Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: DowDuPont, Electronic Arts, Estee Lauder, Exxon, Generac, Match, Nasdaq, Novartis, PayPal, Snap, Vishay and More

February 6, 2019 by Jon C. Ogg

Stocks were looking for direction on Wednesday after Tuesday’s solid gains. The Dow Jones industrial average is now well over 2,500 points above its lows from the start of January. Until recently it had been very rewarding, as seen in early 2018 and before, buying stocks after every big market sell-off. Now investors need to consider how they want their assets positioned for 2019 and beyond.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week, Our goal is to find new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of these analyst reports cover stocks to buy, while 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 were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.

AdvanSix Inc. (NASDAQ: ASIX) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Cowen. After closing at $32.55, it has a consensus target price of $37.67, and its 52-week trading range is $22.57 to $44.43.

Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (NYSE: CHD) was raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs raised its rating to Neutral from Sell. This was after a 7.5% drop to $60.46 after earnings. The 52-week trading range is $44.87 to $69.49.

Domtar Corp. (NYSE: UFS) was downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital Markets. Shares closed up 7.7% at $50.09 on Tuesday, and the consensus target price was $46.50.

DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform and the target price was lowered to $59 from $78 at Cowen. This was a day after Argus maintained DowDuPont as Buy but lowered the price target to $70 from $81.

Eastman Chemical Co. (NYSE: EMN) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Cowen. Shares last closed at $81.59, in a 52-week range of $67.40 to $112.45. The consensus analyst target is $91.89.

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) was maintained as Outperform but the price target was lowered to $95 from $111 (versus a $92.52 prior close) at Wedbush Securities. The firm noted that earnings were handily under expectations after competitive factors and after poor execution. EA shares were last seen down almost 16% at $77.90 after earnings, in a 52-week range of $73.91 to $151.26.

Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Berenberg. Shares last closed at $152.02, in a 52-week range of $121.47 to $158.80. The consensus price target is $151.40.

Everbridge Inc. (NASDAQ: EVBG) was started with a Neutral rating at JPMorgan. Shares last closed at $62.98, in a 52-week range of $29.56 to $64.79. The consensus price target is $61.73.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) was reiterated as Buy and with a $104 price target at Argus, after closing at $75.59. Exxon has a 52-week range of $64.65 to $87.36, and its consensus target price is $82.99.

Gartner Inc. (NYSE: IT) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital Markets. Shares last closed at $141.00, in a 52-week range of $111.57 to $161.21. The consensus price target is $144.80.