Analyst Upgrades: Southwest Airlines Co, Juniper Networks, Inc., and Netflix, Inc.

Analysts are weighing in on airliner Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE:LUV), cybersecurity firm Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR), and entertainment powerhouse Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on LUV, JNPR, and NFLX.

• LUV is getting some, well, love from the Street this morning, in the form of price-target hikes at Evercore ISI (to $45) and J.P. Morgan Securities (to $52). The latter mark represents all-time-high territory for the stock, which closed Monday at $41.22. Even though Southwest Airlines Co is 2.6% lower in 2015, call buyers have continued to target it at a blistering rate. For example, LUV's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 7.69 stands higher than 94% of all other readings from the past year. Ahead of the bell, the stock is off 0.8%.


• JNPR has been on a tear recently, gaining 15.6% since the start of October, while hitting a four-year high of $30.03 last Thursday, before settling at $29.73 on Monday. The shares could be in store for another big day, too, after RBC bumped its price target by $3 to $33. Analysts have been growing bullish toward Juniper Networks, Inc. this month, and this trend could be set to continue. Of the 20 covering brokerage firms, 12 still consider JNPR only a "hold." Plus, the shares are trading above their average 12-month price target of $29.58. In other words, there's plenty of room for additional bullish notes to propel the shares higher. In pre-market trading, JNPR is up 0.8%.


• NFLX is once again the beneficiary of bullish analyst notes this morning. Three price-target increases have come down the pike since yesterday's close: SunTrust Robinson to $110, Nomura to $125, and Cowen and Company to $154. The latter represents a nearly 36% premium to Netflix, Inc.'s current perch at $113.45, as well as record-high territory. Of course, it's hard to bet against NFLX, as it's more than doubled in value year-to-date. Interestingly, one group of bears won't leave the stock alone. Short interest on NFLX increased by 15.3% in the two most recent reporting periods, and now represents almost 10% of the stock's float. Amid continued technical strength, these bears could make a quick exit, adding even more fuel to the shares' fire. Looking ahead, the firm is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings after Wednesday's close.