Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of October 15, 2018

Upgrades:

Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report published on Monday, The Fly reports. Deutsche Bank currently has $120.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. Several other analysts have also commented on KSU. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Kansas City Southern from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, June 26th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on shares of Kansas City Southern from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a $111.08 rating in a report on Monday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Kansas City Southern from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, October 9th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Kansas City Southern to $132.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 23rd. Finally, Cowen restated a hold rating and issued a $124.00 price objective on shares of Kansas City Southern in a report on Monday, July 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Kansas City Southern currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $123.33. Read more …

Macquarie upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report released on Monday, Marketbeat reports. A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on WFC. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Wells Fargo & Co from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, July 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Wells Fargo & Co from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and raised their price target for the company from $57.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Sunday, July 15th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. ValuEngine downgraded Wells Fargo & Co from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, September 28th. Susquehanna Bancshares set a $63.00 price target on Wells Fargo & Co and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Friday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Wells Fargo & Co from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and raised their price target for the company from $57.00 to $62.00 in a research note on Monday, July 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $63.79. Read more …

ONEOK (NYSE:OKE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, The Fly reports. OKE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on ONEOK from $72.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 6th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded ONEOK from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on ONEOK from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 11th. US Capital Advisors reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of ONEOK in a research report on Tuesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on ONEOK from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 27th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.00. Read more …

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) from an underperform rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has $108.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock. PSX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Phillips 66 from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, September 13th. Barclays upgraded shares of Phillips 66 from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $133.00 to $128.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Phillips 66 from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, July 16th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Phillips 66 from $124.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, August 15th. Finally, ValuEngine downgraded shares of Phillips 66 from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 17th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Phillips 66 presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $117.77. Read more …

This Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: Nov 27 - Dec 1, 2017

Disposals:

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) insider Johny Srouji sold 10,368 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.68, for a total transaction of $1,811,082.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 81,560 shares in the company, valued at $14,246,900.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Johny Srouji also recently made the following trade(s):

On Wednesday, November 22nd, Johny Srouji sold 5,760 shares of Apple stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.40, for a total transaction of $1,004,544.00. Read more …

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) insider John T. Chambers sold 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.50, for a total value of $9,125,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 712,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,014,864. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) opened at $37.48 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $186,522.86, a PE ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.81. Cisco Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $29.12 and a one year high of $38.03. Read more …

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TROW) CEO William J. Stromberg sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.09, for a total transaction of $2,912,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 534,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,853,535.93. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Read more …

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TROW) CFO Kenneth V. Moreland sold 15,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.44, for a total transaction of $1,499,754.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 110,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,956,498.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Shares of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:TROW) opened at $102.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24,800.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28. T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.33 and a 12 month high of $103.85. Read more …

Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) Director Katherine Tsang sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.48, for a total transaction of $589,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 783 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,082.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Read more ...
Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) major shareholder John J. Fisher sold 650,000 shares of GAP stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.41, for a total transaction of $19,766,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,322,329 shares in the company, valued at $70,622,024.89. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Read more …

John J. Fisher also sold 850,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.32, for a total value of $27,472,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Gap Inc (GPS) traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,227,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,989,820. Gap Inc has a one year low of $21.02 and a one year high of $32.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $12,046.79, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.86. Read more …

Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) SVP James H. Hoffmeister sold 2,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.09, for a total value of $240,545.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,005.83. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Visa Inc. (NYSE V) traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $113.36. The stock had a trading volume of 6,671,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,492,458. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Visa Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.17 and a fifty-two week high of $113.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $257,190.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.98. Read more …

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) CEO Edward H. Bastian sold 20,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.79, for a total transaction of $1,055,800.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) traded down $0.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $52.06. 8,853,091 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,803,182. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.81 and a 12-month high of $55.75. The company has a market capitalization of $37,120.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28. Read more …

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Director S Robson Walton sold 1,043,722 shares of Wal-Mart Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.61, for a total transaction of $101,877,704.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,345,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $326,511,794.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

