A month has gone by since the last earnings report for AutoZone (AZO - Free Report) . Shares have added about 2% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is AutoZone due for a pullback? Well, first let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent drivers for AutoZone, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
AutoZone Q3 Earnings Beat EstimatesAutoZone posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended May 9, 2026) earnings per share of $38.07, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $36.18 by 5.2%. Earnings per share rose 7.7% from $35.36 a year ago.
The company’s net sales increased 8.4% year over year to $4.84 billion, but fell short of the consensus mark of $4.86 billion by about 0.5%. Domestic same-store sales increased 4.1% in the quarter, led by strong commercial momentum.
Sales Growth Accelerates on Commercial MomentumIn the reported quarter, domestic commercial sales totaled $1.4 billion, up from $1.27 billion in the year-ago period. Total sales represented the company’s largest year-over-year growth in more than three years, reflecting faster top-line momentum versus the first half of fiscal 2026. Total company same-store sales rose 3.9% on a constant-currency basis, supported by a 4.1% domestic comp and a 1.6% international comp on the same basis.
The mix of growth also leaned favorably. Domestic do-it-yourself sales rose 2.2% in the quarter, while domestic commercial sales increased 10.4%. The commercial outperformance was driven by better inventory availability at satellite stores, broader Hub and Mega-Hub coverage, and continued gains tied to service speed and delivery improvements.
Profitability Reflects LIFO and Mix PressureGross profit rose to $2.52 billion from $2.35 billion in the prior-year quarter. Gross profit margin was 52.2%, down 57 basis points from the year-ago period. A $20 million non-cash LIFO charge in the quarter, which contrasted with a $16 million LIFO credit in the prior-year quarter, weighed on the year-over-year margin comparison.
Operating profit increased 6.6% to $923.8 million. Operating expenses were 33.1% of sales versus 33.3% last year, indicating modest leverage despite the faster store growth cadence. Net income rose to $641.5 million from $608.4 million a year ago.
Store Growth Push Builds Scale Across RegionsAutoZone continued to add stores at a faster pace. During the quarter, it opened 82 new stores globally, including 57 in the United States, 20 in Mexico and five in Brazil. Total store count ended at 7,856, consisting of 6,766 in the United States, 933 in Mexico and 157 in Brazil.
The company continues to expand its commercial footprint. Mega-Hubs acted as a key driver of improved parts availability, as these locations typically carry a significantly broader SKU count and can lift both commercial and retail demand by shortening delivery times in local markets.
Capital Returns Remain a Key FeatureShare repurchases stayed sizable in the quarter. AutoZone bought back 164,000 shares for $586.3 million at an average price of $3,582 per share, ending the period with $0.8 billion remaining under its current authorization.
Liquidity remained solid alongside a leveraged balance sheet structure typical of the company’s capital strategy. Cash and cash equivalents were $253.7 million as of May 9, 2026, while total debt stood at $9.02 billion, down from $8.8 billion as of May 10, 2025. The company reported a leverage ratio of 2.5x EBITDAR.
Inventory Position Tracks Growth and InflationInventory continued to build as the company invests to support growth initiatives and new stores. Merchandise inventories rose 10.8% year over year to $7.56 billion. Inventory per store increased to $962,000 from $908,000 in the year-ago quarter.
Net inventory, defined as merchandise inventory less accounts payable, remained negative on a per-store basis. Net inventory per store was negative $107,000 compared with negative $142,000 last year, while accounts payable as a percentage of inventory was 111.1% compared with 115.6% a year ago.
Q4 Commentary Centers on Inflation and LIFOThe company expects inflation and ticket growth to moderate in the fourth quarter versus the third quarter, with commentary pointing to a mid-4% range for ticket trends as the company laps higher inflation from the prior year. It also expects a planned non-cash LIFO charge of approximately $30 million for the fourth quarter, which would pressure gross margin and earnings per share versus a more favorable prior-year LIFO comparison.
The company expects weather-related softness late in the quarter, affecting certain heat-driven categories, while reiterating confidence in summer performance given ongoing execution initiatives. Internationally, the company expects a softer macro environment in Mexico and Brazil, with expectations for constant-currency same-store sales in a range similar to the third quarter.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?It turns out, estimates review have trended upward during the past month.
VGM ScoresCurrently, AutoZone has a average Growth Score of C, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with an A. However, the stock was allocated a grade of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of B. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
OutlookEstimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Interestingly, AutoZone has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
AMN uzavřela partnerství s Brightfield, které propojí TDX se svými analytickými nástroji pro přesnější plánování pracovní síly a benchmarking nákladů ve zdravotnictví. WorkWise získá prediktivní vhledy pro datově řízené rozhodování.
Key Takeaways AMN partnered with Brightfield to strengthen healthcare workforce intelligence and market transparency.The alliance combines Brightfield's TDX with AMN analytics to improve planning and cost benchmarking.AMN's WorkWise ecosystem gains predictive insights to support proactive, data-driven workforce planning. AMN Healthcare (AMN - Free Report) recently announced a strategic partnership with Brightfield to strengthen its healthcare workforce intelligence capabilities. By combining Brightfield's third-party Talent Data Exchange (TDX) with AMN's proprietary workforce analytics, the collaboration is expected to provide healthcare organizations with deeper market transparency and more informed labor planning.
From an investor's perspective, the partnership is likely to reinforce AMN's technology-enabled workforce solutions portfolio and enhance the value proposition of its WorkWise ecosystem. The move also reflects the company's continued focus on AI-driven analytics and data-backed decision support, which could support stronger client engagement over the long term.
Likely Trend of AMN Stock Following the NewsShares of AMN have traded flat since the announcement yesterday. In the year-to-date period, shares of the company surged 101.2% against the industry’s 18.9% decline. The S&P 500 increased 7.4% in the same time frame.
The Brightfield partnership is likely to strengthen AMN Healthcare's long-term growth strategy by enhancing the depth and credibility of its workforce intelligence offerings. The integration of independent market data with AMN's proprietary analytics is expected to improve workforce planning, labor cost benchmarking and predictive decision-making for healthcare clients, making its WorkWise ecosystem more differentiated.
As healthcare providers increasingly seek data-driven solutions to manage labor shortages and rising workforce costs, the enhanced platform is likely to support higher client retention, attract new customers and create additional cross-selling opportunities across AMN's broader total talent solutions portfolio.
AMN currently has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
More on the AllianceThe collaboration combines Brightfield's TDX, which provides independent workforce market intelligence across both clinical and non-clinical roles, with AMN Healthcare's proprietary workforce analytics, clinical labor insights and real-time intelligence generated through its technology platforms and extensive client network. The integrated solution is expected to offer healthcare organizations a more comprehensive and validated view of workforce costs, labor rate competitiveness and broader market dynamics, enabling stakeholders across clinical, operational and financial functions to make more informed workforce decisions. The partnership also leverages the companies' AI-driven analytics capabilities to translate workforce data into actionable strategies aligned with clients' operational, financial and clinical objectives.
The alliance further strengthens AMN's broader WorkWise ecosystem strategy by enhancing its predictive workforce planning, analytics and decision-support capabilities. Through the expanded intelligence platform, healthcare organizations are expected to benchmark labor rates against independent market data, improve transparency in workforce cost discussions through third-party validation, optimize workforce mix and utilization and identify opportunities to better manage labor spending. By providing richer market intelligence and predictive insights, the collaboration is designed to help healthcare systems transition from reactive staffing decisions to more proactive, data-driven workforce planning in an increasingly complex healthcare labor market.
Favorable Industry Prospect for AMNPer a report by Grand View Research, the global healthcare staffing market size was valued at $82.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow from $87.9 billion in 2026 to $143.2 billion by 2033, at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2026 to 2033.
Growth is attributed to the increased knowledge of the benefits of temporary employment, job-related incentives and the availability of opportunities globally.
A Recent Development by AMNRecently, AMN announced the acquisition of Jaide Health, an AI-enabled medical interpretation and translation platform, to expand language access for patients with Limited English Proficiency across the healthcare journey. The move enhances AMN’s Language Services capabilities by extending language assistance to important touchpoints before and after treatment while maintaining the critical role of qualified human interpreters for clinical, sensitive and complex discussions.
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Globus Medical (GMED - Free Report) , West Pharmaceutical (WST - Free Report) and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) .
Globus Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reported a first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.12 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 22.1%. Revenues of $759.9 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.0%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
GMED has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 10.2% compared with the industry’s 12.6% growth. The company’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 26.3%.
West Pharmaceutical, currently flaunting a Zacks Rank #1, reported first-quarter 2026 EPS of $2.13, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 26.8%. Revenues of $844.9 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.5%.
WST has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 13.9% compared with the industry’s 9.5% growth. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 19.4%.
Intuitive Surgical, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted EPS of $2.50, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20.2%. Revenues of $2.77 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.2%.
ISRG has a long-term estimated growth rate of 14.6% compared with the industry’s 12.6% growth. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.8%.
Key Takeaways Teradyne's Q1 2026 robotics revenues rose 32% year over year to $91 million, its fourth straight gain. AI-related demand made up nearly 70% of Q1 2026 revenues, up from about 60% in the prior quarter. TER expects a large e-commerce customer to triple its 2026 revenue contribution versus 2025. Teradyne (TER - Free Report) is benefiting from the accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across multiple industries, which is driving robust growth in its robotics and test solutions businesses. AI-related demand accounted for nearly 70% of the company’s revenues in the first quarter of 2026, up from about 60% in the previous quarter.
The company’s Robotics division delivered its fourth consecutive quarter of sequential growth, with first-quarter 2026 robotics revenues up 32% year over year to $91 million. This growth is notable because the first quarter is typically a seasonally weaker quarter. The company’s “one sales team” approach is driving results across verticals, and AI revenues now represents 15% of robotics sales.
The company’s robots are now used in environmental sensing within data centers, and Teradyne recently showcased a complex physical AI work cell in partnership with Generalist at NVIDIA’s GTC event. This demonstrates Teradyne’s ability to innovate and integrate AI-driven robotics into high-growth markets such as e-commerce, electronics manufacturing and semiconductors.
Further expanding its portfolio via partnership, in April 2026, Teradyne Robotics and Flex expanded their collaboration, with Flex both deploying Universal Robots cobots and MiR autonomous mobile robots in its own facilities and manufacturing key robotics components for Teradyne’s customers worldwide.
Teradyne continues to expect its large e-commerce customer to triple its revenue contribution in 2026 compared with 2025, which, if executed, would improve scale and utilization in the Robotics segment.
Teradyne Suffers From Stiff CompetitionTeradyne is facing stiff competition from companies such as KLA Corporation (KLAC - Free Report) and Cohu (COHU - Free Report) . Both KLA and Cohu are expanding their footprint in the AI space.
KLA is benefiting from the growing demand for AI space through its leadership in process control and its ability to address growth markets in wafer fab equipment, including high-bandwidth memory and advanced packaging.
In May 2026, Cohu secured approximately $5 million in orders for its DiamondX semiconductor test platform from a leading chip manufacturer to support the development and production of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) power devices for AI data center power architectures.
TER’s Share Price Performance, Valuation, and EstimatesTeradyne shares have surged 120.7% in the year-to-date period, outperforming the Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s growth of 15% and the Zacks Electronics - Miscellaneous Products increase of 70.6%.
TER Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
TER stock is trading at a premium with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 13.47X compared with the Electronics - Miscellaneous Products industry’s 7.64X. TER has a Value Score of F.
TER Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $7.09 per share, which has been unchanged over the past 30 days. This suggests 79.04% year-over-year growth.
Teradyne currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Newell Brands v 1. čtvrtletí zvýšil normalizovanou hrubou marži o 70 bazických bodů na 33,2 % a provozní marži o 30 bazických bodů na 4,8 % díky produktivitě a cenám.
Key Takeaways NWL improved Q1 2026 normalized gross margin by 70 bps and operating margin by 30 bps through productivity.Newell is using automation, SKU rationalization and supply-chain optimization to drive efficiency.NWL's organizational realignment aims to improve accountability, strengthen commercial capabilities. Newell Brands Inc.’s (NWL - Free Report) productivity mechanism plays a vital role in enhancing efficiency and driving higher profitability. The company is executing strategic initiatives to deliver productivity gains through increased automation and stringent cost management. Optimizing category mix, managing revenue growth, streamlining SKUs and improving supply-chain performance are the key pillars of Newell’s operational strategy.
The company has implemented a corporate strategy that prioritizes investments in innovation, brand-building and go-to-market excellence across its brands and markets. NWL is strengthening its commercial capabilities and improving organizational efficiency. Strategic pricing and productivity actions have successfully mitigated inflation and currency translation impacts, contributing to the company’s performance.
Newell is benefiting from productivity and pricing actions, which have been boosting margins for quite some time now. In first-quarter 2026, normalized gross margin improved 70 basis points (bps) to 33.2% as gross productivity and net pricing more than offset inflation, tariff costs and lower volume. Normalized operating margin improved 30 bps to 4.8%, reflecting disciplined cost management even with higher advertising and promotion spending. For 2026, management maintained its normalized operating margin outlook of 8.6-9.2% and expects productivity, selective pricing and targeted promotion actions to help offset a higher commodity and transportation cost outlook.
Newell’s organizational realignment is designed to reinforce its front-end commercial capabilities, sharpen consumer insights and aid brand strength. The company looks forward to boosting accountability, driving operational efficiencies, reducing complexity and allocating more funds for reinvestment. Newell is enhancing its front-end commercial capabilities through consumer-led innovations.
It is strengthening its operations, profitability and long-term competitiveness through disciplined execution of its productivity, simplification and innovation initiatives. NWL's focus on automation, supply-chain optimization, SKU rationalization, simplification and strategic pricing is driving efficiency gains, while organizational realignment is enhancing commercial capabilities, simplifying structures and improving accountability.
NWL’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of Newell have gained 45.4% in the past six months compared with the industry’s growth of 1.2%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, NWL trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 9.24X compared with the industry’s average of 18.28X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NWL’s 2026 EPS remains breakeven while that of 2027 indicates year-over-year growth of 11.3%. The company’s EPS estimate for 2026 and 2027 has been stable in the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NWL stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Stocks to Consider in the Consumer Staples SpaceThe Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF - Free Report) , which is a distributor of specialty food products in the United States, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Chefs' Warehouse's current financial-year sales indicates growth of 8.3% from the prior-year level. CHEF delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.9%, on average.
Nomad Foods Limited (NOMD - Free Report) , which manufactures and distributes frozen foods, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
The consensus estimate for Nomad Foods’ current financial-year sales is expected to rise 0.5% from the year-ago reported figure. NOMD delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.6%, on average.
Medifast, Inc. (MED - Free Report) , which is a leading manufacturer and distributor of clinically-proven healthy living products and programs, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. MED delivered an average earnings surprise of 65.5% in the last reported quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Medifast’s current financial-year sales indicates a decline of 26% from the year-ago number.
KKR oznámila monetizaci přes 900 milionů USD za období od 31. března 2026 do 24. června 2026 a uvedla, že je asi o 66 % nad průměrem za období 2023 až 2025. Akcie po zprávě vzrostly o více než 3 %.
KKR Asset Management (NYSE:KKR) shares added more than 3% on Thursday after the alternative asset manager provided an update highlighting stronger monetization activity and changes to its financial reporting.
The firm announced that monetization activity exceeded $900 million for the period from March 31, 2026, through June 24, 2026, based on information currently available.
Approximately 80% of the amount was attributable to realized performance income, while the remaining 20% came from realized investment income.
KKR noted that the quarter-to-date total is about 66% above the quarterly average of $542 million recorded between 2023 and 2025. The company said it has experienced an acceleration in monetization activity and capital returned to clients so far this year.
In the first quarter of 2026, monetization activity totaled $878 million, representing a 62% increase from the same three-year quarterly average.
The company also announced a change in how it will report realized performance fees from its K-Series Private Equity vehicles beginning with second-quarter 2026 results. Those fees will now be included in Fee Related Performance Revenues within segment earnings and will be subject to a compensation margin of 15% to 20%. Previously, the fees were reported within Realized Performance Income and carried a compensation margin of 70% to 80%.
KKR said the revised reporting approach aligns with current industry practices and is intended to improve comparability for investors. Performance fees from its K-Series Infrastructure vehicles will continue to be reported in Fee Related Performance Revenues.
KKR also said it expects Capital Markets transaction fees of approximately $175 million for the second quarter of 2026, as some transactions initially anticipated to close late in the quarter are now expected to close in the third quarter.
The firm highlighted that its actual second quarter results could differ from current estimates.
Výrobci elektronických zařízení těží z masivních investic do AI infrastruktury a z poptávky po HBM, pokročilém balení a optických sítích. Kulicke and Soffa, Ultra Clean Holdings a Veeco z toho profitují.
The Zacks Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry players like Kulicke and Soffa Industries (KLIC - Free Report) , Ultra Clean Holdings (UCTT - Free Report) and Veeco Instruments (VECO - Free Report) are benefiting from massive investment in AI infrastructure. Hyperscalers and cloud providers are expanding data center capacity, driving demand for leading-edge logic chips, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), advanced packaging and optical networking solutions. As AI processors become more complex, advanced packaging technologies have become a major investment area. More advanced process technologies, heterogeneous integration, higher process intensity and sophisticated packaging require additional deposition, etch, annealing, bonding and metrology equipment. Strong growth in memory equipment demand bodes well for industry players.
Industry Description The Zacks Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry comprises companies that provide a range of solutions to address the needs of wafer processing facilities, as well as device packaging and test facilities, and semiconductor manufacturing processes. The solutions offered by the industry participants include thin-film processing systems, photonics, process-control tools (that perform macro defect inspections and metrology), metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, advanced packaging lithography, wet etch and clean, laser annealing, and 3D wafer inspection systems. A few industry participants also offer micro-contamination control products and advanced material-handling solutions. Contamination-free transportation, storage and delivery of materials have gained immense significance in recent times.
3 Trends Shaping the Future of the Electronics Industry Miniaturization Enhances Prospects: Industry participants are benefiting from the ongoing transition in semiconductor manufacturing technology. The demand for advanced packaging, which enables the miniaturization of electronic products, remains strong. The consistent shift to smaller dimensions, increasing complexity in transistor design and the rapid adoption of new device architectures, such as FinFET, 3D NAND and GAA, along with the increasing utilization of new manufacturing materials to increase transistor and bit density, are driving the demand for solutions provided by the industry players. Moreover, the emergence of techniques like wafer-level packaging is driving the need for a high-purity manufacturing environment free of contaminants. The rising demand for clean processing, as well as wafer carrier cleaning and conditioning tools, is a key catalyst for industry participants.
Complex Process Driving Demand: The requirement for faster, more powerful, compact and energy-efficient semiconductors is expected to increase rapidly with emerging applications, including AI, high-performance and cloud computing, smartphones, wearable technology, self-driving vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT), gaming and virtual reality, and smart healthcare. Semiconductor manufacturers like Intel, Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductors are primarily looking to maximize manufacturing yields at lower costs. This is making semiconductor manufacturing processes more complex and driving the demand for solutions offered by industry participants. The rapid adoption of IoT-supported factory automation solutions is another contributing factor. The increasing deployment of 5G and the growing demand for edge computing are other key catalysts.
DRAM & HBM Demand Strong: Memory has shifted from being a bottleneck to a major investment opportunity. Memory manufacturers are expanding both greenfield fabs and existing facilities to increase AI server capacity. HBM is emerging as one of the strongest secular growth drivers due to its critical role in AI accelerators and high-performance computing. As GPUs become more powerful, memory bandwidth has become a key bottleneck, prompting memory manufacturers to aggressively expand HBM capacity. The broader DRAM market is also poised for sustained growth as AI applications require significantly larger memory capacity.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bullish Prospects The Zacks Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #4, which places it in the top 2% of more than 250 Zacks industries.
The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bullish near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.
The industry’s position in the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of the positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, analysts appear optimistic about this group’s earnings growth potential. Since Jan. 31, 2026, the industry’s earnings estimates for 2026 have increased 48%.
Given the positive industry outlook, there are a number of stocks worth buying. However, before we present the stocks you may want to consider for your portfolio, let us take a look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.
Industry Beats Sector & S&P 500 The Zacks Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 over the past year.
The industry has jumped 233.1% over this period compared with the S&P 500’s return of 23.4% and the broader sector’s appreciation of 37.1%.
