Analyst Upgrades: Microsoft Corporation, Incyte Corporation, and NetApp Inc.

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY), and NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP)

Josh Selway

Nov 17, 2016 at 9:43 AM

Analysts are weighing in on tech stock Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), biopharmaceutical company Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY), and digital storage specialist NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on MSFT, INCY, and NTAP.

MSFT is up 1% today at $60.24, thanks to an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" at Goldman Sachs, which also raised its price target to $68 from $60, representing all-time-high territory. However, the stock has been losing ground since its last record high of $61.37 from late October, even as options traders have remained overwhelmingly bullish. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Microsoft Corporation has a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 2.71, which tops 83% of all others from the past year. A reversal of this unusual call bias could hold back MSFT shares in the near term.
Price-target increases to $126 at BMO and $115 at Leerink have INCY up 3.6% at $104.36 this morning. The shares have been marking a series of higher highs and lows since February thanks to strong support from their rising 36-month moving average. Considering this, it's not surprising to see many short sellers throwing in the towel, with short interest decreasing by almost 16% in the latest reporting period. Still, nearly a week's worth of buying power remains on the sidelines, going by average daily volumes, suggesting there's room for a continuation of this short-covering trend to drive Incyte Corporation even higher.

An impressive earnings beat has NTAP 10.7% higher this morning at $38.43, after earlier tapping fresh annual high of $39. No fewer than 12 brokerage firms have raised their price targets, including Susquehanna, which set the highest mark by far at $46. This represents territory NetApp Inc. has not seen since April 2012, but the shares have already gained nearly 45% in 2016, and additional bullish notes could result in even more upside. For instance, just three of the 25 brokerage firms covering NTAP deem it worthy of a "buy" rating.

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