Airlines Split, Utilities Cut, Ball Upgraded

Morgan Stanley swept through the US utilities sector today, trimming target prices across the board. PPL fell to $39 from $42. PG&E dropped to $20 from $22. NextEra Energy slipped to $111 from $114. NRG Energy was cut to $159 from $162. All four moves came from analyst David Arcaro in a single session.

The airline sector told two different stories. Rothschild & Co analyst James Goodall upgraded Delta Air Lines to Buy with a $105 target. At the same time, he cut his target on United Airlines to $150 from $165, keeping a Buy rating. Delta carries a $52B market cap versus United's $35B. Short interest on both remains modest — under 6% of free float — so neither is a squeeze candidate.

The standout call of the day was JP Morgan upgrading Ball Corporation to Buy from Hold. Analyst Jeffrey Zekauskas kept his $65 target unchanged. Ball makes aluminum packaging. It trades at a $16B market cap with just 3.1% of its float sold short.

Reddit received a new analyst recommendation, with consensus sitting at 22 Buy ratings versus 11 Holds.