Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) is soaring today, up 18.8% at $45.68 at last check, after the company raised its second-quarter revenue forecast, now anticipating $603 million to $608 million. Following the adjustment, two analysts upgraded the stock to "buy" -- D.A. Davidson from "neutral," with a price-target hike to $54 from $35, and Jefferies from "hold," raising its price target to $50 from $42. 

Prior to today's pop, NUS was seeing pressure from the 320-day moving average at the $40 region, though it had still tripled its mid-March lows of $12.30. Currently, the stock is up 15% year-to-date following an impressive 136.7% three-month gain. 

Coming into today, five out of six analysts sport a tepid "hold" rating on Nu Skin stock, with the remainder at a "sell." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus price target of $42.29 is now a 9.6% discount to current levels, leaving plenty of room for more upgrades and price-target hikes in the near future. 

Also worth noting is NUS' Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 40%, which stands higher than just 8% of all other readings in its annual range. This implies that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. 

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is up 2.6% at $39.98 at last check, after receiving an upgrade from Bernstein to "outperform" from "market perform," with added price-target hike to $52 from $48. The analyst in coverage, Peter Supino, said he believes meeting these targets will bring "sufficient outperformance" to the stock. Also in this open letter, directed at Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, Supino recommends a spin-out of NBCUniversal and Sky, believing now is a time for boldness. 

Today's pop now has CMCSA gapping above the long-term support of its 80-day moving average, a familiar floor for the shares since mid-May. Although the stock is down 11.3% year-to-date, today's surge has the equity eyeing its first weekly gain in four weeks. In terms of analyst attention, coming into today, 11 analysts sport a "buy" or better on Comcast stock, while the remaining eight carry a tepid "hold."

The options pits are leaning bullish as well, per Comcast stock's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 3.42 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits higher than 86% of readings from the past year, suggesting long calls are being picked up at a faster-than-usual rate.

• AIG is one of several insurance stocks storming higher today after a major court decision. Also lifting the shares -- which are up 1.8% at $54.38 -- is an upgrade to "buy" at Janney. Still, over half the analysts that cover American International Group Inc rate it just a "hold." The stock's lackluster technical performance may have something to do with this skepticism. For example, AIG has given back over 12% year-to-date -- though it's now on pace to close above its 60-day moving average for the first time this year. 

• SONC jumped to an annual high of $34.50 earlier and was last seen up 4.9% at $34.14, after the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings and full-year outlook both topped expectations. The analyst community has been upping its opinion in response. Specifically, UBS, Jefferies, Stephens, and Sterne Agee CRT all raised their price targets, with the latter setting its price target at $40 -- all-time-high territory. We'll now have to see if some Sonic Corporation short sellers jump ship. That's because SONC's short-interest ratio comes in at a lofty 6.60. 

• Longbow Research expressed its confidence in SHAK's nationwide growth story, raising its opinion on the stock to "buy" from "neutral." In its note, the brokerage firm pointed to the strong performance of the company's new stores outside of Manhattan. The shares are now up 3.7% at $36.19, but remain 8.6% lower in 2016. In the options pits, call buying has been hot on Shake Shack Inc. Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) shows more than three long calls have been initiated for every long put during the past two weeks. 

• LULU is 3.3% lower at $60.42, after J.P. Morgan Securities removed the stock from its "U.S. Equity Analyst Focus" list -- while adding a sector peer. Lululemon Athletica inc. is up 15% year-to-date, but unless things turn around quickly, the shares will finish the session beneath their 40-day moving average for the first time since mid-December. Today's negative note is relatively rare for LULU, with 70% of analysts rating the stock a "buy" or better. But this pullback might be just what some traders want -- nearly one-fifth of the equity's available float is sold short, accounting for about 12 days' worth of trading, at LULU's typical daily pace.

• Goldman Sachs began coverage on the cybersecurity sector, initiating FEYE with a $20 price target and a tepid "neutral" rating. More than half of the analysts following FireEye Inc give it the equivalent of a "hold," but option traders have been eyeing a rally for the stock, which is up 2.3% at $18.79 today. Specifically, FEYE holds a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 4.15 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) -- higher than 78% of all readings in the last 12 months. FEYE is still down 9.4% in 2016 after hitting a record low of $11.35 last month, but is on track for its first finish above its 20-week moving average since last July.

