7 Stocks With Recent Analyst Upgrades
NEW YORK (Stockpickr) -- At Stockpickr, we track daily portfolios of stocks with analyst upgrades and analyst downgrades. With a Stockpickr account (sign up here), you can elect to receive email alerts when a stock in one of your user-generated portfolios shows up when we update these and other lists, including Insider Buys, Stocks With Unusual Options Activity and Top Percentage Gainers.
We also track the
top 30 holdings of various professional investors
, including
and
, according to their most recent 13F filings with the SEC.
Related:
Top 10 Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks
Today, we're taking a closer look at
some recent stocks that have been upgraded by analysts
and that also show up in at least one of Stockpickr's professional portfolios.
MGM Resorts International
Casino resort operator
MGM
TheStreet Recommends
(MGM) - Get MGM Resorts International Report
was recently
at Citigroup, reflecting the refinancing of its CityCenter debt as well as signs of recovery in Las Vegas.
MGM shows up in the portfolio of
, comprising 2.2% of his total portfolio.
: MGM has traded in a 52-week range of $8.92 to $16.85 and closed at $16.76 on Friday. It has a market cap of $7.9 billion and a 2.7 short interest ratio.
: Of 24 analysts covering the stock, six rate it a buy, 15 rate it a hold, and 3 rate it a sell. TheStreet Ratings has a D hold rating on MGM.
: Analysts expect MGM to report a loss of 23 cents a share in the most recent quarter, compared with a loss of 25 cents in the year-ago quarter, and a full-year loss of $1.09, compared with a loss of 92 cents in the previous year.
: MGM ranked No. 3 in a recent poll of
TheStreet
readers to determine the
; competitor
Las Vegas Sands
(LVS) - Get Las Vegas Sands Corp. Report
wa No. 1. Last month, Roberto Pedone highlighted MGM as one of
four stocks poised to break out
, foreseeing further upside for the stock.
Verizon
Verizon
(VZ) - Get Verizon Communications Inc. Report
received both
an upgrade and a downgrade from analysts
on Jan. 12. Goldman, which has a $42 price target on the stock, boosted its rating to buy, saying its consensus estimats hadn't factored in Verizon's potential wireless growth. Deutsche Bank, however, lowered its rating on Verizon to hold from buy, based on its $36 price target.
Verizon receives considerable attention from the portfolios Stockpickr tracks. 1% of the ever-popular portfolio of
George Soros at Soros Fund Management
is in Verizon. Even more notable is that Soros increased his position in the stock by 13,800% in the most recent quarter. Verizon makes up 2% of
, which also increased its position last quarter, by 23.4%. Other holders include
,
and
.
: Verizon has traded in a 52-week range of $24.77 to $37.70 and closed at $35.46 on Friday. It has a market cap of $101.2 billion and a 3.6 short interest ratio. It has a hearty dividend yield of 5.4% and is one of
2011's highest-yielding Dogs of the Dow
.
: Of 30 analysts covering the stock, 10 rate it a buy, 20 rate it a hold, and one rates it a strong sell. TheStreet Ratings has a B buy rating on Verizon, earning it a spot on the
Top-Rated Telecommunications Stocks
list.
: Analysts expect Verizon to earn 55 cents in the most-recent quarter, up a penny from the same quarter last year, and $2.24 for the full year, compared with $2.40 in the prior year.
: At long last, the
Verizon iPhone will arrive in February
. According to Robert Holmes, Verizon was determined by fund managers to be one of the
best dividend stocks to play defense in 2011
.
recently included the stock in his updated
Diversified Dividend Portfolio
.
Lear
Lear
(LEA) - Get Lear Corporation Report
was
upgraded at Barclays to overweight
from equalweight, due to sales growth as the economy recovers. Barclays raised its price target on Lear to $123 from $94.
, co-managed by "Fast Money"'s Karen Finerman, owns Lear, at 1.5% of the total portfolio, as does
at 1.1% of the total portfolio and
Turod Investment's Paul Tudor Jones
at 0.1%.
: Lear and its affiliates design and manufacture complete automotive seat systems and the components thereof, as well as electrical distribution systems and electronic products. Lear trades in a 52-week range of $58 to $112.30 and closed on Friday at $109.36. It has a short ratio of 4.5.
: Of 11 analysts covering the stock, nine rate it a buy, one rates it a hold, and one rates it a sell. TheStreet Ratings has a C hold rating on Lear.
: Analysts expect Lear to earn $1.80 a share in the most recent quarter, compared with $1.21 in the same quarter the year before, and $8.29 for the full year, compared with a loss of $2.66 in the previous year.
: Andrea Tse included Lear in a recap of
three auto supplier stocks symbolic of the auto industry rebound
.
Target
Goldman upgraded
Target
(TGT) - Get Target Corporation Report
to buy, citing the company's position to benefit from an improving economy
.
Target is one of the top holdings of
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital
, comprising 18.7% of the total portfolio. It's also owned by
and
.
