Apple už zdražil iPhony až o 300 USD a podle TrendForce budou další zvýšení cen kvůli prudce rostoucím nákladům na paměti téměř nevyhnutelná. U iPhonu 18 Pro 256GB má BOM náklad vzrůst meziročně asi o 38 %.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) has already pushed iPhone prices higher by as much as $300 in response to what CEO Tim Cook described as a “100-year flood” in memory prices. According to a new TrendForce smartphone industry report published August 10, 2026, that squeeze is only beginning.
The Memory Math Is Getting Ugly TrendForce estimates memory’s share of the iPhone Pro bill of materials has climbed from roughly 10% a year ago on the iPhone 17 Pro to about 34% in Q3 2026, and is expected to exceed 40% in the first half of 2027. For the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB, TrendForce estimates the BOM cost will rise about 38% year over year. Contract memory prices have risen five to sevenfold since the start of 2025.
TrendForce’s conclusion: “escalating component costs, led by memory, are expected to significantly raise production expenses for Apple’s next iPhone 18 series… making higher retail prices unavoidable. Apple may offset some of these costs by reducing gross margins to prevent weakening consumer demand.”
How Exposed Is Apple? Every meaningful Apple product contains memory, and iPhone alone generated $54.25 billion in the June quarter, part of $109.42 billion in total revenue. Cook flagged the pressure on the March-quarter call: “For the June quarter, we expect significantly higher memory costs… beyond the June quarter, we believe memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business.” June-quarter gross margin guidance was set at 47.5% to 48.5%. Jefferies downgraded Apple to Underperform with a $263.66 target, citing “rising memory costs and the cancellation of an ‘all-glass iPhone’ that would have helped increase average selling prices.” Apple shares trade at $306.32, up 13.7% year to date.
Who Benefits, Who Bleeds Memory suppliers are printing money. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) posted fiscal Q3 revenue of $41.456 billion, up 345.7% year over year, with GAAP gross margin of 84.6%. CFO Mark Murphy said Q2 DRAM prices rose in the mid-sixties percentage range and NAND prices in the high-seventies percentage range. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra warned Micron is only fulfilling “50% to two-thirds” of key customer demand. Shares are up 201.86% year to date. South Korea’s SK Hynix, the other major DRAM supplier to Apple, is capturing similar gains.
The pain sits with chip vendors whose volumes depend on smartphone units. Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) saw handset revenue drop to $5.086 billion, down 20% year over year, with operating income falling 41.13%. CEO Cristiano Amon acknowledged a “challenging memory and supply environment” and said Qualcomm is taking pricing actions to reflect higher input costs. Shares are down 4.21% year to date.
The Contrarian Long-Term Case Apple can absorb the hit by trimming gross margins where rivals cannot. Android vendors in entry-level and mid-range tiers face a harsher squeeze, and TrendForce expects global smartphone production to stay under pressure. If weaker competitors are forced into steeper hikes or discontinue lines running at negative gross margins, Apple could gain share. If memory pricing normalizes, the $300 already baked into iPhone shelf prices becomes pure margin recovery.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
AMD bylo sníženo z Buy na Hold kvůli ocenění a nejistému růstu marží, i když tržby dál rychle rostou. Výhled na 3. čtvrtletí počítá se stagnujícími maržemi.
SummaryAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. is downgraded from Buy to Hold due to valuation and uncertain margin expansion despite strong revenue growth.AMD's Data Center and Embedded segments drive profitability, but margin expansion depends heavily on the revenue mix, especially between CPUs and GPUs.Gross margin improvements have stalled sequentially, with Q3 guidance indicating flat margins despite continued revenue acceleration.High valuation multiples, execution risks with new products like Helios, and supply chain constraints increase the likelihood of price correction or stability in the near term. Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images
Investment Thesis In all my previous articles about Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), I mainly focused on its technological and market tailwinds, which will boost the company. Since my first article
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Nokia v úterý roste o 3,56 % díky silné poptávce po AI datových centrech a zvýšenému celoročnímu výhledu zisku. Ve druhém čtvrtletí tržby stouply o 8 % na 4,82 miliardy eur.
Nokia Corp (NYSE:NOK) stock is trading higher on Tuesday, driven by sustained artificial intelligence data center demand and a raised full-year profit outlook. Investors are actively re-evaluating the company beyond its traditional telecom focus and pricing it as a key beneficiary of the artificial intelligence boom.
The Nasdaq is down 0.03% while the S&P 500 has gained 0.08%.
• Nokia stock is surging to new heights today. What’s fueling NOK momentum?
Q2 Earnings BeatIn late July, Nokia reported second-quarter results that topped consensus estimates. Net sales rose 8% year-over-year to 4.82 billion euros ($5.60 billion), while adjusted earnings reached eight cents per unit, beating the seven cent expectation. Network Infrastructure revenue grew 12%, propelled by Optical Networks (+19%) and IP Networks (+15%).
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AI Infrastructure GrowthCEO Justin Hotard highlighted Nokia’s expanding reach into AI infrastructure. AI and Cloud revenue doubled (+103%) to represent 9.3% of total sales, backed by 2.8 billion euros in new AI and cloud orders.
Supply Chain StrategyTo address memory shortages expected through 2027, Hotard outlined plans to secure long-term supply deals, adjust product designs, and pass higher costs to buyers.
Nokia Stock: Key Technical Levels To WatchFrom a longer-term view, Nokia is still digesting a huge 12-month run (up 128.41%), but the more recent trend has been choppy: the stock is trading 2.9% below its 20-day SMA and 22.8% below its 50-day SMA, which indicates the intermediate trend remains pressured. At the same time, it’s sitting just 0.5% above its 200-day SMA, putting the stock right on a key "line in the sand" that often decides whether a pullback becomes a deeper trend break.
Key Resistance: $10 — Round-number area where rebounds can stall, especially with the stock still below key shorter-term averages. Key Support: $8 — Nearby level that lines up with a prior buyer-defense zone if the rebound fails. NOK Stock Price Activity: Nokia shares were up 3.56% at $9.46 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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NVIDIA uvádí CPU Vera pro agentní AI, který má být až 1,8× rychlejší než x86 procesory a míří na serverový trh. Platformu plánují přijmout Anthropic, OpenAI i SpaceX.
Key Takeaways NVIDIA's Vera CPU is up to 1.8 times faster than x86 processors on workloads and targets agentic AI.Vera integrates NVIDIA CPUs, GPUs, networking and software to support complete AI systems for customers.Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX plan to adopt Vera, while major hardware vendors prepare Vera-based systems. NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) is taking a bigger step into the CPU (Central Processing Unit) market with its Vera processor, designed specifically for agentic artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The move could give NVIDIA another growth engine while increasing pressure on established server CPU leaders Intel Corporation (INTC - Free Report) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD - Free Report) .
NVIDIA’s Vera CPU is up to 1.8 times faster than x86 processors on workloads. The Vera CPU is designed to work closely with NVIDIA GPUs (graphics processing units), networking and software, allowing customers to build complete AI systems rather than relying on separate CPU and accelerator platforms. This integrated approach could be particularly attractive as AI agents require more computing power for reasoning, planning and data processing.
Vera CPU is also gaining support from major technology companies. Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX are among the AI organizations planning to adopt the platform, while Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Lenovo and Super Micro Computers are preparing Vera-based systems.
NVIDIA’s AI ecosystem gives Vera CPU an additional advantage and could help it gain meaningful server CPU share. The traction of Vera CPU will further boost NVIDIA’s data center end-market business. The company’s data center revenues reached a record $75.25 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2027, rising 92% year over year.
Analysts’ projections suggest that the growth momentum in the data center business will continue. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NVIDIA’s data center revenues is pegged at $363.78 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of approximately 88%.
NVIDIA’s Rivals Have Deep CPU Expertise to Defend Their LeadNVIDIA’s Vera CPU enters a market where Advanced Micro Devices and Intel have established customer relationships and large server CPU businesses.
AMD is the more direct growth challenger. Its data center revenues surged 107% year over year to $6.72 billion in the second quarter of 2026, driven by strong demand for EPYC processors and Instinct GPUs. Advanced Micro Devices is also seeing rising demand from AI workloads, including agentic AI, which directly overlaps with Vera’s target market. Its broad CPU-and-GPU portfolio gives customers an alternative to NVIDIA’s integrated platform.
Intel remains a major force in server CPUs through its Xeon portfolio. Its data center and AI business generated $6.26 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 59% year over year. Intel’s latest Xeon processors are also designed to handle AI workloads, helping the company defend its position as AI increases demand for high-performance CPUs.
NVIDIA has an important advantage because Vera is designed to work closely with its GPUs, networking and software. However, AMD’s rapid growth and Intel’s large installed base mean NVIDIA will need to prove that Vera can deliver clear performance and efficiency benefits before it can seriously disrupt the CPU market.
NVIDIA’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of NVIDIA have risen around 16.6% year to date, underperforming the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s gain of 18.1%.
NVIDIA YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, NVDA trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, below the sector’s average of 21.59.
NVIDIA Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NVIDIA’s fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 90.6% and 38.3%, respectively. Estimates for fiscal 2027 and 2028 have been revised upward over the past 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NVIDIA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Nvidia vykázala ve 1. fiskálním čtvrtletí roku 2027 tržby 81,61 mld. USD, z toho 75,25 mld. USD v datových centrech. Apple oznámila tržby 109,4 mld. USD a nejlepší červnové čtvrtletí v historii.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) just delivered earnings that frame the two dominant bets in tech today.
Nvidia posted $81.61B in Q1 FY27 revenue with Data Center at $75.25B. Apple countered with $109.4 billion in Q3 FY26 revenue and its strongest June quarter ever. One sells the shovels. The other sells the finished product.
AI Factories Carry Nvidia. iPhone and Services Carry Apple. Nvidia’s quarter was almost entirely a Data Center story. Compute rose 77% and networking, powered by InfiniBand, NVLink and Spectrum-X, jumped 199%. Jensen Huang told investors “the buildout of AI factories, the largest infrastructure expansion in human history, is accelerating at extraordinary speed.”
Hyperscalers still represent roughly 50% of that segment, with sovereign AI programs and enterprise deployments filling in behind them. Non-GAAP gross margin hit 75%, and free cash flow reached $48.55B.
Apple’s engine looked different. iPhone revenue climbed to $54.252 billion, Services set a June quarter record at $30.7 billion, and paid subscriptions crossed 1.5 billion.
Tim Cook called it “our strongest June quarter ever, with double-digit revenue growth across iPhone, Mac and Services, and in every geographic segment.” A tariff refund added roughly 2 percentage points to gross margin and $0.11 to EPS, which is a one-time gift worth remembering.
