Both stocks are lower after the downgrades
Goldman Sachs cut its rating on Kaiser Aluminum Corp. (NASDAQ:KALU) to "sell" from "neutral," and dropped its price target to $101 from $105 -- the lowest on Wall Street. The brokerage firm said it believes higher costs will pressure margins, and "believe[s] expectations, and KALU's valuation, should be more tempered."
In reaction, KALU stock is trading down 1.2% at $108.33 -- extending a period of choppy trading for the metal producer. Year-to-date, the shares are clinging to a 1.4% lead, though they're still holding above their 200-day trendline, which contained a late-June pullback.
Short sellers, meanwhile, have been jumping ship recently. Short interest fell 19.3% in the most recent reporting period to 540,000 shares -- the fewest since May 2016.
Online lender On Deck Capital Inc (NYSE:ONDK) was also hit with some bearish brokerage attention today. Earlier this morning, BTIG downgraded ONDK stock to "sell" from "neutral," citing concerns over valuation and the company's ability to sustain earnings growth.
This downbeat analyst note follows last Tuesday's post-earnings bull gap for the shares, which surged nearly 24% after the company reported a second-quarter earnings beat and boosted its full-year forecast. ONDK stock went on to hit a two-year high of $9.41, before pulling back to the $8.60 region -- home to its 50% year-to-date return level. Today, the equity is testing its mid-July highs, last seen down 5.3% at $8.34.
Despite the stock's longer-term gains, most analysts remain skeptical of ONDK. Of the seven analysts following the shares, six maintain a "hold" or worse, while the average 12-month price target sits at $7.94.