(This is CNBC Pro’s live coverage of Thursday’s analyst calls and Wall Street chatter. Please refresh every 20-30 minutes to view the latest posts.) Nvidia and a major dating stock were among the names featured Thursday by analysts. TD Cowen reiterated the chipmaker as a top pick, citing strong earnings ahead. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley lowered its rating on Match Group, citing slowing growth for online dating. Check out the latest calls and chatter below. All times ET. 5:47 a.m.: TD Cowen reiterates Nvidia as top pick The future looks even brighter for Nvidia , and TD Cowen expects the company’s upcoming results to reflect that. The firm highlighted Nvidia as its top pick in a recent note. Analyst Matthew Ramsay reiterated his buy rating and $1,100 price target on the name. This implies that shares of Nvidia could rally 31% from its Wednesday close. Share of the tech titan and Magnificent Seven darling have already rallied 70% this year. But Ramsay said its “full speed ahead” for the chipmaker. “Significant revenue and EPS growth are now largely expected following three consecutive quarters of the print coming in > $2B above previous company guidance,” the analyst wrote. Although some investors will question the sustainability of demand for Nvidia, Ramsay is much more confident that “all signs continue to point up” for the stock. He pointed to Nvidia’s March GPU Technology Conference, which highlighted its competitive advantage versus its peers, as well as its market-leading position as proof of its staying power. “NVIDIA remains the top franchise in accelerated compute and AI … and we are in the early innings of both paradigm shifts,” he wrote. “While valuation is above core semis, the suite of superior technology, long pedigree of innovation, and extensive growth-oriented investments should allow for strong, sustained, above-peer growth across a widening set of verticals.” Nvidia is slated to report earnings next month. — Lisa Kailai Han 5:47 a.m.: Morgan Stanley downgrades Match Growth in online dating is slowing, spelling trouble for Match Group , according to Morgan Stanley. Analyst Nathan Feather downgraded the Hinge and Tinder parent company to equal weight from overweight. He also cut his price target to $37% from $53, implying upside of 14.6%. “After 2 years of underperformance, we step to the sidelines on online dating as user growth remains cloudy,” Feather wrote. “We believe that soft user growth is more attributable to a lack of innovation than saturation as ~70% of US singles actively looking for a relationship do not currently use online dating.” “We are cautiously optimistic that innovation could reaccelerate user growth at Tinder and Bumble, especially as they have a wide slate of improvements to the core user experience planned for 2024,” he added. “However, visibility into the potential success of these initiatives is low and, as online dating is a momentum business, it will likely take some time to sustainably reaccelerate growth.” Match Group shares are down more than 11% year to date. Last year, the stock dropped 12%. MTCH YTD mountain MTCH year to date — Fred Imbert
Thursday's analyst calls: Nvidia a top pick, dating stock gets a downgrade
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