Picks and Shovels vs. the Consumer Ecosystem Lens NVIDIA Apple Core Bet AI factories, agentic compute iPhone cycle, Services, on-device Siri AI Growth Rate +85.2% YoY revenue +16.36% YoY revenue Gross Margin ~75% non-GAAP ~50.1% Key Vulnerability China export controls, zero H20 revenue Memory cost inflation, tariff policy Nvidia is scaling Blackwell 300, Vera Rubin and BlueField-4 into every hyperscaler and sovereign AI cluster. Apple is monetizing an installed base above 2.5 billion active devices while rolling out Siri AI to WWDC26 developers.
Cook framed the differentiator as “the unique combination of massive unified memory bandwidth, industry-leading power-efficient performance, and deep on-device intelligence.”
Kevan Parekh flagged a “100-year flood on the memory pricing” that could pressure September quarter margins to 47%-48%. Nvidia has its own supply worry: $119B in purchase commitments tied to TSMC capacity.
The Next Test Is Guidance Nvidia guided Q2 FY27 to $91B in revenue, excluding any China Data Center compute. Prediction markets on Polymarket now imply a 97.2% probability that Data Center clears $80B, but only 19.5% for $90B. That is a narrow beat lane.
Apple guided September quarter growth of 9%-11%, constrained by advanced-node SoC supply that Cook attributed to “a demand forecast issue” rather than a shortage. I want to see whether Siri AI actually pulls subscribers up the iCloud+ stack, and whether Nvidia’s networking growth holds once Blackwell shipments normalize.
Why I Lean Nvidia for Growth, Apple for Ballast If I had to pick one, I would still tilt toward Nvidia for the growth sleeve. A P/E of 34 against +85% revenue growth and 75% margins looks rich, yet the earnings power is compounding faster than the multiple.
Apple, trading at a P/E of 36, fits the defensive investor better. The $62.094 billion in nine-month buybacks and the Services flywheel offer stability that Nvidia cannot match. If memory costs stay elevated into 2027, or China export rules loosen for H20, my ranking could flip fast.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Nvidia vyvíjí novou rodinu open-source AI modelů Nemotron 4 s cílem konkurovat nejlepším modelům na světě. Největší verze má mít alespoň 1 bilion parametrů.
The NVIDIA logo in this illustration taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab is developing a new AI model family, Nemotron 4, with the goal of rivaling top open-source models globally, The Information reported on Tuesday, citing people who work on the project.
The chip giant is among the few major U.S. firms to release open-source models, which have drawn more attention this year as AI bills balloon and cheap Chinese models near the capabilities of top systems from leading American labs Anthropic and OpenAI.
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A spate of recently disclosed hacks involving autonomous AI agents has added to the attention, especially because open models do not have curbs on cybersecurity use.
The largest Nemotron 4 model is expected to have at least 1 trillion parameters, according to multiple employees working on the project, The Information reported.
Nvidia has not set a release date for Nemotron 4 and has yet to complete final training, though employees said the model could be ready as early as late fall, according to the report.
The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.
Nvidia last month formed a coalition with other companies to develop and share tools for AI safety and cybersecurity. It also signed an open letter with tech heavyweights such as Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab backing open-weight models so that innovation does not drift overseas.
Separately on Tuesday, the chip firm unveiled Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, an addition to its offerings aimed at code review, tool use, security alert monitoring, answering billing questions and other tasks.
It also released NeMo Switchyard, an open-source model-routing library designed to automatically direct AI tasks to the most suitable models.
Late last year, the chip giant unveiled the third generation of its family of open-source models as offerings from Chinese AI labs proliferated.
Reporting by Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Nvidia pomáhá Hippocratic AI provozovat více než 25 úloh specifických modelů na GPU H200 a zvyšovat efektivitu díky TensorRT-LLM. Cílem je získat více „inteligence za dolar“.
The next AI winner may not be the company with the biggest model. It could be the company that figures out how to get more useful AI for every dollar it spends. Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) is helping shape that shift by powering more efficient, task-specific AI systems that aim to squeeze more performance out of every GPU cycle.
DigitalOcean Holdings Inc. (NYSE:DOCN) CEO Paddy Srinivasan told Benzinga in an exclusive email interview that AI builders are increasingly mixing different models for different jobs rather than relying exclusively on expensive frontier systems from companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
"We believe in: right model, right cost, for every task," Srinivasan said.
He pointed to healthcare AI company Hippocratic AI as an example, saying AI builders like Hippocratic "get better intelligence per dollar" as they optimize across models.
Hippocratic’s connection to Nvidia makes that strategy particularly interesting. Nvidia says Hippocratic’s Polaris architecture runs more than 25 task-specific AI models on Nvidia H200 GPUs, while its TensorRT-LLM software makes those models faster, smaller and more efficient, lowering costs and allowing more conversations to run on the same hardware.
The AI Model Doesn’t Have to Be the Most ExpensiveSrinivasan said frontier models are typically needed for only about 25% of the job, mainly the hardest reasoning or specialized use cases. The remaining 75% can often be handled by open-weight models, which can offer lower-cost alternatives for less demanding tasks.
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That creates a different optimization problem for AI companies.
Instead of asking which model is the smartest, they can ask which model is smart enough for a particular task at the right price.
"Most AI Native companies today are already multi-model," Srinivasan said. "They all have a mixture of models and route specific prompts to the right model."
DigitalOcean’s Inference Engine is designed to route workloads based on factors including performance, latency, cost and customer preference.
Hippocratic Shows Why Nvidia’s Hardware MattersHippocratic is a useful example because its healthcare AI requires real-time responses while handling safety-sensitive conversations.
The company’s Polaris system runs on Nvidia H200 GPUs and uses more than a trillion parameters across its model constellation. The goal isn’t simply to use the most powerful hardware or model available. It is to make the entire system more efficient so Hippocratic can handle more interactions without proportionally increasing its computing costs.
That is the strategy behind Srinivasan’s "intelligence per dollar" argument.
‘Intelligence Per Dollar’ Could Become the New AI MetricNvidia itself has increasingly emphasized the economics of AI, often focusing on concepts like performance per dollar and the cost efficiency of AI compute to describe the value businesses can get from their computing investments.
That could change how investors view the AI race.
The industry’s first phase was dominated by model size, training costs and the race to build increasingly powerful systems. As AI moves into everyday business applications, however, the economics of actually running those models become harder to ignore.
If companies can use a mix of models and optimize the infrastructure underneath them, the winners may not necessarily be the companies with the biggest AI models.
They could be the companies that figure out how to get the most useful intelligence for every dollar of compute.
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Image courtesy of DigitalOcean Holdings Inc
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Disney zvýšila tržby o 7 % a upravený zisk o 15 %, přičemž nejlépe si vedl segment experiences. Společnost zároveň zrychluje zpětný odkup akcií na 9 miliard USD za toto fiskální rok.
Many consumer tech companies are spending billions, tens of billions, and -- in a handful of cases -- hundreds of billions on artificial intelligence (AI) this year. Disney (DIS +0.35%) isn't afraid of cutting big checks to bankroll its future, but AI isn't the top priority.
It's been two years since Disney stunned the market by committing to $60 billion in capital expenditures for its experiences business, led by its theme parks and cruise line. Sure, this will be spread out over 10 years. It's still a substantial wager on a very important segment for the House of Mouse. It's a lot of money, and with Josh D'Amaro stepping up as CEO earlier this year, this should be a very exciting week on that front.
Image source: Disney.
A wish is a dream your heart makes Former CEO Bob Iger -- who led Disney from 2005 to 2020 before returning to the helm two years later -- handed the gig to D'Amaro in March. Iger never neglected the theme parks. International expansion and updated guest experiences served Disney's empire of gated attractions well.
However, Iger came from ABC. He served all of Disney well when he made it to the corner office, but there is no denying that the studio segment was his priority. The three biggest deals he orchestrated in his tenure -- Pixar, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox -- were all media businesses. For a business built on princesses, content always seemed to be king in the eyes of Iger.
Iger was CEO when Disney announced the $60 billion shopping spree. Half of it would go to improving its theme parks. Less than a third of it would go to improving the infrastructure of its experiences. The rest would go to building out its fleet of cruise ships. However, when it came time to announce details of the new experiences coming to Disney's theme parks -- two summers ago at the D23 fan expo in California -- it was D'Amaro taking center stage.
Disney stock is up just 4% since D'Amaro became CEO less than five months ago. It may not seem like much, but Disney shares rose a mere 8% in the 40 months that Iger was the Big Cheese in his second run at the top. In Iger's defense, Disney was a five-bagger in his first go-round as CEO.
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Carousel of progress D'Amaro had a strong first full quarter as CEO, as Disney announced last week. Revenue rose just 7%, but that was its strongest top-line jump in more than three years. Adjusted earnings more than doubled that clip, rising a better-than-expected 15%.
There are always plenty of moving parts when Disney is successful, but nothing is moving as well as its experiences segment these days. It accounted for 54% of Disney's segment operating profit in its latest quarter. New cruise ships are naturally helping, but even its theme park business delivered another pleasant surprise. Its global theme parks posted a 4% increase in guests, while its two domestic resorts delivered a 3% gain. Even more impressively, per capita revenue is up 4%. Unlike rival attractions operators that saw weak guest trends and relied on heavy promotional activity, Disney saw its traffic pick up and guest wallets open wider.
Outside of the well-received financial update, D'Amaro's first few months have been uneventful, aside from layoffs to streamline operations and last week's announcement to ramp up its share buyback initiatives to $9 billion in repurchases this fiscal year. If you're waiting for D'Amaro's first true signature move, you won't have to wait long.
D23 is back this weekend, and the experiences segment that D'Amaro is championing will again find him joined by Neil Patrick Harris on Saturday night to announce future plans for its theme parks and cruise ships. Between firming up the timeline of new attractions revealed two years ago and likely announcing some new projects, D'Amaro will be back in his element.
Disney stock has been cut nearly in half since peaking five years ago. It would have to double from here to establish new all-time highs. When that ultimately happens, you can be sure that D'Amaro's presentation this weekend will play a starring role.
Target jmenoval svého prvního šéfa pro AI, Chandhu Naira, a zároveň posiluje využití generativní AI v nákupu i řízení zásob. Firma tak dál sází na boom kolem AI.
Target announced it has appointed its first ever chief artificial intelligence officer on Tuesday in the retailer's latest bet to capitalize on the AI boom.
The company named Chandhu Nair as its chief AI officer and senior vice president and also announced Purvi Shah as the company's senior vice president of user experience.
"The most meaningful AI stories won't be about what happens in a lab," Nair said in a statement. "They'll be about what happens on the front line – how we make shopping easier for a guest, give a team member a better tool, make a business decision with more confidence or bring a new idea to market faster."
Nair previously worked at home improvement retailer Lowe's as the company's senior vice president of stores, data, AI and innovation. He has also held roles at Staples and Gap.
In his statement, Nair said he's focused on a "more coordinated approach" to AI for Target, including improving how the retailer manages inventory or enabling faster decisions.
