Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of March 7 2022 (Part 1)

 

Upgrades:

 

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) was upgraded by research analysts at KeyCorp to an "overweight" rating in a research report issued on Monday, Stock Target Advisor reports. The firm presently has a $87.00 target price on the utilities provider's stock. KeyCorp's price target would suggest a potential upside of 8.47% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on NEE. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on NextEra Energy from $89.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on NextEra Energy from $90.00 to $88.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 18th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of NextEra Energy from $91.00 to $88.00 in a research note on Monday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of NextEra Energy from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $89.43. Read more …

 

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) was upgraded by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm presently has a $42.00 price objective on the financial services provider's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.55% from the company's current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on BAC. Societe Generale downgraded Bank of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 5th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. UBS Group assumed coverage on Bank of America in a report on Friday, December 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $64.00 price target for the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Bank of America from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $51.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Bank of America from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 20th. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $50.00 to $55.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $50.38. Read more …

 

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) was upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $260.00 price objective on the industrial products company's stock, up from their previous price objective of $215.00. Jefferies Financial Group's target price would suggest a potential upside of 32.18% from the stock's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on CAT. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $166.00 to $164.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 5th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $233.00 to $242.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $225.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $242.18. Read more …

 

 

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $58.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $50.00. Wells Fargo & Company's target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.21% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on FAST. Loop Capital upped their target price on Fastenal from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 7th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. StockNews.com lowered Fastenal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Fastenal from $64.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Fastenal from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $59.50. Read more …

Dividend Increases Week 45, 2021

 

In this article, I will go through the weekly dividend increases and cuts in popular and well-known stocks.

 

Recently, 8 popular companies announced dividend increases. Note that no dividend cuts or suspensions were announced during this period.

 

The table below summarises the dividend change announcements.  The table shows the current dividend, the new dividend and the percentage increase (%). Dividends are shown on an annual basis and in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Yield is the new dividend yield of the most recent price, and Years is the years of consecutive dividend increases.

 

 

 

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of August 16, 2021

 

Upgrades:

 

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) was upgraded by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CMP. CL King raised Compass Minerals International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 14th. Zacks Investment Research cut Compass Minerals International from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Compass Minerals International has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.60.

CMP stock opened at $67.71 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $64.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.60, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of -16.51 and a beta of 1.63. Compass Minerals International has a 52-week low of $54.24 and a 52-week high of $72.00. Read more …

 

ViacomCBS (NASDAQ:VIAC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, The Fly reports. The firm presently has a $50.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $45.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 28.11% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. decreased their target price on ViacomCBS from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded ViacomCBS from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $52.00 in a report on Friday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on ViacomCBS from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 10th. Moffett Nathanson upgraded ViacomCBS from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised ViacomCBS from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the company from $32.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Friday, August 6th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.96. Read more …

 

The Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, The Fly reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on WEN. TheStreet upgraded The Wendy’s from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a report on Friday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on The Wendy’s from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 12th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on The Wendy’s from $27.00 to $28.50 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 12th. MKM Partners boosted their price objective on The Wendy’s from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 12th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded The Wendy’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, June 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $26.73. Read more …

 

 

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) was upgraded by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. The brokerage currently has a $180.00 target price on the iPhone maker’s stock, up from their previous target price of $175.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 23.86% from the company’s previous close.

AAPL has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Apple from $166.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 28th. Wedbush raised their price target on Apple from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 29th. Raymond James raised their price target on Apple from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 29th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Apple from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 28th. Finally, Fundamental Research raised their price target on Apple from $144.27 to $163.99 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twenty-six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.74. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of August 9, 2021

 

Upgrades:

 

Brookfield Infrastructure (NASDAQ:BIPC) was upgraded by Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

Separately, Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Brookfield Infrastructure from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 27th.

