HomeRetirementThe MoneyistThe Moneyist‘I claimed Social Security at 62’: At 76, I’m working at Walmart. Why do I still owe payroll taxes?‘It seems like half of the workforce at our local Walmart is over 65’June 29, 2026, 10:00 a.m. ET
Dear Quentin,I filed for Social Security at 62 because I was having a hard time paying my bills without it. I am now 76 and have been working full-time or part-time ever since then. I see so many other seniors working too. In fact, it seems like half of the workforce at our local Walmart is over 65. I get Social Security taxes taken out of every paycheck.
Where is all that money going if I am still working and contributing?
Key Takeaways JPMorgan named Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh co-presidents in its latest leadership reshuffle.Petno will lead CIB, while Rohrbaugh will oversee CCB after Marianne Lake's planned retirement.JPMorgan plans to raise its dividend and has authorized a $50B buyback amid succession planning. JPMorgan’s (JPM - Free Report) latest leadership reshuffle will likely shape the bank’s next phase of growth. The company has promoted Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh as co-presidents, giving both executives direct oversight of its two largest businesses. Petno will become the sole CEO of the Commercial & Investment Bank (CIB). At the same time, Rohrbaugh will take charge of Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), replacing Marianne Lake, who is retiring after more than 25 years with the firm.
The appointments signal JPM’s intent to maintain stability while preparing for a future beyond long-serving CEO Jamie Dimon. By placing Petno and Rohrbaugh in charge of major business lines, the board is giving both leaders a broader platform to prove their ability to manage at scale, drive profitability and guide strategy amid complex market conditions. In 2025, CIB and CCB segments contributed 42.2% and 40.9% of total net revenues, respectively.
For investors, the changes suggest continuity rather than a shift in direction. JPMorgan remains focused on disciplined growth, strong client relationships and enhanced shareholder returns. The leadership move comes as the bank continues to benefit from its dominant market position, broad revenue base and strong capital profile. In sync with this, last week, the bank announced plans to raise its quarterly dividend and authorized a $50 billion share repurchase program.
The latest reshuffle also narrows the succession discussion, although the final CEO transition timeline remains uncertain. Petno’s experience in commercial and investment banking and Rohrbaugh’s new exposure to consumer banking could strengthen JPMorgan’s leadership bench over time.
A stable leadership bench could help sustain investor confidence as Jamie Dimon remains CEO for now. Dimon, the longest-tenured CEO among major U.S. banks, has led the firm for nearly two decades and has no immediate plans to step down. Though the transition timeline remains uncertain, the next few years will be critical in proving who can lead JPMorgan beyond the Dimon era.
Succession Planning of JPMorgan’s Close PeersAmong JPM’s closest peers are Bank of America (BAC - Free Report) and Citigroup (C - Free Report) .
Like JPM, Bank of America announced major leadership changes in September 2025. Bank of America’s leadership reshuffle underscores deliberate succession planning, with Dean Athanasia and Jim DeMare named co-presidents while Alastair Borthwick remains CFO. The move aims to ensure continuity under long-time CEO Brian Moynihan, reduce transition risk and strengthen execution across the bank’s business lines.
Citigroup has undertaken leadership changes tied to succession and business simplification, but it has not announced a major CEO succession reshuffle like JPMorgan or Bank of America. The key move is the CFO transition from Mark Mason to Gonzalo Luchetti. This, along with structural changes in U.S. Personal Banking, aimed at supporting Jane Fraser’s transformation strategy and improving execution at Citigroup.
JPMorgan’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesJPM’s shares have gained 16% over the past three months.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, JPMorgan trades at a 12-month trailing price-to-tangible book (P/TB) of 3.20X, slightly below the industry average.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JPMorgan's 2026 earnings indicates a 10.3% year-over-year rise, while 2027 earnings are expected to grow at a rate of 6.5%. Over the past month, earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved higher to $22.43 and $23.89, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
JPMorgan currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways JPMorgan announced a $50B buyback and plans to raise its dividend 10% to $1.65 per share.Higher-for-longer rates may boost JPMorgan's NII, with 2026 NII seen near $103B, up over 7%.Elevated expenses, hawkish Fed policy and weak asset quality may keep new investors cautious. JPMorgan’s (JPM - Free Report) latest capital return plan underscores its strong balance sheet, healthy earnings power and confidence in long-term growth. After clearing the 2026 stress test, the banking giant announced a $50 billion share repurchase program and an intention for a 10% dividend raise to $1.65 per share.
This reinforces its commitment to rewarding shareholders while maintaining financial flexibility. The move also reflects JPMorgan’s ability to generate solid capital despite regulatory pressure, uncertain interest-rate trends and uneven loan demand.
As of March 31, 2026, JPM had total debt of $516.8 billion (the majority of this is long-term in nature). The company's cash and due from banks and deposits with banks were $312.1 billion on the same date. The company also maintains long-term issuer ratings of A-/AA-/A1 from Standard and Poor’s, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service, respectively. Also, diversified revenues and leadership in investment banking, consumer banking and wealth management continue to support its fundamentals.
Its close peers, Citigroup (C - Free Report) and Morgan Stanley (MS - Free Report) , have similar plans to reward shareholders. Citigroup plans to raise its quarterly dividend 12% to 67 cents per share and has initiated a $30-billion multi-year share repurchase program. Morgan Stanley will boost its dividend by 15% to $1.15 per share and has reauthorized a $20 billion share repurchase program.
While macroeconomic risks and higher capital requirements remain watchpoints, JPMorgan’s capital return plan signals management’s confidence. The dividend hike and a new buyback authorization may strengthen investor sentiment toward JPM stock over the medium term. However, for now, it would be prudent to evaluate other key fundamentals, including earnings trends, loan growth, credit quality, deposit costs and valuation, before making any investment decision.
JPMorgan’s Prospects: Factors at PlayNet Interest Income Trajectory: After cutting interest rates for the last two years, the Federal Reserve paused cuts and signaled a hike amid renewed inflation concerns due to the Middle East conflict and oil price shocks. As such, the rate narrative has shifted from “when will cuts begin?” to “could another hike be next?”
Higher interest rates for a longer period are expected to be a boon for JPMorgan because of its asset-sensitive balance sheet. The company had projected higher net interest income (NII) for 2026 despite assuming a rate cut later in the year. If rates rise instead, NII could receive an additional boost, with support from higher revolving card balances and balance sheet growth. This dynamic was evident in first-quarter 2026 results, too.
Even before the change in the Fed’s stance on rates, JPMorgan anticipated NII to be approximately $103 billion this year, or up more than 7% year over year. Likewise, Citigroup guides to 5-6% NII (excluding Markets) growth this year, driven by strong loan and deposit growth, business mix improvements and reinvestment income.
Fee Income to Witness More Upside: Given the solid economic growth prospects, client activity, deal flow and asset values are expected to improve, supporting a broad rebound in JPMorgan’s non-interest income.
Encouraging economic growth signals a rise in demand for corporate financing, including debt issuance, M&As and equity offerings, extending the recovery in capital markets after a subdued 2022-2023. JPMorgan’s leading investment banking (IB) franchise (ranked #1 globally with a 9.8% wallet share in the first quarter of 2026) positions it to capture a larger share of advisory and underwriting fees as conditions become more supportive, though macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty remains a key risk. After a solid IB performance in the first quarter, momentum is likely to continue in the second quarter. JPM projects IB fees to rise 10%, benefiting from robust capital markets and advisory activities.
Rate transitions have heightened volatility in fixed income, currencies and commodities, boosting client hedging and trading activity. With a top-tier trading platform, JPMorgan is positioned to benefit from stronger FICC and equities volumes as investors reposition for a hawkish Fed, even as trading activity normalizes over time. In the second quarter of 2026, the company expects market revenues to increase 11%, highlighting persistent high volatility and strong client demand across FICC (Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities) and equities.
In wealth and asset management, declining yields often shift investor preferences toward equities and alternatives, helping drive market appreciation, inflows and higher fees. Improved sentiment should support growth in assets under management and fee revenues across JPMorgan’s private banking and wealth platforms.
Branch Openings & Opportunistic Acquisitions: With 5,095 branches as of March 31, 2026, more than any other U.S. bank and a presence in all 48 contiguous states, JPM continues to invest in brick-and-mortar to strengthen its competitive edge in relationship banking despite the digital shift. JPMorgan plans to open 500 more by 2027. These efforts will deepen relationships and boost cross-selling across mortgages, loans, investments and credit cards.
JPMorgan isn’t alone in branch expansion. Citigroup plans to renovate much of its 650-branch U.S. network and selectively add locations by 2028, shifting its footprint toward wealth management and advisory services.
JPMorgan has expanded through strategic acquisitions, including a larger stake in Brazil’s C6 Bank, partnerships with Cleareye.ai and Aumni, and the 2023 purchase of First Republic Bank. These moves boosted profits and supported its strategy to diversify revenues and grow digital and fee-based offerings.
Additionally, CEO Jamie Dimon has indicated the banking giant could deploy as much as $20 billion for the right deal. A well-timed acquisition in wealth management, payments, asset management or fintech could strengthen JPMorgan’s franchise and support new growth, giving it an edge over smaller rivals.
Tech Spending: JPMorgan continues to view technology as a long-term growth driver rather than a discretionary expense. For 2026, management expects technology spending of about $19.8 billion, up 10% year over year, driven by business growth, demand for new capabilities, and higher infrastructure, software and hardware costs. While the bank is past peak infrastructure modernization, investment is now shifting toward modernizing applications and data to better capture AI-driven opportunities.
AI remains central to this strategy. JPM has expanded AI use cases across customer service, personalized insights and software development, helping improve efficiency and business outcomes. Its internal GenAI tools are also moving employees from experimentation to secure integration across workflows and applications. Dimon recently disclosed that JPMorgan has 1,000 AI use cases in development, with 50 to 60 of them classified as significant.
Beyond AI, the bank is investing in blockchain, tokenization and broader platform innovation to strengthen payments, custody and client solutions, supporting long-term business growth.
Asset Quality: Higher rates for a longer time are expected to hurt JPMorgan's asset quality, as these are less likely to ease debt-service burdens and hurt borrower solvency. Higher rates can also increase stress for borrowers with variable-rate debt, especially in commercial real estate, small business and lower-income consumer segments.
If delinquencies rise, JPM may need to build reserves, leading to higher provisions for credit losses and pressure on earnings growth. While JPMorgan expects the card service NCO rate to be roughly 3.4% this year, the ongoing Middle East conflict and the hawkish Fed are likely to hurt the company’s asset quality, at least in the near term, as it builds reserves to counter the fallout of rising prices.
How to Approach JPM Stock on Its Capital Return Plan?After a subdued start to the year, U.S. markets have rebounded solidly despite shifting AI expectations, sticky inflation, oil shock and geopolitical tensions (including the ongoing Middle East conflict). This year, shares of JPMorgan have gained 2.2% compared with a 7.4% rise for the S&P 500 Index. The stock has fared worse than Morgan Stanley and Citigroup in the same time frame.
YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
JPMorgan stock currently trades at a discount to the industry. The stock is trading at a price-to-tangible book (P/TB) of 3.20X, below the industry’s 3.25X.
JPM’s P/TB
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
If we compare JPM’s current valuation with that of Morgan Stanley, it appears inexpensive. At present, Morgan Stanley has a P/TB of 4.05X. On the other hand, Citigroup is trading at a P/TB of 1.48X, significantly below JPMorgan’s value.
Analysts are bullish on JPMorgan’s prospects, with earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 revised upward over the past month. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JPM’s 2026 and 2027 earnings implies a 10.1% and 6.5% year-over-year increase, respectively.
Earnings Estimates
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
JPMorgan projects non-interest expenses to almost touch $106 billion this year. This signals an approximately 10% rise from 2025. Apart from a 10% increase in tech spending, primary reasons for higher expenses include an increase in growth and volume-related spending (like compensation costs, costs for branching/expansion and costs related to credit card business growth), structural inflation-related costs and general operating overhead expenses.
