Analysts are intrested in these 5 stocks: ( (ARWR) ), ( (ALAB) ), ( (XOM) ), ( (INTC) ) and ( (HAL) ). Here is a breakdown of their recent ratings and the rationale behind them.
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Trade ALAB with leverageArrowhead Pharmaceuticals is drawing renewed enthusiasm as analyst Michael Ulz at Morgan Stanley upgrades ARWR to Overweight with a $100 price target. He argues that Phase 3 SHASTA‑3/4 data for plozasiran in severe hypertriglyceridemia, expected in 3Q26, could unlock a multibillion‑dollar market that investors still underestimate.
The drug targets APOC3, the same as Ionis’ Tryngolza, and Ulz expects similarly strong results, including potential statistical significance on pancreatitis despite fewer patients. With SHASTA‑5 pancreatitis data due in 2027 and raised peak sales estimates to $3.2bn from $1.7bn, he sees further upside even after Arrowhead’s sharp share price rally.
Astera Labs, by contrast, is entering coverage on a more cautious note as UBS analyst Natalia Winkler starts ALAB at Neutral with a $180 target. She views the company as a credible AI networking supplier with strong execution in retimers and expanding relationships beyond Amazon Web Services.
Winkler expects solid growth led by retimers and PCIe/UA Link switches, but flags intense competition in switching from Broadcom, Microchip and Marvell. She also warns that longer‑term trends like co‑packaged optics and NVLink Fusion could pressure Astera’s retimer economics, leaving the stock looking fully priced versus AI networking peers.
Exxon Mobil faces a downgrade after a multi‑year run as a top pick, with Wolfe Research’s Doug Leggate cutting XOM to Peer Perform. He believes recent share gains, helped by factor rotation and a Middle East risk premium, now fully discount the company’s free cash flow growth through 2030.
Leggate notes Exxon’s flawless execution and major projects like Guyana, but sees future growth beyond 2030 as less visible and more dependent on the oil cycle. With 20% of output exposed to Middle East disruptions and cash flow seemingly priced in, he thinks XOM shifts from a stock‑specific winner to a broad sector proxy.
Intel is suddenly back in favor, with HSBC’s Frank Lee upgrading INTC to Buy and lifting his target to $95 on a sum‑of‑the‑parts P/E view. He argues that investors are focused too much on foundry headlines while underestimating the earnings boost coming from a powerful server CPU upcycle.
Lee expects Intel to reallocate capacity toward higher‑margin server chips, driving 20% shipment growth in 2026 and again in 2027, alongside meaningful price increases. His revenue and margin forecasts sit well above consensus, and he sees even his conservative scenario implying attractive upside, with a bull case value above $100 per share.
Intel also wins a second vote of confidence as Citi’s Atif Malik upgrades the stock to Buy with the same $95 target. Malik sees agentic AI trends fueling a strong CPU upgrade cycle, while Intel’s progress on advanced 18A and 14A nodes and participation in Elon Musk’s Terafab project bolster the foundry narrative.
He highlights management’s expectations for double‑digit server CPU unit growth in 2026 and sustained strength into 2027, plus an eventual breakeven in the foundry business by 2027. Although PC units may fall, higher mix of AI PCs and pricing support the client side, reinforcing his case that Intel has room for further gains despite its recent rally.
Halliburton rounds out the upgrades list as Griffin Securities’ Kevin Simpson raises HAL to Buy with a $47 target after strong Q1 2026 results. Earnings beat expectations thanks to robust activity in Latin America and Europe/Africa, partly offsetting Middle East disruptions tied to the Iran war.
Simpson lifts both 2026 and 2027 earnings and EBITDA estimates, citing improving U.S. fracturing margins, rising global energy security investments and an oil price environment likely to stay above $70. Despite a 50% share price surge over six months, he believes Halliburton’s disciplined focus on returns and exposure to growth markets leaves more upside than downside for investors.