Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Dollar Tree, Goldman Sachs, Palo Alto Networks, Sony, Under Armour and More

November 30, 2018 by Chris Lange

Stocks were looking to open slightly lower on Friday, which would cap off a solid week of trading. Assuming the broad markets hold steady in Friday’s session, November will have seen roughly a 2% gain in both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average. While this might not be particularly impressive, it still beats the alternative that was seen in October when markets dropped by nearly double digits.

The takeaway here is that markets seem to have settled for now at least, and analysts are looking to update their ratings and targets while the waters are still relatively calm.

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 of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while some 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 Friday, November 30, 2018.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) was upgraded to a Buy rating and assigned an $81 price target at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed at $73.26 on Thursday, and the consensus target price is $79.17.

Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) was maintained as a Buy rating with an $88 price target at Buckingham Research. Shares most recently closed down 2.4% at $72.94, with a consensus price target of $80.57.

Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) posted some positive quarterly results on Thursday and Credit Suisse maintained it with an Outperform rating and assigned a $97 price target. Also, Morgan Stanley maintained an Equal Weight rating with a $90 price target for the discount retailer. Shares closed up 6.1% at $88.43 on Thursday, with a consensus price target of $95.71.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) was downgraded to a Neutral rating with a $225 price objective by Merrill Lynch. Shares last closed down 1.4% at $194.85, with a consensus price target of $270.04.

Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NYSE: PANW) saw a few mixed calls come its way early on Friday. First Analysis upgraded the stock to Strong Buy with a $240 price target, and Jefferies agreed when it maintained its Buy rating with a $249 price target. However, Credit Suisse maintained an Underweight rating with a $160 price target. Shares closed Thursday at $176.05, with a consensus price target of $248.71.

Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. (NASDAQ: SFM) was downgraded to an Underperform rating with a $21 price target by Merrill Lynch. Shares of Sprouts were down 12% at $23.60 in early trading indications on Friday. The consensus price target is $28.40.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) was upgraded to a Buy rating by JPMorgan. Shares closed Thursday down 2% at $51.88, with a consensus price target of $79.26.

Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UAA) was upgraded to a Market Perform rating with a $23 price target by Wells Fargo. Shares most recently closed at $23.14. The consensus analyst target is $21.42.

United Natural Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) was maintained with a Neutral rating at Buckingham Research and assigned a $24 price target. Shares closed Thursday at $22.58, with a consensus price target of $32.60.

Workday Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY) was maintained with a Hold rating and a $152 price target at Jefferies. Credit Suisse maintained a Neutral rating with a $155 price target. Shares were up significantly in early trading indications Friday. The stock was up 8% at $156.90, with a consensus price target of $153.94.

Thursday’s top analyst calls included American Express, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dominion Energy, Grubhub, Intel, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Nvidia, Total and many more.

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)

Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.

Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.

Click here now to get started.