Before today’s opening bell, a number of big-name dividend stocks were the subject of analyst moves. Below we highlight the most important analyst commentary for investors.
1. SanDisk Upgraded by Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley upgraded SanDisk (SNDK) from Equalweight to Overweight, with a price target of $75. Shares of SanDisk closed at $54.33 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of $1.20 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 2.21%.
2. Devon Energy Upgraded by Bernstein
Bernstein upgraded Devon Energy (DVN ) from Market Perform to Outperform, with a price target of $58. Shares of Devon Energy closed at $37.09 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 96 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 2.59%.
3. Microsoft Upgraded by BofA/Merrill Lynch
BofA/Merrill Lynch upgraded Microsoft (MSFT ) from Underperform to Neutral, with a price target of $46 (from $39). Shares of Microsoft closed at $44.26 yesterday. MSFT pays an annual dividend of $1.44 (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 3.25%.
4. Banco Santander Downgraded JPMorgan
JPMorgan downgraded Banco Santander (SAN ) from Overweight to Neutral. Shares of Banco Santander closed at $5.28 yesterday. SAN pays an annual dividend of 17 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 3.17%.
5. AGCO Corporation Downgraded by UBS
UBS downgraded AGCO Corporation (AGCO ) from Neutral to Sell. Shares of AGCO closed at $46.63 yesterday. The company pays an annual dividend of 48 cents (paid quarterly) and has a yield of 1.03%.
