Southwest Gas Analyst Becomes Optimistic; Check Out the Top 2 Upgrades for Friday
Analyst Upgrades and Price Target Changes
Dollar Tree Upgrade: Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joseph Feldman upgraded Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR) from Market Perform to Outperform, increasing the price target from $100 to $130. The stock closed at $112.50 on Thursday.
Southwest Gas Holdings Upgrade: B of A Securities analyst Ross Fowler upgraded Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (SWX) from Neutral to Buy, raising the price target from $76 to $84. The stock closed at $77.84 on Thursday.
Stock Performance Overview
Current Stock Prices: As of the latest data, Dollar Tree Inc. is priced at $109.87, showing a decrease of 2.34%. Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. is at $79.49, with a slight increase of 2.12%.
Other Notable Stocks: Marvell Technology Inc. (MRVL) is trading at $63.59, down 17.7%, while Vir Biotechnology Inc. (VIR) is at $4.88, down 3.27%.
Market Insights
Analyst Ratings Page: For a comprehensive view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades, and initiations, investors are encouraged to visit the analyst ratings page for detailed insights.
Benzinga Rankings: Benzinga provides vital metrics on stocks, including rankings for momentum, growth, quality, and value, with Dollar Tree showing a value score of 17.64.
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Analyst Views on DLTR
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- Rating Downgrade: BMO Capital downgraded Dollar Tree's stock, resulting in a 1.6% decline in shares during recent trading, reflecting market concerns about the company's future performance and potentially impacting investor confidence.
- Market Reaction: The downgrade has drawn investor attention, likely leading to increased selling pressure that could affect Dollar Tree's short-term stock performance and heighten market uncertainty.
- Financial Outlook Impact: The downgrade may raise Dollar Tree's financing costs, subsequently affecting its future expansion plans and profitability, particularly in a highly competitive retail environment.
- Investor Confidence Fluctuation: As ratings change, investors may reassess their investment strategies regarding Dollar Tree, leading to fluctuations in its market performance and impacting the overall stability of investment portfolios.
- Coinbase Rating Maintained: Bernstein reiterates Coinbase as outperform, noting that despite Q4 revenue missing estimates by 3% and a 28% drop in adjusted EPS to $0.66, the stock remains undervalued, indicating long-term optimism.
- Instacart's Strong Performance: Barclays maintains an overweight rating on Instacart, highlighting its rare beat-and-raise earnings report in the internet earnings cycle, suggesting a unique advantage in a competitive market that may attract more investor interest.
- Airbnb Upgraded to Buy: Deutsche Bank upgrades Airbnb from hold to buy, stating that while it faces AI disruption risks, its unique supply chain offers more insulation compared to peers, which is likely to draw more investor attention.
- CrowdStrike's Attractive Valuation: HSBC upgrades CrowdStrike from hold to buy, citing attractive current valuation and projecting a non-GAAP EPS CAGR of 38.3% over FY26-29, indicating strong growth potential.
- Analyst Rating Changes: Top Wall Street analysts have adjusted their ratings on several companies, indicating a shift in market sentiment that could influence investor decisions and market trends.
- Overview of Updates: While specific upgrades and downgrades are not detailed, the overall rating changes reflect analysts' sensitivity to market sentiment, potentially prompting investors to reassess their stock holdings.
- Investor Focus: For those considering buying DLTR stock, analysts' opinions will serve as a crucial reference point, likely impacting their investment decisions and the stock's market performance.
- Market Dynamics Impact: Changes in analyst ratings not only affect individual stock performance but may also create ripple effects on overall market sentiment and trends, necessitating close attention from investors to these developments.
- Market Reaction: Dollar Tree shares have decreased by approximately 3% following a downgrade by BMO.
- Analyst Assessment: The downgrade was based on the company's performance being classified as 'underperforming'.
- Consumer Behavior Shift: Under financial pressure, budget-conscious consumers are opting for private-label goods, leading to increased performance for discount stores like Walmart, which reflects the strained economic conditions of households.
- Dollar Tree Customer Growth: In the most recent quarter, Dollar Tree saw an additional 3 million households visit its stores, with 60% of these new customers earning over $100,000, indicating its appeal among higher-income demographics.
- High-Income Market Expansion: More than a quarter of Dollar Tree stores opened last year were located in areas with median household incomes exceeding six figures, highlighting its strategic expansion into affluent neighborhoods to capture high-income consumer spending.
- Sales Potential Analysis: If Dollar Tree can encourage higher-income occasional shoppers to visit just one more time per year, it could result in an additional $1 billion in annual sales, demonstrating the business rationale behind targeting affluent consumers.
- Discount Retail Stock Performance: As of 2026, discount retail stocks in the S&P 500, such as Walmart and Costco, have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 index, with Walmart up 5.8% year-to-date and 26.6% over the past 52 weeks, indicating strong consumer demand for discount retail.
- Consumer Shift to Discount Stores: Due to inflation, 28% of high-income households shopped at discount chains in 2025, up from 20% four years earlier, suggesting that discount retailers are attracting a broader consumer base.
- Same-Store Sales Growth: In Q4 2025, same-store sales increased by 4.2% at Walmart and 5.7% at Costco, reflecting consumer preference for discounted goods in a high-price environment, further boosting these retailers' performance.
- Future Inflation Expectations: Although the inflation rate has decreased from 9% in June 2022 to around 2.7%, economists expect inflation to remain elevated through 2026, which will continue to benefit discount retailers as consumers remain price-sensitive.









