S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are down 0.1% to 8,721 points on Friday.

Meanwhile, brokers have indicated continuing confidence in scores of ASX 200 shares this week.

Let’s see a sample.

Santos Ltd (ASX: STO)

The Santos share price is $8.51, down 0.8% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 energy share has risen 5%.

Bernstein renewed its buy rating on Santos shares on Monday.

The broker raised its 12-month price target from $8.90 to $10.10.

This suggests a potential 19% upside ahead.

Xero Ltd (ASX: XRO)

The Xero share price is $63.29, down 3.3% today.

This ASX 200 tech share has fallen 24% over the past month.

Citi reiterated its buy call on Xero shares with a price target of $113.60.

This implies potential capital gains of 80% ahead.

Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC)

The Westpac share price is $34.57, down 0.8% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 bank share has fallen 0.3%.

UBS reaffirmed its buy rating on Westpac shares with a 12-month target of $45.

This suggests a potential 30% upside ahead.

Rural Funds Group (ASX: RFF)

The Rural Funds share price is $1.95, down 0.5% today.

This ASX 200 agricultural real estate investment trust (REIT) has fallen 11% over the past month.

UBS renewed its buy rating on Rural Funds Group shares with a $2.30 target.

This implies potential capital growth of 19% over the next year.

AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP)

The AMP share price is $2.49, down 0.2% today.

Over the past month, this ASX financial share has risen 6%.

Citi renewed its buy rating on AMP shares with a $2.60 target.

This suggests a potential 4% upside ahead.

Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP)

The Zip share price is $2.21, down 0.5% today.

This ASX 200 financial share has fallen 13% over the past month.

Citi reiterated its buy rating on Zip shares on Monday.

The broker lowered its 12-month target from $3.55 to $3.20 per share.

This implies a potential 45% upside ahead.

Ramelius Resources Ltd (ASX: RMS)

The Ramelius Resources share price is $3.57, up 2.7% today.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 gold share has fallen 1%.

Morgans renewed its buy call on Ramelius Resources shares with a $4.74 target.

This suggests a potential 33% upside ahead.

Morgans said:

RMS is expected to release FY27 guidance and an updated outlook to FY30 in Sep-26, following execution of the EPC contract for the Mt Magnet mill expansion, providing greater clarity on project costs and timing.

The post 7 ASX 200 shares with reaffirmed buy ratings this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has positions in Zip Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Xero. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Rural Funds Group and Xero. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares are steady at 8,732 points on Friday.

Among the 11 market sectors, materials and miners are in the lead today, up 1.4%.

The consumer staples sector is the laggard, down 0.88%.

The ASX 200 has slipped into the red for the calendar year to date

However, a major survey shows investors are continuing to add to their portfolio positions.

Meanwhile, brokers have reduced their ratings on several ASX 200 shares this week.

Let’s take a look.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

The WiseTech share price is $32.04, up 0.5% today and down 67% over 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 tech share has fallen 26%.

Rothschild & Co downgraded WiseTech shares to a hold rating on Monday.

The broker has a 12-month price target of $37.

This implies a potential 15% upside ahead.

West African Resources Ltd (ASX: WAF)

The West African Resources share price is $3.60, up 2.1% today and up 31% over 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 gold share has risen 4%.

Macquarie downgraded West African Resources shares to a hold rating today.

The broker has a 12-month price target of $4.

This suggests a potential 11% upside ahead.

Ansell Ltd (ASX: ANN)

The Ansell share price is $42, down 0.4% today and up 26% over 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 healthcare share has increased 18%.

RBC Capital downgraded Ansell shares to a hold rating on Tuesday.

The broker increased its 12-month price target from $36 to $38.

This implies a potential 10% downside ahead.

Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN)

The Harvey Norman share price is $4.14, down 0.7% today and down 43% over 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 consumer discretionary share has fallen 11%.

Morgan Stanley downgraded Harvey Norman shares to a sell rating today.

The broker lowered its 12-month price target from $4.50 to $3.90.

This means a potential downside of 6% over the next year. 

Graincorp Ltd (ASX: GNC)

The Graincorp share price is $6.57, down 0.3% today and down 25% over 12 months.

Over the past month, this ASX 200 consumer staples share has risen 19%.

Macquarie downgraded Graincorp shares to a hold rating this week.

The broker shaved its 12-month price target from $7.10 to $7.

This suggests a potential 7% upside ahead.

The post Downgrade alert! 5 ASX 200 shares downgraded by experts this week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Harvey Norman and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Ansell and Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

There’s no fresh announcement from 4DMedical Ltd (ASX: 4DX) on Friday, but someone is clearly buying the stock.

The 4DMedical share price has jumped 10.79% to $4.21 around midday, with more than 4 million shares already changing hands.

It continues what has been a pretty dramatic turnaround over the past week.

The stock touched $3.31 last Friday and has since climbed around 27%.

And today’s move has caught my attention because 4DMedical remains one of the most heavily shorted stocks on the ASX.

So, what is driving buyers back into this ASX 200 healthcare stock?

Why are buyers coming back?

The first place I’d look is the size of the recent sell-off.

Even after today’s jump, 4DMedical shares are still trading around 44% below their 52-week high of $7.55.

That’s a pretty big reset for a company that has continued making progress on the commercial side.

In FY26, operating revenue rose 21% to $7.1 million, while scan volumes increased 77% to 344,075 scans.

The company also finished the year with its software available across 540 sites globally, up 39% from a year earlier.

There has been more progress in the United States as well, with CT:VQ being rolled out across major healthcare networks and imaging providers.

Could short sellers be adding fuel?

The other part of Friday’s move is the very large short position sitting against the stock.

As of 11 September, around 12.4% of 4DMedical shares were reported short, making it one of the most shorted stocks on the ASX.

That means a large number of traders are still positioned for the share price to fall.

When a heavily shorted stock suddenly starts climbing, some of those traders can be forced to buy shares back to close their positions.

That extra buying can then add more momentum to the rally.

Of course, we can’t know for sure that’s happening today because short position data comes through with a 4-trading-day delay.

Still, with the shares up more than 20% over the past week, I wouldn’t be surprised if some short covering is helping the move.

What should investors watch next?

The stock has already bounced around 27% from last Friday’s low, so I wouldn’t get carried away just yet.

I’d be more inclined to watch whether 4DMedical can keep building its commercial progress, especially in the United States.

Scan volumes are rising, and more sites are coming on board, but shareholders will eventually want to see that translate into stronger revenue.

Still, with the shares well below their highs, I can see why buyers are starting to come back.

The post 4DMedical shares are rocketing 11% today. Is a short squeeze starting? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• 4DMedical vs Telix Pharmaceuticals: ASX health tech share showdown
• These 2 ASX healthcare shares just jumped up to 15%. Here’s why
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• These are the 10 most shorted ASX shares
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.