Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Amex, Biogen, Discover, DraftKings, Ericsson, Foot Locker, Gap, Kraft Heinz, Nikola, Walmart, Zscaler and More

Investing

Published: June 22, 2020 9:07 am

Last Updated: June 22, 2020 9:26 am

Stocks traded higher Monday morning despite rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in states that have reopened for business. Now that the market turned into fastest bear market and recession that we have seen, and then recovered the lion’s share of its losses, investors should be considering how they want their assets positioned ahead of the election and for the rest of 2020.

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

What has happened in this past drive of the gains is that many analyst calls have included upgrades and price target hikes, but often stocks are managing to move even beyond what the ratings and expectations might have indicated.

Remember, no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision. Consensus analyst target prices are from Refinitiv.

These are the top analyst calls we have seen on Monday, June 22, 2020.

Accenture PLC (NYSE: ACN) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo.

American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS. The stock closed down 1.2% at $100.94 on Friday, with a $99.39 premarket level on Monday, and its consensus target price was $104.39.

Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight and its price target was cut to $280 from $370 at Barclays. Shares closed up 4.1% at $271.00 on Friday, and the consensus price target was $308.64.

Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, and its target price is $59. It closed at $49.14 on Friday, with a $51.88 consensus target price.

Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) was raised to Buy from Neutral and its target price was raised to $105 from $54 (versus a $68.07 prior close) at UBS.

Conagra Brands Inc. (NYSE: CAG) was raised to Buy from Hold and the price target was $41 (versus a $33.55 close) at Jefferies.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) was raised to Buy from Neutral and its price target was raised to $72 from $36 (versus a $53.73 close) at UBS.

DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ: DKNG) was started as Buy with a $55 price target at Jefferies. It closed up 2.8% at $42.00 on Friday after its secondary offering, and its consensus price target is $43.88.

Five Prime Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: FPRX) was raised to Outperform from Neutral and its price target was raised to $9 from $5 (versus a $4.39 close) at Wedbush Securities.

Foot Locker Inc. (NYSE: FL) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at B. Riley FBR, with the firm noting that it is engaging in more promotional/discounting efforts than its rivals.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight and the price target was raised to $19 from $8 at Wells Fargo. Shares closed down 2.3% at $10.66 on Friday but were indicated up 6% at $11.30 on Monday.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight and its price target was set at $90 (versus a $76.17 close) at Barclays. The consensus target price was $79.80.

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE: IFF) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at BNP Paribas.