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Everyone who bought Nvidia in 2023 remembers why it felt like a leap of faith at the time. The AI story was still new, the chart hadn’t caught up yet, and most people waited for proof before buying in. That proof arrived, and the trade that followed became one of the biggest of the decade. Stargate LLM‘s presale sits in that same early window right now. Batch 1 just opened at $0.0005 per token, well ahead of any launch or listing.
Bittensor and Render, two of the AI sector’s most established names, show what that same trade looks like once the proof has already arrived. TAO trades near $250 with a market cap close to $3 billion. TAO trades near $250 as of late June 2026, ranked around #27 to #37 with a market cap close to $3 billion. And Render is holding through a broader market pullback this week.
Stargate LLM: Getting In Before the Chart Exists Global AI spending is on track to grow from roughly $391 billion in 2025 to more than $1.2 trillion by 2030. That kind of growth tends to reward the people who position early, and Stargate LLM is built to be one of the platforms through which growth flows. It’s not a wrapper riding on top of someone else’s model. It’s a full AI platform in its own right, offering conversational chat, image generation, video generation, private search, and its own agent marketplace, built to stand alongside names like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude rather than orbit around them.
The presale is structured in 10 batches, with the price stepping up at each stage. Batch 1 is open right now at $0.0005 per token, a 50x discount to the confirmed $0.025 launch price. The earlier a batch is bought into, the larger the theoretical multiple to launch, and Batch 1 alone carries a 50x path to listing, 9 batches ahead of where the presale eventually closes. That structure mirrors exactly what early infrastructure investors couldn’t get in 2023: a seat at the table before the breakout moment, not after it.
Token supply is fixed at 150 billion, with no additional minting planned after launch, and only 1% of that supply is set aside for the team. The rest flows to presale participants and to the community that will actually use the platform once it’s live. It’s the kind of allocation that signals a project built around its users first. This is exactly the kind of early window people are searching for when they look for the next 1000x AI crypto, a token priced before the market has had any real chance to weigh in.
Bittensor: A Mature Project Built Around Scarcity Bittensor has spent the past year building its case around supply. The network capped its total token count at 21 million and completed its first halving in December 2025, cutting new token issuance in half. Bittensor ran its first halving on Dec. 12, 2025, cutting daily emissions from 7,200 to 3,600 TAO against a fixed 21 million cap, the same hard-cap design Bitcoin uses.
TAO daily price chart — June 30 | Source: crypto.news
Roughly 70% of the circulating supply is staked, locking away a large share of the tokens in circulation. It’s a well-established, actively used decentralized machine learning network, and TAO remains one of the most recognized names in AI crypto. Like most projects with a multi-year track record, its price today reflects a market that has already had time to study it closely.
Render: Real Infrastructure, Growing By the Week Render connects people who need computing power for AI and rendering work with people who have GPUs sitting idle. The network recently expanded its capacity significantly, adding roughly 60,000 GPUs through a new partnership with Salad Technologies, approved through the project’s own governance process. It’s a genuine, functioning piece of AI infrastructure with real usage behind it.
Prices across the AI token sector dipped together this week amid a broader market pullback. A detailed market piece describes native DeFi, AI, and privacy tokens, including FET, TAO, RENDER, ZEC, and XMR, all falling as risk appetite faded across the board. which is normal for an established asset trading through short-term market cycles.
The Bottom Line Bittensor and Render are two of the strongest, most established names building AI infrastructure on-chain today, and both are worth understanding on their own terms. Stargate LLM offers something different: a chance to get positioned at the very start of a project’s story, at Batch 1 pricing, before the market has set the price at all.
For anyone comparing the two paths, established infrastructure with a known track record or an early presale window still ahead of its own chart, both are real ways to be part of the AI crypto trade. They’re just at different points on the same road, and Stargate LLM is at the very beginning of its own.
Explore Stargate LLM:
Website: stargate.org
Buy: own.stargate.com
Telegram: https://t.me/StargatellmOfficial
Twitter/X: https://x.com/stargatellm
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SAN FRANCISCO, July 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE: BTU) faces a securities class action lawsuit related to surprise disclosures the company made to investors on March 30 and May 5, 2026 about problems with its flagship metallurgical coal asset (“Centurion”).
The lawsuit seeks to represent investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares of Peabody common stock between October 14, 2024 and May 4, 2026.
Between March 27 (the trading day before the first cryptic disclosure) and the May 5, 2026 fuller disclosure, investors saw the price of Peabody shares crumble $14.50 (-36%). Accordingly, the severe market reactions upon the company’s revelations support national shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman’s investigation into legal claims that Peabody and its co-defendants violated the federal securities laws.
The firm encourages Peabody investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.
Class Period: Oct. 14, 2024 – May 4, 2026
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Aug. 24, 2026
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/btu
Contact the Firm Now: [email protected]
844-916-0895
Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) Securities Class Action:
Peabody characterizes itself as a leading producer of metallurgical and thermal coal and has promoted Centurion, its underground longwall metallurgical coal mine in Queensland, Australia. According to the company, the mine commenced full-scale production in February 2026.
The litigation is focused on the propriety of Peabody’s statements about Centurion’s operational status and production capabilities.
For example, Peabody’s management informed investors on February 5, 2026 that “the team was installing the very last shield and putting the finishing touches on the Centurion Mine[,]” and “our team is charged up and has started mining some of the best metallurgical coal in the world.” The company and its management also assured investors that Centurion is “going to ramp up probably about 700,000 tons in Q1, about 1 million to 1.1 million tons in Q2 and Q3, and then it’ll fall back down in Q4 as we have a longwall move.” In response, the market rewarded these statements by sending the price of Peabody shares up about 7.8% the next day.
Just a few weeks later, on March 30, 2026, Peabody filed a current report with the SEC and abruptly disclosed that Centurion “is expected deliver approximately 250,000 tons in the first quarter[.]” In other words, the company slashed Centurion production by about 64%. The news sent the price of Peabody shares down almost 10%.
Then, on May 5, 2026, Peabody reported its Q1 2026 financial results. Of particular concern pertaining to Centurion, management revealed the truth about why it slashed the mine’s Q1 production assurance.
Despite telling investors in February that it was mining Centurion and would produce 700,000 tons in Q1, a new narrative emerged – “as part of our commissioning in February, we encountered temporary mechanical and electrical issues” – and “[a]s a result, our full year sales outlook for Centurion is now 2.5 million tons compared to our original expectation of 3.5 million tons.” This full year 28% reduction helped send the price of Peabody shares down nearly 6%.
“We’re focused on whether Peabody and its management were sufficiently transparent about Centurion’s operational capabilities during the Class Period and, if not, whether they violated federal securities laws,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation.
If you invested in Peabody Energy and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm’s investigation, submit your losses now.
If you’d like more information and answers to other frequently asked questions about the Peabody case and the firm’s investigation, read more.
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Peabody Energy should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
Every AI accelerator that lands in a hyperscaler data center starts as software running on tools from a small club of vendors. Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS | CDNS Price Prediction) sits at the center of that club, and the numbers show what the AI buildout is doing to its business.
An AI Chip Design Tollbooth Cadence’s Q1 FY2026 report, filed April 27, 2026, showed revenue of $1.474 billion, up 18.7% year over year, with non-GAAP EPS of $1.96 against a $1.89 consensus. Backlog hit a record $8.0 billion, with $4.0 billion expected to convert within twelve months. Management raised FY2026 revenue guidance to $6.125 billion to $6.225 billion.
CEO Anirudh Devgan framed the demand picture bluntly: "Cadence had a strong start to 2026 with accelerating AI demand and disciplined execution, delivering one of the best Q1s in the company’s history." On the mechanics of agentic AI expanding tool consumption, he added: "When an agent runs, it explores many more variations than a human would. For example, if a chip has 100 blocks, humans might run one or two experiments per block, but an agent may try 10 or 100 variations."
Powering NVIDIA’s Silicon NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is the customer that best illustrates the flywheel. NVIDIA’s Q1 FY2027 revenue reached $81.615 billion, up 85.23% year over year, with Data Center revenue of $75.246 billion. Jensen Huang described the moment as "the largest infrastructure expansion in human history." Cadence expanded that relationship as well, with Devgan noting an "expanded partnership on AI and robotics with NVIDIA" spanning chip design, physical AI systems, and hyperscale AI factories.
The AI Investor Portfolio, run by Eric Bleeker, holds Cadence as an active recommendation, part of a broader thesis that "colleges aren’t going to be able to graduate 10 times as many designers for chips", forcing customers to lean on AI-augmented EDA software.
How It Stacks Up Against Synopsys The obvious peer is Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS), whose Q2 FY2026 revenue jumped 41.9% year over year, boosted by the ~$35 billion Ansys deal. Investor reception has diverged sharply this year. Cadence is up 19.37% year to date to $373.14, while Synopsys is down 6.93%.
Valuation is the counterweight. Cadence trades at a trailing P/E of 87 and forward P/E of 48, with analysts carrying an average target of $388.78 and 22 Buy or Strong Buy ratings against 3 Holds. With FY2026 guidance calling for Cadence to hit the "Rule of 60 for the first time," the AI-chip tollbooth thesis is showing up cleanly in the operating numbers.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Cadence Design Systems didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Did MongoDB, Inc. Insiders Breach their Fiduciary Duties to Shareholders? PR Newswire
NEW YORK, July 3, 2026
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm to discuss their rights and options at no cost or obligation. We would handle any matter on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses.
Shareholders should contact the firm immediately as there may be limited time to enforce your rights.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating whether certain officers and directors of MongoDB, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDB) breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders.
If you currently own MongoDB stock and are a long-term shareholder, you may be able to seek corporate governance reforms, the return of funds back to the company, a court-approved financial incentive award, or other relief and benefits. Please click here to learn more about your legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or [email protected] or [email protected].
Why Your Participation Matters:
Shareholder involvement can help improve a company's policies, practices, and oversight mechanisms to create a more transparent, accountable, and effectively managed organization, which can enhance shareholder value.
Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP
CEO Buys, CFO Buys: Stocks that are bought by their CEO/CFOs. Insider Cluster Buys: Stocks that multiple company officers and directors have bought. Double Buys: Companies that both Gurus and Insiders are buying Triple Buys: Companies that both Gurus and Insiders are buying, and Company is buying back.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) securities between June 25, 2025 and March 10, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), have until Monday, July 27, 2026 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the AeroVironment class action lawsuit. Captioned Norrell v. AeroVironment, Inc., No. 26-cv-01429 (E.D. Va.), the AeroVironment class action lawsuit charges AeroVironment as well as certain of AeroVironment's top current and former executive officers with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the AeroVironment class action lawsuit, please provide your information here:
You can also contact attorneys Ken Dolitsky or Michael Albert of Robbins Geller by calling 800/851-7783 or via e-mail at [email protected].
CASE ALLEGATIONS: AeroVironment designs, develops, produces, delivers, and supports a portfolio of robotic systems and related services for government agencies and businesses. The AeroVironment class action lawsuit alleges on May 1, 2025, AeroVironment announced it had completed the acquisition of BlueHalo, LLC, which had previously been awarded a contract to support the U.S. Space Force's Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource ("SCAR") program. The SCAR program represents the U.S. Space Force's efforts to modernize antennas used by the Satellite Control Network ("SCN"), which is comprised of 19 fixed antennas across the world and executes tasks such as tracking satellites, transmitting signals, and conducting telemetry, or accessing data from satellites to assess their status and health, according to the complaint.
The AeroVironment class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) AeroVironment understated the likelihood that it would imminently face competition from other vendors for the work it performed in connection with the SCAR program and the U.S. Space Force's ongoing efforts to modernize the SCN; and (ii) accordingly, defendants overstated AeroVironment's business and financial prospects.
