Friday saw a flurry of analyst activity on Wall Street, with key ratings changes for major tech and consumer companies. Notable calls include Bank of America reiterating a ‘buy’ rating for Apple, while downgrading Roblox, and several upgrades in the AI infrastructure space, including CoreWeave and Celestica. These moves reflect ongoing assessments of growth potential and market dynamics.
Wall Street's Hot Takes: Analyst Ratings on Nvidia, Apple, Roku, and More – Friday's Biggest Calls
Here's a rundown of the most significant analyst calls made on Friday:
- Bank of America reiterates Apple as buy: The firm anticipates positive catalysts for Apple, citing strong iPhone revenue, robust gross margins, the upcoming AI-enabled Siri in 2026, and the expected release of a foldable iPhone this fall.
- Bank of America downgrades Roblox to neutral: Concerns over slowing demand following earnings prompted the downgrade.
- Citi reiterates CoreWeave as buy: Citi raised its price target to $155, highlighting the favorable outlook for AI infrastructure leaders like CoreWeave and anticipating significant backlog growth.
- Barclays reiterates SanDisk as overweight: A raised price target to $1200 reflects the company's strong financial position with zero debt and substantial cash generation.
- Morgan Stanley reiterates Reddit as overweight: The stock is considered undervalued following earnings, with a $240 price target.
- Needham initiates Alpha & Omega Semiconductor as buy: The firm believes the company is poised for growth due to market recovery, AI data center adoption, and a strategic shift towards system-level solutions.
- TD Cowen upgrades Hershey to buy: Positive catalysts are expected to drive increased confidence in Hershey's future guidance and volume growth.
- Goldman Sachs adds UnitedHealth & Interactive Brokers to the conviction list: Both stocks are seen as having further growth potential.
- Bank of America reiterates Roku as buy: A raised price target to $150 follows a strong first-quarter performance driven by platform revenue.
- Oppenheimer initiates Dutch Bros as outperform: The coffee chain is seen as having significant growth opportunities.
- BMO upgrades Air Products to outperform: Robust execution and a successful restructuring are driving the upgrade.
- BMO upgrades Willis Towers Watson to outperform: Investors are advised to buy the dip following a challenging quarter.
- Jefferies initiates Suncrete as buy: Explosive growth is anticipated for the building materials company.
- Morgan Stanley upgrades Caterpillar to equal weight: The upgrade reflects Caterpillar's strong execution despite macroeconomic headwinds.
- Morgan Stanley downgrades e.l.f. Beauty to equal weight: Worsening share losses prompted the downgrade.
- JPMorgan initiates Arrow Pharmaceuticals as overweight: The firm identifies the company as a leader in the cardiovascular space.
- Barclays upgrades Pilgrim's Pride to overweight: Investments are paying off, leading to solid free cash flow generation.
- Morgan Stanley upgrades TKO to overweight: Best-in-class margins and strong media rights deals support the upgrade.
- Morgan Stanley upgrades Paramount Skydance to overweight: A buying opportunity is seen due to the transformative WBD deal and potential for AI-driven growth.
- Rothschild & Co Redburn initiates Celestica, Credo, Coherent and Lumentum as buy: These optical and networking stocks are well-positioned to benefit from the growth in AI.
- Deutsche Bank reiterates Rivian as buy: The firm maintains its buy rating following in-line first-quarter results.
- Wolfe initiates Rubrik as outperform: The cybersecurity company is performing strongly.
- Evercore ISI reiterates Nvidia as outperform: Nvidia is considered a best idea and a key player in the AI computing era.
- Stifel initiates Septerna as buy: A large pipeline supports the buy rating.
