Analyst Upgrades: Yahoo! Inc., Michael Kors Holdings Ltd, and Pandora Media Inc

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS), and Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P)

Karee Venema

Jan 19, 2016 at 9:55 AM

P
KORS
YHOO

Analysts are weighing in on Internet issue Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), apparel name Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS), and streaming radio stock Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on YHOO, KORS, and P.

YHOO is up 2.2% at the open -- but is meeting resistance near the round $30 -- after Barron's waxed optimistic (subscription required) over a potential sale of the company's core assets. Specifically, the financial magazine projected a sale of YHOO's Internet division, as well as its stakes in Yahoo! Japan and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) -- a move that's been encouraged by activist investors -- could send the shares 35% higher. The stock could certainly use a boost, considering it's shed 18% since its most recent high of $36.39 on Dec. 2 to trade at $29.76. Meanwhile, in the options pits, Yahoo! Inc.'s Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.22 sits at an annual high, meaning short-term speculators are more put-skewed now than they've been at any other point in the past year.

Piper Jaffray raised its outlook on KORS to "neutral," echoing the majority of analysts following the stock. In fact, 15 brokerages maintain "neutral" ratings on the stock, compared to four "buy" or betters and one "strong sell." It's been a rough go for the equity, which has surrendered more than half its value since hitting an annual high of $73.47 last February. What's more, the stock -- which was last seen churning near $35.81 -- notched a four-year low of $34.91 during Friday's broad-market blast. Against this backdrop, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd also received a price-target cut this morning at Baird to $42 from $45.

P has also had its fair share of trouble on the charts, with the stock down 59% from its Sept. 21 annual high of $22.60 to trade at $9.28 -- and fresh off Friday's two-year low of $9.09. Nevertheless, BTIG upped its outlook to "neutral" from "sell," yet the shares are still down 1.8% despite surging higher out of the gate. This sharp reversal is likely being met with cheers in the options pits, as P's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.97 sits just 2 percentage points from a 52-week peak. Simply stated, puts have rarely been bought to open over calls at a faster clip.

Sign up now for Schaeffer's Opening View newsletter to get a head start on all the major pre-market news!

Follow @Schaeffers

You Don’t Need 25 Alerts -- You Need ONE You Can Trust!

That’s the idea behind Trade of the Week, Schaeffer’s newest trade alert.

Every Monday morning before the opening bell, you’ll receive a single, expertly researched trade recommendation -- built from the same proprietary research we’ve been using for over four decades.

It’s not just a signal.

It’s a plan designed for traders who are tired of jumping from alert to alert without ever finding their edge.

No juggling alerts. No switching directions mid-week. Just one clear, expertly researched trade idea -- delivered before the market even opens.

👉 JOIN RIGHT NOW FOR JUST $1 TO GET THE NEXT TRADE!