As it looks to win back shoppers and investors, the company has been investing in generative AI, including a tool called Target Trend Brain, which helps the retailer get ahead of trends and identify the styles, colors and materials that customers will be searching for. And last holiday season, Target launched a new conversational AI program to help customers find the right gift for the people on their shopping lists.
The Tuesday announcement comes as many major retailers have been racing to keep up with the AI boom and integrate it into their business strategies.
Target's rival Walmart has been rolling out AI tools and agents across its stores and supply chains to enhance the customer experience and make its internal employee processes more efficient. Gap announced a partnership with Google's Gemini earlier this year, and Best Buy has collaborations in place with OpenAI and Google.
Retail company executives have been sizing up the AI transition and how it will evolve in the coming years. Former Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in December that he decided to hand over the reins of the global retailer to someone "faster" who could tap into the ways AI could accelerate the business. John Furner took over the post from McMillon in February.
"About a year ago, I really started feeling like this next run, you could see what agentic commerce was going to look like, the vision for AI shopping, and I started thinking about everything that needs to happen over the next few years, and it really caused me to think that now was the right time [to step down]," McMillon said at the time.
Nvidia spolu s Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs a KKR vytváří financovací platformy pro AI infrastrukturu, které mají mobilizovat více než 500 miliard USD soukromého kapitálu. Cílem je financovat datová centra, energii a další AI infrastrukturu mimo rozvahu Nvidie.
Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA, XETRA:NVD) is partnering with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs and KKR to build financing platforms aimed at mobilizing more than $500 billion in third-party capital for AI infrastructure.
The agreements, structured as memorandums of understanding, are designed to let outside investors fund the buildout of data centers, power and other AI infrastructure without adding directly to Nvidia's balance sheet.
Under the arrangements, the six financial institutions would help channel capital to independent platforms building AI infrastructure based on Nvidia hardware, rather than Nvidia financing the projects itself.
Shares of Nvidia were up around 1% on Tuesday.
Analysts at BofA called the move a positive first step, noting it shifts the funding burden onto the consortium rather than Nvidia's own balance sheet and marks a pivot away from vendor-financing arrangements.
“For $500 billion of capital to treat compute as an "investable asset class," residual value must hold - and that is exactly what NVDA supplies,” analysts wrote.
“Compute that is fungible and transferable across operators, with CUDA continuously extending useful life, keeps resell/rental rates high and depreciation curves benign. NVDA guarantees asset quality, not the debt - turning the bear's depreciation worry into the enabling feature.”
Wedbush analysts described the financing pool as another mechanism likely to reinforce Nvidia's position.
“We see this fund as another mechanism that likely supports NVDA's leadership and growth away from hyperscalers (with NVDA having characterized this demand as comprising around 50% of its revenue),” Wedbush wrote.
“As such, while we would appreciate incremental details around the exact structure of this new financing vehicle, at first glance we see the news as another positive driver for NVDA sales and earnings momentum.”
McDonald’s posunul cíl 50 000 restaurací globálně na rok 2028 a upřednostňuje návratnost a kvalitu před rychlým růstem. V USA vzrostly srovnatelné tržby ve 2. čtvrtletí jen o 0,8 %.
Key Takeaways McDonald's delayed its 50,000-store target to 2028 while prioritizing returns and quality over unit growth.U.S. comparable sales rose just 0.8% as value execution and marketing challenges weighed on traffic.McDonald's still plans roughly 2,600 gross restaurant openings in 2026, its fastest growth period yet. McDonald's Corporation (MCD - Free Report) is taking a slightly more measured approach to restaurant expansion, pushing its goal of reaching 50,000 locations globally to 2028 from the end of 2027. The shift may raise concerns that growth is losing momentum, but management characterized the move as a disciplined adjustment rather than a change in its long-term expansion strategy.
Management said cumulative inflation in development costs and a more pressured consumer environment prompted a review of the restaurant pipeline. The company is prioritizing attractive returns and quality of new locations over simply adding units. Importantly, McDonald’s still expects to open roughly 2,600 gross restaurants in 2026, which management described as the fastest period of restaurant growth in its history.
The more notable growth concern currently lies in the U.S. business. Second-quarter U.S. comparable sales increased just 0.8%, as inconsistent execution of value offerings, reduced digital promotions and an overly crowded marketing calendar weighed on traffic. U.S. comparable sales were also slightly negative in July, indicating that the recovery could take time.
Still, management remains confident in the growth opportunity. New beverages are generating encouraging incremental traffic and higher checks, while the upcoming McDonald’s > NEXT strategy is designed to improve food quality, hospitality and restaurant productivity.
QSR and YUM Maintain Aggressive Restaurant GrowthMcDonald’s is moderating its expansion pace, but competitors continue to pursue substantial unit growth. The owner of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, Restaurant Brands International (QSR - Free Report) targets 5% or more net restaurant growth by 2028. Restaurant Brands International’s strategy combines new-store development with investments in existing locations, particularly Burger King’s U.S. turnaround program.
Through KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill, Yum! Brands (YUM - Free Report) has an even larger global footprint, with more than 63,000 restaurants across 155 countries and territories. Yum! Brands’ franchise-heavy model continues to support international expansion and provides significant scope for adding units.
Against this backdrop, McDonald’s decision to move its 50,000-store milestone to 2028 reflects a more selective approach rather than an abandonment of growth. Management emphasized that inflation-driven development costs and softer consumer conditions require greater focus on returns. With about 2,600 gross openings still expected in 2026, MCD’s expansion engine remains active.
MCD’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesMcDonald’s shares have lost 17.6% in the past six months, underperforming the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, the broader Retail and Wholesale sector and the S&P 500 index.
Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
In terms of its forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio, MCD is trading at 20.23, down from the industry’s 21.65.
MCD P/E (F12M)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
MCD’s earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 have trended downward in the past 30 days. The revised estimates for 2026 and 2027 imply year-over-year growth of 5.6% and 8.1%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
MCD currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
CEO IBM Arvind Krishna varuje, že AI infrastruktura může stát 6 až 8 bilionů USD, ale podle něj nepřinese dost nových výnosů. Odhaduje, že by chybělo 1 až 2 biliony USD ročních výnosů.
Big Tech is about to spend $725 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone — Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) combined, up 77% from $410 billion just last year. That kind of spending has become the defining feature of this market cycle, and most bubble warnings focus on the usual suspects: stretched valuations, circular vendor financing, or a handful of chatbot apps carrying too much investor hope.
IBM (NYSE:IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna isn’t worried about any of that. He appeared on Nicolai Tangen’s In Good Company podcast in May and laid out a different argument — one built on kilowatts, dollars, and simple division. It’s worth considering, because Krishna isn’t a short-seller. He’s a 35-year IBM veteran with a direct stake in how this plays out, and his math points somewhere specific.
The Gigawatt Math That Doesn’t Add Up Krishna’s case starts with AI data center power. He estimates 1 gigawatt costs $60 billion to $80 billion in semiconductors to populate. Companies have already committed to roughly 100 gigawatts of AI buildout globally — pointing to a total of $6 trillion to $8 trillion in spending. Run that through a five-to-seven-year payback period, and Krishna’s math demands an extra $1 trillion to $2 trillion in annual revenue, even assuming high-margin AI services at 20% to 30% margins.
“That much incremental revenue I don’t believe is there,” he said. That’s the entire thesis in one sentence — not that AI lacks value, but that the buildout has outrun the revenue math required to justify it within a reasonable timeframe.
If capital spending had come in at half of today’s levels, Krishna believes it “completely makes sense.” At double that, however, some of those companies are not going to be able to generate sufficient returns.
Instead, Krishna believes distribution will determine the outcome. Companies with an existing consumer footprint aligned to AI — think search, cloud, or enterprise software already embedded in daily workflows — have, in his words, “a pretty good chance” of winning.
Where IBM Sits in Its Own Story The irony is that Krishna runs a company that’s largely sat out the infrastructure arms race he’s warning about. IBM carries a trailing P/E of 21 and a forward P/E of 18 — a discount to Nvidia‘s (NASDAQ:NVDA) forward multiple of roughly 22 and well below most of the capex-heavy hyperscalers funding that $725 billion buildout.
IBM’s dividend yield sits at 2.85%, backed by 31 consecutive years of increases, with free cash flow that rose to $2.5 billion sequentially in the second quarter, with management guiding to another $1 billion of full-year FCF growth. Revenue climbed 6% in the same quarter, with software guided above 10% for the year. IBM isn’t chasing gigawatts. It’s selling picks and shovels — consulting, hybrid cloud, and enterprise software — to companies deciding how much AI infrastructure they actually need. That’s a bet on Krishna’s own thesis being right.
Key Takeaway Krishna isn’t calling AI a fraud — he’s saying the infrastructure math ahead of the revenue that’s supposed to fund it. For investors, that argues against chasing the highest-capex names purely on AI enthusiasm and instead favors companies with real cash generation today: a 18x forward P/E, a 2.85% yield, and free cash flow already growing beats a promise that $2 trillion in new annual revenue shows up on schedule.
Granted, Krishna has an obvious incentive to talk his book — IBM benefits if enterprises get cautious about hyperscaler lock-in. But the underlying math is his own, verifiable, and worth checking against whatever AI capex updates come out of the second-half 2026 earnings season.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Beyond Meat oznámila reverzní split akcií v poměru 1 ku 30, aby splnila minimální cenový požadavek Nasdaq. Akcie BYND po zprávě klesají o 14,04 % na 44 centů.
Beyond Meat Inc. (NASDAQ:BYND) shares are trading lower after the company announced a 1-for-30 reverse stock split.
Beyond Meat stock is testing key support levels. Why did BYND hit a new low? Shares to Trade Split-Adjusted August 14 Under BYNDAt a special meeting on November 19, 2025, stockholders approved 30 potential amendments, from which the board selected a 1‑for‑30 reverse stock split. The move is intended to help the company regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
Under the split, every 30 shares of common stock outstanding will be automatically reclassified and combined into one share. No fractional shares will be issued; instead, shares will be rounded up to the nearest whole share.
The reverse stock split is expected to become effective at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 13, with shares expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis at market open on August 14 under the existing ticker “BYND” and a new CUSIP number. As part of the reverse split, the number of authorized shares of common stock will be reduced from 3 billion to 100 million.
“We believe the reverse stock split is an important step toward maintaining our Nasdaq listing and better positioning our stock for long-term investor participation,” said Ethan Brown, President and CEO of Beyond Meat.
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Beyond Meat Shares FallBYND Price Action: At the time of publication, Beyond Meat shares are trading 14.04% lower at 44 cents, according to data from Benzinga Pro.
Image via Shutterstock
This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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Barrick zachoval výhled produkce zlata i mědi na rok 2026 a snížil kapitálové výdaje na 3,8–4,2 mld. USD. Zároveň dál cílí na IPO severoamerického zlata do konce roku.
