US BROKER MOVES: NFLX upgraded at Deutsche Bank; PEP downgraded at JPM
Daily US broker roundups of this size are routine, and the established pattern is that only a handful of names trade on them: large-cap rating changes at major houses, and clustered initiations that signal a new sector call.
US BROKER MOVES: NFLX upgraded at Deutsche Bank; PEP downgraded at JPM
US House Speaker Johnson says the US can achieve both AI security and innovation, hopes today's AI meeting will reach an agreement, and says AI industry leaders welcome some level of regulation
US VP Vance says Iran must abide by the rules for any form of agreement to be reached
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UPGRADES
- Bloomin' Brands (BLMN) upgraded from Underweight to Neutral at JPMorgan; PT USD 13.00 (prev. USD 6.00)
- Kroger (KR) upgraded from Hold to Buy at Melius
- Main Street Capital (MAIN) upgraded from Equal Weight to Overweight at Wells Fargo; PT USD 60.00
- Netflix (NFLX) upgraded from Hold to Buy at Deutsche Bank; PT USD 95.00 (prev. USD 100.00)
- Rezolute (RZLT) upgraded from Hold to Buy at Craig-Hallum; PT USD 7.00
- Stitch Fix (SFIX) upgraded from Underperform to Neutral at Mizuho; PT USD 2.50 (prev. USD 3.00)
- STAAR Surgical (STAA) upgraded from Hold to Buy at Stifel; PT USD 31.00 (prev. USD 28.00)
- BlackRock TCP Capital (TCPC) upgraded from Underweight to Equal Weight at Wells Fargo; PT USD 4.00
DOWNGRADES
- Arbor Realty Trust (ABR) downgraded from Market Outperform to Market Perform at Citizens
- Carlyle Secured Lending (CGBD) downgraded from Overweight to Equal Weight at Wells Fargo; PT USD 11.00
- Fresenius Medical Care (FMS) downgraded from Buy to Hold at Berenberg; PT USD 24.00 (prev. USD 34.50)
- FS KKR Capital (FSK) downgraded from Equal Weight to Underweight at Wells Fargo; PT USD 10.00
- Lifecore Biomedical (LFCR) downgraded from Outperform to Market Perform at Barrington Research
- Monday.com (MNDY) downgraded from Overweight to Neutral at JPMorgan; PT USD 87.00
- PepsiCo (PEP) downgraded from Overweight to Neutral at JPMorgan; PT USD 138.00 (prev. USD 170.00)
- Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) downgraded from Hold to Sell at Argus
INITIATIONS
- AbCellera Biologics (ABCL) initiated Overweight at JPMorgan; PT USD 17.00
- Adaptive Biotechnologies (ADPT) initiated Buy at Goldman Sachs; PT USD 35.00
- Ameren (AEE) initiated Sector Perform at Scotiabank; PT USD 104.00
- Apyx Medical (APYX) initiated Buy at Maxim Group; PT USD 6.00
- Array Technologies (ARRY) initiated Buy at Jefferies; PT USD 7.00
- AutoZone (AZO) initiated Outperform at Bernstein SocGen Group; PT USD 3698.00
- Baker Hughes (BKR) initiated Buy at Goldman Sachs; PT USD 71.00
- Deluxe (DLX) initiated Outperform at Barrington Research; PT USD 31.00
- FuelCell Energy (FCEL) initiated Outperform at Oppenheimer; PT USD 24.00
- Gorilla Technology (GRRR) initiated Buy at StoneX; PT USD 25.00
- Hyliion (HYLN) initiated Buy at Craig-Hallum; PT USD 7.00
- Liberty Energy (LBRT) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 19.00
- NiSource (NI) initiated Sector Perform at Scotiabank
- ONE Gas (OGS) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 86.00
- Paycom Software (PAYC) initiated Underperform at BofA Securities; PT USD 200.00
- Paylocity Holding (PCTY) initiated Buy at BofA Securities; PT USD 175.00
- Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank
- PPL (PPL) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 36.00
- Sempra (SRE) initiated Sector Perform at Scotiabank; PT USD 83.00
- Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 95.00
- UGI (UGI) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 46.00
- Xcel Energy (XEL) initiated Sector Outperform at Scotiabank; PT USD 77.00
Here the actionable items are the NFLX upgrade at Deutsche Bank, which comes with a trimmed price target and therefore reads as a valuation reset rather than fresh conviction, and the PEP downgrade at JPMorgan with a materially lower target, a move that in staples names has historically reflected earnings-estimate compression feeding through slowly rather than a single-session repricing. JPMorgan cutting MNDY alongside PEP suggests a broader review at the bank rather than isolated stock calls. The bulk initiation of US utilities at Scotiabank, skewed toward outperform ratings across electric and gas names, is the type of coordinated sector launch that tends to precede thematic positioning, and BofA splitting PAYC underperform against PCTY buy is a relative-value call within payroll software rather than a sector view. The cluster of Wells Fargo moves across BDCs, mixing upgrades and downgrades, points to a portfolio reshuffle within that coverage rather than a directional call on the group. Single-broker moves on small caps, as with most of this list, have historically faded within the session absent a fundamental catalyst.
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