Benzinga | Sep 28, 2020 09:31AM EDT

Benzinga's Top Upgrades, Downgrades For September 28, 2020

Upgrades

* For Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), B of A Securities upgraded the previous rating of Neutral to the current rating Buy. For the second quarter, Chevron had an EPS of $1.59, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.89. The stock has a 52-week-high of $124.15 and a 52-week-low of $51.60. At the end of the last trading period, Chevron closed at $71.81.

* For MercadoLibre Inc (NASDAQ:MELI), Jefferies upgraded the previous rating of Hold to the current rating Buy. MercadoLibre earned $1.11 in the second quarter, compared to $0.31 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of MercadoLibre shows a 52-week-high of $1270.00 and a 52-week-low of $422.22. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $1062.00.

* For Itron Inc (NASDAQ:ITRI), Raymond James upgraded the previous rating of Outperform to the current rating Strong Buy. For the second quarter, Itron had an EPS of $0.03, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.87. The current stock performance of Itron shows a 52-week-high of $88.32 and a 52-week-low of $40.48. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $56.23.

* Guggenheim upgraded the previous rating for Spotify Technology SA (NYSE:SPOT) from Sell to Neutral. In the second quarter, Spotify Technology showed an EPS of $2.10, compared to $0.47 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $299.67 and a 52-week-low of $109.18. At the end of the last trading period, Spotify Technology closed at $235.79.

* For Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP), Guggenheim upgraded the previous rating of Neutral to the current rating Buy. Snap earned $0.09 in the second quarter, compared to $0.06 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $26.76 and a 52-week-low of $7.89. At the end of the last trading period, Snap closed at $24.69.

* For FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX), Deutsche Bank upgraded the previous rating of Hold to the current rating Buy. FedEx earned $4.87 in the first quarter, compared to $3.05 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of FedEx shows a 52-week-high of $256.18 and a 52-week-low of $88.69. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $250.26.

* For Huntsman Corp (NYSE:HUN), Barclays upgraded the previous rating of Underweight to the current rating Equal-Weight. For the second quarter, Huntsman had an EPS of $0.14, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.63. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $24.90 and a 52-week-low of $12.23. Huntsman closed at $21.36 at the end of the last trading period.

* Morgan Stanley upgraded the previous rating for Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ:PLUG) from Equal-Weight to Overweight. In the second quarter, Plug Power showed an EPS of $0.07, compared to $0.08 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $14.35 and a 52-week-low of $2.32. At the end of the last trading period, Plug Power closed at $11.65.

* For Qiagen NV (NYSE:QGEN), Kepler Cheuvreux upgraded the previous rating of Hold to the current rating Buy. For the second quarter, Qiagen had an EPS of $0.55, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $0.33. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $52.86 and a 52-week-low of $25.04. Qiagen closed at $51.91 at the end of the last trading period.

* KeyBanc upgraded the previous rating for United Parcel Service Inc (NYSE:UPS) from Sector Weight to Overweight. For the second quarter, United Parcel Service had an EPS of $2.13, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.96. The current stock performance of United Parcel Service shows a 52-week-high of $167.36 and a 52-week-low of $82.00. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $166.07.



Downgrades

* Longbow Research downgraded the previous rating for Choice Hotels International Inc (NYSE:CHH) from Buy to Neutral. Choice Hotels Intl earned $0.13 in the second quarter, compared to $1.19 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $109.26 and a 52-week-low of $46.25. At the end of the last trading period, Choice Hotels Intl closed at $86.36.

* For Mettler-Toledo International Inc (NYSE:MTD), JP Morgan downgraded the previous rating of Neutral to the current rating Underweight. Mettler-Toledo Intl earned $5.29 in the second quarter, compared to $5.16 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $1009.07 and a 52-week-low of $579.40. At the end of the last trading period, Mettler-Toledo Intl closed at $974.95.

* RBC Capital downgraded the previous rating for Expedia Group Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) from Outperform to Sector Perform. For the second quarter, Expedia Group had an EPS of $4.09, compared to year-ago quarter EPS of $1.77. The current stock performance of Expedia Group shows a 52-week-high of $139.88 and a 52-week-low of $40.76. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $93.57.

* Credit Suisse downgraded the previous rating for PBF Energy Inc (NYSE:PBF) from Outperform to Underperform. In the second quarter, PBF Energy showed an EPS of $3.19, compared to $0.83 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of PBF Energy shows a 52-week-high of $34.91 and a 52-week-low of $5.19. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $5.84.

* For Par Pacific Holdings Inc (NYSE:PARR), Credit Suisse downgraded the previous rating of Neutral to the current rating Underperform. Par Pacific Hldgs earned $1.70 in the second quarter, compared to $0.45 in the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Par Pacific Hldgs shows a 52-week-high of $25.69 and a 52-week-low of $5.72. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $6.98.



Initiations

* With a current rating of Buy, B of A Securities initiated coverage on 21Vianet Group Inc (NASDAQ:VNET). The price target seems to have been set at $35.00 for 21Vianet Group. In the second quarter, 21Vianet Group showed an EPS of $2.70, compared to $0.12 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of 21Vianet Group shows a 52-week-high of $30.44 and a 52-week-low of $6.31. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $20.52.

* With a current rating of Buy, Guggenheim initiated coverage on Pinterest Inc (NYSE:PINS). The price target seems to have been set at $48.00 for Pinterest. In the second quarter, Pinterest showed an EPS of $0.07, compared to $0.06 from the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $42.56 and a 52-week-low of $10.10. At the end of the last trading period, Pinterest closed at $39.84.

* With a current rating of Buy, Ladenburg Thalmann initiated coverage on Anavex Life Sciences Corp (NASDAQ:AVXL). The price target seems to have been set at $12.00 for Anavex Life Sciences. In the third quarter, Anavex Life Sciences showed an EPS of $0.11, compared to $0.14 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $6.31 and a 52-week-low of $2.20. Anavex Life Sciences closed at $3.87 at the end of the last trading period.

* B of A Securities initiated coverage on Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (NYSE:SPCE) with a Buy rating. The price target for Virgin Galactic Hldgs is set to $35.00. In the second quarter, Virgin Galactic Hldgs showed an EPS of $0.30, compared to $0.23 from the year-ago quarter. The current stock performance of Virgin Galactic Hldgs shows a 52-week-high of $42.49 and a 52-week-low of $6.90. Moreover, at the end of the last trading period, the closing price was at $16.44.

* With a current rating of Overweight, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Natera Inc (NASDAQ:NTRA). The price target seems to have been set at $80.00 for Natera. Natera earned $0.75 in the second quarter, compared to $0.48 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $71.08 and a 52-week-low of $16.87. At the end of the last trading period, Natera closed at $68.62.

* Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Tenable Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:TENB) with an Overweight rating. The price target for Tenable Holdings is set to $45.00. Tenable Holdings earned $0.04 in the second quarter, compared to $0.10 in the year-ago quarter. The stock has a 52-week-high of $41.80 and a 52-week-low of $16.28. At the end of the last trading period, Tenable Holdings closed at $37.31.

* With a current rating of Buy, HC Wainwright & Co. initiated coverage on My Size Inc (NASDAQ:MYSZ). The price target seems to have been set at $2.00 for My Size. In the second quarter, My Size showed an EPS of $0.25, compared to $0.05 from the year-ago quarter. At the moment, the stock has a 52-week-high of $5.50 and a 52-week-low of $0.27. My Size closed at $0.94 at the end of the last trading period.