Meta, IBM, ServiceNow, Microsoft and more analyst calls of the week
Analysts expect Procter & Gamble (PG) to show stronger sales, while UBS lowers Six Flags (SIX) price target due to accident concerns. UBS warns Apple (AAPL) iPhone demand may weaken. Bank of America upgrades Fox (FOXA) and Meta (META), citing growth prospects. Roblox (RBLX) sees modest player activity recovery. Semtech targets data center revenue growth. Chipotle (CMG) may report in-line sales. Spectrum Brands (SPB) gets Buy rating. Microsoft (MSFT) price target raised.
How this was made
The 30-second read
Why it matters
The tradable value is mainly in the specific rating/target changes and the one explicit same-day move for CoreWeave, plus quantified forecast changes for DraftKings and IMAX’s box-office expectation.
Market read
Traders can use the specific target changes and forecast revisions to position into upcoming earnings dates, but most items are not first-disclosure company events.
What to watch
For CoreWeave, financing conditions can dominate fundamentals regardless of raised revenue growth forecasts; for Apple, delivery-time signals may reflect supply-chain normalization rather than demand collapse.
Background
This is an analyst-calls roundup summarizing upgrades, price-target changes, and earnings expectations across multiple US-listed stocks.
Ticker impact
Bank of America expects Meta to beat Q3 revenue forecasts, citing AI-driven advertising growth and a specific $63.8B revenue estimate.
Likely upward bias as traders price in an earnings beat driven by AI-supported ad growth.
The article provides a concrete revenue forecast and maintains a Buy rating with a $810 target, which typically supports bullish positioning into results.
UBS raised its Microsoft price target to $675 from $525, citing strong AI services demand ahead of its Oct. 28 results.
Likely modest positive drift as the market incorporates stronger AI-services growth expectations.
The piece explicitly links the target increase to AI services demand and references the timing of the Oct. 28 results.
Bank of America expects IBM to deliver a modest Q3 earnings beat on Oct. 21 while keeping its 2026 outlook unchanged.
Mild upside bias around the Oct. 21 earnings as traders focus on the beat probability.
The article states a beat expectation and reiterates a Buy rating and $280 target, but does not introduce new guidance numbers.
CoreWeave shares fell 3% as financing concerns hit AI infrastructure stocks, despite Bank of America raising revenue growth forecasts.
Likely continued volatility with downside pressure if financing fears persist, offset by support from raised growth forecasts.
The article includes a same-day price move (down 3%) and attributes it to financing concerns, which is directly tradable.
UBS warns that shortening delivery times for Apple’s latest iPhones could signal weaker demand and risk revenue forecasts.
Likely pressure as traders reassess iPhone demand risk implied by faster delivery times.
The article provides a qualitative warning and delivery-time changes, but no explicit Apple rating or target change is stated.
Bank of America expects Fox’s pending acquisition of Roku to improve growth prospects and add about $700M in annual earnings by 2028.
Potential bid-support for Roku as deal economics improve the growth narrative.
The article’s quantified earnings impact is tied to Fox, and it does not specify deal terms or a direct Roku catalyst beyond the acquisition expectation.
Wedbush reports Roblox weekly concurrent users rose to 15.2M, but year-on-year declines in concurrent users widened.
Choppy reaction risk, with upside limited by widening YoY CCU declines.
The article provides directional user metrics but frames them as modest recovery with worsening YoY comparisons.
Wedbush says AppLovin checks show advertiser spend steady and expects an e-commerce-led lift, despite valuation implying share loss.
Likely positive sentiment bias if traders buy the “spend steady” argument into upcoming quarters.
The article is based on checks and expectations, not a new reported financial datapoint.
Market effects
AI infrastructure and ad-tech names show divergent sentiment, with financing sensitivity pressuring some AI cloud providers while AI-driven ad growth supports others.
Primarily US-listed large-cap and growth tech sentiment, with limited direct cross-region spillover.
Global themes are present via AstraZeneca and semiconductor connectivity commentary, but the actionable catalysts are US-timed earnings and analyst revisions.
Counterpoint
Analyst call-of-the-week pieces can overstate conviction; several items are previews or check-based narratives without new company disclosures, so price reactions may fade quickly.
Key entities
- companyMeta Platforms
BofA expects Meta to beat Q3 revenue forecasts on AI-supported advertising growth.
- companyMicrosoft
UBS raised its price target to $675 from $525 on strong AI services demand ahead of Oct. 28 results.
- companyIBM
BofA expects a modest Q3 earnings beat on Oct. 21 while keeping the 2026 outlook unchanged.
- companyCoreWeave
Shares fell 3% on financing concerns despite BofA raising revenue growth forecasts.
- companyDraftKings
Jefferies cut 2026 adjusted earnings forecast by 15% due to higher prediction market spending and slower iGaming growth.
