Palantir, Micron, Starbucks, Alphabet, P&G Trending With Analysts

Analysts are intrested in these 5 stocks: ( (PLTR) ), ( (MU) ), ( (SBUX) ), ( (GOOG) ) and ( (PG) ). Here is a breakdown of their recent ratings and the rationale behind them.

Palantir Technologies is back in the spotlight as analysts see huge room for growth in both its government and commercial businesses. Phillip Securities’ Paul Chew has just initiated coverage on Palantir (PLTR) with a Buy rating and a bold target price of $208, arguing that the company has only scratched the surface of its potential in a rapidly expanding AI software market. The firm expects group revenue to jump 47% year over year to $4.2 billion in 2025, with net profit nearly doubling. Commercial revenue is projected to grow even faster than government business, driven by rising enterprise demand for Palantir’s AI Platform (AIP) and its Ontology technology, which helps companies organize and visualize their data. In the U.S.—still Palantir’s largest market at 66% of sales—growth is forecast to accelerate to 66% in 2025, supported by bigger commercial deals and heightened government spending amid geopolitical tensions. With a forward P/E of about 170x that Chew notes is actually below its historical range, plus a cash-rich, debt-free balance sheet and minimal capital expenditure needs, the call is that Palantir’s fundamentals and expanding addressable market can justify a re-rating of the stock.

Micron Technology is being framed as one of the clearest beneficiaries of the AI hardware boom, with analyst Sebastien Naji initiating coverage of the memory giant (MU) with a Buy and a target price of $450. The thesis rests on what he dubs a “memory supercycle,” where access to advanced memory has become a key bottleneck in AI servers and data centers. Micron, one of only three major global memory suppliers, is positioned to benefit from tight supply conditions expected to extend into 2027, supporting higher selling prices and a richer product mix. Naji forecasts Micron’s non-GAAP earnings per share to grow more than 275% over the next two years as demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) explodes alongside AI GPUs and custom chips. He expects HBM revenue to rise 164% in fiscal 2026 and another 40% in 2027, while traditional DRAM and NAND products also catch AI tailwinds. The report does flag risks—such as more aggressive competition from Samsung in HBM, heavy capital spending requirements, and the possibility of memory oversupply—but concludes that Micron’s forward valuation remains reasonable relative to its AI-driven growth prospects. Even after a 300% share price surge over the last two years, the analyst believes the stock can continue to climb on the back of this cycle.

Starbucks is being recast as a recovery story, with William Blair’s Sharon Zackfia upgrading the coffee chain (SBUX) to Buy as she sees both sales and margins gradually moving back in the right direction. After a challenging stretch in its core U.S. market, Starbucks is expected to post its first domestic same-store sales gain in two years in the December quarter, setting the stage for a return to positive full-year comparable growth in fiscal 2026. The near-term challenge remains profitability: Americas margins have slipped to 13.4% from over 20% just two years ago and will be further pressured by about $500 million in additional labor investment in fiscal 2026. Zackfia expects management to lay out a multiyear roadmap at an upcoming investor day, combining cost efficiencies and productivity improvements with modest but steady sales growth. With around 3% annual global store expansion and low single-digit comparable sales increases, she sees a path for operating margins to get back close to 2023 levels by 2030 and for earnings per share to compound at 15–20% annually over the next five years. While she notes that some optimism is already reflected in the stock’s recent gains, the analysis suggests Starbucks shares could exceed $140 by 2029, offering roughly 10% annual share price appreciation with additional upside if the sales rebound outpaces expectations.

Alphabet’s Class C shares (GOOG) are being rebranded as a top-tier AI growth play, with Raymond James analyst Josh Beck upgrading the stock to Buy and lifting the narrative around its AI “stack.” Beck moves Alphabet from Outperform to a Strong Buy stance, backed by a new price target of $400 based on 29 times expected 2027 earnings—above the company’s historical valuation to reflect what he sees as a broad-based revenue acceleration. His upgrade hinges on more aggressive forecasts for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and AI-enhanced Search than the current market consensus. For GCP, Beck models 44% and 36% growth in 2026 and 2027, respectively, driven by sales of Google’s custom TPUs, GPUs, and a growing platform-as-a-service layer that includes Gemini and Vertex AI. On the Search side, he expects AI-powered interfaces such as AIO, AIM, and Gemini to gradually offset declines in traditional search by boosting engagement and advertising economics, with AI queries potentially supporting higher cost-per-click due to better relevance and conversion. Beck argues that Alphabet is entering a new phase where AI infrastructure, tools, and consumer-facing assistants reinforce each other, creating an “AI stack” story that could drive both narrative momentum and upward estimate revisions. In his view, this combination positions Alphabet as one of the highest-quality AI growth opportunities in the large-cap internet space.

Procter & Gamble is being recast as a consumer staples comeback candidate, with J.P. Morgan’s Andrea Faria Teixeira upgrading the stock (PG) to Buy and lifting the December 2026 price target to $165. After a period of sluggish U.S. performance and market share pressure, the analyst believes a “tide change” is underway as organic sales growth and margins begin to improve. Management has guided for organic sales growth to pick up from roughly flat levels in the first half of the fiscal year to about 2–3% in the second half, helped by easier comparisons, targeted “intervention strategies” in the U.S. market, and solid momentum internationally, where recent sales grew 3% in line with local categories. Teixeira expects restructuring efforts, innovation, and heavy marketing support—enhanced by P&G’s ongoing investments in AI to improve marketing returns—to reignite both top-line growth and profitability. While she acknowledges execution risk in winning back share, she argues that P&G’s powerful brands, strong supply chain, and focus on everyday essentials make it one of the higher-quality names in the household and personal care sector. Her valuation is based on the stock eventually re-rating back toward its historical multiples as investors gain confidence that the worst of the slowdown is over and that margins and organic growth are back on a firmer path.