Stocks to buy: Analysts believe these four stocks are worthy of buying and raised their ratings on these stocks today. Look at which upgrades can make sense and why analysts took such an action.
CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) is a manufacturer and distributor of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products. CF stock was upgraded by analysts at Feltl & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating with a price target of $243.43 per share in a report issued on Friday. CF Industries Holdings on Monday disclosed earnings of $8.71 per share, regardless of a decline of 3.7% in revenue for the quarter, beating the average analyst estimate of $8.66 by $0.05.
A group of analysts also set ratings on CF stock. Analysts at Piper Jaffray reiterated an “overweight” rating with a $240.00 price target on Tuesday. Analysts at Zacks reiterated a “neutral” rating on CF shares with a $218.00 price target on August 27th. In addition, analysts at Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of CF stock with a “Hold” rating on August 21st.
CF stock price climbed 0.98% to $214.97 Friday. CF stock has a 52-week range between $115.34 and $218.25. CF Industries Holdings has a market cap of $13.48 billion and a P/E multiple of 8.19x. The company also pays dividends at a yield of 0.74%.
Equity Residential (EQR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focusing on the acquisition, development and management of multi-family residential properties. EQR stock was upgraded by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating with a $68.50 price target, which represents a 13.11% upside potential to the latest EQR stock price of $60.56. An analyst of Cantor Fitzgerald commented that the upgrade was attributed to the underperformance of Equity Residential by comparison to multifamily peers and the RMZ Inde has created an attractive entry point.
EQR stock price slipped 0.26%, to $60.56 in the trading on Friday. EQR stock has a 52-week range between $48.46 and $65.72. Equity Residential has a market cap of 18.23 billion and a high P/E multiple of 175.48x. The company also pays dividends at a yield of 2.23%.
Homeowners Choice, Inc. (HCII) engages in the property and casualty insurance business. HCII stock was upgraded by analysts at Gilford Securities from a “hold” rating to “buy” rating. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) reported that Homeowners Choice has been approved for a 75k policy takedown from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. This is expected to add approximately $100 million in incremental revenues. HCII shares trade 4.93% higher to $21.92 on Friday, and the current stock price is just 1.48% off the 52-week high of $22.25. Homeowners Choice has a market cap of $206.61 million and a P/E multiple of 8.74x. Homeowners Choice also rewards shareholders at a dividend yield of 3.65%.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc (HOT) through its subsidiaries, focuses on hotel and leisure business. HOT stock was upgraded by analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating, given the strong outlook for the company’s future earnings growth and robust cash flow statement. Hot stock trade up 1.88% to $57.86 Friday, very close to its 52-week high of $60.81. The hotel and leisure company has a market cap of $11.37 billion and a P/E multiple of 19.56x. Otherwise, the company also sports a dividend yield of 0.86%.