Analysts are weighing in on online retailer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), airline stock JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU), and chipmaker Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on BABA, JBLU, and MU.

• Needham initiated coverage on BABA with a "buy" rating, which is pretty typical among the brokerage crowd. In fact, 14 of 17 analysts consider the stock worth buying, while not one recommends selling it. This seems a bit strange, considering Alibaba Group Holding Ltd -- down 0.2% out of the gate at $79.45 -- is in the red on a year-to-date basis, and facing a potential layer of resistance at its 320-day moving average. In other words, some might expect Wall Street to start following in the bearish footsteps of Credit Suisse.
  
  
• Barclays boosted its rating on JBLU to "overweight" from "equal weight," but trimmed its price target to $26. In early trading, the stock is up 0.4% at $20.68, but longer term, it's struggled. Specifically, on a year-to-date basis, JetBlue Airways Corporation has lost nearly 9%, under pressure from a key trendline. Amid the technical turbulence, options traders have been buying to open puts over calls at an accelerated clip. JBLU's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.94 sits just 7 percentage points from an annual peak.
  
  
• MU received a pair of bullish brokerage notes, with Brean Capital starting coverage with a "buy" rating and $14 price target, and Raymond James boosting its opinion to "strong buy." As a result, the stock has popped 1.4% to trade at $10.55, but remains saddled with a 25% loss in 2016. Despite Micron Technology, Inc.'s track record, the brokerage crowd is tilted in a bullish direction, with 57% handing out "buy" or better endorsements. Also, MU's consensus 12-month price target of $13.50 stands at a 28% premium to current trading levels. In other words, a change in heart among analysts could lead to selling pressure.

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China-based automobile website Autohome Inc (ADR) (NYSE:ATHM) is outperforming the broader market this morning, up 1.2% at $30.52. The stock is gaining on news that Chinese insurance giant Ping An is buying a 48% stake in the company from Telstra for $1.6 billion. Looking back, this technical strength is the continuation of a recent trend for ATHM. 

Specifically, the shares fell to an all-time low of $21.53 in early February, but have since gained nearly 42%, hitting their highest point in over three months this morning. Looking at the stock's run differently, it has topped the S&P 500 Index's (SPX) two-month performance by 14 percentage points. However, ATHM's 200-day moving average -- a level the stock hasn't topped since July -- has so far contained today's rally, and the shares remain well below their annual high $56.59 from last April.  

On the options front, ATHM doesn't see much attention. For instance, just 344 options have traded so far in today's session, yet this represents three times the volume the stock usually sees at this point in the day. 

ATHM is popular among short sellers, though. Roughly 10% of the stock's float is controlled by short sellers, and at its average daily volumes, it'd take these bears more than six sessions to cover. Suffice it to say, this crowd can't be pleased with today's price action. 

Analysts, meanwhile, have mixed feelings toward Autohome Inc (ADR) (NYSE:ATHM). Three brokerage firms recommend buying the stock, while the two others deem it a "hold" and "sell." In any case, today's pop puts ATHM above its consensus 12-month price target of $29.40. Theoretically, the stock could benefit from price-target hikes and/or short covering, if it can overcome its 200-day moving average and extend its recent rally. 

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Crude oil's epic decline is having ripple effects around Wall Street -- as evidenced by the energy-related decline in big banks' first-quarter profit. The energy sector has bore the brunt of the slide, though, and this morning, oil-and-gas firm Linn Energy LLC (NASDAQ:LINE) said it is exploring strategic alternatives, including the possibility of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Against this backdrop, LINE is up 13.7% to $0.41 and its options pits are bustling.

By the numbers, 2,000 put options have traded so far, compared to just under 500 call options -- 1.5 times what's typically seen in LINE's lightly traded options arena. Most active is the equity's May 0.50 put, where it looks as if new positions are being initiated. However, with such a wide bid-ask skew, it's not easy to tell at this time whether the options are being bought or sold.

More broadly speaking, call buying has been a popular strategy in LINE's options pits in recent weeks. Over the past 10 sessions, the stock has racked up a call/put volume ratio of 7.36 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) -- in the 94th percentile of its annual range.

Looking back, LINE's May 0.50 call has seen the biggest rise in open interest over this time frame, and according to the major options exchanges, some of this activity has been of the buy-to-open kind. In other words, call buyers anticipate a move above $0.50 by the close on Friday, May 20 -- when the soon-to-be front-month options expire. Regardless, the most the option buyers have risked is the initial premium paid.

