Five stocks stand out heading into Thursday, September 3, 2026, each riding a bullish rating change issued on Wednesday, September 2. The market is working through the first full week of September after August's digestion of Nvidia's fiscal Q2 report from August 26 and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole remarks. The Federal Open Market Committee held the federal funds target range at 3.50% to 3.75% at its July 29 meeting, and the CME Group FedWatch tool still prices roughly an 80% probability that policy rates hold steady through the balance of 2026.
The five ideas below span consumer finance, biotech, online gaming, construction aggregates, and semiconductor foundry. These are editorial notes for consideration only, not personalized investment advice.
Ally Financial (ALLY) – Raymond James Resumes at Strong Buy
Auto lending and consumer finance operator Ally Financial was resumed with a Strong Buy rating on Wednesday by Raymond James. The thesis focuses on used-vehicle values stabilizing off cycle lows, net interest margin expansion as the securities portfolio reprices, and credit-quality trends across the used-auto book coming in ahead of prior guidance.
Shares traded near $42.80 during Wednesday's session, up about 2.27% on the day, giving Ally Financial a market capitalization near $13 billion. The 52-week range of $35.92 to $47.29 shows the stock has rallied off summer lows but sits below prior peaks. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple sits at 10.10, one of the cheaper valuations across consumer finance.
Consensus is uniformly constructive. Twelve sell-side firms rate Ally a strong buy, with 11 bullish and one neutral. The average price target of $53.75 implies roughly 26% upside from Wednesday's level, and TD Cowen's Moshe Orenbuch sits among the highest bulls at $55.
Risks: Not everyone is aligned. Evercore ISI's John Pancari carried In-Line at $45 as of September 23, and Truist Securities' Brian Foran trimmed his target to $51 on August 4 while maintaining Buy. Used-vehicle price trajectory, prime-auto delinquency trends, and deposit-cost competition remain the primary swing factors.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) – Morgan Stanley Resumes at Overweight
Cystic fibrosis and non-opioid pain therapeutics leader Vertex Pharmaceuticals was resumed with an Overweight rating on Wednesday by Morgan Stanley. The thesis focuses on the Journavx launch trajectory in acute pain, Casgevy sickle-cell disease access expanding globally, and the CF franchise durable-royalty economics extending through Alyftrek uptake.
Shares traded near $554.69 during Wednesday's session, up about 1.29%, giving Vertex a market capitalization near $140.8 billion. The 52-week range of $374.17 to $557.50 shows the stock trading near multi-year highs. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple sits at 32.26 as Journavx investment weighs on earnings.
Consensus is broadly constructive. Twenty sell-side firms rate Vertex a strong buy, with 16 bullish, three neutral, and one bearish. The average price target of $550.50 sits near Wednesday's level, and Barclays' Eliana Merle holds the high at $617 after maintaining Overweight on August 5.
Risks: Canaccord Genuity's Whitney Ijem carried Hold at $441 in February, and lone bearish coverage keeps some tension in the panel. Journavx uptake pace, Casgevy commercial ramp, and pipeline execution in Type 1 diabetes with the VX-880 program all remain factors to monitor.
DraftKings (DKNG) – Wolfe Research Initiates on Sports Betting Maturity
Online sports betting and iGaming operator DraftKings was initiated with an Outperform rating on Wednesday by Wolfe Research. The thesis: state-level sports-betting maturation is driving margin expansion, iGaming ramp in Michigan and New Jersey is compounding cross-sell economics, and DraftKings' technology-platform advantage supports market-share retention as competitive intensity moderates.
Shares traded near $24.74 during Wednesday's session, up about 5.55% on the upgrade catalyst. The 52-week range of $20.46 to $48.78 shows how sharply the stock has retraced from 2025 highs. DraftKings is not profitable on a trailing basis, with the price-to-earnings multiple negative at -77.22 as reinvestment continues.
Consensus is broadly bullish. Twenty-nine sell-side firms rate DraftKings a strong buy, with 25 bullish, three neutral, and one bearish. The average price target of $36.59 implies roughly 48% upside from Wednesday's level, and Oppenheimer's Jed Kelly sits near the high with a $55 target from October.
Risks: The bearish tilt is not zero. Citigroup's James Hardiman trimmed his target to $32 on August 11 while maintaining Buy, and JP Morgan's Daniel Politzer trimmed to $33 the same week. Sports-betting hold-rate volatility, promotional-intensity discipline, and state-tax structure changes all remain material swing factors.
Martin Marietta (MLM) – JPMorgan Sees Infrastructure Cycle Extending
Aggregates and heavy-building-materials producer Martin Marietta was upgraded from Neutral to Overweight on Wednesday by JPMorgan. The thesis focuses on federal infrastructure funding still flowing into state DOT projects, Texas aggregates pricing power in the Metroplex, and margin trough at the industrial-mineral segment now behind the company.
Shares traded near $519.66 during Wednesday's session, up about 2.92%, giving Martin Marietta a market capitalization near $31.2 billion. The 52-week range of $502.56 to $710.97 shows the stock has retraced meaningfully from earlier highs. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple sits at 12.77, reasonable for a mid-cycle materials name.
Consensus is constructive. Thirteen sell-side firms rate Martin Marietta a strong buy, with 10 bullish and three neutral. The average price target of $676.31 implies roughly 30% upside from Wednesday's level, and UBS's Steven Fisher holds the high at $715 from August 3.
Risks: Not everyone is aligned. RBC Capital's Anthony Codling maintained Sector Perform on August 28 at $620, and Wells Fargo's Timna Tanners carried Equal-Weight at $610 in November. Residential construction demand, federal infrastructure disbursement pace, and diesel-fuel cost trajectory remain primary swing factors.
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) – Stifel Initiates on Foundry Dominance
Chip-foundry leader Taiwan Semiconductor was initiated with a Buy rating on Wednesday by Stifel. The thesis: TSMC's 2nm ramp is well ahead of Samsung and Intel Foundry, hyperscaler custom-silicon demand is expanding the addressable customer base beyond mobile, and pricing power in advanced nodes continues to widen the moat versus alternative foundries.
Shares traded near $413.82 during Wednesday's session, essentially unchanged, giving TSMC a market capitalization near $2.15 trillion. The 52-week range of $228.60 to $479 shows the stock has essentially doubled off cycle lows as AI accelerator demand has scaled. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple sits at 27.65.
Consensus is uniformly bullish among covering firms. Seven sell-side firms rate TSMC a strong buy, with six bullish and one neutral. The average price target of $552 implies roughly 33% upside from Wednesday's level, and Bernstein's Mark Li holds the high at $554 after raising his target on August 11.
Risks: The primary risks are geopolitical. Any escalation in cross-strait tensions between mainland China and Taiwan remains the tail-risk overhang, and export-control policy on advanced-node equipment from the US remains a factor. AI accelerator demand durability, capex intensity from Arizona and Kumamoto fabs, and pricing dynamics on legacy nodes all remain watch items.
Found this helpful? Share it with others.