One-Year Price Performance
Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA ratio, which is a commonly used multiple for valuing Electronics - Manufacturing Machinery companies, we see that the industry is trading at 42.52X compared with the S&P 500’s 18.23X. The industry is trading above the sector’s trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA of 19.7X.
Over the last five years, the industry has traded as high as 44.67X and as low as 4.03X, with the median being 12.7X, as the charts below show.
EV/EBITDA Ratio (TTM)
3 Electronics Stocks to Buy Right Now Kulicke and Soffa: This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) is riding on strong demand for Thermo-Compression Bonding (TCB). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Kulicke and Soffa expects TCB revenues to exceed $100 million in fiscal 2026. The company is expanding production capacity to support approximately $400 million in Advanced Solutions revenue, positioning KLIC to capitalize on the AI packaging cycle.
An expanding portfolio bodes well for Kulicke and Soffa’s prospects. Introduction of new solutions, including the Asterion-TW power semiconductor platform, ProMEM memory suite and advanced dispense products, is noteworthy. KLIC is increasing investments in hybrid bonding and panel-level packaging. These initiatives position the company to capture future demand across HBM, DRAM, power semiconductors and next-generation heterogeneous integration.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kulicke and Soffa Industries’ fiscal 2026 earnings has been unchanged at $3.34 per share over the past 30 days. Shares have jumped 170.6% year to date.
Price & Consensus: KLIC
Ultra Clean Holdings: This Zacks Rank #1 company believes the semiconductor industry is in the early stages of a multiyear AI-driven expansion, supported by hyperscaler investments, leading-edge foundry logic, HBM and advanced packaging demand. UCTT expects momentum to strengthen through the second half of 2026 and into 2027 as customers increase wafer fab equipment spending and fab utilization.
Ultra Clean’s existing manufacturing network supports approximately $3 billion in annual revenues and can scale to roughly $4 billion with only modest incremental capital investment. As volumes rise, UCTT expects higher factory utilization, better operating leverage and continued margin expansion, supported by its UCT 3.0 operational strategy and digital transformation initiatives.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ultra Clean Holdings’ 2026 earnings has climbed 4.7% to $2.46 per share over the past 30 days. Shares have skyrocketed 328.1% on a year-to-date basis.
Price & Consensus: UCTT
Veeco: This Zacks Rank #1 company continues to benefit from strong demand in advanced packaging, logic, memory and silicon photonics, with management highlighting sustained order momentum and increasing visibility into 2027. Veeco expects AI infrastructure investments to drive durable multiyear growth across its semiconductor portfolio.
Veeco secured more than $250 million in orders for MOCVD, wet processing and Ion Beam Deposition systems supporting indium phosphide laser manufacturing for AI data centers. Deliveries begin in 2026 and accelerate significantly in 2027, reinforcing the company's leadership in optical networking technologies as data centers transition from copper interconnects to optics.
The company is increasing manufacturing capacity for Advanced Packaging and Ion Beam Deposition systems while continuing to expand opportunities in HBM, EUV mask blanks, GaN power devices and advanced annealing. Veeco expects these technologies to drive meaningful served available market expansion through 2030, providing multiple long-term growth drivers beyond the current AI cycle.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Veeco’s 2026 earnings has been steady at $1.65 per share over the past 30 days. Shares have appreciated 149% year to date.
NuScale Power se propadá kvůli opakovaným odkladům nasazení SMR, které v Rumunsku a USA nebudou online dříve než na počátku 30. let. Firma čelí žalobám a silnému prodeji insiderů.
NuScale Power (SMR 0.34%), a developer of small modular reactors (SMRs) for nuclear power plants, went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) on May 3, 2022. Its stock opened at $10.70 per share on the first day, reached a record high of $53.43 on Oct. 15, 2025, but trades at just over $10 as of this writing. Let's see why NuScale's stock plunged, and if it could stabilize and recover in the second half of the year.
Image source: Getty Images.
Why did investors ignore NuScale? NuScale's SMRs can be installed in vessels that are only 65 feet tall and nine feet wide, making them much smaller than conventional nuclear reactors. They're prefabricated and assembled on-site to reduce the time, labor, and costs required to build a nuclear power plant.
NuScale's newest SMR only generates 77 MWe on its own, while conventional nuclear power plants usually generate over 1,000 MWe. However, NuScale's SMRs can be chained together to build smaller plants in areas that aren't well-suited for larger plants.
It's currently working with Fluor (FLR 0.51%) to deploy six of its 77 MWe reactors to construct a 462 MWe plant for Romania's RoPower. It also recently agreed to deploy up to six gigawatts of its SMR capacity across seven states for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
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Those plans sound promising, but NuScale doesn't expect any of its reactors in Romania and the U.S. to come online until the early 2030s. It repeatedly postponed its first deployments as inflation drove up its costs, challenging the bullish view that SMRs would be a cheaper, faster alternative to conventional reactors for the booming AI market. It also faces intense competition from companies like Oklo (OKLO 3.90%), which are developing even smaller microreactors.
NuScale's constant delays sparked class action lawsuits, and Fluor -- which owned over half of its shares before its public debut -- liquidated its remaining shares this year. Over the past three months, its insiders sold 460 times as many shares as they bought.
Will NuScale's stock bounce back? NuScale will generate most of its revenue from its front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies, licensing fees, and consulting work until it deploys its first commercial SMRs.
For 2026, analysts expect its revenue to rise 79% to $56 million, while narrowing its net loss to $164 million. For 2027, they expect its revenue to more than triple to $173 million with a slightly wider net loss of $171 million. That growth trajectory would be impressive, but it's already priced for perfection at 63 times this year's sales. That high valuation will limit its upside potential as long as the messy macro environment drives investors away from speculative growth stocks.
D-Wave oznámila nový kvantový simulátor s gate-modelem a detekcí chyb, který má od září 2026 zpřístupnit programování odolné vůči chybám. Podporuje až 21 qubitů a je součástí plánu na 100 logických qubitů do roku 2032.
Key Takeaways D-Wave unveiled an error-aware gate-model quantum simulator to advance fault-tolerant computing.D-Wave targets 100 logical qubits and 1M successful operations by 2032 using dual-rail architecture.D-Wave's simulator supports up to 21 qubits with error detection and real-time control tools. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) , or D-Wave, recently announced its forthcoming gate-model quantum computing simulator, a move that expands its gate-model roadmap designed to accelerate the development of commercial, fault-tolerant quantum computing. Detailed at the inaugural Investor Day earlier this month, the roadmap targets 100 logical qubits capable of successfully performing over 1 million operations by 2032 through scalable superconducting dual-rail architecture and quantum error correction.
The stimulator is expected to be the first of its kind designed for error-aware programming, with access scheduled to begin in September 2026. Built around D-Wave’s dual-rail technology, it is designed to give developers greater visibility into errors, helping them design applications and workflows that respond to real processor behavior.
By combining error detection and real-time control, the simulator will give developers new tools and data to better understand quantum behavior, prototype quantum applications and error-correction routines and explore more advanced workflows.
Once available through D-Wave's Leap cloud platform, the simulator will offer a quantum programming toolkit with error-aware capabilities, including tools for modeling quantum processor behavior, error detection and real-time control. It will support up to 21 qubits, include ideal and hardware emulation modes, Monte Carlo simulation of real-time quantum system dynamics and integration with familiar development tools, including the company’s Ocean SDK.
D-Wave also plans to introduce quantum development bundles that will provide access to its forthcoming gate-model quantum simulator and systems. These will include Starter and Premium packages, with monthly access allocations and guidance from D-Wave’s expert team. The company says the bundles are designed to support a range of customer needs, from initial exploration to more advanced research and development.
Updates From QBTS PeersQuantum Computing Inc. (QUBT - Free Report) or QCi announced the completion of acquiring NHanced Semiconductors, Inc. for a combination of cash and QCi stock valued at $73.1 million, subject to customary adjustments, and up to an additional $72.0 million if certain performance targets are achieved. The acquisition marks an important step in QCi’s transition from research-driven innovation and prototyping to scalable commercial production. By adding semiconductor and nanophotonics fabrication capabilities, advanced packaging expertise and specialized engineering talent, QCi is strengthening its operational capabilities and manufacturing readiness.
C3 AI (AI - Free Report) announced that Shell Information Technology International B.V. is extending its long-standing collaboration with the company across its global operations. C3 AI has worked with Shell since 2018 to deploy and operate an enterprise-scale predictive maintenance program. Under a new multi-year agreement, Shell will extend its deployment of C3 AI Reliability to enhance its operations, extending predictive maintenance capabilities beyond equipment anomaly detection.
QBTS’ Price Performance, Valuation & EarningsIn the past three months, QBTS shares have risen 58.6%, far above the industry’s 4.8% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
D-Wave is trading at a forward, five-year Price/Sales (P/S) of 130.99X, significantly higher than its median and the industry average.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Estimates for D-Wave’s 2026 and 2027 loss per share have steadily narrowed over the past 90 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
D-Wave currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 1.88%) is in the spotlight for all the right reasons. It just completed the largest initial public offering in history, having raised $75 billion by offering 555 million shares at $135 each plus another $10.7 billion from the underwriters that exercised their options to buy more shares. However, the number of shares available for public trading is still tiny relative to SpaceX's over $2 trillion market cap.
The company's float could increase to as much as 37% in late August. But until then, there's a supply-demand crunch on the stock, which is contributing to its volatility. SpaceX is already down big from its intraday high of $225.64, although as of the close of trading Tuesday, it was still up 4% from its initial trading price of $150 per share.
While long-term investors may not appreciate the volatility or the financial engineering of SpaceX's public market debut, they may be intrigued by the company's bold plans to launch millions of artificial intelligence (AI) data center satellites into orbit.
Here's why SpaceX is betting big on orbital data centers, and if the growth stock is a great buy now.
Image source: Getty Images.
A different type of SpaceX satellite SpaceX isn't profitable, but it has multiple levers that it could pull to unlock growth over the next several decades and beyond. It conducted around 80% of U.S. space launches in 2025 and exited that year with 9,600 Starlink broadband and mobile satellites in orbit. It owns xAI, the social media platform X, and could deploy millions of AI compute satellites -- which SpaceX says would actually be easier to manufacture than Starlink satellites because they won't need to have complex antennas.
The company's first AI satellite design features a 70-meter wingspan and a deployed height of 20 meters. By comparison, the majority of Starlink satellites in orbit are second-generation V2 Mini satellites, which are just 4.1 meters by 2.7 meters. The bigger issue is the added payload weight: AI satellites' compute clusters will have a lot of mass, making them significantly more expensive to launch.
Additionally, SpaceX plans to launch its AI compute satellites into a higher-altitude sun-synchronous orbit. This will make solar power generation predictable. However, it will also make the massive AI satellites more visible at night than most Starlink satellites.
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Satellite manufacturing on an unprecedented scale SpaceX says it aims to have 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI compute satellites in orbit by the end of 2027, then scale that by an order of magnitude in the subsequent three years, reaching 10 GW by the end of 2028, 100 GW by the end of 2029, and 1 terawatt (1,000 GW) by the end of 2030. At a peak output of 150 kW per satellite based on its AI1 satellite design, that would mean 6,667 satellites at 1 GW, 66,667 satellites at 10 GW, 666,667 satellites at 100 GW, and then a mind-numbing 6.67 million satellites at 1 terawatt. To describe that as ambitious would be an understatement.
To get there, SpaceX is building a more than 11-million-square-foot factory it has dubbed "Gigasat" in Bastrop, Texas, which is just outside Austin. Situated on a more than 1,000-acre site, that factory will handle end-to-end production of AI compute satellites, from the solar panels that will power them to the electronic components and satellite assembly.
Tesla (TSLA 0.45%) investors will be familiar with CEO Elon Musk's preference for vertically integrated manufacturing. Expanding beyond its Fremont, California, factory to large-scale production centers (Gigafactories) in Nevada, New York, Texas, Shanghai, and Germany was an integral part of the strategy that allowed Tesla to grow into a major global automaker. However, Tesla was expanding production while facing the scrutiny that all public companies must accept. Plus, it was capital-constrained and relied heavily on scaling up its Model 3 production to boost cash flow and fund its manufacturing expansion.
SpaceX has a massive advantage in that it is already worth more than Tesla and should have no problem turning to capital markets to raise capital, whether by issuing debt or selling more equity. SpaceX reported a net loss in 2025, yet the market doesn't seem to care, given its growth potential.
In sum, Tesla was consistently trying to prove to public markets that electric vehicles could be profitable and disrupt the automotive industry, whereas SpaceX has a first-mover advantage in a new niche of the data center market where it faces virtually no direct competitors.
AI satellite constellations are far from a sure bet Investors are giving SpaceX the green light to think big on a cosmic scale. Investors buying SpaceX today probably care way more about its timeline for launching AI compute satellites into space rather than the costs of its path to profitability.
But SpaceX will undoubtedly run into challenges along the way to deploying its constellation of satellites. And as the quarters tick by, investor patience could be tested -- especially during market sell-offs or if there's a slowdown in AI spending.
All told, there's no rush to buy SpaceX right now, at a time when sentiment is overwhelmingly positive and investor enthusiasm is through the roof. The better approach would be to keep SpaceX on your watch list and monitor its progress on constructing Gigasat and getting its first AI satellites launched into space. If its big idea pays off, SpaceX will deserve to be worth much more than it is today. But at this time, that's a big "if."
Apple CEO Tim Cook says the boom in AI data centers has made price hikes "unavoidable". Justin Sullivan/Getty Images It's possible that AI will bring us all kinds of amazing things in the future.
In the present, AI is making things more expensive.
And Apple just showed us how much more expensive: It is raising prices on some of its Macs and iPads by at least 15% and directly attributing the hikes to the AI boom — specifically the buildout of data centers.
"The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage," the company said in a statement. "We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly."
In real-world terms, that means Apple's entry-level MacBook Air now costs $1,299 — up from $1,099. Its cheapest iPad Air, which cost $599 on Wednesday, now costs $749.
Apple had previewed the price hikes last week, when CEO Tim Cook called them "unavoidable." The company hasn't raised the prices of new iPhones, though we'll see what happens when it introduces new models this fall. Apple's statement says it "need[s] to begin raising prices on a number of products," which suggests these may not be the only increases.
Apple's announcement is important for people who want to buy new computers and tablets. But I think it's much more meaningful than that: It's the first time a giant consumer company has come out and told consumers that prices are going up because of AI.
That feels like an important milestone. That's because so much of the AI debate centers around what people think could happen in the future. If you're an AI optimist, it could help us find new wonder drugs or supercharge new industries. If you're a skeptic, you worry that it will create new bioweapons, or hollow out big swaths of the economy.
But today, in the here and now, Apple is saying things are more expensive because of AI.
That idea has been banging around the tech and financial worlds for some time, as the data center push squeezes on computer chips. That's good for some companies, like chipmakers Micron and SK Hynix, and an issue for just about everyone that needs chips for their products, which is… a lot of companies.
Much of this has been opaque to normal people. Now lots of normal people — even those who aren't in the market for new iPads and MacBooks — are going to hear that AI is making iPads and MacBooks more expensive.
That's the kind of data point that sticks in your head. And it's very hard to dislodge.
The AI industry has plenty of money and influence. But tech usually succeeds by bringing people something new or making something radically cheaper. Now tech says the same stuff you bought yesterday costs much more today.
It's hard to argue your way out of that one.
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Peter Kafka You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
Peter covers media and technology for Business Insider; previously he has worked at Vox, Recode, AllThingsD, and Forbes. He was also the first hire at Silicon Alley Insider, Business Insider's predecessor.
AI Inflation Data Centers More Apple Tim Cook iPad Policy
Švédská TRV vyzvala EU, aby zamítla širší nasazení Tesla FSD kvůli automatickému překračování rychlosti, zimnímu provozu a zavádějícímu názvu. O rozšíření se má hlasovat 30. června.
Key Takeaways Sweden's TRV asked the EU to reject broader FSD deployment over automated speeding concerns.Regulators also flagged winter-road performance and the Full Self-Driving name.TSLA won Dutch approval in April, with rollout reaching several European countries. Tesla, Inc.’s (TSLA - Free Report) Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently gained access to public roads in the Netherlands, marking its first approval in Europe and fueling expectations of a broader rollout across the continent. However, not all countries support the expansion. Sweden’s Transport Administration (TRV) has urged the European Union to reject the wider deployment of FSD in its current form.
A key concern for Swedish regulators is Tesla’s “Speed Offset” feature, which allows FSD-equipped vehicles to travel above posted speed limits, per Reuters. While similar functionality exists in conventional cruise-control systems, regulators argue that the risks are greater when the feature is integrated into an automated driving system. In a letter to the EU’s Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV), the TRV warned that permitting automated systems to exceed legal speed limits routinely could undermine traffic laws and reduce the intended safety benefits of vehicle automation.
Beyond the speed-related issue, European authorities have also raised concerns about FSD’s performance in challenging winter conditions, particularly on snow-covered roads, as well as the potentially misleading nature of the “Full Self-Driving” name. These concerns come as the TCMV prepares to vote on June 30 on whether to extend the Dutch approval across the European Union.
The TRV does not have the authority to determine Sweden’s position in the European committee vote. That role is held by the Swedish Transport Agency (STA), which acts as the nation’s vehicle type-approval authority.
Per Reuters, the STA has been engaged in discussions with both Tesla and the Dutch road authority, RDW, regarding the matter. One reported meeting between Tesla and regulators lasted about two hours on June 4. Per the STA, talks are still ongoing. While the agency has not yet disclosed how Sweden intends to vote, it noted that the concerns highlighted by the Transport Administration continue to be considered as part of its assessment process.
Despite the opposition, Tesla achieved a significant milestone when Dutch regulators approved FSD for use on public roads in April. Since then, the technology has also been introduced in Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania and Estonia, while approval remains under review in Greece. Although Greek officials criticized Tesla for relying on North American data, they acknowledged that FSD could potentially lead to a substantial reduction in traffic accidents.
Tesla maintains that the Speed Offset feature does not compromise safety because drivers remain responsible for the vehicle and can intervene at any moment. Swedish regulators, however, believe this safeguard is insufficient to address the risks associated with automated speeding.
The European version of FSD already differs from the U.S. version. Instead of driving profiles such as “Sloth” and “Mad Max,” European users can adjust settings through “Max Speed” and “Max Speed Offset” options. The system also handles uncertain speed limits differently, displaying an estimated limit accompanied by a question mark when it lacks definitive information. Additionally, the interface labels the system as “FSD (Supervised)” rather than “Full Self-Driving,” likely to reduce the possibility of drivers misunderstanding the technology’s capabilities.
TSLA’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksTesla currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Geely Automobile Holdings Limited (GELHY - Free Report) , Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW - Free Report) and Garrett Motion Inc. (GTX - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GELHY’s 2026 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 77.1% and 40.3%, respectively. The EPS estimate for 2026 and 2027 has improved 18 cents and 7 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PLOW’s 2026 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 16.7% and 31.4%, respectively. The EPS estimate for 2026 and 2027 has improved 39 cents and 29 cents, respectively, over the past 60 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GTX’s 2026 sales and earnings implies year-over-year growth of 5.6% and 20.4%, respectively. The EPS estimate for 2026 has improved 12 cents over the past 60 days, while the EPS estimate for 2027 has improved a penny over the past 30 days.
Microsoftu ve 3. čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2026 klesly tržby z her o 7 % na 5,34 miliardy USD, hlavně kvůli propadu hardwaru Xboxu o 33 %. Firma dál sází na cloudové hraní přes Game Pass a streaming.
Key Takeaways MSFT gaming revenues fell 7% to $5.34B as Xbox hardware revenues dropped 33% in fiscal Q3 2026.Microsoft linked content weakness to tough comparisons; results matched guided declines.MSFT is expanding cloud-delivered gaming via Game Pass, streaming and new first-party titles. Microsoft's (MSFT - Free Report) push to expand its gaming division through content and cloud-streaming investment is being weighed against a soft quarter for the segment, raising the question of whether Xbox can meaningfully reinforce the company's broader cloud ecosystem. The trigger: Xbox content and services revenues fell 5% year over year (down 7% in constant currency) in third-quarter fiscal 2026, while Xbox hardware revenues plunged 33%, dragging total gaming revenues down 7% to $5.34 billion. The decline landed inside an otherwise record quarter, with companywide revenues increasing 18% to $82.9 billion and Microsoft Cloud revenues rising 29% to $54.5 billion, highlighting the gap between gaming's trajectory and the rest of the portfolio.
