Financials dominated analyst activity on Friday. Morgan Stanley picked up an upgrade, with the consensus average target rising to $231.85 from $226.48. The $339 billion bank has just 1.5% of its free float shorted — a sign that bearish pressure is minimal.
State Street saw the sharpest target price jump of the day. Analysts lifted their average target to $196.89 from $185.04 — a $12 move on the $50 billion custody bank. Regional banks joined the rally too. Regions Financial and Fifth Third Bancorp both received upward target revisions, pointing to broad sector optimism after a solid earnings run.
The lone major downgrade came at Fox Corporation. One analyst cut the rating, leaving the consensus split at 1 buy, 9 holds, and 9 sells. Short sellers are notably active here. Fox carries 21.1% SI % FF — well above the market average. That bearish positioning looks well-placed given the fresh downgrade.
UnitedHealth also attracted attention. Its average analyst target rose to $471.65 from $455.04. The stock has faced heavy scrutiny in 2026. The raised target suggests some analysts see the worst as already priced in.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
