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☆ These stocks reporting results next week have earnings momentum at their back, and are well liked by analysts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Some of Wall Street's favorite stocks are due to report their latest earnings in the week ahead. As of Friday, 77% of companies that have reported topped analyst estimates for their quarterly earnings, according to FactSet. To find stocks reporting next week that might see a post-earnings rise in valuation, CNBC Pro screened for names that Wall Street analysts recommend and that have earnings momentum at their back. Mastercard has seen earnings estimates rise by 12% in the past three months, and 20% over the past six months. Analysts have raised the Silicon Valley real estate investment trust's earnings estimates by 29% over the past three and six months.

Persons: Wall, FactSet, Ronald Josey, Josey, GenAI, TD Cowen, Bryan Bergin, Equinix, —, Fred Imbert Organizations: Dow Jones, CNBC Pro, Wall, Companies, Amazon Web Services, UBS, Citi, Mastercard

☆ Wall Street stands by Meta even as costs rise and the stock sells off, cites AI leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street analysts are standing by Meta Platforms despite Thursday's sell-off. The analyst cut his price target to $480 from $535 a share, noting that building and creating new products is no easy — or quick — feat. The adjusted price target reflects nearly 3% downside from Wednesday's close. Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak retained his overweight rating and $550 price target, saying the firm remains "buyers through Meta's investments." Meta isn't alone in this feat, with Nowak expecting competitors to undertake similar steps as more AI opportunities arise.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, Benjamin Black, Black, Citi's Ronald Josey, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Morgan Stanley, Brian Nowak, Meta isn't, Nowak, Bank of America's Justin Post, Ross Sandler, Mark, Zuckerberg, Sandler Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America's, Barclays

Analyst Edward Kelly upgraded the discount retailer to overweight from equal weight and opened a $180 price target. Yefremov's $400 price target indicates shares can jump 31.7% from Wednesday's closing price. Analyst Andrea Teixeira downgraded the energy drink maker to neutral from overweight and cut her price target by $7 to $59. — Alex Harring 5:38 a.m.: Wall Street reacts to Meta earnings Meta Platforms disappointed investors with its weak revenue guidance , sending shares down about 13% in premarket trading. His price target of $55 implies upside of 22% over the next 12 months.

Persons: Bernstein, Wells, Edward Kelly, shrinkflation, Kelly, — Alex Harring, Sherwin, Williams, Aleksey Yefremov, Yefremov, Doug Creutz, Creutz, Judas, Goldman, bullish, Goldman Sachs, Brooke Roach, Roach, Andrea Teixeira, Alex Harring, Ford, Wells Fargo, Colin Langan, Langan, LSEG, Eric Sheridan, Brian Nowak, Morgan Stanley, Doug Anmuth, Ronald Josey, Daniel Roeska, Roeska, General Motors, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, General Motors, Traders, Grand Theft, Sony, Electronic Arts, TJX, TJX Companies, JPMorgan, Monster Beverage, Ford, Ford Pro, Facebook, Meta, Citi, mojo, General, GM Locations: Wells Fargo, Thursday's, Wednesday's, Michigan

He also hiked his price target to $92 from $59, suggesting shares rallying 48.3% from where they closed on Tuesday. Analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich raised her price target to $370 from $315, suggesting 22% upside from Tuesday's close. — Hakyung Kim 6:04 a.m.: Citi raises price target on Amazon Amazon is becoming a more profitable organization, according to Citi. The price target increase comes on the heels of Amazon's new grocery delivery subscription launch. He cited increased operating income projections amid strong top-line trends for his price target increase.

