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Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Ally Financial, BankUnited, Ciena Corporation, CoreWeave, Dow, FormFactor, Lumentum Holdings, Moderna, Target, and More

Rising Treasury yields are rattling markets heading into the final trading day of Q3, and Wall Street analysts are making bold moves on a wide range of stocks from big-box retail to AI infrastructure. Find out who got cut and…

By Lee Jackson
Published September 30, 2026, 8:02am ET · 4 min read

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A black street sign for 'WALL ST' with address numbers '11-21' and an arrow pointing right, is mounted on a weathered grey pole. Below it, another black sign for 'BROAD ST' with numbers '1-267' is visible. In the blurred background, an American flag with white stars on a blue field and red and white stripes is visible, along with tall, light-colored buildings.
The iconic intersection of Wall Street and Broad Street in New York City, a global center for finance, reflects the ongoing market's assessment of major institutions like Wells Fargo. © robertcicchetti / Getty Images

Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading lower once again after another down day for the U.S. equity markets, as the same reason continues to plague almost every asset class: rising interest rates across the Treasury yield curve. All major indices ended the day lower, but with far less downside than on Monday. The small-cap Russell 2000, the leading index for much of the year, closed down 0.37% at 2,807, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq, now the top index for 2026, fell 0.09% to 26,797.  The S&P 500 ended Tuesday at 7,670, down 0.17%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 51,349, down 0.24%. With today being the final trading day of the third quarter, we could see some increased volatility and breadth.

Treasury Bonds:

While yields were mixed across the Treasury curve on Tuesday, with most of the belly and T-bill maturities lower, the intermediate and long end, which have the biggest effect on the economy and prices, were all higher. By the close, the 30-year long bond was trading at 5.58%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 5.25%

Oil and Gas:

For the first time in days, oil ended the day lower as Saudi Arabia finished repairs on its east-west pipeline and resumed operations at Yanbu Port, bringing Middle East oil exports back to 80% of pre-war levels. Brent Crude closed the session at $102.40, down 2.70%, while West Texas Intermediate ended the day at $89.11, down 3.77%. Natural gas closed at $3.02, down 2.93%. 

Gold:

Despite a stronger dollar and interest rates edging higher again, precious metals posted solid gains on Tuesday. By the final bell, Gold closed at $4,174, up 1.47%, while Silver was last seen at $61.27, up 1.25%. These gains followed Monday’s 3.5% drop, which took Gold to a 7-week low. Lower oil prices and a dreadful consumer confidence print drove the strength.

Crypto:

The cryptocurrency market had a volatile, mixed trading session on Tuesday. Major assets staged a midday rally before tracking lower into the afternoon, leaving the asset class relatively flat to slightly positive versus the previous day’s close. Disappointing consumer confidence data kicked off a brief risk-on rally for digital assets, though persistent long-term interest rate hike fears eventually checked the move higher. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was quoted at $83,820, while Ethereum was quoted at $2,694.

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 to buy, sell, or avoid stocks, 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 from Wednesday, July 30, 2026.

 

Upgrades:

  • Grocery Outlet Holding (NYSE: GO) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America, which bumped the target price for the shares to $15 from $12.50.
  • Nice (NASDAQ: NICE) | NICE Price Prediction was raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer, with a $150 target price.
  • Pinnacle Financial Partners (NYSE: PNFP) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Wells Fargo, with a $118 target price.
  • Target (NYSE: TGT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at HSBC, which has a $190 target for the big box retailer.

Downgrades:

  • Ally Financial (NYSE: ALLY) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, which dropped the target price for the stock to $42 from $55.
  • BankUnited (NYSE: BKU) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $47 from $54.
  • Dow (NYSE: DOW) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, which lowered the target price for the chemical giant to $30 from $35.
  • Mobileye Global (NASDAQ: MBLY) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, which lowered the price target to $9 from $14.
  • Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Citigroup, which raised the target price to $80 from $60.

Initiations:

  • Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Bernstein, with a $440 target price.
  • CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) was started with an Outperform rating at William Blair, without a target price.
  • FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) was initiated with a Buy rating at Deutsche Bank, which set a $200 target price for the stock.
  • Lumentum Holdings (NASDAQ: LITE) was started with an Outperform rating at Bernstein, with a $1,220 target price objective.
  • Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD) was initiated with an Equal Weight rating at Stephens, with a $22 target price. 

 

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Lee Jackson

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.

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