Buzz Stocks: Twitter Inc, Tesla Motors Inc, and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc

Today's stocks to watch in the news include Twitter Inc (TWTR), Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA), and Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (AUPH)

Aug 15, 2016 at 9:30 AM

A rise in crude oil prices and stimulus hopes out of China have U.S. stocks set to open higher this morning. Among equities in focus today are microblogging concern Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), and biotech stock Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH).

TWTR is looking to recover from Friday's losses, up 2% in pre-market trading after finishing last week at $19.54 amid a slew of concerns. Today's expected bump follows reports that Twitter Inc is in talks with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) about a deal that could allow Apple TV users to stream live NFL games through Twitter, per the company's agreement with the football league earlier this year. Recent call buyers are likely hoping for a sustained rally in TWTR shares. Across the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock's 10-day call/put volume ratio of 4.07 sits in the 82nd percentile of its 12-month range.

TSLA is 0.2% higher ahead of the bell on news the company has removed the word "autopilot" from its website in China after a Beijing driver crashed while using the feature. Some are blaming the accident on the fact that the translation of "autopilot" into Chinese misled customers into believing the vehicle was fully self-driving. Meanwhile, an analyst at Global Equities noted he believes rumors are true regarding the automaker's updated battery packs, which will extend the driving range of its Model S and Model X vehicles beyond 300 miles. Tesla Motors Inc is sitting on a 6% year-to-date loss, based on Friday's close at $225.61. As such, the brokerage bunch is largely skeptical, with 13 out of 18 analysts rating the shares a "hold" or worse.

AUPH is set to give up 46.7% of its value at the opening bell, after a trial for its experimental lupus nephritis treatment met its main goals, but resulted in 13 patient deaths. However, the company insists the deaths were unrelated to the drug. As of Friday's close at $4.09, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc had added 65.6% in 2016, and tapped an annual high of $4.49 as recently as last Thursday. Sentiment toward the stock has been running high, with all three analysts tracking AUPH maintaining a "strong buy" rating. Plus, short interest on the stock fell by nearly 34% during the last two reporting periods, to account for just 1.6% of AUPH's available float.

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