Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Biogen, Comerica, Deere, NVIDIA, 21st Century Fox and More

December 29, 2016 by Lee Jackson

The march to the Dow Jones Industrial Average 20,000 level took a hit yesterday as the venerable index had just its second triple-digit down day in the past two months, and it really should come as no surprise. While the so-called Trump rally has been a surprise and a powerful force for the market, shares are clearly overbought, and the market feels tired. The futures are trading somewhat mixed this morning and the market could open slightly to the upside.

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 Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations. Since this is the week between holidays, many of the firms we cover will not resume full coverage until after the new year, so the published volume is again reasonably light.

Anthera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ANTH) was downgraded from Buy to Hold at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, which also slashed its price target from $6 to $1. That compares to a Wall Street consensus target of $4.67. The stock was also downgraded at Jefferies to Hold from Buy, and at Citigroup from Buy to Neutral. Anthera said that the drug Sollpura, which is meant to help a specific kind of maldigestion in cystic fibrosis patients, “narrowly missed” the primary endpoint for the study. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $0.67 to $4.90. The stock was pummeled yesterday and closed at $0.74.

AveXis Inc. (NASDAQ: AVXS) was reiterated at Outperform with an $85 price target at BMO Capital Markets. That compares with a consensus target of $78.33. The 52-week range is $16.11 to $72.72. The shares closed yesterday at $48.59.

Biogen Inc.‘s (NASDAQ: BIIB) price target was raised from $375 to $386 at Raymond James. The consensus price target for the biotech leader is $340.25, and the 52 week range is $223.02 to $333.65. The stock closed yesterday at $289.25.

Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) had its price target raised to $71 from $68 at Piper Jaffray. The consensus price target is posted at $66.21. The 52-week range is $30.48 to $70.44. The stock closed yesterday at $68.63.

Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE: CW) had its price target increased to $105 from $100 at Merrill Lynch. The firm also reiterated its Neutral rating. The 52-week range is $62.57 to $107.61, and the consensus price target is $101.60. The shares closed yesterday at $99.63.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) was listed as a top idea for 2017 in morning research from Baird. The firm has an Outperform rating and a $117 price target for the stock. The consensus price target is $100.25. The 52-week range is $70.16 to $104.83. The stock close Wednesday at $103.41.

Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LDOS) had the price target raised to $60 from $48 at Drexel Hamilton. That compares with the Wall Street price target of $51.56. The 52-week range is $37.79 to $59.45. The stock closed yesterday at $50.90.

NVIDIA Inc. (NASDAQ: NVDA) was trading lower this morning as Citron Research said late yesterday that it feels the stock could trade back to the $90 level. The stock is one of the best performers in the S&P 500 this year. The 52-week range for the shares is $24.75 to $119.73. The consensus price target is $92.65. The shares closed down almost 7% yesterday at $109.25.

Senior Housing Inc. (NYSE: SNH) was started at Overweight at Cantor Fitzgerald with a $23 price objective. That’s versus a consensus target of $20.64. The 52-week range was not posted. The stock closed trading at $18.09.

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. (NASDAQ: FOXA) had the price target on the stock raised to $32 from $31 at Wedbush. That is versus a consensus target of $31.40. The 52-week range for the broadcast and media conglomerate is $22.66 to $31.25. The shares closed Wednesday at $28.45.

In case you missed it, Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Amazon.com, AmerisourceBergen, Bank of New York Mellon, Nike, NVIDIA and more.

Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to see daily analyst upgrades and downgrades and other key research items directly on your own feed.

Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.