Here Are Monday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Brown-Forman, Cava Group, Dow, GE Vernova, Global Payments, Netflix, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Verizon, and More

Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading lower once again on Monday, following a horrible week on Wall Street. With all of Wall Street looking for a solid non-farm payrolls report of 65,000 jobs added, it came in at a very disappointing 92,000 jobs lost, and the unemployment rate bumped up to 4.4%. Combine that with soaring energy prices, an expensive stock market, worries over the progress of the war in Iran, and all of the ingredients were in place for more selling. All of the major indices ended the day lower, and once again, the one index that was up for the year was crushed on Friday, as the small-cap-heavy Russell 2000 ended the day down 2.33% at 2,525, while the Nasdaq closed down 1.59% at 22,387. The S&P 500 closed down 1.33% at 6,740, and the best-performing index on a lousy day was the Dow Jones Industrials, which was last seen at 47,501, down 0.95%.

Treasury Bonds:

Yields were mixed across the government debt arena, as buyers stepped into a large swath of the yield curve.  The much-weaker-than-expected February jobs report and surging oil prices spurred high-volume trading on Friday, as investors balanced recession fears with inflation. Yields initially dropped on the weak labor data but later reversed, leaving the 10-year yield at 4.14% as traders adjusted bets on future Federal Reserve rate cuts. The 30-year-long bond was last seen at 4.76%. 

Oil and Gas:

Once again, the focus for investors and traders on Friday was the energy complex, which saw another day of heavy volume as the Strait of Hormuz remained essentially shut down. While President Trump suggested during the day that the Navy may begin accompanying oil tankers through the contested area, that idea apparently comes with its own set of problems, according to numerous published reports. Brent crude finished Friday at $92.97, up 8.85%, and West Texas Intermediate soared to $91.25, up a stunning 12.64%. Natural gas also got a boost from the geopolitical turmoil, closing up 5.86% at $3.18. Early Monday, WTI jumped to $102.50, up 12.76%. 

Gold:

Gold continued to grind higher, and while not as dramatic as the huge jump in energy pricing, the bullion still moved up 1.81% to close at $5,172, while Silver finished the session at $84.34, up 2.68%. Franklin Templeton has been urging investors to focus on mining stocks, which have moved higher over the last year, though not nearly as much on a percentage basis as the two precious metals giants that have been the focus of traders. 

Crypto:

The cryptocurrency market was lower across the board, and Bitcoin tumbled below $68,000 on Friday, a drop of over 4%. That tumble erased the week’s earlier progress as investors retreated from riskier assets. The slide came on the heels of a disappointing US jobs report and the mounting unrest in the Middle East, both of which soured market confidence. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin traded at $67,516, while Ethereum traded at $1,993.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports daily to identify new investment ideas for both investors and traders. 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. 

Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Monday, March 9, 2026.  

Upgrades:

• Brinker International Inc. (NYSE: EAT) was upgraded to Outperform from Peer Perform at Wolfe Research, with a $184 price target for the shares.
• Dow Inc. (NYSE: DOW | DOW Price Prediction) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital, which lifted the target price for the chemical giant to $40 from $29.
• GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) was upgraded to Buy from Sell at Rothschold & Co Redburn, which increased the price target to $1,100 from $560.
• USA Compression Partner LP (NYSE: USAC) was raised to Buy from Hold at Texas Capital, which raised the target price for the stock to $31 from $26.
• Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at Scotiabank, which bumped their target price for the telecommunications giant to $54.50 from $50.25.

Downgrades:

• Brown-Forman Inc. (NYSE: BF.B) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Bernstein, which lowered the target price for the spirits giant to $29 from $37.70.
• Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE: CTRA) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Texas Capital, which lowered the target price for the stock to $31 from $34.
• Ferrovial SE (NASDAQ: FER) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies, which nudged the target to $70.93 from $70.42.
• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which slashed the target price for the stock to $49 from $78.
• Starbucks Inc. (NASDAQ: SBUX) was downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Wolfe Research, with no price target.

Initiations:

• Cava Group Inc. (NYSE: CAVA) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Wolfe Research, which has set a $93 target price for the popular restaurant chain.
• Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) was reinstated with a Neutral rating at Goldman Sachs, which has an $88 targhet price objective.
• Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) was resumed in coverage with an Equal Weight rating at Wells Fargo, which has a $105 target price for the entertainment/programming giant.
• Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE: SHAK) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Wolfer Research, which hasa $118 target price for the popular burger restaurant.
• Solv Energy Inc. (NYSE: MWH) was initiated with an Overweight rating at JPMorgan with a $34 target price. Baird started the stock with an Outperform rating and a $35 target, while Jefferies began covering the stock with a Buy rating and a $43 target price. The stock was a recent IPO.