No fewer than seven brokerages have lowered their price targets on TDOC
Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC) is up 6.2% to trade at $28.60 at last check, after posting slimmer-than-expected third-quarter losses of 47 cents per share, as well as a revenue win of $611.40 million, thanks to strong subscription numbers. And while the telehealth concern lowered its full-year forecast to range between $240 million and $250 million, it's still above analyst expectations of $234 million.
Nevertheless, seven brokerages have already chimed in with price-target cuts, including Barclays to $32 from $33. Analysts are hesitant toward TDOC, with 19 of the 24 in coverage calling it a tepid "hold." Plus, short-sellers are firmly in control, with the 33.08 million shares sold short making up 20.7% of the stock's available float, or over one week's worth of pent-up buying power.
In the options pits, 25,000 calls and 18,000 puts have crossed the tape so far today, or five times the volume that's typically seen at this point. Most popular is the 10/28 33 call, followed by the 27 put in that same weekly series, with positions being bought to open at both.
Longer term, puts have been more popular than usual. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the security sports a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.40, which sits higher than 89% of readings from the past year.
Despite today's pop, Teladoc Health stock is still struggling with overhead pressure at the 60-day moving average, which has been in place since mid-August. The security is also looking to close beneath the $30 mark, which has acted as a ceiling for the shares over the past month. In the last 12 months, TDOC has shed 79.6%.