Latest news with #AnalystTop
Globe and Mail
08-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Wall Street Banks Delay Loans amid Market Turmoil
Banks on Wall Street are delaying high-risk financing deals as investors grow more nervous amid the market turmoil caused by President Trump's new tariffs. In the past few days, two major leveraged loan deals were delayed: one was tied to HIG Capital's purchase of Converge Technology Solutions (TSE:CTS), and another was for a dividend payout to ITG Communications' owner, Oaktree Capital. Both deals were supposed to close last week, but investor interest dried up. However, these are not the only deals on hold, as six others had already been pulled earlier this year due to similar concerns. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. Leveraged loan prices dropped sharply, with the biggest two-day decline in five years, according to Morningstar's LSTA index. The average loan is now priced at 95 cents on the dollar, the lowest since November 2023. Banks usually sell the loans they agree to provide before a deal closes, but with debt markets freezing up, they risk being stuck with the debt themselves, which is called 'hung debt.' This might happen with ABC Technologies' $900 million loan and $1.3 billion bond deal for its planned buyout of TI Fluid Systems (LSE:TIFS), which hasn't attracted enough investors. A separate $2.35 billion loan-and-bond package for the acquisition of Patterson Companies (PDCO) is also facing headwinds. And it is not just buyouts that are being affected. Indeed, the broader credit market is also feeling the pressure from Trump's tariff plans, which have raised fears of a recession and pushed investors away from risky assets. For example, CEC Entertainment — the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese — has had trouble refinancing $660 million in junk debt. Another big refinancing plan that was worth more than $5 billion from Finastra Group Holdings also collapsed. Which Bank Stock Is the Better Buy? Turning to Wall Street, out of the bank stocks pictured below, analysts think that Citigroup stock (C) has the most room to run. In fact, Citigroup's average price target of $88.28 per share implies 50% upside potential. On the other hand, analysts expect the least from BK stock, as its average price target of $93.69 equates to a gain of 26.5%. See more Citigroup analyst ratings
Globe and Mail
08-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
This Is Apple's (AAPL) Plan to Avoid Trump's Tariffs on China
Tech giant Apple (AAPL) is planning to send more iPhones to the U.S. from India in order to avoid the high costs of new tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. This is meant to be a short-term solution while the company tries to get an exemption from President Trump's tariffs—similar to one CEO Tim Cook secured during Trump's first term. Still, Apple sees the current trade environment as too unstable to make big, long-term changes to its supply chain right now. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. Trump has placed at least a 54% tariff on goods from China, while Indian goods face a lower 26% tariff. China responded by adding a 34% tariff on certain U.S. products. On top of that, Trump recently threatened an additional 50% against China if it doesn't remove its retaliatory tariffs, which caused Apple's stock to fall in today's trading. Even though Apple is working to diversify where its products are made, it still relies heavily on China to manufacture iPhones. As a result, analysts at Needham say that if Apple doesn't get a tariff exemption, its earnings for Fiscal Year 2025 could drop by 28% or more. That makes the outcome of Trump's tariff policy especially important for how it will conduct its operations going forward. Is Apple a Buy or Sell Right Now? Overall, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on AAPL stock based on 17 Buys, 11 Holds, and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average AAPL price target of $248.28 per share implies 38.4% upside potential. See more AAPL analyst ratings
Globe and Mail
08-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
JNJ, WMT, or AMZN: Which Mega-Cap Stock Is the Best Pick?
