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The Analyst Note Sparking a Pre-Market Sell-Off for Hertz Stock

The car rental stock is reeling after a pre-earnings downgrade

Jul 31, 2017 at 9:27 AM
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Analysts are weighing in on luxury retailer Coach Inc (NYSE:COH), social media stock Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), and car rental specialist Hertz Global Holdings, Inc (NYSE:HTZ). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of COH, FB, and HTZ.

High-Flying Coach Shares Slapped with a Downgrade

Jefferies downgraded COH to "hold" from "buy" this morning, and simultaneously slashed its price target to $45 from $53. The new target represents a discount of 7.6% to the stock's Friday close at $48.69.

It's been a good year for Coach stock, which has capitalized on support at its 20-day, 30-day, and 50-day moving averages to notch a gain of 39% so far in 2017. However, most analysts expect only limited upside from here, judging by the equity's average 12-month price target of $51. That said, 17 out of 22 brokerage firms still call COH stock a "buy," so analysts are far from bearish.

Pivotal Thinks We've Reached the Top for Facebook

FB stock was hit with a downgrade to "sell" from "hold" at Pivotal, marking a very rare bearish note for the Tech 2.0 standout. Currently, 24 analysts rate Facebook a "buy" or better, compared to only two "holds," and -- prior to today's downgrade -- zero "sells."

Given FB's blowout performance on the charts, this bullish configuration isn't exactly shocking. The stock tapped a fresh record high of $175.49 last Thursday, and at Friday's close at $172.45, was sitting on a year-over-year surge of 39%. Ahead of the bell this morning, however, FB is trading fractionally lower.

Hertz Hammered by Cut to "Underweight"

Barclays slashed its rating on HTZ to "underweight" from "equal weight," sending the stock down more than 6% in pre-market trading. The shares could now be facing a daily close beneath their 10-day moving average for the first time since June 22, but bearish price action is nothing new for Hertz shares. At Friday's close of $17.36, the stock was down almost 20% year-to-date.

After the closing bell next Tuesday, Aug. 8, HTZ stock will be in the spotlight again when the company reports second-quarter earnings. Trade-Alert reports that over the last eight quarters, HTZ shares have averaged a hefty post-earnings price swing of 10.5% -- including a 14.2% plunge the day after its early May report. Ahead of next week's report, HTZ options are pricing in an even steeper daily move of 18.4%.
 

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