As indicated, LINE's had a tough time on the charts. Year-over-year, the shares of Linn Energy LLC (NASDAQ:LINE) are off nearly 97% -- including yesterday's 16% plunge that placed the stock on the short-sale restricted list. In fact, LINE bottomed at a record low of $0.26 as recently as April 4.

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Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is slated to report earnings next Monday evening, in what will be a busy week for quarterly earnings report. Today, our goal is to look at Wall Street's pre-event expectations for NFLX stock, in the options pits and beyond.

Starting things off, NFLX has historically made some big moves following its past eight earnings reports. Specifically, the stock has averaged a one-day post-event swing of 11.6% -- half to the upside, the other half to the downside. Expectations among options traders are roughly in line with this pattern, as the market is pricing in a 12.2% swing, in either direction, following the earnings report.

From the looks of it, most options traders anticipate NFLX's post-earnings price action will resolve to the upside. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have bought to open 1.31 calls for each put during the past 10 weeks -- and the corresponding call/put volume ratio ranks in the bullishly skewed 82nd percentile of its annual range.

Underscoring this call bias is NFLX's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.01. While the SOIR shows put and call open interest are roughly equal among options expiring in the next three months, the reading sits below three-quarters of all others taken in the past year.

The brokerage crowd has taken a glass-half-full approach, too. Nearly 60% of analysts recommend buying NFLX, while the stock's consensus 12-month price target of $123.66 represents territory not charted since mid-December.

Meanwhile, short sellers have been hitting the exits ahead of NFLX earnings. During the last two reporting periods, short interest on the stock fell 7.7%. However, 11.8% of its float remains dedicated to short interest, and would take nearly a week to buy back, at NFLX's typical trading levels. It may be that some of the recent call buying has been fueled by short sellers seeking a hedge.

From a technical perspective, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has been a mixed bag. Since bouncing from its mid-February lows around $80, the stock has advanced 38% to trade at $110.40. However, NFLX remains in negative year-to-date territory, and its breakeven level could translate into resistance going forward.

While the broader market spins its wheels, a number of biotech stocks are making major moves. Case in point, Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA) was last seen 4.6% higher at $7.10, while Regulus Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:RGLS) has dropped 14% at $6.99. Below, we'll take a closer look at the news driving the drug stocks, and how options traders may be responding.

ARIA is rallying after the drugmaker presented upbeat trial data on its lung cancer drug, brigatinib. This is more of the same for the biotech stock, which has boomed 62.5% since its two-year low of $4.37 in early February. Year-to-date, the shares are up nearly 14%.

Options traders are going wild today -- especially on the call side of the fence, where contracts are crossing at 15 times the average intraday rate. Most active by a mile is the weekly 5/13 7.50-strike call, which traders are buying to open, expecting ARIA to topple $7.50 by the close on Friday, May 13 -- a time frame that should include the drugmaker's first-quarter earnings report, tentatively scheduled for early May.

More broadly speaking, options traders have been buying to open Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. puts over calls at a faster-than-usual clip -- though the absolute ratio still favors calls. Specifically, the stock's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.38 ranks in the 82nd annual percentile. As we've recently observed, this pessimism is echoed by short sellers, and both groups could be feeling the heat today.

At the same time, RGLS is reeling, as the stock market reacts negatively to the drugmaker's interim data on its hepatitis C treatment, RG-101. Looking more closely, it's been a volatile session for the stock, which earlier spiked to a 2016 high of $8.90 -- and into positive year-to-date territory -- before selling off sharply and landing on the short-sale restricted (SSR) list.

In recent weeks, options traders have been placing downside bets on RGLS. Specifically, the stock's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio checks in at 2.59, with long puts more than doubling calls. Underscoring this put bias, RGLS' Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.17 ranks in the 92nd percentile of its annual range.

Options traders aren't the only ones blazing a bearish path toward Regulus Therapeutics Inc​​. While the biotech stock is currently SSR, nearly 29% of its float is already sold short, or 13.2 times its average daily rate of trading.

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Casino stock Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) has been one of the top performers on Wall Street this year. The shares have outpaced the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by a remarkable 49 percentage points over the past three months, and have surged more than 41% in 2016 atop support from their 10- and 20-day moving averages. During the stock's rapid ascent, options bulls have continued to pour their money into WYNN -- and CEO Steve Wynn even upped the ante with a recent purchase of 72,000 shares. 

