Truly Growth Could Give SAM Stock a Boost, Says Analyst

BMO upgraded Boston Beer to "outperform"

Adult beverage concern Boston Beer Company Inc (NYSE:SAM) could be looking at a second day in the black, following a bull note from BMO. Specifically, the analyst upgraded the security to "outperform" from "market perform," and lifted its price target to $410 from $350 -- a 17.5% premium to last night's close. BMO said SAM's 2020 earnings per share could surge 20% above estimates, citing strong consumer demand for the company's Truly product.

Most of the brokerage bunch, however, doesn't share this sentiment. Prior to today, SAM held only two "strong buy" ratings, compared to six "hold" or worse ratings. Plus, the consensus 12-month target price of $369.58 is at a slim 5.9% premium to last night's close.

Looking more broadly, SAM has seen a sharp sell-off since it peaked at $444.64 in late August. In fact, prior to today, the stock was on pace for its biggest one-month loss in at least 10 years. The 160-day moving average appears to have swooped in as support, though, and the equity still boasts a 45% year-to-date gain.

While call buying has been popular at the major exchanges in recent weeks, short-term options traders are unusually put-skewed right now. For instance, the Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) is 1.58, and ranks in the 68th annual percentile. This shows put open interest among options expiring within three months heavily outweighs call open interest.