Prior to the opening bell today, a few big-name dividend stocks were subject to analyst moves. The most important shifts of the day are highlighted below.
1. Realty Income Upgraded by BofA/Merrill Lynch
BofA/Merrill Lynch upgraded Realty Income (O ) from Neutral to Buy, with a price target of $55 (from $50). Shares of Realty Income closed at $48.88 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $2.29 (paid monthly) and has a yield of 4.68%.
2. Brown Forman Upgraded by Cowen
Cowen upgraded Brown Forman (BF-B ) from Outperform to Market Perform, with a price target of $111. Shares of Brown Forman closed at $108.10 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.26 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.17%.
3. MarketAxess Upgraded by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded MarketAxess (MKTX ) from Market Perform to Outperform, with a price target of $105. Shares of MarketAxess closed at $86.86 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 80 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 0.92%.
4. SanDisk Downgraded by Piper Jaffray
Piper Jaffray downgraded SanDisk (SNDK) from Overweight to Neutral, with a price target of $86.50 (from $69). Shares of SanDisk closed at $76.78 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.20 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.56%.
5. EMC Downgraded by Atlantic Equities
Atlantic Equities downgraded EMC (EMC) from Overweight to Neutral, with a price target of $28 (from $30). Shares of EMC closed at $25.77 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 46 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.79%.
