U.S. stocks settled higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones index gaining more than 600 points during the session as investors welcomed upbeat bank earnings and cooler-than-expected inflation data, while largely shrugging off trade war concerns after China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.

Despite significant volatility last week, all three major averages recorded gains during the period. The S&P 500 gained 5.7% to record its best week since November 2023, while the Nasdaq jumped 7.3%, notching its best week since November 2022. The Dow also jumped around 5% last week.

Wall Street analysts make new stock picks on a daily basis. Unfortunately for investors, not all analysts have particularly impressive track records at predicting market movements. Even when it comes to one single stock, analyst ratings and price targets can vary widely, leaving investors confused about which analyst’s opinion to trust.

Benzinga’s Analyst Ratings API is a collection of the highest-quality stock ratings curated by the Benzinga news desk via direct partnerships with major sell-side banks. Benzinga displays overnight ratings changes on a daily basis three hours prior to the U.S. equity market opening. Data specialists at investment dashboard provider Toggle.ai recently uncovered that the analyst insights Benzinga Pro subscribers and Benzinga readers regularly receive can successfully be used as trading indicators to outperform the stock market.

Top Analyst Picks: Fortunately, any Benzinga reader can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. One of the ways traders can sort through Benzinga’s extensive database of analyst ratings is by analyst accuracy. Here’s a look at the most recent stock picks from each of the five most accurate Wall Street analysts, according to Benzinga Analyst Stock Ratings.

Analyst: Ann Hynes

• Analyst Firm: Mizuho
• Ratings Accuracy: 87%
• Latest Rating: Maintained an Outperform rating on UnitedHealth Group Incorporated ( UNH ) and increased the price target from $600 to $650 on April 9. This analyst sees around 8% upside in the stock.
• Recent News: UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) will release its first quarter financial results on Thursday, April 17, before the market opens.

Analyst: Lloyd Walmsley

• Analyst Firm: UBS
• Ratings Accuracy: 85%
• Latest Rating: Maintained a Buy rating on Meta Platforms, Inc. ( META ) and cut the price target from $786 to $650 on April 11. This analyst sees around 18% surge in the stock.
• Recent News: Joelle Pineau, the Vice President of AI research at Meta decided to step down and leave the company in May.

Analyst: Patrick Brown

• Analyst Firm: Raymond James
• Ratings Accuracy: 83%
• Latest Rating: Maintained an Outperform rating on CSX Corporation ( CSX ) and slashed the price target from $37 to $34 on April 11. This analyst sees around 21% upside in the stock.
• Recent News: CSX will release first quarter financial and operating results after the market close on Wednesday, April 16.

Analyst: Matthew Carletti

• Analyst Firm: JMP Securities
• Ratings Accuracy: 82%
• Latest Rating: Maintained a Market Outperform rating on Bowhead Specialty Holdings Inc. ( BOW ) and increased the price target from $38 to $40 on April 11. This analyst sees around 5% upside in the stock.
• Recent News: Bowhead Specialty ( BOW ) will release financial results for the first quarter before the market opens on Tuesday, May 6.

Analyst: Paul Newsome

• Analyst Firm: Piper Sandler
• Ratings Accuracy: 82%
• Latest Rating: Maintained an Overweight rating on Goosehead Insurance, Inc ( GSHD ) and cut the price target from $132 to $122 on April 9. This analyst sees around 11% upside in the stock.
• Recent News: On Feb. 24, Goosehead Insurance ( GSHD ) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter EPS and sales.

Read More:

• Top 3 Industrials Stocks That May Explode In April

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