Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of January 4, 2021 (Part 1)

 

Upgrades:

 

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) was upgraded by investment analysts at Barclays from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, AR Network reports. The brokerage currently has a $88.00 target price on the financial services provider's stock. Barclays's target price points to a potential upside of 28.41% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Morgan Stanley in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $57.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $64.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, October 16th. ValuEngine downgraded Morgan Stanley from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 2nd. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on Morgan Stanley from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.52. Read more …

 

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) was upgraded by stock analysts at Barclays from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Monday, AR Network reports. The brokerage currently has a $362.00 target price on the investment management company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 37.27% from the company’s current price.

GS has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday, December 21st. ValuEngine cut The Goldman Sachs Group from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 17th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $262.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $267.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JMP Securities raised their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.86. Read more …

 

AT&T (NYSE:T) was upgraded by research analysts at Raymond James from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The firm currently has a $32.00 target price on the technology company's stock. Raymond James' target price would suggest a potential upside of 11.27% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. KeyCorp cut shares of AT&T from a "sector weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, October 5th. BidaskClub lowered shares of AT&T from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, December 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on AT&T in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of AT&T from $32.00 to $30.00 in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded AT&T from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. The stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.40. Read more …

 

 

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler to an “overweight” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Stock Target Advisor reports. The firm currently has a $106.00 target price on the textile maker’s stock, up from their previous target price of $73.00. Piper Sandler’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 24.11% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of V.F. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $85.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 17th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of V.F. from $84.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of V.F. from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 10th. Cowen raised their price target on shares of V.F. from $64.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, BTIG Research raised shares of V.F. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $88.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.42. Read more …

 

The Best Conservative Dividend Stocks for 2021

 

While a surprisingly good year for the market, 2020 has not been kind to dividend payers. But that’s starting to change. Here are 4 conservative dividend stocks for 2021.

This has been a strong year for stocks. The year-to-date returns for the three major indices are as follows: Dow Jones 5.35%, Nasdaq 40.93%, and the S&P 500 13.61%. All three are near the all-time high.

 

But while it’s been a good year for the indexes and a great year for technology, dividend stocks have lagged badly. The SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY), which tracks the performance of the High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index, is down more than 5% in 2020.

 

It just hasn’t been a good recovery for dividend stocks in general, so far. Some of the best traditional dividend-paying sectors, including energy, finance and industrials, have taken it on the chin during the pandemic and have been the worst-performing S&P 500 sectors during the recovery. The high dividend-paying sectors of real estate and utilities are also in negative territory for the year.

 

Technology has led the market higher since the lows of March. People rely on it more than even during the pandemic and technology stocks have thrived. But several strong dividend-paying sectors rely on the real economy, which is still being hampered by the continuing lockdown restrictions.

 

But things are changing fast.

 

Since the first vaccine announcement in early November, energy and finance have been the best-performing market sectors by far. A vaccine means the end of the pandemic and lockdowns. The end of lockdowns mean a full recovery can take hold. Real economy sectors will benefit greatly.

 

 

It may just be the beginning for these red-hot sectors, as we will likely see a more full recovery take hold in 2021. Many high dividend stocks are still cheap in an expensive market, while many economists are forecasting that 2021 will be the strongest economic growth year in decades.

 

It’s also worth noting that interest rates are ridiculously low. The 10-year Treasury currently yields a measly 0.94%. Investors will have practically no place else to go but dividend stocks to get a decent income. And the best income stocks currently offer great value and newfound momentum.

 

Here are a few good conservative dividend stocks to consider. Continue reading …

Best Stocks For 2021: Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)

 

Despite recent setbacks, Walgreens has a positive long-term growth outlook

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) is a global pharmacy-led health enterprise, and WBA stock is one of the best to buy for 2021.

 

Overall, Walgreens is a large and storied enterprise. It is one of the two largest companies in its industry, the other being CVS Health (NYSE:CVS). It was founded in 1901 and now has more than 21,000 stores in 11 countries. When you include equity investments, Walgreens has a presence in more than 25 countries.

 

Additionally, WBA stock has a $34 billion market capitalization and Walgreens generates $139.5 billion in annual revenue. And the company has increased its dividend for 45 consecutive years, making it a Dividend Aristocrat.

 

Walgreens Stock Is Undervalued:

 

Walgreens has a long history of success and a shareholder-friendly corporate culture of dividend increases.

 

Despite this, the company is trading for a low price-earnings (P/E) ratio of just 8.2 times expected fiscal 2021 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $4.98.

 

 

For comparison, Walgreens has traded with an average P/E ratio of around 15 over the last decade.

 

If Walgreens were to return to a P/E ratio of 15 over the next year, the company’s stock would surge 83% without additional growth. Even a return to a more reasonable yyy ratio of 12 would result in 46% returns.

