US BROKER MOVES: AJG double upgraded at Barclays; ORCL upgraded at JPM

• Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) upgraded from Underweight to Overweight at Barclays; PT $262.00 (prev. $247.00)
• Apyx Medical (APYX) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at BTIG; PT $6.00
• CrowdStrike (CRWD) upgraded from Hold to Buy at DZ Bank; PT $490.00
• INmune Bio (INMB) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at Lucid Capital Markets; PT $9.00
• Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at Citi; PT $590.00
• NIO (NIO) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at Nomura/Instinet; PT $6.60 (prev. $8.40)
• Nike (NKE) upgraded from Equalweight to Overweight at Barclays; PT $73.00 (prev. $64.00)
• Novartis (NVS) upgraded from Hold to Buy at Argus; PT $180.00
• Oracle (ORCL) upgraded from Neutral to Overweight at JPMorgan; PT $210.00
• J.M. Smucker (SJM) upgraded from Market Perform to Outperform at Bernstein SocGen; PT $145.00 (prev. $121.00)
• VTEX (VTEX) upgraded from Neutral to Outperform at Bradesco BBI; PT $5.00
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW) upgraded from Underweight to Equalweight at Barclays; PT $341.00 (prev. $318.00)

• VICI Properties (VICI) downgraded from Outperform to Neutral at Mizuho; PT $30.00
• Yext (YEXT) downgraded from Buy to Neutral at Roth/MKM; PT $6.00 (prev. $9.50)

• Compass Diversified (CODI) initiated at Market Perform at Raymond James
• JOYY Inc. (JOYY) initiated at Buy at UBS; PT $80.00
• Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) initiated at Buy at BofA Securities; PT $244.00
• Alliant Energy (LNT) initiated at Outperform at RBC Capital; PT $82.00
• Ocugen (OCGN) initiated at Outperform at Oppenheimer; PT $10.00

The double upgrade of Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) at Barclays and Oracle (ORCL) at JPMorgan signals strong confidence in their respective outlooks and suggests potential price increases, as indicated by the adjusted price targets. These moves could influence sector sentiment and lead to bullish positioning among investors, particularly in the insurance and software sectors. It's essential to assess how these upgrades fit within current market dynamics and whether they align with broader trends in their industries.