S Robson Walton also recently made the following trade(s):

On Monday, November 27th, S Robson Walton sold 1,169,848 shares of Wal-Mart Stores stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.89, for a total transaction of $113,346,572.72. SEC website 

On Wednesday, November 22nd, S Robson Walton sold 826,617 shares of Wal-Mart Stores stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.39, for a total transaction of $79,677,612.63. SEC website 

Read more …

Acquisitions:

Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI) CEO George Oliver acquired 27,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $36.80 per share, for a total transaction of $1,004,640.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 634,732 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,358,137.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Shares of Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI) traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $36.91. The company had a trading volume of 1,935,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,133,839. The stock has a market cap of $34,160.00, a P/E ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Johnson Controls International PLC has a 1-year low of $34.51 and a 1-year high of $46.17. Read more ...

Prospect Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:PSEC) insider John F. Barry purchased 162,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.72 per share, for a total transaction of $1,094,190.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,425,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,580,200. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Read more ...
John F. Barry also bought 279,666 shares of Prospect Capital stock in a transaction on Friday, November 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.82 per share, with a total value of $1,907,322.12. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 26,708,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $182,153,136.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Read more ...

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Analysis Collection

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of Nov 27 - Dec 1, 2017

Upgrades:

National Grid plc (LON:NG) was upgraded by investment analysts at Credit Suisse Group to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The firm presently has a GBX 860 ($11.31) price target on the stock. Credit Suisse Group’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 0.76% from the stock’s previous close. Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on NG. Deutsche Bank AG reduced their target price on National Grid from GBX 950 ($12.50) to GBX 900 ($11.84) and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. J P Morgan Chase & Co restated an “overweight” rating and set a GBX 1,060 ($13.94) target price on shares of National Grid in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,050 ($13.81) price target on shares of National Grid in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. Read more …

Allergan (NYSE:AGN) was upgraded by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. AGN has been the subject of several other research reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Allergan in a research note on Wednesday, September 20th. Deutsche Bank set a $251.00 target price on Allergan and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $227.00 target price on Allergan and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 6th. J P Morgan Chase & Co restated a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Allergan in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Read more …

Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) was upgraded by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $96.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price target points to a potential downside of 1.60% from the company’s current price. Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Vetr upgraded shares of Wal-Mart Stores from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $96.71 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Wal-Mart Stores in a research report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Read more …

Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI) (TSE:CNR) was upgraded by stock analysts at TD Securities to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note on Monday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Desjardins raised shares of Canadian National Railway from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note on Sunday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $89.00 target price on shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Read more …

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) was upgraded by equities researchers at Credit Suisse Group from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $125.00 target price on the bank’s stock, up from their prior target price of $116.00. Credit Suisse Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 30.93% from the company’s previous close. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Securities raised Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Canaccord Genuity set a $117.00 target price on Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 24th. Read more …

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 10th. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 12th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 25th. Read more …

Downgrades:

Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Kimco Realty Corporation (NYSE:KIM) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Monday morning. The firm currently has $20.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $23.00. A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on KIM. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Kimco Realty from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Citigroup Inc. upped their price objective on shares of Kimco Realty from $19.50 to $21.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 14th. Boenning Scattergood reiterated a hold rating on shares of Kimco Realty in a research report on Friday, August 18th. J P Morgan Chase & Co upgraded shares of Kimco Realty from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. Read more …

Nike (NYSE:NKE) was downgraded by equities researchers at HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $62.00 price target on the footwear maker’s stock, up from their previous price target of $58.95. HSBC’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 3.97% from the stock’s previous close. Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Nike in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Vetr cut Nike from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $58.81 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, November 17th. B. Riley restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Nike in a research note on Wednesday, November 1st. Read more …

QUALCOMM (NASDAQ:QCOM) was downgraded by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, The Fly reports. Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Thursday, August 24th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “outperform” rating on shares of QUALCOMM in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Zacks Investment Research upgraded QUALCOMM from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Read more …