Key Takeaways Barrick's Q2 call centered on its $4B Newmont package and planned North American gold IPO.Barrick's Q2 gold output hit 796,000 ounces, while 2026 gold and copper guidance stayed unchanged.Barrick cut 2026 capex guidance to $3.8B-$4.2B while advancing Fourmile and its year-end IPO. Barrick Mining Corporation (B - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 earnings call to frame the Newmont agreement as a reset for Nevada Gold Mines and a key step toward its planned North American gold IPO.
Management kept full-year production and cost guidance unchanged while outlining a higher second-half production cadence and lower capital spending range.
B Resets NGM With NewmontPresident and CEO Mark Hill said the Newmont package carries a total value of about $4 billion, including Fourmile, Newmont's Mike and Fiberline properties, dispute resolution and reduced IPO friction costs.
Newmont will pay Barrick $1.95 billion in cash, and the agreement brings the contributed properties into Nevada Gold Mines, creating a complex with nearly 100 million ounces of gold.
Hill said the reset lets the partners focus on processing capacity, ore movement and infrastructure. He wants the joint venture to reduce ore trucking and optimize future processing.
Barrick Holds IPO at 10%Hill said the North American IPO remains targeted for completion by year-end, with him selected to lead the new company as CEO after separation.
In Q&A, Hill said Barrick still plans to float a 10% minority interest and has no current plan to increase that stake. He also rejected a shareholder spinout.
Chief development officer George Joannou said the company will revisit structural options after Newmont's consent to identify friction-cost savings. Management confirmed that a marketing process will be part of the IPO.
B Keeps Guidance Despite Weather DisruptionsPresident and CEO Mark Hill kept 2026 gold production guidance at 2.90 million to 3.25 million ounces and copper guidance at 190,000 to 220,000 tons.
The company expects third-quarter gold output to exceed second-quarter and fourth-quarter production to rise again. Copper production is also expected to increase in the second half versus the first half.
Second-quarter gold production reached 796,000 ounces, above guidance of 730,000 to 770,000 ounces. Adjusted earnings of $0.82 per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.81. Revenues of $5.29 billion also surpassed the $4.49 billion estimate.
During Q&A, Hill said guidance is not conservative, citing weather-related downtime at Veladero and a water-related shutdown at Porgera. He remained confident in the full-year targets.
Barrick Pushes Fourmile and Trims CapexBarrick reduced 2026 total attributable capital expenditure guidance to $3.8 billion to $4.2 billion from $4.0 billion to $4.45 billion, mainly because of lower spending at Reko Diq.
The CEO said Fourmile's prefeasibility study remains targeted for completion by the end of 2028, while management intends to accelerate development and evaluate added Nevada processing capacity.
A CIBC analyst pressed management for more Fourmile disclosure to help investors model the project. Hill acknowledged the concern and said the company would work on improving the information available.
B Maintains Capital ReturnsSenior EVP and CFO Hongyu Cai said Barrick ended the quarter with $1.2 billion of net cash, an undrawn $3 billion revolver and no meaningful debt due until 2033.
Attributable free cash flow was $141 million in the second quarter, pressured by annual tax and interest timing and a one-time $400 million Loulo-Gounkoto payment. Cai said excluding that payment, attributable free cash flow would have been more than 60% higher year over year.
Barrick repurchased $1.209 billion of shares during the quarter and maintained its $0.175 quarterly base dividend. Its policy targets an annualized payout of 50% of attributable free cash flow.
Barrick's Priorities for the Second HalfPresident and CEO Mark Hill's closing message centered on safety, operational consistency, full-year guidance, growth projects and completion of the North American IPO.
The second-half agenda remains focused on those priorities while management continues efforts to improve safety and keep major growth projects on schedule and on budget.
B's Zacks Rank Tempers Strong Style ScoresB currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), reflecting an unfavorable earnings estimate revision trend under the Zacks methodology. Under the Style Score framework, that rank carries more weight than the favorable scores.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The stock has a Value Score of B, Growth Score of A, Momentum Score of A and VGM Score of A. Those grades indicate strong style characteristics, but Style Scores are designed to complement top Zacks Ranks rather than override a weak one. The Zacks Rank can change as analysts revise estimates following the just-reported results.
Oracle v úterý klesla téměř o 4 %, protože obchodníci vybírali zisky po nedávném odrazu od rezistence. BNP Paribas ale vidí silnější vývoj cash flow díky AI infrastruktuře a čeká inflexi ve fiskálním roce 2029.
Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL) stock traded lower by almost 4% on Tuesday as traders fade the latest rebound into overhead resistance levels, even while the broader risk tone stays constructive. The Nasdaq is up 0.06% while the S&P 500 has gained 0.08%, and Technology is higher by 0.31%, leaving ORCL as a clear laggard versus its peer group.
BNP Paribas analyst Stefan Slowinski said Oracle remains well positioned in a supplier-friendly AI infrastructure market, with attractive contract economics and a potential free-cash-flow inflection beginning in fiscal 2029.
BNP Paribas Sees Stronger Oracle Cash Flow PathSlowinski said BNP Paribas came away more positive on Oracle’s path toward a sharp free-cash-flow inflection in fiscal 2029 after speaking with the company’s investor relations team.
The analyst said Oracle continues to expect absolute capital spending to peak in fiscal 2027 or fiscal 2028 before potentially declining materially in fiscal 2029. That shift could help the company move past the most capital-intensive phase of its AI infrastructure buildout.
He said consensus fiscal 2027 operating cash flow of about $46 billion and S&P Global’s $48 billion to $53 billion estimate may be too low.
Slowinski said those estimates imply little underlying operating-cash-flow growth versus fiscal 2026 after adjusting for $20 billion to $25 billion of customer prepayments, even as Oracle adds more than $20 billion in incremental revenue in fiscal 2027 at likely 60% to 70% EBITDA margins.
AI Contract Economics Remain AttractiveThe analyst said Oracle’s cost-plus contracts help preserve targeted gross margins of 30% to 40% despite component inflation.
He also said Oracle’s bring-your-own-hardware contracts could offer better economics than traditional AI infrastructure deals.
Slowinski estimates those contracts could generate gross margins above 50%, require up to 75% less capital spending and produce roughly 70% internal rates of return in a best-case scenario.
Financing Plans Support BuildoutThe analyst said Oracle reiterated plans to raise $40 billion of capital in fiscal 2027, including a previously announced $20 billion equity ATM program and another $20 billion of capital that has not yet been defined as debt, equity or a mix.
He said Oracle’s nearly $90 billion of cumulative financing across fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 may be enough to fund the current investment cycle until the business becomes cash generative and self-sustaining from fiscal 2029 onward.
Earnings & Analyst OutlookLooking further out, the next major catalyst for the stock arrives with the September 8, 2026 (estimated) earnings report.
EPS Estimate: $1.67 (Up from $1.47 YoY) Revenue Estimate: $19.13 Billion (Up from $14.93 Billion YoY) Valuation: P/E of 25.9x (Indicates premium valuation relative to peers) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy rating with an average price forecast of $258.50 (range: $145.00 to $400.00) across 50 analysts. Recent analyst moves include:
UBS: Buy (Lowers Forecast to $245.00) (August 6) CLSA: Initiated with Hold (Forecast $145.00) (July 20) Bernstein: Outperform (Raises Forecast to $325.00) (June 11) Top ETF Exposure iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (BATS:IGV): 5.87% Weight First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (NYSE:FDN): 4.30% Weight First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend Index Fund (NASDAQ:TDIV): 5.21% Weight Significance: Because ORCL carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.
Price ActionORCL Stock Price Activity: Oracle shares were down 3.65% at $145.57 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo via Shutterstock
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Kimberly-Clark snížila výhled na rok 2026 kvůli narušení v Číně, které má v druhé polovině roku znamenat zhruba 200 bazických bodů dopadu na tržby a asi 70 milionů USD tlaku na provozní zisk. Firma zároveň čeká oživení v Severní Americe.
Key Takeaways KMB sees China driving a 200-basis-point second-half sales headwind and about $70 million in profit pressure.KMB expects North America to grow with categories in the second half as innovation and easier comparisons aid.KMB says Kenvue integration progress boosts confidence in the existing $1.9 billion cost-synergy target. Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 earnings call to stress that a China diaper disruption and other discrete pressures have changed the 2026 outlook, while management emphasized the underlying business remains strong.
The call focused on China’s recovery, softer category growth, North American shipment volatility and KMB’s ability to offset inflation while advancing Kenvue and innovation.
KMB Lowers 2026 Outlook on China DisruptionSenior vice president, CFO and interim principal accounting officer Nelson Urdaneta said organic sales were about 100 basis points below internal expectations, mainly due to China, North American trade inventory reductions and softer category growth.
Adjusted EPS from continuing operations was $1.80, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.00. Net sales of $4.19 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.23 billion.
CFO Urdaneta said 2026 organic sales growth should run about 100 basis points below weighted category growth, currently 2% on a trailing-12-month basis. Adjusted operating profit is expected to grow mid-single digits, while adjusted EPS from continuing operations is expected to grow high single digits, both on a constant-currency basis.
Kimberly-Clark Sees a Gradual China RecoveryPresident and COO Russell Torres said independent third-party testing found the company’s products safe, while management is working with Chinese authorities, retailers and consumers after social-media allegations hurt diaper sales.
Torres said sellout trends had not deteriorated sequentially but had not turned higher. Management therefore assumed modest improvement rather than a clear inflection.
Answering a UBS analyst, Urdaneta said China should create about a 200-basis-point sales headwind in the second half and roughly $70 million of operating profit pressure, split about evenly between the third and fourth quarters.
KMB Backs a Second-Half North America PickupA Goldman Sachs analyst pressed management on weaker North American results and the basis for a stronger second half. Urdaneta said consumer-category shipments fell 1.4% while consumption rose 0.3%.
Urdaneta attributed the gap mainly to the Los Angeles distribution-center fire and retailer inventory movements. The fire reduced second-quarter sales by about $22 million, while inventory changes cut shipment growth by roughly 100 basis points year over year.
Torres said KMB expects North America to grow in line with its categories in the second half, supported by innovation, activation plans, revenue-growth-management actions and easier comparisons.
Kimberly-Clark Uses Pricing and ProductivityA Barclays analyst asked about pricing as promotions evolve. COO Torres said low-single-digit pricing actions are primarily being taken in North America to address inflation.
Urdaneta said second-half gross input-cost headwinds are estimated at about $150 million. He expects mitigating actions and the second-quarter tariff refund to keep pricing net of cost inflation roughly neutral for the full year.
Urdaneta also said KMB received a $45 million North American tariff refund and delivered 6.4% productivity, helping adjusted operating profit and earnings exceed internal expectations.