: Target is engaged in the operation of general merchandise and food discount stores in the U.S. It's trading in a 52-week range of $48.23 to $60.97 and closed on Friday at $55.07. It yields 1.8% and has a 2.4 short ratio. It trades at a P/E of 14.6.
: Of 24 analysts covering the stock, 19 rate it a strong buy, one rates it a moderate buy and four rate it a hold. TheStreet Ratings has a B buy rating on Target, earning it a spot on the
Top-Rated Multiline Retail Stocks
list.
: Analysts expect target to earn $1.40 in the most-recent quarter, compared with $1.24 in the prior-year quarter, and $3.91 for the full year, compared with $3.30 in the previous year.
: Target recently announced that it will be
expanding into Canada and possibly selling its credit card business
. The stocks was one of
in 2010, but
Stephanie Link considers it one of the
top three retail stocks for 2011
. In December, Target made the list of
top stocks with large insider selling
after insiders dumped $28.3 million worth of stock.
Chipotle
Chipotle
(CMG) - Get Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. Report
was
upgraded to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray
, with a $265 price target, which cited its market-leader status and attractive demographic trends.
Louis Navellier at Navellier & Associates
initiated a new position in Chipotle in the most-recent quarter that makes up 2.3% of his total portfolio.
Jim Simons' Renaissance Technologies
also favors the stock, increasing its position by 422.43% in the most-recent quarter.
: Chipotle Mexican Grill develops and operates fast-casual, fresh Mexican food restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. The stock is trading in a 52-week range of $93.81 to $262.78 and closed on Friday at $234.89. It has a short interest ratio of 2.2. Chipotle trades with a P/E of 44.5.
: Of 25 analysts covering the stock, 11 rate it a strong by, and 14 rate it a hold. TheStreet Ratings has a B+ buy rating on the stock, earning it a spot on the
Top-Rated Restaurant and Hotel Stocks
list.
: Analysts expect Chipotle to earn $1.29 a share in the most-recent quarter, compared with 99 cents in the year-ago quarter, and $5.42 for the full year, compared with $3.95 in the previous year.
: Chipotle was one of the
10 restaurant stock winners of 2010
and was one of
.
Exxon Mobil
(XOM) - Get Exxon Mobil Corporation Report
was
upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer
, with a $90 price target. Oppenheimer said that higher oil prices should allow Exxon to accelerate its buyback program.
Exxon shows up in several Stockpickr professional portfolios, including as 3% of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
and 2.2% of
Brian Rogers' portfolio at the
T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund
(PRFDX). Other holders include
,
and
Richard Perry at Perry capital
.
: ExxonMobil is engaged in the exploration, production, transportation and sale of crude oil and natural gas and the manufacture, transportation and sale of petroleum products. It's trading in a 52-week range of $55.94 to $76.82 and closed on Friday at $77.84. It has a dividend yield of 2.3%, a short ratio of 1.9 and a P/E of 13.6.
: Of 19 analysts covering the stock, seven rate it a buy, and 12 rate it a hold. TheStreet Ratings rates it a B+ buy, earning Exxon a spot on the
list.
: Analysts expect Exxon to earn $1.56 a share in the most-recent quarter, up from $1.27 a share in the year-ago quarter, and $5.92 for the full year, up from $4.01 in the previous year.
: Dan Dicker highlighted Exxon as one of his
, and it was one of the
of Michael K. Farr, managing director at Farr, Miller & Washington. According to Jake Lynch, Exxon is one of
10 Dow Stocks with the best three-year dividend growth
.
PPG Industries
PPG Industries
(PPG) - Get PPG Industries, Inc. Report
was another stock to
receive both an analyst upgrade and downgrade recently
. Goldman Sachs boosted its rating on the stock to buy from neutral and added PPG to its Conviction Buy list, noting that the company should benefit from cheap natural gas. Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, downgraded the stock to underweight from overweight based on its $89 price target.
PPG comprises 1.5% of one of our most frequently viewed portfolios, that of
. It's also a top 30 holding of
Richard Pzena at Pzena Investment Management
.
: PPG Industries in a manufacturer of coatings, glass and chemical products. It's trading in a 52-week range of $56.96 to 85.05 and closed on Friday at $83.14. It has a dividend yield of 2.7%, short interest ratio of 7.4 and P/E ratio of 19.4.
: Of 13 analysts covering the stock, four rate it a buy, eight rate it a hold, and one rates it a sell. TheStreet Ratings has a B+ buy rating on PPG.
: Analysts expect PPG to earn $1.12 in the most-recent quarter, compared with 86 cents in the year-ago quarter, and $5.04 for the year, compared with $2.94 in the prior year.
: Jim Cramer recently called PPG one of the
greatest American manufacturers
.
To see these stocks in action, check out the
7 Stocks With Recent Analyst Upgrades
portfolio.
-- Written by Rebecca Corvino in New York.
RELATED LINKS:
>>Top 10 Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks
>>3 Stocks That Could Rebound in 2011
>>3 High-Yield Short-Squeeze Stocks
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Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors and reporters from holding positions in any individual stocks.
