Financials Lead the Upgrade Wave

Analysts are moving bullish on financial stocks. Three upgrades hit the sector today, with consumer lender SYF and wealth manager RJF both receiving fresh buy recommendations.

Raymond James Financial climbed to a higher consensus tier. Analysts now see the stock averaging $186 in price target. The firm's $31.8 billion market cap makes it a notable mid-large cap call.

Synchrony Financial also earned an upgrade. Consensus shifted from 8 holds to 7, with buy recommendations ticking up. Short interest sits at 5.8% of free float — manageable for a $24 billion lender.

Bank of America got upgraded too. Buy recommendations grew from 20 to 21 analysts. The average target held at $68.81.

The day's notable downgrade hit Johnson Controls. The $88 billion building-tech giant slipped one notch. Sell recommendations jumped from 1 to 2, while holds stayed flat at 8.

Meta Platforms drew the biggest target price lift. The consensus average moved to $763. With 56 buy ratings, the stock remains one of the Street's most loved mega-caps.

AutoZone attracted a fresh new recommendation as targets slipped from $3,859 to $3,781. The auto-parts retailer faces 17 straight sell ratings — a sharp note of caution from analysts.