KMB Advances Kenvue and Its Fiber PlatformA Deutsche Bank analyst asked whether integration work implied higher or faster Kenvue synergies. Torres said progress mainly increases confidence in achieving the existing $1.9 billion cost-synergy target, without committing to more synergies or a revised cadence.
Chairman and CEO Michael Hsu said closer review has increased confidence in growth opportunities across Kenvue’s consumer-health categories. Urdaneta said a specific 2027 earnings view will wait for more clarity on China, commodities and transaction timing.
Hsu highlighted Kimberly-Clark’s alternative natural-fiber program, while Urdaneta said related spending and capital needs are already reflected in strategic plans. Hsu said the company is breaking ground on a pilot facility.
Kimberly-Clark Keeps Execution in FocusHsu described the operating environment as choppy but continued to emphasize differentiated product technology, brand investment and productivity as KMB’s operating approach.
Torres reinforced that stance, pointing to innovation and value propositions across price tiers rather than heavier promotion. Management remains focused on China, inflation and North American volatility while preparing for Kenvue.
KMB's Zacks Rank and Style ScoresKMB carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), with Value and Growth Scores of C, a Momentum Score of F and a VGM Score of C. Under the Zacks A-to-F hierarchy, those grades sit below the preferred A and B range.
The Zacks framework gives its strongest short-term emphasis to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) stocks paired with A or B Style Scores. KMB does not have that combination, and its Zacks Rank can change as earnings estimates are revised following the just-reported results. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Square rozšířil službu Bill Pay, takže držitelé Square Credit Card mohou platit dodavatele i bez přijímání karet. Nově karta nabízí neomezený 3% cashback na transakce Square Bill Pay a 1,5% cashback na všechny ostatní nákupy.
Businesses can now use their Square Credit Card to pay vendors that don’t accept cards, as well as those that do, Square said in a Tuesday (Aug. 11) press release.
This enhanced Bill Pay feature lets sellers pay rent, insurance, marketing expenses and other vendor expenses, regardless of whether the vendors accept cards. Square routes the money to the vendor’s choice of a direct deposit into their bank account (ACH) or a check in the mail, according to the release.
Square Bill Pay provides an alternative to solutions that come with additional costs or require small business owners to spend their cash on hand, Andrea Raj, head of product for Square Banking, said in the release.
“We built the opposite,” Raj said. “Pay vendors on time, keep cash longer, and earn the right rewards for it, all in one place and while saving on fees. That’s only possible because it’s built into the platform sellers already run their business on.”
Square also announced Tuesday that the refreshed Square Credit Card now offers unlimited 3% cash back on Square Bill Pay transactions and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Sellers can redeem the rewards as cash deposits into their Square Savings account, statement credit or free processing, according to the release.
The new features join the existing benefits of the Square Credit Card, which include a dynamic credit line, no personal guarantee, no annual fees, no late fees and no foreign transaction fees, per the release.
Square and parent company Block have launched several other solutions for businesses in recent months.
In June, Square Financial Services launched a deposit tier that pays a higher APY to Square sellers who maintain a daily balance of $10,000 or more in their Square Savings account.
In May, Square and Homegrown announced that they partnered on a pilot program designed to offer expansion capital through flexible financing for Square sellers that have two or more locations and are ready to open another one.
In March, Square said it had begun extending credit to more sellers after improving its underwriting models to assess the creditworthiness of those with non-standard revenue patterns, including project-based earners, seasonal operators and businesses that are new to Square.
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Palantir Technologies' (PLTR -0.37%) share price soared after the company delivered another quarter of exceptional revenue growth and continued improvements in profitability. CEO Alex Karp described the quarter as "otherworldly" in the company's earnings release, and investors sent the stock higher on the news.
There's no doubt that Palantir has produced phenomenal financial results, helping drive its valuation higher. However, investing is far more focused on what's ahead for a company. Palantir will have to continue delivering very strong quarterly earnings reports to keep pushing the stock higher from here.
Image source: Getty Images.
What will it take for Palantir stock to keep climbing? As Karp put it in his letter to shareholders, "Our business is compounding at a rate and scale that we have never before witnessed." Indeed, Palantir's 93% revenue growth was bolstered by even better growth among U.S. commercial customers (149% growth) and strong U.S. government sales (90%). Just as important, adjusted operating margin expanded to 62% from 60% in the prior quarter, indicating there's still plenty of leverage in scaling the business.
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Palantir also increased its full-year guidance, with revenue expected at $8.154 billion at the midpoint. That's up from the $7.656 billion management previously guided for. The confidence to raise guidance may come from strong net revenue retention, which came in at 157%, up from 150% in the first quarter. That signals that existing customers continue to spend more each quarter, which can drive significant revenue growth at Palantir's scale.
There's little doubt Palantir will continue to produce excellent operational results. The problem is, everyone already knows this. As a result, the stock trades for a very lofty valuation. The company's enterprise value is more than 45 times management's revenue guidance for 2026. Its forward price-to-earnings ratio sits around 100.
Those multiples will have to compress over time as growth eventually slows down. Management is already forecasting a slowdown in revenue growth in the back half of the year. Palantir's Rule of 40 score of 155 from the past quarter may represent its peak going forward.
Expectations are high for Palantir. That doesn't mean the SaaS stock can't meet those expectations. But for Palantir to deliver market-beating results over the next few years, it will have to exceed expectations. That's especially true given that its lofty valuation also means any disappointment in the company's future results could lead to a massive adjustment lower in the share price.
After the recent increase in price, there's even less room for error. I'd wait for another pullback in the stock before buying it.
Adam Levy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Sea Limited za čtvrtletí končící v červnu 2026 zvýšila výnosy na 7,8 miliardy USD, meziročně o 45,6 %, a překonala odhady Wall Street o 6,39 %. EPS byl 0,86 USD, pod konsenzem 1,00 USD.
For the quarter ended June 2026, Sea Limited Sponsored ADR (SE - Free Report) reported revenue of $7.8 billion, up 45.6% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.86, compared to $0.85 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +6.39% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.34 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.00, the EPS surprise was -14%.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Sea Limited performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
Revenue- Other Services: $50.77 million versus $48.94 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +9.2% change.Adjusted EBITDA- Unallocated expenses: $-9.75 million compared to the $-10.78 million average estimate based on two analysts.Adjusted EBITDA- Other Services: $-46.23 million versus $-20.84 million estimated by two analysts on average.View all Key Company Metrics for Sea Limited here>>>
Shares of Sea Limited have returned +3.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.
Eli Lilly vykázala za 2. čtvrtletí tržby 22,97 miliardy USD a EPS 8,38 USD, obojí nad odhady, a zvýšila celoroční výhled tržeb na 85 až 87 miliard USD.
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY | LLY Price Prediction) delivered a monster quarter with revenue growth, a fourth consecutive EPS beat, and a fresh guidance raise. The stock has climbed 9.86% in the past week alone. Our proprietary model sees room to run.
Eli Lilly trades at $1,231.94 as of August 10, 2026. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target is $1,427, implying 15.83% upside over the next twelve months. Our model rates Lilly Bullish, with high confidence at 90%.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $1,231.94 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $1,427 Upside 15.83% Model Rating Bullish Confidence Level 90% A Blowout Quarter Reset the Narrative Lilly is up 15.02% year to date and 98.29% over the past year, sitting just 4% below its 52-week high of $1,249.45.
Q2 revenue landed at $22.97 billion, beating expectations, and EPS of $8.38 came in 27.27% above the $6.5845 consensus. Mounjaro alone did $9.94 billion (+91%), boosted by international growth after China added the drug to its National Reimbursement Drug List. Management raised full-year revenue guidance to $85 to $87 billion and lifted the performance margin range to 49% to 50.5%.
The Case for $1,647 and Higher Our bull scenario points to $1,646.99, a 33.69% total return. Retatrutide, the next-generation triple-agonist obesity drug with a complete Phase 3 data package and Q1 2027 BLA, drives the thesis.
Layer in Foundayo, the oral GLP-1 pill approved for obesity and submitted for type 2 diabetes, plus VERVE-102’s 62% LDL-C reduction. Wall Street is aligned with 22 buy ratings against just 2 sells, and CEO David Ricks calls Lilly’s future “never been brighter.”
The Risks Worth Watching Our bear case suggests $1,167.64, a 5.22% decline. U.S. realized prices fell roughly 9% excluding rebates, and Q2 absorbed $2.78 billion in IPR&D charges from four acquisitions.
Concentration in Mounjaro and Zepbound remains a real risk if a competitor breaks through. Bulls argue the IPR&D hit is non-recurring and pricing pressure is swamped by 60% volume growth. At an implied forward P/E of 39, Lilly needs to keep executing.
How Lilly Compares to Merck and AbbVie Merck (NYSE:MRK) trades at $130.92 and is up 26.22% YTD, outpacing Lilly. It offers Keytruda-driven oncology exposure at a fraction of Lilly’s multiple, making Lilly’s forward P/E of 39 look demanding. But Merck lacks a GLP-1 franchise growing 91%.
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) at $247.97 is up 11.09% YTD, roughly tracking Lilly on a one-month basis but lagging over one year at 29.1% versus Lilly’s 98.29%. AbbVie navigates Humira erosion while Lilly rides a franchise still accelerating. The peer group makes our 24/7 Wall St. price target reasonable: Lilly deserves a premium, but not an unlimited one.
Eli Lilly Price Prediction 2026-2030 The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $1,427 reflects a constructive setup at 90% confidence. The volume-driven growth engine is real, and retatrutide is a near-term catalyst the market has yet to fully price.
The bull thesis strengthens if retatrutide’s BLA stays on track for Q1 2027 and Foundayo scripts ramp cleanly. The thesis weakens if U.S. pricing declines accelerate past the current 9% pace or if payer pushback broadens. For now, momentum plus pipeline wins.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $1,300 2027 $1,427 2028 $1,569 2029 $1,725 2030 $1,896 These projections extend our base case annualized return of 9.94% and assume Lilly executes on retatrutide, Foundayo, and manufacturing scale-up. Meaningful deviation could come from GLP-1 competition or a broader pricing reset from U.S. payers.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Republic Services ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila tržby o 4,6 % na 4,43 miliardy USD díky silnému oceňování, které vyrovnalo pokles objemu o 1,6 %.
Upravený zisk na akcii vzrostl o 4,5 % na 1,85 USD.
Key Takeaways Republic Services' second-quarter revenues rose 4.6% as core pricing offset a 1.6% volume decline.2026 earnings are projected at $7.26 per share, with current-year sales expected to grow 4.5%.Republic returned $1.04 billion to shareholders as adjusted free cash flow reached $1.58 billion. Republic Services, Inc. (RSG - Free Report) is sustaining revenue growth through disciplined pricing, even as volumes remain soft in parts of the business. Cash generation and shareholder returns add support to the investment case.
