Telsey downgraded BBY to "market perform"
The shares of Best Buy Co Inc (NYSE:BBY) are slipping ahead of the open, after Telsey Advisory Group downgraded them to "market perform" from "outperform."
According to the firm, Best Buy could experience a further fall in the near term, thanks to high inflation and rising interest rates. Should these headwinds roll in, the retailer's 2023 sales and profits will take a hit, leading Telsey to lower its price target to $83 from $88.
Coming into today, the majority of analysts were already pessimistic. Specifically, 16 of the 20 covering brokerages rate BBY a "hold" or worse.
Options traders already favored bearish bets ahead of today's downgrade. Best Buy stock sports a sports a Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) reading of 2.54, which sits in the elevated 97th annual percentile, signaling a put-bias amongst short-term options traders.
Echoing this, at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the equity's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 2.88 sits higher than 92% of annual readings, indicating puts have been more popular than usual.
Options look to be an attractive route to go. Specifically, BBY’s Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 47% ranks in the relatively low 27th percentile of the last 12 months. What's more, its Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) is incredibly low right now, sitting at 20 out of 100. In simpler terms, the security is a prime selling candidate.
Last seen sporting a premarket loss of 1.2%, Best Buy stock is looking to open just below the $83 level -- an area that served as closing support last week. Year-to-date, BBY stands 4.5% taller, with today's losses threatening to cut into this fractional lead.