Analysts revised their ratings and price targets on Mobileye NV (MBLY), Whiting Petroleum Corp (WLL), and Vascular Biogenics Ltd (VBLT)
Analysts are weighing in on automotive tech specialist Mobileye NV (NYSE:MBLY), oil-and-gas stock Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL), and biotech issue Vascular Biogenics Ltd (NASDAQ:VBLT). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on MBLY, WLL, and VBLT.
- MBLY is up 0.9% at $40.14, shrugging off a downgrade to "neutral" at Goldman Sachs, which also cut its price target to $40. The stock is down 24% year-over-year, but has seen strong support from its rising 100-day moving average in recent months. While short interest has been rising on Mobileye NV, analysts remain upbeat. In fact, 10 out of 12 brokerage firms recommend buying the shares.
- WLL is also overcoming negative analyst attention, as KLR Group, SunTrust Robinson, and Wunderlich all lowered their price targets on the stock, with the latter setting the lowest mark of $11. This is still a premium to current levels, though, with Whiting Petroleum Corp last seen at $8.97 -- 4.9% higher on the day. The stock recently gave up its perch above the $10 level, falling into negative year-to-date territory, and options traders have been betting on more downside. Specifically, WLL's 10-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) stands at 2.55 -- just 5 percentage points from a 12-month high.
- A fresh "buy" rating and $11 price target from H.C. Wainwright has VBLT up 5.1% at $4.15. The analysts added "VBL's gene therapy has the advantages of better tissue-specific activity, lower toxicity, simpler dosing regimen, and is also able to incite a potent immune response against cancer." The bullish note is far from unusual for the stock, as every analyst that covers VBLT rates it a "strong buy." Looking back, Vascular Biogenics Ltd exploded higher earlier this month on upbeat drug news, but has since given back almost all those gains to sit in a 21% year-to-date hole -- though that's still better than the performance of this struggling sector peer.
For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: Apple Inc., AstraZeneca plc (ADR), and Dicks Sporting Goods Inc and Analyst Downgrades: AT&T Inc., Sonic Corporation, and Southwest Airlines Co.