Analysts are weighing in on tech stocks Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) and IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM), as well as advertising agency Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC). Here's a quick roundup of today's bearish brokerage notes on shares of ADBE, IBM, and OMC.
Adobe Systems stock is down 1.7% at $151.25, after Deutsche Bank downgraded the shares to "hold" from "buy," citing cautious feedback from the company's digital marketing partners. The stock recently bounced off its 120-day moving average -- a historic "buy" signal for ADBE shares -- but is struggling to fill its post-earnings bear gap from September, prior to which the equity was flirting with record highs.
Still, Adobe stock has rallied nearly 50% in 2017, so it's no surprise that most analysts remain bullish. Specifically, ADBE boasts 19 "buy" or better endorsements, compared to four "holds" and not a single "sell."
Ahead of the blue chip's earnings tomorrow night, J.P. Morgan Securities this morning trimmed its price target on IBM stock to $157 from $159. As such, Big Blue shares were last seen 0.2% lower at $146.95. The stock has stair-stepped lower since early March, and is now running into a potential wall in the form of its 20-week moving average.
Despite IBM shares dropping more than 11% year-to-date, short-term options traders are more call-heavy than usual right now. The stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 1.02 stands higher than just 39% of all other readings from the past year. In the soon-to-expire October series of options, the 150 strike is home to peak call open interest of more than 9,100 contracts, which could act as an added layer of options-related resistance this week.
Omnicom stock is down 1.4% at $73.76, after Morgan Stanley downgraded the shares to "underweight" from "equal weight," and slashed its price target to $72 from $86 -- a discount to OMC's current price. The brokerage firm said Omnicom -- which will report earnings tomorrow -- works with a host of sectors and brands facing their own headwinds, including retailers and telecom, which is possibly the "greatest concern" for the company right now.
It's been a rough year for OMC stock, with the shares down 13.3% in 2017. Nevertheless, recent options buyers have been more bullish than usual. On the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Omnicom has racked up a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 4.01 -- higher than 72% of all other readings from the past 12 months.