Citigroup still raised its price target on Pinterest, however
At last check, Pinterest Inc (NYSE:PINS) is down 1.3% to trade at $33.75, after Citigroup downgraded the stock to "neutral" from "buy," but lifted its price target to $35 from $25. The brokerage firm said Pinterest's valuation is no longer compelling, adding that expectations for topline growth in social media companies are too high. Currently, Facebook (FB) remains the only sector member with a "buy" rating from Citigroup.
PINS has been trading higher since its late-July post-earnings bear gap, with a new floor at the $30 region. PINS is testing support at its ascending 20-day moving average today. For the year, the equity is still up around 77%.
Options bulls are still holding out hope for PINS, however. In the last 10 weeks, 4.36 calls have been bought for every put at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits in the 81st percentile of its annual range, meaning options traders are picking up long calls at a faster-than-usual rate.
That being said, options could be a good way to go when weighing in on PINS. The equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 57% stands higher than just 19% of all other readings from the past 12 months, implying near-term option traders are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations.
Also worth noting is the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS), which sits at a high 99 out of 100. This means PINS has tended to exceed option traders' volatility expectations during the past year -- a boon for options buyers.