JPMorgan remains a fundamentally strong banking franchise, supported by robust NII prospects, diversified fee revenues, technology investments, branch expansion and a fortress balance sheet. Its enhanced capital distribution plan further highlights management’s financial flexibility and long-term growth ambitions.
However, investors may want to avoid adding fresh positions at this stage. Elevated expenses, the shift in the central bank’s monetary policy stance and weak asset quality warrant caution. While the stock’s quality and shareholder-friendly capital actions support existing holdings, new investors should wait for a more attractive entry point or clearer visibility on earnings momentum and macroeconomic risks.
At present, JPMorgan carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM | JPM Price Prediction) stands out among U.S. banks because no other peer combines its scale, diversification, and capital fortress in a way that compounds reliably through every economic regime. For a retirement-focused investor who has had enough of chasing themes, this is the kind of position that earns its place in a portfolio and then quietly does its job year after year.
Pillar 1: Durability Built on Scale That Cannot Be Replicated JPMorgan sits at the top of the U.S. financial system with $4.9 trillion in total assets and the #1 ranking in Global Investment Banking fees with 9.8% wallet share. Its diversified model spans four engines: Commercial & Investment Bank revenue of $23.379 billion (+19% YoY), Consumer & Community Banking at $19.568 billion (+7%), Asset & Wealth Management at $6.374 billion (+11%), and Corporate. Where regional banks face lending compression and regulatory scrutiny during changing interest rate cycles, JPMorgan consistently uses its massive scale as a competitive weapon. A footprint of 5,095 branches and 63 million active mobile customers is not a moat any new entrant can build.
Pillar 2: Income and Compounding That Show Up Every Quarter Owners get paid to wait. The quarterly common dividend is $1.50 per share, the product of two raises in 2025 for a cumulative 20% increase versus Q4 2024. Capital return is reinforced by a $50 billion board-authorized buyback program, with 27.5 million shares repurchased for $8.328 billion in Q1 2026 alone. The earnings power behind those checks is real: full-year 2025 EPS of $20.02 on $182.45 billion in revenue, with Q1 2026 EPS of $5.94, beating estimates by 7.78%. At roughly 16 times trailing earnings and 15 times forward, the multiple sits in line with the bank’s historical range.
Pillar 3: Cycle Survival Is Already Proven JPMorgan holds $291 billion in CET1 capital, $572 billion in total loss-absorbing capacity, and $1.5 trillion in cash and marketable securities, with a CET1 ratio of 14.3%. The dividend history underscores that durability: payouts were maintained at $0.38 per quarter through 2008 and held at $0.90 through 2020 before resuming growth. CEO Jamie Dimon described the firm as positioned for a “wide range of scenarios”, and prediction markets concur, assigning a 96.7% probability that JPMorgan does not fail by year-end 2026.
The Scenario Where It Lags, and Why It Does Not Matter In low-rate, low-volatility environments where capital markets cool and growth or tech names lead, JPMorgan can lag. Q4 2025 absorbed a $2.2 billion Apple Card credit reserve drag, a reminder that quarter-to-quarter results can wobble. That does not change the forever thesis. The diversification across CCB, CIB, AWM, and Corporate keeps revenue flowing when any one engine cools, and the dividend and buyback program keep returning capital to owners regardless of where the cycle sits. Over ten years, the stock has returned 580.49%, with Asset & Wealth Management client assets now at $7.1 trillion, up 18% YoY.
This is a long-term position.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and JPMorgan Chase didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Procter & Gamble (PG - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Over the past month, shares of this world's largest consumer products maker have returned +3.8%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. During this period, the Zacks Consumer Products - Staples industry, which P&G falls in, has gained 5.1%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, P&G is expected to post earnings of $1.43 per share, indicating a change of -3.4% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.4% over the last 30 days.
The consensus earnings estimate of $6.9 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +1%. This estimate has changed -0.1% over the last 30 days.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $7.08 indicates a change of +2.6% from what P&G is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -0.1%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, P&G is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Revenue Growth ForecastEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.
In the case of P&G, the consensus sales estimate of $21.46 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +2.7%. The $87.15 billion and $89.58 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +3.4% and +2.8%, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryP&G reported revenues of $21.24 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +7.4%. EPS of $1.59 for the same period compares with $1.54 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $20.51 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +3.52%. The EPS surprise was +1.92%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.
ValuationNo investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
P&G is graded D on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about P&G. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.
Key Takeaways Target's beauty sales rose 9.6% in Q1, extending the category's growth streak to 10 years.Target Beauty Studio will roll out to 600-plus stores, creating a more immersive shopping experience.Inventory gains, fresh assortments and new staffing models are helping Target deepen guest engagement. Beauty remains one of Target Corporation’s (TGT - Free Report) most dependable growth categories, fueled by fresh merchandise innovation and an elevated shopping experience. During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, net sales for the category climbed 9.6% year over year to $3,398 million. Management described beauty as one of the key pillars for Target, with the category delivering growth for 10 consecutive years.
The category has benefited from Target's emphasis on trend-right assortments, value-driven pricing and strong brand partnerships, reinforcing its position as a destination for beauty shoppers rather than simply another department within the store.
Target is preparing a broader transformation with the rollout of Target Beauty Studio across more than 600 stores later this year. The concept is designed to create a more immersive, discovery-focused environment while showcasing trending products and strengthening service levels. Management noted that beauty requires a premium shopping experience alongside premium brands, making store presentation and guest interaction as important as merchandise selection.
Operational improvements are also supporting the category. Target is testing new staffing and operating models intended to free up more time for team members to assist shoppers during peak periods. At the same time, better inventory availability in frequently purchased categories, such as beauty, is helping reduce friction for guests. Combined with continued assortment refreshes and investments in the in-store experience, beauty remains central to Target's merchandising strategy as the company works to deepen guest engagement and reinforce its position within the category.
What the Latest Metrics Say About TargetTarget, which competes with Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) , has seen its shares jump 18.1% over the past three months against the industry’s 0.2% decline. While shares of Dollar General have risen 1.4%, Costco has fallen 4.5% in the aforementioned period.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Target's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 16.38, lower than the industry’s ratio of 30.91. However, TGT is trading above its 12-month median level of 13.46.
Target is trading at a discount to Costco (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 43.11) but at a premium to Dollar General (15.71).
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Target’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 3.9% and 10.3%, respectively. For the next fiscal year, the consensus estimate indicates a 2.9% rise in sales and 6.4% growth in earnings.
The consensus estimate for earnings per share for the current and next fiscal year has increased by 2 cents and 3 cents to $8.35 and $8.89, respectively, over the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Target currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Target (TGT - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Shares of this retailer have returned +10.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. The Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry, to which Target belongs, has lost 2% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Earnings Estimate RevisionsRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, Target is expected to post earnings of $2.21 per share, indicating a change of +7.8% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.1% over the last 30 days.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $8.35 points to a change of +10.3% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $8.89 indicates a change of +6.4% from what Target is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +0.3%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Target is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
For Target, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $26 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +3.2%. For the current and next fiscal years, $108.83 billion and $111.95 billion estimates indicate +3.9% and +2.9% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryTarget reported revenues of $25.44 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +6.7%. EPS of $1.71 for the same period compares with $1.3 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $24.45 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +4.06%. The EPS surprise was +21.28%.
Over the last four quarters, Target surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates two times over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Target is graded B on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Target. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
Cincinnati Financial (CINF) witnessed a jump in share price last session on above-average trading volume. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions for the stock doesn't suggest further strength down the road.
Following meetings with investor relations teams at both companies, BNP reiterated its Outperform rating on Royal Caribbean while maintaining a Neutral rating on Norwegian, arguing that Royal’s biggest overhang—a likely delay to its Perfect Day Mexico project—is manageable, while Norwegian continues to grapple with operational and pricing issues that could take much longer to resolve.
Royal Caribbean’s Mexico Project May Be DelayedThe biggest uncertainty surrounding Royal Caribbean remains Perfect Day Mexico after Mexican authorities declined to approve the project in its current form.
Even if Perfect Day Mexico slips, Royal will still have Royal Beach Club Cozumel opening in early 2028 and, if necessary, could eventually explore alternative destinations such as Belize or Honduras.
Norwegian’s Turnaround Still Has Hurdles To ClearSiew sees a more complicated road ahead for Norwegian. While management has acknowledged that improving yields will take time, the brokerage believes new issues continue to emerge, making a meaningful recovery before 2027 increasingly difficult.
Among the concerns Siew highlighted are pricing decisions that may have prioritized filling ships over maximizing yields, continued leadership changes, including the search for a chief marketing officer, “open jaw” European itineraries, and questions surrounding booking management.
The firm believes those execution issues could weigh on performance into next year, even as Norwegian’s Great Tides water park at Great Stirrup Cay is now expected to open on schedule in September.
Siew noted the attraction could boost both admission revenue and cruise ticket pricing over time, but argued it is unlikely to offset the broader operational challenges facing the company.
For investors choosing between the two cruise stocks, BNP’s takeaway was clear: Royal Caribbean appears to be managing through a temporary project delay, while Norwegian is still working toward a broader business turnaround that may not fully materialize until the second half of 2027.
Photo Courtesy: lia_mistral on Shutterstock.com
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Many technology companies were off to the races when the AI boom first started, but Qualcomm (QCOM 2.39%) initially seemed slow to adapt.
Not anymore. The company has shifted its strategy toward artificial intelligence processors, applying its existing knowledge of edge computing to AI. It recently made a nearly $4 billion acquisition of an AI company to expand its reach for data center tech. No wonder its shares are up 66% over the past three months.
Better yet, Qualcomm's shares are still a great deal compared to the broader tech sector. Here's why it might be worth buying this AI stock right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
Qualcomm's big shift to AI Qualcomm has been busy expanding its AI footprint, and a few notable shifts make the company's AI angle intriguing.
Most recently, Qualcomm acquired the AI company Modular in an all-stock deal valued at about $4 billion. Modular makes software that can run any AI model across many different hardware platforms. It also has an AI coding language.
The purchase means Qualcomm expands its ability to benefit from growth in the AI data center infrastructure market through software. Adding the new programming language could help it compete with Nvidia (NVDA 0.86%) and its CUDA language.
Nvidia is a formidable opponent, of course, but Qualcomm is taking aim at the AI inference market, where Nvidia is vulnerable. Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) have dominated the data center market for years, but tech companies are realizing that custom processors (which Qualcomm sells) can be better for AI inference and general tasks.
To help capture this market, Qualcomm just debuted its new Dragonfly C1000 CPU at its recent investor day, launching a powerful enterprise data center chip. The company is already inking deals with hyperscalers, with Meta announcing it has entered a multi-year agreement to use Qualcomm's processors in its data centers.
What's more, Qualcomm's management estimated that by fiscal 2029, the company will have more than $15 billion in AI infrastructure revenue. That's up from essentially nothing right now.
Finally, Qualcomm has been selling processors for everything from smartphones to cars for years. These chips are part of what's called edge computing, in which most processing is done on the device rather than in the cloud.
AI edge computing is likely to continue to expand as demand for advanced hardware increases. Consider that Apple, one of the world's largest hardware companies, touts on-device processing for its next-generation Siri AI software.
When considering its AI data center opportunities alongside its edge computing processors and other markets, Qualcomm's management recently said the company will have a $1.7 trillion total addressable market by 2030.
Today's Change
(
-2.39
%) $
-4.52
Current Price
$
184.87
It could be a smart move to own some Qualcomm stock There's no guarantee that all of Qualcomm's AI ambitions will pan out, of course. However, the company's stock is so inexpensive right now that it might be worth starting a new position in case things heat up for Qualcomm.
Its shares have a price-to-earnings ratio of just 21 right now, far below the tech sector average of 44. For a technology leader that's making smart moves into AI, that's quite a bargain.
