Scotiabank analyst Louise Chen made the boldest moves of the day. She lifted her target on MRK to $180 from $155, a 16% increase. She also raised AMGN to $500 from $450. Both carry Buy ratings. Merck's short interest sits at just 1.2% of free float, suggesting the market is broadly aligned with the bullish view.
Warner Bros. Discovery took the opposite treatment. WBD was downgraded at the consensus level, with one analyst flipping from Hold to Sell. The stock carries a $30.17 average target. Short interest is low at 2.5% of free float, but sentiment is clearly souring among analysts.
Jefferies trimmed targets on two energy names. EQT was cut to $73 from $75, and BKR to $77 from $80. Both retain Buy ratings. The cuts are modest but signal some caution on the energy sector outlook.
DA Davidson initiated AKAM with a Buy at $150. Akamai sits in a crowded CDN market, but Taiwan's August export orders hitting a record $103bn, nearly doubling year-on-year, points to surging demand for digital infrastructure across Asia.
DLTR saw Evercore ISI cut its target to $135 from $140 on a Hold. BBY got the reverse treatment from the same analyst, target raised to $90 from $85.
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