Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For December 20, 2017

Top Upgrades

• Analysts at Wedbush upgraded Wendys Co WEN from Neutral to Outperform. Wendy's shares rose 1.83 percent to $16.70 in pre-market trading.
• Jefferies upgraded Noble Energy, Inc. NBL from Hold to Buy. Noble Energy shares rose 3.58 percent to close at $27.23 on Tuesday.
• Longbow Research upgraded United States Steel Corporation X from Neutral to Buy. United States Steel shares rose 2.07 percent to $34.54 in pre-market trading.
• JP Morgan upgraded Varex Imaging Corp VREX from Underweight to Neutral. Varex Imaging shares dropped 0.58 percent to close at $37.84 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Quorum Health Corp QHC from Underweight to Equal-Weight. Quorum Health shares rose 5.36 percent to $5.90 in pre-market trading.
• Analysts at Longbow Research upgraded Nucor Corporation NUE from Neutral to Buy. Nucor shares rose 1.63 percent to $63.45 in pre-market trading.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Alcoa Corp AA from Neutral to Outperform. Alcoa shares rose 2.11 percent to $47.50 in pre-market trading.
• Longbow Research upgraded AK Steel Holding Corporation AKS from Neutral to Buy. AK Steel shares gained 3.25 percent to $5.71 in pre-market trading.
• Analysts at Buckingham upgraded United Continental Holdings Inc UAL from Neutral to Buy. United Continental shares rose 1.30 percent to $65.27 in pre-market trading.

Top Downgrades

• Analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded Tenet Healthcare Corp THC from Equal-Weight to Underweight. Tenet Healthcare shares fell 0.93 percent to $14.89 in pre-market trading.
• Citigroup downgraded Mercadolibre Inc MELI from Neutral to Sell. MercadoLibre shares rose 0.97 percent to close at $329.28 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at Raymond James downgraded IBERIABANK Corp IBKC from Strong Buy to Outperform. IBERIABANK shares fell 1.78 percent to $77.30 in pre-market trading.
• Citigroup downgraded Lamar Advertising Company LAMR from Neutral to Sell. Lamar Advertising shares rose 0.57 percent to $76.48 in pre-market trading.
• Deutsche Bank downgraded Century Aluminum Co CENX from Buy to Hold. Century Aluminum shares fell 1.65 percent to $16.65 in pre-market trading.
• Barclays downgraded Spectra Energy Partners, LP SEP from Overweight to Equal-Weight. Spectra Energy Partners fell 1.10 percent to $40.59 in pre-market trading.
• Jefferies downgraded Jack in the Box Inc. JACK from Buy to Hold. Jack In The Box shares rose 3.10 percent to close at $103.45 on Tuesday.
• Credit Suisse downgraded Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD from Outperform to Neutral. Gilead Sciences shares dropped 0.90 percent to $73.68 in pre-market trading.
• Morgan Stanley downgraded Aetna Inc AET from Overweight to Equal-Weight. Aetna shares rose 0.80 percent to close at $178.80 on Tuesday.

Top Initiations

• Wells Fargo initiated coverage on Trade Desk Inc TTD with an Outperform rating. The price target for Trade Desk is set to $60. Trade Desk shares closed at $48.94 on Tuesday.
• Citigroup initiated coverage on Hartford Financial Services Group Inc HIG with a Neutral rating. The price target for Hartford Financial is set to $59. Hartford Financial shares closed at $56.73 on Tuesday.
• Cowen & Co. initiated coverage on Extreme Networks, Inc EXTR with an Outperform rating. The price target for Extreme Networks is set to $16. Extreme Networks shares closed at $12.45 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Moody's Corporation MCO with a Hold rating. The price target for Moody's is set to $167. Moody's shares closed at $150.15 on Tuesday.
• H.C. Wainwright initiated coverage on Acer Therapeutics Inc ACER with a Buy rating. The price target for Acer Therapeutics is set to $50. Acer Therapeutics shares closed at $11.97 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey initiated coverage on Propetro Holding Corp PUMP with a Buy rating. The price target for Propetro is set to $27. Propetro shares closed at $19.36 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at BTIG Research initiated coverage on Voyager Therapeutics Inc VYGR with a Buy rating. The price target for Voyager Therapeutics is set to $32. Voyager Therapeutics shares closed at $14.16 on Tuesday.
• RBC Capital initiated coverage on Essent Group Ltd ESNT with an Outperform rating. The price target for Essent Group is set to $54. Essent Group shares closed at $45.12 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at Barclays initiated coverage on Westlake Chemical Partners LP WLKP with an Equal-Weight rating. The price target for Westlake Chemical Partners is set to $26. Westlake Chemical Partners shares closed at $23.80 on Tuesday.
• Analysts at Daiwa Capital initiated coverage on Rockwell Automation ROK with a Neutral rating. The price target for Rockwell Automation is set to $199. Rockwell Automation closed at $193.84 on Tuesday.