Analysts are weighing in today on cloud concern InterXion Holding NV (NYSE:INXN), cybersecurity specialist Lifelock Inc (NYSE:LOCK), and money-movement mogul The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on INXN, LOCK, and WU.
- INXN is up about 16% today to trade at $32.47, and earlier reached an all-time high of $33.16, following news that the company has entered into a non-binding agreement on an all-share merger with U.K.-based TeleCity. Reacting to the news was Canaccord Genuity, which reiterated its "buy" recommendation for the equity. On the charts, InterXion Holding NV has been a beast, advancing more than 33% year-over-year. Meanwhile, sentiment in the stock's options pits is slightly put-skewed, with INXN's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.69 sitting in the 63rd percentile of its annual range.
- After releasing its fourth-quarter earnings report last night, LOCK has seen its shares fall 5.6% this afternoon to reach $14.47. Exacerbating the losses is a price-target cut to $18 from $20 at Pacific Crest, which nonetheless reiterated an "outperform" rating. Despite rumors that the company could be a takeover target, 2015 has been a rough year so far for Lifelock Inc, with the shares down about 21.8% year-to-date. Not surprisingly, pessimism is prominent in the stock's options pits, with LOCK's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.83 ranking higher than 72% of all other similar readings from the past year.
- WU hit an annual high of $18.68 today -- before falling to $18 for a 2.2% loss -- after the company reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and a a plan to buy back up to $1.2 billion worth of shares, prompting a round of analyst upgrades. Specifically, Nomura and J.P. Morgan Securities raised their price targets to $19 while underscoring "neutral" and "underweight" ratings, respectively, while Deutsche Bank and Barclays raised their targets to $20, with the former cutting the stock to "hold" and the latter underscoring an "underweight" prediction. On the flip side, Susquehanna upped its price target by $2 to $22, and reiterated a "positive" opinion. Looking back, The Western Union Company has advanced over 23% since hitting an annual low of $14.60 in mid-April. However, put buying has accelerated in recent months, with WU's 50-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 2.65 sitting in the 78th percentile of its annual range.