Analyst Upgrades: T-Mobile US Inc, Facebook Inc, and Alphabet Inc

Analysts are weighing in on telecommunications firm T-Mobile US Inc (NASDAQ:TMUS), social media stock Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), and tech titan Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on TMUS, FB, and GOOGL.

• TMUS is up 1.9% at $60.74 -- and fresh off a record high of $60.80 -- after J.P. Morgan Securities said telecom companies could be on the brink of consolidation under President Trump's more business-minded administration. In particular, J.P. Morgan Securities sees a 90% chance of a strategic transaction for T-Mobile US Inc in the next five years, including a 65% likelihood of a buyout. TMUS shares have been steadily tracking higher, adding over 82% since their February lows. Short interest in TMUS shares is down 2.4% over the last reporting period, though shorted shares still account for 7.1% of TMUS' float, which would take 11.7 sessions to cover, at the stock's average daily volume. If short sellers continue to exit, this could fuel TMUS' climb higher.
  
  
• FB is up 0.7% at $127.96, after Goldman Sachs said it expects Facebook Inc to deliver a strong fourth-quarter earnings report in early February. The brokerage firm also maintained its "buy" rating and price target of $162 -- in uncharted territory. FB shares recently broke out above resistance in the $124-$125 area that had contained the shares since an early November bear gap. In the option pits, FB's 10-day call/put volume ratio shows nearly two calls bought to open for every put at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), a reading that sits higher than 83% of all others from the last 12 months.
  
  
• GOOGL is up 1.2% at $838.37 -- and just off its own all-time high of $839.28 -- after BMO issued a price-target hike to $1,000 from $960. In addition, Barron's waxed optimistic on the stock (subscription required), predicting a 20% jump thanks to YouTube and digital ad growth. GOOGL is now up more than 24% from its late-June lows, and most analysts are already in the bulls' corner. In the option pits, GOOGL's near-term option buyers are getting some bang for their buck, with the stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 22% sitting just 1 percentage point from an annual low, just over a week ahead of Alphabet Inc's Feb. 1 earnings report.