Analyst Upgrades: El Pollo Loco, Akamai Technologies, GameStop

Analysts are weighing in on chicken chain El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:LOCO), IT issue Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM), and video game retailer GameStop Corp. (NYSE:GME). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on LOCO, AKAM, and GME.

• After closing last night at $12.62, LOCO is up 3% in electronic trading, thanks to an upgrade to "buy" from "hold" at Stifel. However, the shares remain 36.8% lower on the year, and more recently, have felt the heat from their descending 10-day moving average, which pressured the stock to an all-time low of $10.25 earlier this week . Against this backdrop, put buyers have been active in El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc's options pits. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), LOCO's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.75 ranks in the 64th annual percentile.


• JMP Securities upped its outlook on AKAM to "outperform" from "market perform," sending the shares slightly higher ahead of the bell. On the charts, AKAM recently pulled back with the rest of the broader equities market, but found a foothold atop its 320-day moving average. However, a bounce from here was contained by the security's 160-day moving average -- a trendline that served as support on a handful of occasions this year. Analysts, meanwhile, remain optimistic, with 14 maintaining a "strong buy" recommendation toward Akamai Technologies, Inc., versus seven "holds," and not a single "sell." On Thursday, AKAM settled at $70.50.


• Despite a strong showing in the earnings confessional and subsequent round of mostly upbeat analyst attention, GME is bracing for a 2.4% drop out of the gate. Specifically, the stock received price-target hikes from Ascendiant Capital (to $52), Baird (to $54), Wedbush (to $55), and SunTrust Robinson (to $60). (Benchmark, on the other hand, cut its rating to "sell" from "hold.") Overall, it's been a solid year for GameStop Corp., up 37% at $46.20 -- and fresh off an analyst-induced Aug. 14 annual high of $47.93. That said, today's projected price move should be well-received by short sellers. Short interest accounts for 43% of GME's available float, or 33 times the average daily trading volume.

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