Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Akamai, Dollar Tree, Hasbro, Intel, Mylan, Netflix, Papa John’s and More

August 13, 2018 by Lee Jackson

The futures seesawed somewhat Monday morning as investors continued to keep a wary eye on some global hot spots, not the least of which is the ongoing situation in Turkey. Stocks got hit hard last Friday, and we probably will see some follow through today. The trend of buying the dips has not worked as well lately 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 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, August 13, 2018.

Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse. The 52-week trading range for the shares is $44.65 to $83.08. The Wall Street consensus price target is $80.23. The stock ended trading last Friday at $74.66, down almost 3% on the day.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNY) was removed from the Conviction Buy list at Goldman Sachs, but the firm did keep a Buy rating on the shares. The 52-week trading range is $70.76 to $163.99. The consensus price target is $149.40, and the stock ended trading on Friday at $97.37.

Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at Atlantic Equities. The 52-week trading range for the discount retailer is $73.20 to $116.65. The consensus price target is $104.83. The stock closed Friday at $92.43.

Fluor Corp. (NYSE: FLR) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS. The 52-week trading range is $37.04 to $62.09, and the consensus price target is $57.07. The stock closed just shy of that mark Friday at $55.66.

Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) was started with a Buy rating at Consumer Edge Research. The 52-week trading range for the toy and game giant is $79 to $107.58. The consensus price target is $107.62, and shares closed trading on Friday at $97.82.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) saw its target price lowered from $52 to $49 at Cowen. That compares with a consensus target of $56.03. The semiconductor giant has struggled since posting second-quarter results. The shares closed trading on Friday at $48.85, down almost 3% on the day.

Mylan N.V. (NYSE: MYL) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital Markets. The 52-week trading range for the generic drug giant is $29.39 to $47.82, and the consensus price target is $46.61. The stock closed Friday at $37.21.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) saw its price target lowered at Imperial Capital to $494 from $503. The consensus estimate is $377.60. The company notes that in the interest of being conservative, it is decreasing its 2018 global subscriber estimate to 141.2 million from 141.4 million. The stock closed trading on Friday at $345.87.

NextEra Energy Partners L.P. (NYSE: NEP) was started with a Buy rating and a price target of $54.50 at Mizuho. The consensus target of $48.27, and shares closed trading on Friday at $47.19.

Papa John’s International Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) was raised to a Buy rating from Neutral at Longbow. Its 52-week trading range is $30.85 to $80.80, and the consensus price objective is $55. The shares ended trading last Friday at $40.26.

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

Bank OZK (NASDAQ: OZK) was downgraded to Underweight from Overweight at Barclays, which also dropped its price target to $38 from $53. The consensus target is $51.15. The stock ended the day on Friday trading at $40.69.

Eaton Corp. PLC (NYSE: ETN) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan. The 52-week trading range is $69.82 to $89.85. The consensus price objective is $90.67, and shares ended trading last Friday at $80.55.

Flowserve Corp. (NYSE: FLS) saw its target price at Stifel raised from $43 to $47. That compares with a consensus target of $46. The shares closed above both levels on Friday at $50.10, after rising over 2.5%.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, although the firm remains positive on the company over the long-term. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $20.75 to $36.07. The posted consensus price target is $28.83. The stock ended trading on Friday at $24.28 but was down almost 3% in premarket action.

OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE) was downgraded to In-line from Outperform at Evercore ISI. The stock has traded between $29.59 and $37.37 over the past year. The consensus price target is $37.67, and the stock closed Friday at $36.89.

Rite Aid Inc. (NYSE: RAD) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Cowen. The 52-week trading range for the pharmacy chain is $1.38 to $2.80, and the consensus price target is $1.85. Shares tumbled after a planned merger with Albertsons fell through, and the stock closed Friday at $1.48 a share.

Savara Inc. (NASDAQ: SVRA) was resumed in coverage at Roth Capital with a Neutral rating and a $12 price target. But the consensus target is a whopping $27.83. The stock closed Friday at $11.14.

Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ: RUN) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Merrill Lynch. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $4.21 to $16.44, and the consensus price target is $15.44. The stock closed Friday down over 7% to $13.29.

In case you missed it, last Friday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included AMD, ADT, BP, Campbell’s Soup, Funko, Intel, Overstock.com, Perrigo and more.

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