The AeroVironment class action lawsuit further alleges that on January 20, 2026, AeroVironment announced that the U.S. government had issued a stop work order on AeroVironment's agreement to deliver BADGER systems to the SCAR program. In the same announcement, AeroVironment allegedly stated that the stop work order "allows for the parties to negotiate an amended agreement for the future of the SCAR program" and that "[t]he Company expects to continue to deliver capabilities and products for the SCAR program." On this news, the price of AeroVironment stock fell nearly 16%, according to the complaint.
Then, on March 2, 2026, SpaceNews allegedly reported that the U.S. Space Force was reopening the SCAR program and "reassessing how to move forward." Space News quoted Colonel Owen Stevens, director of contracting at the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, which supervised SCAR, as stating: "We have been in conversations with the SAE [senior acquisition executive] for a little while now, and we are going to move into a new acquisition strategy for SCAR," the complaint alleges. On this news, the price of AeroVironment stock fell more than 17%, according to the complaint.
Finally, on March 10, 2026, the complaint alleges that AeroVironment announced its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026. Among other items, AeroVironment allegedly reported a third-quarter operating loss of $179.0 million, compared to an operating loss of $3.1 million for the same period in fiscal year 2025. These financial results reflected the impact of a $151.3 million goodwill impairment in AeroVironment's space division after the stop work order on AeroVironment's BADGER systems built for the SCAR program, according to the AeroVironment class action lawsuit. AeroVironment also allegedly reported that the U.S. Space Force had terminated AeroVironment's contract concerning the SCAR program, and as a result, it would have to "recompete" for the SCAR program. On this news, the price of AeroVironment stock fell more than 6%, the complaint alleges.
THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired AeroVironment securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the AeroVironment class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the AeroVironment class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the AeroVironment class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the AeroVironment class action lawsuit.
ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world's leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud and shareholder rights litigation. Our Firm ranked #1 on the most recent ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report, recovering more than $916 million for investors in 2025. This marks our fourth #1 ranking in the past five years. And in those five years alone, Robbins Geller recovered $8.4 billion for investors – $3.4 billion more than any other law firm. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs' firms in the world, and the Firm's attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest ever – $7.2 billion – in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information:
Key Takeaways Haemonetics' Plasma franchise returned to growth, with fiscal Q4 revenues rising 3% to $130 million. HAE's NexSys PCS system is seeing strong uptake and is expected to support future growth. Haemonetics faces concerns from $1.22B in long-term debt and intense manual and automated competition. Haemonetics Corporation’s (HAE - Free Report) impressive Plasma franchise is poised to drive growth in the upcoming quarters. The robust uptake of the NexSys PCS system bodes well for its long-term growth. However, a debt-burdened balance sheet and fierce competitive pressure remain concerns for HAE’s operations.
In the past year, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s shares have lost 2.4% compared with the industry’s decline of 29.5%. The S&P 500 composite has grown 22.8% in the same time frame.
The global provider of blood and plasma supplies and services has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion. HAE beat on earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 6.6%.
Let us delve deeper.
Haemonetics’ Key UpsidesPotential Growth Drivers for the Plasma Franchise: Haemonetics’ Plasma business unit focuses on the collection of source plasma for pharmaceutical manufacturers using apheresis devices that only collect plasma. In fiscal 2025, Haemonetics signed new long-term agreements with BioLife and Grifols, reinforcing its continued close partnership and highlighting its ability to bring innovation to plasma collections.
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the Plasma franchise returned to growth with revenues of $130 million, up 3% on a reported basis and 13% on an organic basis (excluding CSL). Plasma momentum continued with growth driven by category leadership, differentiated innovation, and strong market fundamentals. Its share of U.S. plasma collections grew in the high single digits in fiscal 2026, along with double-digit growth in Europe.
NexSys PCS System Continues to Thrive: Haemonetics’ FDA-cleared, NexSys PCS (plasma collection system) is designed to increase plasma yield collections, improve productivity in customers’ centers, enhance the overall donor experience and provide safe and reliable collections that will become life-changing medicines for patients. Haemonetics received 510(k) clearance for the NexSys PCS Plasma Collection System with Persona PLUS technology. The company’s full transition from the PCS2 devices to the latest NexSys with Persona Technology should drive meaningful improvements in the upcoming quarters.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Haemonetics’ Key DownsidesWeak Solvency: Haemonetics exited the fiscal fourth quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $245.4 million and short-term debt & current maturities of $5 million on its balance sheet. The long-term debt at the end of the fiscal fourth quarter was $1.22 billion, indicating a highly leveraged balance sheet. Debt-to-capital ratio was 50.2%, while times interest earned ratio was 5.5 at the quarter’s end, down 5.5 sequentially.
Competitive Landscape: Haemonetics operates in a very competitive environment, both for manual and automated systems. Slower-than-expected product adoption by customers, especially the American Red Cross, might reduce the company’s revenues and profit.
HAE’s Estimate TrendThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings has moved south 1 cent to $5.22 per share in the past 30 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $1.40 billion, which indicates a 4.9% decrease from the year-ago reported number.
Key PicksSome better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Globus Medical (GMED - Free Report) , Integra LifeSciences (IART - Free Report) and Phibro Animal Health (PAHC - Free Report) .
Globus Medical has an earnings yield of 5.5%, well ahead of the industry’s negative 3% yield. Its earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 26.3%. The company’s shares have rallied 43.8% against the industry’s 4.8% decline over the past year.
GMED carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Integra LifeSciences, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has an earnings yield of 16% against the industry’s negative 3% yield. Shares of the company have gained 22.8% compared with the industry’s 4.8% growth. IART’s earnings topped estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.8%.
Phibro Animal Health, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has an earnings yield of 9.2% compared with the industry’s 2.8% yield. Shares of the company have climbed 43.1% against the industry’s 27.9% decline. PAHC’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.3%.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in ABT over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Key Takeaways Lockheed Martin emerges as leading candidate to purchase Ultra Maritime from Advent International for approximately $3.5 billion Announcement potentially coming during the week of July 7 Target company focuses on anti-submarine warfare systems, supplying torpedo-detection technology to U.S. and UK naval forces Shares of LMT dropped more than 1.4% in extended trading after the news broke Deal remains unfinalized with multiple competing bidders still participating in the auction process Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has positioned itself as the frontrunner to purchase Ultra Maritime, a specialized naval defense company currently owned by private equity firm Advent International, in a transaction valued at approximately $3.5 billion, the Financial Times reported.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, LMT
Following the report’s publication, LMT shares declined over 1.4% during after-hours trading Wednesday evening. The stock had previously gained 4.62% during the regular session, closing at $545.91.
Advent International created Ultra Maritime by separating it from its broader Cobham Ultra holdings — a portfolio the private equity firm assembled through two significant United Kingdom transactions: acquiring Cobham through a £4 billion privatization in 2019, followed by purchasing Ultra Electronics for £2.6 billion in 2022.
The company specializes in undersea warfare capabilities, manufacturing detection buoys engineered to identify submarines and torpedoes. Its client roster includes both the United States Navy and the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.
Negotiations continue without a finalized agreement in place. Sources familiar with the matter told the FT that a public announcement might arrive during the week beginning July 7.
Advent International refused to provide comment. Lockheed Martin has not yet responded to inquiries seeking statement.
Business Synergies Lockheed’s existing Rotary and Mission Systems division already provides naval clients with sensor technology, sonar equipment, and integrated combat systems. Acquiring Ultra Maritime’s capabilities would strengthen its underwater warfare portfolio.
With a market capitalization hovering around $110 billion, a $3.5 billion acquisition represents a significant but digestible transaction for Lockheed — strategic in nature rather than transformational.
Multiple competing bidders continue pursuing the opportunity. The FT emphasized that the sales process remains an active competitive auction, leaving open the possibility that a rival contender could submit a superior proposal. The identities of alternative bidders have not been disclosed.
Compliance Challenges The proposed transaction will likely encounter a complicated regulatory approval process. Given Ultra Maritime’s British origins and its supply relationship with the Royal Navy, the deal will probably face examination under the United Kingdom’s National Security and Investment Act.
U.S. oversight through the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) also represents a consideration due to the international nature of the technology and its defense applications.
The Financial Times report did not specify Lockheed’s intended financing approach for the purchase. Lockheed has traditionally funded smaller acquisitions through a combination of borrowed capital and cash generated from operations.
Shareholders will seek transparency regarding how a $3.5 billion expenditure might impact share repurchase programs and dividend distributions.
Bloomberg previously disclosed that Advent initiated the sale process for Ultra Maritime earlier in the current year.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman (HBSS), a securities litigation leader, is broadening its investigation into Verra Mobility Corp. (NASDAQ: VRRM) following the company's disclosure of an abrupt leadership transition. The news comes in the wake of a securities action suit stemming from the catastrophic loss of a major contract.
VRRM Investors Submit Your Losses Now to HBSS
Class Period: Feb. 24, 2026 – May 26, 2026
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Aug. 4, 2026
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/vrrm
Contact the Firm Now: [email protected]
844-916-0895
Leadership Vacuum
On June 1, 2026, Verra Mobility announced that long-time CEO David Roberts has abruptly stepped down, ending a 12-year tenure. This departure follows a volatile period for the company, initiated by the unexpected termination of a key contract with Avis Budget Group—a move that wiped out approximately $1.4 billion in shareholder value.
The Board of Directors has appointed former Chief Transformation and Legal Officer Jon Keyser as interim President and CEO while retaining a global search firm for a permanent replacement. Hagens Berman is investigating whether the departure is causally related to the allegations in the securities class action suit.
Verra Mobility Corporation (VRRM) Securities Class Action:
The complaint alleges Verra made false and misleading statements and did not disclose important information to investors about the true state of the Verra/Avis relationship and the likelihood of Verra receiving an Avis contract renewal.
The truth allegedly emerged on May 26, 2026, when Verra disclosed that it received a termination notice effective September 2026 from Avis regarding the companies’ contract, that it is taking immediate actions to cut costs, adapt operations, and reposition its business, and revised its 2026 outlook that significantly deviated from that given just twenty days prior.
Verra also revealed that it was reviewing the parties’ negotiations and handling of confidential information.
The news promptly sent the price of Verra shares 70% crashing lower on May 27, 2026, amputating $1.4 billion from the company’s market capitalization in a single day.
View our latest video summary of the allegations: youtu.be/FVEw5XACoGA
“Our investigation is focused on the extent to which and when Verra and its executives knew that renegotiations with Avis were far from constructive, as the May 26 surprise reveals,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation.
If you invested in Verra and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm’s investigation, submit your losses now.
If you’d like more information and answers to other frequently asked questions about the Verra case and the firm’s investigation, read more.
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Verra should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
Key Takeaways MU, CRDO and SNX qualified from more than 7,685 stocks using profitability screens.Micron posted a 55.9% net profit margin and expects 791% earnings growth this year.Credo reported a 35.4% net profit margin and projects 72.8% earnings growth this year. July trading has begun on a mixed note, but it has traditionally been one of the strongest months for U.S. equities. This seasonal strength presents an opportunity for astute investors to consider stocks that offer strong upside potential.
When identifying such opportunities, investors should focus on companies that consistently generate profits after accounting for both operating and non-operating expenses. Consequently, businesses with a proven track record of consistent profitability tend to be more attractive than those operating at a loss.
To evaluate profitability, investors often turn to accounting ratios that measure a company’s bottom-line performance. On that note, Micron Technology, Inc. (MU - Free Report) , Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (CRDO - Free Report) and TD SYNNEX Corporation (SNX - Free Report) stand out as the top profitable picks, backed by strong net income ratios and meaningful upside potential.