Microsoft attributed the content and services shortfall to a difficult prior-year comparison that had benefited from strong first-party releases, while hardware weakness reflected lower console unit volumes as the current generation matures. CFO Amy Hood had guided for a mid-to-high single-digit decline in total gaming revenues and a mid-single-digit drop in content and services for the quarter; actual results landed at the softer end of that range, meaning the slide was in line with, not worse than, expectations.
Recent developments suggest Microsoft is leaning on cloud-delivered gaming to tie Xbox more closely to its broader ecosystem rather than console hardware. Xbox Wire's June 2026 Games Showcase introduced new first-party titles, including Ninja Theory's Senua, alongside a 25th-anniversary Xbox Series X|S console and controller edition launching in November. Game Pass' steady cadence of additions through June, such as Forza Horizon 6, Persona 5 Royal and Call of Duty: Vanguard, depends heavily on cloud streaming to reach players across devices. An April 2026 Game Pass Ultimate price adjustment had not yet been factored into fiscal third-quarter results and will first appear in fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 numbers.
With hardware revenues shrinking and cloud infrastructure carrying more of the gaming experience, the segment's expansion may matter less for standalone gaming revenues and more for keeping users anchored to Microsoft's cloud platform.
How Gaming Rivals Compare on GrowthUnlike Microsoft's gaming segment, Electronic Arts (EA - Free Report) and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO - Free Report) posted gains in their most recent quarterly results. Electronic Arts reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 net bookings of $1.86 billion, up roughly 4% year over year, with net revenues rising 12% to $2.12 billion on strength in Battlefield 6 and Apex Legends. Take-Two Interactive's fiscal fourth-quarter net bookings held flat at $1.58 billion, though GAAP net revenues grew 6% to $1.68 billion, supported by NBA 2K26 and the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Electronic Arts and Take-Two Interactive both leaned on live-service and recurrent consumer spending to offset slower title-driven growth that quarter, a contrast to Microsoft's subscription- and cloud-led approach. Neither Electronic Arts nor Take-Two Interactive operates console hardware, limiting direct comparability with Xbox's mixed results.
MSFT’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesMSFT shares have lost 25% in the past six-month period compared with the Zacks Computer – Software industry’s decline of 26.1%. The Zacks Computer and Technology sector has appreciated 12.8% in the same time frame.
MSFT’s 6-Month Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, MSFT stock appears overvalued, trading at a forward 12-month price/earnings ratio of 18.98X, higher than the industry’s 18.81X. MSFT has a Value Score of D.
MSFT’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSFT’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $17.33 per share. The estimate indicates 27.05% year-over-year growth.
Microsoft currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
European regulators say Amazon’s and Microsoft’s cloud businesses should fall under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The European Commission said in a Wednesday (June 24) press release that it had informed both tech giants of its preliminary finding that they should be considered “gatekeepers” under the DMA for their cloud computing services, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
“In both cases, the Commission preliminarily finds that AWS and Azure, the largest and second largest cloud computing services in the EU respectively, are an important gateway between businesses and their customers in the EU,” per the release. “This is the case despite them not meeting the DMA’s quantitative thresholds for designation.”
The DMA, which came into force in 2023, established stringent rules for major online platforms, designed to prevent anti-competitive behavior. The “gatekeeper” designation applies to companies with at least 45 million end users and 10,000 business users in Europe, and a yearly turnover of 7.5 billion euros across the continent for the previous three financial years.
Amazon and Microsoft have been given the gatekeeper designation for other services, but the commission said this label should also apply to their cloud business, which have “achieved significant turnover, and their operational capacity and investments seem to have significantly outpaced those of competitors.”
The EC also notes that AWS and Azure seem to have benefitted from increased AI-related demand for cloud services, and “appear to hold an entrenched and durable position in the EU cloud computing sector, as is evidenced by AWS and Azure’s leading market position over many years.”
A spokesperson for Microsoft said th company was still engaging “constructively” with the commission in a statement provided to PYMNTS.
“The cloud sector in Europe is innovative, highly competitive and an accelerator for growth across the economy,” the statement added. “We remain concerned that ignoring the growing power of Google Cloud and Gemini will tilt the market in a harmful way.”
Amazon issued a statement in response to the EC’s preliminary findings, arguing they “disregard the breadth of cloud services available to European customers and risk deterring European investment and innovation.
“AWS faces healthy competition and customers across Europe have more choice, lower prices, and greater flexibility than ever before,” the company said.
“The EU already has comprehensive cloud regulation through the Data Act, and adding another heavy layer of overlapping regulation under the DMA undermines European competitiveness and access to cutting-edge information technology.”
The company also cites a study published by Copenhagen Economics and commissioned by AWS which found more than 200 active European cloud providers that have held a roughly 15% share of revenue since 2022.
Amazon, Microsoft a další firmy se připojily k nové neziskovce RAISE US, která chce pomoci americkým pracovníkům přejít do ekonomiky řízené umělou inteligencí. Cílí na 1 miliardu USD ve víceletých závazcích, přičemž více než polovina už byla zajištěna.
by Kurt Schlosser on Jun 25, 2026 at 8:50 amJune 25, 2026 at 8:50 am
(Raiseus.ai Image) Amazon, Microsoft and other leading tech companies are joining a new nonpartisan workforce organization launched Thursday aimed at helping American workers navigate the transition to an AI-driven economy.
RAISE US aims to partner with governors, employers, and training organizations to retrain and redeploy workers displaced or affected by AI, with a goal of raising $1 billion in multi-year commitments — more than half of which has already been secured.
The organization is led by former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who will serve as CEO, and former Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who will serve as co-chair. The two are pitching the effort as explicitly bipartisan.
“If we build the best AI systems in the world and leave millions of Americans behind, we won’t have won anything; we’ll have automated our own decline,” Raimondo said in a news release. “I believe AI will create new jobs and industries over time, but the transition could be disruptive, and it’s already underway.”
Amazon, Anthropic, Microsoft and the OpenAI Foundation are serving as anchor partners. The coalition also includes more than two dozen companies and philanthropies, among them IBM, Cisco, General Motors, Mastercard, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Pivotal, the organization founded by Melinda French Gates. Initial state partnerships include Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, and Utah.
The launch of RAISE US comes amid layoffs and cost-cutting across the tech industry and widespread anxiety — from workers to recent graduates — about AI’s impact on employment. Some employers, including Meta, have cited AI as a reason for cuts, including in Washington state. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy blamed massive layoffs that started last year on a culture correction at the tech giant rather than being AI-driven.
In a blog post Thursday, Amazon Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer David Zapolsky said investment in workers must keep pace with the technology.
“The transition to an AI-driven economy will create enormous opportunity, but only if we invest now in helping workers develop the skills to seize it,” Zapolsky wrote.
Zapolsky cited Amazon’s own efforts to prepare workers for the AI economy, including its Career Choice program, which has helped more than 300,000 employees earn degrees and certificates over 14 years, and a broader $2.5 billion commitment to skills training through its Future Ready 2030 initiative.
Microsoft said it has already been piloting a model for the kind of worker transition RAISE US aims to scale — cross-training entry-level lawyers across different parts of the organization and equipping them with AI skills so they can be repositioned as technology evolves, The New York Times reported.
“It creates an opportunity to transfer people from jobs that are being eliminated to jobs that are being created,” Microsoft President Brad Smith told the Times.
AMD nyní pohání 191 systémů v žebříčku TOP500, včetně čtyř z deseti nejrychlejších superpočítačů. Tržby datových center v 1. čtvrtletí vzrostly o 57 % díky EPYC a Instinct.
Key Takeaways AMD powers 191 TOP500 systems, including four of the world's 10 fastest supercomputers.Data center revenues rose 57% in Q1, fueled by strong EPYC and Instinct product sales. AMD shares have jumped 142.7% year to date, beating the tech sector's 15% gain. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - Free Report) EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs now power four of the world's 10 fastest supercomputers and four of the 10 most energy-efficient systems, underscoring its growing presence in high-performance computing (HPC). The company powers 191 systems on the latest TOP500 list, up 11% year over year, while 41% of the newly added systems use AMD technology.
The achievement aligns with AMD's accelerating data center momentum, which management believes will underpin the company's next phase of AI-driven growth. AI is driving demand not only for AMD’s GPUs but also for high-performance CPUs that orchestrate inference and emerging agentic AI workloads. CEO Lisa Su noted that first-quarter data center revenues surged 57% year over year, fueled by strong EPYC and Instinct sales, while server CPU revenues climbed more than 50%.
AMD expects server CPU revenues to grow more than 70% in the second quarter, supported by rising adoption of EPYC processors. AMD is on track to launch sixth-gen EPYC Venice later in 2026, with more customers validating platforms than prior generations. Management also raised its view of the server CPU market to greater than 35% annual growth, reaching over $120 billion by 2030.
At the same time, expanding deployments of Instinct GPUs and Helios rack-scale systems position AMD to capitalize on large-scale AI infrastructure investments and drive long-term data center growth. Meta plans to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of Instinct GPUs, with the first 1-gigawatt deployment powered by a custom MI450-based GPU. AMD management continues to target scaling data center AI revenues to tens of billions annually in 2027.
Tough Competition Hurts AMD’s ProspectsAMD’s prospects suffer from stiff competition. NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) and Broadcom (AVGO - Free Report) are major competitors in the Data Center space.
NVIDIA is at the center of AI computing, with its products widely used across data centers, gaming and autonomous vehicles. The company’s newer Hopper 200 and Blackwell GPU platforms are being adopted quickly as customers work to grow their AI infrastructure. Data Center revenues reached $75.2 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, up 92% from a year ago and up 21% sequentially, driven by the ramp-up of Blackwell 300 products and demand for InfiniBand, Spectrum-X Ethernet and NVLink solutions. NVIDIA remains AMD's primary rival in GPU-accelerated supercomputing.
Broadcom is benefiting from strong demand for its networking products and custom AI accelerators. In the second quarter of fiscal 2026, AI semiconductor revenues reached a record $10.8 billion, up 143% year over year and above management’s outlook. Broadcom expects AI semiconductor revenue to reach $16 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, up more than 200% year over year. For fiscal 2026, management expects AI semiconductor revenue of $56 billion, up approximately 180% from fiscal 2025. Broadcom also reiterated that AI semiconductor revenue is expected to exceed $100 billion in fiscal 2027.
AMD’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesAMD shares have jumped 142.7% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s rise of 15%.
AMD Stock’s Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AMD stock is overvalued, with a forward 12-month price/sales of 14.3X compared with the broader sector’s 6.46X. AMD has a Value Score of F.
AMD's Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at $1.60 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, suggesting 233.3% year-over-year growth.
AMD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Nvidia NVDA stock fell on Thursday, giving up premarket gains as investors weighed growing competition in the artificial intelligence chip market despite another wave of enthusiasm across the broader AI sector.
The stock was down 1.3% at $196.76 in early trading after closing 0.5% lower in the previous session.
The decline came even as memory-chip stocks advanced following stronger-than-expected results from Micron Technology, which helped lift sentiment across parts of the semiconductor industry.
Several of Nvidia's major peers also traded lower. Shares of Advanced Micro Devices and Intel were in the red alongside the AI chip leader.
While Nvidia continues to dominate the market for artificial intelligence accelerators, investors are increasingly paying attention to efforts by major technology companies to reduce their dependence on the company's hardware.
The latest development came on Wednesday when OpenAI and Broadcom unveiled a custom artificial intelligence chip called Jalapeño.
The processor marks OpenAI's first entry into AI silicon development and will be used primarily for inference workloads, the computational process of delivering AI responses to users through ChatGPT and other applications.
According to OpenAI President Greg Brockman, the chip was developed rapidly with assistance from the company's own AI systems.
"The degree to which our models have been able to accelerate it was very surprising to us," Brockman said during an interview with CNBC.
Brockman said the chip was designed from end to end in approximately nine months.
The project highlights a broader trend across the artificial intelligence industry as leading technology companies and AI developers seek greater control over their computing infrastructure.
The OpenAI partnership further strengthens Broadcom's position in the growing market for custom AI chips.
Broadcom has emerged as one of the major beneficiaries of the generative AI boom by helping hyperscalers and frontier AI laboratories develop application-specific processors tailored to their own workloads.
Shares of Broadcom have risen about 10% this year and have increased nearly sevenfold since the end of 2022 as demand for AI infrastructure has surged.
The company has become a key partner for organizations looking to supplement or partially replace standard AI hardware deployments with custom-designed silicon.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm recently announced supply agreements involving Microsoft and Meta Platforms, adding to investor concerns that large technology companies are diversifying their AI hardware strategies.
Nvidia remains the industry leaderDespite the growing number of competitors, there is little evidence that Nvidia has lost meaningful business.
The company's graphics processing units remain the preferred option for many artificial intelligence training workloads, and major technology companies continue to commit substantial spending toward Nvidia-based infrastructure.
Many hyperscalers and AI developers have already announced plans to deploy Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform, which is expected to play a central role in future AI data center buildouts.
Nevertheless, investors appear increasingly focused on the long-term implications of custom chip development.
NVIDIA vykázala v Q1 FY27 tržby 81,61 miliardy USD, meziročně o 85 % více, a tržby divize Data Center vzrostly na 75,25 miliardy USD. Společnost zároveň schválila další zpětný odkup akcií za 80 miliard USD.
Mid-year is when serious investors stop trading the headlines and start thinking about the next decade. June 2026 has handed long-term buyers a useful gift: meaningful pullbacks in some of the most important AI platforms despite fundamentals that keep getting stronger. Three names stand out as platform-scale businesses already monetizing AI at scale, with runways that extend well beyond this quarter or even this year.
The setup matters. Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s 2026 outlook frames the central question this way: growth based on long-term transformative investments may be masking the true nature of the underlying real economy, and getting the AI capex call right is the key factor for 2026. The three picks below are levered to that capex cycle from three different angles: the chip layer, the cloud layer, and the application/ad layer.
NVIDIA (NVDA) NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) trades at $199.45, roughly 27% below its 52-week high of $236.26. That is a meaningful entry discount on a business that just printed Q1 FY27 revenue of $81.61 billion, up 85% year over year, with Data Center revenue of $75.25 billion and networking up 199%.
The bull case is straightforward. Hyperscaler AI capex is locked in, and NVIDIA is the toll booth. CEO Jensen Huang called it “the largest infrastructure expansion in human history”, and the numbers back him: $119.0 billion in total supply-related commitments, 75% non-GAAP gross margins, and a board that just authorized an additional $80 billion buyback and raised the dividend from $0.01 to $0.25 per share quarterly. Analyst consensus is 95% bullish with a $298.93 target price.
The risk: Q2 FY27 guidance of $91.0 billion ± 2% excludes China data center compute entirely, and export restrictions remain the single largest swing factor on the outlook. Buyers here are paying for the rest-of-world AI build, not Beijing.
Amazon (AMZN) Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) sits at $237.27, 12% below its $278.56 52-week high. The AWS reacceleration story is finally showing up in the numbers: Q1 2026 AWS revenue of $37.59 billion grew 28%, the fastest pace in 15 quarters, at a 38% operating margin.
The platform story has three legs now. AWS is reaccelerating with landmark compute commitments from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. The custom silicon business (Graviton, Trainium, Nitro) crossed a $20 billion annual revenue run rate, growing triple digits year over year. And advertising hit $17.24 billion in Q1, up 24%, on a trailing-twelve-month base above $70 billion. CEO Andy Jassy framed the moment: “We’re in the middle of some of the biggest inflections of our lifetime.” Analyst sentiment is 94% bullish with a $312.99 consensus target.
The risk is the capex bill. Amazon is guiding to roughly $200 billion in 2026 capex, which has already compressed TTM free cash flow to $1.2 billion, down 95% year over year. Long-term debt has climbed to $119.1 billion. Investors buying today are funding an infrastructure cycle whose returns won’t be obvious for years.
Meta Platforms (META) Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is the most contrarian pick of the three. Shares trade at $560.74, down 15% year to date and 19% over the past twelve months. That weakness has happened alongside Q1 2026 revenue growth of 33% and ad revenue of $55.02 billion growing 33%, with ad impressions up 19% and price per ad up 12%.
The bull case rests on three pillars. First, the engagement base: 3.56 billion Family of Apps daily active people, with Morningstar pegging the network at close to 4 billion monthly active users. Second, profitability: operating income of $22.87 billion grew 30%, and the company expects full-year 2026 operating income to exceed 2025 levels. Third, valuation: Morningstar rates Meta 31% undervalued against an $850 fair value estimate as of June 8, 2026, and analyst consensus sits at 89% bullish with an $827.32 target price. CEO Mark Zuckerberg framed the strategy bluntly: “We’re on track to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people.”
The risk is the spend behind that ambition. 2026 capex guidance was raised to $125-145 billion, Reality Labs lost $4.03 billion in Q1 alone, and EU/US regulatory and youth-litigation overhangs have not gone away. Sentiment trackers register the chill: Meta’s composite prediction score sits at 43.84, neutral with a 7-day change of -15.42.
What to Watch From Here The thread connecting these three is platform durability. NVIDIA owns the silicon, Amazon owns the cloud rails plus a fast-growing chip line, and Meta owns the largest attention surface on the planet. Each is plowing record capital into AI. The earnings prints over the next two quarters, capex absorption, AWS growth rate sustainability, and Meta’s ad pricing trajectory, will tell investors whether the spend is producing the durable economic moats the bull case requires.
Visa Cloud Connect umožní Threddu přístup k VisaNetu přes cloud a zrychlí vydávání karet v Asii a Tichomoří. Platforma běží přes singapurský cloudový hub Threddu a zlepšuje onboarding i spolehlivost.
Key Takeaways Visa Cloud Connect enables Thredd to access VisaNet for faster card issuing across the Asia Pacific.VCC runs through Thredd's Singapore cloud hub, improving onboarding, releases and reliability.V could expand network accessibility and support faster program deployment through wider VCC adoption. Visa Inc. (V - Free Report) is expanding its role in Asia Pacific's evolving payments landscape through Thredd's implementation of Visa Cloud Connect (VCC) across the region. The initiative enables Thredd to access VisaNet through cloud-based infrastructure, supporting faster issuing deployments for fintechs, digital banks and embedded-finance providers. The initiative reflects growing demand for modern payment infrastructure that can support rapid innovation and scale.
The implementation is centralized through Thredd's Singapore cloud hub, allowing clients to benefit from faster program onboarding, streamlined release cycles and enhanced operational reliability. By replacing traditional infrastructure with a cloud-native model, Thredd gains greater visibility and control over performance while reducing dependence on intermediary systems. This can help payment providers respond more quickly to changing market needs.
The development also underscores the broader shift toward cloud-based financial services in the Asia Pacific. As digital payments, AI-driven commerce and multi-rail payment solutions continue to gain traction, financial institutions increasingly require infrastructure that can adapt to new technologies and transaction flows. V's network remains a critical component of this ecosystem, supporting connectivity between issuers, merchants and consumers.
This initiative reinforces V's position as a key enabler of digital payments innovation. Continued adoption of VCC could enhance network accessibility, support faster program deployment and strengthen Visa's presence in one of the world's fastest-growing payments markets.
How Are Competitors Faring?Some of V’s competitors in the fintech space include Mastercard Incorporated (MA - Free Report) and PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL - Free Report) .
Mastercard is advancing its cloud-based payments infrastructure through investments in real-time payments, open banking and digital identity solutions. MA continues to expand its Multi-Rail strategy, enabling transactions across cards, account-to-account payments and emerging payment networks while supporting fintech innovation and cross-border commerce.
PayPal is focused on modernizing its payment ecosystem through cloud-based technology, AI-driven commerce tools and faster checkout solutions. PYPL continues to expand Venmo, strengthen merchant capabilities and integrate AI-powered features, positioning itself to benefit from rising digital-payment activity across online, mobile and omnichannel commerce.
Visa’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesOver the past year, shares of Visa have lost 4% compared with the industry’s 22.6% fall.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, V trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15, well above the industry average of 16.87. V carries a Value Score of D.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Visa’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies a 14.1% jump from the year-ago period.
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Visa stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Amazon se v roce 2025 stal největším maloobchodníkem v USA podle hrubé hodnoty zboží a podle J.P. Morgan předstihl Walmart. Firma nyní drží odhadovaný 47% podíl na americkém e-commerce trhu.
Amazon became the largest retailer in the United States in terms of gross merchandise value sometime in 2025, overtaking Walmart, Seeking Alpha reported Thursday (June 25), citing a report by J.P. Morgan.
