Buy/Sell: Wall Street’s top 10 stock calls this week

What has Wall Street been buzzing about this week? Here are the top 5 Buy calls and the top 5 Sell calls made by Wall Street’s best analysts during the week of October 13-17. 

Find all top-rated stocks by the best-rated analysts on TipRanks.

Top 5 Buy Calls:

1. HSBC upgrades Nvidia to Buy on earnings upside potential

HSBC upgraded Nvidia (NVDA) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $320, up from $200. The firm sees potential for “significant” earnings upside in Nvidia’s fiscal 2027 on renewed chip on wafer on substrate allocation momentum. Nvidia’s “aggressive” fiscal 2027 CoWoS wafer forecasts at TSMC (TSM) will drive upward revisions to 2027 datacenter revenue estimates, HSBC tells investors in a research note. The firm also believes potential easing of China graphic processor unit uncertainties following a potential U.S.-China trade deal could enable Nvidia to see a demand recovery in the Chinese market. HSBC’s fiscal 2027 earnings per share estimate of $8.75 is significantly above the consensus of $6.48 despite not including any revenue from chip exports to China.

2. Walmart initiated with a Buy at BTIG 

BTIG initiated coverage of Walmart (WMT) with a Buy rating and $120 price target. Walmart’s integrated digital and physical strategy is “delivering value” to customers and shareholders and CEO Doug McMillon has the company positioned for continued market share and profit gains despite macro pressures, the analyst tells investors.

3. AMD upgraded to Outperform at Wolfe Research 

Wolfe Research upgraded AMD (AMD) to Outperform from Peer Perform with a $300 price target as part of a Q3 preview for the semiconductor group. Following the company’s OpenAI win, Wolfe sees $10-plus in earnings per share power for AMD. The company “now simply needs to execute,” and estimates have upside if AMD finds traction beyond OpenAI, the firm tells investors in a research note. Wolfe also thinks estimates can go up in the near term due to traditional server strength.

4. Costco initiated with a Buy at BTIG 

BTIG initiated coverage of Costco (COST) with a Buy rating and $1,115 price target. Costco has significant customer loyalty, which will aid in continuing to drive traffic and sales growth, says the firm, which believes the recent pullback in shares presents a buying opportunity. BTIG sees Costco continuing to take market share in the retail industry and benefiting from its healthy membership renewal rates and value.

5. Micron upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at BNP Paribas Exane 

BNP Paribas Exane double upgraded Micron (MU) to Outperform from Underperform with a price target of $270, up from $100. The firm now “fully embraces” high-bandwidth memory as a sustainable, separate growth vector and believes Micron and the market are in the “early innings of a memory supercycle,” the analyst tells investors.

Top 5 Sell Calls:

1. PayPal downgraded to Sell at Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs downgraded PayPal (PYPL) to Sell from Neutral with a $70 price target. The firm believes PayPal will face several transaction margin headwinds in 2026, including interest rate headwinds and the lapping of a reacceleration of its credit products. Goldman also sees less visibility for the company’s branded checkout reacceleration in the near term given softer trends in Germany, tariff disruptions in the U.S., and competing wallet form factors.

2. BofA downgrades Intel to Underperform after “too far, too fast” rally 

BofA downgraded Intel (INTC) to Underperform from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $34. The recent $80B jump in Intel’s market cap more than reflects its improved balance sheet and external foundry potential, while the competitive outlook remains challenged with “no discernible AI portfolio/strategy,” uncompetitive server CPU, and less flexibility now than before in divesting loss-making manufacturing, argues the firm, which says the stock has come “too far, too fast” when considering the company’s still-challenged fundamentals.

3. Texas Instruments downgraded to Underperform at BofA on macro headwinds 

BofA downgraded Texas Instruments (TXN) to Underperform from Neutral with a price target of $190, down from $208. While the firm appreciates the “high quality” of TI’s assets and its execution consistency, it believes the turmoil caused by global tariffs could keep the lid on any near- to medium-term demand improvement in the industrial economy. The firm, which lowers FY26 and FY27 EPS estimates by 3% each, notes that its new estimates are 8% and 13% below consensus, respectively.

4. GE Vernova downgraded to Sell at Rothschild & Co Redburn 

Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded GE Vernova (GEV) to Sell from Neutral with a $475 price target. The firm says the shares are “materially overvalued” based on its reverse discounted cash flow analysis. The upgrade cycle for Siemens Energy and GE Vernova “could be reaching a late stage” and downside risks exist, Rothschild tells investors in a research note. The firm says GE Vernova’s valuation discounts record margins in Power and Electrification into perpetuity.

5. Verisk Analytics downgraded to Sell at Rothschild & Co Redburn 

Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Verisk Analytics (VRSK) to Sell from Neutral with a $220 price target. The firm says the company’s downside risks are not priced into the shares. The acquisition of AccuLynx will dilute Verisk’s invested capital and require a notable increase in leverage, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Meanwhile, Rothschild says the company is investing heavily in artificial intelligence to defend its incumbent position in an industry that “appears ripe for disruption.” It sees Verisk’s valuation as “still too rich” in the context of falling organic sales growth.