Analyst Upgrades: The Fresh Market Inc, Tesla Motors Inc, and Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings on The Fresh Market Inc (TFM), Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA), and Weight Watchers International, Inc. (WTW)

Oct 20, 2015 at 9:10 AM

Analysts are weighing in on grocery concern The Fresh Market Inc (NASDAQ:TFM), electric automaker Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), and dieting guru Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on TFM, TSLA, and WTW.

After being halted earlier, TFM has shot 4.4% higher in pre-market trading, after the company said it will conduct a strategic review of its business, and possibly explore a sale. Also boosting the shares is an upgrade to "neutral" from "underperform" at Credit Suisse, which also raised its price target to $28 from $22. Following suit, BMO upped its price target on The Fresh Market Inc to $27 from $21. Today's expected gains -- which would send the equity north of its 20-week trendline for the first time since mid-April -- will pare the stock's year-to-date deficit, which exceeded 34% at last night's close. In the options pits, traders at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) have been gambling on an extended decline. TFM's 50-day put/call volume ratio across those exchanges is 3.12, in the 82nd percentile of its annual range.

TSLA received a price-target hike to $180 from $178 at J.P. Morgan Securities -- though the target represents a 21% discount to last night's close at $228.10. On the charts, the stock is currently consolidating atop its 100-week moving average, and a bounce from here could spook skeptics. For one, 26% of Tesla Motors Inc's float is sold short, suggesting there's plenty of sideline cash available for a short-covering rally. For another, nearly two-thirds of covering analysts rate the security a "hold" or worse, leaving room for potential upgrades.

Fresh off Monday's explosive Oprah-induced gains, WTW is pointed another 7.4% higher ahead of the bell, following a round of upbeat brokerage notes. Specifically, Barclays raised its opinion on the stock to "equal weight" from "underweight," while boosting its price target to $14 from $5, and Craig-Hallum doubled its price target to $20 from $10. One group getting burned by Weight Watchers International, Inc.'s rapid ascent is short sellers. An astounding 57% of the equity's float is sold short, which would take over three weeks to buy back, at typical daily trading volumes. Yesterday, WTW settled at $13.92 -- its highest close since late February.

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