Jefferies analysts believe MHK's downside is limited from here
Flooring expert Mohawk Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MHK) has seen its stock struggle mightily ever since a late-2017 peak near $287. As such, it's not surprising to note that the majority of covering analysts have skeptical outlooks on the shares, with nine of 15 handing out "hold," "sell," or "strong sell" recommendations. However, Jefferies believes MHK stock has bottomed.
The brokerage firm this morning upgraded its opinion to "buy" from "hold" and boosted its price target to $167 from $145. In the note, the covering analyst pointed out that that shares have fared pretty well following the company's disappointing outlook, issued last week, suggesting downside is limited from here. Jefferies wasn't alone in its assessment, with J.P. Morgan Securities also lifting its price target, to $124 from $120. However this outlook comes in below the current price of $134.44 for MHK stock, which is up 3% so far in today's session.
More broadly, there's plenty of pessimism seen from short sellers, too, who control 6.6% of the equity's float, or almost eight days' of buying power, based on average daily trading volumes. In the meantime, these bears could be using call options to hedge against unexpected upside in the shares, as we're seeing today.
For example, the security's 10-day call/put volume ratio at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) comes in at 4.84, ranking in the high 91st annual percentile, showing there's been a much stronger-than-usual demand for long calls over puts. However, peak front-month open interest rests at the May 115 put.