• MON is off 1.6% at $91.49, after Berenberg cut its price target on the stock to $110 from $120.  According to Bloomberg, Monsanto Company is in talks with both BASF and Bayer regarding "a range of possible combinations," including partnerships and the purchase of a crop-science business. Analysts are split equally on the stock, but option traders have taken call buying to a new extreme, as MON's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio has surged to an annual high of 16.26. 

• Capital One cut its rating on EPE to "underweight" from "equal weight," while BofA-Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock to "underperform" from "neutral" and set a $3 price target. Northland, RBC Capital, and KLR, meanwhile, raised their price-targets on EP Energy Co to $2.50, $6, and $7, respectively. The stock spent most of the day in the red, but has swung to a 6.8% gain to sit at $5.80 in afternoon trading. EPE has more than tripled in the past month, but ran into a speed bump in the form of its 200-day moving average. Short sellers could be sweating as a result. EPE is on the short-sale restricted (SSR) list today following an early drop, but nearly 39% of its total float is already tied up in these bearish bets, accounting for more than a week of trading, at the stock's average daily volume.

• Wedbush downgraded INFI to "underperform" from "neutral" while slashing its price target to $3 from $8, sending the shares plummeting 13.2% to $5.66 -- not far off their five-year low of $5.17, seen less than one month ago. The stock has shed about 28% year-to-date, but could fall even further should more analysts follow suit. Currently, six out of seven firms following Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. rate it a "buy" or better. The shares have been trending steadily lower since late 2014, under pressure from their descending 20- and 32-week moving averages. Unsurprisingly, short interest on INFI is elevated, representing about 14% of the equity's total float, or 9.5 days' worth of trading, at INFI's typical pace -- but today's drop has INFI, too, on the SSR list.

• DF is off 11.6% at $17.01, suffering its worst day in seven months, after analysts from Morgan Stanley noted that the construction of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.'s (NYSE:WMT) new milk plant in Indiana is an "unfavorable development" for Dean Foods Co -- currently the largest dairy processor in the country. While today's bear gap has the stock sitting just in the red for 2016, it could be enough to have option buyers shaking. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have bought to open more than six DF calls for each put over the last 10 sessions -- with a resulting 10-day call/put volume ratio higher than nearly three-fourths of comparable readings in the past year.

• FIVE is up 7.8% at $41.93 -- just off a new annual high of $42.26 -- after reporting fourth-quarter earnings above expectations and receiving price-target increases from Credit Suisse, RBC, and Dougherty & Company to $40, $44, and $53, respectively. The stock has been on a tear since bouncing off support at its 80-day moving average last month, and is now ahead 31% in 2016. The shares could continue their climb, should short sellers abandon their bearish positions. While short interest on Five Below Inc has already fallen more than 10% during the last two reporting periods, these pessimistic bets still account for about 22% of the stock's total float, or 12 days' worth of trading, at FIVE's typical daily volume.

• If gold is taking a hit today, silver is getting clobbered, with May futures last seen down 3.7% at $15.29 an ounce. Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, cut its rating on PAAS -- along with a certain gold interest -- to "hold" from "buy," sending the shares down 4% to $10.43. Pan American Silver Corp. hit an annual high of $11.30 just two days ago, after more than doubling from its 13-year low of $5.38, seen in January. Overall, analysts have been wary of the stock, though, with only one out of seven rating it better than a "hold." But option traders have been eyeing continued upside. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity has a 50-day call/put volume ratio of 28.86 -- higher than 98% of all readings in the past year.

• Goldman Sachs raised its price target on TMO to $156, sending the shares up 0.2% to $139.07. Traders are also digesting news that the company has been outbid by private firm Origin Technologies in its proposed merger with diagnostic specialist Affymetrix, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFFX), although Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. doesn't seem too concerned. AFFX is slated to vote on the offers next Thursday, March 31. On the sentiment front, short-term speculators have rarely been as put-skewed as they are now. In fact, TMO's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.89 sits just 2 percentage points from a 52-week peak.

