Goldman Goes Bullish on Palantir as Citi Cuts NXP and HSBC Sours on Constellation Brands
Wall Street issued 27 analyst calls on Thursday, led by Goldman's upgrade of Palantir, Citi's downgrade of NXP and HSBC's cut of Constellation Brands, plus a wave of new coverage across AI, energy, travel and financials.
Wall Street analysts issued 27 stock calls on Thursday, spanning technology, AI, energy, financials, healthcare and consumer companies. The headline moves were Goldman Sachs upgrading Palantir to Buy with a $230 target, Citi cutting NXP Semiconductors to Neutral and slashing its target to $260 from $370, and HSBC downgrading Constellation Brands to Hold with a $135 target, down from $192. The calls arrived on a morning when U.S. stock futures were lower as oil and Treasury yields rose.
Five more were reiterations of existing ratings, including Citi on Apple and Nvidia and Morgan Stanley on Microsoft and Netflix.
The three calls that matter most
Palantir (PLTR): upgraded to Buy at Goldman Sachs, $230 target. Goldman cited the company's sustained advantages in AI and the potential for further outperformance. The call came alongside new coverage from Yorkville Ives, the firm launched by tech analyst Daniel Ives, which started Palantir at Outperform with a $250 target and argued it is becoming a core operating layer for enterprise and government AI. Palantir shares were higher in premarket trading.
NXP Semiconductors (NXPI): downgraded to Neutral at Citi, target cut to $260 from $370. Citi pointed to weaker expected earnings revisions than peers and limited exposure to data centers, the area driving much of this year's chip rally. NXP fell about 2.6% premarket to around $229, well below its 52-week high of $339.95. Before the downgrade, 22 analysts rated the stock a Buy, seven a Hold and one a Sell. Citi downgraded two other chip-related names the same day, Nova and Universal Display, so the move looks like a broader view on parts of the sector rather than a company-specific call.
Constellation Brands (STZ): downgraded to Hold at HSBC, target cut to $135 from $192. The bank said it sees too little evidence that sales volumes are recovering. The downgrade follows the brewer's fiscal second-quarter report earlier this week, and the large cut to the target shows how far expectations have moved for a stock that was already trading near multi-year lows.
Upgrades
| Stock | Firm | Call | Target | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palantir (PLTR) | Goldman Sachs | Neutral to Buy | $230 | Sustained AI advantages and further outperformance potential |
| Royal Caribbean (RCL) | Jefferies | Hold to Buy | $330 | Improving 2027 net yields and expected Sandals growth |
| Ryder (R) | Citi | Neutral to Buy | $285 | Stronger used-vehicle sales and another 2026 guidance increase |
| Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) | Truist | Hold to Buy | — | Civilian revenue declines expected to stabilize; national security strength underappreciated |
| Cava (CAVA) | Melius | Hold to Buy | $95 (two-year) | Raised from $90 after the stock's pullback |
| Chime (CHYM) | Deutsche Bank | Hold to Buy | — | Multiyear growth from MyPay and Chime Prime |
| Trex (TREX) | Deutsche Bank | Neutral to Buy | — | Product conversion, railing attachments, PVC expansion and pricing |
| PROG Holdings (PRG) | Loop Capital | Hold to Buy | $45 | Target implies about 49% upside from the analyst's reference price |
| Global Payments (GPN) | Oppenheimer | Perform to Outperform | $115 | Attractive valuation |
| Unity (U) | Raymond James | Market Perform to Outperform | — | Alphabet partnership strengthens its position in AI-powered game creation |
New coverage
| Stock | Firm | Rating | Target | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs (GS) | TD Cowen | Buy | $1,050 | Further upside potential |
| Nebius (NBIS) | Rosenblatt | Buy | — | AI infrastructure demand and growth comparable to CoreWeave |
| Centrus Energy (LEU) | Guggenheim | Buy | $167 | U.S. position in high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel |
| Generac (GNRC) | Piper Sandler | Overweight | $303 | Data-center opportunity; implies roughly 39% upside |
| Entegris (ENTG) | Stifel | Buy | $200 | Assigned a Buy rating |
| Vylor (VYLR) | Goldman Sachs | Buy | $87 | Shift to a faster-growing, less asset-intensive seed technology platform; implies 19% upside |
| New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) | Roth | Buy | $10 | Digital infrastructure company seen as undervalued |
| Marriott Vacations (VAC) | JPMorgan | Overweight | — | Emerging turnaround under new management |
| Neurogene (NGNE) | JPMorgan | Overweight | $60 (Dec. 2027) | Experimental gene therapy for Rett syndrome |
| Presidio Production (FTW) | Stephens | Overweight | — | AI-driven optimization across 2,300 wells, lifting production 2.3% this year |
Downgrades
| Stock | Firm | Call | Target | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constellation Brands (STZ) | HSBC | Buy to Hold | $135 (from $192) | Insufficient evidence of a volume recovery |
| NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) | Citi | Buy to Neutral | $260 (from $370) | Weaker expected earnings revisions than peers and limited data-center exposure |
Reiterated ratings
| Stock | Firm | Rating | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple (AAPL) | Citi | Buy | Ahead of earnings: Services growth and iPhone demand, with margin risk from higher memory costs |
| Nvidia (NVDA) | Citi | Buy | Continued AI accelerator leadership from its technology and installed base |
| Microsoft (MSFT) | Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Integrated AI platform and position as a major AI beneficiary |
| Netflix (NFLX) | Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Target lowered to $80 from $83; attractive valuation and expected double-digit revenue growth with margin expansion |
| SpaceX (SPCX) | Wolfe Research | Outperform | Ahead of earnings: successful Starship Flight Test 14 and a double-catch attempt expected on Flight 15 |
What the calls say
- AI infrastructure and power remain the favored theme. New coverage on Nebius, Generac, Centrus and New Era Energy, along with Palantir's upgrade and Citi's reiteration of Nvidia, all lean on AI demand.
- Upgrades came after pullbacks. Cava, PROG and Royal Caribbean were raised after weakness in the stocks, a common pattern when analysts argue that expectations have reset.
- The cuts were in areas with fading momentum. Constellation Brands has struggled to show a volume rebound, and NXP lacks the data-center exposure that has lifted other chipmakers.
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