Analysts revised their ratings and price targets on Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS), Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG), and Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (SBLK)
Analysts are weighing in on investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), and shipping stock Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on GS, CMG, and SBLK.
- GS is fresh off a better-than-expected earnings report, but is down 1.2% at $161.36 after Nomura cited "somewhat disappointing" results in the company's equities and investment management units. The financial stock is now down 10.5% year-to-date, and remains trapped below its 200-day trendline. Options traders, however, are expecting Goldman Sachs Group Inc to bounce back. During the last two weeks at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), speculators have bought to open 2.43 calls for every put -- a ratio that ranks in the high 79th percentile of its annual range.
- Ahead of Thursday night's earnings report, CMG saw its rating upped to "outperform" from "underperform" at CLSA. The bullish note has sent the stock 1.8% higher at $416.23, though it's down nearly 39% year-over-year due to a rash of food-borne illnesses. Amid these technical struggles, short sellers have been piling on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. During the last two reporting periods, short interest swelled 23.3%, and now accounts for almost 16% of the stock's total float.
- SBLK has rocketed 7.7% to $4.15, buoyed by an upgrade to "overweight" from "neutral" at J.P. Morgan Securities."We think the upside possibility more than offsets the risks at this point, and we like the company's low cost structure," the brokerage firm wrote, while also naming SBLK its top pick in dry bulk. It's been a banner year for Star Bulk Carriers Corp., which has advanced almost 37% in 2016. More gains could be in store, if short sellers start hitting the exits. At SBLK's average trading volumes, it would take more than two weeks to cover all the shorted shares.
For other stocks in analysts' crosshairs, read Analyst Upgrades: International Business Machines Corp., VMware, Inc., and Hudson Technologies, Inc. and Analyst Downgrades: Netflix, Inc., Guess?, Inc., and Super Micro Computer, Inc.