Edited by Peter Hillerberg1 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
Analysts reshuffled ratings across technology and financial stocks on Monday, with cybersecurity names winning the day and utilities taking hits.
Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Palantir Technologies all received upgrades. The consensus buy count on Palo Alto rose to 42. Fortinet's average target price sits at $167.91. Palantir's consensus shifted with an extra buy added, pushing buys to seven. The moves reflect continued appetite for cybersecurity and AI-linked names heading into Q4.
Going the other way, The Southern Company and Ameren were both downgraded. Defensive utilities have struggled as rate expectations stay elevated. Ameren's average target held at $115.75. Southern Company sits at $96.29.
BlackRock was also downgraded, with its sell count rising to two. The asset manager carries an average target of $1,336.71. Separately, Applied Materials was upgraded, with its consensus moving toward hold from sell.
On the banking side, U.S. Bancorp saw its target price raised to $68.55. Regions Financial had its target trimmed to $31.46.
Netflix also had its average target nudged lower to $91.13, though 35 analysts still rate the stock a sell against 15 holds and 2 buys.
The pattern is clear. Analysts are rotating conviction away from regulated utilities and into tech with recurring revenue or AI exposure.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
