At TipRanks we track over 4,500 analysts and rank them according to their success rate and average return. From these 4,500 we have a constantly-updating list of the top 25 analysts on Wall Street. Investors who want to outsmart the market can see which top stocks these best-performing analysts are recommending. The advantage for investors: these recommendations come from analysts with a very strong track record.
Here we found 10 stocks with recent buy ratings from TipRanks’ top 10 analysts. We chose these specific stocks based on upside potential- i.e. the increase from the price now to the analyst’s 12-month price target, giving us an important indicator of how far a stock can rise.
The top 10 analysts and their favorite stocks are:
1. RBC Capital’s basic materials analyst T J Schultz– Spectra Energy Partners (SEP). Schultz reiterated his buy rating on natural gas mega cap SEP with a $52 price target (20% upside) on March 24.
2. Benchmark’s tech analyst Mark Miller– Western Digital (WDC). Miller is one of 17 analysts who have published buy ratings on this data storage giant in the last 3 months. His price target of $100 (20% upside) reflects his belief that “the tight NAND flash supply along with continued strong demand for storage bodes well for Western Digital.” For FY17, Miller is now projecting non-GAAP earnings of $7.97 per diluted share on sales of $18.9 billion.
3. RBC Capital’s financial analyst Gerard Cassidy– KeyCorp (KEY). On April 4, Cassidy reiterated his buy rating for KEY, the 18th largest US bank by total assets, with a $21 price target (22% upside).
4. RBC Capital’s basic materials analyst Elvira Scotto– Shell Midstream (SHLX). Scotto reiterated her buy rating of oil pipeline company Shell Midstream on March 31 with a $41 price target (26% upside).
5. Jefferies’ tech analyst Mark Lipacis– Inphi (IPHI). A leader in data movement interconnects- Inphi is a top stock to track right now. On a five-year basis, the stock has demonstrated incredible growth from about 2014 when shares were just $12 to today’s price of around $45. Lipcis reiterated his buy rating on the stock with a $60 price target (30% upside). Interestingly, the lowest IPHI analyst price target still comes in at $55 (20% upside).
6. RBC Capital’s tech analyst Jonathan Atkin– QTS Realty Trust (QTS). On March 24, Atkin reiterated his buy rating on the stock- a real estate investment trust that owns and manages data centers- with a $60 price target (22% upside).
7. Deutsche Bank’s tech analyst Ross Seymore– Broadcom (AVGO). With only buy ratings published on the stock in the last three months, Seymore’s AVGO buy rating and price target of $255 (17% upside potential) fit with the company’s strong consensus outlook. The semiconductor giant shows “strength across the board” says Seymore, adding that this diversity enables it to withstand seasonal trends.
8. Oppenheimer’s tech analyst Glenn Greene– Global Payments (GPN). This ‘strong buy’ stock received a buy rating from Greene with a price target of $88- 13% upside from the current price. Greene is “optimistic regarding GPN’s intermediate/long-term outlook” as GPN “maintains broad-based momentum across geographic regions.”
9. RBC Capital’s tech analyst Mark Mahaney– Snapchat (SNAP). Mahaney initiated his coverage of photo app SNAP with a buy rating and a price target of $31 on March 27, which is almost a 50% upside from the stock’s current position. Snapchat has had a mixed rating from analysts since its IPO in the beginning of March but Mahaney believes that “Snap has become an innovation leader – for both consumers and advertisers – in arguably the single fastest advertising medium today – Mobile.”
10. RBC Capital’s consumer goods analyst Paul Quinn– Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM). Quinn is bullish on this American chemical company- reiterating his buy rating on the stock with a $15 price target (20% upside) on April 3.
