Here Are Thursday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Abercrombie & Fitch, Choice Hotels International, DigitalOcean Holdings, First Solar, LTC Properties, Okta, Regions Financial, Synopsys, and More
Wall Street analysts delivered a flurry of rating changes Thursday, reshuffling positions on retailers, REITs, solar stocks, and cybersecurity names while markets digest hotter inflation data and brace for a pivotal Fed speech at Jackson Hole.
Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mixed, with the Nasdaq soaring after a data-filled day on Wall Street that began with Core PCE inflation coming in a little hotter than expected and ended with the much-anticipated results from NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction), which, as usual, came in above expectations, with revenue more than doubling. The major indices closed modestly lower after a slow trading day, with the S&P 500 finishing at 7,675, down 0.02%, while the Nasdaq closed at 26,130, down 0.08%. The Dow Jones Industrials fell 0.21% to 53,463, while the small-cap Russell 2000, still the leading index and up almost 20% in 2026, closed at 3,007, down 0.08%. With the summer winding down, and next week the last vacation week for many before the Labor Day holiday, expect more of the same light volume, and junior traders on the various trade desks around the street.
Treasury Bonds:
Yields were higher across most of the Treasury curve as more criticism of Secretary Bessent’s bond buyback strategy came out. Legendary investor Stanley Druckenmiller’s fiery op-ed in the Wall Street Journal argued that Bessent’s intervention was an unneeded effort to manipulate prices rather than fix a real liquidity crisis. The 30-year bond finished the session at 5.17%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.65%. The recent surge in yields has pushed the 30-year mortgage rate to the highest level in over a year.
Oil and Gas:
Both major oil benchmarks finished Wednesday lower for the third straight day as a pending deal between Oman and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz gained momentum. When the final bell rang, Brent Crude closed at $87.45, down 1.28%, while West Texas Intermediate finished at $81.98, down 0.42%. Natural gas continued its winning ways, closing up 3.47% at $2.87.
Gold:
After a strong run, some profit-taking showed up in the precious metals complex, as Gold closed Wednesday at $4,590, down 1.49%, while Silver finished the day at $67.93, down 0.90%. Traders cited the hotter inflation data and repositioning ahead of Fed Chairman Warsh’s speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday.
Crypto:
Cryptocurrency markets cooled and traded mostly flat to lower on Wednesday as Bitcoin faced resistance near the $80,000 mark. The crypto benchmark hovered around $78,000 to $79,000, pulling back slightly after touching a high above $81,000 earlier in the week. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin traded at $79,432, while Ethereum showed strength and was quoted at $2,502.
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 on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
Upgrades:
- First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital, which has a $265 target price for the shares.
- LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank, with a $55 target.
- Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Bank of America, with a $170 target price.
- Semtech Corporation (NASDAQ: SMTC) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Northland, with a $182 target price.
- Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird, which nudged the price target to $560 from $558.
Downgrades:
- Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, which has a $156 target price for the popular retailer.
- Celsius (NASDAQ: CELH) was cut to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank, with a $35 target price for the stock.
- Primerica (NYSE: PRI) was cut to Hold from Buy at Truist Financial, which slashed the price target to $320 from $370.
- Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank, with a $34 target price.
- SmartStop Self Storage REIT (NYSE: SMA) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital, with a $38 target price.
Initiations:
- Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH) was initiated with a Neutral at Mizuho, with a $106 target price objective.
- DigitalOcean Holdings (NYSE: DOCN) was started with a Buy rating at Truist Financial, with a $175 target price.
- First Financial Bankshares (NASDAQ: FFIN) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Piper Sandler, with a $35 target price.
- Goosehead Insurance (NASDAQ: GSHD) was initiated with a Hold rating at Texas Capital, and has an $80 target price.
- Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Raymond James, without a 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 and diverse career, which included a stint as the creative services director at the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry and world.
Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans over 30 years, with nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career was marked by his presence on the sell side during pivotal 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 is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of market volatility.
Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, acquired from a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing on various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies and workings of Wall Street in a way that 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.