J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth and his team attributed Amazon’s gains to its selection, pricing and fast delivery, according to the report.
They added that the growth of Amazon’s retail business outpaced that of the broader eCommerce market in the first quarter and that the company is now estimated to hold 47% of the U.S. eCommerce market, per the report.
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Basket Breakaway: How Amazon Is Turning Walmart’s Store Traffic Into a Retail Weakness” found that while Walmart draws tens of millions of people into its store every week for groceries, Amazon has pulled ahead in the sale of other retail items and is widening its lead.
PYMNTS Intelligence found that Amazon surpassed Walmart in terms of share of consumer retail spending in the first quarter of 2024.
As of the first quarter of 2026, Amazon holds a 9.3% share of consumer retail spending, up from 8.6% a year earlier, while Walmart holds 7.8% share, equal to the share it held in the first quarter of 2025.
Amazon holds a significant lead in four of seven retail categories, including sporting and hobby goods, musicand books; electronics and appliances; furniture and home furnishing; and clothing and apparel, according to the report.
“These are precisely the goods that travel well in a box, delivered the same day or the next in most cases,” the report said. “Amazon wins them all without owning a single aisle of shelf space.”
Amazon also holds a 0.1 percentage point lead in a fifth category, health and personal care, while Walmart has a greater share of the food and beverages category and the auto parts category, per the report.
Both Amazon and Walmart are currently holding sales events, with Amazon’s Prime Day running June 23-26 and Walmart Deals running June 22-28. An Amazon executive said groceries and household essentials will be a “real focus” of Prime Day, while Walmart is offering deals both online and in stores.
Johnson & Johnson zvýšil čtvrtletní dividendu o 3,1 % na 1,34 USD na akcii, již 64. rok v řadě. V roce 2025 pokrýval dividendu provozním peněžním tokem 1,98x.
I keep hitting the buy button on Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ | JNJ Price Prediction) because I have stopped trying to find a more reliable income engine for the back half of my life. Every time I look at the rest of my portfolio and feel the urge to do something clever, I add more JNJ instead. It is the position I never have to babysit.
The thesis is simple. I want a check that shows up, grows a little every year, and is backed by a business diversified enough that no single product failure can break the payout. JNJ has been doing exactly that for longer than I have been alive.
The board just authorized a 3.1% increase to the quarterly dividend, taking it from $1.30 to $1.34 per share, the company’s 64th consecutive year of dividend growth. That is an institution.
The receipts behind the conviction The first thing I check, every time, is whether the cash is actually there. In 2025, operating cash flow came in at $24.53 billion against a dividend payout of $12.38 billion, leaving the dividend covered 1.98x by cash from operations. Free cash flow after capital expenditures landed at $19.70 billion, and management is guiding to roughly $21 billion in free cash flow for 2026.
Behind that sits about $22 billion in cash and marketable securities and one of only two AAA prime credit ratings among U.S. companies. The check is getting cut from a fortress.
The second piece is that the underlying business is accelerating, not coasting. Q1 2026 revenue was $24.06 billion, up 9.9% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $2.70 marking the fourth consecutive earnings beat. Management raised full-year guidance to a revenue midpoint of $100.8 billion and an adjusted EPS midpoint of $11.55.
DARZALEX did $3.96 billion in the quarter, up 22.5%. TREMFYA grew 68.3%. CARVYKTI grew 62.1%. The company now has 28 platforms generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
The third piece is what I pay for that durability. The forward P/E sits at about 20, the beta is 0.256, and the stock has still returned 58.27% over the past year and 162.92% over the past decade. I am not paying a growth multiple for a low-volatility compounder.
The risk I do not pretend away STELARA is rolling off a cliff. Sales fell 59.7% to $656 million in Q1 2026, dragging Innovative Medicine by roughly 920 basis points. Layer on $330 million of litigation charges tied to ongoing talc exposure and you have real headwinds. I do not wave that away.
What I notice is that JNJ absorbed all of it and still grew revenue almost 10%, because 96% of Innovative Medicine ex-STELARA grew at 16.6%. The new launches, ICOTYDE among them, are arriving on schedule. The portfolio was built for exactly this kind of patent transition.
Why the buy button stays active CFO Joseph Wolk said it plainly on the Q1 call: “we recognize our shareholders value a growing dividend.” That sentence, backed by 64 years of follow-through, is why I keep buying. I am buying decades of dividend checks from the most diversified healthcare balance sheet in the world, and I plan to keep doing it until the math stops working, which on this evidence is not happening anytime soon.
GM představil novou řadu GMC Sierra 1500 pro rok 2027 s novými motory V-8 a přepracovaným interiérem i exteriérem. Nabídka se zúží na Pro, Elevation, AT4, AT4X, Denali a Denali Ultimate. Kromě motorů V-8 budou v nabídce také dva šestiválce, včetně dieselové varianty exkluzivní pro GM.
DETROIT – General Motors revealed its 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck lineup on Thursday with new V-8 engine options and redesigned interior and exterior styling.
The new GMC trucks are crucial to the automaker's sales and earnings, especially the highly profitable Denali luxury models and off-road AT4 models that represent roughly half of the vehicle's current sales, according to GM. Such models feature unique parts, accessories and amenities to boost pricing and profits for the company.
GM said Thursday it's narrowing its model lineup for the next-generation Sierra to the Pro, Elevation, AT4, AT4X, Denali and Denali Ultimate. It's removing the mid-level SLE and SLT trims, which currently start at about $51,500 and $57,900, respectively.
GM said pricing details as well as performance specifications will be released closer to when the vehicles go on sale late this year. Starting prices for the current Sierra 1500 lineup ranges from roughly $41,000 for an entry-level Pro to more than $86,000 for a Denali Ultimate.
"With the next-generation Sierra 1500, we're bringing together a new generation of Small Block V8 power, precise off-road capability, and our most immersive cabin experience to date," said Michael MacPhee, vice president of GM's GMC and Buick brands, in a release. "The next-generation Sierra is the truck all others will be measured against."
The new trucks come a week after the Detroit automaker unveiled updates to its Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup trucks, which are mechanical siblings to the GMC models.
Most noticeably the GMC pickups are styled far differently than their Chevy brethren, including taking styling cues from the brand's all-electric Sierra pickup truck and featuring a new interior.
The interior cabin comes with more storage, a sliding center console and a folding table or work surface — all made possible by moving the gear shifter from the center console to behind the steering wheel. It also features new technologies and more than 60 inches of available screens, including an 11.5-inch passenger-side screen that includes media and entertainment functions.
Other significant changes are found under the hood. Like the Silverado models, the GMC pickups will include a new generation of the automaker's small block V-8 gas engines, available in 5.7-liter and 6.6-liter options.
In addition to the V-8 engines, the GMC trucks will offer two six-cylinder engines, including a GM-exclusive diesel variant.
GM's U.S. sales through the first half of this year are forecast to decline by roughly 7%, according to Cox Automotive. The overall market is expected to see sales fall roughly 3%, Cox said Wednesday.
GM reported first-quarter sales were down 9.7% compared with a year earlier, with its GMC brand about level. Sales of the Sierra 1500 were down about 2% to nearly 51,900 units, while larger, heavy-duty models were off about 8% to roughly 24,500 units. Sales of the electric Sierra were up 3%, but remained under 1,300 units.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct that in addition to the V-8 engines, the GMC Sierra 1500 trucks will offer two six-cylinder engines, including a GM-exclusive diesel variant. A previous version mischaracterized the options.
Qualcomm rozšiřuje partnerství s Hugging Face, aby urychlil nasazování AI modelů na platformách Snapdragon, Dragonwing a Dragonfly. Cílí tím na zařízení, cloud i datová centra.
Key Takeaways Qualcomm is expanding its AI reach through a broader partnership with Hugging Face.QCOM will use Snapdragon, Dragonwing and Dragonfly to support AI workloads across devices.Automated tools aim to make Hugging Face model deployment faster on Qualcomm platforms. Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM - Free Report) is expanding its presence in the artificial intelligence (AI) domain through a broader partnership with Hugging Face, aimed at accelerating open, developer-driven AI from devices to cloud systems. The deal reflects Qualcomm’s aim to become a major AI technology provider across the computing ecosystem.
Per the agreement, Qualcomm will leverage its high-performance, energy-efficient platforms, including Snapdragon, Dragonwing and Dragonfly, to support AI workloads across smartphones, PCs, wearables, automotive systems and data centers. Access to Hugging Face’s vast library of open AI models is expected to boost the adoption of its Dragonfly data center solutions.
The collaboration will also improve the developer experience by making AI model deployment faster and simpler. Automated tools will help developers onboard and optimize models from Hugging Face on Qualcomm-powered platforms with less manual effort, reducing development time for AI applications. The company is advancing into agentic AI, where intelligent systems can dynamically distribute tasks between on-device and cloud environments based on performance, cost and privacy requirements.
How Are Competitors Advancing?Qualcomm faces competition from Apple Inc. (AAPL - Free Report) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD - Free Report) . Apple is enhancing its AI strategy by bringing more advanced AI features across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. The company is upgrading Siri AI to deliver more natural conversations and deeper app integration. Apple continues to focus on privacy-first AI through greater on-device processing.
AMD is growing its AI business by scaling its AI chip lineup to meet the rising demand for data center AI workloads. The company is working with cloud providers and AI developers to support large-scale AI training and inference. AMD continues to improve its AI software to make its platforms easier for customers to use.
QCOM’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesQualcomm shares have gained 36.3% over the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 90.2%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company's shares currently trade at 18.23 forward earnings, lower than 34.86 for the industry.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Earnings estimates for fiscal 2026 have declined 2% to $10.78 over the past 60 days, and those for fiscal 2027 have decreased 2.6% to $10.79.
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Qualcomm currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
American Express spustil s Mercantile a ABA novou business kartu pro samostatné právníky a malé advokátní kanceláře. Cílí na malé advokátní kanceláře a rozšiřuje svůj komerční platební byznys.
Key Takeaways American Express partnered with Mercantile and the ABA to launch a business card for lawyers.The card offers flexible payment options, business rewards and access to AmEx benefits.AXP's Agile Partner Platform helps expand industry-specific card programs on its network. American Express Company (AXP - Free Report) is expanding its commercial payments business through another targeted partnership. Together with Mercantile and the American Bar Association (“ABA”), AmEx has introduced the ABA American Express Business Card for solo practitioners and small law firms. Issued by Celtic Bank and operating on the American Express network, the card combines flexible payment options with business-focused rewards and access to AmEx's suite of business benefits.
The offering is built around the everyday needs of legal professionals. Cardholders can earn up to 5% cash back on eligible ABA purchases (capped at $2,000 annually) and 2% cash back on everyday spending, helping them better manage expenses while building business credit. Beyond the product itself, the partnership expands AmEx's presence in a specialized professional segment and further strengthens its commercial card business.
The collaboration also showcases AmEx's Agile Partner Platform (“APP”), which enables issuers and fintech partners to launch industry-specific card programs on the AmEx network. That approach allows AmEx to broaden its commercial payments franchise with tailored solutions while extending the reach of its payment network.
The partnership is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Even so, it aligns well with AmEx's long-term strategy of growing its premium commercial card business. In the first quarter of 2026, net card fees increased 18% year over year, primarily driven by growth in premium card portfolios. By capturing specialized customer segments like the legal profession, AmEx continues to deepen customer relationships and strengthen its commercial payments franchise, an important driver of long-term growth.
How Are Competitors Faring?American Express faces intense competition in the commercial payments space from Mastercard Incorporated (MA - Free Report) and Visa Inc. (V - Free Report) , both of which are expanding their presence among small and midsized businesses through strategic partnerships and tailored payment solutions.
Mastercard is pursuing a similar strategy by working with partners to broaden its small-business card portfolio. Mastercard’s collaboration with Amazon and U.S. Bank introduced business credit cards that combine rewards, flexible financing options and expense management features for SMB customers.
Visa is also stepping up its focus on the SMB segment. Through initiatives such as Visa & Main and collaborations with fintech companies, Visa is broadening access to digital payment solutions, commercial card products and business financing tools for smaller enterprises.
AXP’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of AXP have risen 10% over the past year against the industry’s decline of 22.4%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, AXP trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18X, up from the industry average of 9.92X. AXP carries a Value Score of C.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AXP’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $17.64 per share, implying a 14.69% jump from the year-ago period’s level.
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AXP currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Merck získal v EU schválení pro kombinaci Keytrudy a Padcevu u vybraných pacientů s rakovinou močového měchýře, kteří nejsou vhodní pro cisplatinu. Jde o první a jedinou kombinaci inhibitoru PD-1 s ADC pro tuto indikaci v EU.
Key Takeaways Merck secured EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev in cisplatin-ineligible MIBC patients.The regimen is the first PD-1 inhibitor plus ADC combination to be approved in the EU for this use.Keytruda plus Padcev regimen is approved before & after surgery for patients ineligible for cisplatin therapy. Merck (MRK - Free Report) announced that the European Commission has approved its blockbuster PD-L1 inhibitor, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), and its subcutaneous formulation, Keytruda Qlex, each in combination with Pfizer’s (PFE - Free Report) antibody-drug conjugate ("ADC"), Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv), for treating certain patients with bladder cancer.
The regulatory body in Europe has now approved Keytruda in combination with Padcev as neoadjuvant treatment and then continued after radical cystectomy as adjuvant treatment in adult patients with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Following the latest nod, the Keytruda+Padcev regimen became the first and only PD-1 inhibitor plus ADC combination to be available in the European Union for the given indication. The FDA approved the Keytruda+Padcev regimen for a similar indication in November 2025.
Last month, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (“CHMP”) recommended approval of the combination of Keytruda plus Padcev for the given indication.
MRK’s Price PerformanceYear to date, shares of Merck have rallied 16.3% compared with the industry’s rise of 6.4%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The EU approval for Keytruda+Padcev regimen was based on data from the phase III KEYNOTE-905 study, conducted in collaboration with Pfizer and Astellas.
Data from the same showed that Keytruda plus Padcev, as perioperative treatment, led to statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements across several endpoints, including event-free survival, overall survival and pathologic complete response versus surgery alone in the given patient population.
The latest approval of the Keytruda-Padcev regimen in Europe marks a significant advancement in the treatment of resectable MIBC, providing a new perioperative treatment option that has the potential to improve outcomes and extend survival in this underserved patient population.
The approval should further expand Keytruda’s presence in bladder cancer treatment.
MRK’s Keytruda & Padcev in Cisplatin-Eligible MIBCKeytruda in combination with Padcev is currently under review in the United States for the treatment of MIBC in patients who are eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
A decision from the FDA is expected on Aug. 17, 2026.
If approved, these regimens would be the first and only perioperative treatments for patients with MIBC, regardless of cisplatin eligibility, potentially establishing new standards of care.
Merck’s biggest revenue driver, Keytruda, is approved for different types of cancer indications. The drug generated $8.03 billion in sales in the first quarter of 2026, up 8% year over year.
The December 2023 acquisition of Seagen added Padcev to Pfizer’s oncology portfolio. The drug generated sales worth $591 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 39% on a year-over-year basis.
MRK’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderMerck currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Immunocore (IMCR - Free Report) and Liquidia Corporation (LQDA - Free Report) , each currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Over the past 60 days, estimates for Immunocore’s 2026 bottom line have improved from a loss of 88 cents per share to earnings of 6 cents. Over the same period, EPS estimates for 2027 have risen from 24 cents to 87 cents. IMCR stock has lost 13.6% year to date.
Immunocore’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing the same on the remaining occasion, with the average surprise being 46.66%.
Over the past 60 days, estimates for Liquidia’s 2026 earnings per share have risen from $1.50 to $2.97, while estimates for 2027 have increased from $2.91 to $4.81 during the same time. LQDA shares have surged 119% year to date.
Liquidia’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters, while missing the same on the remaining occasion, with the average surprise being 54.40%.
U.S. Bancorp prošla stresovým testem Fedu a plánuje zvýšit čtvrtletní dividendu o 3,8 % na 54 centů na akcii. Její SCB zůstane na 2,6 % do 1. října 2027.
Key Takeaways USB passed the Fed's 2026 stress test, while its SCB will remain unchanged at 2.6% until Oct. 1, 2027.U.S. Bancorp intends to raise its quarterly dividend by 3.8% to 54 cents per share.USB's CET1 ratio of 10.8% exceeded the 7.1% minimum, supporting capital returns and growth. Following the release of the Federal Reserve's 2026 stress test, U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) outlined its planned capital actions and reaffirmed its strong capital position. According to the Fed’s stress test results released yesterday, USB is among the 32 U.S. banks that successfully passed the test.
Based on the 2026 stress test results, USB's stress capital buffer (SCB) would have been subject to the regulatory floor of 2.5%. However, as announced by the Fed in February 2026, stress test-related capital buffer requirements will remain unchanged through 2027 while the agency reviews public feedback on its supervisory models. As such, the company's SCB will remain unchanged at 2.6% until Oct. 1, 2027.
Including the Basel III minimum common equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital requirement of 4.5%, USB is also required to maintain a CET1 ratio of at least 7.1%. As of March 31, 2026, the company's CET1 ratio was 10.8%, significantly above the required minimum level. This underlines the capital strength of USB and enables the bank to undertake organic growth initiatives and continue capital payouts.
As part of its planned capital actions, U.S. Bancorp intends to raise its quarterly common stock dividend by 3.8% to 54 cents per share from 52 cents, subject to board approval. The higher dividend is expected to become effective in the third quarter of 2026.
Based on yesterday's closing price of $60.10, its current dividend yield stands at 3.5% compared with the industry's 2.7%. Over the past five years, the company has increased its dividend five times.
Dividend Yield
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Apart from dividends, USB continues to return capital through share repurchases. In September 2024, the board authorized a share repurchase program of up to $5 billion of common stock. As of March 31, 2026, nearly $4.1 billion remained available under the authorization.
U.S. Bancorp also maintains a decent liquidity position. As of March 31, 2026, cash and due from banks were $48.4 billion, while short-term borrowings and long-term debt totaled $17.9 billion and $61.4 billion, respectively.
Driven by strong capital levels, earnings strength and solid liquidity, USB is expected to sustain its capital distribution activities and continue enhancing shareholder value. The planned dividend increase and significant remaining share repurchase capacity reflect management's confidence in the company's financial position and long-term growth prospects.
Other Firms Set to Raise Dividends After 2026 Stress TestSome other participants from the stress test that are enhancing capital distribution plans following the results are Wells Fargo (WFC - Free Report) and Goldman Sachs (GS - Free Report) .
Wells Fargo intends to raise its third-quarter 2026 common stock dividend by 11% to 50 cents per share from 45 cents, subject to board approval. Goldman Sachs plans to increase its quarterly common dividend by 11% to $5 per share from $4.50 beginning July 1, 2026, subject to approval at its scheduled third-quarter board meeting.
USB’s Price Performance and Zacks RankOver the past six months, shares of US Bancorp have rallied 9.3% compared with the industry’s growth of 12.5%.
Price Performance
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Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Shares of Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction) stock are down 6% in Thursday morning trading, changing hands near $106.50 after a prior close of $113.50. The move drops PLTR stock to its lowest level in over a year, deepening a string of fresh 52-week lows.
Zoom out and the picture is rougher, as Palantir stock is now down roughly 40% in 2026. June is shaping up to be Palantir’s worst month on record.
With PLTR stock now hovering just above $100, the question everyone is asking is whether the next leg drags Palantir shares through that round number. It’s a genuine open question rather than a confident forecast.
No Single Fresh Catalyst, Just a Continuing Derating There’s no fresh headline driving today’s specific drop in Palantir stock. Instead, PLTR is caught in a broader software and AI selloff that some traders have nicknamed the “SaaSpocalypse,” a repricing of richly valued software names amid fears that AI agents could erode traditional enterprise subscription models. Interest-rate pressure on the software group is adding to the squeeze.
The valuation sits at the center of the Palantir story. Recent coverage cited a trailing P/E ratio near 144x, and other readings put Palantir’s P/E ratio at 160x with a price-to-book ratio of 35x and a free-cash-flow yield under 1%. Numbers like that leave little room for disappointment when capital rotates out of expensive software, and Palantir has been at the front of that rotation.