 

Continue reading …

 

5 Undervalued Dividend Stocks to Buy

 

These dividend stocks to buy are solid picks with markets at record highs and interest rates at record lows

 

 

In today’s near-zero interest rate environment, it’s been tough for investors looking for yield. There are many high-yielding dividend stocks to buy, but with markets at all-time highs, many of them have gotten stretched when it comes to valuation.

 

With concerns 2020’s overvalued stock market will head lower in 2021, it may not be best to dive into this often talked-about names. Instead, consider the many undervalued stocks that not only offer a fantastic forward dividend yield, but also the potential to gain in the coming 12 months.

 

Granted, if markets overall take a hit, it may be tough for many of these stocks (which remain down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic) to bounce back towards prior price levels. But with the potential for gains outweighing potential losses, all could be great buys as we head into the new year.

 

 

Offering value and yield, consider these five undervalued dividend stocks to buy:

 

Continue reading …

 

Is AbbVie Stock A Buy?

 

AbbVie [NYSE: ABBV] is an American research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and markets both, biopharmaceuticals and small molecule drugs.

 

It started as a spin-off of the globally diversified American multinational medical devices and healthcare corporation, Abbott Laboratories [ABT] in 2013. Abbott signaled its intentions to separate into two publicly traded companies in October of 2011.

 

Abbott wanted to concentrate on medical devices, diagnostic equipment and nutrition products, while allowing AbbVie to focus on research-based pharmaceuticals. The drug maker focuses on immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology.

 

The company had a hugely successful start in the industry, netting close to $19 billion in sales in its first year with its blockbuster drug, Humira, leading the charge.

 

With ten approved uses in the US and more than a dozen around the world, Humira (by far, AbbVie’s biggest sales generator) has emerged as the world’s top-selling prescription drug, accounting for some 60% of the company’s total sales.

 

Humira is designed to prevent TNF from attacking healthy cells. TNF is a protein produced naturally by the body’s immune system. People with certain autoimmune conditions produce too much TNF. Humira binds the TNF molecules which, in turn, stops them from attaching to healthy cells and attacking them.

 

A Chicago Tribune article called the star drug “the Swiss army knife of pharmaceutical drugs” because it is approved to treat a slew of conditions affecting the skin, joints, spine and gastrointestinal tract.

 

 

The bestseller drug is prescribed by doctors to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Uveitis and Hidradenitis Suppurativa, to name a few.

 

But the drug comes with a hefty price tag as the medication’s cost could accrue up to $60,000 a year per patient.

 

Continue reading …

 

Is Archer-Daniels Midland Stock A Buy?

 

Archer-Daniels Midland Co (NYSE:ADM) is a global agricultural logistics and raw materials processor. It also has a solid dividend payment history going back almost 90 years. The company braced for the coronavirus well in advance, although CEO Juan Luciano pointed out that trading grain on a global scale won’t be affected.

 

Food is a staple in everyone’s life, but is Archer-Daniels Midland stock a Buy?

 

The food industry certainly was impacted by COVID-19. It caused dairy farmers to dump milk, produce to go bad, and major problems in the global supply chain.

 

Restaurants and major events closing created complete chaos for a time. But Archer-Daniels Midland quickly rebounded because it’s so high up the literal food chain.

 

The company processes bulk oilseed, corn, and other food ingredients for humans, animals, and even biofuels. It also provides financial services for food industry and agricultural partners. These extensive revenue streams give it exposure to not only survive a rough economy, but also find growth opportunities.

 

It could be overpriced though, if it can’t find ways to scale what’s already a large global operation. Let’s run against the grain to see what this century-old Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company.

 

Archer-Daniels Midland is a global agricultural and food processor founded in 1902 that serves major food manufacturers around the world. Because it’s involved in the global supply chain, it has a comprehensive R&D network, online platform, and logistics technology.

 

 

The company works closely with farmers and others in the agricultural industry and is a member of over 200 trade and business associations. It deals with commodities markets, which can be turbulent, regardless of a global pandemic, and it did take some losses as the economy slowed

 

Continue reading …

 

4 Dividend Stocks to Help You Prepare for Retirement

 

Stocks with dividends can play a significant long-term role in the impact of a diversified portfolio

 

Seasoned investors concur equities are an important asset class in retirement portfolios. Therefore today’s article introduces four stocks with dividends that could help long-term investors prepare for retirement.

 

Michael Kitces of Buckingham Wealth Partners points out, “For prospective retirees … determining how best to invest a retirement portfolio to generate income is a substantial challenge.”

 

Academic studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that a large number of individuals are afraid of eroding their capital and outliving their assets in retirement. However, with a long-term approach to investing, most market participants should be able to save a significant amount of money for their golden years. And stocks with dividends could help in this process.