Investors will need to keep a close eye on how well the company executes on its new chip deal with Meta and how much sales and earnings it actually brings in. They'll also want to keep watch to see how well Qualcomm uses its new Modular purchase to improve its expanding AI offerings.
Some of these things will take a little time to shake out, so investors should be patient as they wait to see how well Qualcomm executes on its plans. At such a low price, buying Qualcomm stock right now could allow investors to benefit from the company's big AI push.
As Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) stock dropped to a two-month low, Wall Street analysts have signaled bullish sentiment toward Qualcomm stock over the next 12 months.
On Monday, Stacy Rasgon, an analyst at Bernstein, reiterated a ‘Hold’ rating on Qualcomm stock, according to a note sent to clients analyzed by Finbold on June 29. Rasgon set a 12-month target for QCOM stock price at $235, thereby implying a 24.08% potential upside.
On June 28, Vijay Rakesh, an analyst at Mizuho Securities, raised the 12-month target for Qualcomm price from $170 to $210. Rakesh maintained a ‘Hold’ rating on this company.
On Friday, June 26, Ingo Wermann, an analyst at DZ Bank AG, upgraded Qualcomm stock to a ‘Buy’ rating. Additionally, Wermann raised his 12-month price target from $195 to $265, which is a 39.92% potential upside.
On the same day, Thomas O’Malley, an analyst at Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS), assigned a ‘Sell’ rating on Qualcomm stock. However, O’Malley set a 12-month price target of $245, down from $150.
As such, 32 Wall Street analysts have set an average price target of $219.14 and a rating of ‘Hold’, according to data from TipRanks.
QCOM stock forecast. Source: TipRanks Qualcomm stock price performance Wall Street analysts have issued an average Hold rating for Qualcomm stock amid the ongoing consolidation. Since early May 2026, QCOM stock price has been trapped in a choppy consolidation, currently trading at $189.39 at the time of publication.
QCOM stock price chart. Source: Finbold Nonetheless, QCOM stock price has gained over 10% year to date (YTD), thus, the company’s market capitalization is around $199.6 billion at press time. As a core AI stock, Qualcomm is well-positioned to continue growing over the coming months, bolstered by bullish price targets from analysts, as Finbold reported.
Best Crypto Exchange for Intermediate Traders and Investors
Invest in cryptocurrencies and 3,000+ other assets including stocks and precious metals.
0% commission on stocks - buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically.
eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading.
30+ million Users worldwide
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
Join Finbold's newsroom, become a Sales Executive today! Apply now to join Finbold as a crypto/finance news writer!
Our Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM | QCOM Price Prediction) price prediction sits well above where the sell side has landed, and that gap is the entire story. Wall Street’s consensus target of $186.50 implies downside from today’s quote.
Our model sees the opposite. The 24/7 Wall St. price target for Qualcomm is $257.53, pointing to roughly 25.69% upside over the next 12 months, with a 90% confidence read. The recommendation is buy.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $204.90 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $257.53 Upside 25.69% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Sharp Pullback After an Even Sharper Rally Qualcomm has had a wild quarter. The stock is up 21.03% year to date and 34.18% over the past year, but shares have given back 17.34% over the last month after touching $258.96 in May. The recovery off the March low near $129.39 followed a blowout Q1 FY26 earnings report and a Q2 report that delivered $2.65 non-GAAP EPS on $10.6 billion in revenue, a 3.67% EPS beat and the fourth consecutive quarter topping consensus.
The June 24 Investor Day was the catalyst behind this week’s bullish chatter. Management doubled the 2029 non-handset revenue target to $40 billion and laid out a $15 billion AI data center sales target, which triggered a +12% pre-market reaction. Retail sentiment on r/wallstreetbets jumped to 76 on the news.
The Case for $267 and Higher The bull thesis rests on diversification finally cracking the “Qualcomm is just a handset story” narrative. Q2 FY26 automotive revenue hit a record $1.33 billion, up 38% YoY, while IoT grew 9%. CEO Cristiano Amon flagged that a “leading hyperscaler custom silicon engagement is on track for initial shipments later this calendar year,” validating the data center entry.
Add the Alphawave Semi acquisition, the Snapdragon AI-at-the-edge roadmap, a fresh $20 billion buyback authorization, and our bull case targets $267.77, a 30.69% total return.
The Risks Worth Watching Q3 FY26 guidance of $9.2 billion to $10 billion in revenue and non-GAAP EPS of $2.10 to $2.30 implies another sequential decline. Handsets fell 13% YoY on memory supply constraints and China softness. Apple’s eventual modem in-sourcing, customer vertical integration, and US-China trade friction are real overhangs, and insider activity skews to net selling.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Qualcomm didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
That said, management expects Chinese handset revenue to bottom in Q3 and recover sequentially. Bears would also note operating income dropped 26% YoY, though heavy data center R&D is a big reason why. Our bear case lands at $208.91.
Qualcomm Price Prediction 2026-2030 The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $257.53 reflects high confidence that the data center optionality is mispriced at a forward P/E of 18x. I’d be a buyer here if the hyperscaler shipments land on schedule in late 2026 and China handsets stabilize as guided.
I’d stay on the sidelines if Q3 guidance is cut again or if the Apple modem transition accelerates. The setup favors the bulls.
Looking further ahead, here is where our model projects QCOM could trade, assuming the data center ramp and FY29 revenue goals stay on track.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $257 2027 $295 2028 $335 2029 $370 2030 $400 These projections assume Qualcomm executes on its $40 billion non-handset 2029 target. Significant downside could result from Apple’s modem transition or a hyperscaler engagement slipping into 2027.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Qualcomm didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) shares are trading higher on Monday. This follows Friday’s gain of more than 12%.
A classic ‘flag’ pattern has formed on the chart. In this situation, the pattern is bullish and suggests a continued move higher. This is why Moderna is the Stock of the Day.
If market leadership shifts from bulls to bears, or from bears to bulls, price action can appear as a reversal pattern on a chart.
If the change is slow and takes place over an extended period of time, a ‘rounded’ top or bottom may form. If the change occurs in a single day, a reversal day or an engulfing pattern may form.
The flag pattern isn’t a reversal pattern. It is a continuation pattern. These appear when the current trend takes a short break before getting back into gear. This flag pattern formed during an uptrend, which could mean the rally will continue.
Many technical analysts try to identify chart patterns without understanding the dynamics that make the pattern form.
A flag forms after a rapid move higher. Some of the buyers start to believe that they are the ones pushing the price up. They think that if they leave the market for a few days, the price will fall and they will be able to complete their orders at a lower price.
Because they step away, the price drops a little. When they come back into the market after a few days, the rally resumes.
The first defining characteristic of the flag pattern is a significant drop-off in volume. The second characteristic is the short time period. If these two conditions do not occur, then it is not a flag pattern.
Technical analysis has a dubious reputation, and unfortunately, it deserves it. Many analysts don’t understand the price action and dynamics that make chart patterns form. This is why they are not successful.
The flag pattern on the chart of Moderna could mean the shares will continue to move higher.
MRNA Price Action: Moderna shares were up 1.54% at $68.30 at the time of publication on Monday. The stock is trading near its 52-week high of $69.28, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo: Shutterstock
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
The AI trade is trying to reassert itself on Monday, as the recent selloff may have been a bit overdone.
PREMIUM
Read what the experts are trading this weekExclusive analysis from FXEmpire top analysts — curated insights you won't find on the free site.
In-depth analysis
Curated reports
Top analysts
Unlock Premium
The pre-market for AMD looks pretty strong at this point in time as it looks like we are in fact, going to recover. This recovery should allow for a continuation of the overall sideways market that we have been in. The $560 level above, I think, is a bit of a target, but it’s also a bit of a barrier. If we can break above the $560 level, that will allow AMD to continue to go higher. If we break down from here, then I would look for $450 to offer support.
INTC Technical Analysis Intel is slightly positive in the early part of the trading session. Ultimately, though, I think we’re just dancing around the $133 level, which is essentially fair value. The $140 level above, I think, is your barrier. Breaking that opens up the possibility of a move to the $150 level.
I do like the idea of buying dips here. Intel’s been one of the huge performers and we just broke out of what would be thought of as a bullish flag.
NVDA Technical Analysis Nvidia is looking likely to bounce early during the session, but Nvidia’s been miserable for a while now. We are sitting just above the 200-day EMA. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not this comes into the picture to offer support. If we can break above the $200 level, then it opens up a move to $210.
Eventually, I think Nvidia will turn the whole thing around and continue to go higher. You could make an argument, I suppose, for some type of Fibonacci-based bounce from the 61.8% level, but I think ultimately, it’s more about the AI trade right now kind of unraveling. If it starts to pick back up, then we have a chance at a move.
If you’d like to know more about technical analysis and how traders use it, please visit our educational area.
Related Articles
S&P 500 Index: Comcast Jumps, Tech Stocks Gain as Ceasefire HoldsNasdaq 100, Dow Jones 30 and S&P 500 Forecasts – US Indices Looking to Start the Week PositiveUS 10-Year Yield, EUR/USD, BTC/USD and DAX Forecasts – Rates Continue to Ease SlightlyAbout the Author
Chris is a proprietary trader with more than 20 years of experience across various markets, including currencies, indices and commodities. As a senior analyst at FXEmpire since the website’s early days, he offers readers advanced market perspectives to navigate today’s financial landscape with confidence.
Jay Woods says he's watching key Big Tech charts carefully, including Alphabet (GOOGL), Nvidia (NVDA), and Microsoft (MSFT), the last of which he expresses concern for. He explains how AI spending has shaped investor views on the Mag 7 as all trade well below their record highs.
Generative AI has been a concern among investors as a disruptor to software companies, especially ones like Adobe (ADBE). Rick Ducat points out how unfavorable the price action is by highlighting support and resistance areas to watch after the stocks near 50% decline from 52-week highs.
Shopify (SHOP - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.
Shares of this cloud-based commerce company have returned -1.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. The Zacks Internet - Services industry, to which Shopify belongs, has lost 12.3% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Shopify is expected to post earnings of $0.39 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +11.4%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $1.82 points to a change of +55.6% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.19 indicates a change of +20.4% from what Shopify is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Shopify is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Revenue Growth ForecastWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
In the case of Shopify, the consensus sales estimate of $3.43 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +28%. The $14.71 billion and $17.99 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +27.3% and +22.3%, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryShopify reported revenues of $3.17 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +34.3%. EPS of $0.36 for the same period compares with $0.25 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.08 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +2.79%. The EPS surprise was +12.5%.
Over the last four quarters, Shopify surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Shopify is graded F on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Shopify. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
IBM (NYSE:IBM | IBM Price Prediction) has quietly become a cash-generating utility for corporate AI orchestration, sitting on a $255.3 billion market cap with a $12.5 billion generative AI book of business. For income investors who dismiss enterprise tech as too volatile for a retirement portfolio, the question is simple. Is the dividend safe?
Dividend Snapshot Metric Value Annual Dividend $6.76 per share Dividend Yield 2.49% Consecutive Years of Increases 31 years Most Recent Increase $1.68 to $1.69 (April 2026) Dividend Aristocrat Yes (not yet a King) Payout Ratios Leave Real Room to Breathe In 2025, IBM paid $6.255 billion in common dividends against $11.575 billion of free cash flow. That is a comfortable FCF payout ratio of 54%. Earnings per share came in at $11.59 against roughly $6.72 in dividends, so about 58% of profits funded the payout.
Metric TTM Value Assessment Earnings Payout Ratio 58% Healthy FCF Payout Ratio 54% Healthy Operating Cash Flow Coverage 2.1x Strong FCF coverage has held between 1.44x and 1.91x for five straight years. That is the kind of consistency a retiree wants.
Debt Is the One Wrinkle Worth Watching Metric Value Assessment Debt-to-Equity 1.87x Moderate Net Debt-to-EBITDA 2.8x Manageable Interest Coverage 6.3x Strong Cash on Hand $10.8B Solid Buffer Total debt sits at $61.3 billion, up about $6.3 billion after the Confluent deal. EBIT of $12.26 billion covers $1.94 billion in interest 6.3 times. Service costs are not crowding out the dividend.
