Analysts are weighing in on CMG, AKAM, and WYNN stocks
Analysts are weighing in on restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), tech company Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAM), and casino owner and developer Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of CMG, AKAM, and WYNN.
CMG Stock Slammed After Sales Fall Shorts
It just keeps getting worse for Chipotle. After a storm of bad luck for the company -- which included a norovirus outbreak in Virginia and reports of rodents in the ceiling in Texas -- CMG stock has reversed early gains to trade 1.2% lower at $343.38, as traders focus on weaker-than-expected second-quarter revenue. In addition, Chipotle stock received price-target cuts from no fewer than eight brokerage firms. Among them, Morgan Stanley cut its target on CMG to $380 from $445, and Barclays cut its target to $370 from $400.
CMG stock sports a Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.93, which sits in the 19th percentile of all other ratings in the past 12 months, suggesting near-term options traders have rarely been more call-biased during the past year. Chipotle also managed to hit its lowest point in four years of $336.52 on Monday, and has dropped more than 28% in just the past three months. An exodus of bullish options traders could exacerbate losses for CMG stock.
Akamai Technologies Stock Plummets On Ugly Guidance
Akamai Technologies reported slightly better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, but its third-quarter estimates fell short of forecasts, causing shares to fall. No fewer than eight brokerage firms weighed in on AKAM stock, including price-target cuts from D.A. Davidson (to $55 from $57), Cowen and Company (to $60 from $61), and Stifel (to $56 from $58).
AKAM stock was last seen at $46.83, trading down 12.1%, and just touched an annual low of $46.80. Akamai stock has now fallen nearly 30% year-to-date. As such, it's not surprising to find the tech stock sports a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.00 on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which is in the 85th percentile of all other ratios in the past year, meaning options traders have been buying to open AKAM puts over calls at an accelerated clip lately. calls to puts we're bought at roughly the same pace despite the stock's recent fall.
WYNN Stock Gets a Double Downgrade After Earnings
Despite reporting slightly better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, WYNN stock is trading lower, as speculators seemingly jeer reports of lackluster foot traffic at Wynn Macau. The shares were last seen down 6% at $131.04, and received bearish analyst attention. Telsey Advisory Group downgraded WYNN to "market perform" from "outperform," and Union Gaming downgraded the stock to "hold" from "buy," though lifted its price target by $2 to $142. Susquehanna cut its price target to $129 from $131.
From a longer-term perspective, Wynn Resorts stock has been a beast, hitting a two-year high of $139.67 on June 26. Still, nearly half of analysts following WYNN stock were already in the bears' camp, carrying a "hold" or worse rating.