 

Research by Michael Clemens of BankInvest Group highlights, “Dividend investing has historically outperformed both the broader market and value investing, and at the same time shown lower risk. Dividend investing ‘overlap’ with both value investing and low-volatility investing, but is an independent investment style of its own.”

 

Diversified buy-and-hold portfolios are likely to finish the year with significant gains. Those who stayed in the markets in the spring were rewarded handsomely. As I write, many stocks currently look poised to carry positive momentum into 2021.

 

 

 

While growth, “new” economy and tech shares posted most of the headlines in the past several months, stocks with dividends contributed to portfolio returns. Although it is not possible to know what the new year may bring, I expect passive-income seekers to continue to favor robust dividend stocks.

 

Let’s now take a look at our four stocks with dividends that could help investors prepare for retirement: 

Continue reading …

 

Paychex, Inc. Set to Soar as Economy Reopens

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be a Big Catalyst for Paychex, Inc.

 

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic and the end finally appears to be in sight.

 

In November, several biotech companies announced that they had produced effective vaccines. Yes, it will take months to ramp up production and immunize the general population. But the positive trial results put a definite timeline on the end of the economic lockdowns.

 

COVID-19 vaccines will provide a definite boost to the U.S. economy. Almost 15.0 million Americans lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. But as governments loosen lockdown restrictions, many of those people will get back to work. (Source: “Unemployment Rose Higher in Three Months of COVID-19 Than It Did in Two Years of the Great Recession,” Pew Research Center, June 11, 2020.)

 

All of which means good news for Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX).

 

The company provides human resources, payroll, and benefits services to small and medium-sized businesses. In other words, it performs many of the boring back-office functions that companies need to keep their numbers straight. And this important service typically results in steady, recurring cash flows. That explains why Paychex stock has remained a member of the Automated Income model portfolio for years.

 

 

Admittedly, the pandemic presented two big problems for Paychex’s business. First, the company usually charges clients fees based on the number of their employees. So when businesses began laying off staff in the recession, that took a bite out of Paychex’s revenues. Second, Paychex earns interest income on funds held for clients. But with the Federal Reserve slashing yields to basically zero, the company has seen this passive income stream dry up.

 

Continue reading …

 

5 Dividend Stocks Likely to Up Their Yield Soon

 

These dividend stocks to buy are expected to raise their dividend in 2021, offering income and diversity

  

Dividend stocks are a special category of financial assets, providing a lot of benefits for investing that make them attractive for the majority of investors. Searching for dividend stocks to buy, investors will see they offer income and can provide stock price appreciation.

 

In general, dividend stocks are safer and less volatile compared to tech stocks or growth stocks.

 

The following five dividend stocks to buy are dividend aristocrats, have good fundamentals and are considered to be undervalued.

 

In addition, these dividend stocks offer sustainable income, diversification and are defensive stocks for a turbulent stock market in the future, which is a realistic scenario.

 

The dividend aristocrats definition makes these stocks interesting as a dividend aristocrat is a stock with a long history of raising its dividend, more than 10 years. The best part is the expectation of increasing the dividend in the future.

 

I particularly like dividend stocks for one key reason. They are suitable for passive investing, receiving the annual or quarterly dividend on time. But they can also be monitored for active trading. This means waiting for any stock price correction to buy low, and increase the total return, from a potential stock price appreciation and the

 

 

Here are five dividend stocks to buy that are attractive with high odds of increased dividends in the future.

 

Continue reading …

 

Royal Bank of Canada: Earn a Solid 4% Yield from a Foreign Bank?

 

Here’s a High-Yield Stock to Think About

  

One sector that suddenly received a lot more attention recently is banking. To give you an idea, the Dow Jones U.S. Bank Index has surged 22.8% since the beginning of November, substantially outperforming the already impressive performance of the broad market indices during this period.

 

Obviously, because banks have been a staple for many income investors, the recent rise in these companies’ share prices should be considered good news.

 

Looking a bit further back, though, things appeared less rosy. That’s because most U.S. bank stocks had a huge tumble during the pandemic-induced sell-off earlier this year. And even though the recent climb has been strong, many bank stocks are yet to make a full recovery. In fact, the Dow Jones U.S. Bank Index is still down by more than 20% year to date.

 

And that’s why Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) stands out.

 

 

I told readers of Income Investors to check out RY stock back in January. While there were solid U.S. bank stocks on the market, I thought this foreign bank was worth considering, due to the outsized yield and outstanding dividend safety. And because Royal Bank of Canada stock also trades on the New York Stock Exchange, it’s very convenient for American investors to buy and sell its shares.

 

Continue reading …

 

25 Dividend Stocks the Analysts Love Most for 2021

 

Income investors looking for more than just a little yield: These are the top dividend stocks for 2021, according to the pros.

 

One thing is clear when looking at the analysts' best dividend stocks right now: Wall Street expects big things from the beaten-down energy sector in 2021.