Persons: Tesla, Rob Sanderson, Sanderson, Forrest Li, Hakyung Kim, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, — Hakyung Kim, Ronald Josey, Josey, GenAI, Kim, Goldman Sachs, Mark Delaney, Delaney, Goldman, Joseph Spak, Spak, TSLA, Wells Fargo's Colin Langan, Langan, James Lee, Lee, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Mizuho, Bank of America, Spotify Bank of America, Spotify, Citi, Amazon Web Services, Revenue, UBS, Summer

☆ Earnings playbook: Your guide to trading a huge week of reports, including Meta Platforms
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Tesla is set to report earnings after the bell. What history shows: Bespoke data shows Tesla beats earnings estimates 63% of the time. What history shows: Boeing shares have risen in four of the past five earnings days, Bespoke data shows. Meta Platforms is set to report earnings after the closing bell. What history shows: Microsoft earnings have beaten earnings estimates in six straight quarters, Bespoke data shows.

Persons: Michael Wayland, FactSet, Tesla, TSLA, Emmanuel Rosner, Dave Calhoun, Peter Saleh, Saleh, Chipotle, Morgan Stanley's, Ford, Jim Farley's, Ronald Josey, Jordan Novet Organizations: General Motors, CNBC, Tuesday, GM, Wall, Motors, Investment, Deutsche Bank, EV, Boeing, Ford, Management, Ford Motor, Detroit, Investors, Citi, Meta, Bloomberg News, Apple, Microsoft Locations: California

☆ Major firms like Goldman and JPMorgan cool on Reddit stock post-IPO
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A slate of major Wall Street firms has begun coverage of Reddit – and some of them see the stock's gains moderating from here. He rated the company neutral and gave it a price target of $47, anticipating 11% upside from Friday. Sheridan's 12-month price target of $40 was one of the lowest on Wall Street and implies that shares could slide 5% from here. Morgan Stanley had a slightly more optimistic price target of $45, corresponding to a roughly 6.5% gain. Citi analyst Ronald Josey's price target of $53 — which forecasts 25% upside — is among one of the highest on the Street.

Persons: Reddit, Doug Anmuth, JPMorgan's Anmuth, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Goldman, Eric Sheridan, Brian Nowak, Ronald, Josey, Benjamin Black Organizations: Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank

☆ Earnings playbook: Your guide to another big week of reports, including Disney and Ford
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

This quarter: The fast food giant is expected to report earnings and revenue growth in the high-single digits, per LSEG. What history shows: McDonald's beats earnings expectations 57% of the time, according to Bespoke Investment Group. What history shows: Ford earnings exceed expectations 69% of the time, Bespoke data shows. Disney is set to report earnings after the bell. What history shows: Disney shares have risen in each of the last two earnings days, and the company beats earnings expectations 78% of the time, Bespoke data shows.

Persons: McDonald's, Dennis Geiger, Stephens, Joshua Long, Ford, Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Jonas, Ronald Josey, Kannan Venkateshwar Organizations: Technologies, CNBC, UBS, Investment, Tuesday, Management, Wall, Ford, UAW, U.S, automakers, Citi, Disney, Barclays Locations: U.S

Analyst Oliver Chen also maintained his buy rating for Ulta stock, simultaneously lifting his price target to $580 from $570. Deutsche Bank: Reiterate buy rating and $450 price target, implying 10% upside. Kallo's price target of $300 implies that Tesla stock could rally more than 56% from its Tuesday closing price. Citi analyst Christopher Danely also stood by his buy rating on the stock while lifting his price target to $192 from $136. Analyst Jeffrey Adelson downgraded the company to underweight from equal weight and cut his price target to $6.50 from $7.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, TD Cowen, Ulta, Oliver Chen, ULTA, Chen, — Lisa Kailai Han, Goldman Sachs, Kash Rangan, Baird, Tesla, Ben Kallo, Elon Musk's, Toshiya Hari, Hari, Christopher Danely, Vivek Arya, Danely, Arya, Harlan Sur, Kannan Venkateshwar, Venkateshwar, Eric Sheridan, Sheridan, Justin Post, Ross Sandler, Sandler, Ronald Josey, Josey, Morgan Stanley downgrades, Jeffrey Adelson, Adelson, SOFI, SoFi, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Google, Microsoft, SoFi Technologies, Deutsche Bank, Citi, Barclays, Tesla, Devices, Wall Street, AMD, Bank of America, Barclays downgrades Verizon Barclays, Verizon, Venkateshwar, Bulls, Morgan Stanley downgrades SoFi Locations: Ulta

Tuesday's analyst calls include upgrades to two solar names and a downgrade to a key crypto stock. 7:05 a.m.: Citi increases Meta price target ahead of earnings Meta shares have more runway ahead, according to Citi. Analyst Kenneth Worthington downgraded the crypto exchange to underweight from neutral, reiterating his price target of $80. Analyst Jordan Levy upgraded Sunnova to buy from hold and raised his price target to $18 from $10. He upgraded Enphase Energy to buy from hold, moving his price target to $145 from $85.

