Analyst Downgrades: Apple Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and Intel Corporation

Analysts downwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A), and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)

May 9, 2016 at 9:16 AM

Analysts are weighing in on tech stock Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A), and chipmaker Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on AAPL, BRK.A, and INTC.

AAPL hit a new annual low last week following its longest losing streak in decades. Things could get even worse today, after Baird cut its price target on the stock to $115 from $120 -- though the new outlook still represents a 24% premium to Friday's close at $92.72. Additional bearish brokerage notes could come down the pike, too, unless Apple Inc. can right its ship quickly. At present, 24 of 29 analysts rate the shares a "buy" or better. Elsewhere, short-term options traders are extremely call-focused toward AAPL. The tech stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) sits at an annual low of 0.62.

BRK.A has had a rock-solid 2016, advancing nearly 10% year-to-date at $216,999.99. Nonetheless, KBW lowered its price target on the stock to $229,765 from $229,950 -- still in all-time-high territory. More generally, analysts lean in a bullish direction when it comes to Berkshire Hathaway Inc, with two handing out "buy" ratings versus one "hold" and not a single "sell." Also, the stock's consensus 12-month price target of $241,088 is about 11% higher than current trading levels.

Exane BNP Paribas reduced its price target on INTC by $2 to $33. Based on the stock's 2016 trajectory, you can't really blame them. Year-to-date, Intel Corporation has lost almost 13% to perch at $30.04, and a recent rally attempt was turned back in the $32-$33 neighborhood amid a number of fundamental concerns. Traders at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have been placing bearish bets over bullish at an accelerated clip in recent months. Specifically, INTC's 50-day put/call volume ratio across those exchanges is 2.01 -- just 14 percentage points from an annual peak.

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