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Wells Fargo Upgraded These 3 Stocks—Here’s Why They Stand Out

By: MarketBeat

Konskie, Poland - January 16, 2024: Marathon Petroleum company logo displayed on mobile phone screen — Stock Editorial Photography

Now that the first quarter of 2025 is underway, investors across the board are probably looking to find the best ideas to get their portfolios started on the right foot. This way, they can have not only the momentum but also the liquidity necessary to chase the growth plays that will become available in later months. In order to find these sorts of plays, they can use a powerful tool in today’s market.

This tool has been used by Wall Street analysts on certain stocks in recent rating changes. Today, as the first quarter earnings results become available, Wells Fargo analysts have decided to share their optimistic views on a select list of stocks, ones that carry enough momentum and fundamental tailwinds to get them into capital gains territory.

Included in this list of upgrades are names like Spotify Technology (NYSE: SPOT) due to the safety of its subscription-based business model or a flip into the energy sector through shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE: MPC) to fit in the bullish narrative for oil this year. Finally, a consumer staples name offering stability in this volatile environment is found in Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX).

Why Spotify Deserves Its New Ratings

Even though Spotify stock already trades at its 52-week high, these Wells Fargo analysts still see a path for it to deliver further upside. While the market is scrambling to figure out the economic effects of new trade tariffs, Spotify’s business model remains relatively immune to this theme.

That is why analysts felt comfortable reiterating their overweight rating on Spotify stock as of February 2025 and placing a $690 per share valuation on it. This new valuation would not only call for a new 52-week high for the company but also a net upside of as much as 11% from where it trades today.

Apart from this new optimistic outlook from Wall Street, investors can count on undeniable momentum in the stock, which delivered a run of up to 160% over the past 12 months alone. This momentum and the further upside left in Spotify stock would explain why institutional buyers from Amundi decided to accumulate up to $359.8 million worth of the stock as of February 2025.

More than that, a final gauge through market sentiment can be taken by investors looking to justify their potential buy thesis on Spotify stock. Apart from momentum and price action, Spotify stock trades at a 104.8x price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio today, a steep premium to the business sector’s 35.8x average valuation.

While some may call this expensive, seasoned investors and traders know that the market will always pay a premium for the stocks it believes will outperform in the coming months.

A Buffett Bet Is Always a Good Bet

There’s a reason why Warren Buffett decided to buy up to 29% of Occidental Petroleum Co. (NYSE: OXY) in recent quarters. He understands the commodity must catch up to the price action seen in gold and other energy commodities.

More than that, Goldman Sachs analysts have also recommended oil as a potential outperformer in 2025, just like Paul Tudor Jones did in a recent CNBC interview. Regarding Marathon Petroleum, buyers from Amundi also found this stock a reasonable buy during the shifting economic winds.

This is why they also boosted their holdings in the company by 194.2% as of February 2025, bringing their net position to a high of $398.4 million today, another bullish factor for retail investors to lean on for their potential portfolio additions.

This theme would also explain the recent overweight rating from Wells Fargo analysts, which came with a $183 a share valuation and called for up to a 22% upside from today’s stock price.

Steady Dividends in Clorox: A Tradeoff For a Smooth Ride

While recent Wells Fargo analyst targets for $161 per share on Clorox stock might not be the highest ceiling in this list, calling for only 8.5% upside from today’s stock price, investors can find further safety in the company’s business model, which enables management to keep paying up to $4.88 per share via dividends.

At today’s price, this payout would translate into an annualized yield of 3.3% to beat the inflation rate in the United States economy. Backing up the growth in Clorox stock for the months to come is the current Wall Street forecast for earnings per share (EPS) for the next 12 months, shooting for $1.91 per share, a significant boost from today’s $1.55 level.

Be that as it may, Amundi buyers were spotted once again buying this safety and income name to cushion today’s volatile market. They have now accumulated up to $185.8 million worth of the stock as of February 2025. After a recent earnings decline to 87% of its 52-week high, the stock is now an undeniable dip-buying opportunity to carry investor portfolios into the green this coming quarter.

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