• CC has surged 6.6% to trade at $6.95, following an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" at Goldman Sachs -- which also raised its price target to $10 from $6. Specifically, the brokerage firm said a bottoming titanium dioxide market could help the stock, as could the company's "cost cutting and asset optimization effort." Currently, Chemours Co is on track for its highest close since early November. If the shares can build on their recent momentum, additional upgrades could be in the cards, with 80% of analysts still rating them a "hold" or worse.

• EPE is smarting on a downgrade to "accumulate" from "buy" at KLR, which cited the company's valuation as the basis of the negative note. Further contributing to the selling pressure is a drop in crude oil prices. At last check, EP Energy Corp has fallen 4.9% at $4.89, and has pulled back 34% from its near-term high of $7.44 touched one week ago. This certainly comes as a welcome development for short sellers. Despite short interest falling 11.3% during the latest reporting period, 13.6 million EPE shares are still sold short -- an amount that would take over one week to cover, at typical trading levels.

• H.C. Wainwright bumped its rating on EPZM up to "buy," and increased its price target to $25. The move has the shares 8.1% higher at $11.15 -- though they remain 30% lower year-to-date. Nevertheless, short-term option traders are extremely call-skewed toward Epizyme Inc. The stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) checks in at an annual low of 0.15, with calls outstripping puts by a more than 6-to-1 basis among options with a shelf-life of three months or less.

• ALXN saw its price target trimmed to $216 from $217 at Leerink, but is 0.7% higher at $128.82 amid broad-market tailwinds. However, the stock is a long-term laggard, and just yesterday notched a two-year low of $124.16. More bearish brokerage attention could come down the pike if Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. fails to turn things around. After all, 14 of 18 brokerages rate the stock a "buy" or better, with not a single "sell" opinion in sight. Plus, ALXN's average 12-month price target of $200.26 represents a 55.5% premium to current levels.

• VRTX is up 3.8% at $82.21, despite a price-target cut to $135 from $145 at RBC. It hasn't been this pretty for all of 2016, as the shares have surrendered over 34% of their value year-to-date. Traders at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have been rolling the dice on extended losses in recent months. Specifically, lightly traded Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 2.44 sits just 6 percentage points from a 12-month peak.

• Rounding things out, VTAE has surged 5.7% to trade at $7.18, boosted by a price-target hike to $23 from $20 at Wedbush -- territory not charted since December 2014. In fact, the stock is on track to close above its 20-day moving average for the first time since gapping lower earlier this month on a poorly received quarterly earnings report. This represents quite a comeback for Vitae Pharmaceuticals Inc, which hit a record low earlier this week. While shareholders may be happy with the rebound, short sellers probably aren't. Over 15% of VTAE's float is sold short, representing nearly four weeks' worth of trading activity, at its average trading volume.

• GES gapped lower this morning following an earnings miss, downbeat current-quarter guidance, and a bearish round of brokerage notes. Specificially, three analysts lowered their price targets on the stock, with the deepest cut coming from Topeka Capital -- to $19 from $20. At last check, Guess?, Inc. has surrendered 13.2% at $18.50, which represents its biggest intraday loss in more than three years. This is music to the ears of option bears, who have been active in recent weeks. Traders have bought to open 2.43 GES puts for each call during the last 10 sessions at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) -- a ratio that ranks above 86% of all others from the past year.

• Oppenheimer initiated coverage on MSFT with an "outperform" rating and $62 price target -- never-before-charted territory for the shares. The bullish note has the stock 0.7% higher at $54.73, and on track for its seventh daily gain in the past eight sessions. Amid this steady uptrend, the brokerage crowd has grown increasingly bullish toward Microsoft Corporation. Of the 20 analysts tracking the stock, 15 have handed out a "buy" or better rating, versus four "holds" and just one "sell."

• SALT is the worst-performing stock on the Big Board, down 18.6% at $3.00. Weighing on the shares is the company's announcement of a secondary offering of 21 million common shares, which prompted UBS to lower its opinion to "neutral" from "buy" and its price target to $3.50 from $4. Year-to-date, Scorpio Bulkers Inc is now down 70%. While the stock is short-sale restricted today, short sellers have been upping the bearish ante in recent weeks. Short interest grew almost 16% during the last two reporting periods to 22.8% of SALT's float, and would take over a week to cover, given the stock's average daily trading levels.

