Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Amazon, Boeing, Nike, Disney, CoreWeave & more
Here are Friday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Rothschild & Co. Redburn upgrades Boeing to buy from neutral The firm said "things seem to be taking a more positive turn for Boeing and the company appears healthier." "We upgrade the stock to Buy (from Neutral) given the upside suggested by our new target price of $275 per share (versus $180 previously)." Canaccord downgrades Uber to hold from buy After a change in analyst coverage, the firm downgraded both stocks on concerns about autonomous vehicles. "The future could be bright: value added in the AV world through hybrid human-robot networks, strong on the ground operations, and other tactical elements. An alternative scenario is also plausible: a new world dominated by a few AV behemoths that control the value chain and leave Uber Lyft reflecting on the golden days of the past. It is truly unclear." Goldman Sachs upgrades Franklin Resources to buy from neutral Goldman said the multinational investment company is well positioned. "We upgrade BEN to Buy from Neutral with a 12-month price target of $29, representing > 25% upside to current levels." Citizens upgrades Alphabet to outperform from market perform Citizens said AI is a "net tailwind" for Alphabet. "We upgrade Alphabet to Market Outperform from Market Perform and establish a $220 price target as we believe AI is a net tailwind, with ChatGPT's impact too small today to move enough queries away from Google to materially impact results, while AI is expanding the search opportunity by answering a broader array of queries and extending monetization as AI better infers user intent." Read more. Piper Sandler names Meta a new top pick Piper said Meta is a new top idea at the firm and raised its price target to $808 per share from $650. " Meta's $14BN+ investment in Scale AI also demonstrates conviction behind the AI opportunity." Baird downgrades Bank of America to neutral from outperform and JPMorgan to underperform from neutral Baird downgraded several major banks on Friday and says the "risk/reward tradeoff [is] not attractive." "We understand the optimism around mega cap banks here - benefits from deregulation, solid capital positions, capital markets are opening up, and JPM is the gold standard in the group. However, are of the view that BAC is at FV [fair value] and JPM has modest downside from current levels, with JPM trading at record valuations." Deutsche Bank initiates A10 Networks as buy Deutsche said AI is a "meaningful tailwind" for the networking security company. "We initiate coverage of A10 Networks with a Buy rating and $22 price target." Evercore ISI upgrades Trade Desk to outperform from in line Evercore said investors should buy the dip in the ad tech company. "With TTD still down 40%+ YTD, we see an attractive opportunity to get involved again in what has proved over time to be one of the highest quality and most consistent performers across the Internet landscape." Bank of America reiterates Disney as buy Bank of America said Disney is well positioned ahead of earnings in early August. "We maintain our Buy rating and $140 PO. Near term catalysts include: 1) profitability inflection in DTC, 2) reacceleration in the Parks business and 3) strong upcoming film slate which drives other businesses (DTC, Parks and Consumer Products)." JPMorgan reiterates Amazon as overweight JPMorgan said its "margin analysis suggests core retail upside." " Amazon remains our Best Idea and our December 2025 PT of $240 is based on ~32.5x our 2026E FCF of $75B." HSBC upgrades Nike to buy from neutral HSBC upgraded Nike following earnings and says it's in the middle of a turnaround. "After another two quarters of inventory clean-up it seems the bulk of the brand assortment should be current and exciting. Separately, we like the fact the new management team (CEO Hill re-joined last Oct) is not cutting corners and is committed to quality." Read more. UBS reiterates Nvidia as buy UBS said its survey checks show Nvidia as a "key" AI winner. "In this 4th iteration of our Enterprise AI survey, we again leveraged the UBS Evidence Labs data team to survey IT execs at 128 organizations about their AI plans at the chip, cloud infrastructure, model, application software, data and security layers, with a focus on incremental changes in feedback from our previous October 2024 survey." Bank of America downgrades Molson Coors to neutral from buy The firm said in its downgrade of Molson Coors that "volume stabilization hasn't materialized." "We downgrade from Buy to Neutral and lower our PO from $65 to $50 which is based on 8.3x our FY26 EPS estimate. This puts it more in line with US packaged food industry peers where the industry growth dynamics are similar." Barclays reiterates CoreWeave as equal weight Barclays said it's bullish on reports of a Core Scientific buyout talks with CoreWeave. "Potential Core Scientific Acquisition Offers Increased