Financials Rise, Gilead Falls in Analyst Calls

Analysts made a bold move on GILD today. The $167 billion biotech was downgraded, pushing its consensus deeper into sell territory. Gilead now has 22 sell ratings against just zero buys. The average target price slipped to $157.59 from $158.30.

Banks dominated the upgrades. Morgan Stanley got a target lift to $235.76, up from $231.86. PNC Financial saw its target nudge to $276.98. Citizens Financial and Regions Financial both received small upward revisions too. The pattern is clear. Strong Q2 earnings are pulling bank targets higher.

Royal Caribbean took a target cut to $337.04 from $338.33. The cruise giant sits on a $77 billion market cap. Analysts remain cautious on near-term demand. The consensus skews heavily toward sell with 16 sell ratings.

Steel Dynamics also faced a target trim to $268.46. The metals name carries eight sell ratings and only one buy. Weak steel pricing keeps sentiment subdued.

W.R. Berkley bucked the trend in insurance. Its target rose to $68.59. The specialty insurer continues to benefit from a hard pricing market.