Restaurant chain Denny’s Corporation (NYSE:DENN) now operates in more than 1,700 locations all over the world. Most restaurant stocks suffered significantly from the March coronavirus crash, but most have also recovered at this point. While Denny’s has been able to shift its business to delivery and carry-out successfully in 2020, DENN is still trailing its restaurant stock peers. 

Denny's stock is down about 45% year-to-date but has more than doubled from its March lows. However, the shares have recently seen their recovery stunted by their overhead 200-day moving average, despite many of its competitors nearly reaching or even surpassing their pre-COVID stock prices. So while Denny’s stock is significantly off its March 19 seven-year lows of $4.50, at its current perch of $10.75, it still has some work to do to attain its pre-pandemic levels near $22.

A short squeeze can help DENN reach those heights again. Short sellers built their positions by 47.8% in the most recent reporting period, and the 4.36 million shares sold short accounts for a healthy 7.3% of the stock's total available float. At DENN's average pace of trading, it would take shorts three days to buy back their bearish bets.

Options traders will be pleased to know DENN premium is affordably priced. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 67% stands higher than just 23% of all other readings in its annual range, implying that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. 

As far as earnings goes, Denny’s has beat earnings expectations on three of its four most recent earnings reports. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Denny's beat expectations by $0.06, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.23. To kick off 2020, Denny's dropped its EPS to $0.17 in the first quarter, still beating expectations by a margin of $0.06. The company, again, dropped its reported EPS in the second quarter of 2020. This time, the drop was much more drastic and fell all the way to a reported EPS of $0.06. Though expectations were bleak for Denny's most recent quarterly report, the company reported a positive EPS of $0.01 instead of the expected -$0.03 loss. Denny's beat its earnings target by $0.04.

All fundamental signs seem to point toward a recovery for Denny’s stock in the coming years. Although the company’s 2019 revenue was weak compared to growth documented in previous years, Denny’s had an amazing 2019 fiscal year in terms of net income. In 2019, Denny's nearly tripled its net profits produced as compared to its 2018 net income. As a reaction to the pandemic, Denny’s has been able to shift its business to delivery and carry-out successfully in 2020. Despite a huge decline in revenue over the past 12 months, Denny’s has the potential now to end the year in the profit zone. This is a major achievement when considering how dependent Denny's had previously been on its dine-in restaurant experience. 

American sporting goods retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. (NYSE:DKS) primarily sells brand name sporting equipment, apparel, and footwear. DKS is currently riding a pretty bearish trend, and has been for a full month. DKS stock has dropped about 17% in just the past month. Nonetheless, the stock has held onto its year-to-date breakeven level and is up a massive 278% over its 11-year low of $13.46 on March 18.

Using Schaeffer's robust historical database, we conduct extensive research on each underlying equity and determined which of those underlying equities’ options have historically had underpriced or overpriced options. In doing so, each stock is given a Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) ranking. DKS is currently sporting a ranking of 80 out of 100. A high SVS reading indicates that DHI stock has consistently delivered bigger returns than its options implied volatility (IV) levels have predicted, meaning it may be a strong candidate for premium-buying strategies going forward. 

Dick's Sporting Goods has beat expectations on three of its four most recent earnings reports. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Dick's Sporting Goods reported an earnings beat and outperformed expectations by $0.14. In the first quarter of 2020, Dick's Sporting Goods increased its EPS to $1.32, which was also representative of a $0.10 earnings beat. The company dropped its reported EPS in a major way in the second quarter of 2020, missing expectations by $1.14.  As for Dick's Sporting Goods' upcoming earnings report, the company is expected to report a drop its EPS down $0.97. This earnings report is slated to for release next week on Tuesday, November 24 before the open.

Dick's Sporting Goods has a forward dividend of $1.25 and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The last dividend Dick's Sporting Goods paid was for $0.313 per share. The company has grown its dividend since 2013.