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) was downgraded by Societe Generale from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $66.00 target price on the stock. Societe Generale’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 8.35% from the company’s current price. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call. Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Colgate-Palmolive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $75.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Monday, September 25th. Read more …

William Blair lowered shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report report published on Wednesday. CMG has been the topic of several other reports. Piper Jaffray Companies set a $510.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. Jefferies Group cut their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill to $300.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird restated a hold rating and set a $385.00 price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, September 1st. Deutsche Bank restated a sell rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $315.00) on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Read more …

Cummins (NYSE:CMI) was downgraded by research analysts at Goldman Sachs Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, The Fly reports. A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CMI. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $190.00 target price (up previously from $186.00) on shares of Cummins in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Buckingham Research started coverage on shares of Cummins in a research report on Tuesday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Piper Jaffray Companies restated a “hold” rating and issued a $159.00 price objective on shares of Cummins in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Read more …

Citigroup downgraded shares of GAP (NYSE:GPS) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Thursday. Citigroup currently has $25.00 target price on the apparel retailer’s stock, down from their previous target price of $32.50. A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. ValuEngine raised shares of GAP from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday. Cowen reissued a hold rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of GAP in a report on Wednesday, November 22nd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of GAP from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 20th. KeyCorp set a $35.00 target price on shares of GAP and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Read more …

Sanofi (NYSE:SNY) was downgraded by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report released on Friday. Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Sanofi in a report on Friday, September 1st. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Sanofi from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 6th. raised shares of Sanofi from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 30th. Barclays raised shares of Sanofi from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 15th. Read more …

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Analysis Collection

This Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: October 2-6, 2017

Disposals:

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) CEO Pierre Nanterme sold 38,589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.03, for a total transaction of $5,210,672.67. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 179,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,181,577.49. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.  Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN) opened at 134.25 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.87. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $112.31 and a 52 week high of $138.70. The company has a market cap of $82.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67 and a beta of 1.08. Read more …

Gap, Inc. (The) (NYSE:GPS) CEO Jeff Kirwan sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.38, for a total value of $29,380.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 25,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $742,373.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Jeff Kirwan also recently made the following trade(s): Read more …

Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) Director Richard Haythornthwaite sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.51, for a total value of $712,550.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 45,278 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,452,567.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Shares of Mastercard Incorporated (MA) opened at 143.75 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $137.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.00. The company has a market capitalization of $153.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.67 and a beta of 1.18. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $99.51 and a 52 week high of $143.78. Read more …

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) insider Angela J. Ahrendts sold 63,388 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.21, for a total value of $9,775,063.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Read more …

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) insider Philip W. Schiller sold 56,808 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.70, for a total transaction of $8,788,197.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) traded up 1.24% during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $155.39. 21,278,273 shares of the stock traded hands. Apple Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.08 and a 1-year high of $164.94. The stock has a market cap of $802.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $158.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.89. Read more …

Acquisitions:

Nothing to mention.

This Week's Most Significant Insider Trades: September 18-22, 2017

Disposals:

Medtronic PLC (NYSE:MDT) CEO Omar Ishrak sold 140,407 shares of Medtronic PLC stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.63, for a total transaction of $11,461,423.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 668,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,569,899.89. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Read more …

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) insider Larry C. Renfro sold 50,574 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.11, for a total value of $10,019,215.14. Following the sale, the insider now owns 195,625 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,755,268.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Read more …

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) VP Robert Stuart Franklin sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.76, for a total transaction of $1,807,042.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 231,572 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,470,182.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Read more …

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) SVP Mark D. Chandler sold 65,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.43, for a total transaction of $2,107,950.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Read more …

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) Director Douglas Wayne Johnson sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.58, for a total value of $125,370.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,147,804.14. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Read more …

Gap, Inc. (The) (NYSE:GPS) Director William Sydney Fisher sold 666,849 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.99, for a total value of $18,665,103.51. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,237,873 shares in the company, valued at approximately $342,538,065.27. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Read more …

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) CFO Michael S. Ciskowski sold 53,012 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.88, for a total value of $3,863,514.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,413 shares in the company, valued at $4,913,059.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Read more …

