Thursday's Biggest Analyst Calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Meta, Microsoft, Ibm, Coca-cola, Cvs, Corning & More

Here are Thursday’s biggest calls on Wall Street:

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Edward Jones Upgrades CVS to Buy

Edward Jones has upgraded CVS Health (CVS) from Hold to Buy, citing its potential as a compelling turnaround story. The firm believes that under new leadership, the company could see significant improvements in its health insurance division, Aetna.

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Stifel Raises Edward Lifesciences to Buy

Stifel has boosted its rating on Edward Lifesciences (EW) from Hold to Buy, highlighting the company's potential upside in medical innovations related to heart valve solutions. Alongside the upgrade, the firm also raised its price target from $75 to $90.

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Bernstein Lifts Lam Research to Outperform

Following its latest earnings report, Bernstein has upgraded semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research (LRCX) from Market Perform to Outperform. The firm believes the stock’s risk-reward profile has turned increasingly favorable.

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Goldman Sachs Moves RH to Neutral

Goldman Sachs has adjusted its stance on RH (formerly Restoration Hardware), upgrading the stock from Sell to Neutral. The firm pointed to an expected shift in demand trends, even amid a weak housing market. It also highlighted RH’s increased marketing efforts and adjustments to its supply chain, including reducing reliance on China and Mexico.

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HSBC Upgrades Corning to Buy

HSBC has raised its rating on Corning (GLW) from Hold to Buy, citing strong revenue growth in the company’s latest earnings report. The firm noted that Corning’s fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations by 3-4%.

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Jefferies Boosts Coca-Cola to Buy

Coca-Cola (KO) received an upgrade from Jefferies, moving from Hold to Buy. The firm described the beverage giant as “quality at a refreshing price,” highlighting its strong financial health, increasing sales volumes, and robust cash flow growth.

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Morgan Stanley Reiterates Nvidia as Overweight

Despite a recent sell-off in Nvidia (NVDA) shares, Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore remains confident in the company’s long-term prospects. He reiterated an Overweight rating, emphasizing that demand for Nvidia’s AI-focused Blackwell chips and other products remains strong.

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Bank of America Reaffirms Meta as a Buy

After Meta (META) reported earnings, Bank of America maintained its Buy rating, arguing that the company is still in the early stages of monetizing AI. The firm believes Meta deserves a higher valuation due to its AI-driven improvements in digital advertising, as well as its investments in AI infrastructure, including a supercomputer, in-house large language models, and proprietary AI chips.

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Bernstein Names Core Scientific a Top Pick

Bernstein identified bitcoin mining company Core Scientific (CORZ) as a top investment choice, citing its access to power and ongoing data center expansions. Despite a 30% drop in the stock price following disruptions related to "DeepSeek," the firm remains bullish on AI-driven bitcoin mining operations.

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Bank of America Reiterates IBM as a Buy

Bank of America maintained its Buy rating on IBM (IBM), noting that the company’s latest earnings report showed continued financial strength. IBM’s fourth-quarter revenue and earnings slightly exceeded analyst expectations, with gross margins reaching a record 60.6%, thanks to a higher mix of software revenue.

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Morgan Stanley Reaffirms Tesla as Overweight

Following Tesla’s (TSLA) latest earnings report, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed its Overweight rating, stating that while fourth-quarter results were largely underwhelming, they did not change the broader narrative for the stock. The firm expects only minor downward adjustments to consensus estimates.

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Morgan Stanley Sticks with Microsoft as Overweight

Despite weaker-than-expected results from Microsoft’s (MSFT) cloud computing division, Azure, Morgan Stanley remains confident in the stock. The firm pointed to strong momentum in generative AI adoption and slowing capital expenditures, which should drive faster free cash flow growth in fiscal year 2026.

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Bank of America Raises BlackLine to Buy

Bank of America has upgraded BlackLine (BL) from Underperform to Buy, citing improving fundamentals for the accounting automation software company. The firm also raised its price target from $50 to $75, noting that BlackLine’s newly announced business strategy appears to be working, positioning it for accelerating revenue growth.

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Benchmark Upgrades Meta to Buy

Benchmark has upgraded Meta (META) from Hold to Buy after the company’s latest earnings report. The firm sees strong momentum heading into 2025, driven by increased ad pricing and higher user engagement.

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