 

The pros are betting that the post-pandemic landscape will feature an increase in energy needs and perhaps a recovery in commodity prices, among other factors. And with the oil and gas industry expected to bounce back in the year ahead, the Street's most highly rated dividend stocks for 2021 include energy stocks of all stripes: oil and gas drillers, pipeline companies, oilfield services, and other sector names.

 

Although energy-sector names are over-represented on our list of analysts' favorite dividend payers, banks, pharmaceuticals and consumer staples also make appearances.

 

To find analysts' most beloved dividend stocks, we scoured the S&P 500 for dividend stocks with yields of at least 3%, excluding a number of extremely high yielders because of excessive risk. (Sometimes, a too-high yield can be a warning sign that a stock is in deep trouble.)

 

From that pool, we focused on stocks with an average broker recommendation of Buy or better. S&P Global Market Intelligence surveys analysts' stock ratings and scores them on a five-point scale, where 1.0 equals Strong Buy and 5.0 means Strong Sell. Any score of 2.5 or lower means that analysts, on average, rate the stock a Buy. The closer the score gets to 1.0, the stronger the Buy call.

 

 

Lastly, we dug into research, fundamental factors and analysts' estimates on the top-scoring names.

 

That led us to these top 25 dividend stocks for 2021, by virtue of their high analyst ratings and bullish outlooks. Read on as we analyze what makes each one stand out.

 

Continue reading …

 

8 Retirement Stocks You Can Rely On

 

These blue-chip retirement investments will keep your portfolio steady

 

It’s hard to imagine that we’ll have another year like 2020 in our lifetimes and for the most part, that would be a positive outcome. However, the impact of the novel coronavirus over the past several months has created viable market opportunities. With so many stocks moving to the upside, many have chased hot sectors like technology. However, this is also an ideal time to consider retirement investments.

 

Yes, I realize that the topic isn’t exactly the sexiest that I can discuss. However, retirement investments are a concept that we must all think about – and the earlier the better. For one thing, this market segment focuses on reliable, blue-chip giants that have a long, proven track record. While it’s tempting to go for the get-rich-quick stocks, some of these hot names aren’t going to last.

 

How can I be so sure? Historically, a new industry or innovation immediately attracts a wide base of competitors. But over time, the best rise to the top. That’s why you don’t hear about old school web browsers like Netscape Navigator. Today, the world (wide web) runs on Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google. To avoid the all-or-nothing proposition, it’s better to have some exposure to reliable retirement investments.

 

 

Second, big blue chips tend to be resilient – usually far more resilient – compared to flavor-of-the-week growth stocks. No, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding growth names to your portfolio. Ironically, it’s harder to get to retirement if you load up exclusively on retirement investments. But with uncertainty over the horizon, the smart approach is to lever yourself to companies that can withstand shocks to the system.

 

Continue reading …

 

Notable Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades for Week of December 14, 2020

 

Upgrades:

 

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) was upgraded by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Briefing.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $51.50 price objective on the financial services provider's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.35% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. TheStreet raised U.S. Bancorp from a "c" rating to a "b-" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. BidaskClub raised U.S. Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley upgraded U.S. Bancorp from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $57.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 30th. Stephens upgraded U.S. Bancorp from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $42.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Monday, November 30th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded U.S. Bancorp from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $39.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $47.13. Read more …

 

The Clorox (NYSE:CLX) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Smith Barney Citigroup from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports. The firm presently has a $249.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $238.00. Smith Barney Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 22.62% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of The Clorox from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $235.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, October 16th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. ValuEngine downgraded shares of The Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 10th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of The Clorox from $263.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of The Clorox from $223.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of The Clorox in a report on Monday, December 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.53. Read more …

 

Welltower (NYSE:WELL) was upgraded by KeyCorp from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report released on Monday, The Fly reports. The firm currently has a $70.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock. KeyCorp’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.95% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Welltower from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $63.50 in a research report on Monday, November 16th. Barclays increased their price target on Welltower from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Mizuho cut Welltower from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $51.00 to $57.00 in a report on Friday, October 16th. Berenberg Bank lowered Welltower from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded shares of Welltower from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $59.00 to $57.00 in a report on Thursday, December 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $57.64. Read more …

 

 

American Water Works (NYSE:AWK) was upgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Investment Research upgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $169.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, November 9th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded American Water Works from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on American Water Works from $138.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 18th. Finally, HSBC upgraded American Water Works from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, November 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. The stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $145.92.

Shares of American Water Works stock opened at $148.28 on Monday. American Water Works has a fifty-two week low of $92.00 and a fifty-two week high of $172.56. The firm has a market cap of $26.88 billion, a PE ratio of 40.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.18. The business's fifty day moving average is $155.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. Read more …