My top 10 things to watch Tuesday, Dec. 16 1. Stocks were headed for a slightly lower open. Wall Street had little reaction to better-than-expected November jobs growth . The economy added 64,000 nonfarm payrolls last month. However, the unemployment rate last month rose unexpectedly to 4.6%. The data was delayed due to the government shutdown. A lower close for the S & P 500 today would make it three down sessions in a row. Losses in AI names were again the culprit for yesterday’s market decline. 2. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Club name GE Vernova to $822 from $710. Analysts, who kept their buy rating, like the energy equipment company because it supports the buildout of AI data centers. GE Vernova’s heavy-duty turbines provide additional power sources. Wells Fargo took GE Vernova’s PT to $831 from $717, as well. 3. Jefferies thinks cybersecurity names will lag in 2026 despite having strong fundamentals. The analysts cut their price target on Cloudflare to $225 from $250. The firm, however, left its PTs on Club holdings Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike unchanged. 4. Kraft Heinz said this morning that ex- Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane will lead the firm ahead of its split in 2026. Cahillane, who previously led Kellogg through its breakup in 2023, will start on Jan. 1. It’s a good move on Kraft’s part. The stock was up nearly 2% on the news. 5. JPMorgan hiked its price target on First Horizon to $27 from $23 and kept its hold rating. Analysts see “solid upside potential” in 2026 for regional bank names because of additional interest rate cuts and more loan growth. For the Club, we own big banks Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo ., which have been hot stocks. 6. Gap was upgraded to a buy from hold at Wells Fargo. Analysts took their price target on the Old Navy and Athleta parent to $30 from $24, citing optionality on tariff repeals and a better-than-feared holiday shopping season. Gap is one of Wells’ favorite long ideas. 7. Bank of America analysts hiked their Estee Lauder price target to $130 from $120 and named it their top beauty stock for 2026. BofA, which kept its buy rating, raised Estee Lauder’s earnings estimates, saying they are encouraged by the turnaround at the company. 8. PayPal applied to form a bank that can offer small business loans and savings accounts. The move followed the government’s preliminary approval last week of plans from crypto firms Ripple and Circle to form national trust banks. 9. Barclays upgraded Southwest Airlines to a buy from hold and increased its price target to $56 from $34. Analysts said they like the new strategy at the airline. I think this call is late, considering the stock closed yesterday near $42. 10. Mizuho raised its price target on Tesla to $530 from $475, implying 11.5% upside from yesterday’s close. The analysts kept their buy rating on shares, citing improving feelings about robotaxis. Is this the new non-data center tech to watch? Sign up for my Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free (See here for a full list of the stocks at Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