Vertical Integration." Bank of America reiterates Spotify as buy The firm raised its price target to $900 per share from $700. "We view SPOT as an attractive pure play on the high-growth streaming music market - a subscription-driven opportunity underpinned by the global appeal of music and rising smartphone adoption with optionality from recent podcasting and Two-Sided Marketplace initiatives. Monness Crespi Hardt upgrades Elastic to buy from neutral Monness said shares of the software company are too attractive to ignore at current levels. "Today, Elastic holds a depressed enterprise-value-to-revenue multiple relative to our consumption-based, software group and even our software universe at large. We find Elastic's valuation compelling at current levels, and we believe the company is well positioned for the gen AI movement."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
19 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Bank of America explains how a market bubble could soon form — and lays out the perfect trade to combat it
A Bank of America analyst sees the risk of a speculative stock market bubble increasing as expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates continue to rise. In a note on Friday, BofA's Michael Hartnett highlighted a shift that he sees approaching, one that could lead to complications for investors—and he also shared his view on a trade to hedge such a scenario. Geopolitical tensions and tariff updates from President Donald Trump have been headwinds for markets. But with the Israel-Iran ceasefire continuing to hold, the focus has shifted to the possibility of interest rate cuts in July. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell opted to leave rates steady at this month's meeting, but several top officials since then have come out in support for a cut as soon as next month. As Hartnett's team sees it, investors have begun to adjust for a higher likelihood that Powell will pivot in his stance and cut interest rates. On top of that, Trump's " Big Beautiful Bill" is likely to result in lower taxes for corporations and some households. "H2 bubble risk high as Trump/Powell pivot from tariffs to tax cuts/rate cuts to incite US$ devaluation/US stock bubble," Hartnett wrote. Hartnett and his team go on to say that the best way for investors to play the market against the backdrop of a potential bubble is by owning US growth stocks and international value stocks, presenting it as a means of finding a balance between risk and reward. They highlight this strategy as an effective way to guard against the potential impact of the predicted second-half bubble, as it offers exposure to growth in both US and international markets. Other experts have shared similar strategies for handling this year's high levels of market and economic uncertainty. Investor Bill Gross said this week he was eyeing a small bull market for stocks and a small bear market for bonds, highlighting the strategy of buying one and selling the other.
CNBC
24 minutes ago
- CNBC
Equity investors showing greed, so may be time to take profits, says Bank of America's Hartnett
Overflowing investor enthusiasm is close to triggering some reliable sell signals in the stock market, according to Bank of America chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett. Money is pouring into equities as well as their fixed income counterpart, high-yield bonds, indicating that investor willingness to shrug off geopolitical headwinds is approaching danger levels, Hartnett said in his weekly note that examines where investors are putting their cash. "Greedy inflows saying take some profits off the table," the strategist wrote. One specific area where he pointed was the flows to global equity and high-yield fixed income. Over the past four weeks, the two categories have taken in 0.99% of cash relative to assets under management — just one one-hundredth of a percentage point from a tactical sell signal. Conversely, outflows exceeding 1% have been a reliable contrarian buy sign of excessive pessimism. The observations come with the S & P 500 punching through to a new record Friday as investors show a strong willingness to overlook a multitude of headwinds , from geopolitical tensions to President Donald Trump's tariffs. .SPX YTD line S & P 500 performance in 2025. There are other potential danger signs amid all the bullishness: BofA's Bull & Bear indicator of sentiment is at 5.8, the highest since November 2024. Also, nearly three-quarters of global stock indexes are trading above their 50- and 200-day moving averages. When that number, currently at 73%, hits 88%, that's been a good time to sell, Hartnett said. Hartnett said the S & P 500 above 6,300 would trigger a sell — still nearly 2% away, but a number to watch. U.S. stocks this year are on pace for their third-largest inflow of new cash ever, with $164 billion rolling in so far, according to BofA data. Large caps are on pace for record inflows, while small caps are on track for record outflows.