Company-specific overhangs are not helping. Reports indicate that France’s domestic intelligence agency is transitioning off Palantir’s tools to domestic provider ChapsVision, and the UK National Health Service (NHS) contract is drawing renewed scrutiny. Both raise questions about Palantir’s international public-sector growth runway.
The technical picture has also turned. Michael Burry of “The Big Short” fame has a publicized short position on Palantir and has been taking a victory lap as momentum wanes, trading volume declines, and a key support level on PLTR stock has given way to fresh 52-week lows.
The Bull Case Hasn’t Disappeared Palantir’s underlying business still looks strong on paper. Q1 2026 revenue hit $1.63 billion, up 85% year over year, with U.S. revenue up 104% and U.S. commercial revenue up 133% to $595 million. Furthermore, Palantir’s GAAP operating income reached $754 million, a 46% margin, and the company closed 206 deals of $1 million or more with total contract value of $2.41 billion.
Palantir’s management responded by raising its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $7.65 billion to $7.66 billion, with U.S. commercial guided above $3.22 billion and adjusted free cash flow guided to $4.2 billion to $4.4 billion. Additionally, Palantir’s “Rule of 40” score sat at 145%, a combination of growth and profitability few software peers can match.
Sentiment readings on PLTR are also stretched. Recent coverage notes that Palantir stock’s RSI has slipped into the mid-30s, traditionally an oversold zone where bounces can develop, and ARK Invest has reportedly been buying the dip.
Yet, the bear case still carries weight. Extreme multiples, the sector-wide software derating, the European contract setbacks, and downside momentum that includes Palantir’s worst month on record all argue the slide could extend. StockTwits chatter suggests that many retail traders are watching the $100 line specifically, with some saying they would step in if PLTR dips below it.
What to Watch Next The next scheduled catalyst for Palantir is the Q2 2026 earnings report, with management guiding to revenue of $1.797 billion to $1.801 billion. Until then, PLTR stock is likely to move with the broader software group and any further headlines around its international contracts.
Investors can watch for whether PLTR stock holds the $100 line into the close, and whether oversold conditions attract dip-buyers or simply mark a pause before another leg lower. The $100 figure is a psychological level rather than a chart-based target, and it’s a level that traders are clearly watching.
Either way, the next few sessions can help clarify whether Palantir is in for a deeper de-rating or is just quietly building a base. With CEO Alex Karp’s positive commentary on AI momentum still on the record and U.S. growth running hot, the fundamentals and the chart on PLTR stock are telling very different stories right now. Patience and modest position sizing remain reasonable approaches for anyone weighing a Palantir share stake here.
NVIDIA vykázala tržby 81,615 miliardy USD, meziročně o 85 %, ale akcie po výsledcích klesly o 10,38 %. Micron naopak po silném čtvrtletí z oblasti AI vzrostl o 127,9 %.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) both posted blockbuster AI infrastructure quarters, but the market reacted in opposite directions. NVIDIA sells the compute. Micron sells the memory that keeps those GPUs fed.
Comparing them now makes sense because each just told investors something different about where AI hardware spending actually lands in 2026.
Blackwell Carries NVIDIA. HBM Carries Micron. NVIDIA’s Q1 FY27 report on May 20, 2026 showed revenue of $81.615 billion, up 85.23% year over year, with Data Center alone at $75.246 billion. Networking inside that segment grew 199%, a number that says NVLink and Spectrum-X are pulling weight, not just GPUs. Non-GAAP EPS landed at $1.87.
Jensen Huang framed the moment bluntly: “The buildout of AI factories, the largest infrastructure expansion in human history, is accelerating at extraordinary speed.”
Micron’s Q2 FY26 earnings report on March 18, 2026 told a wilder cyclical story. Revenue hit $23.86 billion, up 196.29%, with non-GAAP EPS of $12.20 against a $8.73 estimate. Cloud Memory revenue alone reached $7.75 billion at a 66% operating margin.
CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said memory has become “a strategic asset” for hyperscale customers, and the board approved a 30% dividend hike to back that view.
Platform Moat vs. Capacity Bet NVIDIA leans on CUDA, NVLink Fusion, and the announced Vera Rubin platform to lock customers into a full stack. Roughly half of Data Center revenue still comes from hyperscalers, and management is pushing into sovereign and industrial AI to diversify. The catch is China: zero H20 Data Center shipments this quarter, and forward guidance assumes that stays at zero.
Business Driver NVIDIA Micron Main growth engine Blackwell GPUs, NVLink networking HBM and DRAM for AI accelerators Guidance $91.0B Q2 revenue $33.50B Q3 revenue Gross margin 75.0% non-GAAP 74.4% GAAP, guiding to ~81% Micron’s bet is physical. Capex of $6.39 billion in a single quarter funds HBM capacity that order books reportedly stretch into 2027. Being the only U.S.-based memory manufacturer matters for sovereign AI buyers, and a forward P/E of 11 suggests the market still treats this as cyclical. NVIDIA’s P/E sits near 32, which is hardly cheap but reflects platform durability.
The Market Already Voted Differently Since reporting, NVIDIA shares are down 10.38% to $200.04. Micron is up 127.9% to $1,051.77, although it dropped 13.18% on June 23 ahead of its next earnings report.
Polymarket traders give Micron a 95.2% probability of beating quarterly earnings, while NVDA’s near-term crowd consensus clusters at $195 to $210. I will be watching whether Micron’s gross margin actually reaches the guided 81% and whether NVIDIA’s $119 billion in supply commitments converts cleanly.
NVIDIA for Durability, Micron for Torque For investors researching AI exposure that survives a memory price reset, NVIDIA’s profile stands out. The software moat and networking growth give the platform a second leg the bears keep underrating, even with China at zero.
For investors comfortable with cyclicality, Micron offers more torque, because HBM scarcity is real and the forward multiple still leaves room. The shared risk on both theses is a softening in hyperscaler capex guidance later this year, the one variable that pressures both stories at once.
Micron vzrostl o více než 15 % na rekord po oznámení 16 strategických smluv; 14 z nich má minimální budoucí příjmy asi 100 miliard USD. Firma zároveň zvýšila výhled tržeb na 50,0 miliardy USD.
Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) shares soared more than 15% to a record high of around $1,208 Thursday as analysts cheered a wave of long-term strategic agreements reshaping the investment case for the memory chipmaker.
Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and lifted its price target to $1,550 from $1,500, while Wedbush maintained its bullish stance, with both firms pointing to Micron's growing portfolio of strategic customer agreements (SCAs) as a defining development for the sector.
Micron reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $41.5 billion, up 74% year-over-year and well above the Street's $35.9 billion estimate. Data center revenue hit an annualized run rate of approximately $100 billion.
Gross margin came in at 84.9%, topping consensus of 81.7%, while non-GAAP earnings per share of $25.11 doubled quarter-over-quarter and surpassed expectations of $20.86.
Fourth-quarter guidance was equally striking, with Micron projecting revenue of $50.0 billion against the Street's $43.6 billion estimate. Gross margin is expected to reach roughly 86%, with non-GAAP EPS guided to $31.
The headline story was not just the results but what lies ahead. Micron now has 16 SCAs in place, with 14 of those carrying cumulative minimum revenue commitments of approximately $100 billion over the remaining agreement terms. The deals include price floors and ceilings, are backed by cash deposits and financial commitments, and carry no termination provisions.
Bank of America noted the agreements currently represent about 20% of DRAM output and one-third of NAND sales, but Micron expects SCAs to eventually cover at least half of total company revenue, generating roughly $100 billion in remaining performance obligations.
"The agreements are guaranteed by cash deposits and financial commitments and do not contain provisions allowing for the termination of terms," Wedbush noted, underlining the structural shift this represents for a sector historically defined by cyclical boom and bust.
With free cash flow margins expected to approach 50-60%, both firms flagged a significant inflection in shareholder returns. Micron announced plans to return 100% of excess free cash flow to shareholders beginning in December, once CHIPS Act restrictions on certain uses of cash expire.
Bank of America said buyback activity is likely to step up materially, noting that even $32 billion in repurchases for fiscal 2027 would represent only about 25% of potential free cash flow generation. The firm sees shares implying a roughly 10% free cash flow yield at current levels.
Wedbush, meanwhile, described the quarter as a "drop the mic" moment for Micron and the broader memory trade, saying the results demonstrated that demand for NAND and DRAM continues to significantly exceed industry supply.
"With greater nervousness around the AI trade... this shows the memory and chip trade is well-intact and still in the early stages of playing out," Wedbush said, adding that it sees no cracks in AI demand on the hardware or software front.
The firm also flagged positive read-throughs for semiconductor capital equipment makers, noting Micron raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast and signalled meaningfully higher spending in 2027.
Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) are down 6% in midday trading on Thursday, sitting near $274 after closing the prior session at $293. The slide is Apple stock’s sharpest single-day move in months and stands out against its 38% one-year gain.
The trigger came straight from the C-suite. Apple announced price increases on MacBooks and iPads, and CEO Tim Cook tied the move squarely to soaring memory and storage costs driven by AI data center buildouts. Notably, Apple left iPhone pricing untouched.
The pain is not evenly spread across the supply chain. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) stock is up 16% at the same time, riding the opposite side of the same memory crunch after a blowout earnings report.
Cook Calls It a “Hundred-Year Flood” The framing came straight from Apple’s chief executive. “This is a hundred-year flood. I’ve never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years,” Cook stated, calling the price increases “unavoidable” and noting that Apple had tried to shield customers but “the situation has become unsustainable.”
The dollar impact on Apple’s hardware lineup is notable. The MacBook Neo moves from $599 to $699, the MacBook Air from $1,099 to $1,299, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro from $1,699 to $1,999 (with the 16-inch from $2,699 to $2,999). On tablets, the iPad Air 11-inch jumps from $599 to $749 and the 13-inch iPad Pro from $1,299 to $1,499.
Cook also left the door open to additional hikes on “a number of products,” and indicated Apple is willing to deploy cash reserves to help boost memory supply, though it will not build its own memory facilities. He even suggested U.S. policymakers consider easing restrictions on working with Chinese memory suppliers.
That last point is unusual for Apple. It hints at how acute the company views the supply situation, and how few near-term levers it has to pull on component cost.
Memory Buyers Squeezed, Memory Sellers Cashing In The same shortage hammering Apple is rocket fuel for Micron and its shareholders. Micron just reported fiscal Q3 2026 revenue of $41.46 billion, with GAAP gross margin of 85% versus 37.7% a year earlier, and guided fiscal Q4 revenue to $50 billion plus or minus $1 billion.
Those are the quantitative anchors for Cook’s “flood” framing. Memory suppliers like Micron are extracting pricing power from the AI capex cycle, while memory buyers like Apple are passing some of that cost straight through to consumers. The split is unusually stark in semis today, and it reframes Apple stock and Micron stock as two sides of the same trade.
Demand Elasticity Meets Margin Protection The bears are focused on demand destruction. A $100 jump on the entry-level MacBook Neo is meaningful for price-sensitive buyers, and broader tech-sector margin pressure from persistent component inflation is a live concern. Retail sentiment on Apple has tilted bearish, with a Reddit gauge showing a sentiment score of 32 on r/WallStreetBets earlier this week.
The measured view is that loyal Apple customers will absorb most of the price increases, and that leaving iPhone pricing alone protects the company’s most important revenue line. The industry context also matters here. Microsoft, other PC makers, and console builders Nintendo and Sony have already raised their prices, so Apple joins them as the latest name to capitulate.
Apple’s recent results give it some cushion to absorb a bumpy news cycle. The company’s fiscal Q2 2026 revenue came in at $111.18 billion with EPS of $2.01, and Apple’s board authorized a fresh $100 billion buyback alongside a 4% dividend bump. Apple stock also trades at a P/E ratio of 38x, leaving little room for execution slips.
What to Watch Next The near-term tell for Apple stock is whether today’s 6% drop steadies into the close or accelerates as more sell-side notes hit. Cook’s “more hikes may come” warning leaves an open question on Apple’s pricing posture into the holiday quarter, and any guidance refresh could shift the narrative quickly.
Investors can watch for early read-throughs on demand for the higher-priced Mac and iPad lineups, plus commentary from peers exposed to the same memory squeeze. With Micron having just reset expectations on memory pricing, the next earnings cycle for hardware OEMs could surface more margin commentary in the same direction.
For now, the “hundred-year flood” line is doing real work. It explains why Apple stock is among the worst performers in mega-cap tech today and why Micron stock is among the best, and it sets the tone for how investors may want to size their exposure to memory-heavy hardware names from here.
Intel oznámil silný zisk na akcii, ale zároveň zaúčtoval restrukturalizační náklad 4,07 miliardy USD. TSMC dál roste: tržby za 1. čtvrtletí stouply o 21,4 % a čistý zisk o 43,8 %.
Intel (NASDAQ:INTC | INTC Price Prediction) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) just delivered very different earnings stories. Intel posted a 2,183.46% non-GAAP EPS beat under CEO Lip-Bu Tan while absorbing a $4.07 billion restructuring charge.
TSMC kept compounding, with Q1 revenue rising 21.4% YoY and net income jumping 43.8%. Both sit at the heart of the AI hardware buildout, on very different footing.
AI Servers Lift Intel. Leading-Edge Nodes Lift TSMC. Intel’s Data Center and AI segment grew 22% YoY to $5.05 billion, and Intel Foundry climbed 16% to $5.42 billion. Client Computing, the legacy PC business, barely moved at 1%. That mix tells you where the energy is.
Lip-Bu Tan framed it bluntly: “The next wave of AI will bring intelligence closer to the end user, moving from foundational models to inference to agentic.” Strategic wins back the talk: Xeon 6 was selected as the host CPU for NVIDIA’s DGX Rubin NVL8 systems, and Google signed on for custom ASIC IPUs.
TSMC is operating on a different plane. May revenue alone hit NT$416.98 billion, up 30.1% YoY, and management is guiding to over 30% full-year revenue growth. The 58.1% operating margin reflects pricing power on advanced nodes that no one else can match at scale.
Business Driver Intel TSMC Main Growth Engine Data Center and AI, Foundry ramp Leading-edge AI wafers Q1 Revenue Growth +7.2% YoY +21.4% YoY Gross Margin 41.0% non-GAAP Mid- to high-60s Rebuilder vs. Compounder Intel is rebuilding a foundry from inside an integrated company. The $5 billion NVIDIA equity stake, the Google ASIC deal, and the Terafab tie-up with SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla all point to one bet: that U.S. leading-edge capacity has strategic value buyers will pay for.
The hitch is execution. Intel Foundry is still losing money, and management has flagged a potential pause of Intel 14A if customers do not commit.
TSMC’s path is simpler. Stay the only credible volume supplier of leading-edge nodes, then collect rent. Its Arizona expansion is now eligible for a 35% investment tax credit effective January 1, 2026, which softens the geopolitical hedge cost.
On insider activity, TSMC saw three coordinated buy events between April and June with CEO C.C. Wei adding shares each time, while Intel’s CFO and foundry GM were net sellers in May and June.
The Next Test Is Foundry Conversion For Intel, Q2 guidance of $13.8 billion to $14.8 billion in revenue at a 39% gross margin suggests momentum without margin breakout yet. I will watch whether Intel 18A volume in Arizona converts external customers into multiyear wafer commitments.
For TSMC, the question is whether NT dollar appreciation and customer concentration (top 10 customers = 84% of receivables) start to bite reported growth.
TSMC the Compounder, Intel the Higher-Variance Bet Intel has run hard. The stock is up 258.48% year to date and 524.26% over one year, which already prices in a lot of belief. TSMC is up a more measured 44.32% YTD while actually producing the cash flows.
For me, TSMC fits a buy-the-business investor: 46.5% profit margin, 36.2% ROE, and durable demand. Intel suits a turnaround investor willing to underwrite Foundry losses for the chance that Tan’s reset reshapes the cost base. Intel’s risk/reward at current levels skews to execution risk on the Foundry ramp, while TSMC’s cash generation cushions volatility on pullbacks.
ServiceNow (NOW 3.73%) regularly racks up 20%-plus yearly revenue growth and attractive margins. It has won praise from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who called ServiceNow the "enterprise operating system" for artificial intelligence (AI). Huang also regularly speaks at ServiceNow's annual events, showing how much he believes in the company.
The Nvidia endorsement is huge, and it's backed by real fundamentals. Even with those tailwinds, the growth stock is down by roughly 35% year to date, but it likely won't remain that way for long.
Image source: Getty Images.
AI workflows have produced high retention rates and steady growth ServiceNow helps businesses set up AI operating systems for every part of their business. Companies can use these bots to enhance productivity, reduce expenses, and produce higher-quality customer experiences. While other companies also offer AI bot platforms, ServiceNow has become the premier option, with more than 85% of Fortune 500 companies using its platform.
The company has also expanded to approximately 8,800 customers on subscription plans. That stream of annual recurring revenue makes growth more scalable and easier to predict. It also helped ServiceNow beat all top-line growth and profitability metrics in the first quarter. ServiceNow also decided to raise its full-year subscription revenue outlook.
Revenue increased by 22% year over year in Q1 to reach $3.77 billion. The company also has $12.64 billion in current remaining performance obligations, a 22.5% year-over-year increase. That backlog offers clear revenue visibility for the next 12 months, with $27.7 billion in total remaining performance obligations that stretch for multiple years.
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The AI control tower for business reinvention ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott touted the company as the "AI control tower for business reinvention." ServiceNow integrates with any model, cloud, interface, data, or system that customers use for their businesses. That gives ServiceNow a compelling competitive advantage and explains why retention rates are high. ServiceNow enjoyed a 97% renewal rate in Q1, showing that most customers stick around.
The continued expansion of agentic AI serves as another catalyst that can increase the average contract value of its customers. As AI workflows expand, companies may have to upgrade their subscriptions to get more capabilities and handle more volume.
That's part of the reason the number of Now Assist customers spending more than $1 million in annual contract value grew by more than 130% year over year. ServiceNow is seeing more demand from high-paying customers, which acts as a good foundation for future revenue growth.
Key Takeaways Palo Alto Networks grew XSIAM ARR to more than $600M, up 100% year over year in Q3 fiscal 2026.PANW ended Q3 fiscal 2026 with more than 740 XSIAM customers amid strong adoption.XSIAM processes more than 17 petabytes daily, helping most customers respond to threats in under 10 minutes. Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) is seeing strong growth in XSIAM, its security operations platform. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, XSIAM annual recurring revenue (ARR) exceeded $600 million, up 100% from the year-ago quarter. PANW's XSIAM had more than 740 customers at the end of the third quarter. XSIAM is becoming an important part of Palo Alto Networks’ business as companies look for better ways to detect, investigate and respond to cyber threats.
The company believes artificial intelligence is changing the threat landscape. According to management, attackers can now use advanced AI models to find vulnerabilities and launch attacks much faster than before. Earlier in 2026, PANW's Unit 42 team demonstrated a ransomware attack that moved from initial access to data theft in only 25 minutes. At the same time, many organizations still take days to identify a security breach. This gap is increasing demand for automated security operations platforms such as XSIAM.
XSIAM processes more than 17 petabytes of telemetry data every day and helps customers manage large volumes of security data and automate threat response. As a result, most XSIAM customers are now able to respond to threats in less than 10 minutes. This gives XSIAM a significant edge over traditional security operations tools that often require more manual work and longer investigation times.
PANW is also benefiting from its broader platform strategy. XSIAM works with the company's network security, AI security, identity security and observability products. This allows customers to manage more of their security operations through a single platform. With XSIAM ARR growing 100%, strong customer adoption and rising demand for automated security operations, XSIAM is becoming one of Palo Alto Networks' fastest-growing businesses and an important contributor to future growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 and 2027 revenues indicates a year-over-year increase of around 23.7% and 20.2%, respectively.
How Competitors Fare Against PANWCompetitors like CrowdStrike (CRWD - Free Report) and SentinelOne (S - Free Report) are also gaining ground through platform expansion and AI innovation.
CrowdStrike ended its first quarter of fiscal 2027 with $5.51 billion in ARR, reflecting 24% year-over-year growth. The robust increase was fueled by the growing adoption of CrowdStrike’s Falcon Flex subscription model.
Though comparatively a small competitor, SentinelOne posted first-quarter fiscal 2027 year-over-year growth of 23% in its ARR. The growth was fueled by the rising adoption of SentinelOne’s AI-first Singularity platform and Purple AI.
PANW’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of Palo Alto Networks have jumped 53.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the Zacks Security industry’s return of 44.3%.
