Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: American Tower, Applied Materials, Exelon, Hubspot, Schlumberger, Shopify, Splunk, Zendesk and More

June 7, 2019 by Jon C. Ogg

Stocks were indicated to open slightly higher on Friday after a weak payrolls report kept hopes up that the Federal Reserve will cut rates sooner rather than later. This week took back a lot of the losses that were seen in May, but investors have many reasons to remain cautious heading into the summer. Investors also should be keeping their eyes on the long term and considering how they want their assets positioned for the rest of 2019 and beyond.

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 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 Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These were the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Friday, June 7, 2019.

Agile Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: AGRX) was started as Outperform with a $5 target price at Oppenheimer.

American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy but the target price was raised to $222 from $195 at UBS. Shares closed at $212.70, in a 52-week range of $136.03 to $213.71. The consensus target price is $192.50.

Anaplan Inc. (NYSE: PLAN) was raised to Overweight from Sector Weight with a $57 target price at KeyBanc Capital Markets.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) was started with a Neutral rating at Nomura/Instinet, which assigned a $40 target price in the call. Shares closed up 2% at $41.38, in a 52-week range of $28.79 to $51.59. The consensus target price is $47.75.

Camping World Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CWH) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital Markets. Shares closed up 0.3% at $12.09, in a 52-week range of $10.12 to $27.17. The consensus target price is $17.23.

Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed up 1% at $50.23, in a 52-week range of $39.73 to $51.03. The consensus target price is $52.24.

Glu Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ: GLUU) was raised to Outperform from Neutral with a $9 price target at Wedbush. Shares closed down 8% at $7.05, in a 52-week range of $5.08 to $11.75. The consensus target price is $11.51.

Helmerich & Payne Inc. (NYSE: HP) was raised to Overweight from Neutral but the price target was lowered to $60 from $64 at Piper Jaffray. Shares closed up 0.4% at $51.18, in a 52-week range of $44.56 to $73.74. The consensus target price is $65.81.

HubSpot Inc. (NYSE: HUBS) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $223 price target at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed at $169.05, in a 52-week range of $108.39 to $192.49. The consensus target price is $189.39.

Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Michaels Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: MIK) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform and the price target was slashed to $11 from $18 at Credit Suisse. Telsey Advisory also downgraded it to Market Perform from Outperform.

New Relic Inc. (NYSE: NEWR) was started with a Sell rating and assigned an $82 target price (versus a $100.50 prior close) at Goldman Sachs.


Noble Midstream Partners L.P. (NYSE: NBLX) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight and the price target was lowered to $41 from $48 at JPMorgan.

QEP Resources Inc. (NYSE: QEP) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral and the target price was lowered to $9 from $11 (versus a $6.68 close) at JPMorgan.

SBA Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: SBAC) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy but the price target was raised to $240 from $209 at UBS. Shares closed up 0.3% at $221.48, in a 52-week range of $146.13 to $222.29. The consensus target price is $204.06.

Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) was raised to Buy from Hold with a $50 target price at Stifel. Shares closed up 0.3% at $35.05, in a 52-week range of $34.46 to $70.47. The consensus target price is $53.56.

Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) was started with a Neutral rating at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed up 1.6% at $297.06, in a 52-week range of $117.64 to $299.11. The consensus target price is $251.81.

Splunk Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLK) was started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs. Shares closed down 1.3% at $109.50, in a 52-week range of $83.69 to $143.70. The consensus target price is $151.66.

Tableau Software Inc. (NYSE: DATA) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $146 target price (versus a $117.10 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Talend S.A. (NASDAQ: TLND) was started with a Sell rating and assigned a $39 target price (versus a $42.73 close) at Goldman Sachs.

Waitr Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: WTRH) was started with a Buy rating at Deutsche Bank.

Zendesk Inc. (NYSE: ZEN) was started with a Buy rating and assigned a $105 target price at Goldman Sachs.

There were many stocks moving with double-digit percentage changes after earnings and other news.

Oil was trading up on Friday after nearly challenging $50 earlier in the week. With the Saudi and Russian energy ministers meeting, and with an upcoming OPEC meeting in which production cuts are expected to be extended or increased, here is what may come. Gold also was still ready to challenge that $1,335 per ounce resistance level.

While the rally this week has been stellar, the reality is the stock market is overbought and expensive. We looked at the Merrill Lynch research database and found five somewhat out-of-favor dividend stocks that are a steal now.

Five cancer and oncology stocks could still be double-your-money picks after the annual ASCO presentations, according to one firm.

Thursday’s top analyst calls were in AMD, Apple, Canopy Growth, Dell Technologies, Flex, FuelCell, IBM, MongoDB, Shopify, Tilray and Whiting Petroleum and many more.

Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored

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.