Here Are Wednesday’s Best Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Block, Charles River Laboratories, Cognizant Technology, Constellation Energy, Credicorp, First Solar, GE Vernova, Huntsman, Macerich, and More

Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading mixed as we hit the midweek point, as the Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) or SpaceX IPO rush is starting to fade somewhat. The shares of Elon Musk’s company, which were priced at $135 last Friday, traded as high as $225 on Tuesday, and the $90 premium was too much for many to pass on. By the close, the stock traded back and finished the session at $201.68. The major stock indices took a breather on Tuesday as well after a wild ride higher on the strength of the IPO and general AI/Data Center trade enthusiasm. Three of the four major indices closed lower, with the Nasdaq taking the biggest hit, closing down 1.15% at 26,376, while the Russell 2000 ended the day down 0.94% at 2,937. Closing out the losers category was the S&P 500, which closed Tuesday at 7,511, down 0.57%, while the sole winner on Tuesday was the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which closed higher by 0.64% at 51,999, after trading above 52,000 for the first time.

Treasury Bonds:

Yields were lower again on Tuesday as anticipation of continued positive geopolitical news, along with the persistent narrative of an ongoing short squeeze, boosted the Treasury debt market. The 30-year long bond finished the session at 4.94%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.44%

Oil and Gas:

The energy complex traded lower again on Tuesday as the potential for a deal with Iran looks better each day, suggesting an opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which will slowly but surely bring oil and gas back into the markets and help prices continue to trend lower. By the close, Brent Crude was down 4.50% at $79.43, while West Texas Intermediate finished the day at $76.63, down a whopping 5.10%. Natural gas had another strong day, adding to Monday’s gain to finish the session at $3.26, up 3.72%.

Gold:

The precious metals complex had another positive day, albeit only modestly higher, as Gold closed trading on Tuesday at $4,330, up 0.51%, while Silver ended the day at $69.91, up just 0.05%. While Gold has remained trapped in a narrow trading range, many on Wall Street feel a breakout is imminent, as all the positive factors for the sector remain in place. 

Crypto:

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 best Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. 

 Upgrades:

• Block (NYSE: XYZ | XYZ Price Prediction) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at President Capital Management, with an $86 target price.
• Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE: CRL) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, which lifted the target price for the shares to $220 from $185.
• Credicorp (NYSE: BAP) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, which lifted the price target for the stock to $480 from $375.
• Huntsman (NYSE: HUN) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Mizhou, which raised the target price for the shares to $14 from $10.
• Macerich Company (NYSE: MAC) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan, which nudged the target price for the stock to $25 from $23.

Downgrades:

• Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Berenberg, which dropped the target price to $50 from $81.
• Ellington Financial (NYSE: EFC) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BTIG, without a target price.
• IQVIA Holdings (NYSE: IQV) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $200 from $225.
• Leidos Holdings (NYSE: LDOS) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Bank of America, which slashed the price target to $125 from $200.
• ResMed (NYSE: RMD) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley, which dropped the target price for the shares to $230 from $286.

Initiations:

• Allegiant Travel (NASDAQ: ALGT) was reinstated with a Buy rating at Goldman Sachs, with a $125 target price.
• Constellation Energy Corporation (NYSE: CEG) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Bernstein, with a $296 target price objective.
• First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) was initiated with an Underperform rating at Bernstein, with a $217 target price. 
  
• GE Vernova (NYSE: GEV) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Bernstein, with a $1,206 target price.
• Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) was started with an Outperform rating at Raymond James, with a $50 target price.