Analyst Upgrades: FedEx, H&R Block, Tableau Software

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings on FDX, HRB, and DATA

Dec 2, 2014 at 8:59 AM

Analysts are weighing in today on package delivery concern FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX), tax prep titan H & R Block Inc (NYSE:HRB), and software issue Tableau Software Inc (NYSE:DATA). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on FDX, HRB, and DATA.

FDX was added to BofA-Merrill Lynch's "US1" list, with the brokerage firm citing the company's profit improvement plan and potential benefits from lower fuel costs. On the charts, the stock has tacked on nearly 27% year-over-year to rest at $177.70 -- just a stone's throw away from last Friday's record high of $179.79. Options traders have responded to FedEx Corporation's (NYSE:FDX) technical tenacity by wagering on additional upside. Per data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity has racked up a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 1.71, just 11 percentage points shy of a 12-month peak. Looking ahead, FDX will release fiscal-second quarter earnings results before the open on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Wedbush lifted its price target on HRB to $40 from $38, and reiterated its "outperform" rating. The bullish brokerage note is well-deserved, considering the shares have advanced 15.3% year-to-date to trade at $33.48, and have outperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by roughly 7 percentage points during the last two months. At the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX, H & R Block Inc has racked up a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 23.70, which ranks in the 86th percentile of its annual range. In other words, traders have targeted long calls over puts with more rapidity just 14% of the time in the previous year. On the fundamental front, HRB will step into the earnings confessional next Monday night.

Finally, DATA was started with an "overweight" rating at J.P. Morgan Securities and Barclays, which also issued respective price targets of $100 and $97. Technically speaking, the stock has trekked higher over the last 52 weeks, advancing 27.4% to rest at $81.81. Likewise, during the past 60 sessions, Tableau Software Inc has outpaced the SPX by 14 percentage points. Traders at the ISE, CBOE, and PHLX have yet to catch on, though, as the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.68 sits higher than 74% of all readings from the last year. A capitulation among these options skeptics could create tailwinds for DATA.

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