Benzinga's Top Ratings Upgrades, Downgrades For July 20, 2022

Upgrades

B of A Securities upgraded the previous rating for Check Point Software Technologies Ltd CHKP from Underperform to Buy. Check Point Software earned $1.57 in the first quarter, compared to $1.54 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Check Point Software shows a 52-week-high of $149.62 and a 52-week-low of $107.85. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $123.75.

According to Stifel, the prior rating for Franco-Nevada Corp FNV was changed from Hold to Buy. In the first quarter, Franco-Nevada showed an EPS of $0.93, compared to $0.84 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Franco-Nevada shows a 52-week-high of $169.32 and a 52-week-low of $122.79. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $124.08.

According to Stifel, the prior rating for Xylem Inc XYL was changed from Hold to Buy. For the first quarter, Xylem had an EPS of $0.47, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.56. The stock has a 52-week-high of $138.78 and a 52-week-low of $72.08. At the end of the last trading period, Xylem closed at $79.78.

According to HSBC, the prior rating for Chevron Corp CVX was changed from Hold to Buy. Chevron earned $3.36 in the first quarter, compared to $0.90 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $182.40 and a 52-week-low of $92.86. At the end of the last trading period, Chevron closed at $144.61.

Morgan Stanley upgraded the previous rating for Vital Farms Inc VITL from Equal-Weight to Overweight. In the first quarter, Vital Farms showed an EPS of $0.04, compared to $0.08 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $20.17 and a 52-week-low of $7.89. At the end of the last trading period, Vital Farms closed at $9.07.

For DT Midstream Inc DTM, Barclays upgraded the previous rating of Equal-Weight to Overweight. For the first quarter, DT Midstream had an EPS of $0.84, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.89. The current stock performance of DT Midstream shows a 52-week-high of $59.36 and a 52-week-low of $40.05. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $50.09.

According to Stifel, the prior rating for Netflix Inc NFLX was changed from Hold to Buy. Netflix earned $3.20 in the second quarter, compared to $2.97 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Netflix shows a 52-week-high of $700.99 and a 52-week-low of $162.71. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $201.63.

For FMC Corp FMC, Keybanc upgraded the previous rating of Sector Weight to Overweight. FMC earned $1.88 in the first quarter, compared to $1.53 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $140.99 and a 52-week-low of $87.27. FMC closed at $103.80 at the end of the last trading period.

Keybanc upgraded the previous rating for Axalta Coating Systems Ltd AXTA from Sector Weight to Overweight. In the first quarter, Axalta Coating Sys showed an EPS of $0.31, compared to $0.50 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $34.12 and a 52-week-low of $21.44. Axalta Coating Sys closed at $24.13 at the end of the last trading period.

According to Keybanc, the prior rating for Albemarle Corp ALB was changed from Underweight to Sector Weight. For the first quarter, Albemarle had an EPS of $2.38, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.10. The current stock performance of Albemarle shows a 52-week-high of $291.48 and a 52-week-low of $169.93. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $211.52.

For Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA, Bernstein upgraded the previous rating of Market Perform to Outperform. Alibaba Group Holding earned $1.25 in the fourth quarter, compared to $1.58 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $216.39 and a 52-week-low of $73.28. Alibaba Group Holding closed at $104.75 at the end of the last trading period.

For Berry Global Group Inc BERY, Credit Suisse upgraded the previous rating of Neutral to Outperform. For the second quarter, Berry Global Group had an EPS of $1.93, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.59. The current stock performance of Berry Global Group shows a 52-week-high of $74.73 and a 52-week-low of $50.10. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $54.86.

See all analyst ratings upgrades.

Downgrades

BTIG downgraded the previous rating for Forestar Group Inc FOR from Buy to Neutral. In the third quarter, Forestar Group showed an EPS of $0.80, compared to $0.60 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $22.60 and a 52-week-low of $13.06. At the end of the last trading period, Forestar Group closed at $15.84.

According to Argus Research, the prior rating for Weyerhaeuser Co WY was changed from Buy to Hold. For the first quarter, Weyerhaeuser had an EPS of $1.31, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.91. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $43.04 and a 52-week-low of $32.50. Weyerhaeuser closed at $35.16 at the end of the last trading period.

Goldman Sachs downgraded the previous rating for Vasta Platform Ltd VSTA from Buy to Neutral. Vasta Platform earned $0.11 in the first quarter, compared to $0.07 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Vasta Platform shows a 52-week-high of $7.83 and a 52-week-low of $2.20. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $5.35.

For WEC Energy Group Inc WEC, Credit Suisse downgraded the previous rating of Neutral to Underperform. WEC Energy Gr earned $1.79 in the first quarter, compared to $1.61 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $108.39 and a 52-week-low of $86.84. WEC Energy Gr closed at $99.07 at the end of the last trading period.

B of A Securities downgraded the previous rating for F5 Inc FFIV from Buy to Neutral. F5 earned $2.13 in the second quarter, compared to $2.50 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $249.00 and a 52-week-low of $142.43. At the end of the last trading period, F5 closed at $151.68.

B of A Securities downgraded the previous rating for Arista Networks Inc ANET from Buy to Underperform. In the first quarter, Arista Networks showed an EPS of $0.84, compared to $0.63 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $536.54 and a 52-week-low of $89.11. At the end of the last trading period, Arista Networks closed at $104.75.

According to Citigroup, the prior rating for ExlService Holdings Inc EXLS was changed from Neutral to Sell. ExlService Holdings earned $1.42 in the first quarter, compared to $1.18 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $156.15 and a 52-week-low of $105.69. ExlService Holdings closed at $146.96 at the end of the last trading period.

B of A Securities downgraded the previous rating for Juniper Networks Inc JNPR from Buy to Underperform. Juniper Networks earned $0.31 in the first quarter, compared to $0.30 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Juniper Networks shows a 52-week-high of $38.14 and a 52-week-low of $26.12. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $29.18.

For Hologic Inc HOLX, B of A Securities downgraded the previous rating of Buy to Neutral. In the second quarter, Hologic showed an EPS of $2.07, compared to $2.59 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Hologic shows a 52-week-high of $81.04 and a 52-week-low of $66.58. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $70.49.

Bernstein downgraded the previous rating for Cummins Inc CMI from Outperform to Market Perform. For the first quarter, Cummins had an EPS of $4.04, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $4.07. The current stock performance of Cummins shows a 52-week-high of $247.48 and a 52-week-low of $184.28. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $205.05.

Citigroup downgraded the previous rating for Atara Biotherapeutics Inc ATRA from Neutral to Sell. In the first quarter, Atara Biotherapeutics showed an EPS of $0.87, compared to $0.86 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $20.04 and a 52-week-low of $3.41. At the end of the last trading period, Atara Biotherapeutics closed at $3.64.

HC Wainwright & Co. downgraded the previous rating for Vascular Biogenics Ltd VBLT from Buy to Neutral. Vascular Biogenics earned $0.13 in the first quarter, compared to $0.12 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $2.58 and a 52-week-low of $1.10. Vascular Biogenics closed at $2.05 at the end of the last trading period.

For Ally Financial Inc ALLY, Evercore ISI Group downgraded the previous rating of Outperform to In-Line. For the second quarter, Ally Financial had an EPS of $1.76, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $2.33. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $56.28 and a 52-week-low of $31.66. Ally Financial closed at $33.32 at the end of the last trading period.

According to Credit Suisse, the prior rating for Sealed Air Corp SEE was changed from Outperform to Neutral. For the first quarter, Sealed Air had an EPS of $1.12, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.78. The stock has a 52-week-high of $70.72 and a 52-week-low of $53.87. At the end of the last trading period, Sealed Air closed at $57.75.

According to JP Morgan, the prior rating for Eagle Materials Inc EXP was changed from Overweight to Neutral. In the fourth quarter, Eagle Materials showed an EPS of $1.90, compared to $1.56 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $169.15 and a 52-week-low of $105.34. Eagle Materials closed at $120.25 at the end of the last trading period.

According to Piper Sandler, the prior rating for Equity Residential EQR was changed from Neutral to Underweight. In the first quarter, Equity Residential showed an EPS of $0.77, compared to $0.68 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $94.32 and a 52-week-low of $67.48. Equity Residential closed at $72.57 at the end of the last trading period.

See all analyst ratings downgrades.

Initiations

UBS initiated coverage on QuidelOrtho Corp QDEL with a Sell rating. The price target for QuidelOrtho is set to $86.00. For the first quarter, QuidelOrtho had an EPS of $11.66, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $4.38. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $180.06 and a 52-week-low of $88.05. QuidelOrtho closed at $105.20 at the end of the last trading period.

Chardan Capital initiated coverage on Dyne Therapeutics Inc DYN with a Buy rating. The price target for Dyne Therapeutics is set to $17.00. Dyne Therapeutics earned $0.69 in the first quarter, compared to $0.50 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $20.34 and a 52-week-low of $4.30. At the end of the last trading period, Dyne Therapeutics closed at $10.25.

