Benzinga's Top Ratings Upgrades, Downgrades For September 1, 2022

Upgrades

For iQIYI Inc IQ, UBS upgraded the previous rating of Neutral to Buy. For the second quarter, iQIYI had an EPS of $0.01, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.27. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $5.77 and a 52-week-low of $1.86. iQIYI closed at $3.66 at the end of the last trading period.

For Vulcan Materials Co VMC, Vertical Research upgraded the previous rating of Hold to Buy. For the second quarter, Vulcan Materials had an EPS of $1.53, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.57. The current stock performance of Vulcan Materials shows a 52-week-high of $213.65 and a 52-week-low of $137.54. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $166.49.

CLSA upgraded the previous rating for Futu Holdings Ltd FUTU from Sell to Underperform. Futu Holdings earned $0.61 in the second quarter, compared to $0.45 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $57.76 and a 52-week-low of $21.23. At the end of the last trading period, Futu Holdings closed at $49.09.

According to JP Morgan, the prior rating for Futu Holdings Ltd FUTU was changed from Neutral to Overweight. For the second quarter, Futu Holdings had an EPS of $0.61, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.45. The stock has a 52-week-high of $57.76 and a 52-week-low of $21.23. At the end of the last trading period, Futu Holdings closed at $49.09.

According to JP Morgan, the prior rating for Baidu Inc BIDU was changed from Neutral to Overweight. In the second quarter, Baidu showed an EPS of $2.36, compared to $2.39 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $171.87 and a 52-week-low of $101.62. Baidu closed at $143.97 at the end of the last trading period.

See all analyst ratings upgrades.

Downgrades

For VNET Group Inc VNET, Credit Suisse downgraded the previous rating of Outperform to Neutral. In the second quarter, VNET Gr showed an EPS of $0.36, compared to $0.06 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $10.29 and a 52-week-low of $3.51. VNET Gr closed at $5.35 at the end of the last trading period.

According to Loop Capital, the prior rating for HP Inc HPQ was changed from Buy to Hold. In the third quarter, HP showed an EPS of $1.04, compared to $1.00 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $41.47 and a 52-week-low of $28.67. At the end of the last trading period, HP closed at $28.71.

According to Oppenheimer, the prior rating for Semtech Corp SMTC was changed from Outperform to Perform. For the second quarter, Semtech had an EPS of $0.87, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.65. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $92.14 and a 52-week-low of $45.34. Semtech closed at $46.19 at the end of the last trading period.

For Okta Inc OKTA, Stephens & Co. downgraded the previous rating of Overweight to Equal-Weight. In the second quarter, Okta showed an EPS of $0.10, compared to $0.11 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Okta shows a 52-week-high of $226.49 and a 52-week-low of $77.01. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $91.40.

For Liquidia Corp LQDA, Wedbush downgraded the previous rating of Neutral to Underperform. Liquidia earned $0.15 in the second quarter, compared to $0.13 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $8.79 and a 52-week-low of $3.26. At the end of the last trading period, Liquidia closed at $5.77.

Morgan Stanley downgraded the previous rating for Okta Inc OKTA from Overweight to Equal-Weight. In the second quarter, Okta showed an EPS of $0.10, compared to $0.11 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $226.49 and a 52-week-low of $77.01. Okta closed at $91.40 at the end of the last trading period.

According to Needham, the prior rating for Okta Inc OKTA was changed from Buy to Hold. Okta earned $0.10 in the second quarter, compared to $0.11 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $226.49 and a 52-week-low of $77.01. At the end of the last trading period, Okta closed at $91.40.

Raymond James downgraded the previous rating for Bed Bath & Beyond Inc BBBY from Market Perform to Underperform. In the first quarter, Bed Bath & Beyond showed an EPS of $2.83, compared to $0.05 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $30.06 and a 52-week-low of $4.38. At the end of the last trading period, Bed Bath & Beyond closed at $9.53.

Cowen & Co. downgraded the previous rating for Semtech Corp SMTC from Outperform to Market Perform. Semtech earned $0.87 in the second quarter, compared to $0.65 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $92.14 and a 52-week-low of $45.34. Semtech closed at $46.19 at the end of the last trading period.

For Molson Coors Beverage Co TAP, Bryan Garnier downgraded the previous rating of Buy to Sell. In the second quarter, Molson Coors Beverage showed an EPS of $1.19, compared to $1.58 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $60.12 and a 52-week-low of $46.47. At the end of the last trading period, Molson Coors Beverage closed at $51.67.

According to Canaccord Genuity, the prior rating for Okta Inc OKTA was changed from Buy to Hold. In the second quarter, Okta showed an EPS of $0.10, compared to $0.11 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $226.49 and a 52-week-low of $77.01. At the end of the last trading period, Okta closed at $91.40.

For Western Digital Corp WDC, Benchmark downgraded the previous rating of Hold to Sell. In the fourth quarter, Western Digital showed an EPS of $1.78, compared to $2.16 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $69.36 and a 52-week-low of $41.63. Western Digital closed at $42.26 at the end of the last trading period.

