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. Alaska Air upgraded to buy by Evercore ISI
Evercore ISI upgraded Alaska Air (ALK) from Hold to Buy with a price target of $80.00.
Shares of Alaska Air closed at $75.97 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 80 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.05%.
2. Equifax upgraded to buy by Stifel
Stifel upgraded Equifax (EFX ) from Hold to Buy with a price target of $120.00.
Shares of Equifax closed at $103.29 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.16 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.12%.
3. McDonald's upgraded to overweight by Piper Jaffray
Piper Jaffray upgraded McDonald’s (MCD ) from Neutral to Overweight with a price target of $130.00 (from $95.00).
Shares of McDonald’s closed at $110.87 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $3.40 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 3.07%.
4. Mead Johnson Nutrition downgraded to neutral by Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse downgraded Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) from Outperform to Neutral with a price target of $86.00.
Shares of Mead Johnson Nutrition closed at $79.25 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.65 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 2.08%.
5. Arcelor Mittal downgraded to neutral by Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse downgraded Arcelor Mittal (MT) from Outperform to Neutral.
Shares of Arcelor Mittal closed at $5.98 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 68 cents (paid annually) and has a yield of 11.37%.
