Analyst Update: Apple, Navient, and OHR Pharma

Analysts are weighing in today on electronics maker Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), educational loan concern Navient Corp (NASDAQ:NAVI), and pharmaceutical firm OHR Pharmaceutical Inc (NASDAQ:OHRP). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on AAPL, NAVI, and OHRP.

• The first week of March is already filled with news for AAPL, which is grappling with the unveiling of main competitor Samsung Electronics' latest smartphone, while heading to court over a $415 million settlement related to employee poaching. What's more, rumors that the company could be unveiling its new smartwatch as early as next week are picking up. Reacting to the news was Morgan Stanley, which raised its price target to $160 from $133 while underscoring an "overweight" rating, prompting the shares to add about 0.9% to reach $129.62. On the charts, Apple Inc. has added over 17% year-to-date, and call buying is popular in the options pits. Specifically, AAPL's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) call/put volume ratio of 2.42 sits in the 63rd percentile of its annual range.


• This morning, NAVI was placed on the short-sale restricted list, after Barclays and Compass Point lowered their ratings on the security to "equal weight" and "neutral," respectively, from "overweight" and "buy." In response, the shares are down about 10.5% today to hit $19.17, adding up to an 11.3% year-to-date loss. Despite Navient Corp's technical woes, the brokerage bunch is firmly optimistic on the stock. All five covering analysts rate the security a "buy" or better, with four of them doling out lofty "strong buy" opinions.


• Cowen and Company initiated coverage on OHRP with a price target of $25 and an "outperform" rating, following an encouraging mid-stage study of the company's squalamine eye drops. The price target represents a lofty 150.8% premium to the shares' current perch of $9.97. Today, the shares are up nearly 28.9%, adding up to a 18.7% year-to-date gain. Accordingly, call activity has been prominent in the stock's options pits, as OHR Pharmaceutical Inc's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.23 sits in the 15th percentile of all similar readings taken over the past year.