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Top Analysts Upgrades and Downgrades: Chubb, Hyatt, Intuit, MercadoLibre, Pioneer Natural Resources, Sinclair, Skyworks, T-Mobile, Teladoc, ZoomInfo and More

Lee Jackson

Published: December 22, 2020 9:05 am

Last Updated: December 22, 2020 9:12 am

The futures traded decidedly mixed on Tuesday following a wild Monday that saw stocks moving up and down and in and out of the red almost all day. While new COVID-19 strains in England worried investors, a fifth coronavirus stimulus bill (with $600 checks that could be in bank accounts as early as next week and additional unemployment payments through March 14) provided some support. Investors should be reviewing portfolios and adjusting positioning for 2021.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week with a goal of finding new ideas for investors and traders alike. Some of these daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy. Other calls cover stocks to sell or avoid. Remember that no single analyst call should ever be used as a basis to buy or sell a stock. Consensus analyst target data is from Refinitiv.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.

Alliant Energy Corp. (NYSE: LNT) was started with a Market Perform rating and a $54 price target at BMO Capital Markets. The consensus target price is $59.88, and the final trade on Monday was posted at $50.34.

Champion X Corp. (NYSE: CHX) was started with a Buy rating and a $21 price target at Goldman Sachs. The consensus target is $16.85. The shares closed Monday at $13.78 but were up close to 6% in premarket action.

Chubb Ltd. (NYSE: CB) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at BofA Securities, which did raise the price target on the insurance giant to $138. That is below the $158.89 consensus and Monday’s closing print of $151.75.

FuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO) saw its target price at Needham raised to $60 from $30. That compares with the $31.64 consensus target. The stock closed Monday at $49.48, up a stunning 26% on the day. The rally continued in Tuesday’s premarket, tacking on an additional 17% gain.

Hyatt Hotels Corp. (NYSE: H) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Longbow. The 52-week trading range for the legacy hotel company is $24.02 to $94.98, and the consensus price objective is $59.71. The shares were last seen trading at $72.35.

Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which also raised the price target to $415. The consensus target is $311.06. The last trade on Monday was reported at $362.63.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm ponders whether falling estimates will finally stop its bull run. Shares last closed at $375.93 and have a consensus price target of $403.12.

Lightspeed POS Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) was started with an Overweight rating and a $42 price objective at Cantor Fitzgerald. A consensus target was not available, and the final trade Monday was posted at $60.92.

MercadoLibre Inc. (NASDAQ: MELI) was raised to Buy from Hold at Santander. The 52-week trading range for the South America–based online commerce giant is $422.22 to $1727.97, and the consensus price target is $1420.73. Monday’s final trade was reported at $1697.89.

Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (NYSE: PXD) was raised from Hold to Buy with a $135 price target at Truist Securities. That compares with a $131.61 consensus target and Monday’s close at $110.89.

Real Real Inc. (NASDAQ: REAL) was started at Baird with an Outperform rating and a $23 price target. The consensus target is $17.96. The last trade hit the tape at $19.55 on Monday, and shares were up almost 4% in Tuesday’s premarket.

Rent-A-Center Inc. (NASDAQ: RCII) was raised from Hold to Buy with a $50 price objective at Loop Capital. The consensus target is $39.50, and Monday’s closing trade was $39.24.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI) was resumed in coverage at Deutsche Bank, which as a Hold rating and a $30 price target. The consensus target is $23.25. The final Monday trade came in at $27.80.

Skyworks Inc. (NASDAQ: SWKS) saw its target price raised at Cowen to $185 from $169. That compares to a $160.08 consensus target and Monday’s $147.71 closing print.

Steel Dynamics Inc. (NYSE: STLD) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that the recent pullback in this hot sector is a steal. Shares most recently closed at $36.95 and have a consensus price target of $38.45.

T-Mobile US Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform with a $140 price target at Oppenheimer. The consensus target is $150.65. The stock closed most recently at $130.22.

Teladoc Health Inc. (NASDAQ: TDOC) was started with an In-line rating at Evercore ISI, which also has a $215 price objective. The consensus target is up at $243.85. Monday’s close was $199.75 a share.

UTZ Brands Inc. (NYSE: UTZ) was started at Goldman Sachs with a Neutral rating and a $22 price target. The consensus target is $22.25. The final trade Monday came in at $21.74.

Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) was raised from Market Perform to Outperform with a price target increase to $33 at Cowen. The consensus target is $30.57. Shares traded up over 5% in the premarket.

ZoomInfo Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ZI) was started with an Overweight rating and a $60 price target at Stephens. That compares with a $54.67 consensus target and Monday’s $44.20 close.

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Monday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included Ally Financial, Callaway Golf, Infinera, Lithia Motors, Microsoft, Nike, SolarWinds, Tapestry and Walmart.