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Earnings Today: Intuitive Surgical Delivers Again; Skechers Sells Off

Call buying was extremely popular on SKX before earnings

Jul 20, 2018 at 10:11 AM
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Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) and Skechers USA Inc (NYSE:SKX) both reported earnings since yesterday's close. But while shares of robotic surgery expert ISRG are higher, shoe stock SKX is suffering a huge loss. We'll take a closer look at how the stocks are trading below, as well as how sentiment is stacked up on both names.

ISRG Gains as da Vinci Deliveries Rise Again

ISRG shares are trading up 2.5% at $534.47, already tagging a record high of $538.98. The company exceeded expectations with both earnings and revenue for the second quarter, and deliveries for its signature da Vinci Surgical System rose to 220 for the period, compared to the same time as last year. This is just more of the same for Intuitive Surgical stock, which has enjoyed a dramatic rise on the charts over the past two years, going from roughly $230 to current levels.

Several analysts have raised their outlooks on the surgical expert this morning. The highest price target came out of Raymond James, which raised its mark to $600 from $495. Canaccord Genuity, meanwhile, raised its price target to $550 from $430, citing growth in China as a potential tailwind for ISRG. Thirteen of 16 covering analysts already say to buy the stock.

SKX Call Buyers Whiff

SKX stock is selling off after earnings for a second straight quarter, last seen 25.9% lower at $24.65. The company missed second-quarter profit and same-store sales estimates, while its current-quarter revenue forecast disappointed. This earned price-target cuts from Cowen (to $32), Wedbush (to $28), and Susquehanna (to $26), and Skechers could be vulnerable to even more bear notes going forward, since seven of the eight brokerages in coverage had "strong buy" ratings in place.

Looking at the charts, this bear gap leaves the equity near the $23-$24 area that's acted as a floor since late 2016, but that probably isn't offering much solace to recent call buyers, who flocked to the stock ahead of earnings. In fact, more than 26,500 calls were bought to open on SKX during the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), compared to just 3,844 puts.

 
 

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