Analyst Downgrades: Amgen, Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, and HP Inc

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Amgen, Inc. (AMGN), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA), and HP Inc (HPQ)

Aug 25, 2016 at 10:05 AM

Analysts are weighing in on drugmakers Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:TEVA), as well as tech stock HP Inc (NYSE:HPQ). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on AMGN, TEVA, and HPQ.

Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target on AMGN to $198 from $199, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected the drugmaker's request to market Parsabiv for secondary hyperparathyroidism. These developments have dropped the stock 0.5% to $169.96. However, Amgen, Inc. remains fairly close to its annual high of $176.64, touched one week ago. If options traders have their druthers, the stock will continue to drift lower. During the last 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), speculators have bought to open 1.80 puts for every call -- a ratio ranking just 4 percentage points from an annual peak.

TEVA was dealt a legal blow yesterday, when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invalidated a pair of patents for multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone. The negative momentum is spilling over into today, with the stock down 0.6% at $51.30 -- with losses exacerbated by Morgan Stanley's $6 price-target cut to $63. This isn't particularly out of the ordinary for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd shares, though, as they've surrendered roughly 22% year-to-date. Losses could mount if upbeat brokerage firms begin to rethink their assessments. At present, 11 analysts rate TEVA a "buy" or better, compared to five "holds" and zero "sells" -- leaving the door wide open for potential downgrades.

HPQ has dropped 4.6% to trade at $13.74, pressured by the company's weak earnings forecast -- which is overshadowing better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results. Adding fuel to the bearish fire, Maxim downgraded its rating to "hold" from "buy," and cut its target price to $15 from $17. On the other hand, at least five analysts raised their price targets on HP Inc. Technically speaking, the shares have been red-hot since their early February lows just south of $9, and are currently trying to establish a foothold at their rising 50-day moving average. Options players certainly wouldn't mind a bounce. HPQ's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio of 3.83 sits 2 percentage points from a 12-month peak.

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