31 Years of Increases, Slow but Steady Year Annual Dividend 2026 (run rate) $6.76 2025 $6.72 2024 $6.66 2023 $6.63 2022 $6.59 Growth is slow, near 1% annually recently, but uninterrupted. IBM has paid quarterly dividends every year since 1916.
Krishna Backs Up the Cash Story CEO Arvind Krishna told investors on the Q1 2026 call: “Given this strong start, we continue to expect more than 5 percent constant currency revenue growth and an increase of about $1 billion in year-over-year free cash flow in 2026.” Guiding to roughly $15.7 billion of FCF against a $6.3 billion dividend obligation gives management plenty of room.
Verdict: Safe, With Eyes on the Balance Sheet Dividend Safety Rating: Safe. FCF covers the payout nearly 2x, interest coverage is north of 6x, and management is guiding to higher cash generation. I would be comfortable owning IBM for income if the software and Red Hat acceleration continues funding the dividend organically. I would get cautious if acquisition-driven debt climbs past 3.5x EBITDA or FCF guidance slips. For now, this is a cash-rich AI sanctuary that fits a retiree’s portfolio.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and IBM didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, today announced it will be named global media agency of record for IBM following a competitive review. The appointment includes media planning and buying responsibilities across the Americas, EMEA, Japan and APAC regions.
The decision expands an existing relationship between IBM and Omnicom Media in EMEA, awarded in January 2025.
The decision underscores Omnicom's strength in seamlessly integrating global and local markets, its deep B2B audience expertise, and its leadership in AI, automation, and performance-led media strategy and execution.
"IBM is working side-by-side with clients around the world, co-creating innovative technology and AI solutions that address their most complex challenges. To be successful, we need agency partners who understand our business, our ambitions, and the needs of the clients we serve," said Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at IBM. "Omnicom Media brings a globally integrated approach and a deep appreciation for how data, technology, and creativity come together at scale. That alignment gives us confidence in their ability to build more connected, relevant experiences that support IBM's long-term growth."
Omnicom Media Chief Client Success Officer Guy Marks added, "We share IBM's belief that innovation is most powerful when it is applied to solve real business challenges. Together, we have an opportunity to build a more intelligent, agile and integrated media ecosystem powered by data, automation and emerging technologies that can drive measurable impact across markets."
Omnicom Media's appointment is effective July 1.
ABOUT OMNICOM MEDIA
Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, is the world's largest global media management network. Powered by the Omni Intelligence Platform, Omnicom Media agencies leverage $75.6 billion in billings, 40,000+ specialists across 70+ markets, and the industry's most powerful portfolio identity, commerce, and intelligence assets to design dynamic Growth Ecosystems that enable the world's most ambitious businesses to grow faster and smarter. The Omnicom Media portfolio includes global media agency brands OMD, Initiative, PHD, UM, Hearts & Science, and Mediahub; core Omnicom Integrated Media offerings Acxiom, the world's premier identity solution, and the Flywheel digital commerce practice; and specialty services across the cloud consulting, creator, financial, healthcare, and sports & entertainment categories. For more information visit omnicommedia.com.
Charter Communications shares CHTR surged over 24% in premarket trading on Monday after a Bloomberg report said the cable and broadband giant was in discussions with SpaceX over a potential partnership to offer consumer mobile services.
According to the report, executives from SpaceX and Charter have held high-level talks about working together on a mobile phone offering.
While the discussions remain private and no agreement has been finalized, investors welcomed the possibility of Charter becoming a key partner in SpaceX's expanding consumer connectivity ambitions.
People familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg that Charter, the largest home internet provider in the United States, could route some of SpaceX's mobile traffic through its ground-based internet infrastructure, similar to how it currently supports its Spectrum Mobile service.
Such an arrangement would advance SpaceX's plans to become a broader direct-to-consumer mobile provider rather than relying solely on partnerships with established wireless carriers.
The discussions gained added significance after the Financial Times reported on Friday that SpaceX intends to offer mobile services directly to consumers.
To achieve that goal, the company will require significant mobile spectrum holdings alongside extensive terrestrial infrastructure to complement its satellite network.
SpaceX has already been strengthening its wireless assets.
The company recently acquired mobile spectrum in the Federal Communications Commission's AWS-3 auction after purchasing additional spectrum rights from EchoStar last year.
"Starlink Mobile will far exceed Starlink broadband in the home," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell recently told CNBC.
"Not everybody is going to need broadband, a Starlink broadband, in their homes. There's lots of other options as well. But I think the numbers of users of Starlink Mobile will far exceed our Starlink broadband."
Currently, SpaceX offers Starlink Mobile as a $10-per-month add-on through T-Mobile, allowing users to send text messages and make internet-based calls in remote areas beyond conventional cellular coverage.
For Charter, a partnership with SpaceX could mark a strategic shift at a time when investors have become increasingly concerned about Starlink's growing competitive threat.
Despite expanding its wireless business through Spectrum Mobile and agreeing last year to merge with Cox Communications, Charter's shares have fallen about 36% so far this year as Wall Street reassessed the risks posed by satellite broadband.
Through Spectrum Mobile, Charter currently provides wireless services using infrastructure agreements with T-Mobile and Verizon while routing a substantial portion of customer traffic over its own Wi-Fi network.
The addition of Cox is expected to expand Charter's subscriber base by more than 20%, strengthening its position in broadband and mobile services.
Investor sentiment toward Starlink has shifted sharply over the past year.
For years, the satellite internet business was largely viewed as serving rural areas lacking access to cable or fibre broadband.
However, its rapid subscriber growth and expansion into commercial aviation have prompted analysts to reassess its long-term competitive impact.
Starlink has doubled its subscriber base annually in recent years while securing major broadband contracts with airlines including American Airlines and United Airlines.
Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino recently warned that Starlink could become "a comet bearing down on broadband incumbents."
Wall Street is increasingly concerned that SpaceX could begin taking broadband market share from cable operators including Charter and Comcast, as well as fibre providers such as AT&T and Verizon.
Among those companies, cable operators are widely regarded as the most exposed because broadband services generate the majority of their profits and rely on ageing network infrastructure.
Against that backdrop, any partnership between Charter and SpaceX could potentially transform a growing competitive threat into a strategic opportunity for both companies.
Following a successful launch on the brand's direct-to-consumer site, where it became the #1 selling product1, Beyond Steak Filet makes its retail debut
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND), otherwise known as Beyond The Plant Protein Company™, today announced the launch of Beyond Steak Filet at Wegmans and H-E-B. This announcement marks the first time Beyond Steak Filet is available to consumers at retail.
Since launching on the brand's direct-to-consumer site in October 2025, Beyond Steak Filet has received overwhelmingly positive feedback and has quickly become the site's #1 selling product2, with consumers praising its delicious taste, great texture, and strong nutritional profile. Packed with 28g of plant protein, 3g of fiber, and just 1g of saturated fat per serving, and made with mycelium and heart-healthy3 avocado oil, the whole-cut filet delivers the tender, juicy bite and flavor of a top-quality steak. Made with clean, simple ingredients, Beyond Steak Filet is one of more than 20 products across the brand's portfolio to have earned Clean Label Project Certification, which recognizes products that meet rigorous standards for purity and transparency. The plant-based cut also contains no added antibiotics or hormones and is Non-GMO Project Verified.
“I believe Beyond Steak Filet is our most compelling center-of-the-plate innovation since the Beyond Burger,” said Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat. “The product marks the introduction of the powerhouse ingredient mycelium into our portfolio and delivers 28g of clean protein with just 1g of saturated fat from avocado oil. Whereas consumers are typically advised to limit their consumption of steak, the remarkable nutritional profile of Beyond Steak Filet means you can turn any meal into a steak occasion.”
Crafted to sear beautifully, Beyond Steak Filet can be enjoyed in tacos, salads, and grain bowls, or served alongside your favorite sides for a steakhouse-inspired meal. For additional information about Beyond Steak Filet and to find a store near you, visit www.beyondmeat.com.
About Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat, Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND), otherwise known as Beyond The Plant Protein Company™, is a plant protein company offering a portfolio of plant-based products made with non-GMO ingredients, no added hormones or antibiotics, and 0mg of cholesterol per serving. Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat’s core products are designed to have the same taste and texture as animal-based meat while being better for people and the planet. The company’s brand promise, Eat What You Love®, represents a strong belief that there is a better way to feed our future and that the positive choices we all make, no matter how small, can have a great impact on our personal health and the health of our planet. By shifting from animal-based protein to plant-based protein, we can positively impact four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare. Visit www.BeyondMeat.com and follow @BeyondMeat on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn.
Beyond Meat Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking statements.” These statements are based on management’s current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, not historical fact, and involve certain risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions. Actual results, levels of activity, performance, achievements and events could differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. While Beyond Meat believes that its assumptions are reasonable, it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible to anticipate all factors that could affect actual results. There are many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements made herein including, most prominently, the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Beyond Meat’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 9, 2026, Beyond Meat’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 28, 2026 filed with the SEC on May 7, 2026, as well as other factors described from time to time in Beyond Meat’s filings with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Beyond Meat undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If Beyond Meat does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that Beyond Meat will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
1 “#1 seller” refers exclusively to unit sales on Beyond Test Kitchen DTC website since October 2025. No comparison to broader market or category sales is intended or implied.
2 “#1 seller” refers exclusively to unit sales on Beyond Test Kitchen DTC website since October 2025. No comparison to broader market or category sales is intended or implied.
3 Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and as low as possible in trans fat, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Beyond Meat Launches Beyond Steak Filet at Wegmans and H-E-B Following a successful launch on the brand's direct-to-consumer site, where it became the #1 selling... Beyond Steak Filet is one of more than 20 products across the brand’s portfolio to have earned Clean... Packed with 28g of plant protein and mycelium, 3g of fiber, and only 1g of saturated fat from heart-...
Newmont Corporation (NEM - Free Report) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.
Over the past month, shares of this gold and copper miner have returned -12.5%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. During this period, the Zacks Mining - Gold industry, which Newmont falls in, has lost 13.4%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Earnings Estimate RevisionsHere at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock.
Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.
Newmont is expected to post earnings of $2.25 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +57.3%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -2.6%.
The consensus earnings estimate of $9.91 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +43.8%. This estimate has changed +1.9% over the last 30 days.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $10.76 indicates a change of +8.7% from what Newmont is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -0.9%.
With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Newmont.
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
For Newmont, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $6.19 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +16.4%. For the current and next fiscal years, $27.25 billion and $29.69 billion estimates indicate +20.2% and +9% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryNewmont reported revenues of $7.31 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +45.8%. EPS of $2.9 for the same period compares with $1.25 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.36 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +14.88%. The EPS surprise was +40.1%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Newmont is graded B on this front, indicating that it is trading at a discount to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Newmont. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
Newly expanded pier adds two additional berths at world's largest cruise company's exclusive destination, supporting increased guest arrivals and operational flexibility
, /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL), the world's largest cruise company, today announced the successful completion of its Celebration Key pier extension on Grand Bahama Island. The flagship expansion adds two new berths, enabling Celebration Key to accommodate up to four ships simultaneously and welcome over 13,000 guests in a day to the popular exclusive destination.
Carnival Corporation Completes New Pier Extension for Celebration Key in The Bahamas Building on the original two-berth pier that opened with Celebration Key in July 2025, the two additional berths were delivered ahead of schedule and double the arrival capacity to four ships at once. This marine-side expansion adds operational flexibility and unlocks roughly 200 more ship calls and 700,000 additional guest arrivals each year.
"Celebration Key is one of the centerpieces of our Paradise Collection – a bold destination built to redefine what a Caribbean vacation can feel like," said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "From a mile of white sand beach to the Caribbean's largest freshwater lagoons and five distinct experience portals, every part of Celebration Key was designed to deliver something unforgettable. Finishing the pier extension ahead of schedule gives us a real jump on meeting the extraordinary demand we're seeing and allows us to bring even more guests to this unique Bahamian paradise sooner than expected."
