Analysts downwardly revised their ratings on Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA), and Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG)
Analysts are weighing in today on Internet issue Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), e-commerce power Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), and burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on YHOO, BABA, and CMG.
- YHOO is 0.8% lower out of the gate, after a first-quarter earnings miss and a round of bearish brokerage notes. No fewer than 10 brokerage firms reduced their price targets on the Internet issue, including Barclays -- which lowered its target to $48 from $56. On the other hand, Credit Suisse and Pivotal Research upped their price targets to $68 and $49, respectively. Turning to the charts, it's been a rough year for Yahoo! Inc., which is down nearly 13% in 2015 to trade at $44.14. If this trend continues, the stock could get hit with additional negative attention, as 19 of 27 analysts rate YHOO a "buy" or better, and its consensus 12-month price target of $56.88 hasn't been touched in over 14 years.
- Fresh off establishing a collaborative relationship with a pair of big auto brands, BABA saw its price target slashed by $20 to $98 at Jefferies. In early trading, the shares are down 0.6% at $81.90, and are 21% lower on a year-to-date basis. Like YHOO, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd appears vulnerable to a round of downgrades and/or additional price-target reductions. All 24 analysts tracking the equity consider it a "buy" or better, and its average 12-month price target of $107.49 stands in territory not charted since late December.
- Finally, CMG is plunging out of the gate, following a disappointing turn in the earnings confessional -- which revealed weaker-than-expected same-store sales growth. Specifically, the restaurant stock was last seen 6.5% lower at $647.30, bringing it into the red on a year-to-date basis. Also weighing on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a round of price-target cuts from no fewer than five analysts, and a downgrade to "market perform" from "outperform" at Raymond James (though Janney upped its fair value estimate to $825). CMG's early morning struggles are likely dampening the mood of recent call buyers. During the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), traders have bought to open 1.06 calls for every put -- a ratio that ranks higher than three-quarters of comparable readings from the previous year.