During the past 50 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), more than 107,000 WYNN calls have been bought to open, compared to fewer than 60,000 puts. The resulting call/put volume ratio of 1.79 lands in the 93rd percentile of its annual range, indicating a greater-than-usual interest in WYNN calls during recent months, 

Narrowing the time frame, one of the most popular options during the past two weeks, going by open interest, has been the May 110 call. Data confirms significant buy-to-open activity here, meaning traders expect WYNN to trade above $110 before the contracts expire at the close on Friday, May 20. 

In today's trading, WYNN calls are crossing at twice the average intraday rate. The May 110 call is again popular, but it appears one trader sold to close a 2,000-contract block at this strike, and simultaneously opened a 1,200-contract block of the May 105 calls, as he slightly lowers his expectations for the shares. 

Elsewhere, short sellers have been on the run amid WYNN's 2016 rally. Short interest dropped 16.3% during the past two reporting periods, though over 16% -- or 3.7 times WYNN's average daily trading volume -- of the stock's float is still controlled by shorts. In other words, the shares may continue to benefit as these bears cover their positions. 

Wynn Resorts, Limited's (NASDAQ:WYNN) upside momentum is continuing today -- on track for another solid April -- with the stock 0.7% higher at $98.34. Earlier, the equity peaked at $101.16, amid the Steve Wynn news and ahead of today's annual shareholder meeting. 

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Earnings season is ready to explode next week, with 14 Dow components set to report. In addition, high-profile stocks like Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) could swing on corporate earnings reports, with a chunk of the action taking place on Thursday. The economic calendar, meanwhile, is dominated by housing data early in the week.

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, April 18

The week starts off with the NAHB housing market index. On the earnings front, IBM (IBM), Hasbro (HAS), Morgan Stanley (MS), NFLX, and PEP will report.  

Tuesday, April 19

Tuesday's economic docket features housing starts for March. Goldman Sachs (GS), Intel (INTC), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), UnitedHealth (UNH), Brinker International (EAT), Discover Financial Services (DFS), Harley-Davidson (HOG), Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), Navient (NAVI), Philip Morris International (PM), TD Ameritrade (AMTD), VMware (VMW), and Yahoo! (YHOO) all report earnings.

Wednesday, April 20

Existing home sales will be released on Wednesday, along with the regularly scheduled weekly crude inventories report. Stepping into the earnings spotlight will be American Express (AXP), Coca-Cola (KO), Abbott Labs (ABT), Angie's List (ANGI), ARM Holdings (ARMH), Canadian Pacific (CP), Citrix Systems (CTXS), F5 Networks (FFIV), Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Mattel (MAT), Newmont Mining (NEM), QUALCOMM (QCOM), Steel Dynamics (STLD), St. Jude Medical (STJ), Tupperware (TUP), Tractor Supply (TSCO), United Rentals (URI), and Yum! Brands (YUM). 

Thursday, April 21

Weekly jobless claims will headline the day for economic data, with the Philadelphia Fed business outlook survey also scheduled for release. On the earnings plate are Microsoft (MSFT), Travelers (TRV), Verizon (VZ), Visa (V), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Alaska Air (ALK), GOOGL, Biogen (BIIB), Blackstone (BX), DR Horton (DHI), E*TRADE (ETFC), Fairchild Semiconductor (FCS), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), General Motors (GM), Hawaiian Holdings (HA), Norfolk Southern (NSC), Novartis AG (NVS), PulteGroup (PHM), Schlumberger (SLB), Sherwin-Williams (SHW), Starbucks (SBUX), Under Armour (UA), and Union Pacific (UNP).

Friday, April 22

Markit's flash purchasing managers index (PMI) is due Friday. As for earnings, Caterpillar (CAT), General Electric (GE), McDonald's (MCD), American Airlines (AAL), Honeywell (HON), Kimberly-Clark (KMB), LyondellBasell (LYB), and SunTrust Banks (STI) are scheduled to report.

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With the deadline to file federal tax returns quickly approaching (Monday, April 18, for anyone who may have forgotten), two stocks that could stand to benefit -- whether you do or not -- are top tax software creators Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) and H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB). But on the charts, these stocks have been heading in opposite directions, and it looks like their current momentum could continue.

INTU is up 0.2%  at $103.56 today, after Brean Capital initiated coverage this morning with a "buy" rating and a $125 price target -- a 21% premium over the stock's current value, and well into record-high territory. This optimism is a change of pace from the brokerage bunch, where eight out of 13 analysts rate the stock a "hold" or "strong sell."

