GrubHub Stock Breaking Out After Citi Screams "Buy"

GRUB is fresh off its third straight weekly win

The shares of GrubHub Inc (NYSE:GRUB) are up 6.5% at $76.96 this morning, after a big upgrade from Citigroup. The brokerage firm raised its rating on GRUB to "buy" from "neutral," while goosing its price target up to $91 from $75, territory not seen since November. The analyst in coverage waxed optimistic about growth in the online food delivery market, and expects GRUB's gross food sales to increase by 20%, despite fierce competition.

For most of 2019, GrubHub stock etched out a channel of lower lows, culminating in a May 20 bottom of $60.30. Since then though, GRUB has locked up three straight weekly wins, and is heading toward its highest close since June 13 thanks to today's pop.

An unwinding of bearish sentiment could create tailwinds for GRUB. First, 10 of 19 brokerages rated the stock a "hold" or "strong sell" at last night's close, indicating the door is wide open for more bullish analyst attention.

Meanwhile, short interest dropped by 1.5% in the most recent reporting period, yet still accounts for almost 20% of GRUB's total available float. At the stock's average pace of trading, it would take nearly seven days for shorts to buy back their bearish bets.

As far as options are concerned, now is an attractive time to purchase premium on GrubHub. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 42% ranks in the 10th annual percentile, meaning short-term GRUB options are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations.