Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For December 19, 2017

Top Upgrades

• Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Wal-Mart Stores Inc WMT from Neutral to Buy. Wal-Mart shares rose 1.12 percent to $99.00 in pre-market trading.
• RBC Capital upgraded General Motors Company GM from Sector Perform to Outperform. GM shares rose 1.52 percent to $42.79 in pre-market trading.
• Barclays upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CM from Underweight to Overweight. Canadian Imperial Bank shares rose 0.28 percent to $93.83 in pre-market trading.
• Analysts at BMO Capital upgraded Citizens Financial Group Inc CFG from Market Perform to Outperform. Citizens Financial shares rose 0.79 percent to close at $42.03 on Monday.
• UBS upgraded Southwest Gas Holdings Inc SWX from Neutral to Buy. Southwest Gas shares dropped 0.50 percent to close at $79.67 on Monday.
• Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Dicks Sporting Goods Inc DKS from Neutral to Buy. Dick's Sporting shares fell 0.34 percent to $29.50 in pre-market trading.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Praxair, Inc. PX from Hold to Buy. Praxair shares rose 0.43 percent to $153.99 in pre-market trading.
• Macquarie upgraded Colgate-Palmolive Company CL from Neutral to Outperform. Colgate-Palmolive shares gained 0.72 percent to $74.52 in pre-market trading.
• Analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded Hartford Financial Services Group Inc HIG from Neutral to Outperform. Hartford Financial shares fell 0.18 percent to close at $55.64 on Monday.
• Berenberg upgraded Altria Group Inc MO from Hold to Buy. Altria shares rose 0.40 percent to $72.94 in pre-market trading.

Top Downgrades

• Analysts at Instinet downgraded Apple Inc. AAPL from Buy to Neutral. Apple shares fell 0.80 percent to $175.00 in pre-market trading.
• Morgan Stanley downgraded ARRIS International plc ARRS from Overweight to Equal-Weight. ARRIS shares dropped 1.55 percent to $25.35 in pre-market trading.
• DA Davidson downgraded Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. CBI from Buy to Neutral. Chicago Bridge shares rose 0.45 percent to $18.00 in pre-market trading.
• Northland Securities downgraded Cree, Inc. CREE from Market Perform to Underperform. Cree fell 5.68 percent to $37.38 in pre-market trading.
• Macquarie downgraded PPL Corp PPL from Neutral to Underperform. PPL shares fell 1 percent to $33.63 in pre-market trading.
• Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded Chubb Ltd CB from Outperform to Neutral. Chubb shares fell 0.58 percent to close at $147.86 on Monday.
• Susquehanna downgraded Pinnacle Entertainment Inc PNK from Positive to Neutral. Pinnacle Entertainment shares dropped 0.73 percent to $30.96 in pre-market trading.
• Citigroup downgraded Hanesbrands Inc. HBI from Buy to Neutral. Hanesbrands shares fell 1.85 percent to $20.73 in pre-market trading.
• BMO Capital downgraded Funko Inc FNKO from Outperform to Market Perform. Funko shares fell 2.94 percent to $6.93 in pre-market trading.
• Wells Fargo downgraded Sunstone Hotel Investors Inc SHO from Outperform to Market Perform. Sunstone Hotel Investors shares rose 2.08 percent to close at $17.44 on Monday.

Top Initiations

• Analysts at Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Symantec Corporation SYMC with a Hold rating. The price target for Symantec is set to $30. Symantec shares closed at $28.65 on Monday.
• Raymond James initiated coverage on PPG Industries, Inc. PPG with an Outperform rating. The price target for PPG is set to $139. PPG shares closed at $116.13 on Monday.
• Baird initiated coverage on CNX Resources Corp CNX with an Outperform rating. The price target for CNX Resources is set to $22. CNX Resources shares closed at $14.19 on Monday.
• Analysts at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey initiated coverage on EPR Properties EPR with a Hold rating. The price target for EPR Properties is set to $69. EPR Properties shares closed at $67.47 on Monday.
• Ladenburg Thalmann initiated coverage on WhiteHorse Finance Inc WHF with a Neutral rating. WhiteHorse Finance shares closed at $14.24 on Monday.
• Analysts at KeyBanc initiated coverage on Redfin Corp RDFN with a Sector Weight rating. Redfin shares closed at $25.90 on Monday.
• Baird initiated coverage on Cimarex Energy Co XEC with an Outperform rating. The price target for Cimarex Energy is set to $137. Cimarex Energy shares closed at $113.66 on Monday.
• Analysts at RBC Capital initiated coverage on Northwest Natural Gas Co NWN with a Sector Perform rating. The price target for Northwest Natural Gas is set to $63. Northwest Natural Gas shares closed at $62.50 on Monday.
• Analysts at Instinet initiated coverage on Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. SCMP with a Buy rating. The price target for Sucampo Pharmaceuticals is set to $43. Sucampo Pharmaceuticals closed at $16.75 on Monday.
• Raymond James initiated coverage on Sherwin-Williams Co SHW with a Strong Buy rating. The price target for Sherwin-Williams is set to $496. Sherwin-Williams shares closed at $408.15 on Monday.