Understanding the Net Income Ratio in Simple TermsThe net income ratio indicates a company's profitability. It reflects the percentage of net income relative to total sales revenue. Using the net income ratio, one can determine a firm’s effectiveness at covering operating and non-operating expenses with revenues. A higher net income ratio usually implies a company’s ability to generate sufficient revenues and manage all business functions effectively.
Finding Winning Stocks With Research WizardThe net income ratio is not the only indicator of future winners. So, we have added a few more criteria to arrive at a winning strategy.
Zacks Rank Equal to #1: Whether the market is good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of outperformance. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Trailing 12-Month Sales and Net Income Growth Higher than X Industry: Stocks that have witnessed higher-than-industry sales and net income growth in the past 12 months are positioned to perform well.
Trailing 12-Month Net Income Ratio Higher than X Industry: A high net income ratio indicates a company’s solid profitability.
Percentage Rating Strong Buy greater than 70: This indicates that 70% of the current broker recommendations for the stock are Strong Buy.
These few parameters have narrowed the universe of more than 7,685 stocks to only 14.
Here are three of the 14 stocks that qualified for the screening:
Micron Technology Micron Technology is a global provider of memory and storage products. MU’s 12-month net profit margin is 55.9%. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 791% (read more: Missed NVIDIA's 900% Run? Micron Could Be AI's Next Big Winner).
Credo Technology Credo Technology offers high-speed connectivity solutions for Ethernet and PCIe applications worldwide. The 12-month net profit margin of CRDO is 35.4%. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 72.8%.
TD SYNNEX TD SYNNEX is a leading global IT distributor and solutions aggregator. SNX’s 12-month net profit margin is 1.6%. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 43.1%.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 3, 2026) - WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Calix, Inc. (NYSE: CALX) between January 28, 2026 and April 21, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important July 27, 2026 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Calix securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Calix class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/calix-inc/join or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 27, 2026. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered billions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Calix's first quarter margins had significantly benefited from advanced purchasing of memory components; (2) Calix's advanced supply of memory components was dwindling; (3) as a result, Calix was experiencing negative margin pressure as it was forced to purchase memory components at rising market prices; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about Calix's margins, business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Calix class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/cases/calix-inc/join or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/303844
Source: The Rosen Law Firm PA
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GitLab (NASDAQ:GTLB | GTLB Price Prediction) sits in an awkward but strategic corner of the AI software boom: it owns the DevSecOps control plane where enterprise code gets written, tested, secured, and shipped, yet the market has treated it like a laggard. Shares closed at $32.07 on July 2, 2026, down 14.55% year-to-date and 28.95% over the past year, even after a 16.66% one-week rebound.
The Fundamentals Say the Business Is Accelerating Q1 FY27, reported June 2, 2026, delivered revenue of $264.16 million, up 23.15% year-over-year, with non-GAAP EPS of $0.23, GitLab’s ninth consecutive EPS beat. Free cash flow reached $146.73 million, customers over $100K ARR climbed to 1,519, and dollar-based net retention held at 117%. Management guided FY27 revenue to $1.112 to $1.118 billion.
The tradeoff: GitLab is cutting roughly 14% of its workforce, about 350 people, and exiting 22 countries, with $30 to $35 million in pre-tax restructuring charges.
The AI Positioning CEO Bill Staples framed the thesis directly: "GitLab is the only platform that spans the full software lifecycle with one control plane, one data model, and cloud and AI model neutrality." The GitLab Duo Agent Platform now integrates with Anthropic’s Claude models, Amazon Bedrock, and Google Cloud Vertex AI, with agentic code reviews extended to free-tier users.
On the AI Investor Podcast, "GitLab provides the hosting and history of code, testing of code, running the code, securing the code, deploying the code", framing it as an ideal substrate for AI coding agents. Eric Bleeker holds GTLB as an active recommendation in The AI Investor Portfolio, though he has been candid, calling it "most disappointing stock in the portfolio… We’re going to leave as is, despite the potential."
The Competitive Frame: Microsoft and Atlassian The elephant is Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), owner of GitHub and Copilot. Microsoft’s AI business hit an annual run rate above $37 billion, up 123% year-over-year, though the stock is down 18.9% YTD. Collaboration rival Atlassian (NASDAQ:TEAM) has fared worse, off 48.29% YTD to $83.84, despite Q3 revenue growth of 31.7%. GitLab’s single-platform pitch, one data model spanning plan-to-production, differentiates it from GitHub’s code-centric footprint and Atlassian’s workflow suite.
What to Watch Analysts carry an average target of $33.61 with 7 Buys, 17 Holds, and 2 Strong Sells, and shares trade at a forward P/E of 38x and 5.36x trailing sales. The near-term test is whether Duo Agent Platform seat expansion offsets restructuring noise in Q2, when GitLab guided revenue to $272 to $274 million.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and GitLab didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
The decline in MP Materials (MP 1.86%) stock in June comes down to China, but perhaps not in the way you might think. The stock fell 13.4% in June, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, with much of the decline occurring after China added MP Materials to its list of companies subject to export controls. Here's the lowdown.
MP Materials and China The company's exposure to political risk around China is multifaceted. On the one hand, it has substantive upside potential from ongoing geopolitical tension with the country. After all, it's the need to diversify the U.S. away from reliance on rare earth materials and magnets from China that's largely behind the U.S. government's support for the company.
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And that support is a key part of the stock's investment case. As part of the partnership agreed last summer, the Department of Defense invested $400 million in the company, provided a $150 million loan, and assisted banks in arranging $1 billion in financing. On top of all of this, the DoD entered a 10-year pricing floor agreement for MP Materials products and "agreed to ensure that 100% of the magnets produced at the 10X Facility will be purchased by defense and commercial customers with shared upside."
These actions secured the company's future and financial position, allowing investment to proceed in its 10X facility being built in Northlake, Texas.
That strengthening of its financial position and ability to service customers encouraged Apple to sign a $500 million long-term supply agreement, therefore ensuring a key American business has access to domestically sourced and produced rare earth magnets.
Image source: Getty Images.
The downside risk from China While MP Materials doesn't directly buy or sell to China, the country's export products blacklist does impact it significantly. The export ban doesn't only apply to direct exports from China to MP Materials, it also applies to companies who then sell Chinese products to MP Materials.
In addition, if, say, a rare earth processing equipment company uses Chinese-made components and then sells the finished product to MP Materials, it may be banned from doing so by the Chinese government. Given China's dominance in rare earth materials and magnet production and its pre-eminence in global manufacturing, it's highly likely that the ban will impact MP Materials.
As such, being on the export blacklist has significant secondary ramifications for MP Materials, which is why investor enthusiasm for the stock cooled in June.
Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends MP Materials. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Music streaming platform Spotify has reached out to Kalshi and Polymarket, requesting that they remove its logo from their platforms. This follows a scandal involving artificial streams used to settle a prediction market on Kalshi.
Spotify Request Removal of Logo From Kalshi and Polymarket According to a Bloomberg report, the music streaming platform has asked Kalshi and Polymarket to remove its logo and clarify that neither has a partnership with it. This comes after the company identified manipulation of music rankings tied to prediction markets.
Spotify reportedly identified and removed over 500,000 artificial streams that had made Malcolm Todd’s song “Earrings” one of the most popular on its charts. Kalshi notably settled a prediction market based on these artificial streams. The market in question was for the most frequently streamed Spotify song in the U.S. for last month.
This comes amid increased scrutiny of prediction markets, with concerns of market manipulation and insider trading. As CoinGape reported, prediction market Polymarket is facing a broad CFTC probe amid allegations that the platform paid online creators to create fake bets and winnings.
Meanwhile, state regulators continue to crack down on these prediction markets, claiming that they operate as unlicensed sports betting platforms. At the same time, the CFTC has sued several states to defend its exclusive jurisdiction over the platforms.
Top Kalshi Trader Calls Out Kalshi Top Kalshi trader Caleb Davies called out the prediction market platform for settling the market based on artificial streams, despite urging them to investigate, as there were many plausible reasons Malcolm Todd’s timely surge on Spotify was not due to artificial boosting.
Kalshi did pay out the market based on fraudulent results right after sending me an email stating that there are many plausible reasons that Malcolm Todd’s timely surge was not due to artificial boosting. This is, of course, total bullshit. pic.twitter.com/vnbFCnfzJN
— Gaeten Dugas (@GaetenD) July 1, 2026
The trader, who estimates to have made over $1 million on Kalshi, accused the prediction market platform of being well aware of the fraud taking place in the Spotify market. “Yet they continue to provide liquidity rewards, including in one of the targeted strikes. Is it so important to Kalshi to collect fees that they provide an incentive in fraudulent markets?” he said.
It is worth noting that the top prediction market platform, Polymarket, also offers Spotify markets. This explains why the streaming platform reached out to both prediction markets, as these markets may incentivize traders to artificially boost the streams in a bid to win their bets.
Amid this development, the CFTC is proposing new rules for prediction markets to address concerns about insider trading and market manipulation. The regulator has already requested comment on these proposed rules, with a deadline of July 31.
Key Takeaways Levi Strauss likely benefited from omnichannel initiatives, brand strength and growth in its DTC business. LEVI expected Q2 reported revenue growth of 4-5% and adjusted EBIT margin of 8-9%. Levi Strauss continued to face supply-chain, inflation and foreign exchange pressures on profitability. Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI - Free Report) is likely to register top and-bottom line growth when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on July 8, before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $1.52 billion, which indicates a rise of 4.8% from the year-ago quarter’s level.
The consensus estimate for quarterly earnings has been stable over the past 30 days at 24 cents per share and indicates a rise of 9.1% from the year-earlier quarter’s tally.
The company has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.4%. It delivered an earnings surprise of 13.5% in the last reported quarter.
Factors Likely to Influence LEVI’s Q2 ResultsLevi Strauss’ quarterly performance is likely to have benefited from omnichannel initiatives and brand strength, including jeanswear. The company has been strengthening its omni capabilities, including Buy Online, Pick-up in Store, line-queuing, same-day delivery, mobile checkout and return capabilities, including contactless returns. This ensures a seamless shopping experience for customers across online and offline channels.
The company is expanding its premium product offerings to attract higher-income consumers while maintaining value-oriented options for price-conscious shoppers. At the same time, Levi Strauss is streamlining its brand portfolio by placing greater emphasis on its flagship Levi's brand and other high-growth categories. The company continues to elevate its brands, invest in digital capabilities and diversify across geographies, product categories and distribution channels. These strategic initiatives, coupled with the strength of its direct-to-consumer business, are likely to have supported its quarterly performance. Such strengths, along with its solid direct-to-consumer business, are likely to have bolstered the quarterly performance.
On its last earnings call, management had expected reported revenues to grow in the range of 4-5% for the second quarter and organic growth of 3-4%. The company’s mitigation efforts are likely to have fully offset the tariff impacts. It had anticipated an adjusted EBIT margin in the range of 8-9%, with EPS of 22-24 cents.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is currently pegged at $785 million for Americas, $424 million for Europe and $275 million for Asia, indicating respective increases of 4.9%, 5.2% and 6.6% year over year.
However, a challenging operating backdrop, including supply-chain disruptions, inflationary pressures and foreign currency translations, is likely to have been a concern. These headwinds, coupled with deleveraged selling, general and administrative costs, are expected to have somewhat weighed on the company’s profitability. Management had earlier projected the gross margin to be slightly down owing to unfavorable foreign exchange.
What the Zacks Model PredictsOur proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for Levi Strauss this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Levi Strauss has an Earnings ESP of -3.36% and a Zacks Rank of 2.
