Vivint Solar Inc (NYSE:VSLR) is up 2.1% at $3.43 today, on news that it has secured $200 million in financing for its residential solar power projects. The stock hit a record low of $3.29 on Friday, still reeling after ending its merger agreement with Sunedison Inc (NYSE:SUNE).

Technically speaking, VSLR has been on a downtrend since last July. And the shares' last attempt at a serious rally came up short when they ran into resistance at their descending 40-day moving average. In fact, since last summer's high of $16.00, the stock has given up 79% of its value.

Underperforming the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by 65.5 percentage points over the last three months, VSLR also has a 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 30 -- right on the edge of "oversold" territory.

Unsurprisingly, traders have been wary of VSLR for some time. In the option pits, speculators are still heavily targeting puts over calls. The equity's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 4.86, for example, shows puts outnumbering calls nearly 5-to-1 among options expiring in the next three months. This ratio also outranks 93% of the past year's readings.

There are some signs bears are beginning to back off, however. Short interest on VSLR fell by more than 10% during the most recent reporting period. But these pessimistic bets still account for over 26% of the security's total available float. And at VSLR's typical daily volume, it would take almost two weeks to buy back all the shorted shares.

Analysts may not have given up all hope in VSLR, either. While several cut their price targets on the stock last week, the average 12-month price target of $7.10 is more than twice Vivint Solar Inc's (NYSE:VSLR) current value.

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Analysts are weighing in on oil-and-gas stock EP Energy Corp (NYSE:EPE), biotech issue Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INFI), and dairy distributor Dean Foods Co (NYSE:DF). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on EPE, INFI, and DF.

• 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.

For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: AT&T Inc., Zillow Group, Inc. - Class C, and Wynn Resorts, Limited and Analyst Downgrades: Amazon.com, Inc., Yahoo! Inc., and Chevron Corporation.

Most Asian markets finished lower today, as stocks reacted to deadly terrorist attacks in Brussels and declining crude futures. By the close, Japan's Nikkei and Hong Kong's Hang Seng were both down 0.3%, while South Korea's Kospi shed 0.1%. China's Shanghai Composite, however, rose 0.4%, buoyed by optimism over a potential Shenzen-Hong Kong stock exchange trading link.

Markets in Europe are higher at midday amid a low-volume session, boosted by a bounce back in travel stocks. Traders are also keeping a close eye on Credit Suisse, which announced a fresh round of job cuts after the firm forecast another quarterly loss. At last check, the German DAX is up 1.1% as investors digest a draft of Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s 2017 budget. Elsewhere, the French CAC 40 is 0.4% higher, and London's FTSE 100 is flirting with a 0.2% lead.

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Analysts are weighing in on software company Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE), tobacco firm Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM), and oil-and-gas stock Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on ADBE, PM, and WLL.

• Analysts continue to wax optimistic on ADBE, following last week's standout earnings report. The latest bullish brokerage note comes from Deutsche Bank, which boosted its price target on ADBE to $120 from $110 -- representing a 30% premium to last night's close at $92.56. The shares have been on fire recently, up 30% from their Feb. 8 annual low of $71.27, and fresh off Friday's record peak of $98.00. Option traders have been growing more bullish, too. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Adobe Systems Incorporated's 10-day call/put volume ratio has jumped to 1.37 from 0.95 in the past two weeks, and now sits in the 65th annual percentile.


• Cowen and Company raised its price target on PM to $109 from $98, while underscoring its "outperform" rating -- as takeover talks among its sector peers heat up. This echoes the generally bullish bias seen among the brokerage bunch, as 64% of those covering the stock maintain a "buy" or better rating. The short-term options crowd, meanwhile, is more put-heavy than usual, per PM's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.96 -- in the 70th percentile of its annual range. Technically, shares of Philip Morris International Inc. hit a record high of $99.33 last Thursday, and closed last night not far from here, at $96.74.


