ROKU and TWLO stocks have been major winners in 2018
TV technology expert Roku Inc (NASDAQ:ROKU) is trading up 3.5% this morning at $61.57, following a new "buy" rating at Guggenheim, which also set a $74 price target. The shares touched a record high of $64.48 back on Aug. 27, and in the past six months alone they've added roughly 59%.
More upside could be coming, too, if additional analysts jump to the bulls' side. That is, only half the covering ROKU analysts recommend buying the stock, hinting at room for upgrades going forward. Tailwinds could also come as short sellers continue to cover their positions, since short interest declined almost 14% in the last two reporting periods.
Options activity has already been bullish during the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). Specifically, call buying has nearly doubled put buying across these exchanges during that time frame.
Another name that's outperformed this year and seeing bullish analyst attention today is cloud stock Twilio Inc (NYSE:TWLO). KeyBanc this morning upgraded the equity to "overweight" and set a $99 price target, saying the stage could be set for "industry-leading" growth from the company.
TWLO is trading up 1.7% at $82 as a result, just below its Aug. 24 record peak of $82.78. It's been a huge year for the shares, which have added close to 250%. It's not surprising, then, that 13 of 14 brokerage firms already have "buy" or "strong buy" ratings in place.