Evercore ISI: Maintain the S&P 500 year-end target of 4750 points U.S. stocks may retrace in Q2

Evercore ISI analysts kept the S&P 500’s year-end target unchanged at 4,750 points, and raised their 2024 S&P 500 earnings per share forecast to $231 from $221. Analysts believe that despite the strength of the economy and the absence of a recession due to two years of sustained monetary policy tightening, US stocks are likely to retreat in the second quarter, citing inflation, while the current price-to-earnings ratio is as high as 23x, leading to historically low return potential, and the broader market has not kept up with the “energy stocks-led rally” momentum. In addition, the analyst explained that the inflation data made investors and some Fed officials begin to doubt the idea that the Fed will cut interest rates three times.