Forbes
34 minutes ago
- Forbes
The AI Education Gap: Why Schools Need Policies Now
Schools need clearer AI policies that support teachers and students. American educators have rapidly adopted AI, but a critical gap has emerged: most schools aren't teaching students how to use these powerful AI tools responsibly. Sixty percent of teachers now report using AI in their lessons, yet a stark disconnect exists between AI adoption and implementation. Survey data from the RAND American Educator Panels indicate that only 25% of teachers have integrated AI into their instruction, while 35% stated that their school has established guidelines for AI use, and 27% reported that their school has no AI rules in place. This disparity reveals a concerning pattern across U.S. K-12 education: AI tools like ChatGPT are proliferating in classrooms without the necessary guardrails or educational frameworks to maximize their potential. Teachers Adopt AI, Schools Lag Behind The numbers tell a story of individual innovation outpacing institutional planning. While three in five teachers experiment with AI tools, only one in four has moved beyond casual use to meaningful classroom integration. Teachers describe using AI for lesson planning, generating discussion prompts, and creating differentiated materials. Some craft personalized math problems for students interested in sports statistics or business scenarios. Others use AI to translate materials for English language learners or generate reading comprehension questions at varying difficulty levels. However, this experimentation often occurs in isolation. Without formal training or institutional support, educators navigate AI implementation through trial and error. AI Policy Vacuum Creates Wild West Environment More than eight in ten schools operate without clear guidelines on when, how, or whether to use AI in educational settings. This approach leaves teachers uncertain about boundaries: The absence of guidance creates inconsistent experiences for students. AI use might be encouraged in one classroom, prohibited in another, and ignored entirely in a third—all within the same building. Missing the AI Educational Opportunity The real challenge isn't AI adoption—it's educating about AI. Schools that rush to implement tools without teaching responsible use miss a fundamental opportunity to prepare students for a technology-integrated future. Students require instruction on prompt engineering, understanding AI limitations, recognizing bias in AI-generated outputs, and maintaining academic integrity when utilizing AI assistance. These skills represent essential digital literacy for the next generation. Some forward-thinking educators have begun incorporating AI literacy into their curricula. Students learn to critically evaluate AI-generated content, understand when human expertise remains irreplaceable, and develop strategies for ethical collaboration with AI. The AI Integration Challenge Proper integration requires rethinking lesson design, assessment strategies, and learning objectives. It requires understanding how AI can enhance, rather than replace, critical thinking, creativity, and human connection in the educational process. Teachers deserve clear direction and dedicated time to master these tools effectively. Professional development cannot be a one-time workshop or brief orientation. Instead, educators deserve ongoing training that recognizes the rapidly advancing capabilities of AI. This includes practical sessions on tool selection, classroom management with AI present, and designing assignments that leverage AI strengths while developing student capabilities. Equally important is teaching students to develop discernment and ethical practices regarding the use of AI. Students must learn to critically evaluate AI-generated content, understanding when outputs may contain errors, bias, or inappropriate information. They need instruction on academic integrity boundaries—when AI assistance enhances learning versus when it undermines skill development. Successful AI integration also requires teaching students to ask better questions. The quality of AI responses depends heavily on prompt engineering skills. Students who learn to craft thoughtful, specific prompts develop stronger analytical thinking than those who rely on basic queries. Ethical considerations extend beyond cheating prevention. Students should understand AI's limitations, recognize when human expertise remains essential, and develop strategies for maintaining their own creative and critical thinking abilities while using AI as a collaborative tool. Without this foundation of discernment and ethics, AI tools risk becoming crutches rather than enhancement tools that prepare students for responsible AI use throughout their academic and professional careers. Building A Responsible AI Culture Schools that have successfully integrated AI share common characteristics: clear policies, comprehensive teacher training, and explicit instruction on responsible use. These institutions treat AI as they would any powerful educational tool—with intentionality, preparation, and ongoing evaluation. They establish guidelines that protect academic integrity while encouraging innovation. At WIT (Whatever It Takes), the educational organization I founded in 2009, we recognized early that AI adoption required proactive policy development and usage practices. This led us to create WITY, a platform that teaches AI usage with transparency and accountability. Our experience revealed how schools can effectively integrate AI tools while maintaining educational integrity. The AI Path Forward Schools can either harness AI's educational potential through thoughtful implementation or allow haphazard adoption, which can undermine learning outcomes. Three priorities emerge for educational leaders: Develop comprehensive AI policies that provide clear guidance for educators and students while remaining flexible enough to evolve with rapidly changing technology. Invest in educator training that moves beyond basic tool familiarity to pedagogical integration and ethical considerations. Develop AI literacy curricula that educate students to utilize these tools effectively, responsibly, and with a comprehensive understanding of their capabilities and limitations. The 60% adoption rate demonstrates educators' recognition of AI's potential. Now, schools must catch up with policies, training, and instruction that match this technological enthusiasm with educational wisdom. Students deserve more than exposure to AI tools—they need education about how to wield them thoughtfully. The future workplace will demand these AI skills. Schools that act now to build responsible AI integration will prepare students for success. Those that don't risk leaving graduates behind in an increasingly AI-integrated world. The AI technology has arrived in classrooms. The question now is whether schools will rise to meet the educational moment.
