Battleground stocks: These are the stocks analysts are most divided on

Published Thu, May 18 20233:20 PM EDT

Recent market volatility and uncertainty regarding the U.S. economy has Wall Street analysts torn about where some stocks are headed in the upcoming months. CNBC Pro screened for Russell 1000 stocks that met the following criteria: At least five ratings in the past month Buy or overweight ratings from at least 20% of analysts covering them, as well as sell or underweight ratings from at least another 20% More volatile than the broader market: These stocks have a beta greater than 1.2 (a stock with a beta multiple greater than 1 indicates greater volatility) Take a look at the volatile stocks analysts can't agree on, and where analysts think they could be headed. Wood pellet producer Enviva made the list. The stock has buy or overweight ratings from 20% of analysts, while another 20% rates it as sell or underweight. Enviva shares are also among the most volatile on the list, with a beta of 2.76. The stock has gotten crushed this year, losing more than 80%. Earlier this month, the company suspended its dividend. Stock trading platform Robinhood also made the list of divisive stocks. Almost a third of analysts covering the stock rate it a buy, but another 23% have issued a sell or equivalent rating. Robinhood recently launched 24-hour trading for select stocks and exchange-traded funds, five days a week. "24/5 trading creates media buzz and could spark customer reengagement, though we expect limited revenue impact [near term]," Morgan Stanley analyst Michael J. Cyprys, who has an equal weight rating, wrote in a note last week. Shares are up nearly 5% in 2023. HOOD YTD mountain HOOD in 2023 Analysts are also torn on Coinbase . Thirty-six percent of analysts rate it as buy, but another 29% have sell-equivalent ratings on it. Shares have surged more than 67% year to date but are still down more than 5.74% over a 12-month period. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv estimate shares having almost 18% upside from Wednesday's close. That said, the stock is also highly volatile, with its beta above 3. "While COIN continues to garner headlines relative to the regulatory environment, the actual business model here is showing both resilience and robustness," Canaccord analyst Joseph Vafi, who has a buy rating on Coinbase, wrote earlier this month. However, he also cut his price target to $70 per share from $100. Another battleground name is gaming platform Roblox . More than half of the analysts covering the stock give it a buy rating. Nonetheless, 24% of analysts have a sell rating on it. While shares have jumped more than 48% in 2023, analysts think they may be due for a slightly pullback, based on the average price target. Rockwell Automation also made the list. More than 30% of analysts have buy ratings on the stock, whereas 23% have a sell rating. Shares have gained 8% year to date. Analysts see an additional 5.8% upside from where shares closed on Wednesday. UBS analyst Chris Snyder has a buy rating on the stock. On Wednesday, he wrote: "After ROK built backlog by another ~$600M in FH1'23, mgmt has set expectations for an imminent ~$600M burn in 2H by guiding back half orders to $4.2B (vs $4.8B in FH1) and YE backlog to $5B (unchanged yoy). While incomings suggest investors have taken the guide as fact, we think it could prove conservative." —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.