Valuation Picture of LEVI StockWith a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30x, which is below the five-year high of 22.86x but above the Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry’s average of 14.33x, the stock is trading slightly higher than its industry. Additionally, the stock has a Value Score of B.
The recent market movements show that Levi’s shares have gained 14.6% in the past six months against the industry's 10% decline.
Stocks With The Favorable CombinationHere are a few companies, which according to our model, have the right combination of elements to come up with an earnings beat this reporting cycle:
Tapestry, Inc. (TPR - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.42% and a Zacks Rank of 1. TPR is likely to register a top and bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly EPS of $1.23 suggests an increase of 18.3% from the year-ago fiscal quarter’s reported number. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The consensus estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.87 billion, suggesting growth of 8.3% from the prior-year fiscal quarter’s reported figure. TPR has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.6%, on average.
Wingstop Inc. (WING - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.23% and a Zacks Rank of 3. WING is likely to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter 2026 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly EPS of $1.02 suggests an increase of 2% from the year-ago fiscal quarter’s reported number.
WING’s top line is expected to have improved from the prior-year fiscal quarter’s reported number. The consensus estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $190.3 million, suggesting growth of 9.1% from the prior-year fiscal quarter’s reported figure. WING has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17%, on average.
Designer Brands Inc. (DBI - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.09% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is expected to have registered a top-line increase when it reports second-quarter fiscal 2026 results. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $743 million, indicating a rise of 0.4% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly EPS of 25 cents suggests a drop of 26.5% from the year-ago quarter. DBI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 112.8%, on average.
TLDR Microsoft launched Frontier Company with a $2.5 billion investment. The new business will focus on enterprise AI deployments. The initiative will use 6,000 industry and engineering experts. Judson Althoff said the venture goes beyond the FDE model. Early partners include LSEG, Unilever, Land O’Lakes, and Accenture. Microsoft launched Microsoft Frontier Company with $2.5 billion to expand enterprise AI deployment work. Microsoft will use existing AI tools and assign 6,000 industry and engineering experts. The operating business will support large clients seeking results.
Dedicated AI Deployment Unit Microsoft said the Frontier Company will work with enterprises that need technical support. The unit will focus on deployments across existing platforms and client systems. It will also connect engineers with industry specialists for each project.
Judson Althoff, Microsoft commercial business CEO, separated the venture from common FDE models. “This goes beyond what has been labeled as Forward-Deployed Engineering,” Althoff said. He called it an outcome-driven engineering organization for clients.
Rivals Increase Spending On Similar AI Work The launch comes as major technology groups increase spending on enterprise AI delivery. Amazon Web Services announced a $1 billion AI deployment commitment two days earlier. Its project uses a Forward-Deployed Engineer model for customer work.
OpenAI and Anthropic have also started related ventures with investment partners. Those efforts show demand for practical AI integration across companies. However, Microsoft positioned its new unit as broader than standard deployment teams.
Microsoft Builds On Existing Corporate Relationships Microsoft already has engineers working with many Fortune 500 companies and institutions. That footprint may give the new business faster access to major clients. It may also shorten the time needed to identify projects.
Microsoft named London Stock Exchange Group, Unilever, Land O’Lakes, and Accenture as early partners. These partners cover finance, consumer goods, agriculture, and consulting services. Therefore, the Frontier Company starts with customers across different sectors.
Microsoft said the venture will match AI tools with specific operational needs. The company expects its teams to support complex deployments inside large organizations. The move increases competition as cloud and AI firms chase enterprise contracts.
Key Takeaways Applied Digital is expanding five AI campuses, with new capacity added at Polaris Forge 1.APLD raised billions in secured financing as capital spending continues to exceed operating cash flow.Applied Digital has over half of its 400-megawatt leased capacity still awaiting recurring lease revenues. Applied Digital (APLD - Free Report) continues an aggressive capital spending program as it expands its AI data center footprint across multiple campuses. APLD is simultaneously developing five AI Factory campuses, including Polaris Forge 1, Polaris Forge 2, Delta Forge 1 and Delta Forge 2. Construction of a fourth building at Polaris Forge 1 has already begun before the third building reaches full utilization. On July 1, 2026, Applied Digital placed Phase 1 of the second building at Polaris Forge 1 into service, adding 75 megawatts of operational capacity and taking the campus to 175 megawatts of live capacity. However, this remains well below the 400 megawatts already leased to CoreWeave under long-term agreements, leaving more than half of the contracted capacity yet to contribute recurring lease revenue.
To support this infrastructure expansion, Applied Digital continues to rely on project-level financing rather than internally generated cash flows. The company raised $1.59 billion through senior secured notes due 2031 to fund the fourth building at Polaris Forge 1, following an earlier $300 million bridge facility for the same project and a $2.15 billion senior secured notes offering for Polaris Forge 2. An additional debt tranche remains to be placed for Polaris Forge 1, suggesting financing requirements are likely to remain elevated as construction progresses across its development pipeline.
APLD's adjusted EBITDA was $44.1 million in the fiscal third quarter, while total debt stood at approximately $2.7 billion at the quarter’s end. The pace of capital deployment continues to outstrip current operating cash generation, leaving the company's expansion strategy heavily reliant on external financing. With several AI campuses still under construction and financing needs expected to remain elevated, Applied Digital is likely to remain in an investment-heavy phase until a larger portion of its contracted capacity begins generating recurring lease revenue and cash flows.
APLD Faces Stiff CompetitionApplied Digital competes with IREN Limited (IREN - Free Report) and TeraWulf (WULF - Free Report) in expanding AI infrastructure to serve hyperscale customers. Like Applied Digital, IREN continues investing in high-performance computing capacity, while TeraWulf is expanding its digital infrastructure through AI-focused data center projects. However, compared with IREN and TeraWulf, Applied Digital is pursuing a broader multi-campus expansion strategy, resulting in larger upfront capital commitments and greater reliance on external financing as new capacity is brought online.
APLD’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesApplied Digital shares have surged 34.8% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Finance sector’s decline of 9% and the Zacks Financial-Miscellaneous Services industry’s increase of 4.5%.
APLD Stock’s Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Applied Digital stock is trading at a forward 12-month price/sales of 12.06X compared with the broader sector’s 2.81X.
APLD’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 loss is pegged at 70 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. Applied Digital reported a loss of 80 cents per share in the previous year.
DLocal Limited still has a weak market sentiment around the stock, but increasingly bullish Wall Street recommendations could turn the sentiment around. The take rate has declined, implying limited pricing power, but also reflecting DLO's deliberate growth strategy. DLO's strategy's success is reflected in the company's earnings growth. Payment volume growth on the platform has only accelerated.
Cerebras (CBRS 7.31%), a producer of AI chips, went public at $185 per share on May 14. Its stock opened at $350, but it now trades at about $205. That's still 11% above its IPO price, but investors who chased its post-IPO gains are now underwater. Let's see why Cerebras' stock fizzled out -- and if it's worth buying today.
Image source: Getty Images.
What does Cerebras do? Cerebras doesn't produce small GPUs like Nvidia (NVDA 1.39%). Instead, it builds massive AI processors on a single silicon wafer without cutting them into individual chips. Cerebras chips are as big as dinner plates, while Nvidia's GPUs are the size of postage stamps.
Cerebras claims its bigger chips bypass the networking bottlenecks, data latency, and power constraints associated with connecting traditional GPU clusters. They also outperformed traditional GPU clusters in inference tasks (when applications accessed trained data). It generates its revenue by selling its wafer-scale processors and CS-3 systems, as well as providing customers with cloud-based access to its own wafers to run inference tasks.
Cerebras recently secured a multi-year $20 billion deal with OpenAI to deploy 750 megawatts of its wafer-scale inference systems. It's also integrating its CS-3 systems into Amazon (AMZN +0.55%) Web Services (AWS), the world's largest cloud infrastructure platform.
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How fast is Cerebras growing? Cerebras' core revenue (which excludes its "pass-through" revenue for passing the utility, power, and real estate costs paid by its customers to its data center landlords) surged 76% to $510 million in 2025. It expects that figure to rise 68%-70% to $855-$865 million in 2026.
Cerebras also has a backlog of $25 billion, which guarantees that its revenue will keep rising for the foreseeable future. However, its gross margins are shrinking because it's renting back some computing capacity from its own customers as it builds its own data centers. That pressure should ease as it expands its first-party infrastructure, but it will likely remain unprofitable.
With a market cap of $46.4 billion, Cerebras trades at 54 times this year's sales. But it also trades at just six times its projected revenue of $7.32 billion in 2028 -- which would represent a 143% three-year CAGR from 2025. Analysts also expect its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to turn positive in 2027 and 2028.
Is Cerebras' stock worth buying? Cerebras' strategy of building plate-sized chips and renting out its processing power sounds wild, but its massive backlog indicates it's on the right track. Its stock will remain volatile in this choppy market, but it's worth accumulating as a long-term play on the booming AI market.
Two members of Congress — Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif. — have disclosed that they or their family members bought SpaceX stock in the days after the company's historic initial public offering, according to publicly accessible House financial documents.
Meuser recently disclosed that his dependent child made a June 15 purchase of between $15,001 and $50,000 of stock in the company. According to financial disclosures, it was the first time in several years Meuser or one of his family members has bought stock in an individual company.
Cisneros disclosed a June 18 purchase of between $1,001 and $15,000 in SpaceX stock.
SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace and satellite company, went public on June 12 with a $2 trillion-plus market cap.
A spokesperson for Meuser did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
In a statement, Cisneros told CNBC that he does not personally manage his portfolio.
"My wife and I have always employed outside financial advisors who have a fiduciary responsibility to maintain a diverse portfolio. We do not manage the day-to-day trading of our investment portfolio, nor have we ever suggested a trade while serving in Congress or at the Department of Defense," said Cisneros, who was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness in 2021.
"Additionally, while serving in both the executive and legislative branches of the government, I have always complied with all rules and regulations regarding stock trading and financial disclosures. I will also continue to advocate for more ethics oversight of federally elected and politically appointed officials in regard to their financial portfolios," Cisneros' statement continued.
Members of Congress and their immediate family members are allowed to own and trade individual stocks as long as they comply with disclosure rules and do not use confidential information obtained through their official positions. There is no evidence Meuser or Cisneros traded on nonpublic information or violated any law.
The STOCK Act requires lawmakers to disclose transactions by themselves, their spouses and dependent children.
Still, the members' committee assignments make the trades politically sensitive. Meuser sits on the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over securities and exchanges, while Cisneros sits on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Defense Department, a major SpaceX customer.
The filings are also likely the tip of the iceberg of what's to emerge from financial disclosures in the following weeks, ethics watchdogs have previously told CNBC. Many expect a host of congresspeople on both sides of the aisle to have traded SpaceX's IPO.
SpaceX went public in June, raising roughly $75 billion in the largest IPO on record. Shares opened at $150 and quickly pushed the company's market value past $2 trillion, turning the listing into a test for public demand around Musk and artificial intelligence.
Musk and his companies have become increasingly important players in Republican politics and federal contracting.
The IPO was the opening shot in what could become a wave of massive public listings by private technology companies, some of which have been at the forefront of policy discussions in Washington, D.C. AI juggernaut Anthropic has confidentially filed for a U.S. IPO, and rival OpenAI followed soon after, targeting a valuation that could reach $1 trillion.
SpaceX shares closed at $162 on Thursday, up about 8% from their $150 opening price, but roughly 20% below their June 16 closing high of $201.80.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNBC previously found that Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., one of the House GOP's top leaders, had a family investment positioned to benefit from SpaceX's public debut after her husband bought as much as $250,000 in xAI before Musk folded the artificial intelligence company into SpaceX.
