U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones index reaching a record high during the trading session. This positive performance followed the Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday to cut interest rates by 50 basis points, lowering the federal funds rate to a range of 4.75% to 5%. All three major indices experienced weekly gains, with the S&P 500 rising by approximately 1.4% and adding over 19% in 2024. The Dow gained around 1.6% last week, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped about 1.5%.
While Wall Street analysts make stock picks daily, their ability to accurately predict market movements varies greatly. Even for a single stock, analyst ratings and price targets can differ significantly, leaving investors unsure of which analyst’s opinion to trust. Benzinga’s Analyst Ratings API offers a curated collection of high-quality stock ratings sourced from major sell-side banks through direct partnerships. Benzinga showcases these ratings three hours before the U.S. equity market opens, highlighting overnight changes.
Data specialists at Toggle.ai, an investment dashboard provider, have discovered that the analyst insights provided to Benzinga Pro subscribers and Benzinga readers can effectively serve as trading indicators to outperform the stock market. Fortunately, any Benzinga reader can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. One way to navigate Benzinga’s extensive database is by sorting through ratings based on analyst accuracy. Here are the latest stock picks from the five most accurate Wall Street analysts, as determined by Benzinga Analyst Stock Ratings:
Zachary Fadem (Wells Fargo, 87% Accuracy)
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Latest Rating:
Maintained an Equal-Weight rating on Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) and raised the price target from $160 to $165 on September 20.*
Potential:
This analyst anticipates approximately 3% downside in the stock.*
Recent News:
On September 19, Darden Restaurants reported first-quarter financial results that were weaker than expected.Sam Reid (Wells Fargo, 85% Accuracy)
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Latest Rating:
Maintained an Overweight rating on Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (FERG) and reduced the price target from $250 to $225 on September 18.*
Potential:
This analyst sees around 13% upside in the stock.*
Recent News:
On September 17, the company reported net sales of $7.946 billion, a 1.4% increase year-over-year, falling short of the consensus estimate of $7.993 billion.Mark Hughes (Truist Securities, 85% Accuracy)
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Latest Rating:
Maintained a Hold rating on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) and raised the price target from $265 to $275 on September 20.*
Potential:
This analyst anticipates approximately 0.4% downside in the stock.*
Recent News:
On July 25, Arthur J. Gallagher reported better-than-expected second-quarter revenue results.Josh Sullivan (Benchmark, 85% Accuracy)
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Latest Rating:
Reiterated a Buy rating on Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR) with a price target of $10 on September 18.*
Potential:
This analyst sees a potential gain of over 9% in the stock.*
Recent News:
On September 17, Intuitive Machines announced its receipt of a NASA Near Space Network contract for communication and navigation services, with a maximum potential value of $4.82 billion.Aaron Raker (Wells Fargo, 85% Accuracy)
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Latest Rating:
Maintained an Overweight rating on Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) and reduced the price target from $190 to $175 on September 18.*
Potential:
This analyst anticipates around 92% upside in the stock.*
