Analyst Update: Amazon, Groupon, and Transocean LTD

Analysts adjusted their ratings on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN), and Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG)

Josh Selway

Aug 10, 2015 at 1:52 PM

Analysts are weighing in today on online retailer Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), discount fanatic Groupon Inc (NASDAQ:GRPN), and offshore driller Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on AMZN, GRPN, and RIG.

AMZN has edged 0.2% higher today to $523.46, following a price-target hike to $675 from $600 at Bernstein -- a 29% premium to current levels, and well into record-high territory. The shares have added over 68% in 2015, but have been in a sideways trend since their most recent bull gap. In response, put buyers have emerged in Amazon.com, Inc.'s options pits. The stock's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.99 outranks 79% of all other readings from the past year.

GRPN has been slipping recently, lagging the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by over 31 percentage points in the past three months. Today, it's more of the same, with the shares falling 4.1% to $4.25, and earlier touching a two-year low of $4.16, due to a round of bearish analyst attention -- following the company's disappointing trip to the earnings confessional on Friday. Since Friday's close, no fewer than 10 brokerage firms have lowered their price targets on the stock, with Northland Capital, Jefferies, and Evercore ISI all setting their marks at $5.25. Taking a step back, nine analysts currently call Groupon Inc a "hold," while seven others still say it's a "strong buy."

RIG is sustaining last week's earnings bounce, picking up another 5.1% today at $14.26. The stock is getting a lift from Jefferies, which upped its outlook to "hold" from "underperform," on top of lifting its price target to $13 from $12. There's plenty of upside potential for Transocean LTD if it can start digging its way out of a 22% year-to-date hole -- though, that's a big if. Not a single analyst rates the stock a "buy," meaning there's plenty of potential for bullish analyst notes to lift the shares.

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