Shares of BIPC opened at $63.28 on Monday. Brookfield Infrastructure has a fifty-two week low of $47.23 and a fifty-two week high of $80.60. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion and a P/E ratio of 43.94. Read more …

 

Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) was upgraded by research analysts at Raymond James from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Price Targets.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $350.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Raymond James’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.98% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Public Storage from $296.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 1st. Truist lifted their target price on Public Storage from $269.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 17th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Public Storage in a report on Monday, June 14th. They issued a “peer perform” rating and a $335.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Public Storage from $200.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Public Storage from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $306.55. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 25, 2021

 

Upgrades:

 

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) was upgraded by stock analysts at Credit Suisse Group from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $40.00 target price on the financial services provider's stock, up from their prior target price of $35.00. Credit Suisse Group's price target points to a potential upside of 25.39% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on WFC. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $26.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $25.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Monday, November 30th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, December 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.58. Read more …

 

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) was upgraded by equities researchers at Atlantic Securities from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The firm presently has a $40.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Atlantic Securities’ target price suggests a potential upside of 28.37% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Bank of America from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $27.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $26.00 to $27.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 11th. Smith Barney Citigroup upgraded shares of Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Bank of America and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Bank of America presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $33.13. Read more …

 

Dollar General (NYSE:DG) was upgraded by analysts at Loop Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $260.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital's target price indicates a potential upside of 25.87% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Raymond James upped their target price on Dollar General from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Dollar General from $240.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell increased their price objective on Dollar General from $235.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Friday, December 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Dollar General from $223.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Friday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Dollar General from $220.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $226.58. Read more …

 

 

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $83.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.83% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Bank of America raised Dominion Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $88.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 16th. TheStreet downgraded Dominion Energy from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 22nd. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Dominion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $84.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Credit Suisse Group raised Dominion Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $83.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Dominion Energy from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $83.58. Read more …

 

Automatic Data Processing Inc: 46 Years of Dividend Increases & Still Going Strong

 

A Dividend Growth Stock You Likely Haven’t Considered

 With so much hype around soaring tech stocks, Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP) is not a name that gets mentioned often in the financial media. In fact, it doesn’t even get as much attention as the “boring” consumer staples stocks, because the latter are known to be recession-proof and have actually been hot commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Still, if you’re an income investor and don’t know about ADP stock, now would be a good time to give it a serious look. Automatic Data Processing recently boosted its payout to shareholders, which is quite an impressive feat, given what’s been going on in the world over the past year.

 

On November 11, 2020, the company’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.93 per share, which marked a 2.2% increase from Automatic Data Processing stock’s previous quarterly payout. The increased dividend was paid on January 1, 2021 to shareholders of record as of December 11, 2020.

 

Note that the announcement marked the company’s 46th consecutive annual dividend hike.

 

What’s more impressive is that Automatic Data Processing comes from an industry that’s not exactly known to be recession-proof: payroll processing. When the economy is in the doldrums and companies are laying off workers—like what was happening last April—you’d expect Automatic Data Processing’s business to be seriously impacted.

 

But that was not the case. In the fourth quarter of the company’s fiscal year 2020, which ended June 30, 2020, its revenue totaled $3.4 billion. The amount represented a three-percent decline year-over-year and a two-percent decline on an organic constant-currency basis.

 

 

The company’s fourth-quarter adjusted earnings came in at $1.14 per diluted share, which was unchanged from what it earned in the year-ago period.

 

Continue reading …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 11, 2021 (Part 2)

 

Upgrades:

 

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $70.00 price target on the chip maker’s stock, up from their previous price target of $50.00. BMO Capital Markets’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 22.91% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on INTC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Intel from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Intel from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 14th. Bank of America cut shares of Intel to a “sell” rating and set a $45.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 15th. Smith Barney Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Intel from $53.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $40.00 target price on shares of Intel and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $59.62. Read more …

 

Chevron (NYSE:CVX) was upgraded by investment analysts at HSBC to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Thursday, TipRanks reports. The brokerage currently has a $105.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock. HSBC’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.60% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Chevron from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, December 15th. MKM Partners began coverage on shares of Chevron in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Scotia Howard Weill cut shares of Chevron from a “buy” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $121.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, September 24th. BidaskClub raised shares of Chevron from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Chevron in a report on Tuesday, November 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Chevron presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.00. Read more …

 

Crown Castle International (NYSE:CCI) was upgraded by analysts at Smith Barney Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on CCI. Citigroup Inc. 3% Minimum Coupon Principal Protected Based Upon Russell upgraded shares of Crown Castle International from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Crown Castle International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $177.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Friday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Crown Castle International from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Credit Suisse Group reduced their price target on shares of Crown Castle International from $148.00 to $146.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of Crown Castle International from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $172.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Crown Castle International has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $174.82. Read more …

 

 

UBS Group (NYSE:UBS) was upgraded by Berenberg Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, Briefing.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on UBS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Monday, December 7th. Credit Suisse Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of UBS Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Tuesday, November 24th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of UBS Group in a report on Friday, November 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.00. Read more …

 

Automatic Data Processing Could Be an Excellent Long-Term Buy

 

The company's most recent quarter was negatively impacted by Covid-19, but the stock offers a solid, safe yield

  

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASDAQ:ADP), the largest provider of business outsourcing solutions in the U.S., held up well during its most recent quarter. Given the number of jobs that have been lost over the last quarter to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is a surprising result. At the same time, Automatic Data Processing offers a yield higher than its historical average that is well protected by free cash flow.

