Analyst Downgrades: Esperion Therapeutics Inc, Nike Inc, and Autoliv Inc.

Analysts are weighing in on biotech Esperion Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ESPR), athletic apparel retailer Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), and auto parts stock Autoliv Inc. (NYSE:ALV). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on ESPR, NKE, and ALV.

• ESPR is down 39.1% at $9.85 -- a new all-time low -- after receiving a disappointing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) update for its cholesterol drug. As tends to happen, since the announcement, no fewer than three brokerage firms have downgraded Esperion Therapeutics Inc, including a revision to "underperform" at Credit Suisse. Likewise, at least four analysts have issued price-target cuts, with J.P. Morgan Securities slashing its target to $15 from $50.  This is the latest bad news for a stock that has dropped by 87% year-over-year. Option bears are likely cheering the latest development, with ESPR's 10-day put/call volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) of 0.70 sitting higher than 92% of all other readings from the past year.

• NKE is up 2.4% at $54.36, after a mixed earnings report. Although shareholders seem to be cheering, NKE shares received some more negative analyst attention, with no fewer than 10 brokerage firms issuing price-target cuts, including D.A. Davidson, which slashed Nike Inc's price target to $66 from $76. NKE is down 12.6% year-to-date, with rally attempts running into resistance at its 30-day moving average since early April. Still, prior to today, most analysts seemed upbeat on the athletic apparel retailer, with 17 of 23 rating shares a "buy" or better, and only a single "sell" to be found. 

• ALV is down 4.2% at $105.56, after confirming reports that its airbag inflators would be involved in Toyota Motor Corp's (ADR) (NYSE:TM) recalls. Even before ALV's announcement, Deutsche Bank and Evercore issued price-target cuts for the stock, to $102 and $100, respectively. RBC, meanwhile, cut its price target to $93 from $107 -- in annual-low territory -- echoing the negative tone in the auto sector today. The struggling shares are down 15% year-to-date, and even prior to today, Autoliv Inc. had underperformed the greater S&P 500 Index (SPX) by over 8 percentage points.