Chardan Capital initiated coverage on Avidity Biosciences Inc RNA with a Buy rating. The price target for Avidity Biosciences is set to $29.00. In the first quarter, Avidity Biosciences showed an EPS of $0.71, compared to $0.64 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $29.25 and a 52-week-low of $10.89. At the end of the last trading period, Avidity Biosciences closed at $17.76.

MKM Partners initiated coverage on Civitas Resources Inc CIVI with a Buy rating. The price target for Civitas Resources is set to $70.00. In the first quarter, Civitas Resources showed an EPS of $2.51, compared to $0.88 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $84.76 and a 52-week-low of $31.74. At the end of the last trading period, Civitas Resources closed at $52.67.

Susquehanna initiated coverage on Caesars Entertainment Inc CZR with a Negative rating. The price target for Caesars Entertainment is set to $32.00. In the first quarter, Caesars Entertainment showed an EPS of $2.11, compared to $2.06 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $119.81 and a 52-week-low of $35.10. Caesars Entertainment closed at $41.79 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Buy rating, UBS initiated coverage on Repligen Corp RGEN. The price target seems to have been set at $213.00 for Repligen. In the first quarter, Repligen showed an EPS of $0.92, compared to $0.68 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $327.32 and a 52-week-low of $137.21. Repligen closed at $168.07 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Buy rating, UBS initiated coverage on PerkinElmer Inc PKI. The price target seems to have been set at $160.00 for PerkinElmer. For the first quarter, PerkinElmer had an EPS of $2.41, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $3.72. The current stock performance of PerkinElmer shows a 52-week-high of $203.16 and a 52-week-low of $130.65. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $137.39.

With a Buy rating, UBS initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies Inc A. The price target seems to have been set at $139.00 for Agilent Technologies. For the second quarter, Agilent Technologies had an EPS of $1.13, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.97. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $179.57 and a 52-week-low of $112.52. Agilent Technologies closed at $119.06 at the end of the last trading period.

UBS initiated coverage on Danaher Corp DHR with a Buy rating. The price target for Danaher is set to $297.00. For the first quarter, Danaher had an EPS of $2.76, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $2.52. The stock has a 52-week-high of $333.96 and a 52-week-low of $233.71. At the end of the last trading period, Danaher closed at $255.75.

UBS initiated coverage on Mettler-Toledo International Inc MTD with a Neutral rating. The price target for Mettler-Toledo Intl is set to $1237.00. For the first quarter, Mettler-Toledo Intl had an EPS of $7.87, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $6.56. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $1714.75 and a 52-week-low of $1082.78. Mettler-Toledo Intl closed at $1156.87 at the end of the last trading period.

UBS initiated coverage on Waters Corp WAT with a Neutral rating. The price target for Waters is set to $349.00. Waters earned $2.80 in the first quarter, compared to $2.29 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Waters shows a 52-week-high of $428.22 and a 52-week-low of $288.32. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $330.76.

With a Neutral rating, UBS initiated coverage on Hologic Inc HOLX. The price target seems to have been set at $73.00 for Hologic. For the second quarter, Hologic had an EPS of $2.07, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $2.59. The stock has a 52-week-high of $81.04 and a 52-week-low of $66.58. At the end of the last trading period, Hologic closed at $70.49.

With a Equal-Weight rating, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Sharecare Inc SHCR. The price target seems to have been set at $2.50 for Sharecare. The stock has a 52-week-high of $9.28 and a 52-week-low of $1.44. At the end of the last trading period, Sharecare closed at $1.62.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Innoviva Inc INVA with a Neutral rating. The price target for Innoviva is set to $16.00. In the first quarter, Innoviva showed an EPS of $0.39, compared to $0.84 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $20.71 and a 52-week-low of $12.91. Innoviva closed at $14.72 at the end of the last trading period.

SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Pliant Therapeutics Inc PLRX with an Outperform rating. The price target for Pliant Therapeutics is set to $33.00. Pliant Therapeutics earned $0.78 in the first quarter, compared to $0.64 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $27.01 and a 52-week-low of $3.96. Pliant Therapeutics closed at $19.22 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Market Perform rating, SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Kymera Therapeutics Inc KYMR. The price target seems to have been set at $26.00 for Kymera Therapeutics. Kymera Therapeutics earned $0.71 in the first quarter, compared to $0.29 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $69.12 and a 52-week-low of $13.15. At the end of the last trading period, Kymera Therapeutics closed at $22.89.

SVB Leerink initiated coverage on Morphic Holding Inc MORF with an Outperform rating. The price target for Morphic Holding is set to $45.00. In the first quarter, Morphic Holding showed an EPS of $0.85, compared to $0.63 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $68.75 and a 52-week-low of $19.23. At the end of the last trading period, Morphic Holding closed at $24.99.