 

Let's look closer at Automatic Data Processing to see why long-term investors should consider buying shares of the company now.

 

Company background, quarterly highlights and analysis

 

Automatic Data Processing is composed of two segments: Employer Services, which provides payroll and tax services, and Professional Employer Organization Services, which supplies all-inclusive human resources services to smaller companies. Employer Services account for 70% of revenues, while the PEO services contributed the rest. Automatic Data Processing works with more than 700,000 corporate customers around the country. The company is valued at just under $60 billion as of Tuesday's close.

 

Automatic Data Processing reported earnings results for the fourth-quarter and full fiscal year 2020 on July 29 (the company's fiscal year ends June 30).

 

Revenues were down 3% to $3.4 billion, though this was $55 million ahead of what Wall Street analysts had expected. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.14 were flat from the prior year, but 18 cents better than consensus estimates.

 

 

 

 

For fiscal 2020, revenue improved 3% to $14.6 billion. Organic growth was 4% when adjusted for currency exchange rates. Adjusted earnings per share grew 47 cents, or 8.6%, to $5.92.

 

Continue reading …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of September 9, 2019

Upgrades:

BHP Group (NYSE:BHP) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Bank of America cut BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of BHP Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. ValuEngine cut shares of BHP Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of BHP Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of BHP Group from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.00. Read more …

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Diageo (NYSE:DEO) from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, BenzingaRatingsTable reports.

DEO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Societe Generale cut shares of Diageo from a buy rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Diageo from a sell rating to a hold rating and set a $178.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 27th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets cut Diageo from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $178.00. Read more …

Argus upgraded shares of HCP (NYSE:HCP) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, BenzingaRatingsTable reports.

HCP has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays began coverage on HCP in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an overweight rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp increased their target price on HCP from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. TheStreet upgraded HCP from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Raymond James raised shares of HCP from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of HCP from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. HCP currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $33.30. Read more …

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, BenzingaRatingsTable reports. Morgan Stanley currently has $51.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on SLB. Gabelli began coverage on Schlumberger in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. They set a buy rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Schlumberger from $41.00 to $34.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Raymond James restated a hold rating on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Friday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised Schlumberger from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Finally, AltaCorp Capital reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $51.44. Read more …

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Week of July 1, 2019

Acquisitions:

Kroger Co (NYSE:KR) Director Ronald Sargent acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $21.49 per share, for a total transaction of $107,450.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 94,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,034,243.40. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.35. 275,494 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,608,517. Kroger Co has a 1 year low of $21.30 and a 1 year high of $32.74. The stock has a market cap of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.50. Read more …

Disposals:

Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB) insider Robert Furbee sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.10, for a total transaction of $240,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $722,401.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Shares of CPB stock traded up $0.05 on Monday, hitting $40.12. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,700,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,575,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.07, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Campbell Soup has a fifty-two week low of $32.03 and a fifty-two week high of $43.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $39.68. The firm has a market cap of $12.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.53. Read more …

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) insider Ian M. Cook sold 19,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $1,408,875.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,147,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,873,784.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Ian M. Cook also recently made the following trade(s):

On Wednesday, May 15th, Ian M. Cook sold 19,500 shares of Colgate-Palmolive stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.20, for a total value of $1,388,400.00.

CL stock traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $72.25. 3,161,700 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,609,288. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.25, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $72.14. Colgate-Palmolive has a 1-year low of $57.41 and a 1-year high of $74.25. Read more ...

Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: July 2 - 6, 2018

Disposals:

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) insider Michael A. Bonarti sold 2,372 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total value of $314,669.52. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 41,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,442,111.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Shares of ADP traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $133.65. The company had a trading volume of 249,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,437,110. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Automatic Data Processing has a 52 week low of $100.51 and a 52 week high of $141.52. The stock has a market cap of $59.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.90. Read more …

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Director John W. Meisenbach sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.42, for a total value of $625,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,803,666.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. NASDAQ:COST traded down $0.94 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $207.05. The stock had a trading volume of 47,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,038,979. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12-month low of $150.00 and a 12-month high of $212.46. The company has a market capitalization of $91.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95. Read more …

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) insider Janet Hayes sold 4,895 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.34, for a total value of $300,259.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 59,265 shares in the company, valued at $3,635,315.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Read more …

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Director Anthony Greener sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.51, for a total transaction of $302,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,218 shares in the company, valued at $2,010,021.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Williams-Sonoma traded up $0.49, hitting $61.48, during trading on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The stock had a trading volume of 801,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,880,358. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.68 and a 1-year high of $65.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.79. Read more …

Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) CAO Hilary K. Krane sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.51, for a total value of $3,060,400.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Shares of NKE stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.48. 5,916,217 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,502,982. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.10 billion, a PE ratio of 31.66, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.67. Nike Inc has a 52 week low of $50.35 and a 52 week high of $81.00. Read more …

  

Acquisitions:

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Analysis Collection

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of April 2, 2018

Upgrades:

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) was upgraded by stock analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call. Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Bank of America upgraded Automatic Data Processing from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 5th. Goldman Sachs upgraded Automatic Data Processing from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.02 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, December 11th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Automatic Data Processing from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $133.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, February 5th. BidaskClub upgraded Automatic Data Processing from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $118.00 price target (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Automatic Data Processing in a report on Friday, January 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $118.43. Read more …

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) was upgraded by equities researchers at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday. The firm currently has a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Argus’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 35.61% from the company’s current price. CAH has been the subject of several other research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Cardinal Health from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 13th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Cardinal Health from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Cardinal Health in a research note on Thursday, March 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $74.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Group set a $72.00 price target on shares of Cardinal Health and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $83.00 price target on shares of Cardinal Health and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Cardinal Health currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.46. Read more …

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) was upgraded by investment analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $97.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 14.45% from the company’s previous close. DRI has been the subject of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $99.00 to $97.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 22nd. SunTrust Banks reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Darden Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $92.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $116.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.26. Read more …

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) was upgraded by research analysts at Deutsche Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday. The brokerage currently has a $158.00 price target on the railroad operator’s stock. Deutsche Bank’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 17.58% from the stock’s current price. A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $157.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $136.10. Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of December 11, 2017

Upgrades:

Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ:ADP) was upgraded by research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday. The firm presently has a $135.00 price target on the business services provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $116.02. Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 15.34% from the company’s previous close. Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BidaskClub raised shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 9th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $128.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Bank of America raised shares of Automatic Data Processing from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Automatic Data Processing from an “underweight” rating to an “equal” rating and set a $114.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 14th. Read more …

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) was upgraded by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday. A number of other research firms have also recently commented on ABT. ValuEngine cut Abbott Laboratories from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $58.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Abbott Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Read more …

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Nomura from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has a $61.00 price target on the cell phone carrier’s stock, up from their prior price target of $47.00. Nomura’s price target points to a potential upside of 15.33% from the stock’s previous close. Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. ValuEngine raised Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised Verizon Communications from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 20th. Macquarie reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Sunday, October 22nd. Read more …

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report released on Wednesday. The brokerage currently has $83.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock. Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. They issued a buy rating and a $79.00 price objective on the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of American Electric Power from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 14th. KeyCorp reiterated a buy rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, September 1st. BidaskClub upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a hold rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Monday, September 4th. Read more …

ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) was upgraded by investment analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $60.00 price target on the energy producer’s stock. Goldman Sachs Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 14.70% from the company’s previous close. COP has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada set a $54.00 price target on shares of ConocoPhillips and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Piper Jaffray Companies restated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Friday, November 3rd. Scotiabank restated a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of ConocoPhillips in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Read more …

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) was upgraded by J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. BHP has been the topic of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research lowered BHP Billiton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. ValuEngine lowered BHP Billiton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. Exane BNP Paribas lowered BHP Billiton from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. BNP Paribas lowered BHP Billiton from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered BHP Billiton from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.52. Read more …

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) was upgraded by equities research analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $82.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s price objective suggests a potential downside of 2.82% from the stock’s previous close. Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Investment Research raised Dominion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $86.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Bank of America raised Dominion Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Dominion Energy from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. KeyCorp reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Dominion Energy in a research report on Friday, October 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “hold” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Dominion Energy in a research report on Monday, August 21st. Read more …

