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(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.) A pharmacy operator and an industrial stock were among the stocks being talked by analysts on Thursday. Barclays upgraded CVS to overweight from equal weight, calling for 24% upside. Meanwhile, JPMorgan lowered its rating on Honeywell International to neutral from overweight. Check out the latest calls and chatter below. All times ET. 5:50 a.m.: Barclays upgrades CVS, sees 24% upside Barclays sees significant upside ahead for shares of CVS . The bank upgraded the pharmaceutical stock to overweight from equal weight. Analyst Andrew Mok accompanied the rating change by lifting his price target to $82 from $63. CVS has slipped 16% this year, but ...

Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images U.S. blockchain startup Ripple made a major foray into crypto custody on Thursday, launching new services aimed at helping banks and financial technology firms to store digital assets on behalf of clients.The San Francisco-based company told CNBC it is debuting a slew of features to enable its banking and fintech clientele to keep and maintain digital tokens — as part of a broader push into custody, a nascent business for Ripple under its recently formed Ripple Custody division.These features include pre-configured operational and policy settings, integration with Ripple's XRP Ledger blockchain platform, monitoring of anti-money laundering risks to maintain compliance, and a new user interface that's easier to use and engage.The move will help Rippl...

Grabango's mobile appGrabangoGrabango, a venture-backed startup that was vying to take on Amazon in cashierless checkout technology, is shutting down after it was unable to raise enough money to stay afloat."Although the company established itself as a leader in checkout-free technology, it was not able to secure the funding it needed to continue providing service to its clients," a spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC on Wednesday. "The company would like to thank its employees, investors, and clients for all their hard work and dedication."Food tech publication The Spoon reported earlier on Grabango's closure.Launched in 2016, Grabango was developing checkout-free technology that uses computer vision and machine learning to track and tally up items as shoppers grab them from store sh...

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday disagreed with the Department of Justice's move to consider a possible breakup of Google, asserting that the company benefits consumers, businesses and the U.S."Google's an aggressive company. It has big reach, got a lot of power, operates in many markets. But I defy you to find any regular people in this country who think of Google as a bad actor," he said. "Google search is the most incredible bargain in the world, and the same goes for YouTube."The government filed a landmark case accusing Google of violating anti-monopoly laws in 2020, and in August a U.S. judge ruled that it had an illegal monopoly on search and text advertising. The DOJ on Tuesday made recommendations for Google's search business and revealed it was considering a breakup of the company ...

A top-performing fund manager has been selling off Microsoft stock, citing concerns about the tech giant's future profitability in the face of advancements in artificial intelligence. Stephen Yiu, chief investment officer at the Blue Whale Growth Fund , revealed his fund has been reducing its Microsoft position over the past six months. The Blue Whale Growth Fund held Microsoft since its inception until August this year. The fund is up 16.6% this year. In 2023, the fund returned 30.7%, significantly outperforming its benchmark and the S & P 500, which was up 26%. Yiu's decision stems from his belief that Microsoft's business model is about to change significantly in light of the rise of generative AI. MSFT 1Y line "The business model of Microsoft is going to change dramatically on the ...

Markets just keep rallying this year, with the S & P 500 up nearly 22% year-to-date and the Nasdaq jumping around 21%. In global stocks, the MSCI World index is around 16% higher. Many on Wall Street expect the trend to continue. Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley and others all see the S & P 500 around 6,000 by the end of the year, up from around 5,730 on Tuesday. Mary Ann Bartels, chief investment strategist at Sanctuary Wealth, said that while stocks are grappling with various worries, "liquidity is key and there is plenty of it now that the Fed has started to cut interest rates , and that means that markets can continue to grind higher." "October, which is historically a seasonally choppy and spooky month for markets, may bring some noticeable stock market turbulence, but the overa...

Ratan Tata speaks during an interview.Pradeep Gaur | Mint | Getty Images Tributes from industry leaders, politicians and the public at large poured in for Ratan Tata, the former chairman of India's Tata Sons, who passed away on Wednesday, aged 86.India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X called Tata "a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being ... his contribution went far beyond the boardroom."Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai recalled his meeting with Tata where they discussed Google's self-driving car project."He leaves an extraordinary business and philanthropic legacy and was instrumental in mentoring and developing the modern business leadership in India," Pichai wrote on X.Tata, who is credited with taking his business house globa...

Ian Read, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, speaks as President Donald Trump, left, listens during an announcement on a new pharmaceutical glass packaging initiative in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., July 20, 2017. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFormer Pfizer CEO Ian Read and ex-CFO Frank D'Amelio said Wednesday evening that they would step away from Starboard Value's campaign at the struggling pharmaceutical giant, just days after news of the activist's stake broke.Read and D'Amelio said they were "fully supportive" of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a joint statement made via an investment bank and confirmed to be authentic. The duo had been in contact with a number of directors shortly before news of Starboard's stake broke Sunday evening, ...

The pylon that fell on 20 June, disrupting power supply to parts of Northland. Photo: Transpower The Electricity Authority has confirmed it is investigating national grid operator Transpower following the collapse of a pylon earlier this year - potentially opening the door to compensation for power users. The investigation was revealed by Northland MP Grant McCallum during Wednesday's announcement of a $1 million fund, set up by Transpower and its contractor Omexom, to support projects with long-term benefits for Northland's economy. McCallum described it as a "goodwill payment" rather than compensation, which neither company was legally required to pay. From left: Northland MP Grant McCallum, Transpower's acting chief executive John Clarke, and Mayor Vince Cocurrulo at the presentat...

First published on By Faith Jeremiah The wastewater treatment plant at Akaroa. Photo: Supplied/Christchurch City Council New Zealand is confronting a perfect storm. Its energy grid faces three pressing challenges at once: an unreliable electricity supply, strict emissions reduction targets and ongoing environmental issues related to wastewater ponds. As the country prepares to meet growing energy demands, the variability of wind, solar and hydroelectric power has made year-round electricity generation hard to ensure. Compounding the issue are New Zealand's emissions targets and avoidable emissions from wastewater treatment plants. We need immediate, practical solutions. One lies hidden within our wastewater systems. Three challenges, one solution In the search for ...