Salesforce Analyst's Upgrade: Top 5 Picks for Friday

Several top Wall Street analysts have upgraded their ratings for various companies, including Salesforce, Wingstop, and Kennametal. Salesforce analyst Gil Luria upgraded the rating from Underperform to Neutral, while Wingstop analyst Brian Vaccaro upgraded the rating from Outperform to Strong Buy. Kennametal analyst Steven Fisher upgraded the rating from Sell to Neutral.

Several top Wall Street analysts have upgraded their ratings for various companies, including Salesforce, Wingstop, and Kennametal. These upgrades come amid a mix of market sentiment and corporate performance.

Salesforce (NASDAQ: CRM) saw its rating upgraded from Underperform to Neutral by DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria, who maintained a $225 price target [1]. The upgrade reflects the analyst's acknowledgment of Salesforce's underperformance against the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) but also notes the company's strategic focus on AI and enterprise cloud spending. The stock currently trades at $236.20, indicating a decline of approximately $11 from the current price action. Meanwhile, activist hedge fund Starboard Value has increased its stake in Salesforce by 47% this quarter, signaling renewed pressure for strategic changes within the company [1].

Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) was upgraded from Outperform to Strong Buy by Raymond James analyst Brian Vaccaro, who maintained a $420 price target [2]. The upgrade is based on the firm's confidence in Wingstop's ability to improve comparable sales through the end of the year. The stock has been performing well, with strong comparable sales expected to continue into the fourth quarter [2].

Kennametal (NYSE: KMT) saw its rating upgraded from Sell to Neutral by analyst Steven Fisher [2]. The upgrade comes following the company's announcement of weaker-than-expected earnings, with the stock price gapping down to $20.84 from $25.13. Despite the earnings miss, the company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, paid on August 26th. Analysts have mixed ratings on Kennametal, with a recent upgrade from Wall Street Zen to a "buy" rating, and the average target price standing at $25.40 [3].

These upgrades reflect a mix of positive and negative sentiment towards the respective companies. Investors should carefully consider the reasons behind these upgrades and assess their own investment strategies accordingly.

References:
[1] https://www.asktraders.com/analysis/salesforce-crm-upgraded-price-target-remains-down-from-here/
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/target-downgraded-salesforce-upgraded-wall-133248351.html
[3] https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/kennametal-nysekmt-shares-gap-down-following-weak-earnings-2025-08-06/