Buzz Stocks: Walt Disney Co, Ericsson, and Raytheon Company

Today's stocks to watch include Walt Disney Co (DIS), Ericsson (ADR) (ERIC), and Raytheon Company (RTN)

Josh Selway

Dec 21, 2015 at 9:43 AM

U.S. indexes are starting the holiday-shortened week on a high note. Among the equities in focus are media giant Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS), tech concern Ericsson (ADR) (NASDAQ:ERIC), and defense issue Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN).

DIS is up 1.6% this morning at $109.30, after the company's much-hyped "Star Wars" film toppled box office records on its opening week. Walt Disney Co CEO Robert Iger suggested that the global weekend sales could reach $528 million. If DIS can keep rallying on the heels of this positive development, it could benefit from a round of analyst upgrades. Even though the shares have added over 16% in 2015, 10 of 23 covering brokerage firms still say the security is just a "hold."

ERIC has jumped 6.6% in early trading to hit $9.73, with the company announcing it has agreed to a patent license deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), bringing an end to a multi-year legal battle. Ericsson (ADR) has been underperforming in recent months, touching a three-year low of $8.87 last Monday. What's more, it looks like the stock could be hitting resistance at its 80-day moving average, a trendline that's blocked its previous three breakout attempts. Option traders are likely hoping this is the case. The equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands at 2.14, which is higher than 84% of all other readings from the past year.

After winning a more than $2 billion contract with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, RTN is up 0.7% this morning at $126.26. Coming into today, the stock has been strong, outpacing the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by almost 14 percentage points in the past three months. Analysts certainly believe more success is in the cards for Raytheon Company. Of the 14 brokerage firms with coverage on the stock, 12 say it's a "strong buy," with none deeming it a "sell."