Analyst Update: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, DSW Inc., and Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc

Analysts are weighing in on Chinese e-commerce concern Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), shoe retailer DSW Inc. (NYSE:DSW), and biotech stock Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:SYRS). Here's a quick roundup of today's brokerage notes on BABA, DSW, and SYRS.

• BABA is up 1.3% at $96.10, after Andrew Left of Citron Research said that he is long on the shares. The noted short seller also chimed in on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), although the outlook wasn't so rosy. Regardless, today's upside move puts the shares of BABA up more than 62% from their mid-February year-to-date low at $59.25 -- and within a chip-shot of their Aug. 15 annual high of $98.86. While analysts have been quickly climbing on board BABA's bullish bandwagon, a capitulation from some of the weaker bearish hands could create fresh tailwinds for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Short interest accounts for almost 10% of BABA's available float, or more than four sessions' worth of pent-up buying demand, at the equity's average pace of trading.

• Similar to sector peer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF), DSW is taking it on the chin after delivering its earnings report this morning, currently down 11% at $23.13. The footwear retailer beat per-share earnings estimates, but reported lower sales year-over-year. DSW has been on the receiving end of some mixed analyst attention, with Deutsche Bank cutting its price target to $22 from $23, while Jefferies raised its price target to $28 from $26. DSW is down over 20% year-over-year, and is set to end the week beneath its 10-week moving average for the first time since early July. Some near-term options traders are likely kicking rocks, as the equity's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.37 is higher than just 12% of all other readings from the past year, pointing to a bigger-than-usual call bias heading into earnings.
  
  
• SYRS is up 12% at $13.10, after its founders Nathanael Gray and Richard Young published encouraging research on a CDK12 and CDK13 inhibiting compound, THZ531, which could help treat aggressive cancers. Phase 1 and 2 trials of the compound should begin in the first half of 2017. Meanwhile, JMP Securities reiterated its "market outperform" rating and $22 price target for the Wall Street freshman. Syros Pharmaceuticals Inc jumped to a record high of $21.50 shortly after going public on June 30, only to give up more than 60% and hit a record low of $8.61 in early August. Thanks to today's gains, though, SYRS is trading back above its initial public offering (IPO) price of $12.50, and earlier hit a six-week high of $15.56.