There is no evidence McClain knew about later government actions involving xAI or traded on nonpublic information.
"Chairwoman McClain's investments are a matter of public record," Joe Buccino, the House Republican Conference communications director, told CNBC in a statement in June. "They have been made in line with all House and applicable laws."
CNBC did not identify any other members of Congress with comparably clear direct stakes in SpaceX or in expected tech IPOs from companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, though private-company holdings can be difficult to trace.
Efforts to ban members of Congress from owning or trading individual stock have percolated for years, but have repeatedly fallen short.
House Republicans leaders vowed at the end of last year to bring to the floor a bill banning members from trading while in office. A similar Senate proposal advanced out of committee in July 2025. Neither chamber has taken further action on a congressional trading ban.
Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX +2.69%), better known as SpaceX, got off to a hot start after its IPO. From its initial trading price of $150, it rose over the course of a few days to an intraday high of $225.64. Then, after some of the initial hype died down and the company announced it was raising more money via a bond issue, the stock slumped. It has rebounded modestly in recent days, but as of Thursday, it was still about 30% off its all-time high.
So, is SpaceX a great stock to buy on the dip? Or should you be patient?
Image source: Getty Images.
SpaceX has a big valuation to grow into SpaceX may be one of the more misunderstood stocks in the market. If asked to describe what SpaceX does, many would likely say it launches reusable rockets to deliver payloads into space. While that's true, it doesn't fully capture the nature of the business.
The majority of SpaceX's revenue and growth comes from Starlink, which offers broadband internet connectivity via a constellation of orbiting satellites. The connectivity segment of SpaceX's business is also the most profitable. The space segment, which includes its rockets, accounts for only about 22% of revenue and 11% of profits. The third segment, AI, largely comes from xAI, another Elon Musk-owned company that it recently acquired. That segment generates revenue from anyone who uses the Grok artificial intelligence platform, as well as from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
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In 2025, SpaceX generated $18.7 billion in revenue and reported a net loss of $4.3 billion. While that lack of profitability is not the biggest concern, the reality is that SpaceX trades at a massive premium on a price-to-sales basis. With a $2.08 trillion market cap, SpaceX trades for 111 times 2025 sales. Valuations that high are normally reserved for companies that are doubling or tripling their revenue year over year. For 2026, the consensus forecast among Wall Street analysts is that SpaceX will bring in $36.9 billion in revenue. That still prices the stock at 56 times forward sales, which is very expensive for the growth the company is delivering.
This leads me to conclude that SpaceX stock is overvalued, based on its current business. That's important to note, because just like Musk's other public company, Tesla, SpaceX is now being priced based on its CEO's grand plans and promises of future growth.
Investors need to decide for themselves whether today's price is too high or worth the cost for a chance to profit on that potential. Even if the stock trades essentially flat from here, it may be years before SpaceX improves its financials enough to trade at a reasonable valuation. It's also possible that it never will. Until SpaceX can deliver results that match its vaunt, I'm going to stay on the sidelines.
Plus, I think it would be smart for investors to wait until they've seen a few quarterly earnings reports from the company before buying SpaceX stock, as they could reveal more information regarding how its businesses are performing and how management views its growth opportunities.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, XETRA:FB2A, SIX:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged shortcomings in Meta’s sweeping restructuring efforts during an internal town hall on Thursday, saying the company’s AI agent systems had not advanced as quickly as expected, according to a recording heard by Reuters.
Zuckerberg said the restructuring, which included major job cuts and a broad reassignment of employees toward artificial intelligence initiatives, had not been as “clean” as it could have been and that executives miscalculated the timing of the changes.
He added that Meta’s bets on the new organizational structure had “not come to fruition yet.”
The comments come after Meta in May laid off about 10% of its global workforce and shifted roughly 7,000 employees into AI-focused teams. The changes were part of a wider effort to free up resources for large-scale investments in AI infrastructure and to position the company to benefit from efficiency gains from AI-assisted work.
The restructuring prompted internal pushback and raised concerns among employees about morale, though Zuckerberg previously told staff he did not expect further companywide layoffs this year.
According to the recording, Zuckerberg said “the trajectory of the agentic development over at least the last four months hasn’t really accelerated in the way that we expected,” referring to AI agents, automated systems designed to perform tasks on behalf of users.
He said internal discussions earlier this year had been driven by concerns that Meta was not moving quickly enough to adapt. Zuckerberg added that executives had been “super optimistic” about tools such as Claude Code from AI startup Anthropic during the planning stages of the restructuring.
Despite the slower-than-expected progress, Zuckerberg said he anticipates Meta will begin seeing more meaningful benefits from its AI investments within the next three to six months.
Meta is projected to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure this year, part of a broader wave of spending by Big Tech companies that collectively exceeds $700 billion focused on artificial intelligence.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the report, according to Reuters.
Shares of Meta finished Thursday’s session down 5% at about $583.
Tesla Inc. TSLA expanded its robotaxi service to Miami on Friday, extending its autonomous ride-hailing operations.
The move comes as Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk increasingly emphasizes artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous transportation as key drivers of Tesla's future, alongside its electric vehicle business.
"Robotaxi now available in Miami," Tesla's official robotaxi account said in a post on X.
The Miami launch marks Tesla's latest step in broadening access to its robotaxi platform, which relies on the company's self-driving software.
Tesla launched its unsupervised robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June and later announced plans to expand the offering to Dallas and Houston.
The company has recently rolled out services in those cities as it seeks to increase adoption of its autonomous driving technology.
The expansion reflects Tesla's broader effort to commercialize self-driving transportation and build new revenue streams tied to artificial intelligence and robotics.
Musk said in May that he expects fully self-driving vehicles operating without human safety monitors to become more common across the United States later this year.
Tesla's latest expansion comes as competition in the autonomous ride-hailing sector continues to intensify.
Companies, including Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon's Zoox, have accelerated their own expansion efforts as the market for autonomous transportation develops.
While Tesla has expanded into additional cities, the scale of its robotaxi operations remains relatively limited compared with some rivals.
According to registration information submitted to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles under new state reporting requirements that took effect in May, Tesla currently operates 42 robotaxis in Texas.
The disclosure provides the clearest picture yet of the size of Tesla's autonomous fleet in the state, where the company launched its robotaxi service in Austin last year.
By comparison, Alphabet-owned Waymo has registered 577 automated vehicles in Texas, according to information published by the state, giving it a fleet more than 13 times larger than Tesla's.
Autonomous transportation remains a key component of Musk's effort to transform Tesla from primarily an electric vehicle manufacturer into a broader artificial intelligence and robotics company.
Tesla's robotaxi ambitions have become increasingly important to the company's investment narrative, with investors closely monitoring the pace of deployment and expansion.
The company also operates a rideshare service in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla said in April that it was preparing to expand its robotaxi operations to five additional cities.
However, Musk has cautioned that the network is unlikely to generate meaningful revenue for the company this year.
The Miami launch follows another positive development for Tesla this week.
On Thursday, the company reported second-quarter vehicle deliveries that exceeded Wall Street expectations, supported by a rebound in European demand.
The stock, however, ended the day deep in the red.
For years, CEO Elon Musk championed the opposite approach. Tesla built its reputation on a lean lineup, fewer configurations and manufacturing simplicity, arguing that limiting complexity was key to scaling production and protecting margins. The Model Y L suggests the company may now be willing to trade some of that simplicity for incremental growth.
Tesla on Thursday launched the long-wheelbase, six-seat Model Y L in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, featuring second-row captain’s chairs, a third row, up to 325 miles of range, a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a starting price of $61,990 for the Launch Series. Production has begun at Giga Texas, with deliveries expected to start in September.
Model Y L Expands Tesla’s Best SellerThe Model Y has become Tesla’s volume driver, and instead of waiting for a brand-new mass-market vehicle, the company is expanding the appeal of the model it already knows customers want.
Tesla, by contrast, has historically resisted flooding its lineup with variants, preferring to keep manufacturing streamlined and product offerings limited.
Tesla’s Strategy Starts to Look More Like Detroit’sThe Model Y L doesn’t mean Tesla is abandoning innovation. But it does suggest the company is becoming more pragmatic as EV demand matures and competition intensifies.
Instead of chasing growth solely through breakthrough products, Tesla appears increasingly focused on extracting more value from its existing lineup. Expanding the Model Y into a three-row family SUV allows the automaker to target a broader customer base without the cost and development timeline of launching an entirely new nameplate.
It’s a strategy that has worked well for legacy automakers, particularly in the profitable SUV segment, where multiple configurations often coexist under the same model family.
What Investors Should WatchWhether the Model Y L becomes a sales hit remains to be seen, but the bigger takeaway for investors may be Tesla’s evolving philosophy. If the company continues broadening its existing lineup with targeted variants instead of relying exclusively on all-new models, it could unlock additional demand while keeping capital spending in check.
More importantly, the launch suggests Tesla is entering a new phase—one where growth may come not just from inventing the next blockbuster vehicle, but from maximizing the one it already has.
Image via Shutterstock
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Key Takeaways Tesla delivered a record 480,126 vehicles in Q2 2026, but shares fell 7.5% on margin concerns. TSLA's long-term outlook includes robotics, AI, and energy storage despite execution risks.ETFs like TEXN provide diversified exposure to TSLA's upside. Electric vehicle (“EV”) giant Tesla (TSLA - Free Report) has delivered a record-breaking 480,126 vehicles in the second quarter of 2026, crushing Wall Street estimates of around 406,000 and marking a 25% year-over-year improvement. Yet, instead of celebrating, investors sent the stock down 7.5% on July 2, its worst single-day drop in nearly a year.
The decline highlights a critical market reality — investors remain deeply anxious over the company’s compressed automotive profit margins and high-pricing discounts utilized to secure those delivery numbers.
This sudden dip might tempt cautious investors to run away from Tesla. However, the company's diverse exposure to automotive, energy storage, robotaxis, humanoid robots, and infrastructure licensing gives it access to a combined addressable market of roughly $3.9 trillion by 2035, reinforcing its appeal as a long-term AI and robotics play, according to J.P. Morgan analyst Rajat Gupta.
Against this backdrop, a wiser strategy may be to pivot toward exchange-traded funds (ETFs). By allocating capital into ETFs that bundle Tesla with other industry giants, investors can still tap into the explosive potential of its burgeoning humanoid robotics segment without bearing the brunt of a single-stock crash.
Before identifying these ETFs, it's important to understand why Tesla retains strong long-term potential despite its recent slump, and why we advocate the relative safety of a diversified fund.
Tesla's Growth Prospects Beyond Just CarsThe stellar delivery figure comes as a much-needed breather for Tesla's EV segment, which had been facing a downturn due to intense competition from Chinese automakers like BYD and a consumer backlash against Elon Musk. In fact, last year TSLA saw a decline in its delivery numbers in most quarters, except the third quarter.
In addition to poor delivery figures, challenges such as the loss of a U.S. federal tax credit and rising competition have weighed on the company’s quarterly performance in the recent past.
However, the latest delivery figures show structural resilience of its vehicle business, a trend we witnessed in the first quarter as well.
Beyond cars, Tesla’s true long-term upside lies in its shift toward artificial intelligence (AI) and its humanoid robot, Optimus. CEO Elon Musk has heavily emphasized that the vast majority of Tesla's long-term enterprise value, nearly 80%, will stem from the robotics sector.
To this end, it is imperative to mention that as Tesla is converting its Model S/X production lines in Fremont to build Optimus robots, analysts at Counterpoint believe the automaker’s experience in scaling EV production could help it reach 100,000 Optimus units annually much faster than its early car programs, unlocking billions in potential revenue stream over the long run.
