Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Airbnb, Booking Holdings, Credicorp, Dutch Bros, Expedia, Hartford Financial Services, Group, Meritage Homes, Patchex, Yum! Brands, and More

Here Are Wednesday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Airbnb, Booking Holdings, Credicorp, Dutch Bros, Expedia, Hartford Financial Services, Group, Meritage Homes, Patchex, Yum! Brands, and More

Lee Jackson

Wed, September 16, 2026 at 3:07 PM GMT+3 6 min read

Quick Read

• The Fed raised rates 25 basis points today, pushing the funds rate to 4% as major indices sold off in anticipation.

• Brent Crude surged to $109 and WTI hit $106 as renewed Middle East fighting and a Saudi pipeline shutdown drove energy prices higher.

• Bitcoin dropped nearly 4% to $76,180 after the Clarity Act crypto regulation bill failed in the Senate by a single vote, 50-49.

• Read More: Avoid these 13 retirement mistakes before they derail your future (sponsor)

Pre-Market Stock Futures:

Futures are trading higher as the Federal Reserve's reckoning day has arrived. Interest rate futures tracked by CME FedWatch show a 92% chance of a 25-basis-point increase in the Fed funds rate today. That will push the funds rate to 3.75% to 4%. In addition, market watchers expect two more rate hikes over the next year to tackle sticky inflation, exacerbated by the war with Iran and rising oil prices.

Anticipating a rate increase today, all major indices finished lower, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq closing at 25,981, down 0.78%. The small-cap Russell 2000 fell 0.87% to 2,867, while the S&P 500 closed Tuesday at 7,585, down 0.45%. The Dow Jones Industrial finished the session at 52,093, down 0.63%. Market analysts will be watching Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's prepared statement this afternoon for clues on when and how many more interest rate increases to follow.

Treasury Bonds:

Interest rates soared again on Tuesday, and that was a major reason for more selling in equities. The 30-year bond closed at 5.37%, the highest in over 20 years, while the benchmark 10-year note closed at 5% after trading as high as 5.04% earlier in the session. That is the highest since July of 2007. Since the bond vigilantes have done much of the work Chairman Warsh needed to do, many expect he may be patient before another increase, as much of the current inflationary pressures are due to rising energy prices.

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Oil and Gas:

Prices across the energy complex were higher again Tuesday as the renewed fighting in the Middle East and the shutdown of the Saudi pipeline continued to weigh on the sector. At the final bell, Brent Crude closed at $108.60, up 2.79%, while West Texas Intermediate closed at $105.80, up 4.37%. Natural gas also had a solid day, finishing at $ 2.94, up 1.42%.

Gold:

After stumbling out of the gate early Tuesday, the precious metals perked up around noon, and while gold ended flat for the day, down just 0.07% at $4,294, it was a strong showing given overall market weakness. Silver really bucked the Tuesday trend, ending 0.60% higher at $63.49. Many top firms across Wall Street still project Gold to trade up to the $4,500-$4,600 level by year-end.

Crypto:

Cryptocurrencies had a rough day as the much-anticipated Clarity Act bill collapsed in the Senate. It failed to pass by a 1-vote margin, 50-49. The banking industry's lobbying and concerns over the President's involvement in the crypto industry were cited as reasons for the slim defeat. Bitcoin fell between 3% and 4%, trading between $75,900 and $77,000 after starting the day near $79,000. At 8 AM EDT, Bitcoin was trading at $76,180, while Ethereum was quoted at $2,420.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports every day to identify fresh investment ideas for investors and traders alike. These daily analyst notes include recommendations on stocks to buy, sell, or avoid, as well as new coverage initiations. Important reminder: No single analyst report should ever be the sole basis for buying or selling a stock.

Here are some of the top Wall Street analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

Upgrades:

• Credicorp (NYSE: BAP) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which lifted the target price for the shares to $482 from $453.

• Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) was upgraded to Peer Perform from Underperform at Wolfe Research, without a target price.

• Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RCKT) was raised to Buy from Hold at Needham, with a $9 target price.

• Similarweb (NYSE: SMWB) was raised to Buy from Hold at Needham, with an $11 target price.

• Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS, which raised the price target for the railroad to $339 from $310.

Downgrades:

• Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley, with a $235 target price.

• Grupo Aval (NYSE: AVAL) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JPMorgan, which trimmed the target price to $5 from $5.50.

• Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Mizuho, which trimmed the target price to $153 from $163.

• Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH) was cut to Hold from Buy at Truist Securities, and the target price was dropped to $72 from $80.

• Nubank (NYSE: NU) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Itaú BBA, which lowered the target price to $18 from $20.

Initiations:

• Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) was assumed with an Equal Weight rating at Morgan Stanley, which has a $170 target price for the shares.

• Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) was assumed with an Overweight rating at Morgan Stanley, with a $230 target price.

• Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS) was initiated with a Buy rating at Seaport Research, with a $50 target price.

• Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN) was started with an Outperform rating at FBN, with a $40 target price.

• Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) was initiated with a Buy rating at Seaport Research, with a $162 target price.

Help Avoid These 13 Retirement Mistakes Before They Derail Your Future

One investment mistake could create big risks for your retirement. Many investors make the same critical errors: being too conservative, making big bets on "sure things," or paying excessive fees. Any of those blunders can endanger your hard-earned savings.

Now you can learn the mistakes even experienced investors make (and ways you can sidestep them before it's too late) with this new guide: 13 Retirement Mistakes and How to Avoid Them from Fisher Investments. (sponsor)

Contact editorial@247wallst.com for any questions or corrections.