Beyond Meat nabbed its lowest open in a year and a half
The shares of Beyond Meat Inc (NASDAQ:BYND) are plummeting this morning, last seen down 16.4% to trade at $79.04 -- earlier locking in its lowest open in a year and a half -- after the company reported third-quarter losses of 87 per share, which was wider than the expected 39 cent loss Wall Street forecasted. In addition, the alternative meat producer reported revenue of $106.43 million, missing estimates of $109.21 million. Beyond Meat cited a lack of demand, as well as Covid-related supply chain and labor issues, as the reason for its dismal earnings outing.
In response, Bernstein downgraded Beyond Meat stock to "market perform" from "outperform," and slashed its price target to $100 from $130. At least six other analysts also chimed in with price-target cuts, including J.P. Morgan Securities, which lowered its target all the way to $54 from $79. Analysts were overwhelmingly bearish coming into today. Of the 15 analysts in coverage, 13 carried a "hold" or worse rating on BYND.
Put traders are chiming in after the event as well. So far, 41,000 puts have crossed the tape, which is 19 times the intraday average and more than the 28,000 calls that have exchanged hands. The weekly 11/12 75-strike put is the most popular, with new positions being sold to open at the contract.
Short interest has been rising on the rise, and is up 17.1% during the two most recent reporting periods. Currently, short interest makes up 27.5% of Beyond Meat stock's available float. It's also worth noting that the stock has landed on the Short Sale Restricted (SSR) list today.
BYND has struggled on the charts for much of the year, now sporting a 35.7% year-to-date deficit thanks to today's negative price action. The security is set to lock in its sixth-consecutive loss alongside its worst daily performance in a year.