Analyst Upgrades: Cyberark Software, Ralph Lauren, Intrexon

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings on Cyberark Software Ltd (NASDAQ:CYBR), Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL), and Intrexon Corp (NYSE:XON)

Josh Selway

Sep 21, 2015 at 9:14 AM

XON
RL
CYBR

Analysts are weighing in on cybersecurity specialist Cyberark Software Ltd (NASDAQ:CYBR), high-end designer Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL), and synthetic biology enthusiast Intrexon Corp (NYSE:XON). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on CYBR, RL, and XON.

At Friday's close of $47.65, CYBR is already 20.2% higher in 2015, thanks mostly to a mid-February bull gap. More recently, the shares have cooled, underperforming the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by more than 26 percentage points in the past three months. However, this morning's upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" at Deutsche Bank could be a needed shot in the arm for Cyberark Software Ltd. The security is pointed 3.9% higher ahead of the open, and will need this momentum to overcome the growing bearish bias seen from traders; short interest on CYBR surged 46% during the two most recent reporting periods.

RL will try to capitalize on a bullish write-up in this weekend's edition of Barron's (subscription required). The financial publication suggested the equity is currently trading at a discount -- closing Friday at $109.38 -- and could soar to $135 over the next year. Looking back, Ralph Lauren Corp has dropped 40.9% year-to-date, but options traders have continued betting bullishly. RL's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio stands at 3.83 -- higher than 95% of all readings from the past year. This means call buying has been much more popular than normal. In pre-market action, RL is pointed 3.3% higher.

XON is ready to start the day 5% higher, after Stifel initiated coverage with a "buy" rating. The shares have already skyrocketed 156% in the past year, landing at $49.83 on Friday, but even this hasn't deterred bears. Short interest on Intrexon Corp represents close to 42% of its float, and would take over seven sessions to buy back, at the stock's typical daily volumes. In other words, there's plenty of sideline cash to extend an XON rally.

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