Microsoft initiated, Home Depot downgraded: Wall Street's top analyst calls

Upgrades - JPMorgan upgraded MP Materials (MP) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $74, down from $75, citing the company's national security importance as underappreciated at current share levels [2] - Jefferies upgraded Gap (GAP) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $30, up from $22, noting a strong turnaround under new management for both Gap and Old Navy brands [2] - Mizuho upgraded TripAdvisor (TRIP) to Neutral from Underperform with a price target of $17, up from $14, believing that the company's traffic weakness is now better reflected in the shares [3] - Loop Capital upgraded Shake Shack (SHAK) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $127, up from $98, arguing that concerns over slower growth in October are overblown [3] - Baird upgraded Circle Internet (CRCL) to Outperform from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $110, viewing Circle's current valuation as reasonable given the outstanding growth of USDC [3] Downgrades - Jefferies downgraded Progressive (PGR) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $232, down from $261, anticipating a lighter growth environment due to increased competition in the personal auto insurance market [4] - BofA downgraded Flowserve (FLS) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $73, up from $60, believing that near-term nuclear upside is already priced into shares [4] - BofA downgraded StubHub (STUB) to Neutral from Buy with a price target of $19, down from $25, as Q3 revenue and EBITDA beat expectations but lacked guidance for Q4 metrics [5] - Craig-Hallum downgraded Applied Materials (AMAT) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $190, suggesting that better buying opportunities may arise in the coming quarters as industry spending increases are still some time away [5] - Stifel downgraded Home Depot (HD) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $370, down from $440, expressing a cautious bias ahead of the company's Q3 report [6] Initiations - Baird initiated coverage of Microsoft (MSFT) with an Outperform rating and a $600 price target, highlighting its leadership in the AI revolution through partnerships with OpenAI [7] - Loop Capital initiated coverage of Polaris (PII) with a Hold rating and a $59 price target, maintaining a cautious view on the company's long-term outlook [7] - Wells Fargo initiated coverage of United Rentals (URI) with an Overweight rating and a $995 price target, favoring construction machinery stocks over engineering services due to a favorable supply setup [7] - Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage of DiaMedica Therapeutics (DMAC) with an Overweight rating and a $25 price target, noting compelling data for DM199 in treating pre-eclampsia [8] - Stephens initiated coverage of Simpson Manufacturing (SSD) with an Equal Weight rating and a $187 price target, expecting subdued U.S. housing starts until at least the second half of 2026 [8]