Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of March 15, 2021

 


Upgrades:

 


Dollar General (NYSE:DG) was upgraded by analysts at Atlantic Securities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm presently has a $243.00 price objective on the stock. Atlantic Securities’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 26.59% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Dollar General from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 4th. Loop Capital raised shares of Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 26th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Dollar General from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $213.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, February 22nd. Bank of America lowered shares of Dollar General from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $215.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, February 25th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Dollar General from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Dollar General currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $230.38. Read more …

 


Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) was upgraded by BTIG Research from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $130.00 price objective on the coffee company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price target suggests a potential upside of 19.38% from the stock’s current price.

SBUX has been the subject of several other research reports. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Starbucks from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Starbucks from $106.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 10th. Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 27th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.25. Read more …

 


The Hershey (NYSE:HSY) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $175.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $147.00. Piper Sandler's target price suggests a potential upside of 14.01% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on The Hershey from $157.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 12th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on shares of The Hershey from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of The Hershey from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $157.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Monday, February 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised The Hershey from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $168.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.07. Read more …

 

 


McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $244.00 target price on the fast-food giant's stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's target price points to a potential upside of 10.98% from the company's previous close.

MCD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group raised McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $240.00 in a report on Monday, December 14th. Wedbush initiated coverage on McDonald's in a research note on Monday, January 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded McDonald's from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $218.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 2nd. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on McDonald's from $230.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald's from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the stock. McDonald's presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $232.55. Read more …

 


Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ:KDP) was upgraded by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report issued on Friday, The Fly reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on KDP. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on Keurig Dr Pepper from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Keurig Dr Pepper in a research note on Tuesday, January 19th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Keurig Dr Pepper in a research note on Tuesday, December 8th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Keurig Dr Pepper in a report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.00.

NASDAQ:KDP opened at $33.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $32.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $30.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.63. Keurig Dr Pepper has a 12-month low of $19.90 and a 12-month high of $34.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Read more …

 


Nucor (NYSE:NUE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Friday, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Nucor from $63.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Nucor from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $48.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 3rd. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Nucor from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $76.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Nucor from $60.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued 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 target price of $55.18. Read more …

 

 

 

Downgrades:

 


ViacomCBS (NASDAQ:VIAC) was downgraded by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. They currently have a $70.00 price objective on the stock, up from their previous price objective of $60.00. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective suggests a potential downside of 26.27% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of ViacomCBS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on ViacomCBS from $35.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 25th. Citigroup cut ViacomCBS from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $42.00 to $49.00 in a research report on Monday, February 1st. Zacks Investment Research raised ViacomCBS from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $68.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 1st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on ViacomCBS from $30.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.96. Read more …

 


ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was downgraded by Bank of America from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on COP. Scotiabank upgraded ConocoPhillips from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $45.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Wednesday, February 3rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on ConocoPhillips in a research report on Thursday, December 17th. They set a $54.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $39.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 9th. Finally, Truist raised their price objective on ConocoPhillips from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.08. Read more …

 


Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW) was downgraded by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Monday, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Pinnacle West Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $85.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, December 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Pinnacle West Capital from $89.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 18th. Credit Suisse Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price objective (down from $86.00) on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a research note on Wednesday, March 3rd. Siebert Williams Shank raised Pinnacle West Capital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $97.00 to $92.00 in a research note on Monday, March 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Pinnacle West Capital from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.70. Read more …

 

 


Altria Group (NYSE:MO) was downgraded by stock analysts at UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports. They presently have a $46.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 6.60% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on MO. TheStreet raised shares of Altria Group from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Thursday, January 28th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, January 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $53.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Sunday, January 31st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.07. Read more …

 


CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) was downgraded by analysts at Guggenheim from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

Several other research analysts have also commented on CVS. SVB Leerink increased their price target on shares of CVS Health from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of CVS Health from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. CVS Health has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $82.08.

Shares of CVS opened at $75.07 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day moving average is $71.75 and its 200-day moving average is $66.89. CVS Health has a 12 month low of $52.04 and a 12 month high of $77.23. The firm has a market cap of $98.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Read more …

 


McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) was downgraded by stock analysts at Argus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

MKC opened at $87.23 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $87.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.76. The company has a market capitalization of $23.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a PEG ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 0.44. McCormick & Company, Incorporated has a 52 week low of $56.11 and a 52 week high of $105.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. McCormick & Company, Incorporated had a return on equity of 20.93% and a net margin of 13.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that McCormick & Company, Incorporated will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year. Read more …

 

 


The Clorox (NYSE:CLX) was downgraded by investment analysts at DA Davidson from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on The Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, January 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $206.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of The Clorox from $245.00 to $235.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 22nd. Smith Barney Citigroup upgraded shares of The Clorox from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $238.00 to $249.00 in a report on Monday, December 14th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upgraded shares of The Clorox from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $238.00 to $249.00 in a report on Sunday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of The Clorox from $190.00 to $182.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $221.29. Read more …

 


U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) was downgraded by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Friday, The Fly reports. They presently have a $55.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 2.26% from the company’s previous close. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on USB. Citigroup raised U.S. Bancorp from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Friday, January 22nd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of U.S. Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of U.S. Bancorp from $42.00 to $52.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of U.S. Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. U.S. Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $50.39. Read more …

 


Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) was downgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, The Fly reports.

KMB has been the subject of several other reports. Argus lowered Kimberly-Clark from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Kimberly-Clark in a research report on Tuesday, January 19th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Kimberly-Clark in a report on Monday, December 7th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $130.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $152.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Kimberly-Clark from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $149.92. Read more …

 

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