Nike (NYSE:NKE) was upgraded by analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. NKE has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $64.00 price objective (down from $68.00) on shares of Nike in a report on Tuesday, August 29th. Vetr raised shares of Nike from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $59.09 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Nike from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (down from $56.00) on shares of Nike in a research note on Tuesday, September 19th. Read more …

AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ABC. Cowen set a $107.00 target price on AmerisourceBergen and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird set a $99.00 target price on AmerisourceBergen and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 1st. Deutsche Bank began coverage on AmerisourceBergen in a report on Monday, December 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $97.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded AmerisourceBergen from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 14th. Read more …

CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Barclays from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $16.00 price objective on the technology company’s stock. Barclays’ target price indicates a potential downside of 5.83% from the stock’s previous close. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on CTL. ValuEngine upgraded CenturyLink from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Zacks Investment Research downgraded CenturyLink from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Bank of America decreased their price target on CenturyLink from $42.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on CenturyLink from $28.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Read more …

HCP (NYSE:HCP) was upgraded by research analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $29.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.09% from the stock’s current price. A number of other research firms have also weighed in on HCP. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “hold” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of HCP in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of HCP in a research note on Sunday, September 17th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of HCP in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Bank of America lowered shares of HCP from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. Read more …

Stag Industrial (NYSE:STAG) was upgraded by analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $30.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.18% from the stock’s previous close. Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $32.00 price target (up from $31.00) on shares of Stag Industrial in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. TheStreet raised shares of Stag Industrial from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Stag Industrial in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Read more …

Downgrades:

Kimberly Clark (NYSE:KMB) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Monday. They presently have a $113.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 2.92% from the company’s previous close. Several other research firms also recently weighed in on KMB. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Kimberly Clark from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 24th. Macquarie assumed coverage on shares of Kimberly Clark in a report on Friday, September 15th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $121.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly Clark in a report on Thursday, September 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective on shares of Kimberly Clark in a report on Friday, September 8th. Finally, J P Morgan Chase & Co downgraded shares of Kimberly Clark from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $115.55 to $100.00 in a report on Friday, October 20th. Read more …

J P Morgan Chase & Co cut shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) from a neutral rating to an underweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning. The firm currently has $215.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $225.00. Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Credit Suisse Group reissued an outperform rating and issued a $238.00 price target (up previously from $216.00) on shares of General Dynamics in a report on Thursday, October 26th. ValuEngine raised shares of General Dynamics from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of General Dynamics from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of General Dynamics from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $239.00 price target on shares of General Dynamics and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. Read more …

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) was downgraded by J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday. They currently have a $210.00 price objective on the aerospace company’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $190.00. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 11.32% from the stock’s previous close. RTN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Raytheon from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $204.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $199.00 price target (up from $188.00) on shares of Raytheon in a research note on Monday, October 30th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Vetr cut Raytheon from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $187.08 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Raytheon from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Read more …

Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) was downgraded by stock analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Thursday. RIO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. ValuEngine lowered shares of Rio Tinto from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rio Tinto in a research report on Tuesday, December 5th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Rio Tinto from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $47.87 to $48.37 in a report on Monday, October 23rd. Cowen set a $47.00 price target on shares of Rio Tinto and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 16th. Read more …

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) was downgraded by equities researchers at Goldman Sachs Group from a “conviction-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, The Fly reports. Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Oppenheimer restated a “buy” rating and set a $203.00 price target on shares of Amgen in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Mizuho restated a “buy” rating and set a $198.00 price target on shares of Amgen in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Cann reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Amgen in a research note on Monday, August 28th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Amgen to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Jefferies Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Amgen in a research note on Monday, September 25th. Read more …

Noble Energy (NYSE:NBL) was downgraded by analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $30.00 price objective on the oil and gas development company’s stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s price target suggests a potential upside of 16.91% from the company’s previous close. NBL has been the subject of several other research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Noble Energy from $33.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Jefferies Group cut Noble Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $29.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets set a $33.00 price target on Noble Energy and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Read more …

Kimco Realty (NYSE:KIM) was downgraded by analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $20.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s target price indicates a potential upside of 8.93% from the company’s previous close. Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on KIM. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on Kimco Realty in a research note on Monday, September 11th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $21.00 target price on the stock. Argus downgraded Kimco Realty from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 28th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Read more …

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