In less than 18 months, Celebration Key has firmly established its role as a cornerstone of Carnival Corporation's Paradise Collection. Twenty Carnival Cruise Line ships now call from 10 U.S. homeports reflecting Celebration Key's cornerstone position within the company's Caribbean deployment strategy. Starting September 2026, three- and four-ship days will be routine at the destination, and later this year, Princess Cruises and AIDA will join the rotation as Celebration Key becomes a true Carnival Corporation portfolio-wide Caribbean platform.
"Celebration Key's expansion reflects continued confidence in Grand Bahama and in The Bahamas as a leading tourism destination," said the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, Minister of Tourism. "Our priority is to ensure that investments of this scale create meaningful opportunities for Bahamian businesses, expand employment, and deliver lasting economic benefits to our people. We congratulate the team at Celebration Key on its first anniversary and look forward to its continued contribution to Grand Bahama's economy and the well-being of its communities."
"The expansion of Celebration Key's pier is a powerful endorsement of Grand Bahama's economic potential," said the Hon. Ginger Moxey MP., Minister for Grand Bahama. "Every ship that calls on our island creates opportunities for Bahamians—from entrepreneurs and small businesses to countless families who depend on a thriving tourism sector. This investment represents more than new infrastructure; it is an investment in our people, our economy, and a future built on sustainable, year-round growth."
When Celebration Key marks its first anniversary on July 19, 2026, it will have welcomed approximately 2.5 million guests. With the pier extension now in place, year two is expected to bring that number to about 3.5 million – growth that will deliver meaningful long-term benefits for The Bahamas. According to an economic impact study by Tourism Economics (an Oxford Economics company), the development, construction, and ongoing operation of Celebration Key is projected to create more than 2,500 direct Bahamian jobs, generate $3.2 billion in incremental government revenue, and contribute $9.7 billion in incremental GDP impact over the next two decades.
Celebration Key is just one of the seven exclusive Caribbean destinations that make up Carnival Corporation's Paradise Collection, which also includes RelaxAway Half Moon Cay, Isla Tropicale (Roatan), Amber Cove (Dominican Republic), Puerto Maya (Cozumel, Mexico), Grand Turks Cruise Center (Turks & Caicos) and Princess Cays (The Bahamas). Together, the Paradise Collection is unmatched by any other cruise company, creating differentiated guest experiences that drive incremental demand, support pricing strength and reinforce the company's leadership in the world's most popular cruise region.
About Carnival Corporation
Carnival Corporation is the largest global cruise company and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a portfolio of world-class cruise lines – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn. Carnival Corporation Ltd. trades under the ticker symbol CCL on the NYSE and is a member of the S&P 500.
For more information, please visit www.carnivalcorp.com, www.aida.de, www.carnival.com, www.costacruises.com, www.cunard.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.pocruises.com, www.princess.com, and www.seabourn.com.
To learn more about Carnival Corporation's purpose and our commitment to sustainability, go to Our Impact.
Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS | SNPS Price Prediction) sits at the center of every advanced chip designed today, and the math behind our model says the market is underpricing that moat. With shares trading at $454.34, our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Synopsys is $561.65, implying 23.62% upside over the next twelve months. The recommendation is buy at a 90% confidence level, reflecting high conviction in the analyst-calibrated factor blend that drives our model.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $454.34 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $561.65 Upside 23.62% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Stock Coiled After a Rough Month Synopsys has been a frustrating hold. Shares are down 13.61% over the past month, 3.27% year to date, and 8.34% over the trailing year, sitting roughly 14% below the 52-week high of $651.73. Yet the fundamentals tell a different story.
Q2 FY2026 revenue hit $2.276 billion, up 42% YoY, while non-GAAP EPS of $3.35 beat consensus by 5.96%. Management raised full-year FY2026 guidance to a midpoint of $9.665 billion in revenue and $14.76 in non-GAAP EPS.
The June 17 launch of Multiphysics Fusion, validated by MediaTek, NVIDIA, Samsung Electronics, and Cisco Silicon One, reinforced the silicon-to-systems thesis behind the $35B Ansys deal.
Why Bulls See $600 and Beyond The bull case rests on a structural moat. CEO Sassine Ghazi framed it directly: “AI is scaling semiconductor demand, architectural diversity and complexity of chips and the systems they power, driving demand across our portfolio.”
Bank of America raised its target to $600 with a Buy rating on June 24, citing the September 30 investor day as a catalyst. Piper Sandler upgraded to Overweight on June 23.
The combined Synopsys-Ansys platform now commands a roughly 46% share of the EDA-simulation space and a $31B addressable market. Our bull scenario points to $667.22 over twelve months, a 46.86% total return.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Synopsys didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
The Risks Worth Watching The bear case starts with the balance sheet. Long-term debt sits at $10 billion post-Ansys, and GAAP profitability is compressed by $403.6 million in quarterly amortization. The Design IP segment softened to $454.2 million in Q2 and faces shareholder lawsuits alleging misrepresentation. Insiders have been net sellers across 41 transactions recently.
A bull rebuttal: most disposals are routine RSU vesting, and management aggressively paid down $3.46 billion in debt during H1 FY2026, demonstrating discipline. Wells Fargo remains cautious at $535 Equal Weight. Our bear scenario clocks in at $494.72, still 8.89% above today’s print.
Where the Risk-Reward Lands The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $561.65 is a buy call at 90% confidence. The factor that tips the scale is the alignment between our model and a $563.74 analyst consensus underwritten by 17 Buy ratings. I would lean in here if the September 30 investor day frames a credible path to mid-teens organic growth and double-digit Design IP recovery.
I would step aside if Q3 guidance of $2.410 billion to $2.46 billion in revenue slips or if export-control friction widens. At a 31x forward multiple on a franchise this entrenched, the risk-reward leans favorable.
Synopsys Price Prediction 2026-2030 Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $504 2027 $561 2030 $853 These projections assume Synopsys sustains mid-teens revenue growth, executes Ansys integration on schedule, and maintains adjusted operating margins near 43.3%. Significant upside or downside could come from AI-chip cycle inflection or U.S. export-control escalation.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Synopsys didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Top software stocks have slumped this year amid the lingering concerns that artificial intelligence tools by companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will hurt their revenue growth in the long term. ServiceNow NOW stock is down by 35% this year, while Salesforce (CRM), Workday (WDAY), and Adobe (ADBE) have fallen by over 40%.
The ongoing software slump has made these companies affordable to most people. A good example of this is by comparing their current valuations with that of the S&P 500 Index and their historical levels.
The S&P 500 Index has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23. In contrast, Workday’s figure has dropped to 11, much lower than the sector median of 24 and the five-year average of 40. This valuation reset is happening even though Workday operates in essential industries that are hard to automate using AI agents.
Valuations have compressed sharply across the sector. ServiceNow trades at a forward P/E ratio of 24, compared with its five-year average of 61. Adobe's forward P/E stands at 8.3 versus a five-year average of 27, while Salesforce's multiple has fallen to 11 from a historical average of 31.
The same is happening among other SaaS companies like Intuit, AppLovin, Trade Desk, and Oracle.
The ongoing valuation reset in the software industry is mostly because of a situation known as SaaSPocalypse. This is the fear that advanced AI models will help companies replace these software companies.
The reality, however, is that the recent results showed that software companies are still growing. For example, ServiceNow’s revenue jumped by 22% in the first quarter to $3.7 billion.
Its subscription revenue soared by a similar amount to $3.67 billion, while the management boosted the forward outlook. Analysts predict that its annual revenue will rise 22% this year and 19% in the next financial year.
Workday’s annual revenue is expected to grow by 11% this year and 10% in 2026, while Salesforce will grow by a similar rate in the next two years. Salesforce’s revenue growth, however, should be taken with a grain of salt as it involves some large buyouts like Informatica and Fin.
Adobe, despite being highly exposed to the AI disruption, is expected to grow by 11.5% this year and 9% next year. These revenue growth metrics are all lower than their historical levels. Nonetheless, they are still strong for companies that have matured.
SaaS stocks will likely improve in the coming months as investors go bargain hunting. As mentioned above, most of these firms are trading at substantial bargains compared to their historical levels.
Most importantly, there will soon be a rotation from the booming memory stocks like Sandisk, Micron, Seagate, and Western Digital. Investors who have been in the market for many years have seen this rotation happen many times before.
At the same time, while some industries will be disrupted by AI, others will thrive. We have already seen some software companies successfully launch AI tools to complement their current offerings. A good example of this is Salesforce, which launched Agentforce that is now being used by thousands of companies.
Software companies will also leverage AI tools to simplify their operations and reduce their human resource expenses. Therefore, the ongoing selling of software stocks like NOW, WDAY, ADBE, and CRM will likely be a good buy-the-dip situation.
WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $SAP #DigitalTransformation--SCM CHAMPS becomes an Official SAP Partner, delivering trusted SAP-powered supply chain transformation for North American enterprises.
Emerson Electric (EMR - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.
Shares of this maker of process controls systems, valves and analytical instruments have returned -0.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. The Zacks Manufacturing - Electronics industry, to which Emerson Electric belongs, has gained 0.4% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Emerson Electric is expected to post earnings of $1.68 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +10.5%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.1%.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $6.49 points to a change of +8.2% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $7.14 indicates a change of +10% from what Emerson Electric is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +0.1%.
With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Emerson Electric.
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Revenue Growth ForecastEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.
For Emerson Electric, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $4.8 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +5.5%. For the current and next fiscal years, $18.81 billion and $19.72 billion estimates indicate +4.4% and +4.8% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryEmerson Electric reported revenues of $4.56 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +2.9%. EPS of $1.54 for the same period compares with $1.48 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.6 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -0.76%. The EPS surprise was 0%.
Over the last four quarters, Emerson Electric surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates times over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Emerson Electric is graded D on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Emerson Electric. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
Hormel Foods has increased its dividend for a stunning 60 consecutive years. It's a vaunted Dividend Aristocrat more than twice over. Hormel has a very good financial position. Its long-term debt/equity ratio is 0.4, while the interest coverage ratio is around 10. The P/E ratio is sitting at 17.4, based on midpoint guidance for this year's adjusted EPS. That's about as low as I've seen it on this stock.
Baidu (BIDU) shares rose about 7% in Hong Kong on Monday after a report said its AI chip unit Kunlunxin is targeting a Hong Kong IPO at a valuation of about $50
[url="]Commerce Bank[/url] today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Nolan and Associates, a St. Louisâbased boutique investment banking firm with
Wall Street's main indexes opened higher on Monday as easing tensions in the Middle East lifted investor sentiment after days of hostilities between the United States and Iran.
Technology stocks also rebounded following a sharp selloff last week, while Comcast shares soared after the media and cable company announced plans to split into two publicly traded businesses.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 271 points, while the S&P 500 gained 0.82%.
The Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.31%, supported by strength in technology shares.
A US official said on Sunday that Washington and Tehran would de-escalate following several days of hostilities, raising hopes that an interim peace agreement signed earlier this month could remain intact.
The two sides also agreed to allow commercial vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz freely after a weekend of military exchanges that had threatened negotiations.
While diplomatic efforts have reassured investors, concerns remain over the possibility of renewed conflict disrupting global energy supplies.
Technology stocks attempted to recover after a difficult week that saw investors rotate into more defensive sectors.
Last week, the S&P 500 lost nearly 2%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 4.6% as semiconductor companies and the so-called Magnificent Seven came under pressure.
Apple shares gained 1% in trading after falling 4.8% last week.
The company raised iPad and MacBook prices on Thursday, saying it could no longer absorb higher memory and storage chip costs driven by the artificial intelligence industry's expanding data center investments.
Chipmakers also traded higher, with Marvell gaining 1.8%.
Meanwhile, RBC Capital Markets raised its 12-month target for the S&P 500 to 8,150 from 7,900, citing earnings strength and favorable market conditions.