• WLL is pointed 2.2% lower in electronic trading, as declining oil prices overshadow a price-target hike to $9 from $5 from Deutsche Bank. Since hitting a record low of $3.35 in late February, the shares of WLL have bounced 144% to trade at $8.16. While analysts have begun taking note, speculators are still skeptical. Not only does the equity's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 1.02 sit in 76th annual percentile, but more than one-quarter of Whiting Petroleum Corp's float is sold short.

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U.S. stocks are signaling a flat open this morning, as traders eye oil and earnings. Among equities in focus today are athletic apparel stock Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), drugmaker Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), and banking firm Credit Suisse Group AG (ADR) (NYSE:CS).

• NKE is looking at a roughly 5% post-earnings drop when the market opens -- almost exactly the swing that option traders were predicting. The company's fiscal third-quarter earnings topped the Street's expectations, but revenue was slightly weaker than expected. Yet, while some brokerages trimmed their price targets on Nike Inc since yesterday's close, Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs upped theirs, with the latter setting its target in all-time-high territory at $76. If the shares can shake off this potential post-earnings dip and resume their long-term trajectory, there's potential for more analysts to follow Goldman Sachs' bullish lead. Specifically, despite NKE's roughly 29% year-over-year advance to trade at $64.90, the stock's average 12-month price target stands just above at $70.81. 

• GILD is off 2.5% in electronic trading, after a federal jury ruled against the company and in favor of fellow drug firms Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:IONS) in a patent dispute over GILD's hepatitis C treatment. MRK is now seeking over $2 billion in damages from Gilead Sciences, Inc. At $93.72, GILD was already down 7.4% in 2016, and today's potential price action could have quite a few shorts cheering. In fact, short interest on the shares jumped by nearly 70% in the past two reporting periods. 

• CS has had a miserable year, and the banking giant is continuing its efforts to turn things around. Specifically, the firm announced additional cost-cutting efforts, saying it'll slash 2,000 more jobs, bringing the grand total to 6,000 job cuts thus far. Plus, CEO Tidjane Thiam said a first-quarter loss should be expected, but wouldn't give guidance for 2016. Ahead of the open, Credit Suisse Group AG is edging 1.8% higher -- and made strides across the pond -- but the shares have still underperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by almost 33 percentage points in the past three months to trade at $14.75. In response, option traders have been placing bearish bets, with 1.56 puts bought to open for every call during the past two weeks at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). 

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Analysts are weighing in on gold stock Barrick Gold Corporation (USA) (NYSE:ABX), petroleum refiner HollyFrontier Corp (NYSE:HFC), and doughnut distributor Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE:KKD). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on ABX, HFC, and KKD.

• Heading into today's trading, ABX had nearly doubled in value year-to-date, and hit an annual high of $15.52 last Thursday. Nevertheless, Deutsche Bank lowered its rating to "hold" from "buy" -- while waxing optimistic on this other commodity stock -- which has sent the shares down 7.8% this morning to $13.37. Meanwhile, in the options pits, short-term speculators are more put-skewed now than they've been at any other point during the past year, per ABX's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.41 - an annual high. Should Barrick Gold Corporation resume its longer-term uptrend, an unwinding of the hedges related to these bearish bets could help propel the shares even higher.


• Goldman Sachs cut its outlook for HFC to "sell" from "neutral," and cut its price target to $34 from $37, citing concerns over valuation and earnings per share. As such -- and amid falling oil prices -- the shares are down 4.4% to $36.69. Longer term, HollyFrontier Corp has added nearly 27% since hitting a three-year low of $29 in mid-February. Short sellers, however, have been ramping up their bearish exposure. Short interest surged 10.7% in the most recent reporting period to 10.10 million shares -- the loftiest amount since early September.


