Analyst Upgrades: FireEye, Facebook, and AT&T

Analysts are weighing in on cybersecurity specialist FireEye Inc (NASDAQ:FEYE), social media giant Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), and telecommunications concern AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on FEYE, FB, and T.

• FEYE is poised to notch another annual high today, after reports the firm is teaming up with Visa Inc (NYSE:V) to share -- and subsequently sell -- cyber-threat intelligence were well-received on Wall Street. Piper Jaffray, for instance, boosted its price target to $60 from $50, while Evercore ISI and Stifel both raised their price targets to $55. Although FEYE hasn't traded north of either mark since April 2014, the stock has been making technical strides recently. Year-to-date, in fact, FEYE has soared 51% -- and has been hitting a string of higher highs along the way, including a 52-week peak of $48.29 just yesterday. A continued uptrend could prompt another round of upbeat analyst notes, considering half of those covering the shares maintain a "hold" or worse rating. Plus, FireEye Inc's average 12-month price target of $47.50 stands at a discount to last night's close at $47.69.


• Ahead of FB's annual shareholder meeting -- which is on next Thursday's docket -- Evercore ISI upped its price target on the stock to $105 from $95, representing expected upside of 27.4% to Wednesday's close at $82.44, and a trek into uncharted territory. On the charts, FB has been gaining ground since taking a sharp bounce off its 200-day moving average on May 12, up 7.4%. What's more, the shares broke out above their 50-day moving average yesterday -- a trendline that has contained the security's advances since late April. Option traders, meanwhile, have been rolling the dice on more upside in recent months. Facebook Inc's 50-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 2.57 ranks in the 78th annual percentile. Simply stated, calls have been bought to open over puts at an accelerated clip.


• J.P. Morgan Securities raised its rating on T to "overweight" from "neutral" and its price target to $40 from $35 -- a level the stock has not seen the north side of in more than seven years. Despite this vote of confidence, shares of T are down about 1% in electronic trading, after settling last night at $35.03. Longer term, the stock has spent the past year bouncing between $32 and $37.50, but option traders have been betting on a breakout. The security's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio of 1.27 rests higher than 71% of all similar readings taken in the past year. Echoing this is AT&T Inc.'s Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.95, which sits in the 22nd percentile of its annual range. In other words, short-term speculators are more call-heavy than usual toward T.