Analyst Update: Aeropostale, Bank of Greece, Pfizer

Analysts are weighing in today on teen apparel maker Aeropostale Inc (NYSE:ARO), Athens-based financial institution National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NYSE:NBG), and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on ARO, NBG, and PFE.

• ARO is up over 16% this morning to reach $3.07, following last night's news that the company had better-than-expected quarterly sales. In response, SunTrust Robinson and Topeka Capital both raised their price targets on the equity to $3.50, while underscoring "neutral" and "hold" ratings, respectively. On the charts, Aeropostale Inc is recovering from December's multi-year lows, with the shares advancing roughly 32.3% year-to-date. Meanwhile, sentiment in the stock's options pits is nearing a bullish climax, with ARO's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 32.58 sitting just seven percentage points away from an annual optimistic peak. However, nearly 24% of ARO's available float is sold short, which would take over five sessions to cover at average trading volumes -- suggesting a portion of this call buying could be hedging activity.


• Hopes for a potential debt compromise between Greece and its international creditors have NBG pointing over 15% higher today to hit $1.29, but the stock has nevertheless been hit with a round of bearish brokerage notes. Specifically, Wood & Company and Barclays both cut their price targets, with the former backing a "buy" prediction and the latter reiterating the stock at "equal weight." Longer term, the shares of National Bank of Greece (ADR) are getting crushed, with the equity -- down about 28% year-to-date --touching an all-time low of $0.98 at the end of January. Not surprisingly, sentiment in NBG's options pits is extremely bearish, with its 50-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 0.23 ranking higher than 98% of all similar annual readings.


• News that PFE is buying back $5 billion worth of its stock from Goldman Sachs has the company up 2.7% this morning to reach a 10-year high of $34. In response, J.P. Morgan Securities raised its price target by $1 to $36, while reiterating its "overweight" rating for the stock. The upbeat coverage is supported by Pfizer Inc.'s performance on the charts, as the equity is up over 23% since falling to an annual low of $27.51 in mid-October. Sentiment in PFE's options pits is bullish, with the stock's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio of 3.72 sitting in the 62nd percentile of its annual range.