BMO sees "further upside" for Skyworks Solutions stock
With its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings due out after the close tonight, chipmaker Skyworks Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:SWKS) is getting plenty of attention today. The stock just hit a 16-month high of $102.40 earlier, and is now up 1.2% at $101.62 following a price target hike to $120 from $100 at BMO. The analyst cited sector peer Qorvo's (QRVO) well-received earnings report, as well as a promising start on its 5G handset build. BMO maintained its "outperform" rating, and forecast "further upside" for the security.
On the charts, SWKS gapped higher to start the month, taking out a familiar area of pressure at the $92 region. The stock now boasts a 52.3% year-to-date lead, which could attract even more analyst bull notes, should this positive price action continue. Right now, 12 in coverage consider the security a "hold" or worse, compared to the 10 who say "buy" or better. Plus, the consensus 12-month price target of $89.67 is at a 12% discount to current levels.
Based on the security's past eight post-earnings moves, tomorrow's session could go either way. While half of these next-day moves have been lower, with the stock averaging a 6% swing regardless of direction, it did enjoy two consecutive February next-day returns of more than 10%. This time around, the options market is pricing in a 10.1% next-day swing.
In fact, the options pits are running hot today, with 6,400 calls and 3,192 puts across the tape so far -- three times the intraday average. The November 110 call is by far the most popular, with buying-to-open action detected here. The most popular front-month put is the November 96 contract, where positions are being sold.
This preference for bullish bets is nothing new. In the last 10 days, 2.39 calls have been bought for every put on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio falls in the 74th percentile of its annual range, indicating calls are being bought at a quicker clip than usual.