Analyst Update: Micron, Children's Place, Lowe's

Analysts revised their ratings and price targets on Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Children's Place Inc (NASDAQ:PLCE), and Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Josh Selway

May 18, 2016 at 2:07 PM

LOW
plce
MU

Analysts are weighing in on semiconductor stock Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), as well as retail stocks Children's Place Inc (NASDAQ:PLCE) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on MU, PLCE, and LOW.

MU is up 4.7% today to trade at $10.12 -- though this is little solace for shareholders, who've watched the stock fall 61.5% year-over-year. Plus, the shares remain below their pesky 80-day moving average. As for today's price action, it comes as a result of a price-target increase to $11 from $10 at Bernstein. Analysts as a whole are split on Micron Technology, Inc., with 13 calling it a "buy" or better and 11 rating it a "hold" or worse.
After a 4.1% post-earnings pop on Tuesday, PLCE is up another 3.5% today at $73.52. Helping the shares is an upgrade to "buy" at Goldman Sachs, which also threw bullish comments in the direction of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). While Children's Place Inc maintains a strong year-to-date lead on the charts, the shares have cooled since hitting a record high of $84.91 in early April -- though they appear to have found a foothold atop their rising 100-day moving average. Short sellers will be watching this price action closely, since almost 19% of PLCE's float is sold short -- translating into more than a week's worth of pent-up buying power, at the stock's typical volumes.
LOW continues to move higher following this morning's earnings beat and better-than-expected full-year forecast. The stock is up 3.5% at $78.71, after earlier topping out at an all-time high of $79.49. What's more, Piper Jaffray earlier today raised its price target to $94 from $93. Three-fourths of analysts already recommend buying LOW -- while none deem it a "sell" -- but options trading took a bearish turn ahead of earnings. Specifically, Lowe's Companies, Inc.'s 10-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands at 2.21 -- in the 87th annual percentile.

For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: Tesla Motors Inc, Charter Communications, Inc., and TJX Companies Inc and Analyst Downgrades: Vipshop Holdings Ltd, Tiffany & Co., and Western Digital Corp.

Follow @Schaeffers

Two High-Octane Trade Ideas. One Simple Goal: Intraday Profits.

Dynamite Day Trading Signals delivers two same-day options trades every week — powered by proprietary intraday analysis and 43+ years of trading expertise.

But this isn’t just another stream of alerts.

It’s a structured plan with clear entry and exit points – designed for traders who want to act fast, trade smart, and wrap up gains before the closing bell.

No guesswork. No overnight exposure – Just two well-researched setups per week — whether you prefer buying premium or selling it.

And the results speak for themselves: subscribers have locked in +245.8% total profit over the last six months (since inception!).

👉 Start your one-month trial now for just $10, and be ready for the next trade alert.