For Seagate Technology Holdings PLC STX, Benchmark downgraded the previous rating of Buy to Hold. For the fourth quarter, Seagate Tech Hldgs had an EPS of $1.59, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $2.00. The stock has a 52-week-high of $117.67 and a 52-week-low of $65.10. At the end of the last trading period, Seagate Tech Hldgs closed at $66.96.

Goldman Sachs downgraded the previous rating for Codiak BioSciences Inc CDAK from Buy to Neutral. In the second quarter, Codiak BioSciences showed an EPS of $0.30, compared to $0.99 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $13.48 and a 52-week-low of $2.10. Codiak BioSciences closed at $2.15 at the end of the last trading period.

See all analyst ratings downgrades.

Initiations

With a Neutral rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Open Text Corp OTEX. The price target seems to have been set at $34.00 for Open Text. In the fourth quarter, Open Text showed an EPS of $0.80, compared to $0.80 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $48.46 and a 52-week-low of $30.83. At the end of the last trading period, Open Text closed at $31.48.

With a Buy rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Ceridian HCM Holding Inc CDAY. The price target seems to have been set at $73.00 for Ceridian HCM Holding. For the second quarter, Ceridian HCM Holding had an EPS of $0.21, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.06. The stock has a 52-week-high of $105.50 and a 52-week-low of $43.23. At the end of the last trading period, Ceridian HCM Holding closed at $59.64.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Instructure Holdings Inc INST with a Buy rating. The price target for Instructure Holdings is set to $30.00. In the second quarter, Instructure Holdings showed an EPS of $0.25, compared to $0.16 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Instructure Holdings shows a 52-week-high of $25.84 and a 52-week-low of $15.68. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $22.73.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Paycom Software Inc PAYC with a Buy rating. The price target for Paycom Software is set to $457.00. In the second quarter, Paycom Software showed an EPS of $1.26, compared to $0.97 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $416.08 and a 52-week-low of $255.82. At the end of the last trading period, Paycom Software closed at $351.20.

With a Neutral rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Paycor HCM Inc PYCR. The price target seems to have been set at $30.00 for Paycor HCM. Paycor HCM earned $0.04 in the fourth quarter, compared to $0.00 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Paycor HCM shows a 52-week-high of $34.95 and a 52-week-low of $20.14. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $29.63.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Paylocity Holding Corp PCTY with a Neutral rating. The price target for Paylocity Holding is set to $294.00. For the fourth quarter, Paylocity Holding had an EPS of $0.80, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.46. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $276.88 and a 52-week-low of $152.01. Paylocity Holding closed at $241.00 at the end of the last trading period.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Workday Inc WDAY with a Neutral rating. The price target for Workday is set to $186.00. Workday earned $0.83 in the second quarter, compared to $1.23 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $272.50 and a 52-week-low of $134.10. At the end of the last trading period, Workday closed at $164.56.

With a Neutral rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on BlackLine Inc BL. The price target seems to have been set at $73.00 for BlackLine. In the second quarter, BlackLine showed an EPS of $0.07, compared to $0.15 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of BlackLine shows a 52-week-high of $104.64 and a 52-week-low of $49.66. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $67.94.

With a Buy rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Coupa Software Inc COUP. The price target seems to have been set at $77.00 for Coupa Software. In the first quarter, Coupa Software showed an EPS of $0.08, compared to $0.07 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $166.21 and a 52-week-low of $50.54. At the end of the last trading period, Coupa Software closed at $58.40.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Expensify Inc EXFY with a Buy rating. The price target for Expensify is set to $25.00. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $44.55 and a 52-week-low of $13.58. Expensify closed at $18.13 at the end of the last trading period.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Intuit Inc INTU with a Buy rating. The price target for Intuit is set to $538.00. In the fourth quarter, Intuit showed an EPS of $1.10, compared to $1.97 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Intuit shows a 52-week-high of $645.61 and a 52-week-low of $339.36. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $431.78.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Workiva Inc WK with a Buy rating. The price target for Workiva is set to $86.00. In the second quarter, Workiva showed an EPS of $0.17, compared to $0.07 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $131.91 and a 52-week-low of $59.43. At the end of the last trading period, Workiva closed at $67.89.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Appian Corp APPN with a Neutral rating. The price target for Appian is set to $55.00. In the second quarter, Appian showed an EPS of $0.46, compared to $0.24 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $66.91 and a 52-week-low of $38.78. Appian closed at $46.90 at the end of the last trading period.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Asana Inc ASAN with a Neutral rating. The price target for Asana is set to $23.00. For the first quarter, Asana had an EPS of $0.30, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.21. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $76.93 and a 52-week-low of $16.19. Asana closed at $19.15 at the end of the last trading period.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Dropbox Inc DBX with a Neutral rating. The price target for Dropbox is set to $24.00. For the second quarter, Dropbox had an EPS of $0.38, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.40. The current stock performance of Dropbox shows a 52-week-high of $25.80 and a 52-week-low of $19.07. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $21.39.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Pegasystems Inc PEGA with a Neutral rating. The price target for Pegasystems is set to $39.00. For the second quarter, Pegasystems had an EPS of $0.38, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.23. The stock has a 52-week-high of $111.73 and a 52-week-low of $35.69. At the end of the last trading period, Pegasystems closed at $36.61.