In addition, Tesla’s Energy Generation and Storage business remains a key diversification lever, led by Megapack and Powerwall, with the company’s energy storage deployments being 8.8 gigawatt-hour in the first quarter of 2026.
The Case in Favor of Diversification Via ETFsDespite the long-term growth opportunities that TSLA has to offer, many investors remain highly skeptical, the primary reason being the EV giant’s sky-high valuation.
With a forward 12-month Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio of nearly 173, the company is trading at almost 11 times the average of its peer group. This premium prices in the promise of robotics. However, many analysts have expressed severe concern over the actual timeline of the humanoid business, with reports indicating that the engineering timeline for Optimus faces monumental production friction.
Given the uncertainties of such execution risks, missed production targets, as well as fierce competition in the robotics space from established players like Boston Dynamics, gaining exposure to ETFs is an intelligent insulation strategy. Funds that feature Tesla among their top holdings offer robust exposure to any upside fueled by an Optimus breakthrough. They will shield you from unprecedented single-stock price shocks by balancing the portfolio with other highly profitable industry giants.
ETFs to ConsiderConsidering the aforementioned discussion, investors looking for significant Tesla exposure while enjoying the fruits of gains from other industry leaders via diversification may consider the following ETFs for their portfolio:
The Nightview Fund (NITE - Free Report)
This fund, with net assets worth $31.8 million, seeks long-term capital appreciation, with a goal of outperforming the S&P 500 Total Return Index over a rolling five-year period. It typically holds 15-25 securities that trade on U.S. exchanges. TSLA (with 13.8% weightage), NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) (8.6%), and Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) (8.1%) hold the first three positions in this fund.
NITE has soared 17.6% over the past year. The fund charges 125 basis points (bps) in fees.
This fund, with net asset value (NAV) of $53.61, seeks daily investment results equal to 200% of the performance of the seven largest Nasdaq-listed companies. NVDA (15.53%), Apple (15.32%), and Alphabet (15.8%) hold the first three positions in this fund. TSLA holds the sixth spot in this fund, with 12.44% weightage.
QQQU has rallied 18.1% over the past year. The fund charges 98 bps as fees.
This fund, with net assets worth $2.4 million, offers exposure to stocks of autonomous technology and robotics companies. TSLA (10.86%), Advanced Micro Devices (6.93%), and Teradyne (6.81%) hold the first three positions in this fund.
ARKQ surged 44.1% over the past year. The fund charges 75 bps as fees.
iShares Texas Equity ETF (TEXN - Free Report)
This fund, with net assets worth $16.5 million, offers exposure to 211 companies headquartered in the state of Texas. TSLA (10.84%), Exxon Mobil (9.79%), and Caterpillar Inc. (7.78%) hold the first three positions in this fund.
TEXN has soared 23.3% over the past year. The fund charges 20 bps as fees.
My Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO | KO Price Prediction) call is straightforward. After a 21.97% year-to-date run that has pushed shares to their 52-week high of $84.14, momentum, fundamentals, and defensive positioning all point higher. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Coca-Cola is $91.13, implying 8.31% upside over the next 12 months. The recommendation is buy with high confidence at 90%.
Metric Value Current Price $84.14 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $91.13 Upside 8.31% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Momentum Run Backed by a Guidance Raise Coca-Cola is up 4.63% in the last week, 8.01% over the past month, and 22.04% over the trailing year.
The catalyst was the Q1 2026 report on April 28, 2026, when KO delivered EPS of $0.86 against a $0.8123 estimate and revenue of $12.47B, up 12.1% YoY. Organic revenue grew 10%, operating margin expanded to 35% from 32.9%, and management raised full-year comparable EPS growth guidance to 8% to 9% off the $3 2025 base.
New CEO Henrique Braun said the quarter reflected our unwavering focus on staying close to the consumer, executing locally and managing complexity. That was the fourth consecutive EPS beat.
Why Bulls See a Breakout Above $95 The bull case rests on portfolio categories compounding. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar grew volume 13% across every geographic segment in Q1, and global unit case volume rose 3%, led by China, the US, and India. All five reporting segments grew: North America +12%, EMEA +13%, Latin America +14%, Asia Pacific +6%, and Bottling Investments +12%.
Free cash flow guidance sits at $12.2B, funding 63rd consecutive year of dividend increases and a $5.2B remaining buyback authorization.
Consumer staples demand is holding, with US food services spending climbing to $1,538.3B in May 2026. Analyst consensus sits at $85.97, and our bull case projects $95.34 if margin expansion and Zero Sugar momentum persist.
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The Risks Worth Watching The bear case starts with valuation. KO trades at a 25x trailing multiple and a weekly RSI of 65.97, elevated after February’s 78.19 overbought peak. Asia Pacific comparable currency-neutral operating income declined 17%, juice and dairy volumes fell 1% globally, and Q4 2025 absorbed a $960M BODYARMOR impairment.
Insider activity has skewed toward selling across 32 recent transactions. Bulls counter that the BODYARMOR charge is non-cash and that Q4’s operating income drop was distorted by the African bottling reclassification, a one-off geographic accounting shift. Our bear case lands at $81.08, a mild -3.63% pullback rather than a drawdown.
The Bottom Line My 24/7 Wall St. price target for KO is $91.13, buy, with 90% confidence. The scale-tipping factor is margin expansion pairing with organic revenue growth in the double digits, a rare combination for a mega-cap staple.
The setup strengthens if Zero Sugar volume growth stays above 10% and Q2 confirms the Q1 margin trajectory. I’d stay on the sidelines if RSI pushes above 70 without a corresponding EPS revision higher, since that would signal a multiple-driven rally rather than earnings-driven upside.
Coca-Cola Price Prediction 2026 to 2030 Looking further out, here is where our model projects KO could trade, assuming mid-single-digit organic revenue growth and steady multiple support from the consumer defensive bid.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $91.13 2027 $97 2028 $104 2029 $110 2030 $115 These projections assume Coca-Cola continues executing on Zero Sugar, price/mix, and international volume growth. Meaningful upside or downside could come from currency swings, the IRS tax litigation outcome, or a step-change in category mix from acquisitions.
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In the artificial intelligence (AI) investing sector, there are several ways to play the trend. You can invest in legacy tech companies like Alphabet (GOOG 0.37%) (GOOGL 0.23%) that are integrating AI throughout their products, training their own AI models, and building a cloud computing network to run internal and external AI workloads. Another popular way is to pick an infrastructure play like Micron (MU 5.68%), which provides memory chips used in data center applications.
These two have been profitable investments over the past year, but which looks like the better stock pick now?
Image source: Getty Images.
Alphabet's AI gains will be longer-lived Alphabet has a wide AI strategy, and it appears to be excelling in nearly every area. Its Gemini generative AI platform is widely used and has been integrated into Google Search, offering AI search summaries for nearly every result. Alphabet also has a thriving cloud computing business that saw 63% revenue growth during Q1. All of these business units are showing strong growth, and that growth is likely to continue.
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The same cannot be said for Micron. Micron makes memory chips used in computing hardware and long-term storage devices. Demand for these is booming right now as a huge number of data centers are being built.
But what happens when the data center build-out is over? That's a question that keeps Micron investors up at night, as the memory market will look far different after the build-out is over than it does right now. While there will always be some residual demand for new and replacement computing units, it will likely never reach the peak demand we're seeing right now ever again.
So, from a long-term investing perspective (I'm talking a decade plus), Alphabet is the better stock to buy.
Winner: Alphabet
Micron's growth is jaw-dropping While Alphabet has the edge in the long term, Micron is delivering incredible results in the short term. During its latest quarter, revenue rose 346% year over year to $41.5 billion -- exceeding the $33.5 billion in guidance it gave. And next quarter, Micron expects $50 billion in revenue. To top things off, Micron's management team informed investors that it foresees memory chip demand escalating and supply constraints persisting beyond 2027.
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Alphabet is posting solid growth for its size: Its revenue rose 22% year over year in Q1 to more than $109 billion. That's strong growth for a mature business like Alphabet, but compared to Micron, it just isn't on the same level.
Winner: Micron
Comparing valuations is difficult Comparing the valuations of two companies that are growing at entirely different rates, have different long-term outlooks, and that don't operate on the same fiscal year calendar isn't easy.
Alphabet is the more traditional stock to evaluate. It has a fast, but not out-of-the-ordinary growth rate, a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24 (pretty standard for a big tech stock), and its fiscal year is the same as the calendar year.
GOOGL PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts.
Micron is none of those. Its fiscal year ends in August, so using fiscal 2027 projections alongside its fiscal 2026 earnings projections is a smart move. From this perspective, Micron's stock still actually looks cheap, even after its monstrous rise this year.
MU PE Ratio (Forward 1y) data by YCharts.
But how do you value a company whose core business strengths could erode in just a few years if data center demand drops or if memory chip production increases enough to end the ongoing shortage? That's what makes understanding Micron's stock so difficult, but when a company's earnings are growing this fast and the stock looks this cheap, it's hard to ignore. With Micron's stock being so much cheaper on a projected earnings basis than Alphabet's, I'm giving it the win here.
Winner: Micron
Micron still may not be the stock for you Although Micron won this analysis, it may not be the better stock for you. As an investment, it requires close monitoring, and it faces execution risks beyond 2027. Still, I think it could have a solid run over the next few years. If you'd prefer to own an investment that has less potential for outsized gains but that also has less potential for volatility, then Alphabet remains a solid AI stock pick.
7-Eleven has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE, XETRA:NKE), alleging that the design of an upcoming Air Max 95 sneaker improperly incorporates elements of the convenience store chain’s branding.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Dallas, claims the shoe features a color scheme resembling 7-Eleven’s signature red, orange and green stripes.
7-Eleven argues the design could mislead consumers into believing the footwear is affiliated with or endorsed by the company. The filing also points to the timing of the release, which is scheduled for July 11, a date the retailer promotes annually as “7-Eleven Day.”
In its legal filing, 7-Eleven said Nike’s design amounts to a “confusingly similar imitation” of its trade dress and contends the release could create brand association in the minds of consumers. The complaint includes the assertion that Nike acted with “callous and malicious disregard” for 7-Eleven’s trademark rights.
In a statement cited in the filing, 7-Eleven said it acted to protect its brand given the proximity of the launch to its promotional holiday. Nike has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Shareholders are urged to contact the firm immediately at no cost or obligation, as there may be limited time to enforce your rights.
We would handle the matter on a contingent fee basis, whereby you would not be responsible for out-of-pocket payment of our legal fees or expenses.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating whether certain officers and directors of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders.
If you currently own NIKE stock and are a long-term shareholder, you may be able to seek corporate governance reforms, the return of funds back to the company, a court-approved financial incentive award, or other relief and benefits. Please click here to learn more about your legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or [email protected] or [email protected].
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Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA, XETRA:NVD) CEO Jensen Huang’s signature black leather jacket is heading to auction at Sotheby’s, offering collectors a chance to bid on a piece closely associated with his public image during the company’s rise in the artificial intelligence sector.
Sotheby’s will begin accepting bids on July 7 for the Tom Ford jacket, which is signed by Huang and was worn by him at a tech conference in Taipei, according to the auction house.
The item is estimated to sell for between $40,000 and $60,000, a range roughly comparable to the reported price of Nvidia’s sought-after Blackwell AI chip.
The jacket will be on display at Sotheby’s New York through July 16, with the auction set to close on July 17.
