Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Apple, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chico's, Clorox, Deere, Gap, Newell, RealReal, Teva, UnitedHealth, Wells Fargo and More

Investing

Published: September 30, 2019 9:05 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 3:16 pm

Stocks saw many ups and downs but ended last week slightly lower, but they were indicated to open higher on Monday. This is the last day of the third quarter in 2019, and the Dow Jones industrials are up 14.9% and the S&P 500 is up 19% year to date, at a time that the bull market is now well over 10 years old. Investors need to be considering what changes they should be making for their portfolios and assets heading into late 2019 and as 2020 approaches.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while some calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading, and additional comments and trading data have been added on some of them. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv (Thomson Reuters) sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations for Monday, September 30, 2019.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) was indicated higher after JPMorgan raised its target price to $265 from $242 and reiterated its Overweight rating, based on higher iPhone 11 sales. Apple closed down 0.5% at $218.82 on Friday and was indicated up 0.8% at $220.60 on Monday, with a prior consensus target price of $226.48.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) was raised to Outperform from Neutral with a $16 target price (versus a $9.89 prior close) at Wedbush Securities. The firm is calling it as being a deep value stock with a catalyst from a good chance of stabilization (or growth) in the next two years’ worth of earnings as sweeping changes take hold and resetting its cost structure with an initial 7% reduction of corporate staff and a plan to cut inventories by $1 billion.

Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that the retail apocalypse strikes again with Chico’s as the latest victim. Its shares last closed at $4.00, with a consensus price target of $2.96.

Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets. Shares closed down 0.2% at $149.48 on Friday, with a consensus target price of $214.36.

Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) was reiterated as Underweight and the price target was cut to $134 from $144 (versus a $152.68 close) at Morgan Stanley. Shares closed up 1.4% at $152.68 on Friday, with a consensus target price of $151.60.

Concert Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNCE) was maintained as Buy at Janney, but the firm lowered its fair value estimate to $10 per share from $13. The company’s partnered program called AVP-786 for Alzheimer’s agitation missed its primary and key secondary endpoints.

Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) was reiterated as Outperform and its target price was raised to $176 from $161 at Robert W. Baird. Deere closed up almost 0.4% at $166.26 on Friday, and its prior consensus target price was $168.26.

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform and the target price was raised to $77 from $65 at RBC Capital Markets. Emerson closed up 3.4% at $66.40 on Friday due to activist pressure (from DE Shaw) to break up the company.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) was maintained as Market Perform but the target was cut to $20 from $24 (versus a $17.18 close) at Wells Fargo. The consensus target price was $19.79.

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform and the target price was lowered to $290 from $345 at BMO Capital Markets. The stock closed down 2.2% at $257.59 on Friday, and it previously had a $335.45 consensus target price.

Incyte Corp. (NASDAQ: INCY) was reiterated as Outperform and the price target was raised to $110 from $107 (versus a $72.82 close) at JMP Securities.