Analyst Update: Apple, Hortonworks, and Stratasys

Analysts are weighing in today on Dow component Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), tech solutions firm Hortonworks Inc (NASDAQ:HDP), and 3D printing concern Stratasys, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS).

• A day after snapping a five-session losing streak, AAPL is among the Dow elite in the black. However, momentum is a fickle mistress -- Apple Inc. has been teetering near breakeven, and was last seen 0.2% higher at $115.11. Morgan Stanley reiterated its $155 price target and "overweight" rating on AAPL, recommending that investors buy on the stock's recent weakness. Echoing that, UBS underscored a $150 price target, saying the day hasn't yet arrived where AAPL is "too big to grow." Furthermore, the company announced that its new music streaming service has pulled in more than 11 million members since the start of its three-month free trial period. Still, the stock is trading south of its 200-day moving average, near six-month lows. Pessimism is building toward the Dow darling as well, as AAPL's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.82 is higher than 77% of the past year's worth of readings.

• HDP is more than 17% higher at $28.32, after reporting better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and offering upbeat revenue guidance. In the wake of the earnings surprise, brokerages jumped all over Hortonworks Inc. Pacific Crest raised HDP's price target to $33 from $32, JMP Securities elevated its target to $32 from $30, RBC and Wunderlich both lifted their targets to $36 from $32, and Credit Suisse hiked its target by $5 to $40 -- deep into uncharted territory. The stock could be benefitting from an unwinding of pessimism from short sellers. A hefty 26.2% of HDP's float is currently sold short, and it would take more than 17 days to exhaust the bears' negative bets, at the stock's average pace of trading. 

• We round out today's update with SSYS, which is 7.1% higher at $30.01, thanks to a bullish brokerage note and sector tailwinds from 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD).  Specifically, Stratasys, Ltd. was elevated to "buy" from "neutral" at Citigroup. The 3D printer is now challenging resistance in the $30 region, and continues to stare up at its 10-week moving average. This trendline has bullied the stock lower since the beginning of October. Despite this poor performance -- SSYS just hit a three-year low earlier this week -- option players are bullish toward the firm, as SSYS's SOIR of 0.66 is at a 52-week low. If the stock cannot break through the resistance, this optimism could unwind and further the stock's slump.