Analyst Downgrades: 3D Systems, EMC, and Molycorp

Analysts are downwardly revising their ratings on 3-D printing firm 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD), IT issue EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), and rare earths specialist Molycorp Inc (NYSE:MCP). Here's a quick look at today's bearish brokerage notes on DDD, EMC, and MCP.

• A dismal quarterly and full-year revenue forecast from DDD sent the shares 15% lower yesterday, and analysts were quick to weigh in with a round of price-target cuts and downgrades. Brean, for example, lowered its outlook for the stock to "hold" from "buy," while Pipar Jaffray slashed its price target by $13 to $37, and underscored its "neutral" rating. More bearish brokerage notes could be on the horizon for a stock that's down 60.5% year-to-date to trade at $36.67. At present, seven out of 16 covering analysts maintain a "strong buy" recommendation toward 3D Systems Corporation, while the average 12-month price target of $52.80 stands at a 44% premium to current trading levels.


• EMC made a number of headlines yesterday, after reporting worse-than-expected third-quarter earnings, downwardly revising its full-year earnings forecast, and saying it will absorb most of Cisco Systems, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CSCO) stake in VCE. In the wake of yesterday's busy day, at least four brokerage firms reduced their price targets on the stock, including Pacific Crest, which cut its target by $2 to $30, yet reiterated its "outperform" suggestion. Technically speaking, EMC Corporation has added roughly 9% in 2014 to trade at $27.36, but option traders have taken the bearish route in recent months. In fact, at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the security's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.35 ranks just 10 percentage points from an annual pessimistic peak.


• MCP is down 3.1% at $1.27, after Morgan Stanley slashed its price target on the equity by 60% to $1. In addition, the brokerage firm offered up a chilly "underweight" rating. The downbeat analyst attention isn't too surprising, considering Molycorp Inc has surrendered more than three-quarters of its value in 2014. Still, options traders are gambling on even more downside, as the equity's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 2.50 sits just 1 percentage point shy of an annual peak, pointing to accelerated put buying over call buying during the past two weeks. In addition, short interest makes up roughly 36% of MCP's total available float, and would take more than two weeks to buy back, at the equity's average daily trading volume.