With the U.S. and global markets shaken by tariff wars, investors looking for stocks with long-term growth potential can consider mega-cap stocks, which have a market capitalization of more than $200 billion. These stocks are associated with large, well-established companies with strong track records and generally rank among the leading players in their respective industries. Using TipRanks' Stock Comparison Tool, we placed Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Walmart (WMT), and Amazon (AMZN) against each other to find the most attractive mega-cap stock, according to Wall Street analysts. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson operates through its Innovative Medicine and MedTech units. The company has a solid portfolio of drugs across various therapeutic areas like oncology, immunology, and neuroscience. JNJ is boosting its portfolio through organic growth and strategic acquisitions in an attempt to mitigate the impact of the loss of exclusivity of key drugs and competition from biosimilars for blockbuster drugs like Stelara. Most recently, JNJ acquired Inter-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion to boost its presence in the neurological disorder treatments market. JNJ stock has risen about 6% so far this year, with the company delivering upbeat Q4 2024 results due to robust sales of its cancer treatments. However, lawsuits related to the company's talcum powder continue to be a matter of concern. Is JNJ Stock a Buy or Sell? Recently, UBS analyst Danielle Antalffy reiterated a Buy rating on Johnson & Johnson stock with a price target of $180. The analyst noted that a federal judge rejected JNJ's third attempt to use the bankruptcy route to resolve all existing and future talc-related lawsuits. Antalffy said that while this does pose a setback in reaching an ultimate resolution, management highlighted recently that if bankruptcy is denied, the company would 'look at other options, but could go back into the Tort system and fight through there.' The analyst added that while he expects more details to come from the company, the lack of clarity on the timing of a final resolution remains an overhang on JNJ stock. Currently, Wall Street has a Moderate Buy consensus rating on Johnson & Johnson stock based on six Buys and eight Holds. The average JNJ stock price target of $168.23 implies about 10% upside potential from current levels. JNJ offers a dividend yield of 3.2%. Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Walmart stock is down about 8% so far this year due to concerns about the impact of tariffs. China, which is subject to 54% tariffs, is a key source for Walmart's discretionary merchandise, such as clothing, electronics, and toys. There have been reports about the big-box retailer holding discussions with its suppliers to offer discounts to mitigate the impact of tariffs. Despite the concerns over margins due to tariff headwinds, several analysts remain bullish on Walmart due to its solid fundamentals, extensive scale, and significant exposure to groceries, which makes it resilient during challenging economic conditions. Moreover, Walmart is now trading at a 21% discount to its 52-week high. Is Walmart Stock a Buy or Hold? Last week, Barclays analyst Seth Sigman reiterated a Buy rating on Walmart stock with a price target of $108. The analyst expects the retail giant's bi-annual investment community meeting on April 9 to 'be a victory lap of sorts,' as share gains and flow-through have been better than the expectations set two years ago. Specifically, Sigman expects the event to highlight Walmart's ability to navigate challenges better than most of its peers. Sigman added that, excluding tariffs, he does not expect a change in WMT's annual growth algorithm, which has moved positively in the last two years. Considering tariffs, the analyst admits that while there is still a lot of uncertainty, his base case is that Walmart will be able to manage better than others by mitigating costs overseas and leveraging high-growth/high-margin revenue streams to maintain its unique pricing advantage and drive market share gain. Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Walmart stock based on 28 Buys versus two Hold recommendations. The average WMT stock price target of $111.60 implies 34.2% upside potential. Walmart is a dividend king but offers a modest yield of over 1%. See more WMT analyst ratings Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Amazon stock has retreated more than 20% year to date amid concerns about the huge impact of tariffs on the e-commerce giant, given that the company sources merchandise from many countries on which U.S. President Donald Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs. While several analysts acknowledge that tariffs could significantly hurt Amazon's margins, they believe that the company is well-positioned to navigate a challenging backdrop, thanks to its strong customer base, extensive scale, and operational efficiencies. Moreover, Amazon bulls are confident about the growth potential of the company's AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud business, driven by a continued shift to the cloud and robust AI (artificial intelligence) tailwinds. Is Amazon Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? On Monday, Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt reiterated a Buy rating on Amazon stock with a price target of $280. The 5-star analyst noted that the company continues to gain traction with advertisers, thanks to its massive merchandising capabilities and customer data. He added that Amazon's DSP (demand-side platform) has introduced many improvements, resulting in a more competitive offering compared to The Trade Desk (TTD). Further, Devitt noted that Amazon Prime Video's transition to an ad-based free tier has been largely successful over the last year, bringing in more ad dollars. Overall, Amazon stock earns a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 45 Buys versus just one Hold recommendation. The average AMZN stock price target of $268.05 implies about 57% upside potential from current levels. See more AMZN analyst ratings Conclusion Wall Street is highly bullish on Walmart and Amazon stocks and cautiously optimistic on Johnson & Johnson stock. Analysts see higher upside potential in AMZN stock than in the other mega-cap stocks. Wall Street views the current pullback in AMZN stock as a good buying opportunity, given the company's dominance in the e-commerce market, the growth potential of the AWS business amid the AI wave, and the solid prospects of the company's ad business.
