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(Here’s CNBC Pro’s live coverage of Wednesday’s analyst calls and Wall Street chatter. Please refresh every 20-30 minutes to see the latest posts.) United Airlines and Apple were among the stocks mentioned by analysts on Wednesday. United’s shares were upgraded to buy at Jefferies, sending the company up nearly 30%. Meanwhile, Bank of America reiterated Apple as the top choice – citing growth potential from consumers upgrading to AI-enabled phones. Check out the latest calls and chats below. All times ET. 6:27 a.m.: UBS raises First Solar price target, up 25% There is a bright outlook ahead for First Solar, according to UBS. The bank raised its price target on the solar stock to $350 from $270, implying the stock could rise 25% from Tuesday’s close. Analyst Jon Windham cited a more supportive pricing environment as one reason for the price target change. Higher US import tariffs could eventually support First Solar’s share price higher after 2026, he wrote. The analyst added: “PT’s turnaround is driven by greater confidence in “We are into demand for basic utility-scale projects driven by ‘100% renewable’ corporate demand and recent positive news on US import tariffs.” Meanwhile, Windham also noted that First Solar has an advantage over its competitors thanks to its position as the only company with domestic solar module manufacturing technology at a competitive price. First Solar’s stock has increased by nearly 63%. this year. FSLR YTD mountain FSLR year to date – Lisa Kailai Han 6:06 am: Citi upgrades Liberty Energy thanks to improving outlook. Liberty Energy stock will continue its growth streak, according to Citi Analysts Analyst Scott Gruber upgraded the energy stock to buy from neutral and raised his price target to $32, up from $24, representing a potential upside of 34%. share. Liberty Energy shares have surged 32% year-to-date, but Gruber believes the stock can rise more thanks to the improving outlook. “LBRT has outperformed OFS over the past year as concerns about profit compression have been overblown,” the analyst wrote. Meanwhile, a bullish trend in the domestic frac market will emerge when the recent demand slump ends. Gas activity could begin to recover by the end of 2024, although oil may still face a seasonal decline in the fourth quarter. Gruber also pointed to Liberty’s diversification into other businesses as additional catalysts. “LBRT’s investment in efrac is creating separation from its peers, creating better stability for its underlying business. Furthermore, its investment in energy logistics mobility and gas are creating another stream of growth, not just in oil and gas but with use cases extending beyond the era of energy scarcity,” he wrote, listing potential customers in the future are hospitals, miners and data centers, among other customers. – Lisa Kailai Han 5:50 a.m.: Morgan Stanley calls SLB a top stock pick. Morgan Stanley has named SLB a top pick in the U.S. energy equipment and services sector. According to analyst Daniel Kutz, the stock is down nearly 11% this year, creating a buying opportunity for investors. Kutz also highlighted SLB’s proposed acquisition of ChampionX as an additional catalyst, writing that the deal will create long-term value for the stock. The analyst also took the opportunity to reiterate his bullish view on the energy equipment and services industry. “For the first time in ~2 years, we think OFSE’s three main ‘analyst markets’ – South American shale, global offshore and onshore international – have a good chance of all being located on the ‘right side’ of the cyclical curve in the relatively near future,” Kutz wrote. He added that services stocks are currently trading at a “sharp discount” to historical levels and this will return to normal in the near future. Morgan Stanley has an overweight rating and a $65 price target, implying a near 40% upside. – Lisa Kailai Han 5:41 am: Jefferies upgrades United Airlines to a buy rating. United Airlines will continue to lead its peers, according to Jefferies, which upgraded the airline to buy from hold, raising its price target to $65 from $54. The new target implies that United Airlines shares could rise 28% from Tuesday’s closing price, analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu pointed to United Airlines’ investments in product offerings. your product. Through United Next, the airline aims to introduce more than 800 aircraft to its fleet. International profit margins, currently higher than domestic ones, will also help drive stocks higher. However, Kahyaoglu predicts that this trend will change this year. “UAL’s decision to retain its entire wide-body fleet during the pandemic helped deliver record international profits in 2023 on a schedule significantly larger than its peers,” she wrote. same industry and level of 2019″. “With international strength set to normalize at some point in 2024, the domestic strategy with United Next will become the focus, with MAX-10 delays halting growth momentum. ” As an additional positive for the stock, Kahyaoglu cited a shareholder-friendly management team and increased free cash flow generation compared to this time last year. United Airlines shares are up 23% for the year. – Lisa Kailai Han 5:41 am: Bank of America reiterates Apple as top choice. Apple stock could rise as consumers upgrade to AI-enabled phones, according to Bank of America. Analyst Wamsi Mohan reiterated his view that Apple is the top pick, maintaining a buy rating and price target of $230. That forecast implies a 21% gain over the next 12 months. “We expect upcoming AI-enabled phones (IntelliPhones) to spur a multi-year upgrade cycle similar to the incremental functionality improvements driven by the advent of smartphones,” said Mohan. ”. “With an installed base of more than 4 billion smartphones, we see the opportunity for the next upgrade cycle to be a once-in-a-decade event.” Apple has lagged other big tech names this year, losing 1.3%. Meanwhile, Nvidia has increased 130%. AAPL Mountain YTD AAPL year to date — Fred Imbert