S&P 500   5,011.12
DOW   37,775.38
QQQ   423.41
What's Driving Tesla Lower Ahead of its Earnings?
How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 4/18/2024
3 Steel Stocks Could Soar on New China Tariffs
CSX Co.: The Railroad Powering Ahead with an Earnings Beat
Bear Market Funds to Watch This Year
Shares of Walmart-backed Ibotta soar on public debut
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
S&P 500   5,011.12
DOW   37,775.38
QQQ   423.41
What's Driving Tesla Lower Ahead of its Earnings?
How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 4/18/2024
3 Steel Stocks Could Soar on New China Tariffs
CSX Co.: The Railroad Powering Ahead with an Earnings Beat
Bear Market Funds to Watch This Year
Shares of Walmart-backed Ibotta soar on public debut
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
S&P 500   5,011.12
DOW   37,775.38
QQQ   423.41
What's Driving Tesla Lower Ahead of its Earnings?
How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 4/18/2024
3 Steel Stocks Could Soar on New China Tariffs
CSX Co.: The Railroad Powering Ahead with an Earnings Beat
Bear Market Funds to Watch This Year
Shares of Walmart-backed Ibotta soar on public debut
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
S&P 500   5,011.12
DOW   37,775.38
QQQ   423.41
What's Driving Tesla Lower Ahead of its Earnings?
How major US stock indexes fared Thursday, 4/18/2024
3 Steel Stocks Could Soar on New China Tariffs
CSX Co.: The Railroad Powering Ahead with an Earnings Beat
Bear Market Funds to Watch This Year
Shares of Walmart-backed Ibotta soar on public debut
Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

3 Top Stock Upgrades Moving The Tech Market

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Upgrades Are Moving The Market, But Beware The High Hurdles 

Among the biggest risks to the market, today are the number of upgrades we're seeing. The consensus estimate for S&P 500 (NYSEARCA: SPY) Q1 earnings has nearly doubled in the last six months and is likely to keep rising into the end of the reporting season. What this means for near-term market movement is upward price pressure. What it means for long-term market movement is yet to be determined but can be summed up like this; if the market fails to meet the expectations we could be in for a big correction. Results from companies like Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) only highlight this view. Fastenal reported exactly what the market was expecting, gave no guidance, and shares are moving lower because of it. 

Microsoft Diversification Strategy Is Paying Off 

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has been working hard to diversify itself for long-term sustainable growth and those efforts seem to be paying off. The latest move was only announced in the last week and already garnering the attention of analysts. Microsoft announced a definitive agreement to acquire Nuance Communications in an effort to build out its business services. Nuance Communications is an AI company focused on the healthcare industry worth nearly $20 billion according to the terms of the deal. 

"Nuance provides the AI layer at the healthcare point of delivery and is a pioneer in the real-world application of enterprise AI," says Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. "AI is technology's most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application."

Analyst Joseph Bonner of Argus sees Microsoft benefiting from reopening tailwinds in addition to its acquisitions growth worth another 17% to share prices. Argus maintained its Buy rating but raised the price target to $300 from $275. The target is 15% above the current consensus and reflects a growing trend. The trend of upwardly revised price targets and a consensus target that's been steadily rising over the past three months. 

Three Top Stock Upgrades Moving The Tech Market

NVIDIA Guides The Market Higher 

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) caught the analyst's attention on Mondy when it issued a pre-report on Q1 earnings. In it, the company guided the market to better than expected results that has shares up more than 7% in the last two days. At least three major sell-side firms have come out since the news to sing the company's praises and raise their price targets. Rosenblatt Securities was impressed with the breadth of the revenue strength, Deutsch Bank the "rich pipeline of opportunities", and Cowen the surprise Grace CPU announcement. The consensus among them is for shares of NVDA to trade near $675 versus the broader consensus of $600. Rosenblatt is the high-price holder of the group matching the Wall Street high price target of $800. NVIDIA is now trading at the all-time-high of $620. 

Three Top Stock Upgrades Moving The Tech Market

Coinbase IPO Is Causing A Buzz 

The Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) IPO is slated for today and likely to cause a big stir in the market. The latest valuations have it trading far above any comparable financial institution and are pricing in the robust growth we ourselves see for the cryptocurrency market. Analysts at MoffetNathanson are the first to officially initiate coverage of the company, even before the official direct listing, and have it rated a buy. In their view, this company will be trading around the $600 level in one year's time which is double the original listing price when the company listed on NASDAQ Private Markets. In our view, the $600 price target is a little on the low side considering this company is the #1 portal to cryptocurrency and defi worldwide. This company will benefit from any and all advances in cryptocurrency technology including the digitization of traditional assets like stocks and bonds. 

“We view Coinbase as a leading technology infrastructure provider for the cryptocurrency ecosystem, providing essential building blocks to facilitate the use of cryptocurrencies, including market-leading crypto storage and exchange capabilities,” MoffettNathanson wrote in a research note.

Should you invest $1,000 in Coinbase Global right now?

Before you consider Coinbase Global, you'll want to hear this.

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While Coinbase Global currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

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Companies Mentioned in This Article

CompanyMarketRank™Current PricePrice ChangeDividend YieldP/E RatioConsensus RatingConsensus Price Target
Coinbase Global (COIN)
0.9068 of 5 stars
$218.08+2.0%N/A807.70Hold$165.43
Microsoft (MSFT)
4.5112 of 5 stars
$404.27-1.8%0.74%36.55Moderate Buy$432.13
NVIDIA (NVDA)
4.8908 of 5 stars
$846.71+0.8%0.02%70.91Moderate Buy$940.30
Compare These Stocks  Add These Stocks to My Watchlist 

Thomas Hughes

About Thomas Hughes

  • tmhughes.writeon@gmail.com

Contributing Author

Technical and Fundamental Analysis

Experience

Thomas Hughes has been a contributing writer for MarketBeat since 2019.

Areas of Expertise

Technical analysis, the S&P 500; retail, consumer, consumer staples, dividends, high-yield, small caps, technology, economic data, oil, cryptocurrencies

Education

Associate of Arts in Culinary Technology

Past Experience

Market watcher, trader and investor for numerous websites. Founded Passive Market Intelligence LLC to provide market research insights. 


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