed at $35.95 Thursday, has a consensus target price of $39.62 and has a 52-week trading range of $26.69 to $37.92. The firm says that BankUnited has a compelling risk/reward story, is a high-growth bank, has no energy exposure and has limited risk from lower rates.

BP PLC (NYSE: BP) has an analyst horse race taking place. BP was raised to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs, while it was also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. Its American depositary shares (ADSs) closed at $31.21 on Thursday, and it has a 52-week range of $30.53 to $46.91.

ALSO READ: Disney Just Confirmed Buying Billions in Its Own Stock

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $86.00 (versus a $75.66 prior close) at JPMorgan. Chevron has a consensus price target that is still somehow all the way up at $99.00 or so, and it has a 52-week trading range of $69.58 to $125.70.

Diageo PLC (NYSE: DEO) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at BNP Paribas. The firm believes the worst is over, so to speak. Diageo closed at $107.16 on Thursday in New York trading, and it has a 52-week trading range of $100.59 to $124.32.

D.R. Horton Inc. (NYSE: DHI) was reinstated as Buy at Merrill Lynch, with a $36.00 price objective. It closed at $30.78, has a consensus price target of $31.00 and has a 52-week range of $19.29 to $32.37.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) was raised to Outperform from Neutral and has a $69.00 price target at R.W. Baird. Lululemon closed down 16% at $53.54 on Thursday, with a consensus analyst target price of almost $67.00 and a 52-week trading range of $37.86 to $70.00.

Motorola Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MSI) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo. Motorola Solutions closed at $68.75. It has a consensus target lower than the share price of $61.67, and it has a 52-week range of $56.40 to $70.26.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR), or Petrobras, was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Merrill Lynch. Petrobras ADSs closed down 4.7% at $4.85 in New York on Thursday, within a 52-week trading range of $4.68 to $18.09. Merrill Lynch expects that deterioration in key underlying macro fundamentals ahead could slow its restructuring program, while they prefer the non-voting shares given more positive dividend expectations.

Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE: RIO) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS. Rio Tinto’s ADSs closed at $36.38 on Thursday, and it has a 52-week range of $33.25 to $56.82.

Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE: SHAK) was started as Market Perform at Cowen, although it was given a price target down at $42.00, versus a prior $48.56 close. Shake Shack has a $1.75 billion market cap, a $46.50 consensus analyst target price and a 52-week range of $38.64 to $96.75.

ALSO READ: The 6 Most Shorted NYSE Stocks

Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) was reinstated as Buy with a $46.00 price objective at Merrill Lynch. The largest luxury homebuilder was said to have high competitive barriers, attractive positions in its demo-markets, and margin upside.

Total S.A. (NYSE: TOT) was raised to the prized Conviction Buy list from a prior Neutral rating at Goldman Sachs. Its ADSs closed at $45.13 on Thursday, against a 52-week range of $40.93 to $65.42.

Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) was started as Neutral with a $100.00 price target (versus a $96.17 close) at B. Riley. Despite the note on valuation here, Under Armour shares are still only about 5% shy of their 52-week and all-time highs.

Goldman Sachs lowered its forecast for oil, cut the rating on many key master limited partnerships (MLPs). It said that the storage nearing capacity and oversupply pose a risk to the point that could even send oil into the $20s.

In case you missed Thursday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades, they included Apple, Ban of America, BP, First Solar, Fitbit, Seagate Technology, SunEdison, Western Digital and over a dozen more companies. Other key analyst calls were as follows:

ALSO READ: Jefferies Starts Coverage on Biotechs: 3 Top Stocks to Buy Now

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)

Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.

Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.

Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future

Take the retirement quiz right here.