The trade-off is valuation. RSG carries premiums to key benchmarks while liquidity, leverage and construction-sensitive volumes remain constraints.
RSG Pricing Strength Keeps Revenue Growth IntactSecond-quarter revenues rose 4.6% year over year to $4.43 billion. Core price increased total revenues 5.3%, while core pricing on related-business revenues advanced 6.4%, offsetting a 1.6% total-volume decline.
Large-container volume fell 2.2% amid continued softness in construction activity. Pricing discipline is also visible at peer WM (WM - Free Report) , which reported first-quarter 2026 core price growth of 6.3%. That makes WM a useful peer reference for RSG's pricing-led growth model.
RSG Earnings Growth Remains Positive but ModerateAdjusted second-quarter earnings increased 4.5% to $1.85 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is $7.26 per share, rising to $8.02 for 2027.
Projected sales growth for the current fiscal year is 4.5%. The combination points to continued growth, but not the kind of acceleration that by itself resolves the valuation question.
Republic Trades at a Premium to Key BenchmarksRSG trades at 14.71X trailing 12-month enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, above the Zacks sub-industry's 12.5X. Its 27.74X forward price-to-earnings multiple also exceeds the S&P 500 comparison of 20.81X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The stock's five-year median enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization multiple is 15.01X, so the current level is not unusual for RSG itself. Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN - Free Report) , another waste-services peer, raised its full-year outlook after second-quarter 2026 results, making it a relevant sector comparison.
RSG Liquidity and Volume Risks Limit the UpsideRepublic's current ratio was 0.64 at the end of the second quarter, below the industry average of 1.08. Total debt stood at $14.2 billion and leverage was about 2.6 times.
Volume remains another constraint. Residential volume declined 4.3% because of known contract losses, while permitting uncertainty and intense competition can add costs or restrict operating flexibility.
RSG Capital Returns Support Per-Share ValueRepublic returned $1.04 billion to shareholders in the first half of 2026. That included $651 million of share repurchases and $385 million of dividends.
The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 4.5 cents to 67 cents per share, marking its 23rd consecutive annual dividend increase. Adjusted free cash flow reached $1.58 billion in the first half, giving the capital-return program a solid cash-flow foundation.
RSG's Hold Signal Matches a Balanced SetupRSG's pricing, cash flow and capital returns remain supportive, but the premium valuation and softer volumes argue for a measured view rather than an aggressive entry point.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
RSG also has a Value Score of C, Growth Score of C, Momentum Score of D and VGM Score of C. Style Scores complement the Zacks Rank, and these middling-to-weaker grades do not add a strong positive signal. For investors assessing whether to buy now or wait, the current profile supports patience while execution and valuation remain in focus.
Rockwell Automation propojil Plex QMS s FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI, aby do řízení kvality přidal vizuální kontrolu pomocí AI a lepší dohledatelnost vad. Firma tím dál rozšiřuje svá AI řešení v průmyslové automatizaci.
Integration brings AI-powered visual inspection into QMS workflows to help improve quality, traceability and defect detection
, /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced an API-enabled integration between Plex Quality Management System (QMS) and FactoryTalk® Analytics™ VisionAI™. The integration, available today, expands AI-driven quality management and reflects Rockwell's continued investment in artificial intelligence and elastic MES solutions.
Brian Martensen, product manager, Rockwell Automation, overviews the new integration and recently introduced AI-capabilities. Rockwell continues to advance AI/ML across its offerings, including cloud-based MES platforms, edge AI and digital twins. According to Rockwell's "Scaling MES Across the Enterprise" report, 42% of manufacturing processes are expected to become AI-supported within the next year. The Plex QMS and FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI integration offers manufacturers opportunities for strategic, automated quality intelligence.
"AI plays a critical role in Rockwell's industrial autonomy strategy," states Devin Burke, group product manager, Rockwell Automation. "With predictive intelligence, manufacturers can shift from scripted automation to adaptable autonomy as systems learn, adjust and collaborate across software, hardware and workers."
The integration builds on the API-first architecture of Plex QMS, enabling interoperability. When connected to FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI, Plex QMS delivers AI-driven workflows to new and existing camera systems. These workflows help detect anomalies and reduce defects. Traditional visual inspection is only 80% effective and often fails to store inspection history. The Plex QMS and FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI integration delivers exceptional visual inspection, as results recorded in the Plex system provide traceability, product serialization and an accurate record of inspection history.
In addition to the new integration, Plex Connected Worker recently introduced AI-powered authoring agent within the Digital Work Instructions suite, which transforms CAD files and technical assets into structured, step-by-step instructions for frontline employees. Similarly, Plex includes an AI agent embedded within its Reporting and Analytics capabilities, delivering out‑of‑the‑box dashboards that turn operational data into real-time, actionable insights. Users can engage these agents in natural language to proactively surface risks, predict issues, and drive faster, smarter decisions—moving from operational foresight to action with a single click.
"At Rockwell Automation, we've built a context-rich industrial data foundation shaped by years of manufacturing expertise," shares Manu Ravichandran, senior product manager, Rockwell Automation. "This foundation gives manufacturers the structure, context, and scalability needed to operationalize advanced analytics and AI across complex operations."
You can learn more about Plex QMS here and FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI here
About Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about how we are bringing Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com
Bumble is officially giving up on the rule that made it, well, Bumble.
The dating app announced Tuesday that anyone in a match can now send the first message, ending the women-message-first requirement that has been one of the company’s defining features for more than a decade.
Bumble is also giving matches 72 hours to respond, up from 24, in an effort to take some of the pressure out of coming up with a response in a short time frame. The longer window gives people more flexibility to reply, rather than feeling like they need to check the app constantly or risk a match disappearing.
The change marks a pretty significant shift for Bumble, which built its brand around putting women in control of heterosexual dating conversations. When the app launched in 2014, Bumble was positioned as the more considerate alternative to Tinder, with women deciding whether a conversation would begin and, ideally, avoiding some of the unsolicited messages and general weirdness that had become synonymous with dating apps.
Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd framed the new update as an evolution rather than a retreat from the company’s original mission.
“While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect. It was about designing an experience with women’s needs in mind to create better outcomes for everyone,” Herd said in a statement.
And, apparently, plenty of women are ready for this change. According to Bumble’s survey data, 66% of women surveyed said they prefer men to send the first message, with many saying it would make dating feel less stressful. Additionally, more than half of members surveyed said the longer response window improved their experience.
“Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections, and that is what this new experience provides. This evolution isn’t a departure from our founding vision, but the realization of it,” Herd added.
The change also isn’t coming completely out of nowhere. Bumble began loosening its original rules in 2024 with “Opening Moves,” a feature that allowed women to set a question on their profile that a man could answer.
The change also arrives as Bumble tries to turn around a business that has been struggling to regain its footing. The company’s second-quarter earnings report last week showed revenue dropping 15.2% year over year to $210.5 million, while the company expects its number of paying customers to decline in the third quarter.
Over the past several quarters, Bumble has tried to address a broader slowdown in online dating, as the industry wrestles with user fatigue, an increasingly crowded market, and the reality that swiping through hundreds of profiles isn’t necessarily anyone’s idea of a great time. The company recently revealed it’s exploring a swipe-free future, along with more in-person events and AI features to garner more traction, especially among Gen Z users.
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Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR | MSTR Price Prediction) currently trades at $97.33, while the Wall Street consensus price target sits at $232.50, an implied gap of 138.88%.
The company formerly known as MicroStrategy is now the world’s largest corporate holder of bitcoin, holding 846,000 BTC alongside a legacy business analytics software operation. It has become the most liquid public proxy for leveraged bitcoin exposure.
One Benchmark analyst thinks the gap between price and target is roughly two-and-a-half times wider than the sell-side average.
Bitcoin’s Slide and an $8.2 Billion GAAP Bloodbath Strategy has lost 75.37% over the past 12 months. BTC itself is down 46.14% over the same window, and Strategy trades as a levered call on the coin.
The Q2 2026 report crystallized the damage. Strategy posted a GAAP loss of -$24.45 per share against a $3.07 consensus, an 895.30% miss driven by an $8.32 billion unrealized loss on digital assets under ASU 2023-08 fair-value accounting. Revenue of $122.37 million grew 6.9% year over year but missed the $124.48 million Street forecast.
Strategy carries $6.7 billion in convertible debt, paid $400.7 million in preferred dividends and interest in Q2 alone, and the board authorized the sale of up to $1.25 billion of bitcoin to backstop the USD Reserve. Bitcoin holdings sit at a $49.7 billion carrying value against a $63.9 billion cost basis.
Why 14 of 15 Analysts Still Say Buy Analyst coverage remains overwhelmingly constructive. Ratings split 14 Buy and 1 Hold, with no Sell calls, and the average price target implies 138.88% upside.
The most vocal bull is Mark Palmer at Benchmark, who maintains a Buy rating with a $435 price target, trimmed from $570 after Q2 2026 earnings target. That $435 mark implies roughly 347% upside and anchors the headline thesis on the Street. Palmer treats Strategy as a leveraged bitcoin treasury vehicle rather than a traditional software firm, giving the model a different weighting than a software P/E lens would.
His four pillars: aggressive capital raising to compound BTC Yield per share; an expected rebound in Strategy’s premium to Net Asset Value once bitcoin enters its next cyclical upturn; capital-market execution through vehicles like the STRC preferred; and the enterprise software business, generating roughly $500 million annually, as a cash-flow backstop for debt and dividend obligations.
Recent analyst revisions have trimmed dollar targets after Q2 while keeping the Buy stance intact.
Where MSTR Fits in a Bruised Crypto Complex Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) trades at $148.68, down 52.12% over 12 months. The $195.52 consensus target implies about 31% upside, with 22 Buy, 9 Hold and 3 Sell ratings.
Marathon Digital (NASDAQ:MARA) sits at $9.56, down 37.84% on the year. The $18.13 average target implies about 90% upside, with 8 Buy, 4 Hold and 1 Sell.
Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) recently printed around $20.51 and carries a $29.66 average target, roughly 45% upside, backed by 20 Buy and 1 Hold ratings.
The largest analyst-implied upside in the group belongs to Strategy by a wide margin. Wall Street views MSTR as the most oversold name in a broadly oversold cohort.
A Stock Down 75% While the S&P Is Up Double Digits Strategy trades at $97.33 versus a $232.50 consensus target across 15 covering analysts, an implied upside of 138.88%. The stock is down 75.37% over 12 months and 35.95% year to date.
The S&P 500 is up double digits year to date and over 12 months. Strategy has underperformed the index by nearly a hundred percentage points on a rolling one-year basis.
Beta sits at 3.555, book value at $83.12, and the shares trade at just 1.24 times book. Palmer’s $435 target implies roughly 347% upside on top of that discount.