The equity hasn't seen much bullish attention elsewhere, either. While short interest fell slightly during the two most recent reporting periods, these pessimistic bets still account for more than a week's worth of trading, at INTU's average daily volume.

On the technical front, INTU is up 7% in 2016, and has gained about 30% since its August annual low of $79.63, nearly closing its huge late-August bear gap. The stock has been on a long-term uptrend since late 2008, but the shares are currently struggling to break through the $105-to-$108 region -- an area that served as a roadblock after Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) hit its all-time high last summer. Should the shares manage to break out above this level, marking new record highs, an unwinding of skepticism on Wall Street -- via upgrades or a short squeeze -- could add fuel to the fire.

HRB, meanwhile, is down 3.6% at $24.10 today, not far off Tuesday's two-year low of $23.83, after an unfavorable report on the company's tax fees. The shares have given up nearly 28% year-to-date, and have been in a downtrend since an early-March bear gap, when HRB reported weaker-then-expected earnings. Longer term, the drop sent the equity beneath a trendline connecting a set of higher lows.

Short interest rose by an astounding 120% over the past month, but represents only 7.2% of the stock's total float -- less than five days' worth of trading, at HRB's typical pace. Likewise, at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.19 is in the 83rd percentile of its annual range.

The stock's sentiment picture isn't exactly optimistic, but there is plenty of room on the bearish bandwagon. Near-term option traders remain relatively call-skewed; HRB's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.43 shows calls more than doubling puts among options expiring in three months or less, and ranks lower than 63% of the past year's readings. Plus, while five out of nine analysts rate HRB a "hold," not a single one gives it a "sell" or worse recommendation. Should H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB) continue to slip, further pessimism from analysts and option traders alike could pressure the shares toward a new multi-year bottom.

A day after GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) ripped higher on remarks from Raymond James, the wearable camera stock is picking up where it left off. This time around, GPRO is up 1.7% at $14.14, following yesterday afternoon's report that veteran Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) designer Daniel Coster has been named the company's vice president of design. Meanwhile, interest in GPRO is growing in the options pits.

Diving right in, GPRO call options are changing hands at triple the expected intraday rate, and outweigh put options 29,000 contracts to 16,000. It looks like traders are buying to open the in-the-money April 13.50 call, which is the stock's most active strike -- banking on the shares extending their momentum through tomorrow's close, when front-month options expire.

The optimism observed among options traders isn't anything new for GPRO. During the past 10 sessions across the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have bought to open 2.39 calls for every put -- a reading that ranks in the top third of its annual range. Likewise, GPRO's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.73 is lower than 80% of readings from the last 52 weeks, indicating short-term traders are far more call-skewed than usual.

Not every call buyer is necessarily a bull, though. Over the last two reporting periods, short interest on GPRO spiked 14.6%, and now accounts for nearly one-third of the stock's float. Some of these short sellers may have purchased calls -- especially at out-of-the-money strikes -- to serve as a hedge to the upside.

For "vanilla" bulls, call buying has probably paid off in recent weeks. GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) has been an absolute beast since hitting an all-time low of $9.01 in early February, surging 57% -- ushered higher by a key trendline. What's more, on a relative-strength basis, the stock has outperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by 18.8 percentage points over the previous 60 sessions.

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Cowen and Company offered up a "cautious view" of the agriculture industry, saying its review of data suggests "pricing and volume issues for phosphate and potash products over the next two years." The brokerage firm also drilled down in on a number of individual fertilizer stocks, including CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF), Mosaic Co (NYSE:MOS), and Intrepid Potash, Inc. (NYSE:IPI). Here's a quick roundup of Cowen's analyst notes on CF, MOS, and IPI.

• CF, for instance, was downgraded to "underperform" from "market perform" at the brokerage firm, which also lowered its price target to $25. As such, the shares are off 2.4% at $30.49 -- widening their year-to-date deficit to 47%. Amid this downtrend, short sellers have been piling on, with short interest surging 17.3% in the most recent reporting period. However, short interest still accounts for less than 9% of CF Industries Holdings, Inc.'s float, meaning the bearish bandwagon is far from full. The stock could encounter stiffer headwinds, should short sellers continue to increase their exposure.


• Cowen also lowered its rating on MOS to "underperform" from "market perform," while reducing its price target by $9 to $23. While the shares are off 4.8% at $25.25, though, they may have found a foothold atop their 10-day moving average -- a trendline that ushered MOS lower in late 2015. Longer term, the stock has added almost 15% since hitting a seven-year low of $22.02 in early February. Should Mosaic Co resume its recent rebound, the stock could benefit from an unwinding of skepticism among short-term options traders. In fact, MOS' Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.01 sits just 8 percentage points from a 52-week peak.


