avis budget group inc’s stock got a ratings upgrade from analysts at morgan stanley who said they moved to a “relatively more constructive view” of the rentalcar industry amid ongoing heated demand for travel the analysts led by adam jonas raised their rating on avis’s car stock to the equivalent of buy from the equivalent of neutral and set a price target of 230 up from 200 the new price target represents an upside of about 5 over thursday prices for avis shares see also airlines are bracing for a busy summer travel season here’s what to expect avis “has a history of being able to not only extract higher revenues but also lower costs and subsequently higher margins from their operations vs hertz global holdings inc” the analysts said they kept their rating on hertz htz shares at the equivalent of hold the analysts said that their airline team continues to be bullish on travel for the second half of the year and that rentalcar companies are “the proverbial ‘tail of the dog’ of the travel industry” broader demand plays a key role in the industry’s demand curves the analysts said shares of avis have gained 35 so far this year while hertz’s shares have risen 15 that compares with gains of about 14 for the sp 500 spx in the same period