Analyst Downgrades: Apple Inc., Dunkin Brands Group Inc, and Micron Technology, Inc.

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Apple Inc. (AAPL), Dunkin Brands Group Inc (DNKN), and Micron Technology, Inc. (MU)

Mar 7, 2016 at 9:27 AM

Analysts are weighing in on tech giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), restaurant stock Dunkin Brands Group Inc (NASDAQ:DNKN), and chipmaker Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on AAPL, DNKN, and MU.

AAPL was hit with a price-target cut to $127 from $132 at Pacific Crest, who noted that iPhone demand for the second fiscal quarter "appears stable but soft, which prompts more cautious estimates." In addition, Apple Inc.'s Mac computers were hit with their first-ever ransomware attack, according to Palo Alto Networks Inc (NYSE:PANW). AAPL, which closed at $103.01 on Friday, has been on the rebound in recent weeks, reclaiming the century level, and breaking out above resistance at its 60-day moving average. It looks like option bears have been backing off lately, and near-term traders are especially called-skewed. AAPL has a Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.68 -- lower than 85% of all readings in the past year.

Guggenheim downgraded its rating on DNKN to "neutral" from "buy," citing fewer potential drivers for upside in future earnings reports. Dunkin Brands Group Inc has been on a tear, adding back 32% since its late-January two-year low, and settling at $48.14 on Friday. But it doesn't appear option traders have been cheering the rally -- at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 15.67 is near an annual bearish high.

In pre-market action, MU is off 3.9% from its Friday close of $11.88, after Nomura cut its rating to "reduce" from "neutral" and its price target to $8 from $12 -- overshadowing a modest price-target hike from Mizuho. Micron Technology, Inc. has shed 16% so far in 2016, and has been struggling to topple resistance in the $12 region. But most analysts have maintained their optimism, with 15 out of 23 still rating the stock a "buy" or better. And option traders seem to agree -- at the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX, traders have bought to open 3.11 MU calls for each put over the last 10 sessions, a ratio in the 77th percentile of its annual range.

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