Analyst Downgrades: Exxon Mobil Corporation, Anheuser Busch Inbev SA, and salesforce.com, inc.

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM), Anheuser Busch Inbev SA (ADR) (BUD), and salesforce.com, inc. (CRM)

Aug 1, 2016 at 9:58 AM

Analysts are weighing in on oil stock Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), beer baron Anheuser Busch Inbev SA (ADR) (NYSE:BUD), and cloud concern salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE:CRM). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on XOM, BUD, and CRM.

Following last Friday's earnings slide, XOM received price-target cuts at Barclays, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Securities, and UBS. As a result, the stock is down 2% at $87.14, surrendering its foothold atop the rising 100-day moving average. Should options traders have their druthers, Exxon Mobil Corporation will continue its slide. Specifically, at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock has amassed a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 3.36 -- in the bearishly skewed 82nd percentile of its annual range.

BUD is down 2.1% out of the gate at $126.71, as a downgrade to "neutral" from "positive" at Susquehanna outweighs the firm's own price-target hike to $147 from $145 -- as well as CLSA's upwardly revised price target (to $145 from $142). Technically, Anheuser Busch Inbev SA has been chopping between $120-$132 since late March, with traders keeping an eye trained on M&A developments. In the options arena, bearish sentiment is running high, per data at the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX. BUD's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 6.81 outranks 95% of all other readings taken in the last year.

Pivotal Research slashed its target price on CRM to $105 from $139, though that's still a 29% premium to the stock's current perch at $81.17. As such, the shares are off 0.8%, as they continue to consolidate just above their year-to-date breakeven mark, as well as the 50-day moving average -- a foothold the stock is at risk of losing today. While salesforce.com, inc. is down on negative analyst attention, more broadly speaking, the brokerage community is quite upbeat. Of the 29 analysts tracking CRM, 27 have given the stock a "strong buy" rating, compared to two "holds" and not a single "sell."

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