** Piper Sandler upgrades medical device maker Solventum SOLV.N to "overweight" from "neutral", raises PT to $87 from $78

** New PT implies 14.8% upside to stock's last close

** Brokerage says co has shown strong execution, with four quarters of clean beats and slight guidance raises, indicating that management is on right track

** Says co has showed consistent improvement in top-line growth and margins

** SOLV's tariff risk appears meaningfully lessened following recent U.S.-China trade tension de-escalation, Piper Sandler says

**Brokerage adds EPS estimates for SOLV have potential upside, driven by co's restructuring efforts, becoming fully independent from its former parent 3M MMM.N and efforts to remove unprofitable products

** Including session's moves, SOLV stock up 12.7% YTD

(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan)

((Padmanabhan.Ananthan@thomsonreuters.com))