Banks Split, Airlines Lift Off in Analyst Calls

Analysts delivered a split verdict on US financials today. U.S. Bancorp earned an upgrade, lifting its average target price to $69.64. Truist Financial went the other way. It was downgraded, with consensus shifting from two buy ratings to three.

The banking divergence comes as both stocks sit near multi-month highs. USB carries a market cap of $98B. Truist trades at $64B. Short interest is low on both names — under 3% of free float — so bears are not the driver here.

Airlines attracted bullish calls. United Airlines saw its average target price jump to $160.89, up from $158.50. The airline carries a $37B market cap. Short interest sits at just 6.3% of free float.

Chips got attention too. Texas Instruments had its average target lifted to $303.59. The semiconductor giant is worth $258B. TXN reports earnings this week, which likely drove analysts to refresh their models.

MSCI Inc. also saw its target raised to $704.59. Moody's climbed to a $549 average target. Both financial data names benefited from strong recent momentum.

Hershey was the lone consumer staples name with a target cut, slipping to $211.38.