Analyst Upgrades: Alibaba Group, JetBlue, Micron Technology

Analysts upwardly revised their ratings and price targets on Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA), JetBlue Airways Corporation (JBLU), and Micron Technology, Inc. (MU)

Apr 15, 2016 at 9:46 AM

Analysts are weighing in on online retailer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), airline stock JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU), and chipmaker Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU). Here's a quick roundup of today's bullish brokerage notes on BABA, JBLU, and MU.

Needham initiated coverage on BABA with a "buy" rating, which is pretty typical among the brokerage crowd. In fact, 14 of 17 analysts consider the stock worth buying, while not one recommends selling it. This seems a bit strange, considering Alibaba Group Holding Ltd -- down 0.2% out of the gate at $79.45 -- is in the red on a year-to-date basis, and facing a potential layer of resistance at its 320-day moving average. In other words, some might expect Wall Street to start following in the bearish footsteps of Credit Suisse.
Barclays boosted its rating on JBLU to "overweight" from "equal weight," but trimmed its price target to $26. In early trading, the stock is up 0.4% at $20.68, but longer term, it's struggled. Specifically, on a year-to-date basis, JetBlue Airways Corporation has lost nearly 9%, under pressure from a key trendline. Amid the technical turbulence, options traders have been buying to open puts over calls at an accelerated clip. JBLU's 10-day International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) put/call volume ratio of 0.94 sits just 7 percentage points from an annual peak.
MU received a pair of bullish brokerage notes, with Brean Capital starting coverage with a "buy" rating and $14 price target, and Raymond James boosting its opinion to "strong buy." As a result, the stock has popped 1.4% to trade at $10.55, but remains saddled with a 25% loss in 2016. Despite Micron Technology, Inc.'s track record, the brokerage crowd is tilted in a bullish direction, with 57% handing out "buy" or better endorsements. Also, MU's consensus 12-month price target of $13.50 stands at a 28% premium to current trading levels. In other words, a change in heart among analysts could lead to selling pressure.

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