Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Albemarle, Alcoa, Brinker International, Dell Technologies, Garmin, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lockheed Martin, NetApp, Trane Technologies, and More
Wall Street analysts reshuffled their bets Wednesday, hitting several major tech and industrial names with surprise downgrades while selectively upgrading defense and commodity plays. Find out which stocks just got a fresh vote of confidence and which ones lost favor.
Pre-Market Stock Futures:
Futures are trading mostly higher after a rather ho-hum start to the third-quarter earnings season. Large-cap financial stocks led off with strong numbers, though the sector’s results were mixed. JPMorgan Chase & Company (NYSE: JPM | JPM Price Prediction) reported strong results, but the firm’s fixed-income trading was down for the first time in two years, while Citigroup (NYSE: C) posted its best third-quarter revenue in a decade, as profits jumped 40% year-over-year, driven by a 6% rise in trading revenue. By Tuesday’s close, all major indices were modestly lower, with the small-cap Russell 2000 down the most, closing at 2,783, down 0.40%, while the Dow Jones Industrials fell 0.35% to 51,670. The tech-heavy Nasdaq closed down only 0.15% at 27,204 despite heavy selling in the chip sector, and the S&P 500 closed Tuesday’s session almost unchanged at 7,805, down only 0.02%.
Treasury Bonds:
After a day off for the Columbus Day holiday, bond markets returned to action Tuesday, with mixed trading as yields rose in shorter maturities and T-bills. In comparison, buyers eyed the belly of the curve and longer maturities, where yields were lower. By the close, the 30-year bond yield stood at 5.66%, while the 10-year note was last seen at 5.22%.
Oil and Gas:
Prices were mixed across the energy complex as heightened tensions across the Middle East continue to grow, with Saudi Arabia furious over the Houthi weekend attack on the Riyadh airport that killed 14 and wounded over 300, vowing a strong military resposne. Brent Crude closed Tuesday’s session at $106.10, down 0.48%, while West Texas Intermediate was last seen at $94.14, up 0.40%. Natural gas roared back from a slow start to the week, closing Tuesday at $3.28, up 3.66%.
Gold:
Gold was modestly lower on Tuesday; a stronger dollar, higher yields, and concerns over upcoming inflation data weighed on the bullion after a strong Monday. At the close, Gold was at $4,160, while Silver was last seen at $9.05, down 1.84%.
Crypto:
Crypto markets pulled a classic, volatile V-shaped recovery on Tuesday, clawing back steep losses from an overnight global stock slump driven by a sell-off in Asian tech and chip shares. Because crypto never sleeps and trades 24/7, Bitcoin dipped sharply to an early low near $81,000 before staging a rapid comeback, surging back over $84,000 Tuesday afternoon and ultimately stabilizing around $83,300 to $83,500 later in the day. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $83,295, while Ethereum was quoted at $2,498.
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 from Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
Upgrades:
- Albemarle (NYSE: ALB) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Mizuho, with a $130 target price.
- Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies, which lifted the price target for the company to $255 from $230.
- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Vertical Research, with a $600 target price.
- Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman Sachs, which bumped the target price for the stock to $565 from $548.
- Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Bank of America, which trimmed the target price for the shares to $25 from $28.
Downgrades:
- Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Bank of America, which dropped the target price to $12 from $16.
- Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, which lowered the target price for the legacy tech giant to $574 from $603.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE: HPE) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, with an unchanged $219 target price.
- Lennox International (NYSE: LII) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs, which slashed the target price for the HVAC giant to $390 from $547.
- NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays, with an unchanged $219 target price.
Initiations:
- Alcoa (NYSE: AA) was initiated with an Overweight rating at Barclays, which has a $55 target price for the aluminum giant.
- AZZ (NYSE: AZZ) was started with an Equal Weight rating at Barclays, with a $140 target price.
- Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ: CENX) was initiated with an Equal Weight rating at Barclays, with a $40 target price.
- Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) was initiated with a Buy rating at Arete, with a $335 target price.
- Kirby (NYSE: KEX) was initiated with an Overweight rating at JPMorgan, with a $200 target price.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
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.