Persons: Truist, Ronald Josey, Josey, — Pia Singh, TD Cowen, Jason Gabelman, Gabelman, Jefferies, Glen Santangelo, Teva, Cantor Fitzgerald, C.J, Muse, Kenneth Worthington, Worthington, Coinbase, — Fred Imbert, Jordan Levy, Levy Organizations: CNBC, Enphase Energy, Federal Reserve, JPMorgan, Citi, Meta, Exxon, Chevron, Cowen, Exxon Mobil, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Jefferies Investors, pharma, mdc, Nvidia, Energy, Sustainability Locations: buybacks, Teva, Monday's

☆ Why some Wall Street analysts say to consider buying the post-earnings dip in Meta Platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street analysts are standing by Meta Platforms despite the post-earnings sell-off, with some recommending using the pullback to scoop up the stock. "Let's be clear, there's still a lot to get excited about," said Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik. META 1D mountain Meta shares slump post-earnings Shares were last down about 4%. "We believe Meta continues to execute well & remains disciplined, and we would be buying the pullback in Meta shares," said JPMorgan's Doug Anmuth. "While all advertising may be impacted by geopolitical activity, advertising allocation remains a relative game and we believe META's differentiation gap is widening vs most peers," he said.

Persons: Bernstein, Mark Shmulik, Meta, Doug Anmuth, Ronald Josey, Evercore, Mark Mahaney, Ross Sandler, Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Wall Street, Tech, Barclays

☆ Analysts are bullish on Amazon's growth story ahead of its earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Investors are staying bullish ahead of Amazon's quarterly report Thursday as the company's cloud and consumer-focused businesses show signs of strength. Heading into Amazon's earnings announcement, some of the biggest firms were optimistic on the company's growth potential. Anmuth has an overweight rating and price target of $180 on shares, suggesting the stock could jump more than 48%. The firm kept its buy rating and $167 price target on shares, which implies 37.5% upside potential from Wednesday's close. Bank of America says more room for growth ahead Bank of America analyst Justin Post reiterated his buy rating while raising his price target to $154.

Persons: Doug Harrington, Doug Anmuth, Anmuth, Ronald Josey, Mark Mahaney, Morgan Stanley, Amazon Morgan Stanley, Justin Post, Michael Bloom Organizations: Deal, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, JPMorgan, Citi, " Bank of America, Bank of America Locations: Echo, India

☆ Here's what all the major analysts are saying about Alphabet before earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wall Street is optimistic ahead of Google 's quarterly earnings announcement Tuesday as the tech giant's advertising revenue growth shows signs of recovery. Analyst Ronald Josey estimates search revenue growth gained 11.3% year-over-year, versus the consensus projection of 9.6%. Bank of America sees search growth accelerating Bank of America also maintained its buy rating and $146 price target. We expect disruption with the format change, which will likely drive headwinds to medium-term search growth. Competitors are likely to bid aggressively for Google's search distribution partnerships, driving profitability lower.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, he's, Ronald Josey, Max, Jefferies, Brent Thill, Michael Bloom Organizations: Google, YouTube, Deutsche, JPMorgan, Citi, 3Q, Bank of America, of America, 2H, 12.1x Locations: Monday's, Wells

☆ This image sharing platform can jump more than 30% as it improves user engagement, analysts say in upgrades
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pinterest is a buying opportunity for investors as it makes progress improving user engagement and monetization, Citi says. Citi analyst Ronald Josey upgraded shares to buy/high risk after coming out of the Analyst Day more confident the Pinterest can turn its business around. Pinterest shares popped 4.2% in Wednesday premarket trading. Citi was not the only Wall Street firm to upgrade Pinterest shares Wednesday. Davidson's Tom Forte raised his rating to buy from neutral after the company's latest analyst day spurred him to raise his forecasts.

