Boeing is set to extend its run as best Dow stock of the year
Analysts are weighing in on Dow stocks Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), as well as wearable camera maker GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on shares of BA, MSFT, and GPRO.
Boeing Price Target Raised at J.P. Morgan Securities
J.P. Morgan Securities boosted its price target on Boeing to $280 from $240, after the stock gapped to new record highs after earnings last week. This, along with a forecast for a roughly $290 billion aircraft order from Indian airlines, has BA shares trading up 0.6% ahead of the bell -- on track to hit a fresh all-time peak out of the gate.
BA stock closed last week at $241.27, up 55% year-to-date, and the best Dow stock so far in 2017. And although short interest is down 11.1% in the two most recent reporting periods, it would still take four days to cover the remaining bearish bets, at Boeing's average pace of trading. A continued round of short covering could have BA flying even higher.
Cowen Targets Record Highs for MSFT Stock
Cowen and Company raised its price target on Microsoft stock to $85 from $80, well above the record high of $74.42 the shares hit last Thursday. In response, MSFT shares are up 0.1% in electronic trading, after closing last Friday at $73.04. Longer term, the tech stock has added 17.5% in 2017, and most analysts are optimistic. Of the 24 brokerages covering Microsoft shares, 18 maintain a "buy" or better rating.
GoPro Stock Upgraded Ahead of Earnings
Ahead of Thursday evening's earnings report, GoPro saw its rating raised to "equal weight" from "underweight" at Morgan Stanley. After closing last Friday at $8.10, the shares are up 2.6% in pre-market trading, but could run out of steam near their 120-day moving average. This trendline quickly rejected GPRO's rally attempts in late April and May, and has helped usher the shares to a 38% loss since early November.
And considering the stock has averaged a single-session post-earnings loss of 9% in the past three quarters, short-term options traders are more put-heavy than usual, per GoPro's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.44 -- in the 89th annual percentile. Peak front-month open interest of 6,172 contracts is found at the August 9 put, and data from the major options exchanges confirms significant buy-to-open activity.