Weak Guidance Grounds Spirit Airlines Stock

Analysts remain quite bullish on SAVE, though

A day after Delta Air Lines (DAL) soared in the wake of its quarterly report, the shares of sector peer Spirit Airlines Incorporated (NYSE:SAVE) are down 0.4% to trade at $52.04 this morning. Spirit's second-quarter revenue growth outlook of nearly 19% came in lower than expected. Despite the subpar number, Citi upped its price target on SAVE today to $69 from $68.

Since bottoming at the $46 area twice in the last two months, the shares have gone on to see bounces cut off at the $53 level, an area that served as support earlier in 2019. This recent rally, which has SAVE up 9% this quarter, also has found resistance at its descending 100-day moving average. Longer term, Spirit stock has found itself in a channel of lower highs and lows since its Dec. 4 three-year high of $65.34.

The analyst community remains steadfast in their commitment to the equity. Of the 12 in coverage, nine rate it a "strong buy," with zero "sells" on the books. Plus, the consensus 12-month price target of $67.56 sits up in territory not traded at since June 2015.

In the options pits though, bears have been piling on their pessimistic positions. SAVE's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.30 on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) sits in the 91st percentile of its annual range. This suggests that traders picked up puts over calls at a quicker clip than usual during the past 10 days.

Now is the time to pursue options on Spirit stock. Its Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 31% ranks in the 10th annual percentile, indicating short-term options are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment.