Analyst Upgrades: Ambarella Inc, Five Below Inc, and Shire PLC

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Ambarella Inc (AMBA), Five Below Inc (FIVE), and Shire PLC (ADR) (SHPG)

Jun 3, 2016 at 9:20 AM

Analysts are weighing in on semiconductor stock Ambarella Inc (NASDAQ:AMBA), specialty retailer Five Below Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE), and biotech Shire PLC (ADR) (NASDAQ:SHPG). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on AMBA, FIVE, and SHPG.

AMBA posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and announced a $75 million stock buyback program, earning it a price-target hike to $47 from $45 at Deutsche Bank. As a result, the shares are pointed 8.4% higher in pre-market action, after settling yesterday at $42.48 -- down nearly 24% year-to-date. This could have Ambarella Inc short sellers on pins and needles. About 34% of the stock's float is sold short, which would take two weeks to cover, at AMBA's average trading levels. It's worth noting that a gap higher on earnings would buck Ambarella's historic trend of post-event struggles.

FIVE received a round of bullish analyst attention, after the retailer revealed a first-quarter earnings beat and encouraging same-store sales. Specifically, no fewer than eight brokerage firms raised their price targets on the stock, with Guggenheim setting the highest bar, at $50 -- territory not explored since late 2013. Ahead of the open, Five Below Inc is pointed 1.8% higher, relative to Thursday's close at $42.85 -- more of the same for a stock that's advanced over 33.5% in 2016. By contrast, FIVE's retail sector peers have had a rough earnings season. Today's expected gains could exert pressure on a recent round of put buyers. During the last 10 weeks across the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), FIVE's put/call volume ratio has swelled to 1.71 -- an annual high.

SHPG is up 1.7% in electronic trading, after the company completed its merger with Baxalta. Adding fuel to the fire, Morgan Stanley resumed coverage with an "overweight" rating. Longer term, Shire PLC has progressed nicely on the charts, closing yesterday at $190.04 after testing the $150 level in February and March. In fact, the stock could topple its 200-day moving average today for the first time since August. Taking a step back, analysts are already in SHPG's bullish corner, with 11 of 12 handing out "buy" or better endorsements, and not a single "sell" opinion to be found.

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