Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Amazon, AMD, Cisco, CoreWeave, Sunrun & more

Wall Street analysts are largely bullish, with significant upgrades and reiterated "Buy" ratings for AI-leveraged semiconductor and tech companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Microsoft, citing strong hyperscaler capital expenditure and accelerating AI demand. Beyond tech, positive calls extended to diverse sectors including U.S.-focused steel (Steel Dynamics), biotech (Regeneron, Schrodinger), and real estate (MAA) following favorable market dynamics or strong earnings. The notable exception was a downgrade for China's Li Auto due to intensifying competitive pressures in the EV market.

Analysis

A wave of bullish analyst sentiment is centered on the artificial intelligence sector, with Mizuho raising price targets for Nvidia (to $205) and AMD (to $205), citing rising hyperscaler capex and demand from China. This theme is reinforced by Morgan Stanley's overweight rating on Cisco following accelerating AI orders and Citi's view of Microsoft's strong pricing power in AI and cloud. Beyond core tech, positive ratings extend to companies with specific strategic advantages. Wells Fargo initiated Steel Dynamics with an overweight rating, favoring its U.S. exposure amid supportive domestic steel pricing. In real estate, MAA was upgraded by Mizuho due to an underleveraged balance sheet and accelerating rent growth prospects. The healthcare and biotech sectors also saw favorable calls, with buy initiations for Regeneron and Schrodinger, and an upgrade for CVS based on a perceived "healthcare benefits turnaround story." A significant counterpoint to the broad optimism is JPMorgan's downgrade of Li Auto to neutral, trimming earnings estimates by 10-20% due to intensifying competition in the Chinese EV market, highlighting a key area of risk for investors.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should review their exposure to the AI value chain, as analysts see sustained momentum in semiconductors (NVDA, AMD) and enterprise software (MSFT, CSCO) driven by strong capital expenditures and pricing power.
• Consider opportunities in U.S.-centric industrials like Steel Dynamics (STLD), which analysts favor for insulation from global supply issues and strong domestic pricing power.
• Evaluate potential turnaround and value situations, such as CVS, where analysts anticipate unlocking significant earnings power, and Workday (WDAY), which is noted for trading at an attractive valuation.
• Exercise caution with exposure to the Chinese EV market, as the downgrade of Li Auto (LI) due to intense competition may signal broader margin pressure across the sector.