Analyst Upgrades: IBM, VMware, Hudson Technologies

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings and price targets on International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW), and Hudson Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HDSN)

Karee Venema

Jul 19, 2016 at 9:45 AM

EMC
VMW
IBM
HDSN

Analysts are weighing in on tech stocks International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) and VMware, Inc. (NYSE:VMW), as well as refrigeration specialist Hudson Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HDSN). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on IBM, VMW, and HDSN.

IBM stock received no fewer than eight price-target hikes, after Big Blue turned in stronger-than-forecast second-quarter earnings. Included in the bunch was RBC, which boosted its price target by $10 to $165, saying International Business Machines Corp.'s quarterly results should buoy the shares in the near term. Elsewhere, CLSA raised its price target to $178 from $160 -- territory not charted since October 2014. Shares of IBM are up 2.1% at $161.91, adding to their 17.7% year-to-date lead. Should the stock continue this momentum, another round of bullish brokerage notes could come down the pike. While sentiment in the options pits is upbeat, 61% of covering analysts maintain a "hold" or worse rating toward IBM.

VMW is up 9.3% at $68.38, after the company's solid second-quarter earnings report was met with a round of applause from Wall Street. Among the nine brokerage firms chiming in on VMW -- whose parent company EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) was in analysts' bearish crosshairs yesterday -- was Jefferies, which raised its price target by $1 to $84. On the charts, VMW has been bouncing higher since hitting a six-year low of $43.25 in February, up 46.5%, and is now on pace for its best close since October. Options traders have been initiating long calls relative to puts at a rapid-fire rate in recent months. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), VMware, Inc.'s 50-day call/put volume ratio of 5.09 ranks in the 91st annual percentile.

HDSN is up 32.7% out of the gate to trade at $5.03 -- eyeing an 18-year closing high -- after the company inked a five-year contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) worth up to $400 million. Also boosting the shares are price-target hikes from B. Riley (to $7) and Craig-Hallum (to $9), territory the stock hasn't charted since 1997. New York-based Hudson Technologies, Inc. is now up 69% in 2016, and today's bull gap could shake some of the weaker bearish hands loose. Based on HDSN's current short interest levels, it would take nearly nine session to cover these bearish bets, at the stock's average daily pace of trading.

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