September has been living up to its reputation as a historically volatile month for trading , and Wall Street is divided on where some stocks will head from here. Knowing where the disagreement is can help investors navigate these choppy waters. Take the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Wednesday.
Debate raged over which way the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee would lean until the very moment the vote was announced. Many economists were anticipating a 25 basis point reduction in the key overnight borrowing rate, but the odds on the CME Group's FedWatch gauge were pricing in a greater probability of a larger 50 basis point reduction. Ultimately, the market was right .
With this in mind, CNBC Pro screened for stocks that are most controversial on Wall Street, abiding by the following criteria: A member of the S & P 1500 Composite Index Market cap of at least $5 billion At least 20% of analysts maintain positive ratings At least 20% of analysts maintain negative ratings Tesla made the list. Forty-one percent of analysts polled by FactSet have a buy rating on Tesla stock, while 21% have a sell rating. Their average target price implies more than 5% downside for the stock.
It has been a volatile year for the electric vehicle maker, with shares trading as high as $273.93 and as low as $138.80.
Right now, shares have pulled back 9% year to date. The stock has been pressured by steep price cuts that extend back to 2023 and investor worry over squeezed profit m.