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What has Wall Street been buzzing about this week? Here are the top 5 buy calls and the top 5 sell calls made by Wall Street’s best analysts during the week of Feb. 27 through March 3. First, let's begin with the top 5 buy calls.

Argus Upgrades Airbnb to Buy, Sees Strong Urban Demand, Benefits from Overseas

On Feb. 28, Argus upgraded Airbnb (ABNB) to Buy from Hold with a $144 price target. Demand for Airbnb rentals are expected to stay strong thanks to longer stays and growth in urban markets, the firm tells investors in a research note. 

The firm anticipates benefits from the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in China, growth in Latin America, and earlier-than-normal summer vacation bookings in Europe. Argus is also boosting its 2023 EPS view on Airbnb to $3.60 from $3.00, and its 2024 view to $4.00 from $3.60.

Needham Reinstates Coverage of Rivian Automotive with a Buy

On March 1, Needham reinstated coverage of Rivian Automotive (RIVN) with a Buy rating and a $26 price target after fourth quarter results.

The company's initial vehicle production guidance for full year 2023 is well below consensus delivery estimates, likely causing a material reset in investor expectations, but Rivian was adamant on achieving positive gross margins in 2024 and its ability to manage through 2024 without requiring further capital, the firm says. 

Needham remains positive on the stock based on demand given in Rivian's last communication on net reservations and current vehicle owner satisfaction levels.

Raymond James Resumes "Undisputed" Leaders in AI/ML, Nvidia and AMD, with Strong Buy

On March 1, Raymond James resumed coverage of Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) with Strong Buy ratings and price targets of $290 and $100, respectively, calling each company an "undisputed leader in AI/ML."

The firm sees Nvidia as having "arguably the best autonomous driving solutions," and while slowing cloud capex growth is a concern, it expects intensifying competition among hyperscalers and generative AI to drive continued strong spending in these areas.

On the AMD side, Raymond James notes that in the near-term, investor focus is on server share gains, which should continue through the year. However, for the longer-term, AMD's unique combination of CPU, GPU, FPGA, and semi custom expertise "positions it particularly well" for the AI/ML market, it adds.

Salesforce Upgraded to Buy at Needham on Increasing Margin Leverage

On March 2, Needham upgraded Salesforce (CRM) to Buy from Hold with a $230 price target. The company's 2024 profitability guidance better aligns its cost structure with its intermediate-term growth outlook, the firm tells investors in a research note.

Needham adds that its long-time neutral stance on Salesforce had been about the lack of efficiencies driving poor margins and lower-than-expected free cash flow growth given the company's decelerating revenue growth, but its initial 2024 outlook for 27% operating margin guidance implies 450 bps of leverage, and the initial Q1 of 2024 guidance of 30% suggests another 300 bps in 2025.

JPMorgan Starts Coverage of Zillow Group with Overweight, $48 Price Target

On Feb. 27, JPMorgan initiated coverage of Zillow Group (ZG) with an Overweight rating and a $48 price target. The company's total addressable market is large at $200 billion+, and it is well positioned to lead industry innovation, take share, and drive double-digit percentage growth, the firm tells investors in a research note. JPMorgan prefers Zillow's large scale, business model, and strong margins in the current "volatile" environment.

Now, let's move on to the top 5 sell calls.

Capital One Downgraded to Sell from Hold at Odeon Capital

On March 2, Odeon Capital downgraded Capital One (COF) to Sell from Hold with a $94.20 price target. Capital One "is a great company, but even great companies cannot deal with cyclical and secular changes in their industries when those changes are negative," said Bove, who adds that funds "may do better placed elsewhere."

BofA Double-Downgrades Dish to Underperform

On Feb. 28, BofA double downgraded Dish (DISH) to Underperform from Buy with a price target of $10, down from $30. The company's opportunities to leverage its 5G wireless network infrastructure "now feels further away," the firm tells investors in a research note.

BofA expects to see declining EBITDA for Dish due to adverse pay TV trends, higher marketing expenses, and inflationary pressures. The company's free cash flow trends are increasingly negative for the next two years, the firm adds.

iHeartMedia Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan Following Quarterly Results

On March 1, JPMorgan downgraded iHeartMedia (IHRT) to Underweight from Neutral with a price target of $5, down from $10. The company reported "mixed" Q4 results and offered weaker-than-expected Q1 guidance, the firm notes.

JPMorgan is not surprised by the softer revenue guidance given the uncertain macro backdrop and broad-based pullback on marketing budgets, but the firm struggles with iHeartMedia's Q1 EBITDA and margin guidance "despite prior concerns that all revenue was not created equally." It now expects these headwinds to persist in 2023.

Goldman Downgrades Arconic to Sell, Lowers Price Target to $21

On Feb. 28, Goldman Sachs downgraded Arconic (ARNC) to Sell from Neutral with a price target of $21, down from $23. The firm continues to see downside risk to consensus EBITDA forecasts in 2024 and 2025 following the Q4 results.

Goldman also lowered forecasts by 6% on average over the next three years, underpinned by the risk to demand in the near-term, particularly with building and construction markets in Europe, operational execution, and the delayed realization of EBITDA uplift from growth projects. The firm says that near-term European demand uncertainty and Arconic's delayed growth investments "moderate the path for EBITDA inflection."

On that same day, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apollo (APO) was in talks to acquire Arconic.

Piper Starts Aemetis at Underweight, Says Valuation Discount is Merited

On Feb. 27, Piper Sandler initiated coverage of Aemetis (AMTX) with an Underweight rating and a $3 price target.

The stock's "steep" valuation discount is merited, given the "myriad of potential risks" listed in the company focus section, including debt load, development experience, internal controls, and mix of unproven businesses, Piper tells investors in a research note. The firm also highlights the company's lower leverage to upstream renewable natural gas projects.

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