With an Outperform rating, National Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Novagold Resources Inc NG. The price target seems to have been set at $9.00 for Novagold Resources. In the second quarter, Novagold Resources showed an EPS of $0.04, compared to $0.03 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $8.36 and a 52-week-low of $4.22. Novagold Resources closed at $4.53 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Sell rating, Berenberg initiated coverage on Cazoo Group Ltd CZOO. The price target seems to have been set at $0.49 for Cazoo Gr. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $10.13 and a 52-week-low of $0.59. Cazoo Gr closed at $0.64 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Market Perform rating, Bernstein initiated coverage on Twilio Inc TWLO. The price target seems to have been set at $91.00 for Twilio. For the first quarter, Twilio had an EPS of $0.00, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.05. The current stock performance of Twilio shows a 52-week-high of $412.68 and a 52-week-low of $77.14. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $89.10.

Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Arcellx Inc ACLX with a Buy rating. The price target for Arcellx is set to $32.00. In the first quarter, Arcellx showed an EPS of $1.56, compared to $33.45 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $26.91 and a 52-week-low of $6.04. At the end of the last trading period, Arcellx closed at $18.27.

Bernstein initiated coverage on Datadog Inc DDOG with an Outperform rating. The price target for Datadog is set to $172.00. Datadog earned $0.24 in the first quarter, compared to $0.06 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $199.68 and a 52-week-low of $81.12. At the end of the last trading period, Datadog closed at $92.96.

Bernstein initiated coverage on ServiceNow Inc NOW with an Outperform rating. The price target for ServiceNow is set to $646.00. ServiceNow earned $1.73 in the first quarter, compared to $1.52 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $707.60 and a 52-week-low of $406.47. At the end of the last trading period, ServiceNow closed at $435.94.

With an Outperform rating, Bernstein initiated coverage on Atlassian Corporation PLC TEAM. The price target seems to have been set at $257.00 for Atlassian Corporation. Atlassian Corporation earned $0.47 in the third quarter, compared to $0.48 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $483.13 and a 52-week-low of $159.54. Atlassian Corporation closed at $191.59 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Market Perform rating, Bernstein initiated coverage on Okta Inc OKTA. The price target seems to have been set at $94.00 for Okta. For the first quarter, Okta had an EPS of $0.27, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.10. The stock has a 52-week-high of $276.30 and a 52-week-low of $77.01. At the end of the last trading period, Okta closed at $95.69.

Bernstein initiated coverage on Zoom Video Communications Inc ZM with a Market Perform rating. The price target for Zoom Video Comms is set to $122.00. For the first quarter, Zoom Video Comms had an EPS of $1.03, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.32. The stock has a 52-week-high of $404.35 and a 52-week-low of $79.03. At the end of the last trading period, Zoom Video Comms closed at $102.08.

Benchmark initiated coverage on Forward Air Corp FWRD with a Hold rating. In the first quarter, Forward Air showed an EPS of $1.57, compared to $0.60 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $125.71 and a 52-week-low of $80.56. Forward Air closed at $95.75 at the end of the last trading period.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Prometheus Biosciences Inc RXDX with a Buy rating. The price target for Prometheus Biosciences is set to $51.00. For the first quarter, Prometheus Biosciences had an EPS of $0.82, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.67. The stock has a 52-week-high of $51.96 and a 52-week-low of $19.79. At the end of the last trading period, Prometheus Biosciences closed at $30.76.

Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Lumos Pharma Inc LUMO with an Outperform rating. The price target for Lumos Pharma is set to $20.00. For the first quarter, Lumos Pharma had an EPS of $0.92, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.04. The stock has a 52-week-high of $11.52 and a 52-week-low of $6.15. At the end of the last trading period, Lumos Pharma closed at $7.35.

Stephens & Co. initiated coverage on Landec Corp LNDC with an Overweight rating. The price target for Landec is set to $13.00. For the third quarter, Landec had an EPS of $0.08, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.09. The current stock performance of Landec shows a 52-week-high of $12.64 and a 52-week-low of $7.65. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $10.07.

MKM Partners initiated coverage on Viper Energy Partners LP VNOM with a Buy rating. The price target for Viper Energy Partners is set to $31.00. For the first quarter, Viper Energy Partners had an EPS of $0.23, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.08. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $35.85 and a 52-week-low of $15.98. Viper Energy Partners closed at $26.98 at the end of the last trading period.

See all analyst ratings initiations.