Investing
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, Comcast, EA, Etsy, Facebook, FuelCell, Snap, Walmart and More
January 12, 2018 9:05 am
Last Updated: January 12, 2020 4:32 am
Stocks were indicated higher on Friday after a strong Thursday gain to all-time highs. The start of 2018 looks to be the best annual start going back to the late 1980s, but the bull market is also now just two months away from being nine years old. Investors are deciding how to position their portfolios for 2018 and beyond. Those same investors are also looking for new ideas.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week. Our goal is to find new investing and trading ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of the daily analyst reports and research reports cover stocks to buy. Others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.
Additional color and commentary has been added on most of these daily analyst calls. Consensus analyst price targets mentioned and other valuation metrics are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.
These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and other research calls from Friday, January 12, 2018.
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) recently has hit new highs and seen many target price hikes from analysts, but two calls were seen so far on Friday. SunTrust Robinson Humphrey raised its target to $1,250 from $1,180, and Morgan Stanley raised its target to $1,210 from $1,150. Alphabet, what most people still want to call Google, closed at $1,112.05 on Thursday, and its prior consensus analyst target price was $1,189.17.
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) already has multiple new highs in 2018, and now we have seen SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reiterate its Buy rating and raise its price target to $1,400 from $1,270. The company was called the clear winner of the holiday season. Amazon shares closed up 1.8% at $1,276.68 on Thursday and were indicated up another 0.5% on Friday.
Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $283 price target (versus a $235.00 prior closing price) at Jefferies. Anthem shares have a 52-week trading range of $144.44 to $237.00, and the consensus analyst target price was $248.53 ahead of this call.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $204 from $193 at Maxim Group. The stock closed up 0.57% at $175.28 on Thursday and was indicated up 0.3% more at $175.90 on Friday. Apple has a 52-week range of $118.22 to $177.20, and it had a consensus target price of $186.32.
Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE: BX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral with a $46 price target (versus a $34.53 close) at JPMorgan. It closed up 1% at $34.53 on Thursday and was indicated up 2% at $35.25 on Friday. Its 52-week range is $28.45 to $35.09, and the consensus target price was $40.23 ahead of this call.
Builders FirstSource Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDR) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $30 from $22 (versus a $22.46 close) at Wedbush Securities. The firm said the higher price target is from demand trends now that lumber prices are stabilizing, repair and remodel indicators are trending higher, and single family indicators are improving.
Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) was raised to Outperform with a $55 price target (versus a $46.04 close) at Evercore. The shares were indicated up 0.4% at $46.24 on Friday, in a 52-week range of $40.22 to $47.48. The consensus target price was $49.42.
Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) was maintained as Buy at TD Securities, but the cable giant was removed from the firm’s Action Buy list. Comcast closed up 3.67% at $42.60 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $34.78 to $42.67 and with a consensus target price of $45.26.
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight with a $120 price target (versus a $112.00 close) at Morgan Stanley. Shares were indicated down 1.3% at $110.50 on Friday, in a 52-week range of $78.89 to $122.79.
Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to receive the daily analyst calls and other market research calls directly on your 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.