Analyst Upgrades: LinkedIn, SS&C Tech, Biogen Idec

Analysts are weighing in today on professional social network LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), financial software services provider SS and C Technologies Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:SSNC), and biopharmaceutical giant Biogen Idec Inc (NASDAQ:BIIB). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on LNKD, SSNC, and BIIB.

• LNKD is up 2.4% in electronic trading, thanks to a pair of price-target hikes. Specifically, Goldman Sachs raised its target price by $30 to $280 and added the equity to its "conviction buy" list. Also boosting its price target on LNKD was J.P. Morgan Securities, which lifted its expected price to $253 from $244 and kept its "overweight" rating. So far in 2015, the stock has dropped 2.2% to finish yesterday at $224.57, but most analysts remain in the bulls' corner. Of the 27 brokerage formers following LinkedIn Corp, 19 rate it a "buy" or better, with eight deeming it a "hold," and no "sells" to be found. LNKD will report fourth-quarter earnings after the close this Thursday.


• After announcing that it is buying Advent Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADVS) for $2.29 billion, SSNC saw its price target hiked by $20 to $70 at J.P. Morgan Securities, and was upgraded to "overweight" from "neutral." From a technical perspective, SS and C Technologies Holdings Inc has been stellar, adding over 44% in the past 52 weeks to end yesterday at $54.55. Options traders have responded by grabbing calls at an alarming rate. SSNC's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.04 is at an annual low, meaning short-term speculators have been far more call-skewed of late than normal. Ahead of the bell, SSNC is pointed 5% higher.


• BIIB has been on a roll in 2015, adding nearly 15%, thanks in no small part to last week's earnings-induced bull gap. BIIB closed yesterday at $390, and is pointed 0.2% higher in pre-market trading, after Leerink boosted its price target to $475 -- territory never before charted -- from $399, while maintaining its "outperform" rating. Still, short-term options traders have preferred puts over calls, as Biogen Idec Inc's SOIR of 1.34 is at an annual high.