PANW’s YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Palo Alto Networks trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 17.25X compared with the industry’s average of 15.77X. The Zacks Value Score of F also suggests that PANW stock is overvalued.
PANW Forward 12-Month P/S Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Palo Alto Networks’ fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 12.9% and 8.1%, respectively. The estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been revised up by 6 cents and 8 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Palo Alto Networks currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Bumble Inc. (BMBL) app is shown on an Apple iPhone in this photo illustration as the dating app operator made its debut IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange February 11, 2021. ... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
SummaryCompaniesGrowth has slowed in online dating, and revenue fell last yearShares have fallen sharply as competition intensifiesNEW YORK, June 25 (Reuters) - Dating app Bumble (BMBL.O), opens new tab is exploring a sale amid slowing growth in the online dating sector, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The company, which gained recognition as one of the first major platforms to require women to initiate contact, is working with investment bankers at Morgan Stanley (MS.N), opens new tab on a potential sale process, the sources said, requesting anonymity because the discussions are private.
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Sources cautioned that no deal is certain and the company may decide to stay independent.
Bumble did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morgan Stanley and asset manager Blackstone, which owns about 22% of Bumble according to LSEG data, declined to comment.
Shares of Bumble, based in Austin, Texas, have fallen 48% over the past 12 months, leaving it with a market value of $388 million. Whitney Wolfe Herd, a co-founder of Tinder, founded Bumble in 2014 and built its brand around a “women-first” approach to online dating. Wolfe Herd, the youngest woman to take a company public in the United States when Bumble debuted in 2021, returned as chief executive in March 2025 after previously stepping down as CEO in 2023.
Blackstone acquired a majority stake in MagicLab, Bumble's parent company, in 2019 in a deal valuing the business at about $3 billion. MagicLab was later renamed Bumble Inc. and went public in February 2021 at a valuation exceeding $7 billion. Blackstone affiliates sold $28.2 million of Bumble shares this month.
PAYING USERS DECLINEThe company has struggled with slowing growth and declining users. Total paying users fell more than 11% in the full year 2025 to about 3.7 million, while annual revenue declined nearly 10% to about $966 million. In the first quarter of 2026, paying users dropped by about 20% year-on-year as the company trimmed lower-engagement accounts.
Larger rival Match Group (MTCH.O), opens new tab has also faced slowing growth, but has increased its market value by about 12% over the past year.
Bumble has sought to offset the drop in users by raising prices and improving monetization, with average revenue per paying user rising modestly. Still, analysts say the company faces mounting competition, shifting user preferences and broader fatigue with dating apps, particularly among younger users.
The company’s “Built for Women, Better for Everyone” motto, which defined its women-first brand, was once a key competitive advantage but analysts increasingly view it as less distinctive, with user behavior shifting in the online dating sector.
Bumble has expanded beyond dating with offerings such as Bumble For Friends, a social networking feature, and Bumble Bizz, which focuses on professional connections, but those products remain small parts of its business.
Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York; editing by Colin Barr and Rod Nickel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Milana Vinn reports on technology, media, and telecom (TMT) mergers and acquisitions. Her content usually appears in the markets and deals sections of the website. Milana previously worked at GLG and PE Hub, where she spent several years covering TMT deals in private equity. She graduated from CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with Masters in Business Journalism.
Strategy (MSTR) spadl na nové 52týdenní minimum kolem 87 USD, protože prudký pokles bitcoinu tlačí akcie i preferenční emisi STRC. CryptoQuant varuje, že firma musí zastavit agresivní nákupy BTC a posílit hotovostní rezervu.
A brutal multiweek cryptocurrency drawdown has sent Strategy Inc MSTR into a freefall – with the company’s share price having crashed below the critical $100 threshold for the first time since 2024.
At the time of writing, MSTR stock is trading at a fresh 52-week low of about $87, while the firm’s flagship STRC preferred equity has also tanked to $74, representing a massive discount to its $100 par value.
In response to this compounding financial pressure, a blistering new CryptoQuant research report outlines what the corporate digital asset pioneer needs to stabilize its volatile financial foundations.
CryptoQuant’s head of research, Julio Moreno, explicitly warned that Strategy must immediately halt its aggressive accumulation of Bitcoin to preserve capital.
“Strategy should develop a systematic, fundamental-driven approach to bitcoin purchase timing rather than buying whenever capital is available,” he argued in the latest report.
Moreno noted that indiscriminately buying near cycle tops and stacking tokens throughout initial stages of this bear market has expanded the firm’s aggregate unrealized losses to a massive $10.6 billion.
Strategy shares continue to bleed because all BTC the company has acquired since 2024 are now underwater – and relentless buying only accelerates financial strain and severely damages under-lying corporate metrics, he added.
MSTR stock will remain under pressure until the firm successfully patches its rapidly deteriorating cash cushion to protect fixed-income investors.
According to Moreno, Strategy’s vital USD cash reserve has contracted by 38% since the start of the year, leaving just $1.4 billion on the balance sheet.
Concurrently, annualized dividend obligations on its high-yield preferred equity have quadrupled as massive amounts of STRC were issued to buy crypto.
This supply shock aggressively slashed the company’s dividend coverage runway from over seven years down to a mere 14 months.
To fully restore market confidence and revive STRC, Moreno notes the firm needs $2.8 billion in cash to establish 24 months of total coverage.
Despite growing skepticism from critics, some Wall Street analysts view the recent distress as a temporary funding friction rather than a structural failure.
Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer noted that while a discounted STRC slows down the company’s highly efficient “at-the-market” equity issuance engine, the overarching corporate model remains intact.
Bullish market participants emphasize that Strategy’s massive $50 billion Bitcoin treasury offers a substantial long-term buffer against acute liquidity stress.
OranjeBTC’s Sam Callahan also highlighted that buying heavily discounted tokens during market drawdowns remains an attractive strategy for long-horizon investors.
In short, Strategy stock must strike a delicate balance between aggressive digital asset accumulation and rebuilding its USD reserves to navigate this volatile environment.
State Street plánuje ve 3. čtvrtletí 2026 zvýšit čtvrtletní dividendu o 10 % na 92 centů z 84 centů, pokud to schválí představenstvo. Oznámení přišlo po úspěšném stress testu.
Key Takeaways STT announces a 10% dividend hike plan in third-quarter 2026.STT's new dividend, if approved by the board, will be 92 cents, up from the current 84 cents.The company has $2.1B share repurchase authorization remaining available as of March 31, 2026. State Street Corp. (STT - Free Report) intends to increase its quarterly dividend by 10% from 84 cents per share to 92 cents in third-quarter 2026, subject to approval by its board of directors. The announcement came yesterday, following the bank’s successful completion of this year’s stress test.
Per the test results, State Street’s Stress Capital Buffer will remain at the 2.5% floor through Sept. 30, 2027, and thus, its common equity tier 1 ratio requirement is unchanged at 8%. This reinforces the financial strength and resiliency of the company under adverse circumstances.
After clearing last year’s stress test, State Street had increased its quarterly dividend 11%, before which, the company had hiked annual dividends four consecutive times by 10%. STT currently has a five-year annualized dividend growth of 9.43% and its payout ratio is 30% of earnings. This indicates that it retains sufficient earnings for reinvestment and future growth initiatives while delivering lucrative returns to its shareholders.
Apart from regular dividend payouts, State Street enhances shareholder value through share repurchases. In January 2024, the company was authorized to repurchase shares worth up to $5 billion (with no expiration date). As of March 31, 2026, $2.1 billion worth of authorization remained available.
The company maintains a decent liquidity position. As of March 31, 2026, STT’s long-term debt was $25.2 billion, and other short-term borrowings were $4 billion, while cash and due from banks plus interest-bearing deposits with banks totaled $130.1 billion. Given its robust capital and liquidity position, the company is expected to sustain efficient capital distribution activities, through which it will keep boosting investor confidence in the stock.
STT’s Price Performance & Zacks RankOver the past six months, shares of State Street have gained 27.7%, outperforming the industry’s 13.3% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, STT carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Capital Distribution Plans of Other BanksJPMorgan (JPM - Free Report) intends to increase its quarterly dividend 10% to $1.65 per share in the third quarter of this year. Also, JPM’s board of directors authorized a common share repurchase program worth $50 billion, effective July 1, 2026.
Likewise, Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) plans to increase its quarterly common stock dividend to $1.15 per share from the current $1. Also, Morgan Stanley’s board of directors reauthorized a multi-year share repurchase program of up to $20 billion, without an expiration date, beginning in the third quarter of 2026.
CrowdStrike hlásí prudký růst AIDR: opakované roční tržby vzrostly v 1. čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2027 mezičtvrtletně o více než 250 %. Objem pipeline pro 2. čtvrtletí už přesahuje 50 milionů USD.
Key Takeaways CrowdStrike's AIDR ARR grew more than 250% sequentially in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.AIDR has already secured a pipeline of more than $50 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2027.AIDR landed a seven-figure deal in Q1 FY27, covering 30,000-plus hosts at an automotive finance customer. CrowdStrike (CRWD - Free Report) is seeing strong demand for its AI Detection and Response (AIDR) solution. CRWD's AIDR solution is designed to help companies monitor and secure AI applications, AI agents and AI workloads as AI adoption increases across enterprises. Management highlighted AIDR as one of the company's fastest-growing products during the first quarter of fiscal 2027.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, AIDR's ending annual recurring revenues (ARR) grew more than 250% sequentially. Further, AIDR has a pipeline of more than $50 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2027. Management stated that customer adoption of AIDR has been faster than expected as more organizations look for ways to secure AI activity across their businesses.
CrowdStrike believes AIDR addresses a larger opportunity than traditional endpoint security. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) mainly protects laptops, desktops and servers. In contrast, AIDR is designed to protect AI-related assets such as AI models, data, prompts, agents and identities. With rising usage of AI by enterprises, each of these areas could require additional security controls, driving further demand for CRWD's security tools such as AIDR.
CrowdStrike is already seeing customer adoption for AIDR. During the first quarter, an automotive financial services company deployed AIDR across more than 30,000 hosts in a seven-figure deal. The customer used the solution to monitor employee use of AI tools and improve security controls around AI activity. CrowdStrike’s existing Falcon platform gives it an advantage because customers can add AIDR using the same platform they already use for endpoint security.
The above-mentioned factors show that with rising enterprise AI adoption, AIDR could become an important contributor to CrowdStrike's future revenue growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2027 and 2028 revenues indicates a year-over-year increase of around 23.5% and 21.6%, respectively.
How Competitors Fare Against CRWDCompetitors like Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) and SentinelOne (S - Free Report) are also gaining ground through platform expansion and AI innovation.
In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Palo Alto Networks saw robust growth in its Next-Gen Security ARR, which increased 60% year over year. The growth was driven by increased customer adoption of PANW’s advanced cybersecurity offerings, including its AI-driven XSIAM platform, SASE and software firewalls.
Though comparatively a small competitor, SentinelOne posted first-quarter fiscal 2027 year-over-year growth of 23% in its ARR. The growth was fueled by the rising adoption of SentinelOne’s AI-first Singularity platform and Purple AI.
CRWD’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of CrowdStrike have jumped 42.8% in the year-to-date period compared with the Zacks Security industry’s return of 44.3%.
CRWD YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, CrowdStrike trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 26.57, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 15.77. The Zacks Value Score of F also suggests that CRWD stock is overvalued.
CRWD Forward 12-Month P/S Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CrowdStrike’s fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 32.2% and 26.7%, respectively. The estimates for fiscal 2027 and 2028 have been revised upward by 8 cents and 9 cents, respectively, over the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CrowdStrike currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Upstart uzavřel obnovenou dohodu s Neuberger Specialty Finance, která má do platformou zprostředkovaných spotřebitelských úvěrů investovat až 600 milionů USD. Firma zároveň uvedla, že v 1. čtvrtletí vzrostly objemy o 61 % na 3,4 miliardy USD a tržby o 44 % na 308 milionů USD.
Key Takeaways Upstart shares rose after a renewed Neuberger deal to invest up to $600M in platform-originated loans.Committed loan demand can help Upstart fund growth without relying heavily on its own balance sheet.Upstart's Q1 originations rose 61% to $3.4B, while revenues increased 44% to $308M. Shares of Upstart Holdings (UPST - Free Report) were up more than 3% yesterday as the fintech company added another funding win at a key time for its lending marketplace. The company announced a renewed forward-flow agreement with Neuberger Specialty Finance, under which Neuberger-managed funds are expected to invest in up to $600 million of consumer loans originated through Upstart’s platform.
This is encouraging as more committed loan demand can help Upstart fund growth without leaning heavily on its own balance sheet. That matters because Upstart’s model works best when banks, credit unions and institutional investors buy the loans while the company earns platform and servicing fees. A deeper funding base can also support more competitive borrower rates and a smoother customer experience.
This deal fits with Upstart’s broader push to expand both lending partners and capital partners. Earlier, Community Choice Credit Union and USF Credit Union selected Upstart for personal lending, giving qualified applicants access to credit union-branded digital loan offers through Upstart’s platform. These additions show that Upstart is finding demand among traditional financial institutions that want faster, AI-powered lending tools.
The company also has momentum in its latest results. In first-quarter 2026, originations rose 61% year over year to about $3.4 billion, while revenues increased 44% to $308 million. Upstart also reiterated its 2026 outlook for about $1.4 billion in revenue and $294 million in adjusted EBITDA. Its platform now connects consumers with more than 100 banks and credit unions, and more than 90% of loans are fully automated.
For investors, the Neuberger renewal is a positive signal for funding confidence, and recent credit union wins support platform growth. Still, Upstart remains sensitive to consumer credit conditions, capital market appetite and margin pressure. UPST looks better positioned than it did during tougher funding periods, but a Neutral view still makes sense until growth translates into steadier profits.
Over the past three months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 25.1% compared with the industry's 8.6% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the Zacks-Financial Miscellaneous Services sector are Alerus Financial, Inc. (ALRS - Free Report) and Chime Financial (CHYM - Free Report) . While Alerus Financial sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Chime Financial carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alerus Financial’s 2026 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $2.95, indicating a 6.12% increase from the prior-year period.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CHYM’s 2026 EPS has been revised from 16 cents to 30 cents over the past two months.
FuelCell Energy těží z poptávky po AI datových centrech; 89 % návrhů v pipeline za 2. fiskální čtvrtletí míří právě tam. Kontrahovaný backlog ale meziročně klesl o 9,9 % na 1,14 miliardy USD.
Key Takeaways FuelCell Energy is gaining attention as AI data centers drive demand for reliable on-site baseload power.FCEL's fiscal second-quarter pipeline reached 4 GW, with 89% of proposals tied to data centers.Contracted backlog fell 9.9% year over year, keeping revenue timing and order conversion in focus. FuelCell Energy (FCEL - Free Report) is increasingly trading around a larger market theme: AI infrastructure needs reliable on-site power faster than the grid can often deliver.
That gives FCEL a clearer growth story, but investors still need to separate theme exposure from execution. The opportunity is real, yet the company must convert proposals into contracts and revenue.
FuelCell Energy Taps the AI Power CrunchAI and high-density data centers are creating demand for continuous behind-the-meter baseload power. FCEL’s fiscal second-quarter pipeline reached 4 GW, up 267% sequentially, with about 89% of proposals tied to data centers.
Image Source: FuelCell Energy
The company is positioning its platform around time-to-power, modular scaling, direct current output and integrated cooling. Its technology is meant to help customers reduce dependence on constrained transmission infrastructure and address permitting friction in power-tight markets.
Bloom Energy (BE - Free Report) is also tied to this emerging theme, with on-site fuel-cell power marketed for data centers and mission-critical infrastructure. Its role in the same market reinforces how AI power demand is broadening investor attention beyond traditional utilities.
FCEL Joins the Shift to Standardized PowerFCEL’s standardized 12.5-MW FuelCell Energy Block is central to its data center push. The product combines 10 of the company’s 1.25-MW modules and is designed to reduce repeat engineering and permitting work.
That matters because large AI infrastructure buyers need repeatable deployment models. A standardized design may make bigger projects easier to plan and phase, improving the commercial appeal of FCEL’s systems in grid-constrained markets.
FuelCell Energy Extends Beyond Baseload PowerFCEL’s trend story is not limited to data centers. Its carbonate platform can support distributed generation, cooling, biogas use, hydrogen production and carbon capture, giving the company optionality in industrial decarbonization.
The company’s carbon capture modules headed to Rotterdam for ExxonMobil expand that optionality. The Rotterdam pilot is expected to test technology that captures carbon while producing power and hydrogen, potentially opening another industrial market if the demonstration succeeds.
Image Source: FuelCell Energy
Plug Power (PLUG - Free Report) offers another example of how hydrogen and fuel-cell companies are pursuing data center and critical-power applications. Plug markets fuel-cell backup power for data centers as a scalable, zero-emission alternative to traditional combustion generators.
FCEL Must Prove Demand Can Become RevenueThe biggest issue is conversion. FCEL’s pipeline is heavily weighted toward proposals and commercial discussions rather than signed contracts, which keeps revenue timing difficult to predict.
Backlog also sends a cautionary signal. Contracted backlog fell 9.9% year over year to $1.14 billion as of April 30, 2026, and product backlog declined sharply as revenue burn-off was not fully offset by new orders.
Large infrastructure deals can take time to close, especially in data centers. Strong exposure to AI power demand does not remove the risk that orders arrive later than expected or fail to convert.
FuelCell Energy Scores Fit a Trend TradeThe bottom line is that FCEL fits the profile of a trend-driven idea. AI power demand, modular on-site generation and carbon capture optionality give the stock a compelling narrative, but the company still needs stronger proof in backlog, revenue and profitability.
FCEL carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which points to a favorable near-term earnings-estimate backdrop. Its Growth Score of B also fits a company exposed to a developing demand theme.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
However, the Style Scores are mixed, with a Value Score of F, Momentum Score of D and VGM Score of D. That combination suggests FCEL may appeal to patient, risk-tolerant investors, but it is not screening as a broadly strong stock across value, momentum and blended style factors.
Akcie Dell Technologies ve čtvrtek klesly o více než 6 % po snížení doporučení od GF Securities na Hold z Buy kvůli obavám z ocenění. Akcie tak částečně vybírají zisky po prudkém růstu.
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) stock fell more than 6% on Thursday, underperforming a stronger broader market, after a brokerage downgrade raised concerns about its valuation.
GF Securities downgraded Dell to Hold from Buy on Wednesday, citing valuation concerns following the stock’s sharp rally. The downgrade came as Piper Sandler analyst James Fish reiterated an Overweight rating and maintained a $497 price forecast.
AI Market Trends and Analyst CommentaryFish said Micron’s latest earnings and supply-demand commentary point to continued strength in AI infrastructure spending. The analyst noted that persistent memory supply constraints, accelerating AI server demand, and higher server shipment expectations support Dell’s outlook, along with other AI infrastructure names.
The pullback also comes after a strong run. Dell shares have gained more than 235% over the past 12 months, prompting some investors to lock in profits.
The broader market remained supportive. The Nasdaq gained 0.45%, while the S&P 500 added 0.19%. The Technology sector also traded modestly higher, suggesting Dell’s decline was driven by company-specific factors rather than broader market weakness.
Technical AnalysisDell is trading just below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) of $407.12, indicating that near-term momentum has weakened after months of strong gains.
However, the longer-term trend remains intact. The stock is still 34.5% above its 50-day SMA, 80.7% above its 100-day SMA and 125.8% above its 200-day SMA.
Momentum indicators have cooled. The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) remains below its signal line, with a negative histogram, suggesting buying pressure has eased in the short term.
The stock continues to trade above its longer-term moving averages, and the “golden cross” formed in March remains in place. However, after reaching a fresh 52-week high in June, Dell could face additional profit-taking if buyers fail to defend current levels.
Key resistance stands near $469.50, while initial support is around $357.00.
Earnings and Analyst OutlookDell is expected to report fiscal second-quarter results on Aug. 27, 2026.
Wall Street expects earnings of $4.83 per share, up from $2.32 a year earlier, on revenue of $44.47 billion, compared with $29.78 billion in the prior-year quarter.
The stock trades at about 34.6 times forward earnings, reflecting a premium valuation.
Analysts maintain an overall Buy consensus with an average price forecast of $472.06. Recent analyst actions include:
Piper Sandler: Overweight, maintained $497 price forecast (June 24) GF Securities: Downgraded to Hold from Buy (June 24) Morgan Stanley: Equal-Weight, raised price forecast to $477 (June 23) Goldman Sachs: Buy, raised price forecast to $500 (June 1) Mizuho: Outperform, raised price forecast to $500 (June 1) Benzinga Edge RankingsDell continues to score highly on momentum despite Thursday’s decline.
