Here Are Friday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Cinemark, Digital Realty, Fox Corporation, Krystal Biotech, LTC Properties, Roku, Sandisk, T-Mobile US, Wayfair, and More
Wall Street flipped the script Friday with a wave of surprise upgrades and downgrades hitting names like Wayfair, Roku, and Fox Corporation, while cooler inflation data reshuffled bets across stocks, bonds, oil, and crypto all at once.
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Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mixed as we wrap up a wild and woolly week across Wall Street. Many thought that bad inflation prints for July were about to lock in a September rate hike; the data for both the consumer price index, which came in line with expectations, and the producer price index, which showed final demand was unchanged in July, came in below the consensus forecast of a 0.2% increase. Over the 12 months through July, headline wholesale inflation cooled to 4.7%, down from 5.5% in June. That was all that was needed to ignite a Thursday rally as all of the major indices finished the day higher, with the tech and AI-heavy Nasdaq leading the charge, closing up 0.81% at 26,803, while the S&P 500, which closed at a new all-time high, finished the session at 7,798, up 0.65%. The small-cap Russell 2000 also printed a new high and closed the day at 3,053, up 0.26%, and the venerable Dow Jones Industrial eked out a small gain, closing up 0.13 % at 53,839. With inflation data in and second-quarter earnings reports nearly over, investors should brace for a traditionally slow rest of August as we head toward Labor Day.
Treasury Bonds:
Just when a September rate hike looked inevitable, consumer and producer price index inflation came in at or below street expectations, igniting buying. Yields were lower across the entire Treasury curve, with the biggest buying over the belly and the long end. At the close, the 30-year bond last traded at 5.22%, while the benchmark 10-year note closed at 4.65%.
Oil and Gas:
Weak demand forecasts and a surprise rise in global inventories were all it took to get sellers back to the table on Thursday. When the dust settled, Brent Crude closed down 2.25% at $86.84, while West Texas Intermediate closed the day at $81.16, lower by 2.63%. Natural gas also closed lower at $2.73, down 2.60%.
Gold:
After a solid August rebound, the precious metals complex took a breather on Thursday, with sellers taking profits as the dollar strengthened. The final print for gold came in at $4,348, down 1.35%, while Silver closed Thursday’s session at $ 64.28, down 1.45%.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrencies traded lower and mostly sideways Thursday, with Bitcoin hovering near the $63,000–$63,500 range. Major tokens faced downward pressure after cooler-than-expected inflation data failed to spark fresh market demand, as traders awaited upcoming SEC regulatory updates. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $62,843, while Ethereum was trading at $1,878.
24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports every day to identify fresh investment ideas for investors and traders alike. These daily analyst notes include recommendations on stocks to buy, sell, or avoid, as well as new coverage initiations. Important reminder: No single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for buying or selling a stock.
Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Friday, August 14, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR | DLR Price Prediction) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC with a $240 target price.
- Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOXA) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which raised the target price for the stock to $82 from $70.
- Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Stifel, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $26 from $32.
- LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital, which bumped the target price to $45 from $41.
- Wayfair (NYSE: W) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein, which lifted the target price for the company to $125 from $100.
Downgrades:
- CareTrust REIT (NASDAQ: CTRE) was downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital, which nudged the price target down to $43 from $44.
- Cinemark Holdings (NYSE: CNK) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $39 from $40.
- Interparfums (NASDAQ: IPAR) was cut to Hold from Buy at Berenberg, which raised the target price to $130 from $113.
- Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, with a $165 target, down from $167. Broadcasting giant Fox is buying the company.
- T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) was downgraded to Peer Perform from Outperform at Wolfe Research, without a price target.
Initiations:
- Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR) was initiated with a Buy rating at Jefferies, with a $175 target price.
- Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: UUUU) was started with an Outperform rating at BMO Capital, with an $18 target price.
- Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ: KRYS) was initiated with an Outperform rating at RBC Capital, which has a $400 target price objective.
- Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) was resumed with an Overweight rating at JPMorgan, with a $2,250 target price.
- Spyglass Pharma (NASDAQ: SGP) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Raymond James, with a $39 target price.
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Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad, diverse career, including a stint as creative services director at an NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry.
Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans more than 30 years, including nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career spanned pivotal sell-side Wall Street events, from the dot-com rise and bubble to the Long-Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This reflects his resilience and adaptability amid market volatility.
Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, gained through a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing across various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies of Wall Street in a way only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.
Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.