Dick’s Sporting Goods has largely outperformed expectations during this pandemic. The company only had one quarter where it took a loss on its earnings, and that was followed by one of its best earnings reports in recent times, a 15.7% post-earnings pop. It actually appears that the pandemic has made Dick’s Sporting Goods a much more attractive value play for investors, rather than destabilizing it like one might assume. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Dick's Sporting Goods had little revenue growth, inconsistent net income growth, and a mediocre balance sheet. However, the company has now proven that it can weather unprecedented events with, not only stability, but growth. Furthermore, DKS stock currently trades at an amazing forward price-earnings ratio of 11.61.  As fears of the economy closing down again continue to rise, DKS will likely continue to have expected weakness, further pushing the entry price for value investors down.

Stocks kicked off the week on a strong note yesterday, after some preliminary COVID-19 data from Moderna (MRNA) lifted investor sentiment. Still, as new coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly worldwide, yesterday's trading session gains on vaccine news still had a lid on them. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 29,950.44) rose 470.6 points, or 1.6% yesterday. The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 3,626.91) added 41.8 points, or 1.2%, for the day on Monday and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 11,924.13) gained 94.8 points, or 0.8%. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 22.45) dropped 0.7 point, or 2.8% on Monday.

Today will be jam packed with retail, industrial production, capacity utilization, and business inventories data. We will also see some big retail names entering the earnings confessional, including Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT). Additionally, the import price and home builders indexes are on tap today.

For your convenience, we have rounded up the companies slated to release earnings today, November 17:

Aramark (NYSE:ARMK -- $35.13) provides food, facilities, and uniform services. Aramark will report its fourth-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Evoqua Water Technologies Corp. (NYSE:AQUA -- $28.36) provides a range of water and wastewater treatment systems and technologies, and mobile and emergency water supply solutions and services. Evoqua Water will report its fourth-quarter earnings before the bell today.

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD -- $279.57) engages in the sale of building materials and home improvement products. Home Depot will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Kohl's Corporation (NYSE:KSS -- $26.15) operates as a retail company in the United States. Kohl's will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Sea Limited (NYSE:SE -- $178.22) engages in the digital entertainment, e-commerce, and digital financial service businesses. Sea Limited will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Walmart, Inc. (NYSE:WMT -- $152.44) engages in the retail and wholesale operations in various formats worldwide. Walmart will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

La-Z-Boy, Inc. (NYSE:LZB -- $37.58) manufactures, markets, imports, exports, distributes, and retails upholstery furniture products, accessories, and case-goods furniture products. La-Z-Boy will report its second-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

NIO Limited (NYSE:NIO -- $45.58) designs, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles. NIO will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Varex Imaging Corporation (NASDAQ:VREX -- $14.62) designs and manufactures X-ray imaging components. Varex Imaging will report its fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Here’s a quick recap of how yesterday’s earning calls went compared to expectations:

Aecom Technology Corp. (NYSE:ACM -- $49.51) engages in designing, building, financing, and operating infrastructure assets worldwide. Earnings per share decreased 24.05% over the past year to $0.60, which beat the estimate of $0.57. Revenue of $3,569,000,000 decreased by 30.24% year over year, which beat the estimate of $3,360,000,000.

Azul S.A. (NYSE:AZUL -- $16.04) provides passenger and cargo air transportation services in Brazil. Earnings per share fell 215.62% over the past year to ($0.37), which beat the estimate of ($1.18). Revenue of $149,684,000 decreased by 80.39% year over year, which missed the estimate of $171,580,000.

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD -- $92.08) operates as an e-commerce company and retail infrastructure service provider in the People's Republic of China. Earnings per share rose 72.41% over the past year to $0.50, which beat the estimate of $0.40. Revenue of $25,659,000,000 higher by 36.01% from the same period last year, which missed the estimate of $25,700,000,000.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NYSE:PANW -- $258.70) provides cybersecurity platform solutions worldwide. Earnings per share rose 54.29% over the past year to $1.62, which beat the estimate of $1.33. Revenue of $946,000,000 higher by 22.55% from the same period last year, which beat the estimate of $921,640,000.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN -- $62.35) operates as a food company worldwide. Earnings per share increased 49.59% over the past year to $1.81, which beat the estimate of $1.19. Revenue of $11,460,000,000 higher by 5.29% from the same period last year, which beat the estimate of $11,010,000,000.