Its Momentum score stands at 98.77, reflecting the stock’s strong long-term uptrend. Growth is rated 61.43, while Value scores 25.42, indicating investors continue to assign a premium valuation to the shares.
ETF ExposureDell remains a significant holding in several exchange-traded funds, including:
Large inflows or outflows in these funds can influence trading activity in Dell shares.
Price ActionDELL Stock Price Activity: Dell Technologies shares were down 6.35% at $406.50 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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Cigna rozšiřuje byznys mimo oblast zdravotního pojištění o lékárenské služby, specializovanou péči a AI. Zároveň zvýšila výhled upraveného EPS pro rok 2026 o 10 centů na nejméně 30,35 USD na akcii.
Key Takeaways Cigna is broadening its business with pharmacy services, specialty care and AI-driven solutions.CI raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook and is reshaping its portfolio toward higher-growth areas.Evernorth is fueling growth with pharmacy benefits, specialty pharmacy and care services. If you still think of The Cigna Group (CI - Free Report) as just a traditional health insurer, it may be time for a second look. The company is steadily expanding beyond insurance, building a broader healthcare platform centered on pharmacy services, specialty care and AI-powered solutions. The strategy is beginning to deliver results.
Evernorth, Cigna's health services business, is driving much of the company's transformation. Its pharmacy benefits, specialty pharmacy and care services businesses are helping deliver more affordable, personalized care. In the first quarter of 2026, Evernorth's adjusted revenues grew 9% year over year to $58.4 billion.
Technology is becoming another key growth driver. Cigna is using AI and advanced analytics to streamline prescriptions, identify high-risk patients earlier and improve customer engagement. Its rebate-free Signature pharmacy model aims to lower out-of-pocket drug costs, while AI helps simplify the pharmacy experience.
Cigna is also reshaping its portfolio. Investments in CarepathRx and Shields Health Solutions have strengthened its specialty pharmacy business. It also plans to exit the individual exchange business and is reviewing strategic alternatives for eviCore. These moves should help management direct more resources toward its higher-growth businesses.
Management's confidence in the strategy is growing. Following a strong first quarter, Cigna raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook by 10 cents to at least $30.35 per share. Cigna's push beyond traditional health insurance is still unfolding, but its growing focus on AI, specialty pharmacy and healthcare services is opening new avenues for long-term growth.
How Are Cigna's Peers Positioned?Cigna isn't alone in this shift. Peers in the Medical space, like UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH - Free Report) and CVS Health Corporation (CVS - Free Report) are also investing in technology-enabled healthcare services, making innovation a key differentiator across the industry.
UnitedHealth is pursuing a similar strategy through Optum, which combines pharmacy services, care delivery and technology. Growth in Optum Rx and commercial fee-based membership supported previous quarter’s results. UNH is also expanding its AI and analytics capabilities while rolling out a transparent, fee-based pharmacy care model.
CVS Health is also broadening its healthcare platform through pharmacy services, digital innovation and care delivery. CVS continues to expand AI-powered member engagement and digital onboarding at Aetna while strengthening CVS Caremark and its Health Care Delivery business.
Cigna’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of Cigna have risen 1.6% year to date compared with the industry’s 22.8%. growth
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Cigna trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.78X compared with the industry average of 17.75X. CI carries a Value Score of C.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cigna’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $30.39 per share, implying a 1.8% increase from the year-ago period’s level.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Cigna currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways ROST shares rose 79.6% in the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 and discount-store industry.Ross Stores is gaining from traffic growth, customer acquisition and stronger branded assortments.ROST raised FY26 guidance, with comparable sales growth of 6-7% and EPS of $7.50-$7.74. Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST - Free Report) has emerged as one of the strongest performers within its industry over the past year. Shares of ROST have surged 79.6% in the past year, significantly outperforming the broader market and most industry peers. Over the same period, the S&P 500 advanced 24.4%, the Retail - Discount Stores industry gained 14.1% and the broader Retail-Wholesale sector rose 2.9%.
ROST Stock’s Past Year Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
As of the latest trading session, Ross Stores closed at $228.6, just 5.9% below its 52-week high of $242.81 reached on June 12, 2026. The stock is trading above both its 50- and 200-day moving averages, signaling bullish sentiment.
ROST Trades Above 50 and 200-Day Moving Average
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What’s Fueling Ross Stores’ Rally?Ross Stores continues to gain from strong customer acquisition and traffic growth, which have been key drivers of its comparable-store sales performance. Transaction growth has accelerated for three straight quarters, supported by double-digit customer count gains across income groups, age demographics and ethnicities. Younger shoppers, in particular, are responding well to refreshed marketing efforts, improved store presentation and compelling branded assortments.
The company’s merchandising strength is another major catalyst. Ross Stores is benefiting from healthy closeout availability in the marketplace, deeper vendor relationships and improved access to branded deals. Its ability to quickly secure seasonally relevant merchandise has helped the company chase demand effectively while maintaining its value proposition.
Operational execution also remains solid. Ross Stores delivered merchandise margin gains and operating margin expansion in the first quarter, aided by occupancy leverage and lower distribution costs. The company’s disciplined cost structure, combined with strong sales productivity, continues to support earnings growth even as it invests in stores, marketing and customer experience.
Store expansion adds another layer of growth. Ross Stores plans to open about 110 stores this year, including Ross and dd’s DISCOUNTS locations, while recent openings are performing well across new and existing markets. Continued expansion in underpenetrated regions, including the Northeast, should help broaden the company’s customer reach and reinforce its long-term growth runway.
Upward Earnings Estimate Revisions Signal Confidence in ROSTRoss Stores remains optimistic about its growth prospects, backed by solid sales momentum and improving execution. Management expects second-quarter comparable sales growth of 6-7% and raised its full-year fiscal 2026 outlook, projecting comparable sales growth of 6-7% and earnings per share of $7.50-$7.74.
While acknowledging potential macroeconomic uncertainties, including higher fuel costs and consumer spending pressures, the company believes its value-focused business model, strong customer acquisition trends, merchandising initiatives and expanding store base position it well to sustain healthy sales and earnings growth over the remainder of the year.
Reflecting optimism around ROST, analysts have revised their EPS estimates upward. In the past 30 days, analysts have increased their fiscal 2026 and 2027 estimates by 1.3% to $7.74 and 1.3% to $8.48 per share, respectively. These estimates indicate expected year-over-year growth rates of around 17.1% and 9.6%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ROST Stock’s ValuationRoss Stores is currently trading at a discount relative to its industry peers. ROST stock trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 28.47, lower than the industry’s average of 31.39.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Here’s Why ROST Can Be an Attractive PlayRoss Stores continues to execute well across key growth drivers, including customer acquisition, merchandising, operational efficiency and store expansion. Strong comparable sales, margin expansion and raised earnings guidance reflect the strength of its value-focused business model, while positive estimate revisions underscore growing analyst confidence.
Although macroeconomic uncertainties such as higher fuel costs and consumer spending pressures remain, ROST's resilient off-price model and attractive valuation relative to the industry support a favorable long-term investment case. Currently, this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock appears well positioned for investors seeking exposure to the renewable fuels market and long-term growth opportunities.
Other Stocks to ConsiderFive Below, Inc. (FIVE - Free Report) , which operates as a specialty value retailer, currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Five Below’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 14.7% and 34.3%, respectively, from the year-ago figures. FIVE delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 70.1%, on average.
Tapestry, Inc. (TPR - Free Report) provides accessories and lifestyle brand products in North America, Greater China, the rest of Asia and internationally. At present, TPR sports a Zacks Rank of 1.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 13.8% and 36.3%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figures. TPR has delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.6%, on average.
Victoria’s Secret & Co. (VSXY - Free Report) operates as a specialty retailer of women's intimate apparel and other apparel and beauty products worldwide. At present, VSXY flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 8.8% and 53.7%, respectively, from the year-ago figures. VSXY delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 55.1%, on average.
Zscaler ve 3. fiskálním čtvrtletí překonal odhady: zisk na akcii činil 1,08 USD a tržby vzrostly o 25 % na 850,4 milionu USD. Firma zároveň zvýšila výhled na 4. čtvrtletí i celý fiskální rok 2026.
A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Zscaler (ZS - Free Report) . Shares have added about 0.7% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Zscaler due for a pullback? Well, first let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for Zscaler, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
Zscaler Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/YZscaler posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $1.08 per share, up 28.6% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.00 by 8%.
Zscaler’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.4%.
Revenues rose 25% year over year to $850.4 million, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $834 million by 1.88% and exceeding management’s guidance of $834-$836 million. The quarter reflected continued demand for the company’s Zero Trust platform, supported by expanding customer commitments.
Zscaler’s Q3 in DetailZscaler’s third-quarter momentum was broad-based geographically. The Americas represented 56% of revenues in the quarter, up approximately 31% year over year, and delivered the strongest growth rate among regions. EMEA accounted for 28% of revenues, up approximately 16%, while Asia Pacific and Japan contributed 16%, rising about 23%.
The company also noted that roughly 46% of its remaining performance obligation was classified as current, underscoring near-term visibility tied to committed, non-cancelable future revenues.
Remaining Performance Obligations (“RPO”), representing Zscaler’s committed non-cancelable future revenues, were $6.5 billion as of April 30, which increased 30% year over year. Current RPO accounted for 46% of the total revenues.
Enterprise traction continued to reflect in the customer mix. Zscaler ended the quarter with 748 customers generating more than $1 million of ARR, an 18% year-over-year increase. Customers generating more than $100,000 of ARR reached 4,003, up 19% from the prior-year period. Total ARR increased 25% year over year to $3.5 billion.
The company mentioned that newer offerings delivered just over 30% of new ACV in the quarter, and the ARR tied to those offerings more than doubled from the year-ago period, supporting broader platform adoption. Management highlighted record $1 million-plus new ACV deals in the quarter, pointing to continued success in securing larger, multi-year engagements and expanding relationships across its Zero Trust Exchange offerings.
Profitability improved as operating discipline offset investment needs. Non-GAAP gross margin was 80.7% compared with 80.3% a year ago, reflecting the company’s high-margin subscription model.
Non-GAAP operating income increased 34% year over year to $195.8 million. The non-GAAP operating margin expanded 140 basis points to 23%, with management citing leverage in sales and marketing as a key contributor.
Zscaler’s Balance Sheet & Cash FlowAs of April 30, 2026, Zscaler had $3.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments compared with $3.5 billion as of Jan. 31, 2026, and $1.7 billion of debt. Management also pointed to higher capital expenditures as a factor in its updated cash flow outlook.
The company generated operating and free cash flows of $198 million and $136 million, respectively, during the fiscal third quarter.
Zscaler's Guidance for FY26For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, Zscaler expects revenues of $875-$878 million.
Non-GAAP earnings per share are projected between $1.08 and $1.09.
For fiscal 2026, management forecasts its revenue outlook in the range of $3.3295 billion to $3.3325 billion, reflecting year-over-year growth of 24.6% to 24.7%.
Non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2026 are expected in the band of $4.10-$4.11.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?Since the earnings release, investors have witnessed a upward trend in estimates revision.
The consensus estimate has shifted 531.25% due to these changes.
VGM ScoresCurrently, Zscaler has a average Growth Score of C, a score with the same score on the momentum front. However, the stock has a score of F on the value side, putting it in the fifth quintile for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
OutlookEstimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Interestingly, Zscaler has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
Rocket Lab rozšiřuje svou účast v programech národní bezpečnosti díky rostoucí poptávce vlád po spolehlivém přístupu do vesmíru a bezpečných kapacitách. Dodává starty, technologie pro kosmické lodě i systémy pro obranné mise.
Key Takeaways RKLB is growing its role in national security space programs with launch and mission support services.Rocket Lab provides launch platforms, spacecraft technologies and systems for defense applications.RKLB benefits from rising government demand for resilient space capabilities and secure access to space. Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB - Free Report) continues to strengthen its position in the national security space market by supporting government customers with launch services, spacecraft technologies and mission-related systems. As defense and intelligence agencies increase investments in resilient space capabilities, the company is expanding its participation in programs that support national security objectives and space-based operations.
Government and defense customers increasingly require reliable access to space, responsive launch capabilities and specialized spacecraft solutions. Rocket Lab supports these requirements through its launch platforms and space technologies, allowing customers to deploy and operate assets for a variety of mission needs. The company's growing involvement in government programs reflects its ability to support increasingly complex space missions while broadening its customer base.
National security opportunities also complement Rocket Lab's broader business model. In addition to launch services, the company provides spacecraft components, satellite technologies and mission systems that support government and defense-related applications. This enables Rocket Lab to participate across multiple stages of a mission while creating opportunities for recurring business and deeper customer relationships.
As governments continue prioritizing space-based capabilities, the demand for launch, satellite and mission-support technologies is expected to remain strong. Rocket Lab's expanding presence in national security programs positions the company to benefit from these long-term trends, while strengthening its role in the evolving space sector.
Companies Supporting National Security Space MissionsGrowing investments in defense and intelligence space programs continue to create opportunities for companies with specialized space capabilities. Companies like L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (LHX - Free Report) and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC - Free Report) are also active in this market.
L3Harris Technologies supports national security space programs through satellite payloads, missile-tracking technologies and mission systems that support government and defense customers.
Northrop Grumman develops satellites, strategic space systems and mission technologies that support national security, missile warning and space-domain awareness missions.
Earnings Estimates for RKLB StockThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 and 2027 earnings per share suggests year-over-year growth of 55.56% and 75%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
RKLB Stock Trading at a PremiumRocket Lab is trading at a premium relative to the industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 45.37X compared with the industry average of 12.34X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
RKLB Stock Price PerformanceOver the past six months, RKLB shares have jumped 22.1% compared with the industry’s 9.6% growth.
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RKLB’s Zacks RankRocket Lab currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Total Wireless uzavřel partnerství s Western Union a jako první v USA přidává do vybraných tarifů jednu bezplatnou měsíční službu převodu peněz. Benefit platí pro plány MAX 5G BYO, MAX 5G a ALL ACCESS.
NUEVA YORK Y DENVER, June 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Total Wireless, proveedor de servicios inalámbricos de rápido crecimiento y sin contrato, impulsado por la red 5G de Verizon. Hoy, anunció una asociación oficial con Western Union para ofrecer, por primera vez en la industria, un beneficio de transferencias de dinero para sus clientes moviles. A partir de hoy, los clientes con los planes Total Wireless MAX 5G BYO, MAX 5G y ALL ACCESS recibirán una transferencia de dinero mensual sin costo. Con la posibilidad de enviar fondos a más de 200 países y territorios a través de la red global de Western Union, los clientes pueden mantenerse conectados de más de una manera.
Esta asociación establece un hito en la industria. Total Wireless es hoy el único proveedor inalámbrico en Estados Unidos que ofrece una transferencia de dinero mensual como parte de sus planes. El beneficio cubre la tarifa de la transacción, brindando valor real a la base de clientes de ambas marcas. Es también un nuevo capítulo para las telecomunicaciones, construido en torno a las realidades financieras de las comunidades que históricamente han sido desatendidas.
Diseñado para la manera en que los clientes se mantienen conectados
Millones de personas en los Estados Unidos envían dinero al exterior cada año, con un promedio de más de 12 transacciones anuales. Con Total Wireless, las familias ahorran en comisiones de transferencia para que cada dólar llegue más lejos.
Para millones de familias, enviar dinero a casa es una de las formas más profundas de cuidar a los suyos. Total Wireless fue creado para ofrecer conectividad de primer nivel con beneficios que reflejan cómo sus clientes viven y se apoyan entre sí.
"Total Wireless fue creado con la convicción de que un buen plan inalámbrico debe hacer más por sus clientes", dijo David Kim, presidente de Verizon Value. "Incorporar una transferencia de dinero de Western Union en nuestros planes refleja algo en lo que creemos profundamente: nadie debería tener que elegir entre estar conectado y cuidar a los suyos. Estamos orgullosos de ser los primeros en construir pensando en eso".
Cómo funciona
Para los clientes con los planes Total Wireless MAX 5G BYO, MAX 5G y ALL ACCESS, la posibilidad de enviar dinero a casa está integrada directamente en su plan. Estos planes van desde $25 al mes (MAX 5G BYO para clientes que traen su propio dispositivo) hasta $60 al mes (ALL ACCESS) con pago automático. Cada uno incluye funciones de primer nivel como datos 5G ilimitados, hotspot ilimitado y llamadas y mensajes de texto internacionales ilimitados a más de 200 países. Todo esto con una garantía de precio de cinco años que incluye impuestos y cargos.
El beneficio de Western Union ofrece una razón más para elegir un plan diseñado para mantenerse conectado con las personas que más importan:
Una transferencia de dinero mensual gratuita, sin cargo: sin comisión de transacción disponible de forma integrada como parte de los planes premium seleccionados.Fácil acceso: disponible en línea en westernunion.com o a través de la aplicación de Western Union.Alcance global: envía dinero a familiares y amigos en más de 200 países y territorios.Red de confianza: más de 360,000 ubicaciones de pago de Western Union, con entrega a cuentas bancarias, billeteras digitales y tarjetas, garantizan una entrega rápida y confiable a destinatarios en todo el mundo. "Sabemos lo mucho que significa enviar dinero a casa. Diseñamos estos planes para asegurarnos de que, al menos una vez al mes, corra por nuestra cuenta", dijo Kim.
Alianza con Western Union
La alianza va más allá del beneficio del plan, uniendo a dos marcas que sirven a comunidades que dependen de una conectividad asequible con sus seres queridos a través de las fronteras. Western Union co-promocionará Total Wireless a través de sus propios canales de comunicación con los clientes, incluyendo la aplicación de Western Union, comunicaciones por correo electrónico, redes sociales y pantallas digitales en tiendas.
"Durante generaciones, Western Union ha ayudado a las personas a mover dinero a través de las fronteras porque entendemos lo que representa cada transferencia: no solo dólares, sino nuestra misión de hacer que los servicios financieros sean accesibles para todos", dijo Jesse Mory, vicepresidente sénior de Alianzas Estratégicas de Western Union. "Al asociarnos con Total Wireless, facilitamos que los clientes apoyen a quienes dependen de ellos, convirtiendo un plan inalámbrico de todos los días en una forma más significativa de mantenerse conectados, cuidar a sus seres queridos y mover dinero con confianza".
Acerca de Total Wireless
Total Wireless es un proveedor inalámbrico de rápido crecimiento, sin contrato, respaldado por la red 5G de Verizon, con 2,000 tiendas exclusivas en todo el país. Con la misión de elevar el estándar en telefonía prepagada, Total Wireless ofrece más valor que cualquier otro proveedor sin contrato, con planes que incluyen datos ilimitados y acceso a la red Verizon 5G Ultra-Wideband, precios garantizados por cinco años (impuestos y cargos incluidos), teléfonos 5G gratuitos seleccionados con planes de compra calificados, y más. Una marca comprometida con la comunidad, Total Wireless se enorgullece de apoyar vecindarios en todo el país a través de su programa Total Spark, que otorga subvenciones a organizaciones sin fines de lucro locales para apoyar a estudiantes trabajadores. Total Wireless es parte del portafolio de marcas prepagadas de Verizon Value, que incluye Straight Talk, Visible, Tracfone, Simple Mobile, SafeLink, Walmart Family Mobile y Verizon Prepaid.
Acerca de Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) está comprometida a ayudar a personas en todo el mundo que aspiran a construir un futuro financiero para sí mismas, sus seres queridos y sus comunidades. Nuestros servicios líderes de transferencia de dinero transfronteriza y entre divisas, pagos y servicios financieros digitales empoderan a consumidores, empresas, instituciones financieras y gobiernos en más de 200 países y territorios y en casi 130 monedas, para conectarse con miles de millones de cuentas bancarias, millones de billeteras digitales y tarjetas, y una red global de cientos de miles de puntos de venta minoristas. Nuestro objetivo es ofrecer servicios financieros accesibles que ayuden a las personas y comunidades a prosperar. Para más información, visita www.westernunion.com.
Una foto asociada con este comunicado de prensa está disponible en: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d06fdb7b-5b04-4d42-bdc5-d107e17c006b/es
Total Wireless se convierte en el primer operador de EE. UU. en incluir transferencias de dinero de ... Total Wireless se convierte en el primer operador de EE. UU. en incluir transferencias de dinero de ...
