Analyst Downgrades: Berkshire Hathaway, ARM Holdings

Analysts are weighing in on Warren Buffett baby Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B), microprocessor specialist ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (NASDAQ:ARMH), and entertainment issue Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on BRK.B, ARMH, and DIS.

• Barclays lowered its price target on BRK.B to $169 from $173, after the company unveiled its biggest acquisition to date. Specifically, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said it would purchase Precision Castparts Corp. (NYSE:PCP) in an all-cash deal valued at $37.2 billion, or $235 per share. At last check, shares of BRK.B were off 1.2% to linger near $141.83. Longer term, the stock has shed 5.5% year-to-date -- and struggled against the $144 mark.


• J.P. Morgan Securities cut its price target on ARMH to $39.50 from $41.50, sending the shares 1% lower this morning to trade at $44.17. This negative analyst attention isn't coming out of left field, considering the security has shed roughly one-fifth of its value since hitting an annual high of $54.82 in late April. What's more, an additional batch of bearish brokerage notes could be on the horizon. Currently, 12 out of 15 analysts covering the shares maintain a "buy" or better rating, with the consensus 12-month price target of $57.70 stands at a 31% premium to ARM Holdings plc's present price, and in never-before-seen territory.


• It's been a rough go for DIS of late, with the stock off 9.4% from last Tuesday's record high of $122.08. Amid this sell-off -- which was prompted by Walt Disney Co's lackluster turn in the earnings confessional -- the stock's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropped to 31, teetering near oversold waters. This may be why DIS is up 1.1% today at $110.58, despite price-target cuts from Credit Suisse (to $120) and Deutsche Bank (to $114). Option traders, it seems, have been betting on a steeper retreat. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), DIS' 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.76 sits higher than 76% of similar readings taken in the past year. In other words, puts have been bought to open over calls at a faster-than-usual clip.