Recent SA analyst actions include notable upgrades for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL). Envision Research has upgraded Tesla following significant insider purchases by CEO Elon Musk and positive delivery projections for Q3 2025, suggesting renewed confidence in the company’s growth trajectory. Similarly, RI Research has upgraded PayPal based on strategic partnerships and innovative features expected to drive user growth.
On the downside, Mike Zaccardi has downgraded Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) from Buy to Hold, citing valuation concerns following a strong rally and disappointing quarterly results and Juxtaposed Ideas downgraded for Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM).
Upgrades
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA): Upgrade Hold to Buy by Envision Research. The analyst cites CEO Elon Musk’s recent $1 billion insider purchase and expected Q3 2025 deliveries that could exceed Wall Street estimates as key drivers for the improved outlook.
- “When these considerations are combined, I see a better return/risk curve in the near term and thus adjust my rating on the stock to Buy. These developments reinforce my view of TSLA as the company with the largest advantage in terms of EV deployment and physical AI applications currently in the current market.”
PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL): Upgrade Hold to Strong Buy by RI Research. The analyst points to PayPal’s new strategic partnership with Google and rollout of impressive new features designed to expand its customer base as compelling reasons for the upgrade.
- “The partnership with Google opens the door to a new AI-driven market with massive growth potential. Then there’s the new features—from crypto transfers to premium AI browser access—making the company’s platform even more attractive and ‘sticky’ for its existing, and future, users. With the 10% drop since July, you would get a clear discount on stock that shows massive potential.”
Downgrades
Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN): Downgrade Buy to Hold by Mike Zaccardi, CFA, CMT. After a 121% rally since April, the analyst believes Coinbase’s valuation has returned to its long-term average while facing challenges from a recent data breach and weak Q2 results.
- “It’s a show-me story now, following the data breach costs and uncertainty regarding how much tokenization can be monetized in the year ahead. If we assume $8 of normalized operating earnings per share and apply a 35x price-to-earnings ratio, then the stock should trade near $280. That’s up from my $180 fair value estimate in April, a time when crypto prices were significantly lower and the macro-outlook was dire.”
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM): Downgrade from Buy to Hold by Juxtaposed Ideas. The analyst cites decelerating growth, excessive Stock-Based Compensation expenses, and minimal shareholder value creation through repurchases as key factors behind the downgrade.
- “These reasons are also why our historical Buy ratings for the CRM stock have yet to bear fruit, as we fell for its deep value trap since June 2024, and it remains to be seen when its upward/value reversal may occur. Pending the materialization of a more bullish investment thesis, we prefer to downgrade the stock to a Hold here, partly attributed to the potential volatility arising from the higher short interest volumes by +16.7% on a YoY basis, the lack of bullish support since March 2025, and the mixed technical indicators.”