• KKD has shed 7.4% out of the gate to trade at $14.25, after the company's fourth-quarter revenue miss and lackluster guidance was met with a price-target cut to $21 from $22 at Wedbush. Today's negative price action only echoes the equity's technical troubles, with shares of KKD off more than 31% year-over-year. Options traders, however, have been scooping up long calls at a rapid-fire rate ahead of earnings, as evidenced by KKD's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 3.38 -- in the 79th annual percentile. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts could encounter a fresh wave of selling pressure, should these option bulls jump ship.

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Pharmaceutical stock SAGE Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SAGE) is down 20% at $26.71 -- its biggest intraday loss in over a year -- and earlier hit an annual low of $26.28, after hedge fund Kerrisdale Capital announced a new short position on the stock. Kerrisdale stated it expects SAGE's experimental seizure treatment to fail in its late-stage study, which could push the shares 75% lower. (Results for the study are expected later this year.) As a result, trading volume on SAGE stock is booming, on pace to hit an annual high. 

On a closer look, short interest has been growing on the stock. Specifically, short interest popped by 17.5% during the last two reporting periods, bringing the amount of shorted SAGE shares to 3.15 million -- an all-time high. At average daily volumes, it'd take these bears almost seven sessions to cover their positions. 

Today, though, the stock is short-sale restricted amid the steep losses. Because of this, some traders have taken to the options pits to place bets on the biotech, though overall volume remains light, on an absolute basis. 

Looking back, SAGE Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SAGE) has plummeted 70% since hitting an all-time high above $89 last June. Unfortunately, the stock looks vulnerable to more headwinds in the near term due to the extremely bullish outlook from analysts. Specifically, all seven brokerages that cover SAGE say it's a "strong buy," while the stock's average 12-month price target is $85.57 -- more than triple current levels. Potential bearish attention from this group could put even more pressure on the drugmaker. 

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Next week will be a busy one on the data front, with the Labor Department's nonfarm payrolls report likely to command the most attention due to its potential impact on the timing of future interest-rate hikes -- a hot topic among central bankers of late. The week is also chock-full of speeches from Fed officials, including Tuesday's address from Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Things will be much quieter when it comes to earnings, with Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) and BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) being the highest-profile companies set to report.

Below is a brief list of some key market events scheduled for the upcoming week. All earnings dates listed below are tentative and subject to change. Please check with each company's respective website for official reporting dates.

Monday, March 28

Due out Monday are the international trade balance, personal income and spending data, the pending home sales index, and the Dallas Fed manufacturing survey. Cal-Maine Foods (CALM) will report earnings.

Tuesday, March 29

The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index and the Conference Board's consumer confidence survey will hit the Street Tuesday. A number of central bank officials will take the podium, too, including Yellen, San Francisco Fed President John Williams, and Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan. Conn's (CONN), Dave & Buster's (PLAY), Lennar (LEN), and Sonic (SONC) are among the companies set to release earnings data.

Wednesday, March 30

ADP's report on private-sector payrolls and weekly crude inventories are due out Wednesday, while Chicago Fed President Charles Evans will give a speech. Reporting earnings are LULU, Micron Technology (MU), and Paychex (PAYX).

Thursday, March 31

On Thursday's docket are weekly jobless claims and the Chicago purchasing managers index (PMI). Evans will speak once again, as will New York Fed President William Dudley. There are no scheduled earnings reports worth noting.

Friday, April 1

On Friday, the week's lineup will close out with the all-important nonfarm payrolls report. Also scheduled for release are motor vehicle sales, the Markit purchasing managers manufacturing index (PMI), the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing index, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey, and construction spending data. Plus, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester will step behind the mic. Meanwhile, BBRY will report earnings.

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Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) is getting a boost today, following reports the Pizza Hut parent is in talks with KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE:KKR) about selling a nearly 20% stake in its China business. At last check, YUM is 1.8% higher at $80.40 -- approaching a six-month peak -- and has rallied 24.5% since its two-year low of $64.58 on Feb. 11. However, sentiment is pretty negative toward the stock, both inside and outside of its options pits.

