Analyst Update: ADT, Esperion Therapeutics, Micron

Analysts are weighing in today on home security specialist ADT Corp (NYSE:ADT), biotech issue Esperion Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:ESPR), and semiconductor concern Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU). Here's a quick look at today's brokerage notes on ADT, ESPR, and MU.

• ADT is up 1.4% this morning to hit a yearly high of $38.72, after CEO Naren Gursahaney said he expects the firm to increase its North American subscriber base this fiscal year. Subsequently, Oppenheimer raised its rating on the equity to "outperform" from "perform." On the charts, ADT Corp has added about 23.7% year-over-year. However, 22.9% of the stock's available float is sold short, which would take nearly three weeks to cover, at average trading volumes. A mass exodus of shorts could propel ADT even higher.


• Late yesterday, Stifel raised its price target on ESPR by $30 to $90 while reiterating a "buy" prediction, prompting the shares to hit an all-time high of $69.98 -- a 4.3% gain on the day so far. Although the price-target hike may appear drastic, Esperion Therapeutics Inc has skyrocketed over the past four months, adding over 238% since Oct. 16. Accordingly, calls are popular in the stock's options pits -- over the last 50 days at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), 3.62 ESPR calls have been bought to open for every put.


• Last night, Jefferies and RBC both raised their price targets on MU (to $45 and $44, respectively), with the former underscoring a "buy" rating and the latter reiterating an "outperform" rating. As such, the stock has added 2.3% today to reach $32.58. Looking back, the shares of Micron Technology, Inc. have been steadily rising, with the security up about 28.2% year-over-year. Despite MU's impressive technical output, sentiment in the options pits has reached a bearish peak, as the stock's 10-day ISE/CBOE/PHLX put/call volume ratio of 0.79 is the highest such reading taken over the past year. Should MU continue its ascent on the charts, a capitulation amongst options bears could provide tailwinds.