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Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Baidu, Capital One, Delphi Technologies, Dunkin' Brands, FireEye, Walgreens and More

Lee Jackson

Published: July 9, 2018 9:00 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 9:19 pm

The futures were again trading higher Monday morning. Despite concerns over the recently imposed tariffs around the world, investors and Wall Street have their attention focused on second-quarter earnings results, which will begin this week. The trend of buying the dips has not worked as well as it has in prior years, and many investors have been considering how they want their investments positioned for the longer term.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new investing and trading ideas for our readers. Some of the top analyst reports cover stocks to buy. Other analyst calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

Additional color and commentary have been added on some of these daily analyst calls. The consensus analyst price target data are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and other research calls from Monday, July 9, 2018.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BJ) had a recent successful IPO, and the stock was started with a Buy rating and a $28 price target at Loop Capital. Since the deal priced, the shares have traded between $20.56 and $25.76. The stock closed trading last Friday at $23.65.

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse, which has a $307 price target. That compares with a Wall Street consensus price target of $301.93. The stock ended the day Friday at $251.77 a share.

Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) was raised to Buy from Perform at Oppenheimer. The 52-week trading range for the bank is $76.98 to $106.50. The consensus price target is set at $113.14, and the stock closed trading on Friday a $92.90.

Cision Ltd. (NASDAQ: CISN) was started with an Outperform rating at RBC, which as a $20 price target for the stock. The consensus target is $18.40, and the shares closed Friday at $15.39 but were trading higher in Monday’s premarket.

Delphi Technologies PLC (NYSE: DLPH) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley. The 52-week trading range for the stock is a breathtaking $38.00 to $104.09, and the consensus price target is set at $60.15. The stock closed Friday at $42.97.

Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Longbow. The 52-week trading range is $50.89 to $70.55. The consensus price target is set at $64.63, and the stock closed Friday at $70.17.

FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray. The 52-week trading range for shares of the security software company is $13.40 to $19.36. The consensus price target is set at $19.26, and the shares ended trading on Friday at $15.98.

Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Consumer Edge Research. The 52-week trading range for the stock is $69.10 to $115.82, and the consensus price target is posted at $95. The shares closed Friday at $95.55.

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U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: USX) recently came back from private equity land in an IPO, and numerous Wall Street firms began coverage today: Stifel with a Buy rating and a $22 price target, Wells Fargo with an Outperform rating and a $21 price objective, JPMorgan at Overweight with a $20 target, and Merrill Lynch also has a $20 target and a Buy rating. Since the IPO, the shares have traded between $12.61 and $16.94 apiece. The stock closed Friday at $15.77.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NYSE: WBA) had coverage of the stock resumed at Citigroup with a Neutral rating, which is a downgrade from Buy. The 52-week trading range for the retail pharmacy giant is $59.07 to $83.89. The consensus price target is $71.50, and the shares ended trading on Friday at $63.30.

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

AK Steel Inc. (NYSE: AKS) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank. The 52-week trading range is $4.00 to $6.88, and the consensus price target is $5.65. The stock closed Friday at $4.59.

C&J Energy Services Inc. (NYSE: CJ) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup. Shares of the oilfield services company have traded between $22.40 and $36.57 over the past year. The consensus price target is set at $35.67, and the stock closed Friday at $23.30.

CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) was resumed in coverage with a Buy rating at Citigroup. The 52-week trading range is $60.14 to $84.00, and the consensus price target is $85.25. The stock ended trading on Friday at $66.48.

Flower Foods Inc. (NYSE: FLO) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Vertical Group. Over the past year, the stock has traded between $16.80 and $22.82 a share. The consensus price target is $21.75, and the shares closed Friday at $21.32.

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GameStop Inc. (NYSE: GME) was started with a Buy rating and an $18 price target at Jefferies. That compares with a consensus target of $14.20, though the shares ended trading Friday at $15.15.

PetMed Express Inc. (NASDAQ: PETS) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Craig Hallum. The 52-week trading range is $31.87 to $57.90, and the consensus price target is $46.75. The shares closed Friday at $42.62.

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: SEAS) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $10.42 to $22.96, and the consensus price target is $17.68. The stock closed Friday at $22.37.

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: SIX) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wells Fargo. The theme park company’s stock has traded between $51.25 and $73.38 per share over the past year. With the consensus price target set at $73.80, this could be a valuation call. The shares closed at $71.77 on Friday.

In case you missed it, here are last Friday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Apple, Biogen, Costco, Kroger, Humana, Patterson-UTI and more.