The Bull and Bear Cases The bull case rests on bitcoin entering another cyclical upturn and management keeping the capital-markets machine running long enough to ride it. The path back to $232.50 runs through a rising BTC price, a restored NAV premium, and continued STRC issuance to service obligations without forced bitcoin sales. Leverage that punished shareholders on the way down amplifies returns on the way up.
The bear case assumes bitcoin is range-bound or lower from here. Preferred dividend obligations grow, the $1.25 billion BTC sale authorization gets tapped, ATM dilution keeps grinding share count higher, and prediction-market crowds price a 72.5% probability of MSCI index removal by year-end. Insider activity is currently net selling.
The upside if Palmer is right is career-making. The downside if bitcoin drifts is capital-destroying.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Freeport-McMoRan oznámila silné výsledky za 2. čtvrtletí: produkce i prodeje překonaly odhady a jednotkové hotovostní náklady klesly na 1,92 USD/lb. Grasberg se navíc zotavuje rychleji, než se čekalo.
SummaryFreeport's Q2 results were bullish: production and sales exceeded estimates, unit cash costs fell to $1.92/lb, and Grasberg recovery ramped up faster than I expected.Growth initiatives, including leaching optimization and Bagdad expansion, could boost U.S. copper output by 60% by 2030, providing a significant future catalyst.FCX stock is +37% YTD and +70% over the past year, as higher realized copper prices outweighed a 20% pullback in the price of gold and the Grasberg disaster.Despite a strong balance sheet and near-record copper prices, FCX faces commodity price and Grasberg execution risks, and the current valuation tempers new buying.I reiterate my HOLD rating on Freeport but reserve the right to upgrade should Grasberg ramp-up continue successfully in Q3 and the copper price stays near an all-time record high. Four 9's Purity Gold Bars
Tverdohlib/iStock via Getty Images
The stock of miner Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) is +37% YTD despite the fact that the gold rally stalled this year and the shiny metal is down ~20% from its springtime high over $5,000/oz (see chart
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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of FCX, COP either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. 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.
I am an electronics engineer, not a CFA. The information and data presented in this article were obtained from company documents and/or sources believed to be reliable, but have not been independently verified. Therefore, the author cannot guarantee their accuracy. Please do your own research and contact a qualified investment advisor. I am not responsible for the investment decisions you make.
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.
Southern Copper zvýšila za první pololetí tržby o 38,4 % na 8,54 mld. USD a upravený zisk před úroky, zdaněním a odpisy (EBITDA) o 57,5 % na 5,57 mld. USD díky vyšším cenám kovů. Zároveň mírně zvýšila výhled produkce mědi pro rok 2026 na 917 000 tun.
Key Takeaways Southern Copper's H1 EBITDA and revenues surged on higher metal prices and disciplined cost management.Southern Copper lowered copper output but raised its 2026 target to 917,000 tons from 910,000.A $19.9B decade-long investment plan aims to lift output to 1.6M tons by 2035. Southern Copper Corporation (SCCO - Free Report) shares have gained 40.9% year to date compared with the Zacks Mining - Non Ferrous industry’s rise of 25%. During this time, the Basic Materials sector has risen 18.1% and the S&P 500 has rallied 14%. The upside is fueled by SCCO’s strong first six-month results and an upward trend in copper prices despite lower production volumes.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Copper prices are currently near $6.6 per pound, up 48.2% in a year, supported by tight global supply and strong demand. Imports to the United States have surged, ahead of an expected decision by the Trump administration on copper import tariffs. Global copper inventories have declined as shipments to China have risen to ease a domestic supply shortage. Along with SCCO, its peers Teck Resources Ltd (TECK - Free Report) and Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX - Free Report) are gaining from this rise in copper prices.
Southern Copper has performed slightly better than Teck Resources and Freeport, which have gained 40.1% and 39.8%, respectively, so far this year.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Let us take a closer look at Southern Copper’s fundamentals to assess if this is the right time to buy its shares.
SCCO Posts Strong H1 Results Amid Lower OutputRecord second-quarter revenues of $4.29 billion pushed the company’s six-month top-line to $8.54 billion, marking a 38.4% year-over-year increase. The upside was driven by higher prices for copper, molybdenum, zinc and silver.
Driven by a record-high adjusted EBITDA of $2.86 billion in the second quarter, Southern Copper's adjusted EBITDA for the first half of 2026 increased 57.5% year over year to $5.57 billion. The adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 65.2% in the first six months of 2026 from last year’s 57.3%, reflecting stronger realized prices and disciplined cost management.
Net income attributable to SCCO also surged 71.6% year over year to a record $1.67 billion in the second quarter. The net income margin improved to 38.9% from 31.9% in the year-ago period. In the first six months, net income was 69.2% higher, driven by higher revenues.
However, SCCO’s total copper production decreased 3.8% in the first half of 2026 to 461,206 tons due to a decrease in production at the company’s Peruvian operations. While mined silver production increased 3.3%, zinc and molybdenum production fell 6.9% and 6.7%, respectively, in the same time frame.
Despite the year-to-date fall in production, the company has slightly hiked its 2026 copper production outlook to 917,000 tons from the initially stated 910,000 tons. The figure, however, still implies a 5% year-over-year decline. The downside will be driven by lower ore grades at the Cuajone and Peruvian mines.
Molybdenum production is projected at 27,900 tons, a 7% increase from its previous target, indicating a 10% decline from the 2025 level. Silver output is projected at 24 million ounces, a decrease of 1% from 2025. Zinc production for the year is projected at 163,900 tons, 7% lower than the 2025 level.
Southern Copper’s Solid Balance SheetFor the first six months of 2026, SCCO’s operating cash flow increased 116.9% to $3.68 billion, supported by stronger earnings and lower operating working capital requirements. Cash and cash equivalents stood at $5.67 billion as of June 30, 2026, while short-term investments totaled $1.66 billion.
Over the past few years, Southern Copper has successfully lowered its debt levels. Long-term debt was $7.99 billion at the end of June 30, 2026, following the issuance of $1.25 billion of 10-year senior unsecured notes carrying a 5.35% interest rate. The proceeds are intended primarily to support the Tía María project and other capital needs of the company’s Peruvian operations.
SCCO’s Long-term Growth Remains SolidSouthern Copper has the largest copper reserves in the industry and operates high-quality, world-class assets in investment-grade countries, such as Mexico and Peru. Backed by its constant commitment to increasing low-cost production and growth investments, the company is well-poised to continue delivering enhanced performance.
Despite these near-term headwinds, Southern Copper maintains a strong long-term outlook, targeting a significant ramp-up in output to 1.6 million tons by 2035. This implies a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% from the 2025 reported levels.
To support this growth plan, the company intends to invest $20.5 billion over the next decade, with the bulk of the capital allocated to projects in Peru. A substantial portion of this spending is scheduled through 2031 as key development projects progress.
Production is expected to increase to 1.15 million tons by 2031, 1.476 million tons in 2032 and continue rising steadily to reach the above-mentioned 1.6-million-ton target by 2035.
This trajectory highlights SCCO’s confidence in its robust and diversified project pipeline spanning Peru and Mexico. Key growth catalysts include the Tía María, Los Chancas and Michiquillay projects in Peru, along with El Pilar and El Arco in Mexico, all of which underpin SCCO’s long-term expansion pipeline.
SCCO’s Estimates Indicate Y/Y RiseThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for Southern Copper’s 2026 sales is $16.86 billion, indicating a 25.6% year-over-year jump. The consensus mark for the year’s earnings is pegged at $7.63 per share, suggesting a rally of 45.6%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2027 sales implies an 8.6% year-over-year dip. The same for earnings suggests a fall of 11.7%.
EPS estimates for 2026 have moved 5.2% north over the past 60 days, while the same for 2027 has moved up 7% over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Southern Copper’s Premium ValuationThe Southern Copper stock is currently trading at a forward 12-month earnings multiple of 27.60X, which is a premium to the industry average of 23.39X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Meanwhile, Teck Resources and Freeport are trading higher at 21.51X and 21.22X, respectively.
Final Take on SCCO StockSouthern Copper has delivered a strong year-to-date stock performance and reported first-half results, supported by higher metal prices and increased revenues. Positive revisions to earnings estimates and favorable copper prices further support the stock. However, near-term production headwinds and a premium valuation remain concerning.
Existing shareholders should stay invested in the SCCO stock to benefit from its solid long-term growth prospects. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which supports our thesis.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Akcie Plug Power vzrostly o 10 % po výsledcích za 2. čtvrtletí 2026, když tržby ve výši 178,3 mil. USD překonaly odhady 168,8 mil. USD a hrubá marže se zlepšila z -31 % před rokem zhruba na nulu. Firma zároveň zvýšila celoroční výhled růstu tržeb na 15 % až 16 %.
Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) stock is rising 10% to $2.32 Tuesday morning after the hydrogen fuel cell maker reported Q2 2026 results Monday after the close. The report showed a sharp margin turnaround, disciplined cost cuts, and a raised full-year revenue outlook that reset the narrative on Plug Power’s long-running transformation effort.
The move looks company-specific rather than thematic. Shares of fuel-cell sector peers FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) and Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) are up only 2% to $20.18 and $214.36, respectively, and the Global X Hydrogen ETF (NASDAQ:HYDR) is climbing 2% to $44.26. Plug Power’s outperformance suggests traders are rewarding company-specific results.
Plug Power stock still trades near multi-year lows. The shares are down 91.5% over the past five years, so today’s pop reflects fresh optimism about the margin trajectory rather than a full recovery in the equity.
Margin Turnaround Fuels the Pop Plug Power reported Q2 2026 revenue of $178.3 million, topping estimates of $168.8 million. The company’s gross margin improved to approximately breakeven from -31% a year ago, while operating expenses fell 50% year over year (YoY) on cost discipline and asset monetization.
The company raised its full-year 2026 revenue growth guidance to a range of 15% to 16% and reiterated its target of reaching positive EBITDAS (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation) in Q4 2026. Plug Power’s management cited asset-monetization moves generating $80 million of near-term liquidity toward a $275 million total target.
Operational highlights added to the optimism. Plug Power deployed 1,666 GenDrive fuel cell units, up 125% YoY, while service revenue grew 82% YoY with a 27% positive service margin. Electrolyzer project wins across Europe and Australia rounded out the commercial update.
Plug Power CEO Jose Luis Crespo framed the quarter as evidence of a broader turnaround, stating: “Our second quarter results demonstrate that Plug is executing its transformation into a stronger, more efficient and profitable company.”
Peers Rise in Sympathy FuelCell Energy stock and Bloom Energy shares are getting a modest read-through bid rather than trading on their own news. Both companies operate in the hydrogen and stationary fuel cell space, and both have benefited over the past year from the AI data center power narrative. Year to date (YTD), FuelCell Energy stock is up 178% and Bloom Energy shares have climbed 146%, while Plug Power stock remains a long-term laggard.