Boston Beer snížila výhled na objem pro rok 2026 po slabších výsledcích za 1. čtvrtletí; nyní čeká pokles dodávek i depletions v nízkých až středních jednotkách procent. Tržby táhly dolů hlavně Truly, Samuel Adams a Hard Mountain Dew.
Key Takeaways Boston Beer narrowed its 2026 volume outlook after weaker-than-expected Q1 results.SAM cited a 4% drop in depletions and a 6.9% shipment decline after inventory reductions.Sun Cruiser, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard and Dogfish Head are key to summer execution. The Boston Beer Company (SAM - Free Report) narrowed its 2026 volume outlook after reporting weaker-than-expected first-quarter results, reflecting persistent softness across parts of its brand portfolio and an uncertain consumer environment. While management highlighted encouraging signs of stabilization in the broader beer and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories, the company acknowledged that demand recovery has been slower than anticipated for some of its largest brands. The revised guidance underscores Boston Beer’s cautious stance as it heads into the critical summer selling season.
Boston Beer now expects 2026 shipment and depletion volumes to decline in the low-single-digit to mid-single-digit range compared with its earlier forecast of flat to down mid-single digits. The revision follows a 4% decline in first-quarter depletions and a 6.9% drop in shipments, as the company continued to reduce distributor inventory levels and cycled last year's innovation-driven inventory build. Management noted that although industry trends have improved modestly, SAM's own portfolio has yet to fully participate in that recovery, primarily because Truly continues to lose market share and Samuel Adams and Hard Mountain Dew remain under pressure.
Management also pointed to several macroeconomic challenges that influenced its more conservative outlook. Consumers continue to face tighter household budgets, while spending among Hispanic consumers — a key demographic for several of Boston Beer’s brands — remains pressured. In addition, evolving geopolitical developments, commodity inflation and tariff-related costs are creating an uncertain operating backdrop. Although the broader beer and RTD market has shown signs of stabilization, management believes these external factors could continue to weigh on consumer demand throughout the remainder of 2026.
Despite trimming its volume guidance, Boston Beer remains optimistic about improving execution during the peak summer season. The company expects stronger contributions from fast-growing Sun Cruiser, sequential improvement in Twisted Tea, continued growth in Angry Orchard and Dogfish Head, and expanded marketing initiatives tied to the FIFA World Cup and America's 250th anniversary celebrations. Coupled with ongoing productivity initiatives and gross-margin expansion efforts, these strategic investments could help offset volume headwinds. Investors will likely monitor whether stronger seasonal demand and innovation can translate into improved shipment trends and restore confidence in Boston Beer's long-term growth trajectory.
SAM’s Zacks Rank & Share Price PerformanceShares of this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company have lost 7.3% in the past six months, underperforming the Zacks Beverages - Alcohol industry’s 5.4% gain and the broader Consumer Staples sector's 17.4% rise.
SAM Stock's Six-Month Performance
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Is SAM Stock a Value Play?Boston Beer’s shares are currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 17.38X, which represents a meaningful premium to the industry average of 15.74X, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s margin expansion, brand portfolio strength and long-term growth potential despite near-term volume pressures.
SAM P/E Ratio (Forward 12 Months)
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Stocks to ConsiderFomento Economico Mexicano (FMX - Free Report) , alias FEMSA, operates across retail, beverages, digital, health, fuel, logistics and distribution, anchored by OXXO and Coca-Cola FEMSA. FEMSA currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FEMSA’s 2026 sales and earnings indicates growth of 17.5% and 115.3%, respectively. The company has delivered a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 16.99%, on average.
The Vita Coco Company Inc. (COCO - Free Report) is a beverage company that develops, markets and distributes coconut water, plant-based drinks, protein beverages and private-label products across global retail and foodservice channels. COCO currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vita Coco's current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 21.4% and 47.9%, respectively. The company has delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.7%, on average.
Ambev S.A. (ABEV - Free Report) engages in the production, distribution and sale of beer, draft beer, soft drinks, malt and food, and other beverages. ABEV currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ABEV’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 19.2% and 16.7%, respectively.
Key Takeaways CDW posted 9% higher Q1 2026 net sales as AI infrastructure investments boosted hardware demand.CDW's full-stack model supports AI deployment through hardware, software and integration services.CDW expanded AI capabilities with GPU-as-a-service access and internal AI productivity initiatives. CDW Corporation (CDW - Free Report) is benefiting from growing demand for AI infrastructure as organizations move beyond experimentation and begin deploying AI in production environments. In the first quarter of 2026, the company delivered strong results driven by AI-related investments and ongoing infrastructure modernization. Customers across industries increased spending on networking, storage, servers, power and cooling solutions as they worked to support AI workloads and address supply constraints.
This demand contributed to a 9% year-over-year increase in net sales, with infrastructure hardware emerging as a major growth driver. CDW also reported strong software demand, particularly for platforms focused on AI readiness, productivity, collaboration and security.
The company believes the shift from AI exploration to large-scale implementation plays directly to its strengths. As organizations deploy AI, they face increasing challenges related to infrastructure design, data management, security, governance and operational execution. CDW’s full-stack model, which combines hardware, software, advisory services and implementation expertise, enables customers to build and manage AI environments more effectively. Management highlighted that AI adoption is driving demand not only for compute resources but also for services that help customers integrate AI into existing technology environments and achieve measurable business outcomes.
CDW is expanding its AI capabilities through internal initiatives and strategic partnerships. The company continues to embed AI across its operations through programs aimed at improving productivity, sales effectiveness and operational efficiency. In addition, CDW recently established a relationship that provides customers access to high-performance AI infrastructure through a flexible GPU-as-a-service model, helping address growing demand for accelerated computing resources. Management stated that AI is increasing wallet share opportunities while also attracting new customers that require broader technology integration capabilities.
CDW expects AI-related investments to remain an important growth catalyst throughout 2026. While management remains cautious about macroeconomic uncertainty and supply-chain dynamics, it continues to expect market outperformance and sees rising demand for AI infrastructure, integration and execution services strengthening the company’s long-term growth opportunity. As AI adoption expands across industries, CDW appears well-positioned to benefit from customers’ increasing need for scalable, end-to-end technology solutions.
Taking a Look at CDW’s CompetitorsVertiv Holdings Co (VRT - Free Report) remains leveraged to rising data center power and thermal needs as AI deployments drive higher infrastructure density and faster build cycles. In first-quarter 2026, the company showed continued demand and execution, with organic sales growth led by the Americas and higher profitability supported by productivity and price-cost. Management raised 2026 guidance and is investing in capacity, services and engineering, while acquisitions extend capabilities in liquid cooling and heat rejection. A strengthened balance sheet following investment-grade ratings and refinancing supports this investment cycle. For the second quarter of 2026, Vertiv expects net sales of $3.25 billion to $3.45 billion (20% to 24% year-over-year growth).
ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW - Free Report) is embedding AI, data connectivity, workflow execution, security and governance into its commercial tiers, with Context Engine grounding AI decisions in live enterprise context. The company is expanding agentic capabilities through offerings such as Autonomous Workforce and Build Agent Skills, which allow developers to deploy custom agents directly onto the platform with built-in controls. Management continues to frame ServiceNow as an AI control tower addressing a total addressable market above $600 billion, supporting a multi-year opportunity across IT, employee, CRM and security workflows. Now Assist demand remains a key driver, with management stating it is on track to exceed the 2026 target of $1 billion in ACV.
CDW Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of CDW have gained 8% in the past three months against the Computers - IT Services industry’s decline of 8.9%.
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Valuation-wise, CDW seems attractive, as suggested by the Value Score of B. CDW trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 12.31, below the industry’s 16.51.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CDW’s earnings for 2026 has been revised marginally upward over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CDW currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Commercial Metals ve čtvrtletí končícím v květnu 2026 vykázal tržby 2,48 miliardy USD a EPS 1,73 USD, obojí nad odhady trhu. Tržby meziročně vzrostly o 22,9 %.
For the quarter ended May 2026, Commercial Metals (CMC - Free Report) reported revenue of $2.48 billion, up 22.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.73, compared to $0.74 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +4.88% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.37 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.60, the EPS surprise was +8.13%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Commercial Metals performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
North America - Average selling price (per ton) - Raw materials: $873.00 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $987.93.Europe - Steel products metal margin per ton: $330.00 compared to the $316.21 average estimate based on three analysts.North America - Average selling price (per ton) - Downstream products: $1,260.00 compared to the $1,242.79 average estimate based on three analysts.North America - Average selling price (per ton) - Cost of raw materials per ton: $660.00 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $742.74.North America - Average selling price (per ton) - Cost of ferrous scrap utilized per ton: $379.00 versus $353.51 estimated by three analysts on average.North America - Average selling price (per ton) - Steel products metal margin per ton: $610.00 compared to the $602.68 average estimate based on three analysts.Europe - Steel products (External tons shipped): 401 thousand compared to the 375.38 thousand average estimate based on three analysts.Europe - Steel products - Rebar: 136 thousand versus 94.05 thousand estimated by three analysts on average.Net sales from external customers- North America: $1.79 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1.71 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +14.5%.Net sales from external customers- Corporate and Other: $8.06 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $11.52 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -36.3%.Net sales from external customers- Europe: $291.24 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $267.64 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +17.6%.Net Sales-- Construction Solutions Group- Net sales from external customers: $394.57 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $378.29 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +99.8%.View all Key Company Metrics for Commercial Metals here>>>
Shares of Commercial Metals have returned -6.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.4% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
Jabil zvýšil výhled tržeb souvisejících s AI pro fiskální rok 2026 na zhruba 13,6 miliardy USD díky silné poptávce po AI infrastruktuře. Zároveň přidal třetího hyperscale zákazníka.
Key Takeaways Jabil raised fiscal 2026 AI-related revenue outlook to about $13.6 billion on strong AI demand.JBL added a third hyperscale customer, expanding its AI infrastructure manufacturing opportunities.Jabil is expanding capacity, automation and connected factories to support growing AI production. Artificial intelligence is reshaping global manufacturing as cloud providers and technology companies invest heavily in next-generation computing infrastructure. Jabil, Inc. (JBL - Free Report) is positioning itself to capitalize on that trend by expanding its manufacturing capabilities, strengthening customer relationships and increasing automation across its global operations. While AI infrastructure has become the company’s fastest-growing business, its diversified manufacturing platform provides additional opportunities to benefit from several long-term industrial trends.
How JBL Is Scaling AI ManufacturingAI infrastructure has become Jabil’s largest growth driver, supported by rising demand from hyperscale customers and cloud service providers. The company has steadily expanded its capabilities across the AI hardware ecosystem, including compute, storage, networking, optics, power, cooling and rack integration.
Management recently raised its fiscal 2026 AI-related revenue outlook to approximately $13.6 billion, reflecting continued strength in cloud and data center infrastructure programs. Jabil also added a third hyperscale customer during the latest quarter, further expanding its addressable market and reinforcing its position as a strategic manufacturing partner for next-generation AI deployments.
The company’s exposure extends beyond servers alone, providing manufacturing support for networking equipment, capital equipment and warehouse automation systems that increasingly rely on AI-enabled technologies.
Jabil Builds Capacity for Future DemandMeeting growing AI demand requires significant manufacturing scale. Jabil continues expanding production capacity in North Carolina, Memphis, India and other strategic locations while maintaining its asset-light business model.
The company is investing in connected factories, automation technologies and operational improvements designed to increase productivity and support customer production ramps. At the same time, disciplined capital spending and efficient working capital management are helping improve returns while supporting long-term manufacturing flexibility.
These investments should allow Jabil to scale production efficiently as customer demand continues increasing across AI infrastructure and other higher-growth markets.
Why JBL Is Expanding Global PartnershipsJabil’s expanding relationships with hyperscale customers represent an important competitive advantage. Management noted that the company recently secured a third hyperscale customer and expects the relationship to broaden over time by leveraging expertise across multiple AI infrastructure technologies.
Beyond hyperscale deployments, Jabil continues supporting customers developing advanced networking, cloud infrastructure and automation solutions. These long-term collaborations deepen customer relationships while creating additional opportunities to expand manufacturing programs as new technologies move into commercial production.
Peers such as Celestica, Inc. (CLS - Free Report) and Flex, Ltd. (FLEX - Free Report) are also investing to capture AI infrastructure demand, underscoring the industry’s growing focus on advanced manufacturing capabilities for data center and networking applications.
Jabil Balances Growth With Execution RisksAlthough the long-term opportunity remains attractive, investors should continue monitoring execution risks. Customer concentration remains an important consideration, while geopolitical uncertainty and global trade dynamics could affect manufacturing operations and supply chains.
Demand also remains uneven across some end markets. Management continues to exercise caution regarding automotive demand despite recent improvement, and Connected Living continues to reflect a mixed consumer environment. Competitive pressures within the electronic manufacturing services industry and the possibility of customers bringing production in-house also remain ongoing challenges.
How JBL Technical Signals Complement the TrendJabil currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), supported by a Momentum Score of A, Growth Score of B and VGM Score of A. Those indicators align with the company’s favorable earnings momentum and expanding participation in several long-term manufacturing trends, particularly AI infrastructure. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
At the same time, the stock’s Value Score of C reminds investors that valuation remains an important consideration following its strong share price appreciation. While AI-related demand continues creating meaningful growth opportunities, sustained execution and disciplined capital allocation will remain essential to supporting the company’s long-term investment case.
Vishay Intertechnology představila nový automobilový fototranzistorový optočlen Automotive Grade VOLA617A pro EV s 800V bateriemi. Nabízí izolační pevnost 5000 VRMS a umožňuje izolaci DC napětí až do 1000 V.
Device Offers Isolation Voltage of 5000 VRMS, VIORM of 1414 Vpeak, and VIOTM of 8000 Vpeak in 4-pin LSOP Low Profile Package
MALVERN, Pa., June 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) today introduced a new Automotive Grade phototransistor optocoupler designed to deliver signal transmission with high galvanic isolation for electric vehicles (EV) — including emerging 800 V battery architectures — and industrial automation systems. The Vishay Semiconductors VOLA617A combines an isolation voltage of 5000 VRMS with a VIORM of 1414 Vpeak and VIOTM of 8000 Vpeak in a 4-pin LSOP low profile package.
The device released today is ideal for grid-connected on-board chargers (OBC), DC/DC converters, battery management systems (BMS), isolated wake-up signals, and any system control with galvanic and noise isolation. While most automotive optocouplers can’t be used for battery voltages exceeding 500 V — limiting them to traditional 400 V EV platforms — the ability of the VOLA617A to isolate DC voltages up to 1000 V enables its use in next-generation high voltage EV architectures.
The VOLA617A consists of an infrared emitting diode, optically coupled to a silicon planar phototransistor detector in a low profile package with creepage and clearance distances of ≥ 8 mm. The device is available in four current transfer ratio (CTR) ranges and features a high 80 V collector-emitter voltage rating, allowing for more design flexibility.
The optocoupler operates over a wide -40 °C to +125 °C operating temperature — with a junction temperature capability up to +145 °C — while providing low coupling capacitance of 0.5 pF and high common mode transient immunity. Exceeding rigorous requirements for Automotive Grade performance and reliability, the VOLA617A’s robust package provides an extra safety margin by meeting dual AEC-Q102 qualification standards. The device is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green.
Samples and production quantities of the VOLA617A are available now, with lead times of eight weeks.
Vishay manufactures one of the world’s largest portfolios of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components that are essential to innovative designs in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Serving customers worldwide, Vishay is The DNA of tech.® Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. is a Fortune 1000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH). More on Vishay at www.Vishay.com.
The DNA of tech® is a registered trademark of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
Vishay on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VishayIntertechnology
Vishay Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/vishayindust
Links to product datasheets:
http://www.vishay.com/ppg?80342 (VOLA617A)
Link to product photo:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vishay/albums/72177720334333031
For more information please contact:
Vishay Intertechnology
Peter Henrici, +1 408 567-8400 [email protected]
or
Redpines
Bob Decker, +1 415 409-0233 [email protected]
Vishay v 1. čtvrtletí 2026 zvýšil automobilové tržby mezikvartálně o 2,7 % díky poptávce v Americe a Evropě. Získává podíl díky novým návrhům pro platformy elektromobilů a rozšiřuje se v ADAS, bateriích i pohonech.
Key Takeaways Vishay posted 2.7% sequential automotive revenue growth in Q1 2026, led by Americas and Europe demand.VSH is gaining share through multi-source design wins as OEMs diversify semiconductor suppliers.Vishay is expanding across EV drivetrains, ADAS, battery systems and smart cockpit technologies. Vishay Intertechnology (VSH - Free Report) appears to be steadily strengthening its competitive position in the automotive semiconductor market as accelerating electrification trends create new long-term growth opportunities.
In the first quarter of 2026, the company reported automotive sequential revenue growth of 2.7%, driven primarily by solid OEM demand in the Americas and Europe. However, softer conditions in Asia, caused by Lunar New Year disruptions and tariff-related production shifts, partially offset the growth.
Management emphasized that rising electronic content per vehicle, alongside expanding hybrid and EV production programs, is supporting consistent automotive demand. It confirmed that the company is actively benefiting from share gains through multi-source design wins, particularly as automotive OEMs seek supply diversification.
Vishay disclosed that it has become the leading resistor supplier for multiple OEMs launching new EV platforms. This positions VSH to benefit from the ramp-up in annual vehicle production volumes, with peak production expected in 2028. This significantly improves long-term revenue visibility while strengthening customer relationships.
The company is also expanding its role in high-growth automotive electronics categories. Management highlighted strong design activity across hybrid and EV drivetrains, ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems), battery management systems, electronic power steering and smart cockpit technologies. All these categories are critical and semiconductor-intensive applications, which are expected to grow faster than overall vehicle production.
Strategically, the company’s Vishay 3.0 transformation strategy, centered on capacity expansion, customer proximity and increased engineering support, is helping it win new automotive programs.
As EV adoption accelerates globally and automakers prioritize supplier diversification, Vishay appears increasingly well positioned to capture additional automotive share. This suggests that the sector could become one of its most durable long-term growth engines over the next several years.
Peer UpdatesTDK Corporation (TTDKY - Free Report) is steadily expanding market share by positioning itself at the center of high-growth technology markets, particularly AI infrastructure, automotive electronics, and industrial equipment. In fiscal 2026, sales rose 13.6% while operating profit jumped 21.5%, both reaching record highs.
The strong growth was supported by broad-based demand growth across passive components, sensors, and magnetic application products. TDK highlighted strong share gains in AI data center infrastructure, where demand for aluminum capacitors, film capacitors, inductors, and power solutions continues to accelerate. TTDKY expects its AI ecosystem business, already over 10% of sales, to grow 25% in fiscal 2027.
The growth is likely to be aided by aggressive capacity expansion, new semiconductor bonding materials, and stronger positioning in high-value HDD heads and HAMR storage technologies. TDK’s strategy of expanding through technologically differentiated products across automotive, industrial, and AI markets is strengthening its competitive moat and supporting sustained share gains globally.
ROHM Co., Ltd. (ROHCY - Free Report) is pursuing market share gains by strengthening its position in power semiconductors, silicon carbide (SiC) devices, and AI server power management solutions, despite ongoing pricing pressure in China. The company projects revenue growth of 6% and operating profit growth of 176% for the fiscal year ending March 2027, driven by accelerating demand across the automotive, industrial and data center markets.
ROHM’s biggest long-term opportunity remains SiC power devices, where management expects over 30% sales growth in fiscal 2026. The growth should be supported by expanding automotive inverter adoption and increasing sales to European and Japanese OEMs, reducing dependence on China.
Simultaneously, the company is aggressively targeting the AI server market, forecasting server-related sales growth from YEN 17 billion to YEN 25 billion in this fiscal year.
ROHCY will leverage its partnerships with NVIDIA, Delta and differentiated technologies, such as DrMOS, GaN, analog controllers and SiC-based power systems, to drive future growth. This broad technology portfolio is helping ROHM expand its share in next-generation power semiconductor markets.
VSH’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of VSH have skyrocketed 283.7% so far this year compared with the sector’s 15% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, VSH trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, below the industry average. It is higher than its five-year median of 12.51. Vishay carries a Value Score of D.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VSH’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies a 1600% improvement from the year-ago period’s level.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
