Analyst Downgrades: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Visa Inc, and Yahoo! Inc.

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG), Visa Inc (V), and Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO)

Oct 18, 2016 at 9:38 AM

VZ
YHOO
V
CMG

Analysts are weighing in on restaurant operator Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), credit card concern Visa Inc (NYSE:V), and tech stock Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on CMG, V, and YHOO.

CMG saw its rating lowered to "underperform" from "market perform" at Raymond James, which said the company's sales reduction due to a recent rash of food-borne illnesses could represent "a new normal." Along the same lines, RBC slashed the stock's price target to $465 from $485, following in the bearish footsteps of Nomura. It's been a rough year for Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., which has lost almost 45% year-over-year at $396.88. This has worked out well for short sellers, of which there are many. One-fifth of CMG's float is sold short, which would take about a week to buy back, at the stock's usual trading volume. Looking ahead, Chipotle will report earnings next Tuesday night.

V announced a CEO succession plan last night. Goldman Sachs responded with a $1 price-target cut to $96, still in all-time-high territory for the shares. Overall, it's been a solid if unspectacular year for Visa Inc stock, which has added 5.5% in 2016 at $81.82, just a stone's throw from its Sept. 22 record peak at $83.79. Options traders have been bracing for a pullback, though, per data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Specifically, V's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.89 ranks just 3 percentage points from an annual high. Turning to the fundamental front, Visa will report earnings next Monday evening.

YHOO saw its rating lowered to "hold" from "buy" at Needham, which cited worries that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) could walk away from or renegotiate its acquisition price due to a previously undisclosed 2014 hacking event. Needham said its concerns have been exacerbated by the "fact that YHOO canceled its 3Q16 earnings call," which originally would've followed tonight's scheduled data release. Yahoo! Inc. shares were last seen at $42.18.

Find out where the Dow lands right after the closing bell. Sign up now for Schaeffer's Market Recap

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.