5 Stocks Analysts Recommend Heading Into 2020

The S&P 500 closed out 2019 with another strong month in December. However, analysts remain optimistic on some top stocks heading into 2020. Here’s a look at several stocks analysts recommend.

Vivint Solar Inc VSLR

Vivint shares doubled in 2019, but analysts see more upside ahead in the long-term for Vivint. Of the last 10 analysts to publish research on Vivint, nine gave the stock a bullish rating with an average price target of $9.03, suggesting 18% upside.

Glu Mobile Inc. GLUU

Investors have few chances to buy stocks at a discount after the market’s big run in 2019, but Gluu shares are down 24% on the year. Gluu reported disappointing numbers and issued lackluster guidance this year, but Wall Street sees the sell-off as a buying opportunity.

The 10 most recent research reports on the company resulted in nine bullish ratings with an $8.28 average price target, suggesting 35% upside.

Viking Therapeutics Inc VKTX

Viking is a clinical-stage biotech stock developing VK2809, a drug used to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Analysts are optimistic about VK2809 given there are currently no other treatments for NASH, which could potentially represent a $35 billion per year market.

In fact, Wall Street is so bullish on Viking that all 10 of the most recent analyst ratings for the stock have been bullish with an average price target of $22.75, suggesting 160% upside.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc CPRX

Like Vivint, biotech stock Catalyst Pharmaceuticals more than doubled in 2019, but analysts say the stock may be just getting started. Management recently said its Firdapse treatment for muscle disorder Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) could generate up to $155 million in 2020 revenue, but competition from Jacobus Pharma’s Ruzurgi could create pricing risk in the near-term.

Nine of 10 most recent analysts to publish research on the stock are bullish with an average price target of $6.94, suggesting 73% upside.

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN

Another year has come and gone, and the Amazon train just keeps on rolling down the tracks. Amazon shares gained another 19.9% in 2019, and Wall Street analysts say e-commerce sales and cloud services growth will produce even more upside in 2020.
Amazon has a ton of analyst coverage, and nine out of the last 10 analysts have been bullish on the stock with an average price target of $2,190, suggesting 22% upside.

Benzinga's Take

Wall Street analysts are far from perfect in their stock recommendations and forecasts. However, investors can be slightly more confident when there is a clear consensus among analysts that cover a particular stock.

Do you agree with this take? Email feedback@benzinga.com with your thoughts.

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