Stocks quoted in this article:
Stocks at new annual lows are all too numerous today, as Wall Street continues to stagger under the weight of all-too-familiar European debt woes. On the NYSE, no fewer than 261 stocks have slumped to a fresh 52-week nadir, compared to only six equities in annual-high territory. Likewise, the Nasdaq reports 220 annual lows, along with an even half-dozen new highs. Among the securities slumping to bearish technical milestones today are OpenTable Inc. (OPEN - 53.71) and Pandora Media Inc. (P - 9.59).
Beginning with OPEN, the shares bottomed out today at $52.73. The equity has already swallowed a loss of 21.6% year-to-date, and OPEN is off another 4.2% this afternoon. In fact, the stock is now trading well below short-term pressure at its 10-day and 20-day moving averages, putting OPEN at risk of collecting a daily close beneath recent support at the $55 level. This chart region has held the stock aloft since mid-August.
Amid the threat of ramped-up competition from freshly acquired Zagat, OPEN could be vulnerable to downgrades going forward. Zacks indicates that six out of 11 analysts maintain a "buy" or better rating on the stock, leaving plenty of room for downward revisions. Any negative notes from this group could smack OPEN even lower.
As for P, the equity fell as far south as $9.33 today, marking an all-time low for the Wall Street newcomer. In fact, the shares are currently at risk of notching their first-ever daily close below the round-number $10 region -- a far cry from P's post-IPO peak near the $26 level.
Judging by a flurry of bearish speculation, traders are expecting P's technical downturn to persist. Short interest surged by 67.2% over the past month, and now represents a lofty 10.3% of the stock's float. Meanwhile, during the past 10 days, speculators on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have bought to open 1.62 puts for every call on P, revealing a distinct preference for pessimistically oriented options.
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