For starters, YUM has amassed a put/call volume ratio of 0.97 during the past 50 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). While this reading indicates long calls edge out puts on an absolute basis, it ranks in the bearishly skewed 86th percentile of its annual range. In other words, option traders have been buying to open YUM puts over calls at a much quicker-than-usual clip.

Elsewhere, the majority of brokerage firms don't think much of the stock. Specifically, nine of 16 analysts rate YUM a lukewarm "hold." Plus, the average 12-month price target of $84.60 is just a chip-shot away from the shares' current perch. Should option traders or analysts abandon the bears' camp, YUM could enjoy additional tailwinds.

By contrast, short sellers have been staging a mass exodus from Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) amid its recent technical tear. During the most recent reporting period, short interest plummeted 33.5%. Now, a slim 2.4% of YUM's float is sold short, which would take just two days to cover, at the stock's typical trading levels.

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Analysts are weighing in on retail interest Five Below Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE), silver stock Pan American Silver Corp. (USA) (NASDAQ:PAAS), and analytics issue Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on FIVE, PAAS, and TMO.

• 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.

For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Philip Morris International Inc., and Whiting Petroleum Corp and Analyst Downgrades: Barrick Gold Corporation (USA), HollyFrontier Corp, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Stocks in Asia fell in sympathy with crude oil, with losses exacerbated by growing concerns the Fed may raise interest rates sooner rather than later. China's Shanghai Composite sank 1.6%, led lower by commodity stocks, after Premier Li Keqiang said Beijing won't purposefully weaken the yuan to help exports. Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.3% and South Korea's Kospi took a 0.5% hit. Meanwhile, a stronger yen weighed on Japanese exporters, pressuring the Tokyo-based Nikkei 0.6% lower.

As in Asia, European markets are getting hammered by hawkish remarks made by Fed officials on Wednesday, and lingering fears surrounding the terrorist attacks in Brussels -- with energy stocks particularly hard-hit by a stronger dollar. At last check, London's FTSE 100 is down 1.4%, the German DAX has plunged 1.3%, and France's CAC 40 is 1.9% lower.

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U.S. stocks are pointed lower with oil prices, putting the Dow's weekly win streak in jeopardy. Among equities in focus today are consulting firm Accenture Plc (NYSE:ACN), construction stock Terex Corporation (NYSE:TEX), and drugmaker Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:PTLA). 

• ACN is up over 1% in electronic trading, after the company posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings and raised its full-year outlook. The stock recently took back its year-to-date breakeven level thanks to a strong March, and the shares have consolidated between $107 and $109 in recent sessions, closing yesterday at $107.66. This probably isn't what a recent batch of short sellers had in mind. Specifically, short interest increased on Accenture Plc by 23.4% during the two most recent reporting periods, and it'd now take these bears almost a week to cover their positions, at ACN's normal daily trading volumes. 

• TEX is looking at another M&A-induced surge today, with the shares up roughly 9% ahead of the open, after China-based Zoomlion raised its buyout offer to $31 per share, or $3.4 billion. Meanwhile, Finland-based Konecranes said it's still committed to merging with TEX. Zoomlion originally expressed interest in Terex Corporation in January, and the resultant bull gap from that news is a big reason the shares are 28.5% higher in 2016, closing last night at $23.74. Option traders have thus taken a call-focused approach. Over the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), more than 2,000 TEX long calls have traded, compared to just 34 long puts.  

• At yesterday's close of $28.62, PTLA had already lost over half its value since hitting an all-time high of $57.96 back in September. But now, things are about to get even worse. The shares are off by 28% in pre-market action, set to open at annual lows, after the company's blood clot treatment, betrixaban, missed its main goal in a late-stage study. Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc could also feel headwinds from the brokerage bunch if its technical woes continues. For instance, every analyst that covers PTLA says it's at least a "buy," while the stock's average 12-month price target of $57.60 is more than double current levels. Bearish attention from this group could weigh on the stock. 

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