- The recent market selloff may have opened some opportunities for bargain hunters, but count Vertical Research's Jeff Sprague among the analysts who do not consider General Electric (GE -0.1%) among them.
- "Many of the underlying drivers contributing to a dim U.S. power market continue to persist (i.e., decreasing electricity demand, shifting resource mix, clean energy regulations, increasing competition, etc.), and we see no clear catalyst in the near term," Sprague writes as he maintains his Hold rating and $16 price target on GE.
- Sprague's top ideas among industrial stocks include Emerson Electric (EMR +1%), Parker Hannifin (PH +0.4%), Hubbell (HUBB +0.5%), Stanley Black & Decker (SWK -0.2%) and Ingersoll-Rand (IR -0.9%).
- Separately, EMR is upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital, which cites "upside organic growth, opportunistic M&A from the company's $1B of repatriated foreign cash, and tax reform benefits" positioning the company to boost its FY 2021 targets.