The second-quarter earnings season, set to begin in the coming weeks, is expected to provide the next major test for equities.
"The 21% S&P 500 return over the past 12 months has been driven entirely by earnings, making the upcoming Q2 2026 reporting season an important catalyst for the forward trajectory of the market," said Ben Snider, chief US equity strategist at Goldman Sachs in a Reuters report.
Comcast shares jumped about 8% in trading after the company announced plans to separate NBCUniversal and Sky into an independent publicly traded company through a tax-free spinoff.
The separation is expected to be completed in about a year.
SpaceX gained roughly 4% after Nasdaq said the newly listed company would be added to the Nasdaq-100 index on July 7.
Elsewhere, Martin Marietta Materials fell 6.11% after announcing a $13.5 billion merger with limestone supplier Lhoist North America.
Viridian Therapeutics climbed 6.65% after the US Food and Drug Administration approved its treatment for thyroid eye disease.
Investors also remained focused on monetary policy expectations.
Traders were pricing in at least one Federal Reserve interest rate hike this year to contain inflation, with upcoming US jobs data expected to influence those expectations.
Oil prices edged higher as markets assessed whether the pause in hostilities between the United States and Iran would hold.
Latest updates in Oracle Cloud SCM also include new inventory optimization capabilities
, /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle today announced four new Fusion Agentic Applications that will help organizations improve supply chain performance by increasing inventory visibility, reducing supplier and operational impact, and improving manufacturing efficiency. Built into Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM), the new agentic applications are powered by coordinated teams of specialized AI agents that are outcome-driven, proactive, reasoning-based, and engineered for enterprise execution. In addition, to help organizations further increase supply chain resilience, Oracle is also introducing new inventory optimization capabilities.
"Supply chain leaders are under increasing pressure to improve service levels, control costs, and respond faster to disruption amid ongoing economic and operational uncertainty," said S.Y. Shenoy, senior vice president, Fusion SCM development, Oracle. "With the new agentic applications and inventory optimization capabilities in Oracle Cloud SCM, organizations can identify issues sooner, prioritize actions, and make faster, more informed decisions across planning, procurement, and manufacturing."
Part of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, Oracle Cloud SCM helps organizations enhance resilience and quickly adapt to market changes by providing a unified AI-powered platform that integrates supply chain planning and execution processes. It includes embedded AI agents and agentic applications that help accelerate product design, manufacturing, procurement, order fulfillment, and logistics execution. In addition, customers can take advantage of the AI Agent Studio for Fusion Applications to build, connect, and run AI automation and agentic applications using reusable Oracle, partner, and external agents without traditional application development.
Fusion Agentic Applications for Supply Chain
Running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and powered by industry-leading LLMs, the new Fusion Agentic Applications move beyond assistance to execution, helping supply chain leaders improve business outcomes. By operating inside the existing Oracle Fusion Applications security framework, they can autonomously progress routine work within established guardrails and surface exceptions, tradeoffs, and decisions where desired, such as when human judgment can materially change the outcome. There are four new Fusion Agentic Applications now available within Oracle Cloud SCM:
Inventory Planning Command Center: Helps supply chain teams improve inventory availability, increase service levels, and resolve stockouts faster. This shifts inventory management from manual tracking to an automated, business-driven workflow that helps teams reduce disruptions and improve inventory responsiveness. Supplier Qualification Workspace: Helps procurement teams reduce supplier risk, improve compliance processes, and accelerate supplier qualification. This moves supplier qualification from fragmented tracking and manual follow-up to a guided, risk-based process that helps teams improve compliance posture and accelerate supplier onboarding decisions. Production Readiness Workspace: Helps manufacturing teams improve production readiness and reduce setup errors. This shifts production readiness from manual checklists to proactive corrections and prioritized actions that help teams reduce errors and prevent production delays. Kanban Administrative Workspace: Helps manufacturing teams improve Kanban replenishment, reduce shortages and excess inventory, and maintain production flow. This elevates Kanban replenishment from periodic manual review to proactive, exception-based optimization that helps teams enhance production flow. Inventory Optimization for Supply Chain Planning
New inventory optimization capabilities in Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain Planning help organizations improve inventory performance while balancing service levels and inventory costs. The new capabilities include:
Multi-echelon inventory optimization: Helps supply chain teams improve inventory placement and reduce excess inventory across complex supply chain networks by calculating recommended safety stock targets across the network based on demand and lead time variability. Interactive inventory network visualization: Helps planners better understand inventory performance and supply chain dependencies by providing an integrated view of supply chain relationships, inventory levels, and service-level metrics across the network. Inventory Optimization Advisor Agent: Helps planners identify inventory risks and improve service levels by highlighting the factors contributing to service-level shortfalls, analyzing inventory dependencies, and recommending safety stock adjustments. To learn more about Oracle Cloud SCM, visit oracle.com/scm.
About Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications
Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications provide an integrated suite of AI-powered cloud applications that enable organizations to execute faster, make smarter decisions, and lower costs. Oracle Fusion Applications include:
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Provides a comprehensive suite of AI-powered finance and operations applications that help organizations increase productivity, reduce costs, expand insights, improve decision-making, and enhance controls. Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM): Provides a unified AI-powered HR platform that connects people, processes, and data to help organizations automate the employee lifecycle, enhance the employee experience, and drive better business outcomes with a human-agent workforce. Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM): Provides a unified AI-powered platform that integrates supply chain and operations processes and helps organizations enhance resilience and quickly adapt to market changes. Oracle Fusion Cloud Customer Experience (CX): Provides a suite of AI-powered applications that help organizations manage marketing, sales, and service processes to win business, build stronger customer relationships, and improve customer experiences. About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL, and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.
AI-enabled platform recognized for connected corporate lending, risk management, and operational modernization
, /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle Financial Services has been named a Category Leader in the Chartis Credit Lending Operations, 2026: Quadrant® Update in the Loan Origination, Loan Management, Limits Management, and Collateral Management categories. This is the second consecutive year Oracle has been recognized for its ability to deliver capabilities across critical lending functions for financial institutions.
The report highlights AI's role in transforming modern lending operations by improving visibility, operational efficiency, and governance across the credit lifecycle.
"Oracle's Category Leader position in our Credit Lending Operations 2026 quadrants for Loan Origination, Loan Management, Limits Management, and Collateral Management Solutions reflects the depth and breadth of its capabilities across the corporate lending lifecycle," said Anish Shah, research director, Chartis. "Oracle combines an integrated platform strategy with API-enabled architecture, embedded analytics, and emerging technologies like agentic AI to help financial institutions connect origination, servicing, limits, collateral, and risk workflows across diverse institution types and geographies."
Smarter lending, faster decisions
In a highly competitive market where margins are thin, many financial institutions are looking to modernize their banking operations and move beyond point solutions toward connected platforms that unify origination, servicing, collateral management, limits monitoring, and risk oversight.
Oracle's AI-driven platform enables financial institutions to connect origination, servicing, collateral, limits, and risk management into a unified operating model that supports more efficient lending operations, streamlined decision-making, and the ability to respond faster to customer expectations and compliance requirements. By connecting processes across the lending lifecycle, organizations can improve responsiveness, automate more credit activities, and gain greater visibility into exposures, collateral, covenants, and portfolio performance.
"Financial institutions need an adaptive, intelligent platform that helps them deliver faster access to financing, manage risk more effectively, and drive sustainable growth," said Sovan Shatpathy, senior vice president, product management and development, Oracle Financial Services. "Chartis' recognition underscores Oracle's ability to help institutions move beyond disconnected lending processes to a connected operating model for growth, resilience, and client differentiation. With AI-enabled workflows, integrated data, and end-to-end visibility across the credit lifecycle, Oracle helps institutions improve efficiency, strengthen risk oversight, and respond faster to changing market and customer needs."
For more information view an excerpt from the Chartis Credit Lending Operations, 2026: Quadrant® Update here: https://www.oracle.com/financial-services/banking/corporate-lending/.
Learn more about Oracle's banking solutions at: https://www.oracle.com/financial-services/banking/corporate-banking/.
About Oracle Financial Services
Oracle Financial Services provides solutions for retail banking, corporate banking, payments, asset management, life insurance, annuities, and healthcare payers. With our comprehensive set of integrated digital and data platforms, banks and insurers are empowered to deliver next-generation financial services. We enable customer-centric transformation, support collaborative innovation, and drive efficiency. Our data and analytical platforms help financial institutions drive customer insight, integrate risk and finance, fight financial crime, and comply with regulations. To learn more, visit our website at https://www.oracle.com/financial-services/.
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Utility Customer Experience Management Solutions 2026 Vendor Assessment.1 Read the excerpt here. The recognition comes as utilities face rising costs, growing complexity, and higher expectations, making connected customer operations increasingly critical to improving service, reducing cost, and guiding customers to the right actions.
The Oracle Utilities Customer Platform brings together customer operations and billing, metering, service, sales, engagement, program management, analytics, and AI to help utilities move beyond fragmented customer systems and serve customers through one connected operating model. The platform is designed to help utilities reduce the cost and complexity of modernization while improving service outcomes across digital, agent-assisted, and proactive customer journeys.
"Oracle's position in the Leaders Category in the 2026 IDC MarketScape is attributed to how it uniquely integrates behavioral science-driven engagement from its Opower energy management guidance with core utility operations and customer program management. This provides a powerful platform for enhancing the customer experience, including interfaces with demand flexibility and electrification programs," said Gaia Gallotti, research director, IDC Energy Insights. "Oracle's system guides interactions with contextual real-time AI insights across a wide range of needs, from assessing low-to-moderate income assistance eligibility to managing billing for distributed energy resources."
AI for connected utility customer operations
The Customer Platform's integrated approach helps utilities reduce modernization complexity, automate work across teams, and deliver more consistent experiences across digital, agent-assisted, and proactive customer journeys. Supporting multi-commodity utilities (e.g., electric, gas, and water), energy suppliers, and retailers, the platform scales across organizations with millions of customers and high-volume digital communications and contact-center demands. The Customer Platform helps over 275 utilities serve hundreds of millions of people across 45 countries and four continents.
The IDC MarketScape adds, "AI capabilities are embedded via Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and positioned as foundational to the Customer Platform, with emphasis on contextual real-time insights for agents (e.g., live recommendations, call and chat summarization, sentiment analysis, and payment propensity prediction), AI-assisted collections optimization, and agentic orchestration across service and digital journeys."
The Customer Platform also helps utilities engage customers before they contact the call center. With Opower capabilities built in, utilities can deliver proactive, personalized communications that help customers understand high bills, identify payment assistance or rate options, enroll in relevant programs, and take action to save money or shift demand. For example, Oracle Utilities Data Intelligence provides pre-built insights and intelligence for every component of the customer platform and an AI assistant that empowers users to leverage natural language for faster access to insights and better decisions. Call center agents can quickly deliver the right information to help utilities address today's most pressing challenges, including long wait times, inconsistent customer experiences, and tedious, inaccurate data capture.
With Oracle's platform, utilities are empowered to benefit from new, built-in listening and transcription tools that aid in customer interactions to allow call center agents to focus on the conversation versus worrying about documentation. This includes foreseeing potential issues such as reasons for a high bill and identifying opportunities such as program eligibility or new rate plans. By lowering total average handle time, the new AI features also are expected to help support utilities' average speed of answer (ASA) to help meet requirements.
Improving customer satisfaction
Moving forward, Oracle plans to equip customer service representatives with AI-generated customer snapshots before calls start, helping speed resolution and further improve the customer connection. In addition, Oracle will add full call transcripts to automatically generate comprehensive summaries for agents, reducing manual processes and improving call note accuracy. This can enable call center leaders to analyze trends and review call information for agent training and quality assurance.
Regarding one of Oracle's key strengths, the IDC MarketScape noted, "Ongoing investments in AI and GenAI embedded across the stack position utilities to advance agent augmentation, intelligent automation, and more data-driven customer operations at scale." We believe Oracle is building on its new, customer experience-focused AI capabilities with even more innovations designed to help streamline utility work, reduce utility operating costs, and elevate utility customer service.
