Analysts React to Strong Earnings From Etsy, Twilio
Options traders had been targeting puts on Etsy and Twilio
We recently took a look at the pre-earnings options activity onEtsy Inc (NASDAQ:ETSY) and Twilio Inc (NYSE:TWLO), and interestingly, speculators were taking a bearish approach on both stocks. While some of this may have been shareholders hedging, given both stocks' strong showings on the charts this year, anyone who was expecting an earnings pullback has to be disappointed today, as both ETSY and TWLO are surging.
Specifically, ETSY shares are trading up 12.5% at $45.50. The e-commerce company posted a top-and-bottom-line beat for the third quarter, and raised its full-year forecast. What's more, it said it plans to buy back $200 million worth of its own shares. Analysts have responded bullishly, with RBC and Stifel raising their respective price targets to $52 and $50.
The move past the $45 level is significant for Etsy, as that price point had been serving as a ceiling in recent weeks. As such, the shares, which were already up 98% in 2018, could again take aim at their Sept. 14 record high of $53.25.
Meanwhile, TWLO stock has jumped 14.4% to trade at $81.30. The cloud computing specialist also topped earnings and revenue forecasts, and gave a strong full-year outlook. This earned it price-target hikes to $90 and $84 from Canaccord Genuity and J.P. Morgan Securities, respectively.
The technical picture of Twilio is also quite similar to Etsy's. The shares recently bottomed near the 160-day moving average, and the site off their July-August highs and subsequent bull gap. Today's surge also has them chasing down a September peak of $88.88. As of last night's close, the stock had a year-to-date lead of 200%.