Here are the loudest voices on Wall Street on Friday: Evercore ISI upgrades Intel from inline to outperform Evercore upgraded its stock following Thursday’s results. “Improving Execution: INTC’s new CEO is implementing a strategy that appears to have fixed the balance sheet and put INTC back on a competitive trajectory…” Needham upgrades Max Linear to hold buy Needham said the radio frequency and semiconductor products company is at an “inflection point.” “MXL reported a significantly better-than-expected Q1 2026 and a significantly better-than-expected Q2 2026 driven by data center-related demand.” Guggenheim begins acquisition of Shake Shack The company said it expects profit growth for the burger chain. “We begin coverage of Shake Shack with a Buy rating and a $120 price target.” Wedbush Initiates Outperform on Oracle “The market fundamentally misunderstands the company’s aggressive investment cycle, backed by its contracts, as a speculative risk,” Wedbush said. “We are initiating coverage on Oracle with an OUTPERFORM rating and a $225 price target.”Read more. Morgan Stanley upgrades Phillips 66 from equal weight to overweight Morgan Stanley says the oil and gas company is attractive. “We upgrade PSX to OW given the chemical upside and attractive relative valuation.” Stevens Overweight on Rocket Companies Stevens said there is still room to play in the mortgage company’s stock. “We believe RKT (OW-PT$22.50) is optimally positioned, with a natural hedge between origination and servicing, ultimately generating consistent consolidated growth and positive valuation.” JPMorgan launches Hims & Hers for Overweight JPMorgan said there is room for growth. “We initiate coverage of HIMS with an overweight rating and a December 2026 price target of $35.” TD Cowen Reiterates Apple as an Acquire TD Cowen said he is bullish on Apple ahead of Apple’s earnings next week. “AAPL’s stock sentiment is positive ahead of the results given the steady adoption of the iPhone 17, growth in smartphone market share despite memory supply trends, and optimism about the new AI Siri.” Citi upgrades Intel to Neutral Buy Citi upgraded the stock following Thursday’s results. “We upgrade Intel to neutral buy to improve agent AI-driven CPU demand. This should increase sales for all CPU suppliers over the next few years.” Morgan Stanley upgrades British American Tobacco from equal weight to overweight Morgan Stanley said it sees improving fundamentals. “Our increased confidence in the new category over the medium term, combined with the current softening trend in combustibles, favors BAT. BAT is now our top pick for European tobacco.” JPMorgan downgrades Bloomin’ Brands from neutral to underweight JPMorgan said it likes the company’s CEO but believes there are too many negative factors. “BLMN has moved from Neutral to UW as we find relative risk-adjusted upside room to be more compelling elsewhere in our coverage area.” Canaccord Upgrades Gold Fields to Buy from Hold Canaccord said the gold company’s stock has ample upside potential. “With the exception of Gold Fields (GFI), we left our ratings unchanged on most stocks, revised our price target to USD 57.25 (from USD 40.25), and upgraded it from hold to buy.” Deutsche Bank Downgrades Comcast’s Rating from Buy to Hold Deutsche Bank said the broadband environment remains too challenging for Comcast at this time. “Due to lower EBITDA and FCF expectations beyond 2027, we move to a hold rating (from buy) and lower our price target from $35 to $34.” Bank of America Reiterates Caterpillar Acquisition The company raised its price target to $930 per share from $825. “CAT is a global leader in mining, construction, oil and gas, rail and power systems equipment. We believe CAT is well-positioned with significantly higher trough profits than in past recessions.” Deutsche Bank launches acquisition of Ascentage Pharma, Germany says biopharmaceutical company firing on all cylinders. “We initiate coverage on Ascentage Pharma (AAPG) with a buy rating and a PT of $40/$1.” Jefferies names Scorpio Tankers and International Seaways as acquisition candidates The company said it remains bullish on both tanker companies. “We support INSW and STNG, supported by strong tanker fundamentals and geopolitics.” DA Davidson upgrades Advanced Micro Devices from Neutral to Buy DA expressed its bullish view ahead of earnings on May 5th, saying, “We upgrade AMD stock from Neutral to Buy and raise our price target from $220 to $375 given the significantly improved visibility into AMD’s role in building large-scale data centers, as well as structural growth in CPU demand.” Morgan Stanley Downgrades Freeport-McMoRan from Equal Weight to Overweight Morgan Stanley said the risk and reward are “balanced.” “Despite today’s decline in FCX stock, we believe there is limited upside room for a lower price target and a more balanced risk-reward.” Raymond James Upgrades Polaris to Outperform Market Performance The company said in the Polaris upgrade, it will upgrade the ATV and snowmobile company with changes to its pricing policy. “These rating changes primarily reflect anticipated changes in competitive dynamics within the U.S. powersports industry due to the Trump Administration’s recent proclamation amending U.S. Section 232 tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper, effective 4/2 and effective 4/6.”
