Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 4, 2021 (Part 2)

 


Upgrades:

 


The Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $168.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.46% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on HSY. Barclays restated a “hold” rating on shares of The Hershey in a research report on Sunday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of The Hershey from $152.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 9th. BidaskClub cut shares of The Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of The Hershey from $155.00 to $149.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 9th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut shares of The Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $150.88. Read more …

 


Accenture (NYSE:ACN) was upgraded by equities researchers at Bank of America from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $261.00 price target on the information technology services provider's stock. Bank of America's price target would suggest a potential upside of 1.19% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ACN. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upped their target price on Accenture from $265.00 to $303.00 in a report on Friday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Accenture from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 18th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Accenture from $222.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Accenture from $263.00 to $264.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $247.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. The company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $248.07. Read more …

 


Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $38.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $26.00. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.24% from the company's previous close.

WFC has been the subject of several other research reports. DA Davidson raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $27.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 19th. Wolfe Research raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $28.00 to $36.00 in a research report on Monday, December 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Compass Point raised Wells Fargo & Company from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $27.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.06. Read more …

 

 


McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) was upgraded by analysts at Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $240.00 price target on the fast-food giant’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.74% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $220.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 10th. Stephens downgraded shares of McDonald’s from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Smith Barney Citigroup started coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of McDonald’s from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Monday, December 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have given a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $231.03. Read more …

 


JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Analyst Ratings Network reports. The brokerage currently has a $152.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $110.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.20% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on JPM. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $139.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $110.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 9th. Independent Research cut JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $125.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, December 3rd. Credit Suisse Group upped their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $126.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.99. Read more …

 


CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $90.00 target price on the pharmacy operator's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.64% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on CVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on CVS Health from $104.00 to $101.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CVS Health in a research report on Monday, November 9th. BidaskClub raised CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on CVS Health from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 11th. Finally, SVB Leerink raised their price objective on CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, December 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. The company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $82.93. Read more …

 

 


Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) was upgraded by investment analysts at Evercore ISI to an “in-line” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Stock Target Advisor reports. The brokerage presently has a $25.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $18.00. Evercore ISI’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 6.29% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on UNM. Barclays started coverage on shares of Unum Group in a report on Tuesday, November 17th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 18th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Unum Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $18.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, October 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Unum Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.75. Read more …

 


Aflac (NYSE:AFL) was upgraded by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from an "underperform" rating to an "in-line" rating in a report issued on Friday, Analyst Ratings Network reports. The brokerage currently has a $47.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior price objective of $43.00. Evercore ISI's target price suggests a potential upside of 5.19% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Aflac from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Aflac from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 18th. BidaskClub cut Aflac from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Aflac in a research note on Friday, December 4th. They set a "sell" rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Aflac from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $43.90. Read more …

 


The Western Union (NYSE:WU) was upgraded by equities researchers at Guggenheim from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, The Fly reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WU. Bank of America raised The Western Union from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. BidaskClub raised shares of The Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of The Western Union in a research report on Tuesday, December 22nd. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upgraded shares of The Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 5th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of The Western Union from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.56. Read more …

 

 


Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report released on Friday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $113.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $108.00. Piper Sandler’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 25.25% from the stock’s previous close.

CVX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BidaskClub cut Chevron from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, December 31st. Raymond James reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Chevron in a report on Friday, October 30th. Cowen lifted their target price on Chevron from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 9th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell lifted their target price on Chevron from $69.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 9th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $97.00 target price on shares of Chevron in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $101.92. Read more …

 


D.R. Horton (NYSE:DHI) was upgraded by research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, AR Network reports. The brokerage currently has a $80.00 target price on the construction company's stock, up from their prior target price of $75.00. Royal Bank of Canada's price target indicates a potential upside of 16.47% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of D.R. Horton from $81.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 18th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on shares of D.R. Horton from $75.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of D.R. Horton from $73.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 11th. 140166 raised D.R. Horton from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 11th. Finally, Smith Barney Citigroup increased their target price on D.R. Horton from $78.00 to $85.00 in a report on Thursday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.09. Read more …

 

 

Downgrades:

 


Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) was downgraded by analysts at Bank of America from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. They currently have a $47.00 target price on the pipeline company's stock. Bank of America's target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.40% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on MMP. ValuEngine upgraded Magellan Midstream Partners from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 1st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Magellan Midstream Partners from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $47.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 8th. Credit Suisse Group lowered shares of Magellan Midstream Partners from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $48.00 to $49.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 17th. TD Securities dropped their price target on shares of Magellan Midstream Partners from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Argus downgraded Magellan Midstream Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Magellan Midstream Partners has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.95. Read more …

 

 


Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) was downgraded by Smith Barney Citigroup from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports. They presently have a $175.00 price objective on the specialty chemicals company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $132.00. Smith Barney Citigroup’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 0.26% from the company’s previous close.

ALB has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Albemarle from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Albemarle from $60.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Argus boosted their target price on Albemarle from $98.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Albemarle from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, HSBC raised Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $121.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $97.76. Read more …

 


U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) was downgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BidaskClub upgraded U.S. Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley upgraded U.S. Bancorp from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $57.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 30th. ValuEngine upgraded U.S. Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on U.S. Bancorp from $46.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TheStreet upgraded U.S. Bancorp from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. U.S. Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.38. Read more …

 


3M (NYSE:MMM) was downgraded by Bank of America from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. They currently have a $170.00 price target on the conglomerate's stock. Bank of America's target price points to a potential downside of 2.41% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on MMM. TheStreet upgraded shares of 3M from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of 3M from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $182.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, December 15th. BidaskClub lowered shares of 3M from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, December 28th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of 3M from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their target price on shares of 3M from $179.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $172.00. Read more …

 

 


FedEx (NYSE:FDX) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wolfe Research from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports.

FDX has been the topic of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on FedEx from $286.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Berenberg Bank set a $325.00 price objective on FedEx and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 30th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell raised their price objective on FedEx from $300.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 3rd. Argus raised their price objective on FedEx from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised FedEx from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $243.00 to $318.00 in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. FedEx presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $312.00. Read more …

 


The Kroger (NYSE:KR) was downgraded by Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. They presently have a $31.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential downside of 3.76% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on KR. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell reduced their price objective on The Kroger from $36.00 to $33.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 4th. BidaskClub raised The Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 28th. ValuEngine downgraded shares of The Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of The Kroger from $35.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of The Kroger from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. The Kroger currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.77. Read more …

 


Ventas (NYSE:VTR) was downgraded by investment analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. They presently have a $49.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 3.29% from the company’s previous close.

VTR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ventas from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 11th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Ventas from $47.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 8th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Ventas from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell increased their target price on Ventas from $35.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 15th. Finally, Smith Barney Citigroup raised their price target on Ventas from $35.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Ventas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.53. Read more …

 

 


Avista (NYSE:AVA) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Bank of America from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report issued on Friday, Briefing.com reports. They presently have a $37.00 target price on the utilities provider's stock. Bank of America's price objective indicates a potential downside of 9.29% from the company's previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on AVA. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, December 18th. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 12th. Finally, ValuEngine upgraded shares of Avista from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. The company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $41.00.

AVA opened at $40.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.54. Avista has a 12 month low of $32.09 and a 12 month high of $53.00. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $38.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Read more …

 

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