Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) has bounced back from an early morning sell-off
Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ) is hovering near breakeven amid the
broad-market sell-off, down 0.3% this morning at $29.65. This marks quite the turnaround, though, as CSIQ plunged 7.2% out of the gate due to
concerns surrounding China, where the company houses most of its operations. Based on recent options activity, this bounceback is an unwelcome sight.
During the last two weeks at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have bought to open 2.63 CSIQ puts for every call. This ratio ranks a mere 4 percentage points from a 12-month high, suggesting
speculators are largely bearish toward the solar stock.
Further reflecting that negativity is CSIQ's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.41, as put open interest outweighs call open interest among options with a shelf-life of three months or less. If that's not enough, this SOIR stands above 94% of comparable readings from the past year, meaning short-term traders are more put-skewed than usual.
However, not everyone is in Canadian Solar Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CSIQ) bearish camp. All of the analysts currently tracking the security rate it a "strong buy." What's more, the stock's consensus 12-month price target of $46.84 represents a nearly 58% premium to its current perch -- and in territory not explored for seven years.