Edited by Peter Hillerberg1 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
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 and reviewed by the ORTEX team. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