• CASY has edged 0.4% higher at $106.60, after Goldman Sachs bumped its price target up to $115 from $112. The stock could use the boost, as it's been stair-stepping its way lower since its mid-December record high of $129.53. It looks like option traders have been betting on a breakout for Casey's General Stores Inc in recent weeks. During the last 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), 4.14 CASY calls have been bought to open for every put.

• GILD has been hit with yet more negative analyst attention -- this time from Leerink, which trimmed its price target to $127 from $130. However, unlike some other drugmakers, Gilead Sciences, Inc. is trading higher, up 0.3% at $89.70. Wall Street is divided on the stock, which has been consolidating in the $87-$91 range for the past month. On the one hand, 12 of 17 brokerage firms rate the shares a "buy" or better, with not a single "sell" opinion in sight. On the other, short interest exploded 70% during the past two reporting periods to 36.3 million shares -- three times GILD's average daily trading volume.

• PHM is down 2.5% at $17.80, after being downgraded to "underperform" from "neutral" at BofA-Merrill Lynch. Longer term, though, the stock has been on the up and up since bottoming in late January at $14.61, advancing 21.8%. Option traders have been piling into PulteGroup, Inc.'s bullish corner over the past few months. The stock's 50-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio registers at 3.05, outstripping 85% of all other readings taken in the prior year.

• BUFF has surged 21.2% to trade at $22.50 after beating fourth-quarter earnings estimates and receiving a price-target hike to $25 from $22 at Deutsche Bank. Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc has added 48% since its Feb. 11 record low of $15.19, and analysts appear optimistic, with only one out of six brokerages rating the stock lower than a "buy." Still, short interest on BUFF is elevated, representing about 21% of the equity's available float. At BUFF's average daily pace, it would take more than 16 session to buy back all these shares -- plenty of buying power to continue fueling the stock's rally.

• Goldman Sachs cut its rating on KEYS to "sell," sending the shares down 4% to $25.68. Keysight Technologies Inc is slumping this week, after a strong rebound from its Feb. 11 all-time low of $21.07 ran out of steam in the $27.50 region. Meanwhile, short sellers have been backing off , and in the most recent two-week reporting period, short interest fell by 16.1%.

• VSLR is down 1.4% at $4.11 -- not far off yesterday's record low of $4.03 -- after Deutsche Bank revised its price target on the stock to $4.50. Vivint Solar Inc dropped 20% Tuesday on the news that the company terminated its merger agreement with Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE). VSLR's year-to-date loss now stands at 57%. In the options pits, meanwhile, short-term speculators are more put-skewed than usual, per the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 2.52 -- in the 78th annual percentile.

• APC is yet another name enjoying sector tailwinds and bullish attention from Goldman Sachs, which upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral," and raised its price target to $58 from $50. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation also notified its employees today that it will cut about 1,000 jobs as part of its efforts to reduce capital expenditures in 2016. APC is up 9.3% at $46.43, bringing  its month-to-date gain to 22.3%, and bearish option traders could be hitting the bricks. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), APC has a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.39 -- just 1 percentage point shy of an annual high.

• Stephens raised its rating on BOJA to "overweight" from "equal-weight," after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings above expectations. Meanwhile, Jefferies, Barclays, and Piper Jaffray cut their price targets on the stock, which is nonetheless soaring 20.9% to $18.17. Bojangles Inc hit a record low of $13.39 at the beginning of February, encouraging a recent batch of short sellers. But the equity could keep its rally going if these bears back off soon -- nearly 12% of BOJA's available float is currently wrapped up in short interest, accounting for about seven days of trading, at the stock's average daily volume.

• FNSR reported better-than-predicted earnings for its fiscal third quarter last night, earning it an upgrade to "buy" and a price-target hike to $19.50 from Craig-Hallum, along with price-target increases from B. Riley, Piper Jaffray, and Goldman Sachs. Finisar Corporation has gapped 19.2% higher to sit at $16.90, and could top its 320-day moving average for the first time since last June. But the shares could see further upward momentum should more analysts come around. At the moment, only two of the 11 brokerage firms providing coverage rate the stock better than a "hold."