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Scott Mlyn | CNBC
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Tuesday:
Guggenheim downgraded Home Depot to ‘neutral’ from ‘buy’
Guggenheim pointed to a ramping up of Home Depot‘s capital spending and expenses next year in its downgrade of the stock.
“Bottom line, we find it difficult to see a path to EBIT margin expansion in 2020 as both a) investment spending and b) the associated D&A drag are poised to ramp. When combined with our broader concerns around underlying demand for goods (vs. services), we see a more balanced risk/reward scenario as we exit 2019.”
Stephens named Zynga as a ‘best idea’
Stephens said the social game developer is well positioned for an expected consolidation in the mobile gaming market over the next 6-18 months.
“We are changing our Best Idea to Zynga as we believe the company is well positioned for consolidation in the mobile gaming market. We believe the next 6-18 months will be a period of consolidation as established mobile players further leverage their core publishing infrastructure by acquiring sub-scale studios to drive growth. Zynga has a proven ability to successfully execute this strategy, and we believe the potential for future deals along with the current state of their portfolio make for a very compelling risk/reward profile.”
Citi initiated Match as ‘buy’
Citi said that user perception continues to improve and that Match has a compelling opportunity in the international market. The firm also labeled the stock as “high risk.”
“As user perception continues to improve, global internet adoption and wealth increases, we view MTCH’s international opportunity as its most compelling. In 2Q19, for the first time, MTCH saw its subscriber count in international markets surpass its North America subscriber base. Accordingly, we believe there is more upside than is currently reflected in the stock price.”
UBS upgraded TJX Companies to ‘neutral’ from ‘sell’
UBS said in its upgrade that it sees “less downward” earnings per share revision risk.
“Our view has changed for two reasons: 1) Tariffs likely drive incremental market share gains. 2) UBS Evidence Lab market research shows consumers continue to prioritize TJX’s value-for-money offering over other retailers’ strategies. Further share gains likely mean TJX is able to maintain its premium 21x P/E, particularly since the market remains fearful of a recession and is gravitating to “defensive” stocks such as TJX. Also, we raise our FY19 and FY20 EPS estimates 3% and 12%, respectively.”
Susquehanna upgraded Snap to ‘neutral’ from ‘negative’
Susquehanna said in its upgrade that it sees “momentum” heading into the third quarter.
“Our checks have suggested that solid growth has continued in 3Q with expectations for continued progress in 4Q. There appear to be many reasons for the continued momentum with checks citing the improved self-serve capabilities, benefits from the sales reorg, and lower-cost inventory. Checks also believe that IG Stories has lowered barriers for SNAP Stories adoption.”
