Top Analyst Ratings
Here are the most notable analyst ratings and targets issued for today, Wednesday, April 23, 2025:
Upgrades
Lockheed Martin (LMT)
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Upgrade: From Neutral to Outperform by Baird
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Rationale: Baird cited Lockheed’s strong Q1 earnings, which outperformed expectations. The firm’s bullish outlook stems from increased global demand for missile defense systems, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions. Lockheed’s robust backlog and defense spending tailwinds have positioned it favorably for sustained growth.
American Express (AXP)
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Upgrade: From Sell to Neutral by Redburn Atlantic
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Price Target: Adjusted to $255 from $270
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Rationale: The upgrade reflects improving sentiment around consumer credit and travel-related spending, which are key revenue drivers for AXP. While Redburn remains cautious on long-term growth, the company’s resilience and solid balance sheet justified a neutral stance.
Intuit (INTU)
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Upgrade: From Hold to Buy by HSBC
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Price Target: Maintained at $699
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Rationale: HSBC highlighted Intuit’s U.S.-focused revenue stream, which is viewed as an advantage amid global economic uncertainty. Strong momentum in its small business and self-employed segment (e.g., QuickBooks) and demand for AI-driven tax and financial solutions supported the bullish outlook.
Boot Barn (BOOT)
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Upgrade: From Hold to Buy by Craig-Hallum
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Price Target: Raised to $130
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Rationale: Craig-Hallum anticipates that Boot Barn will gain market share due to its diversified supply chain and domestic manufacturing advantages. With tariffs affecting competitors more severely, Boot Barn is poised to capitalize on reduced competition and expanding customer loyalty in rural markets.
Downgrades
Chevron (CVX)
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Downgrade: From Neutral to Sell by Redburn Atlantic
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Price Target: Reduced from $156 to $124
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Rationale: Redburn cited a bearish outlook on crude oil prices, combined with potential regulatory and ESG pressures. The downgrade also reflects concerns about long-term capital allocation and Chevron’s exposure to volatile upstream operations.
Alphabet (GOOG)
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Downgrade: To Sell by Citigroup
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Rationale: The downgrade was linked to potential ad revenue disruptions caused by U.S.-China trade tensions, particularly involving major advertisers like Temu and Shein. Regulatory scrutiny and slowing growth in Google’s core ad business also influenced the rating.
IBM (IBM)
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Downgrade: To Sell by UBS
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Rationale: UBS took a conservative view on IBM’s ability to deliver sustainable revenue growth, especially in hybrid cloud services. The downgrade reflects doubts over margin expansion and the integration of acquired assets such as Red Hat.
Choice Hotels (CHH)
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Downgrade: To Underweight by Morgan Stanley
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Rationale: Morgan Stanley flagged slowing RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth and heightened competitive pressure in the midscale hotel segment. The firm also noted rising costs and limited pricing power as headwinds.
STA Research (StockTargetAdvisor.com) is a independent Investment Research company that specializes in stock forecasting and analysis with integrated AI, based on our platform stocktargetadvisor.com, EST 2007.