Raymond James initiated coverage on Midland States Bancorp Inc MSBI with a Market Perform rating. In the second quarter, Midland States Bancorp showed an EPS of $0.98, compared to $0.86 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $30.60 and a 52-week-low of $23.65. At the end of the last trading period, Midland States Bancorp closed at $25.09.

With an Outperform rating, Raymond James initiated coverage on HomeTrust Bancshares Inc HTBI. The price target seems to have been set at $30.00 for HomeTrust Bancshares. HomeTrust Bancshares earned $0.39 in the fourth quarter, compared to $0.46 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $32.60 and a 52-week-low of $22.86. At the end of the last trading period, HomeTrust Bancshares closed at $23.22.

Raymond James initiated coverage on AnaptysBio Inc ANAB with an Outperform rating. The price target for AnaptysBio is set to $35.00. In the second quarter, AnaptysBio showed an EPS of $1.15, compared to $0.02 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $36.06 and a 52-week-low of $18.20. At the end of the last trading period, AnaptysBio closed at $23.22.

With a Buy rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Mirum Pharmaceuticals Inc MIRM. The price target seems to have been set at $38.00 for Mirum Pharmaceuticals. Mirum Pharmaceuticals earned $0.84 in the second quarter, compared to $1.45 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Mirum Pharmaceuticals shows a 52-week-high of $30.55 and a 52-week-low of $14.63. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $24.98.

With a Neutral rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Vertex Inc VERX. The price target seems to have been set at $15.00 for Vertex. For the second quarter, Vertex had an EPS of $0.06, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.08. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $16.97 and a 52-week-low of $9.44. Vertex closed at $13.68 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Buy rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Box Inc BOX. The price target seems to have been set at $34.00 for Box. For the second quarter, Box had an EPS of $0.28, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.21. The current stock performance of Box shows a 52-week-high of $33.04 and a 52-week-low of $22.31. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $25.75.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Monday.Com Ltd MNDY with a Buy rating. The price target for Monday.Com is set to $156.00. Monday.Com earned $0.33 in the second quarter, compared to $0.26 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $314.28 and a 52-week-low of $85.75. Monday.Com closed at $113.70 at the end of the last trading period.

Jefferies initiated coverage on CTI BioPharma Corp CTIC with a Buy rating. The price target for CTI BioPharma is set to $13.00. In the second quarter, CTI BioPharma showed an EPS of $0.21, compared to $0.21 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $7.80 and a 52-week-low of $1.82. CTI BioPharma closed at $6.28 at the end of the last trading period.

JMP Securities initiated coverage on Aviat Networks Inc AVNW with a Market Outperform rating. The price target for Aviat Networks is set to $50.00. In the fourth quarter, Aviat Networks showed an EPS of $0.67, compared to $0.45 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $35.18 and a 52-week-low of $23.88. Aviat Networks closed at $31.30 at the end of the last trading period.

With a Buy rating, B of A Securities initiated coverage on Datadog Inc DDOG. The price target seems to have been set at $135.00 for Datadog. Datadog earned $0.24 in the second quarter, compared to $0.09 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Datadog shows a 52-week-high of $184.70 and a 52-week-low of $81.12. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $104.95.

Citigroup initiated coverage on PTC Therapeutics Inc PTCT with a Buy rating. The price target for PTC Therapeutics is set to $70.00. For the second quarter, PTC Therapeutics had an EPS of $2.13, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.68. The stock has a 52-week-high of $54.46 and a 52-week-low of $25.01. At the end of the last trading period, PTC Therapeutics closed at $49.94.

With a Sell rating, Citigroup initiated coverage on Intellia Therapeutics Inc NTLA. The price target seems to have been set at $50.00 for Intellia Therapeutics. Intellia Therapeutics earned $1.33 in the second quarter, compared to $1.01 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Intellia Therapeutics shows a 52-week-high of $119.65 and a 52-week-low of $37.08. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $60.06.

Citigroup initiated coverage on Pliant Therapeutics Inc PLRX with a Buy rating. The price target for Pliant Therapeutics is set to $36.00. Pliant Therapeutics earned $0.82 in the second quarter, compared to $0.64 in the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $23.00 and a 52-week-low of $3.96. Pliant Therapeutics closed at $19.28 at the end of the last trading period.

Stifel initiated coverage on AerSale Corp ASLE with a Buy rating. The price target for AerSale is set to $23.00. For the second quarter, AerSale had an EPS of $0.56, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.38. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $20.89 and a 52-week-low of $12.78. AerSale closed at $19.28 at the end of the last trading period.

HC Wainwright & Co. initiated coverage on Ventyx Biosciences Inc VTYX with a Buy rating. The price target for Ventyx Biosciences is set to $36.00. Ventyx Biosciences earned $0.39 in the second quarter, compared to $4.31 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Ventyx Biosciences shows a 52-week-high of $27.65 and a 52-week-low of $9.50. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $20.40.

See all analyst ratings initiations.