Here are Wednesday’s biggest calls on Wall Street:
Citi reiterates Apple as buy
Citi said it sees several reasons that Apple stock is likely trade higher.
“More recently shares have been underperforming as concerns on production shortages during a very important holiday season as well as macro consumer woes (inflation, recession) could depress demand.”
Jefferies names McDonald’s a top 2023 pick
Jefferies said the fast food giant is a top defensive idea for 2023.
“We view MCD as the best defensive/offensive play in restaurants given a looming recession but also oppty to take share. 4Q likely to see continued strong U.S. demand trends and reset margin expectations (after 3Q) achievable, in our view.”
Jefferies downgrades Starbucks to hold from buy
Jefferies said it sees a more “balanced” risk/reward outlook for the stock.
“With SBUX stock up +40% since the YTD low in May (S&P -2.8%), we move to the sidelines, with our Buy rating going to Hold, as the risk/reward now appears balanced following investments into the biz and growth concerns earlier this year.”
Evercore ISI reiterates Alphabet as outperform
Evercore lowered its estimates on the stock but said it’s still “highly attractive” for long-term investors.
“Consistent with our recently published ’23 Outlook report, we are lowering our estimates and Price Target on GOOGL in the wake of several proprietary datapoints that suggest ongoing softness in Online Advertising and Cloud Computing demand.”
Citi reiterates Block as buy
Citi said the company formerly known as Square presents a “compelling buying opportunity.”
“Key to 2023 will be efficiency gains, tighter discretionary spend, and slower hiring, which has already resulted in 20%-25% expense reduction in the last two quarters.”
UBS reiterates Nike as buy
UBS said Nike’s earnings growth potential is “underestimated” after thecompany’s earnings reporton Tuesday.
“Nike’s investments in product innovation, supply chain speed, and digital are unlocking what is likely a multi-year period of above average growth.”
Wolfe downgrades Palantir to underperform from peer perform
Wolfe downgraded the stock due to a lack of confidence and visibility.
“We have watched PLTR decelerate its top line by 30 points while operating margins have contracted from the mid-30% range to the midteens over the past few years with FCF on the same trajectory.”
Wolfe downgrades Roblox to underperform from peer perform
Wolfe said in its downgrade of Roblox that it has a lack of visibility right now.
“On the back of disappointing November metrics that potentially provide concern in company execution and visibility, we downgrade to Underperform from Peer Perform prior.”
Truist names Amazon a top 2023 pick
Truist said Amazon is well positioned for 2023.
“All that said, not all Internet companies are created equal, making 2023 a year particularly suited for stock picking, in our view.”
Deutsche Bank reiterates Tesla as buy
Deutsche cut its price target on Tesla to $270 per share from $355, but said the stock is still best positioned going forward.
“Beyond the quarter, we continue to expect challenging headlines around demand softening and associated price cuts, but think the company remains best positioned to weather the current macroeconomic conditions, leveraging price to support volume growth and various cost levers in place to protect margins.”
KeyBanc reiterates Disney as overweight
KeyBanc said it thinks the entertainment giant has strong fundamentals.
“We believe DIS has the best fundamentals with superior growth, unique assets, and a platform in Streaming.”
KeyBanc reiterates Netflix as sector weight
KeyBanc said it’s staying “cautious” on Netflix shares right now.
“We continue to see signs that churn is stabilizing (e.g., price sensitivity reverting to norms), but are incrementally cautious on gross adds.”
Stifel reiterates Target and Walmart as hold
Stifel said its recent survey checks show holiday spending intentions are worsening.
“We anticipate this to further impact already challenged general merchandise sales for many retailers, and we reduce F2023 EPS estimates for shares of Walmart and Target accordingly.”
Citi reiterates Micron as buy
Citi said the stock’s bottom “is here” heading into earnings on Wednesday.
“Micron is currently trading at 1.2X F23 book value, close to trough valuation of 1X book.”
Goldman Sachs reiterated FedEx as buy
Goldman said it’s standing by shares of FedEx after the company reported earnings that weren’t as bad as feared.
“Results beat due to stronger Ground and Express margin and EBIT, while Express’ adjusted operating income came in somewhat light versus our forecast it beat Street consensus by 60% – which could be a factor behind shares performing well in after hours trading.”
Baird reiterates Meta as outperform
Baird named the stock as a top pick for 2023 and said it should gain some “mojo” back.
“We think Meta will gain back some momentum in 2023 on the back of improvements in user engagement (e.g., Reels), along with more automation (e.g., Advantage+), and further growth in shopping and click-to-message ads.”
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