Analyst Update: 8x8, Intuitive Surgical, LDR Holding

Analysts adjusted their ratings on 8x8, Inc. (EGHT), Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG), and LDR Holding Corp (LDRH)

Jan 22, 2016 at 2:14 PM

Analysts are weighing in today on communications concern 8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ:EGHT), as well as medical equipment designers Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) and LDR Holding Corp (NASDAQ:LDRH). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on EGHT, ISRG, and LDRH.

EGHT is blowing up this afternoon, after the company's earnings beat and upbeat guidance prompted a trio of analysts to lift their price targets on the stock. Specifically, Northland Capital and Craig-Hallum boosted their price targets to $14, while Barclays raised its own outlook to $12, sending the shares 12.2% higher to hover near $12.52. In fact, 8x8, Inc. earlier hit a 15-year peak of $13.65. Short-term speculators could be spooked. EGHT's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) sits at an annual high of 1.42, meaning speculators targeting options in the front three-months' series have rarely been so put-centric.

ISRG is up 1.6% at $564.41 -- and fresh off a nearly three-year high of $580 -- powered by a fourth-quarter earnings beat and a $25 price-target hike to $600 at BTIG. This is more of the same for a stock that's outperformed the broader S&P 500 Index (SPX) by 24 percentage points during the past three months. Meanwhile, Intuitive Surgical, Inc.'s bullish bandwagon has gotten crowded. Two-thirds of covering analysts rate the shares a "buy" or better, with not a single one sporting a "sell" recommendation. Plus, ISRG's consensus 12-month price target of $619.94 stands in territory never before charted.
LDRH received a downgrade to "market perform" from "outperform" at Wells Fargo, which cited a slower near-term adoption rate for the company's two-level cervical disk replacement (CDR), based on a survey of spine surgeons. As such, the shares have tumbled more than 11% to trade at $19.07, and are fresh off a two-year low of $18.69. Additional downgrades could be coming, unless LDR Holding Corp turns things around quickly. After all, seven of eight analysts currently rate the shares a "buy" or better, with not a single "sell" opinion to be found.

For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: Apple Inc., First Solar, Inc., and Starbucks Corporation and Analyst Downgrades: American Express Company, Skechers USA Inc, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

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