Buzz Stocks: Mylan NV, Sears Holdings Corp, and Signet Jewelers Ltd.

U.S. stocks are lower out of the gate, as oil prices continue to slide. Meanwhile, among specific equities in focus are EpiPen parent Mylan NV (NASDAQ:MYL), as well as retail stocks Sears Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:SHLD) and Signet Jewelers Ltd. (NYSE:SIG).

• MYL has come under increased scrutiny this week, after the drugmaker boosted the price of its EpiPen -- an autoinjector used to treat anaphylaxis. Following a direct attack from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Mylan NV CEO Heather Bresch said the company is taking "immediate action" to make sure that the drug is readily available to those in need, including expanding access to its patient assistance program. Against this backdrop, shares of MYL are up 2.8% at $43.15 -- paring their week-to-date deficit to 11.3%. Short sellers, meanwhile, are hoping the stock resumes its more recent downtrend. Short interest jumped 6.7% in the two most recent reporting periods, and now accounts for a healthy 7.1% of MYL's available float.

• SHLD is down 1.4% at $14.50, after the retail chain reported a steep second-quarter loss and said it has borrowed $300 million from CEO Eddie Lampert's hedge fund, ESL Investments. On the charts, the stock has shed roughly two-fifths of its value over the past 12 months, and despite a brief trek north of its 200-day moving average earlier this month, the shares fell back below this psychologically significant trendline last Friday. In the options pits, short-term speculators have been more put-skewed than usual, per Sears Holdings Corp's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.72 -- in the 71st annual percentile.

• SIG reported a surprise decline in second-quarter same-store sales, as well as a quarterly profit miss and a lowered full-year forecast. As such, shares of the jewelry stock have plunged 15.5% to trade at $80.64. This negative price action is just more of the same for SIG stock, though, with the shares down 47% since topping out at a record high of $152.27 in late October. While one notable hedge fund recently liquidated its stake in the underperformer, analysts certainly have room to readjust their upbeat outlooks. In fact, 10 of 11 brokerages maintain a "buy" or better rating on SIG, with not a single "sell" to be found. This leaves the door wide open for a round of downgrades, which could pressure the shares of Signet Jewelers Ltd. even lower.

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