Here Are Tuesday’s Best Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Centene, Darden Restaurants, Flutter Entertainment, GE Healthcare, IBM, Nike, SpaceX, Synopsys, Target, and More

Lee JacksonTue, June 23, 2026 at 11:59 AM UTC

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Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading lower after a mixed start to trading on Monday, following the holiday-shortened week due to the Juneteenth Federal holiday. We may start to see some end-of-the-quarter reallocations and selling for Hedge funds, ETFs, and Mutual Funds this week, and today looks like a starting point. With most corporate buybacks now on hold due to the second-quarter earnings blackouts, we could see additional volatility as the week progresses. The only indices to finish Monday positive were the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which closed at 51,712, up just 0.29%, and the Russell 2000 small-cap index, which closed at 3,005, up 0.88%. The Nasdaq took a beating, closing down 1.33% at 26,166, while the S&P 500 also closed lower, down 0.37% at 7,472. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 dropped on Monday as megacap tech stocks sold off sharply, dragging both indexes lower. Investors are growing increasingly uneasy about the steep infrastructure spending required to scale AI, while ongoing geopolitical tensions add another layer of uncertainty to markets.

Treasury Bonds:

Treasury yields soared on Monday, and one likely reason we cover today at 24/7 Wall St. Bank of America came out Monday with a report saying the bank now expects a stunning 75 basis points of rate increases from the Federal Reserve for the rest of 2026. The BofA team sees a 25-basis-point increase in September, October, and December, effectively wiping out the 2025 cuts. Citing sticky inflation and a hawkish first meeting by new Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, as reasons for a potential big shift in policy. The 30-year long bond closed the day at 4.95%, while the benchmark 10-year note was last seen at 4.51%

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Chaay_Tee / iStock via Getty ImagesOil and Gas:

Despite some ambiguity about the Strait of Hormuz's status on Monday, both major benchmarks finished the day lower. Brent Crude closed Monday at $78.18, down 2.97%, while West Texas Intermediate closed the session at $74.20, down 2.18%. Natural gas continued its hot streak, closing at $3.25, up 0.37%, with some pointing to the announcement CNBC reported that Chevron (NYSE: CVX) signed a 20-year agreement to supply natural gas to Project Kilby, a massive West Texas AI data center built by Microsoft. Located in Reeves County, this "behind-the-meter" plant will generate 2.67 gigawatts of electricity directly for the data center, bypassing the traditional power grid when it begins delivering power in 2028.

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Gold:

Gold started the week off right, closing 0.89% higher at $4,189, while Silver was last seen at $65.03, up 0.49%. Energy strategists pointed to the hefty pullback in crude oil prices following a 60-day roadmap toward a peace deal between the US and Iran in Switzerland. Easing geopolitical tensions can reduce inflation risk premiums and provide precious metals with relief from interest rates.

Crypto:

Crypto markets moved quietly higher Monday as easing geopolitical tensions boosted investor confidence, with Bitcoin holding its ground above $64,000. BTC opened around $63,242 before climbing to $65,218, while Ethereum shook off early weakness to reach $1,775. The broader market followed suit, with altcoins gaining ground and ETFs tied to XRP, Solana, and Hyperliquid drawing notable inflows. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin traded at $62,360 while Ethereum traded at $1,657.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports every day to identify fresh investment ideas for investors and traders alike. These daily analyst notes include recommendations on stocks to buy, sell, or avoid, as well as new coverage initiations. No single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for buying or selling a stock.

Here are some of the best Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Upgrades: -

American Healthcare REIT (NYSE: AHR) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup, with a $55 target price.

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which lifted the price target for the legacy tech giant to $291 from $270.

Qiagen NV (NYSE: QGEN) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, which nudged the price target for the stock to $42 from $40.

Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Sandler, which raised the target price for the shares to $550 from $450.

Target (NYSE: TGT) was raised to Outperform from Peer Perform at Wolfe Research, with a $162 price target.

Downgrades: -

Arcosa (NYSE: ACA) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Texas Capital, with a $150 target price.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) was downgraded to In Line from Outperform at Evercore ISI, with a $230 target price.

Nike (NYSE: NKE) was downgraded to In Line from Outperform at Evercore ISI, with a $46 target price, down from $57, for the sports apparel and shoe giant.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ: ROST) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Wells Fargo, with an unchanged $245 target price.

Sabra Health Care REIT(NASDAQ: SBRA) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup, which trimmed the target price for the stock to $19 from $24.

Initiations: -

Centene (NYSE: CNC) was started with a Sector Perform rating at RBC Capital, which has a $70 target price for the stock.

Flutter Entertainment (NYSE: FLUT) was initiated with a Hold rating at Freedom Capital, with a $105 target price objective.

GE Healthcare Technologies (NASDAQ: GEHC) was initiated with an Outperform rating at RBC Capital, with an $80 target price.

Permian Resources(NYSE: PR) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Evercore ISI, which has a $25 target price for the shares.

Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ: SPCX) was started with a Neutral rating at Susquehanna, with a $170 target price.

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Source: “AOL Money”