Analysts Cut Healthcare, Banks While Gold Shines

Analyst activity on July 27 leaned bearish on healthcare and regional banks. A clear bullish turn on gold and energy stood out against the cuts.

HCA Healthcare took the sharpest target price cut of the session. Analysts trimmed their average target to $458, down from $467. The $84.8bn hospital operator has SI % of FF at just 3.8%, so shorts aren't piling in yet.

Huntington Bancshares was the day's only outright downgrade. The $35bn regional bank dropped a notch in recommendation. That follows a tough environment for mid-size lenders facing margin pressure.

On the bullish side, Newmont got its target lifted to $129.60. Gold miners are riding a strong run. Newmont's $98bn market cap makes it the world's largest gold producer. Short interest sits at just 1.9% of free float.

SLB also saw its target rise to $61.90 from $61.38. Energy services names are attracting fresh analyst support after oil stabilised.

Apple received a small target bump to $319.72. The consensus remains heavily bullish with 29 buy ratings vs 3 sells.

Cognizant Technology and American Express both saw minor target cuts, reflecting cautious near-term outlooks on IT services and financial services respectively.