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU -- $145.08) provides Internet search services in China and internationally. Earnings per share were up 70.45% over the past year to $3.00, which beat the estimate of $2.05. Revenue of $4,158,000,000 up by 5.83% year over year, which beat the estimate of $4,140,000,000.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:MSGE -- $79.45) engages in the entertainment business. Earnings per share were up 66.96% year over year to ($1.11), which missed the estimate of ($0.64). Revenue of $57,038,000 decreased by 73.44% year over year, which missed the estimate of $58,120,000.

SmileDirectClub (NASDAQ:SDC -- $9.41) operates a teledentistry platform. Earnings per share rose 87.64% over the past year to ($0.11), which beat the estimate of ($0.14). Revenue of $156,459,000 declined by 7.24% year over year, which beat the estimate of $146,230,000.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, October's housing and building permits are slated to be reported on Wednesday, marking another relatively slow day. All earnings and economic dates listed here are tentative and subject to change. Please check with each company's respective website for official reporting dates.

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) is one of the world’s largest personal computer brands. In recent years, the company has taken several steps to integrate cloud computing as a major part of its business with the acquisitions of VMware, EMC (now known as Dell EMC), and Virtustream. Today, Dell Technologies is structured into three main businesses: VMware, Dell EMC, and Dell Client Solutions Group.

In a familiar theme of 2020, DELL tapped a four-year low of $25.51 on March 18 and a record high of $71.45 on Oct. 14. The stock is currently up only 33% year-to-date, and even despite a 5.4% November deficit, its 120-day moving average has stepped up and caught the pullback.

Two interesting options data points stand out. First is that puts are quite popular, per DELL's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.61 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands higher than 94% of readings from the past year, showing a penchant for long puts of late.

Secondly, now might not be a bad time to weigh in on these options, either. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 43% stands higher than just 16% of all other readings in its annual range, implying that options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment. 

On the earnings front, Dell Technologies has beat expectations on three of its four most recent earnings reports. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Dell Technologies beat expectations by $0.13. The company reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.75. In the first quarter of 2020, Dell Technologies narrowly missed its earnings expectations by a margin of $0.02. Despite missing expectations, the company increased its EPS to $2.00 in the first quarter of this year. In the second quarter of 2020, Dell Technologies reported a dropped EPS of $1.34, beating expectations by $0.42.

Most recently, when reporting on the company's fiscal third quarter, Dell Technologies beat its earnings target by 38%. The company reported an EPS of $1.92 instead of the expected EPS of $1.39. As for Dell Technologies' upcoming earnings report, the company is expected to drop its EPS down to $1.38. Dell Technologies is currently set to report earnings next week on November 24 after the close.

From a long-term investor perspective, is difficult to see much going wrong for Dell in the coming years. Although DELL currently sits near its all-time highs, the company has an extremely attractive forward price-earnings ratio of 9.76 and an amazing history of revenue growth. Further, Dell Technologies just completed its first profitable fiscal year since going public in January of this year.

However, a major downside risk for the company that should be considered when investing for the long haul is its large debt load, although a weaker-than-usual balance sheet is pretty normal for a company that’s still growing. In time, Dell Technologies has the potential to reduce its debt. For now, the company's prioritization of revenue and market-share growth is the solid focus if Dell Technologies plans to compete in the already-competitive technology sector. 

Stocks linked to a potential economic reopening are having their day in the sun today, bolstered by news that Moderna's (MRNA) experimental COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be 94.5% effective during a late-stage trial. One such stock is AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE:AMC), which is up an impressive 16.8% at $3.47 in a bid to dig itself out of penny stock territory. 

Last Friday, the shares were attempting to reverse course, snapping a four-day losing streak sparked by rejection at the 100-day moving average. The 20-day moving average, which AMC toppled during last Monday's surge, served as a net for said pullback. For the year, AMC is still down a little over 60%. 

