Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of December 17, 2018



Upgrades:


JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has $415.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $380.00. A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on SHW. Zacks Investment Research cut Sherwin-Williams from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 18th. Deutsche Bank raised Sherwin-Williams from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the company from $400.00 to $465.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 4th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $500.00 to $467.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 26th. Longbow Research began coverage on Sherwin-Williams in a report on Friday, November 30th. They set a neutral rating for the company. Finally, Buckingham Research dropped their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $425.00 to $410.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $465.60. Read more …

UBS Group upgraded shares of Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Monday, The Fly reports. A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Vodafone Group from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 25th. Bank of America cut Vodafone Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Vodafone Group from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 4th. Citigroup upgraded Vodafone Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 6th. Finally, Standpoint Research upgraded Vodafone Group from a reduce rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $33.36. Read more …

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) was upgraded by investment analysts at BTIG Research from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $119.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. BTIG Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 18.25% from the company’s current price. DRI has been the subject of several other reports. Canaccord Genuity upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 21st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Darden Restaurants from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 21st. SunTrust Banks increased their target price on Darden Restaurants to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.03. Read more …




JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $203.00 target price on the railroad operator’s stock, up from their previous target price of $198.00. NSC has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Investment Research raised Norfolk Southern from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $169.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. TD Securities raised Norfolk Southern from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 25th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Morgan Stanley set a $113.00 price target on Norfolk Southern and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Monday, October 22nd. Bank of America upped their price target on Norfolk Southern from $183.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed a hold rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a report on Wednesday, September 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $177.37. Read more …


Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by research analysts at Bank of America from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm presently has a $120.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $92.00. Bank of America’s target price suggests a potential upside of 12.04% from the company’s previous close. Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. ValuEngine upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 12th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank set a $110.00 target price on Hershey and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 14th. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $105.00 target price on Hershey and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 26th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upgraded Hershey from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $104.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.69. Read more …

JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $109.00 target price on the medical technology company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $100.00. Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Argus upped their price objective on Medtronic from $95.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Co upped their price objective on Medtronic from $95.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Medtronic from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Medtronic from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Medtronic to $104.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Medtronic currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $105.26. Read more …

Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on KMI. Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Monday, October 8th. They set a “conviction-buy” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse Group started coverage on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Thursday, October 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $23.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of Kinder Morgan from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 13th. Barclays set a $21.00 target price on shares of Kinder Morgan and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 12th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Kinder Morgan in a report on Wednesday, November 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.94. Read more …

Nike (NYSE:NKE) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, The Fly reports. The firm currently has a $85.00 price objective on the footwear maker’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 25.87% from the stock’s current price. Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 target price on shares of Nike in a research note on Wednesday, September 12th. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Nike from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 10th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Nike in a research note on Friday. UBS Group set a $78.00 target price on shares of Nike and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Nike from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and twenty-four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.18. Read more …


Downgrades:


Bank of America downgraded shares of Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has $50.00 target price on the technology retailer’s stock, down from their previous target price of $70.00. Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on BBY. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Best Buy from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 21st. Piper Jaffray Companies reduced their price target on shares of Best Buy from $87.00 to $81.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Best Buy from $76.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 29th. Credit Suisse Group set a $70.00 price target on shares of Best Buy and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 21st. Finally, Loop Capital restated a buy rating on shares of Best Buy in a research report on Tuesday, November 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $75.81. Read more …

Barclays cut shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $71.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $85.00. Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on EMR. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Monday, August 20th. They issued an overweight rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Emerson Electric from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 12th. William Blair reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Tuesday, November 6th. UBS Group set a $85.00 price objective on Emerson Electric and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 8th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Emerson Electric from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Emerson Electric presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $77.51. Read more …

Bank of America cut shares of Westrock (NYSE:WRK) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. WRK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. ValuEngine downgraded Westrock from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Co reduced their price objective on Westrock from $53.00 to $50.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 6th. Zacks Investment Research reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Westrock in a research note on Saturday, November 17th. Deutsche Bank set a $58.00 price objective on Westrock and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 6th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Westrock from a buy rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $57.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Monday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Westrock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $63.67. Read more …

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has $118.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $138.00. A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Kansas City Southern from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Monday, September 24th. Cowen upgraded Kansas City Southern from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price target for the stock from $124.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 29th. Deutsche Bank raised their price target on Kansas City Southern from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, September 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Kansas City Southern from $134.00 to $130.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on Kansas City Southern from $128.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $125.92. Read more …

American Express (NYSE:AXP) was downgraded by investment analysts at Bank of America from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on AXP. Stephens raised shares of American Express from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $110.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, September 17th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of American Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Co increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $115.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 1st. Oppenheimer reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $114.00 price objective on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, October 18th. Finally, Nomura increased their price objective on shares of American Express from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.83. Read more …

Credit Suisse Group downgraded shares of Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $44.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $65.00. SLB has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Schlumberger from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 5th. ValuEngine upgraded Schlumberger from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, October 4th. Macquarie set a $71.00 target price on Schlumberger and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 2nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Schlumberger in a research report on Wednesday, October 10th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on Schlumberger in a research report on Friday, October 12th. They set a weight rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $71.05. Read more …

Credit Suisse Group downgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning. A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on NVS. Citigroup upgraded shares of Novartis from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 11th. Bank of America raised shares of Novartis from an underperform rating to a buy rating and set a $74.71 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 10th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Novartis from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $95.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, December 11th. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Novartis from a neutral rating to a conviction-buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $90.94. Read more …

ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) was downgraded by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday. OKE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded ONEOK from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 19th. Mizuho began coverage on ONEOK in a report on Wednesday, November 28th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Seaport Global Securities upgraded ONEOK from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Co upped their price objective on ONEOK from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded ONEOK from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $70.39. Read more …

Capital One Financial cut shares of Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports. A number of other brokerages have also commented on OXY. Piper Jaffray Companies began coverage on Occidental Petroleum in a research note on Friday, September 28th. They issued an overweight rating for the company. Zacks Investment Research raised Occidental Petroleum from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $92.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 10th. Edward Jones raised Occidental Petroleum from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $101.00 price target on Occidental Petroleum and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 12th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Occidental Petroleum in a research note on Monday, November 12th. They issued an overweight rating and a $84.00 price target for the company. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Occidental Petroleum currently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $87.28. Read more …

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) was downgraded by investment analysts at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. MO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Argus boosted their price target on Altria Group from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. ValuEngine lowered shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $56.00 target price on shares of Altria Group and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 26th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.37. Read more …


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