Globe and Mail
07-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Intel Stock (NASDAQ:INTC) Slides as CPU-Z Stats Show Substantial Sales Decline
So while most of us were focused on the potential joint venture between chip stock Intel (INTC) and fellow manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), another bit of news, much worse for Intel, slipped out about sales numbers between Intel and rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). And not surprisingly, the impact of this did not do much for Intel share prices, which slipped around 2% in Monday afternoon's trading. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. The reports from CPU-Z revealed that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D gave AMD a huge boost in sales, particularly for those who like to make their own PCs. That chip did not just help on that front, the reports noted, as it also gave AMD a hefty boost in CPU sales shares overall. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D managed to become the most popular chip at several different chip stores, selling the most units and becoming overall most popular. Since CPU-Z collects data via user validation, the report requires it be taken with a certain grain of salt. But it allows a way to check sales that does not depend on measuring shipments. We already knew that AMD now has about 80% of the CPU market under its control, based on figures from Amazon (AMZN), but CPU-Z's reports give a look from a slightly different angle, one that underscores the results provided from Amazon's figure. The latest data does Intel no favors, having lost around 10% of its market share while AMD landed an extra 16.6%. Down But Not Out Yet Intel is not out of this fight by any means. In fact, it just lowered prices on the Intel Core i5-14600K processor to their lowest levels yet. Now, the processor is running at right around $200 in some places, which will make this chip even more accessible to home PC builders. In fact, with the current economic environment looking like it is, there will likely be some who may have wanted an AMD chip, but might instead settle for the lower-cost 14 th Gen Core processor from Intel instead. With reports suggesting that it can still hold its own in head-to-head face-offs, yet do so at a downright bargain price, the i5-14600K may just be what Intel needed to get some of that lost market share back even in these uncertain times. Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on one Buy, 27 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 47.77% loss in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $23.11 per share implies 18.63% upside potential. Disclosure
Globe and Mail
07-04-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
3 Best Stocks to Buy Now, 4/7/2025, According to Top Analysts
Which stocks are best to buy now? According to Top Wall Street Analysts, the three stocks listed below are Strong Buys. Each stock received a new Buy rating recently and has a significant upside as well. Don't Miss Our End of Quarter Offers: Discover the latest stocks recommended by top Wall Street analysts, all in one place with Analyst Top Stocks. Make smarter investments with weekly expert stock picks from the Smart Investor Newsletter. To find more stocks like these, take a look at TipRanks' Analyst Top Stocks tool. It shows you a real-time list of all stocks that have been recently rated by Top-ranking Analysts. Here are today's top stock picks, according to analysts. Click on any ticker to thoroughly research the stock before you decide whether to add it to your portfolio. Intuit (INTU) – Intuit is an American multinational company specializing in financial software solutions. Yesterday, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $735 per share. Interestingly, eight out of the nine Top Analysts who recently rated the stock gave it a Buy. Taken together, their 12-month price targets imply an upside of about 27.27%. Amazon (AMZN) – Amazon is a major player in e-commerce and cloud computing markets. Yesterday, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $250 per share. Interestingly, 37 out of the 38 Top Analysts who recently rated the stock gave it a Buy. Taken together, their 12-month price targets imply an upside of about 56.6%. AppLovin (APP) – This is a mobile technology company that provides AI-driven software solutions to help businesses reach, monetize, and grow their global audiences. On Friday, Citi analyst Jason Bazinet maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $600 per share. Interestingly, eight out of the nine Top Analysts who recently rated the stock gave it a Buy. Taken together, their 12-month price targets imply an upside of about 156.7%. Who Are the Top Analysts? TipRanks ranks financial analysts according to the success rates of their ratings and the average return on each of their ratings. The Top Analysts have each earned a five-star ranking, thanks to the accuracy and profitability of their ratings over time. See real-time analyst rankings and learn more about the performance of Top Analysts on TipRanks' Top Wall Street Analysts page. Disclosure
