Analyst Upgrades: Tesla Motors, Monsanto, AbbVie

Analysts are weighing in today on electric automaker Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), agricultural concern Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON), and biopharmaceutical firm AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on TSLA, MON, and ABBV.

• TSLA is up 2.6% this morning at $255.70 on reports Panasonic is sending hundreds of employees to the car producer's Gigafactory in Nevada to prepare to make lithium-ion batteries next year. On top of this, Baird raised its price target to $335 from $275, marking a 31% premium to current levels. The shares have been solid on the charts, adding 15% in 2015. Option traders have been betting on more upside, too. Tesla Motors Inc's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 1.35 is higher than three-fourths of comparable readings from the past year. On a separate note, TSLA will hold its annual shareholder meeting tomorrow.


• MON's second takeover bid for Syngenta AG (ADR) (NYSE:SYT) has been rejected, with the latter company citing regulatory concerns. Regardless, Monsanto Company is up 0.6% on the day at $114.62, as it received an upgrade at Atlantic Equities to "neutral" from "underweight." Analysts are split on the stock. While seven brokerage firms say it's a "strong buy," six others deem it only a "hold." Going by its recent price action, the bearish attention seems more deserving. MON has dropped 9% since touching a 2015 high of $126 on Feb. 25.


• Thanks to a pair of price-target hikes, ABBV has added 0.6% this morning to hit $67.90. Specifically, Jefferies upped its price target to $90 from $86, while Credit Suisse raised its mark to $72 from $69. The Street already has a decidedly bullish stance on the shares, with 80% of brokerage firms calling them a "strong buy," and not a single "sell" to be found. On the charts, AbbVie Inc has been gaining lately, outpacing the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by almost 15 percentage points over the past three months.