Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Bats, Eli Lilly, Gap, Hasbro, JD.com, Nike, Pfizer, SolarCity and More

May 10, 2016 by Jon C. Ogg

Stocks were indicated to open higher on Tuesday in what looks like a broad rally. With the Dow still down about 500 points from the April highs, investors still seem to be looking for opportunities ahead. Buying the dips has not died.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each morning of the week to find new investing and trading ideas. Some of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while other reports cover stocks to sell or avoid.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Tuesday morning:

Bats Global Markets Inc. (BATS) saw its post-IPO quiet period come to an end. The stock was started as Neutral with a $28 price objective at Merrill Lynch. Jefferies started it as Hold with a $28 price target. Morgan Stanley started it as Equal Weight.

Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) was added to the prized US 1 list (focus list) at Merrill Lynch. The firm called it a compelling entry point and event path into year-end with solid risk/reward into its breast cancer (abema breast cancer data at ASCO) and Alzheimer’s updates. It has a consensus analyst price target of $95.95 and a 52-week trading range of $67.88 to $92.85.


Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) posted disappointing April results with poor margins, and shares were last seen down 12% at $19.15 in early trading. The stock was maintained as Underperform at Credit Suisse, but the target was cut to $21 from $27. Jefferies maintained its Buy rating but cut its target to $28 from $34. Topeka Capital Markets downgraded Gap to Hold from Buy.

Hasbro Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at Piper Jaffray. It closed at $86.11, has an $86.33 consensus target price and has a 52-week range of $60.38 to $88.53.

JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ: JD) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse. The firm cut earnings estimates more than 40% based on lower gross merchandise values and margins, dropping its target to $21 from $38 (versus a $23.43 close, after a 7% drop). The consensus price target is $35.29, and the 52-week range is $21.55 to $38.00.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) was resumed with a Market Perform rating and the valuation range was set at $58 to $62 (versus a $58.72 close) at Wells Fargo. The brand and operations were talked up, but the valuation and competition were cited in the call. The consensus price target is $71.32. The 52-week range is $47.25 to $68.19.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) was removed from the US 1 list (focus list) at Merrill Lynch, after making an adjustment based on the overall composition of the list. Pfizer was maintained as Buy in the call. The consensus price target is $38.48, and the 52-week range is $28.25 to $36.46.

SolarCity Corp. (NASDAQ: SCTY) was maintained as Outperform at Credit Suisse, but the firm cut the price target all the way down to $38 from $62. Merrill Lynch downgraded SolarCity to Neutral from Buy with a $24 price objective. Oppenheimer maintained an Outperform rating but cut its target to $27 from $54. Shares were trading down almost 18% at $18.50 after earnings and guidance, versus a 52-week range of $16.31 to $63.79.

You can follow @Jonogg to get the daily analyst calls and market reports directly on your Twitter feed.

Here are many of the other analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls:

Dover Corp. (NYSE: DOV) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch, based on expectations for bottoming upstream energy profitability.

HCP Inc. (NYSE: HCP) was raised to Hold from Underperform and the target price was raised to $32 from $25 (versus a $35.99 prior close) at Jefferies, on the heels of the ManorCare spin-off news. Also, Merrill Lynch was very cautious on this in a note on Monday.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (NYSE: KKD) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Wedbush Securities, but this is after news that it is being acquired.

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) was reinstated with a Buy rating and $146 price objective (versus a $124.94 close) at Merrill Lynch, noting better visibility now in its Lab and CRO operations.

Nordic American Tanker Shipping Ltd. (NYSE: NAT) was downgraded to Underperform and the price target was cut to $10 from $12 (versus a $15.28 close) at Jefferies. The firm thinks its incurring debt to grow elevates its risk and that it may end badly.

Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS) was raised to Buy from Hold and the price target was raised to $12 from $9 (versus an $8.68 close) at Jefferies.

Rush Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: RUSHA) was raised to Buy from Neutral with a $24 price objective (versus an $18.53 close) at Merrill Lynch. The firm sees limited incremental oil and gas downside after Monday’s upgrade of PACCAR.


SolarEdge Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SEDG) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed at $22.59 but were trading down 9% at $20.50 after earnings beat and guidance was in line with estimates.

St. Jude Medical Inc. (NYSE: STJ) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Triangle Capital Corp. (NYSE: TCAP) was raised to Buy at Jefferies with a $20 target price (versus a $17.38 close).

Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) was resumed with a Market Perform rating and was given a price valuation range of $38 to $42 (versus $38.70 close) at Wells Fargo. The firm said that, similar to Nike (see above), the growth is factored in at the valuation.

Western Asset Mortgage Capital (NYSE: WMC) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Wunderlich Securities.

Monday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Altria, BB&T, Capital One, CenterPoint, Occidental Petroleum, Vale, Workday and over a dozen more companies.

Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Here’s a Great First Step

Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?

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 you build your plan to retire early. 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.