Investing
Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Baker Hughes, Ericsson, E*Trade, Halliburton, Nokia, SunPower, Taiwan Semi, Transocean and More
September 19, 2018 9:15 am
Last Updated: January 11, 2020 5:40 pm
Stocks were indicated to open lower on Wednesday, but this was after a solid day of gains on Tuesday. U.S. equity indexes remain very close to their all-time highs. Unfortunately, most international markets are no longer anywhere close to their highs. One issue that has to be considered is that investors have seen less upside from buying on market pullbacks than in prior years. Investors also need to consider how they want to have their investments positioned for the rest of 2018.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some analyst reports cover stocks to buy, but others cover stocks to sell or to avoid.
Additional commentary has been added on most of the daily analyst reports, along with trading history. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Thomson Reuters sell-side research service.
These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Wednesday, September 18, 2018.
Aerpio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARPO) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $10 price target (versus a $3.79 prior close, after a 7.6% gain) at Guggenheim.
Baker Hughes, a GE Company (NYSE: BHGE) was started as Overweight and assigned a $40 target price at Morgan Stanley. Baker Hughes closed up 2% at $32.25 the prior day, and it has a 52-week trading range of $25.53 to $38.10 and a consensus target price of $37.38.
BeiGene Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE) was started with a Buy rating at CLSA. Shares closed at $160.75 the prior day, in a 52-week range of $77.54 to $220.10. The consensus target price is $208.60.
Brookfield Business Partners L.P. (NYSE: BBU) was started with a Sector Perform rating and assigned a $49 price target (versus a $44.39 close) at Scotia.
Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) was started with an Underweight rating and assigned a $15 target price at Morgan Stanley. It closed up 3.1% at $17.85 the prior day, and it has a 52-week range of $13.00 to $21.92 and a consensus target price of $15.95.
Dominion Energy Inc. (NYSE: D) was reiterated as Buy and the price target was raised to $79 from $74 (versus a $71.92 close) at Argus. The 52-week range is $61.53 to $85.30, and the consensus target price was $73.21.
Dril-Quip Inc. (NYSE: DRQ) was started with an Underweight rating and assigned a target price of $50 (versus a $49.80 close, after a 1.5% gain at Morgan Stanley.
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), or just Ericsson, was raised to Neutral from Underperform with an $8.44 price target at Credit Suisse. Ericsson closed up 1.8% at $8.70 the prior day, and it has a 52-week range of $5.52 to $8.79 and a consensus target price of $8.48.
E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $65 price target at Jefferies. The stock closed up about 1% at $53.76 the prior day, in a 52-week range of $41.37 to $66.46. The consensus target price is $68.57.
Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) was started with an Overweight rating and assigned a $50 price target at Morgan Stanley. Haliburton closed up 1.2% at $39.16 the prior day, and it has a 52-week range of $35.75 to $57.86 and a consensus target price of $51.97.
Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) was raised to Buy from Neutral and the price target was raised to $34 from $28 at Nomura/Instinet. It closed up 2.1% at $28.59 the prior day, and it has a 52-week range of $23.61 to $29.95 and a consensus target price of $26.79.
KBR Inc. (NYSE: KBR) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform with a $22 price target at Macquarie. Shares closed up nearly 2% at $20.19 the prior day, and the 52-week range is $14.40 to $21.70. The consensus target price is $22.50.
Follow @Jonogg on Twitter to receive the daily analyst calls and other market research calls directly on your feed.
Sponsored: Tips for Investing
A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.