Persons: Ronald Josey, Josey, Davidson's Tom Forte, Forte, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi Locations: D.A

☆ This mega-cap tech hitting a 52-week high is proving to be the next big AI play after Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Alphabet shares hit a 52-week high Tuesday after showcasing its AI and machine learning capabilities at its annual Cloud Next event. Bank of America's Justin Post said the search company was "flexing its AI muscle," adding that its AI capabilities are a major customer selling point and should be a positive driver for the stock. Along with the hardware updates, Alphabet revealed pricing for a suite of AI-powered tools for enterprise customers. At $30 a month, Citi's Ronald Josey called the contribution "material over time," and said the event should mitigate any "remaining overhangs" on Google's Cloud AI capabilities. Correction: Google shares recently hit a 52-week high.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Brian Nowak, Nowak isn't, Bank of America's Justin Post, Citi's Ronald Josey, Justin Patterson, Doug Anmuth Organizations: Nvidia, Microsoft, Bank of America's, KeyBanc Capital, Google

☆ Amazon just posted a blowout second-quarter report. What analysts are saying
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

AMZN 1D mountain Amazon popped after strong earnings JPMorgan's Doug Anmuth reiterated an overweight rating on Amazon and raised his price target to $180 price target, implying roughly 40% upside from Thursday's $128.81 close. Anmuth said on Friday that the second-quarter results and third-quarter outlook will help lift shares higher, and also pointed to strength in Amazon Web Services. Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan also hiked his price target to $180 from $165, keeping his buy rating on the stock. Bank of America's Justin Post, meanwhile, raised his price target to $174 from $154, implying a 35% gain from Thursday's close. Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak increased his price target on Amazon to $175 to $150 and reiterated his overweight rating.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, Anmuth, AMZN, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Sheridan, headwinds, Bank of America's Justin Post, Citi's Ronald Josey, Josey, Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak, Nowak, Michael Bloom Organizations: Wall, Amazon, Web Services, Bank of America's, Amazon Web Services, 3Q Locations: Thursday's

☆ Here's the trade on Meta ahead of earnings, according to top analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The forthcoming quarterly results from Meta Platforms on Wednesday have analysts chomping at the bit. Ahead of Meta's second-quarter results on Wednesday after the closing bell, here's how some analysts on Wall Street are trading the social media behemoth. Citi analyst Ronald Josey reiterated a buy rating on Meta stock on Tuesday, accompanied by a $360 per share price target. META YTD mountain Meta stock has surged nearly 150% from the start of the year. Bank of America's Justin Post reiterated his buy rating on Meta stock in a July 17 note with a $350 per share price target, similarly to Nowak.

Persons: Ronald Josey, Josey, Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak, Nowak, of America's Justin Post, Post, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Meta, Facebook, JPMorgan, FactSet, Citi, Microsoft, of America's

☆ Wall Street analysts cheer Alphabet earnings, see more gains ahead for tech giant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Google-parent Alphabet posted strong second-quarter numbers that had many Wall Street analysts gushing. Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan reaffirmed a buy rating on Alphabet stock, with his $152 price target implying more than 24% upside. Citi's Ronald Josey maintained a buy rating on with a higher $153 price target, which amounts to more than 25% upside for Alphabet stock. "As revenue growth reaccelerates on an improving online advertising environment and management's greater focus on operating efficiencies, we look for margins to expand going forward as revenue growth consistently outpaces opex growth," Josey said. Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski reiterated an equal weight rating on Alphabet stock on Wednesday, although with an increased $121 per share price target.

