Analyst Update: BJ's Restaurants, 3D Systems, Qihoo 360

Analysts are weighing in today on restaurant chain BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI), 3-D printing issue 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD), and Chinese Internet provider Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd (NYSE:QIHU). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on BJRI, DDD, and QIHU.

• BJRI released a stronger-than-expected earnings report last night, prompting no fewer than six brokerage firms to upwardly revise their outlook, and sending the shares up over 17% today to reach an all-time high of $55.44. The most dramatic hikes came from Keybanc and Stifel, which both increased their target prices to $60 (from $52 and $55, respectively), with the latter underscoring a "buy" rating. On the charts, BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has been a technical outperformer, with the shares nearly doubling over the past 12 months. Accordingly, calls are popular in the stock's options pit -- over the past 10 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), 8.51 BJRI calls have been bought to open for every put.


• Imperial Capital weighed in on DDD this morning, adjusting its target price on the security to $36 from $42 while reiterating an "outperform" rating. 3D Systems Corporation has added 3.9% so far in February, with its 10-day and 20-day moving averages emerging as support. Short sellers are wary of the equity, as short interest accounts for 34.5% of the stock's total available float, representing nearly 13 sessions' worth of pent-up buying demand, at the stock's average pace of trading.


• The shares of QIHU are down over 4% this afternoon to hit an annual low of $52.33, after Stifel reduced its price target on the equity to $88 from $98, while underscoring a "buy" recommendation. Since notching an all-time high of $124.42 in March, Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd has lost nearly 58%. However, calls are a popular play in the stock's options pits. Specifically, QIHU's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX call/put volume ratio of 4.78 sits just 5 percentage points away from the highest annual reading.