Acquisitions:

Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) Director Trian Fund Management, L.P. bought 889,561 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $53.68 per share, for a total transaction of $47,751,634.48. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,529 shares in the company, valued at approximately $296,796.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.  Trian Fund Management, L.P. also recently made the following trade(s): Read more …

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of September 18, 2017

Upgrades:

Caterpillar, Inc. (NYSE:CAT) was upgraded by stock analysts at UBS AG from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday. Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Vetr raised shares of Caterpillar from a “strong sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $120.03 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Read more …

BP p.l.c. (NYSE:BP) 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 Monday. Several other analysts have also issued reports on BP. BidaskClub raised shares of BP p.l.c. from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. TheStreet lowered shares of BP p.l.c. from a “b-” rating to a “c” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Read more …

Gap, Inc. (The) (NYSE:GPS) was upgraded by analysts at Credit Suisse Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a $30.00 target price on the apparel retailer’s stock, up from their prior target price of $23.00. Credit Suisse Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 7.37% from the company’s current price. Read more …

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE:PFE) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a report published on Wednesday morning. They currently have $39.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $35.00. Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Group LLC set a $35.00 price target on shares of Pfizer and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Read more …

Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV) was upgraded by investment analysts at J P Morgan Chase & Co from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $105.00 price target on the industrial products company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $80.00. J P Morgan Chase & Co’s target price points to a potential upside of 13.78% from the stock’s previous close. Read more …

Leggett & Platt, Incorporated (NYSE:LEG) was upgraded by investment analysts at SunTrust Banks, Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Friday, The Fly reports. The analysts noted that the move was a valuation call. A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on LEG. Piper Jaffray Companies initiated coverage on Leggett & Platt, in a report on Monday, June 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $59.00 price target for the company. Read more …

Astrazeneca PLC (NYSE:AZN) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, The Fly reports. AZN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Jaffray Companies reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca PLC in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. BidaskClub lowered Astrazeneca PLC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Read more …

Downgrades:

Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) was downgraded by investment analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a $78.00 target price on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 18.42% from the company’s previous close. The analysts wrote, “real threat” to food companies. The firm’s Michael Lavery downgraded Kellogg’s stock rating from Overweight to Neutral with a price target slashed from $78 to $72. Read more …

Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:UAA) from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report published on Tuesday morning. They currently have $13.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $17.00. Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Vetr downgraded Under Armour from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating and set a $21.02 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Read more …

J P Morgan Chase & Co cut shares of 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) from a neutral rating to an underweight rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning. They currently have $201.00 target price on the conglomerate’s stock, up from their previous target price of $185.00. A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a hold rating and set a $209.00 target price on shares of 3M in a report on Friday, September 15th. Read more …

Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) was downgraded by investment analysts at Instinet from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. They presently have a $26.00 price objective on the textile maker’s stock. Instinet’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.52% from the stock’s current price. Several other analysts also recently weighed in on HBI. BidaskClub upgraded Hanesbrands from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. Read more …

BofA Merrill has downgraded Ventas (NYSE:VTR) from Buy to Neutral in a report released on 9/22/2017. Yesterday Ventas (NYSE:VTR) traded -1.14% lower at $67.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $67.37 and its 200-day moving average is $66.32. The last closing price is up 0.64% from the 200-day moving average, compared to the S&P 500 which has increased 0.04% over the same time. 312,552 shares of the stock were exchanged, down from an average trading volume of 1,470,620. Read more …

BofA Merrill has downgraded HCP (NYSE:HCP) from Buy to Neutral in a statement released on 9/22/2017. Having a price of $28.57, HCP (NYSE:HCP) traded -1.19% lower on the day. The last stock close price is down -8.89% from the 200-day moving average, compared to the S&P 500 which has increased 0.04% over the same time. The company has recorded a 50-day moving average of $29.61 and a 200-day moving average of $30.98. 591,576 shares of the stock were exchanged, down from an average trading volume of 3,372,000. Read more …