Deutsche Bank upgraded VIAC to "buy" from "hold"
ViacomCBS Inc (NASDAQ:VIAC) is up 3.2% to trade at $36.53 at last check, after an upgrade from Deutsche Bank to "buy" from "hold," with a price-target hike to $43 from $39. The firm cited the company's potential streaming success and subsequent revenue increase, for which it gets little credit compared to Netflix (NFLX).
VIAC has been moving higher since its Dec. 20 annual low of $28.29, even jumping 8.2% after Friday's trading session. Several long-term moving averages linger overhead, though today's pop has the stock breaking above its 100-day trendline, which helped keep a cap on gains in September and October.
Of the 17 analysts in coverage, seven carry a "buy" or better rating on ViacomCBS stock, and 10 lean bearish with a "hold" or worse. This indicates more bull notes could be on the horizon for VIAC. It's also worth noting that short interest represents 8.1% of the stock's available float, or four days' worth of pent-up buying power.
Options traders have been more bullish than usual, per VIAC's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 6.07 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio stands higher than 87% of readings from the past year, indicating a strong inclination for long calls recently.
Now could be a good time to weigh in on the security's next move with options. The stock is seeing attractively priced premiums at the moment, per VIAC's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 48%, which sits in the 10th percentile of its annual range. Furthermore, the security's Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 96 out of 100 means the stock has exceeded option traders' volatility expectations during the past year.