Here is your Pro Recap of the top takeaways from Wall Street analysts for the past week.
American Eagle Outfitters
What happened? On Monday, BofA Securities downgraded American Eagle Outfitters Inc (F:AEOS) to Underperform with a $10 price target.
*TLDR: BofA downgrades AEO, warns on earnings. Stock risks deepen, dividends threatened.
What’s the full story? BofA slashes AEO to Underperform, gutting its F25/F26 EPS estimates by 8%/30% to $0.65/$0.95. The bank sees tariffs biting and Aerie sales tanking, dragging the earnings outlook into a longer, uglier recovery. With the stock floundering at 5x EV/EBITDA (F26E) and 13.5x P/E, BofA warns of more downside as mall-based peers trade at 5.6x and 11.7x, respectively. The fundamental backdrop? Rotting faster than a 2008 subprime mortgage.
The bank hacks its price target to $10, down from $11, now pegged to a miserly 4x F26E EV/EBITDA—a discount to peers but still generous in this dumpster fire. The income rating gets a downgrade to 8 (same/lower), flagged for a likely dividend cut with a payout ratio screaming 76%.
Translation: AEO’s cash flow is on life support, and BofA isn’t buying the hopium. Buckle up—this ride’s about to get uglier.
AMD
What happened? On Tuesday, Truist upgraded Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) to Buy with a $213 price target.
*TLDR: AMD rises as Nvidia’s challenger. Truist upgrades accordingly..
What’s the full story? Hyperscalers are flipping the script. For years, Truist’s industry contacts—component buyers and sellers—dismissed AMD as little more than a bargaining chip, a half-hearted "price check" to Nvidia’s AI dominance.
Now, the narrative is shifting. Over the past month, whispers from the field suggest hyperscalers are warming to AMD, not as a token plaything but as a genuine partner. The firm’s models reflect this: CY27 EPS bumps to $7.89, price target surges to $213 (up from $173), and AMD gets upgraded to a Buy. Why? Because the dynamics are shifting in real time.
Truist has long viewed the Datacenter AI semiconductor war as a one-vendor show, with Nvidia’s CUDA software moat and parallel compute dominance leaving no room for a sustainable second player. AVGO’s ASIC play was the only credible alternative. But times change. Truist’s contacts now report hyperscalers are seriously engaging AMD, signaling a potential sea change. The firm’s bullish stance on NVDA and AVGO remains intact, but the field is speaking, and the message is clear: AMD is no longer just a pawn in Nvidia’s game.
Truist listens, upgrades, and watches the chessboard.
CoreWeave
What happened? On Wednesday, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated CoreWeave Inc (NASDAQ:CRWV) at Overweight with a $116 price target.
*TLDR: CoreWeave dominates GPUaaS, targeting trillion-dollar AI. Burning cash, scaling power, crushing competition.
What’s the full story? Cantor sees CoreWeave as the undisputed kingpin of GPU-as-a-Service, gunning for a $399 billion market by 2028. With AI-optimized Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) exploding at a 71% CAGR, CoreWeave is on track for a 196% CAGR, gobbling up $17.5 billion by 2027—nearly 29% of the AI IaaS pie. Its secret sauce? Proprietary tools and an integrated platform built on Kubernetes and cutting-edge data tech, slashing costs for AI model training. The analysts note its moat is widening, driven by GPU optimization and strategic partnerships that go beyond mere supply deals.
But the real game-changer is inference workloads. As semantic and agentic AI scales, CoreWeave stands to ride the wave of accelerated computing, backed by Nvidia’s $2 trillion AI factory and compute megatrend. Its RPO ballooned to $30.1 billion in 2Q25, with OpenAI and Microsoft dominating the backlog. Power, not GPUs, is now the choke point. CoreWeave’s 2.2 GW contracted power—up from 1.3 GW in 2024—fuels its expansion, including a $9 billion acquisition of Core Scientific, adding 1.3 GW to its arsenal.
Financially, CoreWeave is burning cash (-$6 billion in C24, -$2.7 billion in 2Q25) to fuel growth, but its margins are holding strong (74.9% non-GAAP gross margin in 2Q25). Debt is mounting—$27.5 billion in C25E, surging to $48 billion by 2027—but access to capital remains robust. The analysts see leverage improving as inference workloads scale, unlocking long-term cash flow and option value.
CoreWeave isn’t just surviving the AI arms race—it’s conquering it.
Green Plains
What happened? On Thursday, Oppenheimer upgraded Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc (NASDAQ:GPRE) to Outperform with a $14 price target.
*TLDR: GPRE upgraded, $14 target set. Macro tailwinds boost outlook.
What’s the full story? Oppenheimer fires the upgrade flare, lifting GPRE to Outperform from Perform and slapping a $14 price target on the stock. The sale of its Obion plant has obliterated the biggest albatross—its pricey mezzanine debt—while juicing up the balance sheet with a shot of liquidity. This newfound financial strength is the final chess move in GPRE’s 18-month strategic review, a process that’s seen a complete overhaul: new management, a revitalized board, third-party merchandising, and now, a leaner, meaner balance sheet.
The macro gods are smiling on GPRE, too. The extended 45Z tax credit, a supportive RFS, improved carbon monetization opportunities, and healthier export demand are all stacking the deck in its favor. Crush margins are ticking up as corn prices dip, adding wind to the sails. Bottom line: GPRE isn’t just surviving—it’s primed to thrive in a post-debt, pro-renewables landscape. Bet on it.
Dollar Tree
What happened? On Friday, Telsey upgraded Dollar Tree Inc (NASDAQ:DLTR) to Outperform with a $130 price target.
*TLDR: Multi-price strategy attracts wealthy shoppers.
What’s the full story? Telsey just went full bull on Dollar Tree, cranking their price target from $100 to $130 as the discount retailer dumps its Family Dollar albatross for a cool billion. The analyst projects low-to-mid single digit comps through 2027 with EPS growth hitting mid-teens annually - because apparently selling Chinese trinkets for $3 instead of $1 is now a "growth story."
The multi-price point strategy - introducing $3, $4, and $5 items alongside the traditional dollar offerings - mirrors Dollarama’s decade-old playbook that actually worked. Telsey sees Dollar Tree stealing market share while managing the inevitable wage inflation and tariff headwinds that plague every retailer. The analyst notes 85% of merchandise still sits under $2, but the $100K+ income demographic is suddenly flooding these stores - because nothing says "economic strength" like wealthy households shopping at dollar stores.
With 400 new stores planned (4.5% unit growth), the de minimis loophole closing on Shein and Temu, and operational improvements underway, Telsey slaps a 20x P/E multiple on their $6.50 2026 EPS estimate. The analyst conveniently glosses over tariff uncertainty while celebrating the Family Dollar divestiture as transformational - because in this market, dumping underperforming assets for pennies on the dollar counts as winning.
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