Buzz Stocks: Priceline Group Inc, Kinder Morgan Inc, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc

Today's stocks to watch include Priceline Group Inc (PCLN), Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI), and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (INO)

Feb 17, 2016 at 9:50 AM

U.S. stocks are higher again this morning, with continued hopes of crude production cuts boosting the price of oil. Meanwhile, travel interest Priceline Group Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN), energy stock Kinder Morgan Inc (NYSE:KMI), and biotech concern Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:INO) are among the equities in focus today.

PCLN is 11.2% higher at $1.235.50, after reporting fourth-quarter earnings above expectations. Priceline Group Inc is bouncing back quickly from a two-year low of $954.02, touched last week, but is still off 3.1% in 2016. The stock has historically been a strong performer in the month of February, but its current rally may have options bears sweating. PCLN's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 0.88 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) is in the 90th percentile of its annual range.

A new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing revealed that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) took a large stake in KMI, worth $395.9 million at the end of 2015, sending the shares of KMI up 9.2% to $17.05. Kinder Morgan Inc is on the rebound after falling to an all-time low of $11.20 in late January. The stock has now added 14% in 2016, and analysts seem to be optimistic, with nine out of 14 brokerages rating KMI a "buy" or better, and not a single "sell" on the books.

INO said its Zika vaccine was found effective in mice, and said that the vaccine should be ready to test in humans before the end of this year. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc is 4.9% higher at $6.89 today, and has outperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) by more than 21 percentage points over the past month. Short interest on the stock is still elevated, representing nearly 21% of the security's available float, but all five brokerage firms following INO maintain their "strong buy" ratings.

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