Huang’s consistent use of the black leather jacket has become a recognizable part of his public persona, drawing comparisons to other tech leaders known for signature attire. As Nvidia has expanded its dominance in the AI industry, the jacket has taken on symbolic weight within the broader tech culture.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s decision to pass over Marianne Lake as his successor marked a surprising end to her 26-year career — and she had $50 million in unvested stock at the time of her resignation, according to a report.
Lake, 56, found out about Dimon’s decision just three days before the bank publicly announced he was elevating two of her rivals, instead, the Financial Times reported.
The move ended years of speculation that Lake — widely viewed as one of Wall Street’s most accomplished executives — would eventually replace Dimon, who is considered the most influential bankers in the US.
Longtime JPMorgan executive Marianne Lake will retire after the bank elevated two rivals in its CEO succession race, according to a report. JPMoragn Instead, she decided to retire before tens of millions of dollars worth of stock had vested, people familiar with the matter told FT. Employees who leave before their stocks’ vesting period has ended typically forfeit the shares, according to JPMorgan. It was not clear whether an exception would be made for Lake.
Behind the scenes, Lake’s relationship with Dimon gradually frayed, according to the report, even as she remained one of the bank’s most prominent executives.
JPMorgan disputed that characterization, telling the FT that Dimon and Lake “had an excellent relationship.”
The report also found some colleagues questioned whether Lake possessed the emotional intelligence needed to run one of the largest companies in the US.
Former colleagues described her as exceptionally bright but said she could come across as heavy-handed, while others said she was coached during her tenure as chief financial officer to slow down when speaking because her thoughts often outran her delivery.
Some believed she managed too much through layers of subordinates rather than directly engaging with teams — claims JPMorgan disputed.
Others inside the bank strongly rejected that criticism.
Jamie Dimon is expected to remain JPMorgan’s CEO for roughly three more years before transitioning to executive chairman, according to the Financial Times. Bloomberg via Getty Images Employees who worked under Lake while she ran Chase described her as demanding but highly accessible, according to the FT.
She regularly visited branches across the country, met with frontline employees and accompanied Dimon on his annual summer bus tours, with one executive describing her as “the opposite of far-removed” because she routinely dug through multiple layers of the organization to gather information firsthand.
Lake learned on June 22 that JPMorgan planned to announce the promotions of Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh later that week. The men, who were co-CEOs of JPM’s commercial and investment bank, were named co-presidents of the company, though it’s far from a done deal that one of them will actually succeed Dimon.
On the morning of June 25, Lake gathered employees on an emotional video call and informed them she was leaving just before the bank made the public announcement.
Lake reportedly received just three days’ notice before JPMorgan elevated two rivals above her in the succession race. Getty Images for City Harvest Some members of her team cried as she delivered the news, according to the FT. That day was her last one in the office, though she has continued helping with the transition remotely.
JPMorgan has insisted there is no designated front-runner, though the FT reported that many inside the bank believe Rohrbaugh is now the favorite to eventually take the top job.
Lake had long been viewed as one of Dimon’s strongest potential heirs.
Born in the US and raised in Britain, she joined JPMorgan in 1999 after working at PricewaterhouseCoopers and steadily climbed through finance and control roles before becoming the bank’s chief financial officer in 2013.
She later moved into operating roles, first leading consumer lending, then becoming co-head — and eventually sole chief executive — of the bank’s massive consumer and community banking division.
Doug Petno (right) and Troy Rohrbaugh have emerged as the leading contenders to eventually succeed Dimon. JPMorganChase Her elevation to lead Chase’s sprawling consumer business was widely viewed as the final step in preparing her for a possible run at the CEO job.
At one point, Jennifer Piepszak had been viewed internally as the favorite to replace Dimon.
But after serving in expanded leadership roles, she withdrew herself from consideration for the top job and now serves as the bank’s chief operating officer.
According to the FT, Dimon previously discussed giving Lake experience inside JPMorgan’s investment bank to broaden her résumé, but she preferred to remain running the Chase retail business, a role she enjoyed.
Ex-colleagues described Lake as exceptionally bright but sometimes heavy-handed, with some questioning whether she had the emotional intelligence to succeed Dimon. Hindustan Times via Getty Images The succession battle comes as investors continue to closely watch Dimon’s future after nearly two decades atop JPMorgan.
Dimon, 70, has repeatedly pushed back retirement expectations, with people close to him telling the FT he is expected to remain CEO for about three more years before transitioning to executive chairman.
The bank has publicly said Dimon plans to remain executive chair after eventually relinquishing the CEO title.
Key Takeaways XOM and QatarEnergy signed a Cyprus deal affirming Glaucus and Pegasus discoveries as marketable.Cyprus says the offshore fields could hold 8-9 Tcf of gas, with FID expected by 2029.XOM expects first production by 2033 if the project proceeds as planned after appraisal and FEED. Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM - Free Report) , a U.S.-based energy giant, and QatarEnergy have signed a deal with Cyprus affirming the prospects of two offshore natural gas discoveries as marketable, implying that these resources are large enough to be commercially developed. Per a Reuters report, the Declaration of Marketability was signed in Nicosia and is considered a significant milestone for Cyprus, as it facilitates the project's development. For Cyprus, this is a major step forward in its efforts to advance offshore gas discoveries into producing fields.
Project Progresses Toward FEED and Final Investment DecisionThe gas discoveries are located in two offshore blocks in the Glaucus and Pegasus gas fields. Cyprus has mentioned that the two discoveries could contain combined resources of approximately 8-9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.This project is central to the country’s ambitions of establishing the Eastern Mediterranean as a reliable gas supplier to Europe.
ExxonMobil has stated that a final investment decision for the project is expected by 2029 and that, if the project proceeds according to plan, first production is expected by 2033. However, the report mentioned that the companies will first conduct additional drilling on the offshore fields to better understand their size and properties before progressing to the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase.
Egypt's Existing Infrastructure to Support CommercializationIn May 2026, QatarEnergy signed a preliminary agreement with XOM and the government of Egypt to study the commercialization of gas resources discovered in Cyprus via Egypt's existing natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. The agreement was intended to help the companies and the Egyptian government understand how Egypt's existing gas infrastructure could be utilized to develop Cyprus’ natural gas resources and evaluate related business and growth opportunities. The agreement could also help the companies to utilize existing resources optimally to support increasing gas needs in domestic and international markets.
ExxonMobil has stated that natural gas from the Pegasus and Glaucus fields would most likely be transported to Egypt through a pipeline tie-back, thereby utilizing existing infrastructure and making the development cost-efficient. A similar approach is also being considered for other gas discoveries in Cypriot waters. The Aphrodite gas field, operated by Chevron, contains an estimated 3.5-4.5 Tcf of natural gas, while the Cronos gas field, operated by Eni and TotalEnergies, contains more than 3 Tcf of gas. Both fields may also be connected to Egypt's gas and LNG infrastructure through similar pipeline tie-backs, which could utilize the country's spare operating capacity.
Strategic Importance for Cyprus and Europe's Energy SecurityThe agreement marks a significant step toward unlocking Cyprus' offshore natural gas potential and enhancing the Eastern Mediterranean region’s potential to become an alternative gas supplier to Europe. The project is expected to provide a reliable source of natural gas for the continent, supporting the region's efforts to diversify energy supplies and enhance Europe’s long-term energy security.
XOM’s Zacks Rank and Key PicksXOM currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks from the energy sector are Cenovus Energy (CVE - Free Report) , Par Pacific Holdings (PARR - Free Report) and FuelCell Energy (FCEL - Free Report) . While Cenovus Energy sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Par Pacific and FuelCell Energy each carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here.
Cenovus Energy Inc. is a Canadian integrated energy company with operations spanning the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. The company is involved in exploration and production from its low-cost oil sands and heavy oil assets in Canada. The strategic MEG Energy acquisition is expected to boost Cenovus Energy's production levels in 2026.
Par Pacific Holdings is a Houston-based refining player with a combined refining capacity of 219,000 barrels per day, and operations spread across Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies. The company also operates 76 branded retail locations along with a logistics business segment.
FuelCell Energy is a clean energy company that offers scalable, reliable, low-carbon power solutions. It produces power using flexible fuel sources such as biogas, natural gas and hydrogen. The company’s proprietary molten carbonate fuel cell systems generate electricity through an electrochemical process instead of burning fuel, reducing carbon emissions and minimizing the environmental impact of power generation. FCEL is anticipated to play a crucial role in the energy transition by enabling industries and communities to shift from traditional fossil fuels to low-carbon alternatives.
Key Takeaways GE received orders for over 650 commercial engines and signed a long-term materials deal with Ryanair.Commercial Engines & Services revenues rose 34%, with orders jumping 93% to $17.3 billion.GE expects mid-teens 2026 revenue growth in Commercial Engines & Services amid strong air travel demand. GE Aerospace’s (GE - Free Report) commercial aerospace market is playing a significant role in driving its overall growth. In first-quarter 2026, the company received orders for more than 650 commercial engines, including commitments from American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines. It also entered into a long-term materials agreement to support Ryanair’s fleet of about 2,000 CFM56 and LEAP engines.
In the first quarter, revenues from the Commercial Engines & Services segment increased 34% year over year to $8.92 billion. The gain was driven by services growth of 39%, with internal shop visit revenues up 35% on higher volume and workscopes. Spare parts revenues increased more than 25%, reflecting robust aftermarket demand. Total orders in the segment rose 93% year over year to $17.3 billion.
In response to these robust orders, GE has also been investing in its manufacturing capabilities, MRO facilities and new technologies. For 2026, the company had announced its plan to invest an additional $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing and technology. Also, in the same period, GE Aerospace plans to invest more than €110 million across its European manufacturing facilities.
With commercial aircraft programs expected to continue benefiting from the strength in air travel, GE is poised to maintain strong demand momentum in the quarters ahead. For 2026, adjusted revenues from the Commercial Engines & Services segment are expected to experience mid-teens growth.
GE's Peers in the Aerospace MarketAmong its major peers, RTX Corporation (RTX - Free Report) is benefiting from strength in the commercial aerospace market, with growth in both aftermarket and OEM verticals. RTX reported 10% organic sales growth in the first quarter, driven by solid momentum in the Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney segments. Rising aircraft utilization and demand for sustainable technologies are supporting RTX Corp.’s growth.
Its another peer, Howmet Aerospace Inc. (HWM - Free Report) is benefiting from persistent strength in the commercial aerospace market. Revenues from Howmet’s commercial aerospace market increased 20% year over year (exceeding $1.2 billion) in the first quarter, constituting 53% of its business. Also, in 2025, revenues from the market increased 12% year over year.
GE's Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of GE Aerospace have gained 30.7% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 1.1%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, GE is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 46.74X, above the industry’s average of 33.51X. GE Aerospace carries a Value Score of D.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GE’s 2026 earnings has gone up 0.3% over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Cincinnati Financial (CINF - Free Report) , a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Cincinnati Financial currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market?Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for CINF that show why this insurer shows promise as a solid momentum pick.
Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.
For CINF, shares are up 8.16% over the past week while the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry is up 6.19% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 19.53% compares favorably with the industry's 14.37% performance as well.
While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. Over the past quarter, shares of Cincinnati Financial have risen 17.13%, and are up 29.24% in the last year. On the other hand, the S&P 500 has only moved 13.88% and 21.37%, respectively.
Investors should also pay attention to CINF's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. CINF is currently averaging 862,138 shares for the last 20 days.
Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with CINF.
Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. This revision helped boost CINF's consensus estimate, increasing from $8.64 to $8.66 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that CINF is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Cincinnati Financial on your short list.
If you're an investor looking for dividend consistency, a yield over 2%, and stock appreciation of 16% year to date, you might be surprised that consumer staples veteran Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL +2.56%) fits the bill.