"Utilities are under increasing pressure to deliver faster, more personalized service while managing rising operational complexity and customer expectations," said Mark Webster, senior vice president of Oracle Infrastructure Industries. "Oracle embeds AI directly into the utility customer experience to help service teams resolve issues more efficiently, anticipate customer needs, reduce call center burden, and provide more proactive, empathetic support across interactions. By combining AI with unified operational and customer data, Oracle is helping utilities improve service outcomes while building stronger customer trust and satisfaction."
To view the IDC MarketScape excerpt, click here.
In addition to this evaluation, Oracle was also named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Utility Meter Data Management Systems 2025 Vendor Assessment,2 and the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Customer Information System & Billing Solutions for Utilities 2024 Vendor Assessment.3
To learn more about Oracle Utilities solutions visit here and join the discussion on LinkedIn.
About IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.
2 "IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Utility Meter Data Management Systems 2025 Vendor Assessment," (Doc # US52984625), October 2025.
3 "IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Customer Information System & Billing Solutions for Utilities 2024 Vendor Assessment," (Doc # US49060523), March 2024.
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL, and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.
Retirement investors weighing Bank of America (NYSE: BAC | BAC Price Prediction) against Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) face a deceptively similar scorecard at the top of the analyst page: both megabanks carry a Buy consensus, and both project meaningful upside from current levels.
Key Takeaways General Mills is likely to see Q4 revenues and earnings rise when it reports results on July 1, 2026. GIS' Remarkability strategy is supporting demand, distribution and share trends in key retail categories. GIS may gain from Blue Buffalo momentum, margin programs, and easing trade and supply-chain headwinds. General Mills, Inc. (GIS - Free Report) is likely to witness top and bottom-line growth when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on July 1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $4.6 billion, indicating an increase of nearly 1% from the prior-year quarter’s reported figure.
The consensus mark for earnings has remained unchanged over the past 30 days at 82 cents a share, which implies 10.8% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago period. GIS has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.2%, on average.
Factors Likely to Influence GIS’ Upcoming ResultsGeneral Mills’ fourth-quarter performance is likely to have witnessed improving business momentum as the company continues executing its Remarkability strategy through product innovation, enhanced consumer value, stronger brand communication and improved omnichannel execution. These initiatives have been driving better household penetration, baseline demand, distribution and market-share trends across several key North America Retail categories.
Management has indicated that the investments made earlier in the fiscal year are expected to support a step-up in organic sales trends during the fourth quarter, aided by stronger competitiveness and seasonal merchandising opportunities.
The North America Pet business is also expected to remain a growth contributor, supported by continued momentum in Blue Buffalo, expanding distribution of Love Made Fresh and ongoing innovation across the pet portfolio. Management expects retailer inventory trends, which weighed on prior-quarter shipments, to normalize in the fourth quarter. Together with continued market-share gains, these factors are likely to support healthier revenue trends across the business. Our model suggests fourth-quarter organic sales growth of 1.4% for the North America Pet segment.
On the earnings front, General Mills is expected to benefit from its Holistic Margin Management program and Global Transformation initiatives. Management also expects several temporary headwinds that weighed on results earlier in the fiscal year, including unfavorable trade-expense timing and weather-related supply-chain disruptions, to become tailwinds in the fourth quarter, supporting a sequential improvement in operating performance and earnings. We expect the adjusted operating margin to increase 60 basis points to 14.3% in the fourth quarter.
However, persistent consumer caution, elevated input costs, tariff-related inflation and ongoing value investments aimed at strengthening competitiveness may have tempered profitability during the quarter despite improving underlying business trends.
Q4 Earnings Whispers for GISOur proven model doesn’t conclusively predict an earnings beat for General Mills this time. 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, which is not the case here.
General Mills currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and has an Earnings ESP of +0.21%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks With the Favorable CombinationHere are some companies worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.39% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kimberly-Clark’s upcoming quarterly revenues is pegged at $4.23 billion. The figure implies a 1.7% increase from the prior-year quarter. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Kimberly-Clark’s quarterly earnings per share is pegged at $1.99, indicating a 3.7% gain from the year-ago period figure. KMB delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 19.1%, on average.
Celsius Holdings, Inc. (CELH - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.30% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus estimate for CELH’s quarterly revenues is pinned at $891.5 million, which calls for 20.6% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Celsius Holdings’ upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at 42 cents, which implies a 10.6% decrease year over year. CELH delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 58.1%, on average.
Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The consensus estimate for Tyson Foods’ quarterly revenues is pinned at $14.29 billion, which suggests 2.9% growth from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the upcoming quarter’s EPS is pegged at $1.04, which implies a 14.3% increase year over year. TSN delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of nearly 18.1%, on average.
DISTRIBUTED-WORKFORCE/OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Square today announced that The Sherwin-Williams Company, the world's largest paint and coatings company, has selected Square as its payment solutions partner in the Sherwin-Williams Digital Alliance Program. The curated program connects Sherwin-Williams' extensive network of PRO+ customers with best-in-class digital tools designed to help grow their businesses and save money through exclusive offers. For professional painters, contractors.
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The latest quarterly U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index – Rates Edition showed truck freight rates rising considerably in April and May. Produced in collaboration with DAT Freight & Analytics, the data revealed that spot rates were up 31.29% in May compared with a year earlier, reflecting a significant acceleration over the past several months. Contract rates increased 9% year over year. Spot rates increased from $1.89 per mile in March to $1.95 in April and climb.
Key Takeaways Costco is using AI search to make its products and member value easier for consumers to find.AI traffic remains low but grew triple digits in Q3 and had the highest conversion rate.Digital engagement is strong, with site and app traffic up 37%, and digital comps up 21.5%. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) is a small but important digital opportunity, even at this early stage. Management said consumers are increasingly using AI to research products and services, and Costco is working with leading AI companies to improve how its value proposition is presented to current and potential members. The strategy is not about changing the core model. It is about making Costco products easier to find through AI search.
The key step is to improve online product pages so that large language models can better capture Costco’s quality, pricing and member value. This matters because some Costco offers are hard to explain through a regular search. Management pointed to appliances, where the real value includes delivery, installation and haul-away and to tires, where installation, road hazard coverage and nitrogen are included. AI search can present that broader value more clearly.
The early signals are notable. AI-generated traffic remains low, but Costco saw triple-digit growth in the third quarter of fiscal 2026, and this traffic carried the highest conversion rate of any source coming to its site. That sits alongside strong digital engagement, with site and app traffic up 37% and digitally enabled comparable sales up 21.5%. AI search is not yet a major revenue engine, but it could become a useful driver for Costco’s digital business.
What the Latest Metrics Say About CostcoCostco, which competes with Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) and Target Corporation (TGT - Free Report) , has seen its shares drop 4.5% over the past three months compared with the industry’s 0.2% decline. Shares of Dollar General and Target have jumped 1.4% and 18.1%, respectively, in the aforementioned period.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Costco's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 43.11, higher than the industry’s ratio of 30.91. However, it is trading below its 12-month median level of 46.40, indicating some moderation in valuation despite sustained investor confidence in the stock.
Costco is trading at a premium to Target (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 16.38) and Dollar General (15.71).
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 9.4% and 13.3%, respectively. For the next fiscal year, the consensus estimate indicates a 7.8% rise in sales and 10.2% growth in earnings.
The consensus estimate for earnings per share for the current and next fiscal year has increased by 5 cents and 6 cents to $20.38 and $22.46, respectively, over the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Costco currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Walmart (NYSE: WMT | WMT Price Prediction) and Costco (NASDAQ: COST) just delivered earnings that show two very different retail playbooks working at once.
Walmart leaned on advertising, marketplace, and faster delivery to expand its empire. Costco kept doing what it does best: opening clubs, renewing members, and pushing Kirkland deeper into the cart. Both reports beat the Street, but the businesses behind the beats look nothing alike.
Ads and Marketplace Carry Walmart. Memberships Carry Costco. Walmart’s Q1 FY27 revenue hit $175.684 billion, up 6.08% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $0.66. The real story sits underneath. Global eCommerce climbed 26%, marketplace sales jumped nearly 50% (the best in 10 quarters), and global advertising grew 37%.
New CEO John Furner pointed to “higher-margin commerce solutions” as the strategy, and the numbers back him up. Upper-income shoppers keep showing up, which is unusual for a discount banner.
Costco’s Q3 FY26 looked equally healthy but for different reasons. Revenue reached $70.527 billion, up 11.58%, with EPS of $4.93. Comparable sales rose 9.8% reported, and digitally enabled comps were up 21.5%.
Membership fees, the engine that funds everything, grew 10.7% to $1.373 billion, with a worldwide renewal rate of 89.7%. Executive members now drive 75.0% of net sales. That is a moat.
Wider Net vs. Deeper Loyalty Business Lens Walmart Costco Main Growth Engine Marketplace, ads, eCommerce Memberships, Kirkland, new clubs Revenue Growth (latest Q) 6.08% 11.58% Trailing P/E 42 48 Core Vulnerability Tariffs, MFP drug pricing headwind FX swings, no formal guidance Walmart is widening the net. Furner is layering ad tech, VIZIO, Sam’s Club, and Flipkart onto a base where Walmart International grew 18% and China popped 22.3%.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Walmart didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Costco is going deeper. Roughly 12 new warehouses are planned for the rest of FY2026, fresh Kirkland items keep landing, and prices on select Kirkland SKUs are actually coming down. One company sells a platform to brands. The other sells trust to households.
Margins and Tariffs Will Decide the Next Earnings Report I will watch whether Walmart can absorb its 700 bps Health & Wellness headwind from Maximum Fair Pricing without denting the FY27 EPS range of $2.75 to $2.85. Free cash flow already swung to negative $1.946 billion on heavy capex, which is fine if the automation pays back.
For Costco, the question is simpler: can traffic keep growing at 2.4% with tariffs squeezing import categories?
Why I Lean Costco for Quality, Walmart for Optionality On pure business quality, Costco screens stronger. The membership renewal rate barely moves, and that recurring fee model is the closest thing in retail to a software subscription. You are paying up for it, though. Shares trade at a 48 P/E after a YTD gain of 11.77%, and the stock is down 6.53% over the past month, which tells me others share the valuation worry.
Walmart looks like the better optionality bet. The ads and marketplace flywheel is still early, the $30 billion buyback gives a floor, and the stock’s 22.44% one-year gain reflects real operating momentum.
For a turnaround-style investor it is less interesting, but for someone who wants a defensive name with a hidden ad business, I think Walmart fits. Tariff clarity is the key variable that could re-rate either name from here.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Walmart didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Gilead (GILD) was a big mover last session on higher-than-average trading volume. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions might not help the stock continue moving higher in the near term.
Duke Energy's new AI-powered Bill Insights helps Carolinas customers understand what's driving their summer energy costs , /PRNewswire/ -- Heading into the hottest stretch of the year, with highs climbing into the mid-90s and heat indices approaching 100 F across the Carolinas over the weekend – and potentially even hotter conditions mid to late next week – Duke Energy is giving Carolinas customers a new way to answer a familiar summer question: "Why is my bill higher?"
The new AI-powered Bill Insights feature in the Duke Energy mobile app delivers a personalized, plain-language breakdown of what's driving each month's energy costs – including how much is tied to weather and how usage compares over time. This first phase offers a simple, at-a-glance view, and it's just the beginning. Duke Energy plans to expand the feature in the coming months with more detailed insights.
Bill Insights are available now to Duke Energy Carolinas residential customers on the Billing tab of the mobile app and rolls out to Duke Energy Progress customers in mid-July.
"Our customers want to better understand what's behind their energy bills," said Sasha Weintraub, executive vice president and chief customer officer at Duke Energy.
"AI Bill Insights complements what we provide through My Home Energy Report, which gives customers personalized insights into their usage and tips to help them save. Now we're introducing an easy-to-understand, plain-language look at what's shaping each month's bill – and we'll keep enhancing it based on what customers find most helpful."
