3 Stocks Vulnerable to Downgrades

Analyst ratings allow traders an at-a-glance assessment of how Wall Street views a particular equity -- and make up one of the sentiment indicators we use to gauge whether or not a stock is ripe for the contrarian picking. For example, an outperforming security with a number of negative analyst notes may be poised for a round of upgrades, which could create fresh tailwinds.

Conversely, an underperforming equity with a majority of upbeat brokerage notes could be at risk of downgrades -- and additional losses. Three such laggards that are currently vulnerable to negative analyst notes are chipmaker ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (NASDAQ:ARMH), professional networking site LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), and commodity concern Goldcorp Inc. (USA) (NYSE:GG).

• A downgrade in late June sent ARMH tumbling -- a sell-off only exacerbated by last month's poorly received earnings report. In fact, since its June 25 close at $53.86, the stock has surrendered 17.2% to trade at $44.60 -- near year-to-date lows. There's plenty of room for analysts to issue additional bearish brokerage notes, too. Of the 15 covering the shares, 80% maintain a "buy" or better rating. Plus, the average 12-month price target for ARM Holdings plc is $57.70 -- in territory yet to be charted.


• LNKD's recent technical turmoil began when the equity plunged following a late-April earnings report. An attempt to fill this bear gap last month was quickly halted by the stock's 200-day moving average, and since then, LinkedIn Corp has suffered another earnings swoon, and now sits south of $192  -- 16.5% lower year-to-date. Nevertheless, 21 out of 28 analysts maintain a "buy" or better rating on the stock, while the consensus 12-month price target of $255.16 stands at a 33% premium to current trading levels. While some brokerages have started to change their upbeat tune, the door is wide open for another round of negative analyst notes.


• GG has been tracking the downward trajectory of gold, shedding 28% of its value year-to-date, and 53% year-over-year. More recently, the shares bottomed at a 10-year low of $12.35 on July 24, and last week's earnings were met with a relatively "meh" reaction. Regardless, 14 out of 18 analysts believe Goldcorp Inc. is worthy of a "buy" or better rating, with not a single "sell" to be found. Plus, the consensus 12-month price target of $30.76 represents expected upside of 131% to the security's present price of $13.32. An unwinding of this optimism could create more trouble for the shares.