• Finally, IPI was downgraded to "outperform" from "market perform," as well, sending the stock down 8.6% to $1.01. IPI has been a long-term laggard, though, surrendering 92% year-over-year, and more recently, struggling under the weight of its 20-day moving average. Short sellers have been betting on more downside, too. Short interest jumped 7.4% in the latest reporting period to 4.4 million shares -- or 7.9% of Intrepid Potash, Inc.'s available float.

For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., 3D Systems Corporation, and Kate Spade & Co and Analyst Downgrades: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Symantec Corporation, and Western Digital Corp.

FireEye Inc (NASDAQ:FEYE) has been consolidating around $18 for nearly two months, and was last seen hovering near breakeven at $18.30. However, the cybersecurity stock's 40-day moving average has recently caught up to the shares, signaling a potential bullish move may be on the horizon -- and perhaps explaining why short-term options traders have been so call-focused toward FEYE.

The last time FEYE breached the 40-day trendline was in mid-February. Looking out 21 trading days, the cybersecurity stock advanced nearly 2%, which could be a good omen going forward. Potentially reinforcing this technical support, heavy levels of put open interest are found at the underfoot April 17 and 18 strikes, as well as the weekly 4/22 18 strike.

As alluded to, short-term options traders have preferred FEYE calls over puts. Specifically, the stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) is 0.36, with calls nearly tripling puts among options with a shelf-life of three months or less. On top of that, this SOIR ranks just 19 percentage points from an annual low, signaling a historically elevated call bias.

That said, not everyone's sold on FEYE. Over half of the analysts tracking the stock rate it a lukewarm "hold." What's more, 11% of its float is sold short, which represents nearly a week's worth of pent-up buying power, at the cybersecurity stock's typical daily trading levels. From a contrarian perspective, if FireEye Inc (NASDAQ:FEYE) bounces from its 40-day moving average, a capitulation among the bears could spark an outsized rally.

Beer giants Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE:TAP) and Anheuser Busch Inbev SA (ADR) (NYSE:BUD) both shot higher at midday, on news the latter company will create a $69 million fund to aid the South African beer industry and help bolster its takeover bid for SABMiller. Not only are TAP and BUD both trading higher on these developments, but the stocks' options pits are seeing accelerated activity. 

TAP call options are trading at four times the average intraday pace, and the most popular option is the May 97.50 strike. Buy-to-open activity has been detected here, meaning traders are speculating that TAP will eclipse $97.50 before the close on Friday, May 20, when the soon-to-be front-month options expire. For reference, TAP's all-time high stands at $97.25, reached earlier this month. 

Looking back, though, TAP put buying has been through the roof lately at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Specifically, the stock's 10-day put/call volume ratio comes in at a sky-high 31.00 -- an annual peak. However, the most popular option during this time frame, judging by increases to open interest, was the May 100 call -- which has added nearly 8,300 positions in the past two weeks.

At last check, Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE:TAP) was up 2.9% at $95.60. Since pulling back from its record highs earlier this month, TAP has been enjoying support from its rising 30-day moving average, a trendline that guided the stock higher back in October and November. Overall, the beer stock is up 24% year-over-year. 

In BUD's options pits, puts are trading at twice the expected intraday pace. The most popular is the May 115 strike, and it looks like this option may be seeing sell-to-open activity. If so, these put writers are hoping for the $115 level to act as a short-term floor for the stock through May options expiration. 

On the other side of the aisle, traders are initiating long calls at the April 130 strike. This means they're betting on a surge past $130 -- roughly corresponding to the stock's all-time high -- from BUD by the end of this week, when front-month options expire. 

Call buying is common among BUD speculators. In fact, the stock's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio stands at an annual high of 112.14. Digging deeper, the January 2018 170-strike call has added more than 20,000 new positions in the last 10 trading days -- the most of any BUD option -- while short-term speculators have targeted the May 135 call, where over 13,500 contracts have been tacked on.

As alluded to, Anheuser Busch Inbev SA's (ADR) (NYSE:BUD) all-time high of $130.08 was reached back in November. It's been a roller-coaster ride for the shares since then, but with BUD's 2.6% pop today at $125.44, the stock has edged its way back into positive year-to-date territory. 

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