'I didn't change anything. Why are my energy costs higher?'
It's one of the most common questions Duke Energy hears every summer – and the answer comes down to how air conditioning systems work. When a thermostat is set to 72 degrees and the outdoor high is 82 in May, the system bridges a 10-degree gap. In July, when the high reaches 98, that gap grows to 26 degrees – and the system runs significantly longer to close it, using more energy, even though no one touched the dial.
The data behind higher summer energy use
Cooling degree days – a National Weather Service measure of how hard air conditioners have to work – ran about 12% to 18% above 1991-2020 normals across Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham during the summers of 2024 and 2025. That means AC systems were running longer and using more energy than in a typical summer.
Humidity compounds the effect. Average dew points across the Carolinas climb about 25 degrees between April and midsummer, pushing AC systems from barely running to working full time. Up to 30% or more of an AC unit's capacity can go toward removing moisture – and that share grows as humidity rises. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping indoor humidity between 30% and 50%.
What customers can do
In addition to checking Bill Insights, Duke Energy encourages customers to take a few practical steps to manage summer energy use:
Adjust the thermostat and use ceiling fans. Adjust your thermostat to the highest comfortable setting and increase it slightly while away. Running a ceiling fan can help you feel up to 4 degrees cooler without changing the setting. Consider a stand-alone dehumidifier to take some of the moisture-removal burden off the AC system. Watch for Usage Alerts emailed mid-billing cycle for projected energy costs so there are no end-of-month surprises. Schedule a free home energy assessment to identify where conditioned air may be escaping through the attic, ductwork or other gaps. Explore Smart $aver® rebates for HVAC, insulation and other efficiency upgrades. For more programs, solutions and tips, visit duke-energy.com/SummerSolutions.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,700 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an energy modernization strategy, keeping customer value at the forefront as it invests in electric grid upgrades and efficient generation resources to strengthen the system and serve growing energy needs.
More information is available at duke-energy.com. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for stories about the people and innovations powering its communities.
Lemonade (LMND) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions may not translate into further price increase in the near term.
SummaryMicron delivered another record-breaking quarter, with Q3 revenue surging to nearly $41.5 billion on exceptional pricing strength.Non-GAAP gross margins soared to nearly 85%, more than doubling year-over-year, driving adjusted EPS to $25.11 versus $1.91 last year.Management guided Q4 revenue to $50 billion, well above consensus, with gross margins expected to rise further to 86% as price increases moderate.MU generated $18.3 billion in adjusted free cash flow, reduced debt by 40%, and plans to return 100% of excess cash to shareholders over time. Tim Robberts/DigitalVision via Getty Images
As companies try to pivot to a future of Artificial Intelligence, there have been a number of clear winners in the market. One of the biggest has been Micron Technology, Inc. (MU), with
38.33K Followers
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within 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.
Investors are always reminded that before making any investment, you should do your own proper due diligence on any name directly or indirectly mentioned in this article. Investors should also consider seeking advice from a broker or financial adviser before making any investment decisions. Any material in this article should be considered general information, and not relied on as a formal investment recommendation.
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.
As demand for memory and storage products has surged and supply has been limited, Micron Technology (MU 8.93%) has been benefiting from the ongoing shortage in a big way. Its results have looked fantastic, as it has been able to raise prices and generate impressive margins amid continuously strong demand.
The stock has soared 800% over the past 12 months and has become one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a market cap of around $1.3 trillion, heading into trading this week. Is it only a matter of time before it reaches a $2 trillion market cap?
Image source: Getty Images.
Micron's valuation remains low, based on analyst forecasts for earnings A big reason investors remain optimistic that Micron's stock can go higher is due to the incredible results it has been generating. Although the stock's gains are massive, it's not trading at an obscene valuation with its earnings multiple in the triple digits. Instead, shockingly enough, its forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple is in single digits. Based on analyst estimates of how its earnings will look in the year ahead, Micron's forward P/E is only seven.
Given the ongoing shortage of memory products and the continued rise in demand and prices for its products, analysts are bullish on Micron's growth outlook. And when factoring that in, the stock's valuation looks cheap. By comparison, the average stock in the S&P 500 trades at a forward P/E multiple of 21, and thus, you might easily conclude that Micron is a bargain buy.
Today's Change
(
-8.93
%) $
-101.12
Current Price
$
1031.21
Is $2 trillion in market cap attainable for Micron Technology? For Micron to reach a $2 trillion valuation, it would need to rise by about 56% from its current level. That would mean its price rises to around $1,770. Even with such an increase, that might push its forward P/E below 12, which still doesn't look all that high.
It's a feasible possibility given the hype around memory and storage stocks these days and the ongoing investments in tech driven by excitement around artificial intelligence. Investors may, however, also be hesitant to value the tech stock that high due to the industry's cyclical nature in previous years and the potential for a significant sell-off once supply catches up to demand.
Micron's business is red hot, but a lot hinges on expectations of future demand and supply for memory and storage products. Given the uncertainty and risk of a steep correction, I'd stay on the sidelines. Although it has room to rise higher, it may have plenty more room to fall significantly as well.
Micron (MU - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.
Over the past month, shares of this chipmaker have returned +16.6%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. During this period, the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry, which Micron falls in, has gained 14%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?
Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesHere at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, Micron is expected to post earnings of $25.35 per share, indicating a change of +736.6% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +43.5% over the last 30 days.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $64.26 points to a change of +675.2% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +5%.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $124.34 indicates a change of +93.5% from what Micron is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +20.6%.
With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) for Micron.
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
In the case of Micron, the consensus sales estimate of $50.73 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +348.3%. The $121.46 billion and $222.54 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +225% and +83.2%, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryMicron reported revenues of $41.46 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +345.7%. EPS of $25.11 for the same period compares with $1.91 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $36.72 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +12.91%. The EPS surprise was +17.39%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Micron is graded F on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Micron. However, its Zacks Rank #1 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Viridian Therapeutics Inc.’s (NASDAQ:VRDN) new thyroid eye disease (TED) treatment, Lumvoa (veligrotug-vvze).
The major regulatory milestone marks a significant advancement for individuals suffering from this rare and debilitating autoimmune condition, which causes severe inflammation and tissue remodeling around the eyes.
The company is preparing for an immediate commercial rollout.
Lumvoq’s FDA approval represents a key inflection point for Viridian, as the company moves from development-stage to commercial operations with its first approved therapy.
Rapid Launch And Patient Access SupportViridian intends to launch the treatment immediately, and the biotechnology firm has collaborated closely with healthcare providers, insurance payers, and various patient advocacy groups.
The immediate commercial launch is further backed by a comprehensive patient support initiative designed to help navigate treatment availability.
Clinical Trial Success For Active And Chronic PatientsThe regulatory agency approved a Priority Review designation based on data from two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials: THRIVE, which evaluated patients with active TED, and THRIVE-2, which focused on chronic variations of the illness.
Lumvoa acts as a full antagonist of IGF-1R. Notably, it stands as the initial approved therapy for thyroid eye disease to feature official labeling data encompassing both active and chronic forms of the condition.
Both clinical trials successfully achieved all primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful health improvements by the 15th week.
Reduced Treatment Burden And Efficacy RatesPatients across both clinical studies underwent a specialized 12-week regimen engineered specifically to minimize the overall burden of treatment.
The therapy demonstrated a rapid onset of clinical benefits, with noticeable reductions in proptosis recorded as early as three weeks into the program.
Furthermore, Lumvoa represents the first approved medication for thyroid eye disease to exhibit a statistically significant impact on diplopia response, alongside complete resolution in both active and chronic patient groups.
Analyst Sees Market Share OpportunityAnalyst Lachlan Hanbury-Brown said Viridian’s elegrobart remains on track for a BLA filing in the first quarter of 2027 and is well-positioned to expand into the chronic patient population.
He added that the therapy could emerge as a leading option for chronic TED patients, supported by its convenient subcutaneous administration and strong clinical profile.
Combined with Viridian’s broader portfolio, elegrobart could help the company target multiple patient segments and strengthen its long-term position in the TED market.
VRDN Stock Price Activity: Viridian Therapeutics shares were up 13.79% at $20.36 during premarket trading on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Image via Shutterstock/ grandbrothers
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Veteran enterprise sales executive brings decades of experience scaling companies and leading successful commercial organizations SURPRISE, Ariz., June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SenesTech, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNES), a leader in fertility control solutions for managing rodent populations, today announced the appointment of Jack Karabees as Executive Vice President of Sales.
If you're investing in the current market, it's a good idea to focus on businesses balancing the momentum of digital transformation with the stability of essential real-world services. There are plenty of companies delivering profitability and business growth that fit this bill and can reward investors in the long run, but separating the wheat from the chaff can be stressful.
On that note, here are two top growth stocks that you might want to add to your portfolio the next time you go stock shopping.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. MercadoLibre MercadoLibre (MELI +3.01%) operates a powerful multi-engine system that dominates e-commerce and financial services across Latin America. While it's known for its regional retail marketplace, its fintech division, Mercado Pago, has transformed into a crucial daily banking and payment utility for millions of historically unbanked consumers.
This allows the company to efficiently capture consumer dollars across both retail transactions and digital banking services. Its primary advantage is its extensive proprietary logistics and shipping network, which handles the vast majority of its deliveries throughout Latin America.
By controlling the entire system from checkout to doorstep delivery and payment processing, the company creates an unmatched barrier to entry for international competitors. As the digital economy matures across major underpenetrated markets like Brazil and Mexico, MercadoLibre's self-reinforcing network effects position it to capture escalating consumer spending.
Today's Change
(
3.01
%) $
50.35
Current Price
$
1725.45
Right now, MercadoLibre is in a costly race to maintain its market dominance against aggressively expanding competitors like Amazon, Shein, and Temu, the latter of which is owned by PDD Holdings. To defend its turf, the company is spending heavily on logistics, fulfillment, and free-shipping thresholds. Broader economic concerns (such as rising 10-year Treasury yields) have simultaneously reduced the present value of future earnings for many growth-focused tech and e-commerce companies.
However, MercadoLibre's heavy up-front reinvestment can help it cement its unrivaled logistics network across Latin America. That makes the current dip look like a compelling buying opportunity for long-term investors aiming to capture the region's undisputed e-commerce leader at a discount.
2. Eli Lilly Eli Lilly (LLY +0.95%) is leading a major healthcare transformation driven by unprecedented global demand for its breakthrough metabolic treatments Mounjaro and Zepbound. The company has capitalized on a generational expansion in the diabetes and weight loss markets. Eli Lilly also maintains a diverse, high-value clinical pipeline with late-stage assets targeting major areas in oncology, immunology, and Alzheimer's disease.
The company's GLP-1 business, driven by its pair of blockbuster drugs, account for roughly two-thirds of the company's revenue and have pushed full-year forecasts to between $82 billion and $85 billion. The company has overtaken Novo Nordisk in international market share, a position strengthened by its newly approved oral weight-loss pill Foundayo.
Today's Change
(
0.95
%) $
11.47
Current Price
$
1219.59
The company also recently reported positive phase 3 results for retatrutide, an experimental once-weekly injection that targets multiple hormone receptors to drive even greater weight loss. A major milestone for broader adoption began as Medicare obesity coverage was launched through the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program, providing eligible patients with access for $50 a month.
Eli Lilly is actively expanding employer-sponsored coverage to ensure wider access to its GLP-1 medications, and to meet soaring demand, it is pouring another $4.5 billion into its Lebanon, Indiana, manufacturing facility. The company is also using its GLP-1 profits wisely and has announced 10 acquisitions in 2026 alone, including infectious disease and vaccine developers and cancer biotechs.
Lilly even struck a wearable-tech partnership with Oura Ring through its prescription platform to help patients track biometric progress while on GLP-1 therapies. The stock has had an incredible run-up over the last few years, but investors who want to capitalize on this healthcare growth story might want to consider taking a slice of the action now.
