Analyst Update: General Motors, Fluor Corp, Google

Analysts are weighing in today on automaker General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), professional services firm Fluor Corporation (NEW) (NYSE:FLR), and Internet giant Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on GM, FLR, and GOOGL.

• GM is up 2.7% today to trade at $34.66, after Barron's named it one of its top 10 picks for 2015 (subscription required), saying the company could double its earnings per share over the next three years. The prediction is in sharp contrast to General Motors Company's performance in 2014, as it has shed 15.2%. However, most analysts maintain a bullish outlook on the stock, with 54% of covering firms deeming it a "buy" or better. Not only that, but speculators have bought to open GM calls over puts at an annual-high rate in the past several months, per its 50-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 3.12. An unwinding of this optimism in the face of continued technical struggles could spell headwinds.


• Also making it on Barron's top 10 list is FLR, which has added 2.4% today to its perch at $61.96. This is a welcome change of pace for a stock that has underperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by over 14 percentage points in the last three months. Still, analyst sentiment is mostly positive, with the stock boasting 16 "buy" or better ratings, three "holds," and not a single "sell." Also, Fluor Corporation's consensus 12-month price target of $79.91 represents a 29% premium to its current trading level.


• Not only did GOOGL crack Barron's top 10 list for 2015, but it also received a positive note from RBC, which believes the company could introduce a dividend in the new year. This has Google Inc in the positive on the day, up 0.9% at $542.41, despite news that its email service is being blocked in China. Covering brokerage firms are looking past the fact that GOOGL is 3.3% below its year-to-date breakeven mark, with 84% handing out "buy" or better recommendations.