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Yes, the maker of cleaning supplies, shower soap, and even pet food has had an excellent year in the market. The company has also paid an uninterrupted dividend since 1895 and increased that dividend for 64 straight years. It is truly one of the most remarkable Dividend Kings available. A Dividend King is a company that has raised its dividend for at least 50 consecutive years.
Colgate recently increased its quarterly payout to $0.53 per share. The dividend is funded by the company's free cash flow of about $3.6 billion. Colgate is also experiencing strong growth for a company of its size. In the first quarter of 2026, net sales increased 8.4%, and the company maintained its full-year 2026 guidance.
Image source: Getty Images.
The biggest challenge for Colgate is the ongoing battle with inflationary pressures on materials. This was evident in the first-quarter results, as earnings per share and gross profit margin decreased. Fortunately, Colgate has very strong pricing power and global brand recognition. The company has also invested heavily in technology to drive innovation and improve efficiency.
For long-term income-focused investors, Colgate is a defensive hybrid offering both a solid yield and growth. The stock's current forward P/E ratio is about 24 and is also trading at about three times company sales, which could be perceived as slightly overvalued. Still, for income investors who plan to buy and hold, Colgate-Palmolive is an attractive investment that shouldn't be overlooked.
Catie Hogan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Colgate-Palmolive. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Moderna (MRNA +10.01%) stock jumped about 10% on Thursday to $79.76 -- a fresh high for the year and the latest leg of a run that has carried shares up more than 70% in a month.
The catalyst? In June, an FDA advisory panel voted 9-0 that the benefits of the company's mRNA flu vaccine outweigh its risks, with a final approval decision expected by Aug. 5. Yet the average analyst price target still sits at around $45.
So what gives? When the market and the analysts covering a growth stock disagree this sharply, they are usually valuing very different things.
Image source: Getty Images.
The 9-0 vote -- covering adults 50 and older across two age groups -- puts Moderna on track to have the first mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine in the United States, assuming the agency clears it by the Aug. 5 decision date. In its late-stage study, the shot showed relative efficacy about 27% higher than a licensed standard-dose vaccine in that age group.
On its own, though, the flu franchise is not enormous. It is a way to diversify beyond COVID vaccines, and the meaningful revenue is largely a 2027-and-beyond story, not something that shows up this year. If the market were only pricing flu-shot dollars, the skeptics would have a point.
The bigger story is the pipeline The stock's run-up, however, makes more sense once you look past the flu shot.
At its Science Day in late June, Moderna laid out three commercial franchises -- infectious-disease vaccines, its individualized cancer therapy, and rare-disease treatments -- alongside early programs including a multiple myeloma candidate and a rare-disease therapy for propionic acidemia, which it expects to launch by 2028.
With this backdrop in mind, the flu approval matters less for its own sales than as proof the platform can clear the FDA beyond COVID, which de-risks everything behind it.
Moderna needs that breadth because its original business is shrinking. COVID vaccine demand has fallen far from its pandemic peak, and the company has been cutting costs to match. First-quarter revenue was just $400 million, and management is guiding for only modest growth this year.
The bull case, in other words, isn't about the next 12 months -- it's about whether a pipeline of new vaccines and therapies can replace a COVID franchise that is clearly past its prime.
Fortunately, the company's balance sheet buys time to get there. Moderna ended the first quarter with $7.5 billion in cash and investments, enough to fund the pipeline for years even as sales remain well below their pandemic peak. For a company that was not long ago valued almost entirely on its COVID franchise, that cushion buys the platform time to prove itself.
But what about the stock's valuation? Have shares run too high, too fast?
A market capitalization of $32 billion, set against $7.5 billion in cash, certainly doesn't make the stock look expensive. But the stock's price-to-sales ratio of 13 is exceptionally high. So, overall, the stock appears to be trading at a premium -- one that may be difficult to justify given the uncertainties the company faces.
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So, what's the verdict?
The market seems to be doing its best to price the platform and the approval path. The price targets are anchored to a narrower, nearer-term view of revenue. But the stock's run-up reflects a genuine de-risking of the mRNA story. Ultimately, however, a stock near its high after a 70%-plus month prices in a lot of good news and little of the risk a pipeline this early still carries.
I'd rather wait for a pullback or more visibility into how the company will fare in the post-COVID era before considering buying shares.
Investors interested in stocks from the Financial - Miscellaneous Services sector have probably already heard of Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS) and American Express (AXP). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors?
Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.
Even though momentum is a popular stock characteristic, it can be tough to define. Debate surrounding which are the best and worst metrics to focus on is lengthy, but the Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Caterpillar (CAT - Free Report) , which currently has a Momentum Style Score of A. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Caterpillar currently has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.
You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>
Set to Beat the Market? In order to see if CAT is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this construction equipment company holds up.
Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.
For CAT, shares are up 1.18% over the past week while the Zacks Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry is up 0.59% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 2.45% compares favorably with the industry's 0.28% performance as well.
Considering longer term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year, can be advantageous as well. Shares of Caterpillar have increased 22.42% over the past quarter, and have gained 142.18% in the last year. On the other hand, the S&P 500 has only moved 13.88% and 21.37%, respectively.
Investors should also take note of CAT's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now CAT is averaging 3,803,630 shares for the last 20 days..
Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with CAT.
Over the past two months, 8 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost CAT's consensus estimate, increasing from $23.84 to $24.71 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 7 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.
Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that CAT is a #1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of A. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Caterpillar on your short list.
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Stanley Black & Decker (SWK - Free Report) , which belongs to the Zacks Manufacturing - Tools & Related Products industry, could be a great candidate to consider.
This tool company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 21.09%.
For the last reported quarter, Stanley Black & Decker came out with earnings of $0.8 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.61 per share, representing a surprise of 31.15%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $1.27 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1.41 per share, delivering a surprise of 11.02%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Stanley Black & Decker lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Stanley Black & Decker currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.13%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 29, 2026.
When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
When I hear Nokia (NOK 6.62%), I think of the indestructible brick phone my parents owned. And I think about the 2021 meme-stock craze.
But over the past several years, Nokia has been rebuilding itself around three businesses: network infrastructure, optical networking, and enterprise technology. None of that is flashy. But something shifted this year that deserves more attention than it's getting.
Image source: Getty Images.
In May 2026, Nokia and Nvidia (NVDA 1.39%) announced a landmark strategic partnership in which Nvidia will invest $1 billion in Nokia -- at $6.01 per share -- to accelerate what the two companies are calling AI-RAN, a new category of radio access networks built natively for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. Nvidia becomes a 2.9% shareholder in Nokia as part of the deal. T-Mobile (TMUS +2.63%) also signed on to run field trials of AI-RAN this year.
Think about what that structure implies. Nvidia doesn't write $1 billion checks to legacy companies. It bets on picks-and-shovels plays in markets it believes are about to explode. Nokia is now one of those picks.
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The optical angle to consider While the AI-RAN deal grabbed headlines, Nokia's optical networking business may be the more interesting story. The company is bringing a second indium phosphide semiconductor fabrication facility online in San Jose, California, later this year.
Indium phosphide is the substrate that powers high-speed optical transceivers -- the components that physically move data inside AI data centers at the speeds those workloads demand. Nokia builds these in-house. Most of its competitors don't.
That kind of vertical integration is a durable advantage in a supply-constrained market.
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Why July 23 matters Nokia is scheduled to report Q2 2026 results on July 23. That report will be the first one where investors can see how the Nvidia partnership is actually showing up in order books and whether the San Jose facility ramp is on schedule. If Nokia delivers on optical growth and provides forward guidance tied to the AI-RAN commercialization timeline, this stock could reprice quickly.
Nokia still carries execution risk from its 2024 acquisition of Infinera, and 6G timelines have a history of slipping. The AI-RAN market is early stage. These are legitimate concerns. But when Nvidia puts a billion dollars behind a thesis and the product pipeline is this deep, dismissing Nokia as a relic starts to look like the bigger mistake.
Nokia has spent years being treated like a punchline. I feel like it's been treated like a meme stock for retail traders who remembered the brand and bet on nostalgia. That trade is over. What's here now is a company with a $1 billion strategic backer, proprietary semiconductor manufacturing, and a seat at the table for the infrastructure build-out that every major AI company depends on.
Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Snowflake has quietly become one of the loudest AI-software rebounds of the year. Shares changed hands at $260 on Wednesday, up ~54% from the $169 close on February 25, when the Q4 print landed into a nervous SaaS tape. The recovery accelerated after May, when management delivered a quarter that changed the conversation from “consumption headwinds” to “AI inflection.” Eric Bleeker of 24/7 Wall St had already added Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW | SNOW Price Prediction) to his AI portfolio before that reset.
The quarter that flipped the script Q1 FY27, reported May 27, was the kind of print bulls had been waiting two years for. Revenue rose 33.5% to $1.39 billion, and non-GAAP EPS of $0.39 cleared the $0.32 consensus for a fourth straight beat. The number that mattered most, though, was remaining performance obligations of $9.21 billion, up 38%. In a consumption business, RPO growth outrunning revenue growth means customers are pre-committing to workloads they have not yet run. That is the signal the market kept demanding.
CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy called it “the strongest sequential dollar growth in our history” and pointed at the AI stack as the reason. More than 13,600 accounts are now using Snowflake AI features, Cortex Code sits inside 7,100+ accounts, and Snowflake Intelligence usage more than doubled quarter over quarter. Net revenue retention held at 126%, meaning every dollar of last year’s customer is now spending $1.26.
The AWS handshake and the AI ecosystem trade The other headline was a $6 billion multi-year collaboration with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) covering AWS infrastructure, co-selling, and enterprise AI deployments. Snowflake runs on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, but Amazon is the anchor tenant, and a commitment this size tells you AWS is willing to fund Snowflake’s growth to keep AI-native data workloads inside its walls rather than losing them to Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Fabric. Snowflake also deepened its OpenAI partnership and closed a deal to buy Natoma, an enterprise Model Context Protocol platform for AI agents. Read together, these are the pieces of a platform trying to become, as Ramaswamy put it, “the control plane for the Agentic Enterprise.”
What has to keep working Management raised full-year FY27 product revenue guidance to $5.84 billion, or 31% growth, and lifted the non-GAAP operating margin target to 13.5% from 12.5%. The counterweight is real: Snowflake still ran a $326 million GAAP operating loss in the quarter, and consumption revenue can wobble if customers throttle usage.
The next earnings release will show whether the AI account count keeps climbing above 13,600, whether RPO growth stays north of revenue growth, and whether operating margin walks toward the raised 13.5% mark. Bleeker added Snowflake to the AI Investor portfolio and layered on again on February 28, 2025, after an earlier position taken on December 20, 2024. The rebound has done its work. The open question is whether the agentic pitch converts into another leg of consumption, and the analyst who called it early is still watching.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and, of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) is a Finance stock that has seen a price change of 15.69% so far this year. The company is paying out a dividend of $0.52 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 3.37% compared to the Banks - Major Regional industry's yield of 2.68% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.39%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $2.08 is up 2% from last year. Over the last 5 years, U.S. Bancorp has increased its dividend 4 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 4.01%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. U.S. Bancorp's current payout ratio is 44%, meaning it paid out 44% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for USB for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $5.09 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 10.17%.
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. However, not all companies offer a quarterly payout.
Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that USB is not only an attractive dividend play, but is also a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider U.S. Bancorp (USB - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Banks - Major Regional industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 4.70%.
For the last reported quarter, U.S. Bancorp came out with earnings of $1.18 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14 per share, representing a surprise of 3.51%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $1.19 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1.26 per share, delivering a surprise of 5.88%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for U.S. Bancorp lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
U.S. Bancorp currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.81%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 16, 2026.
With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