This alarming year-to-date deficit has been enough to spook analysts, with seven "hold" ratings and two "strong sell" ratings on the books. What's more, the 12-month consensus price target stands at just $2.15 -- a 27.6% discount to last Friday's close. 

The stock has been heavily shorted of late, too. In fact, short interest rose 11.1% in the last two reporting periods, and now the 23.89 million shares sold short make up and eyebrow-raising 45.9% of the stock's available float, or two days to cover at AMC's average daily pace of trading. 

The major U.S. market indexes ended last week in the black, as investors were bullish on stocks tied to a potential COVID-19 vaccine, and remained hopeful of a smooth economic recovery in 2021. The surge of U.S. coronavirus cases in kept a lid on gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 29,479.81) rose 399.6 points on Friday, and ended the week up 4.1%. The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 3,585.15) added 48.1 points and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 11,829.29) gained 119.7 points for the day on Friday. The former tacked on 2.2%, while the latter lost 0.6%, this week. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 23.10) fell 2.3 points on Friday, and closed out the week in the red with -7%.

Miss anything last week? Now is a great time to subscribe to 5-Minute Market Rundown, delivered every Saturday morning. It's a great resource if you miss a few days in the market or you just want to begin prepping for the coming week. Here is a copy of our latest issue.

Investors have a lot to look forward to this week with plenty economic data that needs to be unpacked While today will be relatively quiet, Tuesday will feature retail data as well as the import price and home builders indexes. Weekly jobless claims data is due out on Thursday, alongside the Philly Fed index the previous month's leading economic indicators. The week will close out quietly, as no economic data is on tap for the last day of the week.

For your convenience, we have rounded up the companies slated to release earnings today, November 16:

Aecom Technology Corp. (NYSE:ACM -- $49.51) engages in designing, building, financing, and operating infrastructure assets worldwide. Aecom Technology will report its fourth-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Azul S.A. (NYSE:AZUL -- $16.04) provides passenger and cargo air transportation services in Brazil. Azul S.A. will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Casper Sleep, Inc. (NYSE:CSPR -- $7.43) designs and sells sleep products. Casper Sleep will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:JD -- $92.08) operates as an e-commerce company and retail infrastructure service provider in the People's Republic of China. JD.com will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

LexinFintech Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ:LX -- $8.08) engages in the provision of online consumer finance platforms. LexinFintech Holdings Ltd. will report its third-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NYSE:PANW -- $258.70) provides cybersecurity platform solutions worldwide. Palo Alto Networks will report its first-quarter earnings of 2021 before the bell today.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN -- $62.35) operates as a food company worldwide. Tyson Foods will report its fourth-quarter earnings before the bell today.

Agora, Inc. (NASDAQ:API -- $39.00) provides Real-Time Engagement Platform-as-a-Service (RTE-PaaS). Agora will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZPN -- $120.76) is a software company that offers solutions to optimize asset design, operations, and maintenance lifecycle in industrial environments. Aspen Technology will report its first-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU -- $145.08) provides Internet search services in China and internationally. Baidu will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

GAN Limited (NASDAQ:GAN -- $17.94) provides enterprise Software-as-a-Service solutions for online casino gaming and online sports betting applications. GAN Limited will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GDS -- $93.44) develops and operates data centers in the People's Republic of China. GDS Holdings will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ:IQ -- $26.70) provides online entertainment services. iQIYI will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

JOYY, Inc. (NASDAQ YY -- $94.12) operates a social media platform in the People's Republic of China and internationally. JOYY will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:MSGE -- $79.45) engages in the entertainment business. Madison Square Garden will report its first-quarter earnings of 2021 after the market closes today.

SmileDirectClub (NASDAQ:SDC -- $9.41) operates a teledentistry platform. SmileDirectClub will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM -- $34.65) operates as a travel service provider. Trip.com Group will report its third-quarter earnings after the market closes today.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, Tuesday will be jam packed with retail, industrial production, capacity utilization, and business inventories data. Additionally, the import price and home builders indexes are on tap. All earnings and economic dates listed here are tentative and subject to change. Please check with each company's respective website for official reporting dates.