Persons: Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak, Nowak, Bard, OpenAI, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Sheridan, Bank of America's Justin Post, Citi's Ronald Josey, Josey, Wells, Ken Gawrelski, Michael Bloom Organizations: Google, Refinitiv, GOOGL, Microsoft, Bank of America's, Citi, Google Cloud Services, DOJ

☆ Citi raises Meta price target to highest on Wall Street, cites strong Reels ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Citi thinks the online advertising market is set for a strong rebound, and that's already evident within Meta Platforms . The bank raised its price target on Meta to $360 per share, the highest on Wall Street, from $315. On top of that, Meta has moved to reduce costs, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling 2023 the "year of efficiency." META YTD mountain META in 2023 But analyst Ronald Josey said Meta's Reels product is driving Citi's bullish sentiment. He noted that ad loads on Reels reached 17% quarter to date — and 18% in June alone.

Persons: Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Ronald Josey, Josey, underpins, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi, Meta, Agents, Cannes, Lions Locations: Meta, Monday's

☆ Analysts see even more gains ahead for Meta Platforms after latest earnings report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Analysts liked what they saw from Meta Platform 's latest earnings report. The company projects revenue between $29.5 billion and $32 billion, while analysts expected sales of $29.5 billion, per Refinitiv. Goldman's Eric Sheridan also hiked his price target to $300, noting Meta maintained its momentum from the fourth quarter of 2022. Meanwhile, Bank of America's Justin Post noted that Meta's revenue recovery can drive the next leg higher for the stock. He also hiked his price target on Meta shares to $305 from $270, implying upside of 45.6%.

☆ Microsoft may have won the A.I. battle, but Alphabet could win the war, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft won the first round in the battle to become the next big artificial intelligence leader, but analysts think Alphabet 's ability to overtake its competition in the long-run shouldn't be underestimated. "We think Google's big reveal is still to come, which we would expect in weeks and not months." On the heels of its multibillion dollar investment in ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, Microsoft on Tuesday announced new AI versions of its Bing search engine and Edge browser. "We believe GOOGL has the AI tech and scale to maintain/grow its leading user base," wrote Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak. He also expects Google's AI product visibility to improve over the next few months — and easily offset some higher AI search costs.

☆ Landing the NFL Sunday Ticket could boost Alphabet subscription offerings, Citi says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Landing the NFL's Sunday Ticket could help YouTube-parent Alphabet accelerate its subscription services, according to Citi. "[We] believe the Sunday Ticket could accelerate adoption of more subscription services," Josey added. The price target implies shares could surge 36% from Thursday's closing price. The Sunday Ticket package will be available to viewers as an add-on service on YouTube TV, or on YouTube Primetime Channels as a stand-alone a la carte option. In July, Google said YouTube TV has more than 5 million customers, which included trial subscriptions.

☆ Citi says Carvana could perform well in 'more normalized' environment, but near-term headwinds remain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Carvana could stand to regain some of its lost share value despite current headwinds and bankruptcy fears, according to Citi. He set a price target of $5.50, which reflects a 11.1% upside over Monday's closing price. Josey said Carvana currently accounts for just over 1% of used car sales, but the company would be positioned to generate share gains in a typical used car market. But in the near-term, he said "the combination of higher interest rates, declining used vehicle prices (after rising significantly from 2020 – present), limited new vehicle supply, and a weaker economic backdrop have created a challenging operating environment." Going forward, Josey said he will be watching the used car retailer's relationship with Ally, which is its primary funding partner, and Adesa, a used car auction it acquired.

☆ Wall Street analysts see short-term pressure for Alphabet following earnings miss
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Revenue also came in short at $69.09 billion where Wall Street analysts anticipated $70.58 billion. Those weaker-than-expected results were driven by a slowdown in ad spending and a slip in revenue at YouTube, areas where analysts expected growth. Citi analyst Ronald Josey cut his price target on the company to $120 from $140 to reflect slower revenue growth and margin pressures. A leaner Alphabet Alphabet announced that it would slow hiring in the coming quarter in a move to increase efficiency. "We believe advertising, content and product sales are converging, and GOOGL appears to be ahead of this trend, which is promising."

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