Friday's Biggest Analyst Calls: Nvidia, Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, Dollar General, Amazon, Microsoft and More

Here are Friday’s biggest calls on Wall Street:

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Wall Street Analysts Issue Bold New Ratings and Forecasts

A flurry of analyst updates on Friday highlighted key names in tech, retail, and industrial sectors, with several firms initiating or reiterating bullish stances on high-profile stocks ahead of earnings season or strategic events.

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Citi Initiates U.S. Foods with a Buy Rating

Citi started coverage on U.S. Foods, calling the stock a buy thanks to a favorable outlook on its growth prospects. Analysts pointed to accelerating gains in gross profit per case and efficient control over operating expenses. They emphasized the company’s proven track record in executing its growth strategies, and they expect further positive developments in the pipeline.

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Bank of America Stays Bullish on Nvidia

Bank of America reaffirmed its buy rating on Nvidia, calling it a top pick as the company gears up to report earnings. Despite short-term challenges, the firm is optimistic about Nvidia's strategic role in the global AI rollout and sees potential for a rebound in Chinese sales with updated, compliant product offerings expected later this year.

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Jefferies Reaffirms Buy on Microsoft

After attending Microsoft’s Build developer conference, Jefferies reiterated its buy rating, citing several key takeaways. These include Microsoft Copilot's new AI agents like Researcher and Analyst, strong user interest, and challenges around data governance. Analysts noted that despite macroeconomic caution, Microsoft remains a stronghold for investors and is building an open platform that positions it as a central hub for AI development.

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Evercore ISI Downgrades Deckers

Evercore ISI downgraded Deckers Outdoor Corp. to in line from outperform. Once a fast-growing favorite, the firm now sees signs of decelerating momentum across both the UGG and HOKA brands, suggesting the company may be entering a lower-growth phase without imminent catalysts to boost performance.

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Baird Upgrades Wix to Outperform

Baird upgraded Wix.com from neutral to outperform, stating that the web development platform is becoming increasingly compelling. Analysts believe expectations have become more grounded following its first-quarter results, and they see attractive long-term growth drivers supporting the investment case.

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JPMorgan Upgrades Waste Management

JPMorgan raised its rating on Waste Management to overweight from neutral, anticipating strong upside heading into the company’s analyst day in June. They project high single-digit revenue growth and improved EBITDA margins over the next five years, driven by gains from sustainability projects and integration with Stericycle in the healthcare waste segment.

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Evercore ISI Maintains Outperform on Apple

Despite persistent concerns over Apple’s services revenue and gross margins, Evercore ISI reaffirmed its outperform rating. The analysts also noted uncertainty stemming from OpenAI developments and the departure of former Apple design chief Jony Ive, but still view the company as a long-term outperformer.

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Wedbush Reiterates Tesla as a Top Pick

Wedbush remains firmly bullish on Tesla, declaring the company is entering what it calls the “golden age of autonomous” technology. With an important launch in Austin slated for next month, the firm boosted its price target from $350 to $500, seeing massive potential for value creation in the coming growth phase.

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Oppenheimer Remains Positive on Marvell

Ahead of its May 29 earnings report, Oppenheimer reaffirmed its outperform rating on Marvell Technology. Analysts expect the company’s results and outlook to be boosted by demand tied to AI applications.

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Bank of America Boosts Dollar General Price Target

BofA reiterated a buy rating on Dollar General and increased its price target to $115 from $100. The firm believes current challenges, including competitive pressures and cost issues, are already priced in, making the stock appealing ahead of June earnings.

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Wells Fargo Upgrades Sonoco to Overweight

Wells Fargo upgraded packaging firm Sonoco from underweight to overweight, praising the company’s recent strategic shift toward consumer packaging. Analysts believe this portfolio optimization positions Sonoco for long-term value creation.

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Jefferies Maintains Buy on Salesforce

Jefferies reaffirmed its buy rating on Salesforce ahead of its May 28 earnings. While not expecting the company to raise full-year revenue guidance, they anticipate stable projections and believe the current cautious economic environment justifies a prudent approach.

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Wells Fargo Reaffirms Confidence in BJ’s

Following its latest earnings beat, Wells Fargo kept BJ’s Wholesale Club rated overweight. The firm said the results reflect the retailer’s resilience amid a challenging macroeconomic backdrop.

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Truist Reiterates Amazon as a Buy

Truist maintained its buy rating on Amazon, citing strong performance halfway through the second quarter. Based on data through May 19, analysts estimate Amazon’s U.S. revenue is tracking $1–2 billion above expectations, supporting an 8–9% year-over-year growth rate similar to the previous quarter.

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Bank of America Endorses Analog Devices

BofA reiterated its buy rating on Analog Devices, naming it one of its top semiconductor ideas. The firm highlighted the company’s robust growth prospects across communications, automotive, and industrial segments, along with its industry-leading free cash flow.

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Morgan Stanley Resumes Coverage of Loar Holdings with an Overweight

Finally, Morgan Stanley resumed coverage of aerospace and defense firm Loar Holdings, assigning it an overweight rating. The analysts pointed to the company’s successful execution of both organic and acquisition-led growth strategies as a key reason for optimism.

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