Analyst Downgrades: Twitter Inc, SolarCity Corp, and Transocean LTD

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Twitter Inc (TWTR), SolarCity Corp (SCTY), and Transocean LTD (RIG)

Feb 2, 2016 at 9:37 AM

Analysts are weighing in on social media maven Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), alternative energy upstart SolarCity Corp (NASDAQ:SCTY), and offshore driller Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on TWTR, SCTY, and RIG.

Just a day after surging on outside investment rumblings, TWTR is down 4.3% at $17.14, after seeing its rating cut to "sell" from "hold" at Stifel Nicolaus. Specifically, the brokerage firm warned in a note, "Twitter's monthly active user growth continues to slow and is at risk of turning negative in 2016 due to a lack of product innovation and limited sense of urgency." In addition, Stifel set its price target at $14 -- in record-low territory. On the charts, Twitter Inc has been a disaster, losing 55% year-over-year to rest at $17.91. However, option traders have maintained a glass-half-full perspective. During the last 10 weeks at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), TWTR has racked up a call/put volume ratio of 3.18 -- just 6 percentage points from an annual peak.

With a week to go before reporting earnings, SCTY was slapped with a $14 price-target cut to $45 at Goldman Sachs. As a result, the shares 1.8% lower at $33.17 -- down nearly 44% from their most recent high of $58.87 in mid-December. Should this negative momentum continue, SolarCity Corp can expect to see additional bearish brokerage notes. Of the 15 analysts tracking the stock, 13 have doled out a "buy" or better rating, compared to two "holds" and not a single "sell." Plus, SCTY's average 12-month price target of $66.67 stands in territory not explored since September 2014.

RIG is down 4.2% at $9.38, after Barclays slashed its price target on the stock to $6 from $11. The shares have surrendered nearly 46% of their value on a year-over-year basis, following the bearish lead of crude oil. Amid this drift lower, short sellers have been piling on Transocean LTD's bearish bandwagon. A lofty 37.5% of the stock's float is sold short -- an all-time high -- which would take over nine sessions to repurchase, at typical daily trading levels.

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