The Global X Hydrogen ETF offers the thematic backdrop. It’s a narrow, unleveraged thematic fund holding hydrogen and fuel cell names, with Plug Power, FuelCell Energy, and Bloom Energy among its largest U.S. positions. That concentration is worth noting for investors sizing exposure, since a handful of small-cap names can drive much of the daily move. A 2% gain against Plug Power stock’s 10% pop underscores that today is largely a single-name story.
Keep the balance in view on Plug Power; the company remains deeply unprofitable. Plug Power’s GAAP EPS came in at -$0.14, missing analyst estimates of -$0.08, though it improved from -$0.20 a year earlier. The margin trajectory is encouraging, but the path to sustained profitability isn’t yet proven.
What To Watch Traders can watch for whether Plug Power stock holds today’s gains into the close and whether analyst notes ratify the raised outlook. The bigger test arrives in the third and fourth quarters, when Plug Power’s second-half-weighted revenue cadence and positive EBITDAS target for Q4 2026 have to face real numbers rather than commentary.
The hydrogen ETF’s muted move is a useful tell. If the theme were re-rating today, HYDR and the peer names would be closer to Plug Power stock’s 10% jump. For now, this looks like a margin-turnaround story trading on its own merits, with liquidity from asset sales providing a bridge to the promised Q4 2026 inflection.
Investors weighing exposure to Plug Power can consider modest position sizing given the company’s history of losses, execution risk on asset monetization, and the still-unproven path to profitability. The story is improving, but it’s early.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Clover Health uvedl, že v roce 2026 očekává první celý rok zisku podle GAAP a asi 50% růst počtu členů. Firma staví růst Medicare Advantage na platformě Clover Assistant s AI.
MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/03 - 03/07Clover Health Investments NASDAQ: CLOV is positioning its Medicare Advantage model around earlier identification and treatment of chronic conditions, Interim Chief Financial Officer Clay Thornton said during a Canaccord Genuity conference presentation.
Thornton said the company’s goal is to equip physicians with artificial intelligence-powered technology that can identify, manage and treat chronic disease earlier. He said earlier intervention can support higher-quality care and more affordable, accessible care for Medicare Advantage members.
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Missed the Hims & Hers Rally? Clover Health Could Be NextThe company’s approach differs from many Medicare Advantage peers in five areas, Thornton said: technology, care strategy, in-home services, risk retention and network design. Clover’s Clover Assistant platform is built on more than 100 patient data sources and uses more than 100 AI and machine-learning models to provide individualized clinical insights at the point of care, according to Thornton.
He said clinicians using the technology have been associated with lower hospitalizations and readmissions, while chronic kidney disease stage 3 diagnoses occurred 18 months earlier and diabetes treatment began 36 months earlier compared with cases where clinicians did not use the platform.
In-home care and member engagement Thornton said Clover reaches approximately two-thirds of its members in a given year through at least one visit from a Clover Assistant-powered clinician. The company deploys the technology through its provider network and through Clover Care Services, which includes in-home assessments, readmission-prevention services and longitudinal primary care for members with more complex needs.
In Medicare, about 10% of members can account for roughly 60% of costs, Thornton said. Clover seeks to manage that higher-cost population through its in-home care program, with multiple clinician visits during the year. Enrollment in the program increased 84% relative to 2025, compared with roughly 50% membership growth across the company’s full book of business, he said.
The company retains full economic risk for its membership rather than delegating risk to providers, a model commonly used by other Medicare Advantage insurers. Thornton said Clover may be at an economic disadvantage during a member’s first two years but expects returns to improve as members remain enrolled longer and the company’s clinical interventions compound.
About 49% of Clover’s membership remains within the first two years of that lifecycle, including roughly 28% in their first year and 21% in their second year, he said. Thornton said the company expects cohort maturation to become more meaningful in 2027 and 2028 as newer members move into later years of enrollment.
New Jersey growth and retention New Jersey remains Clover’s largest market. The company has doubled its overall membership over a two-year period, Thornton said, while its New Jersey market share increased to 31% from 20%. He said Clover had become the largest provider of non-special-needs Medicare Advantage plans in the state after surpassing United earlier this year.
Thornton said New Jersey offers both market-share and organic expansion opportunities, as Medicare Advantage penetration in the state is approximately 42%, compared with a national rate of a little more than 50%.
Clover’s network is 98% PPO, according to Thornton, allowing members to access lower-cost in-network benefits while also receiving care outside the network. He said the broader industry has increasingly shifted toward HMO products as a means of controlling costs, while Clover plans to remain “PPO first.”
The company retained more than 95% of members in the most recent annual enrollment period, Thornton said. He attributed retention in part to stable or improved benefits during a period when larger competitors have changed benefit offerings. He also said Clover has limited exposure to e-brokers, which he said can generate growth but may also contribute to weaker retention.
Profitability outlook and 2027 positioning Thornton said Clover has grown membership at a 40% compound annual growth rate over the past two years, sustained adjusted EBITDA profitability and improved operating leverage by 500 basis points. For 2026, the company is guiding for its first full year of GAAP net income profitability alongside approximately 50% membership growth.
Rather than focusing primarily on medical loss ratio in a given year, Thornton said Clover monitors contribution profits by member cohort and consolidated gross profit per member per month. He said the company expects effective cohort progression to result in lower medical loss ratios over time.
Looking toward 2027, Thornton said Clover expects further disruption in the Medicare Advantage annual enrollment period as competitors respond to industry pressures. He said the company believes its product design and stable benefit approach position it to capitalize on member shopping activity.
On Star Ratings, Thornton said Clover’s 2027 bids were submitted at 4.5 stars. He said the company expects greater clarity on payment-year 2028 ratings in coming months as the federal plan-preview process advances. Thornton also said Counterpart Health, Clover’s separate business, continues to expand testing in new markets.
About Clover Health Investments (NASDAQ:CLOV)Clover Health Investments is a technology-driven healthcare company specializing in Medicare Advantage plans for senior populations. The company combines insurance coverage with a proprietary software platform to improve care coordination, outcomes tracking and cost management. By leveraging data analytics, Clover Health aims to deliver personalized care pathways and preventive interventions for its members.
At the core of Clover's offering is its Clover Assistant platform, which aggregates clinical and claims data from multiple sources to create real-time insights for physicians and care teams.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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JD.com zveřejní hospodářské výsledky za 2. čtvrtletí 13. srpna. Tržby mají meziročně vzrůst o 3,53 % na 51,55 miliardy USD, zisk na akcii o 24,64 % na 86 centů.
Key Takeaways JD.com may benefit from 618-driven traffic, demand and merchant activity across its retail ecosystem.Food delivery, JD Logistics and new retail initiatives could support engagement and transaction activity.Electronics demand and heavy investment in delivery, international expansion and AI may pressure margins. JD.com (JD - Free Report) is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 13.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JD’s second-quarter revenues is pegged at $51.55 billion, indicating an increase of 3.53% on a year-over-year basis.
The consensus mark for second-quarter earnings is pegged at 86 cents per share, up by 5 cents over the past 30 days, indicating growth of 24.64% from the year-ago quarter's reported figure.
JD beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in all the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 23.79%.
Let us see how things have shaped up for the upcoming announcement.
Key Factors to Note for JD’s Q2 EarningsJD.com is likely to see its second-quarter performance shaped by promotional activity, improving service engagement and retail ecosystem development. The 618 Grand Promotion, which ran from May 30 through June 18, likely supported customer traffic, merchandise demand and merchant participation. JD.com highlighted strong activity across online retail, offline stores and AI-powered products during the campaign, suggesting potential benefits for transaction volumes and advertising activity during the quarter. The company’s expansion of AI-enabled retail tools may have further supported traffic allocation, product discovery and merchant efficiency during the period.
Service businesses are expected to have provided support. Food delivery may have continued to strengthen customer engagement and cross-category purchases, while JD Logistics is likely to have benefited from delivery activity and use of automation and robotics. The June launch of the first JD MALL in Hong Kong may have supported offline retail presence and provided additional exposure to electronics and home appliances. Meanwhile, the addition of South Korea’s 11Street official flagship store to JD.com’s cross-border platform may have broadened product selection and international merchant participation.
However, electronics and home appliances are likely to have seen mixed demand, as the higher comparison base from last year’s trade-in activity and increased smartphone and PC prices may have influenced purchasing patterns. Promotional intensity during the 618 period may also have affected product mix and margins. Continued investment in food delivery and international expansion, including Joybuy, may have weighed on profitability, although improving operating efficiency is expected to have provided some offset. The company’s ongoing investments in AI and technology may also have kept operating expenses elevated during the quarter, while potentially supporting longer-term efficiency gains.
What Our Model SaysAccording to the Zacks model, the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that is not the case here. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
JD has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks to ConsiderHere are some stocks worth considering, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this reporting cycle.
Advance Auto Parts (AAP - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +8.04% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
Advance Auto Parts is slated to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 20. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Advance Auto Parts’ second-quarter 2026 earnings is pegged at 81 cents per share, up by a penny over the past 30 days, indicating an improvement of 17.39% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.
Analog Devices (ADI - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.37% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present.
Analog Devices is slated to report third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 19. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Analog Devices’ third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.33 per share, up by 4 cents over the past 30 days, indicating a rise of 62.4% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.
Applied Materials (AMAT - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +1.52% and carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present.
Applied Materials is set to report third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Applied Materials’ third-quarter earnings is pegged at $3.36 per share, up by a penny over the past 30 days, indicating a rise of 35.5% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.
Cloudflare za poslední tři měsíce vzrostl o 65,4 % díky silné poptávce po bezpečnosti v oblasti AI a růstu počtu velkých zákazníků. Tržby ve 2. čtvrtletí stouply meziročně o 36 % na 696,1 milionu USD.
Key Takeaways Cloudflare is benefiting from rising AI security demand across SASE and Zero Trust offerings.Large customers drove growth, with 120% dollar-based net retention and revenues up 36% year over year.Cloudflare's premium valuation reflects strong investor confidence in AI security and customer growth. Cloudflare Inc. (NET - Free Report) shares have surged 65.4% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Internet - Software industry’s appreciation of 13.3%. The stock also outperformed its industry peers, including F5 Networks, Inc. (FFIV - Free Report) , BlackBerry Limited (BB - Free Report) and Allot Ltd. (ALLT - Free Report) . In the past three months, shares of F5 Networks and BlackBerry have gained 16.5% and 42.5%, respectively, while Allot shares have plunged 9.7%.
The outperformance of Cloudflare’s shares raises the question: Does it still have room to run, or is it time for investors to consider taking profits? Let’s find out.
3 Month Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AI Security Demand Bodes Well for Cloudflare's ProspectsCloudflare is seeing stronger demand for its SASE and Zero Trust offerings as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) more securely. Management said the key reason big companies are approaching Cloudflare is that they know they need AI but want to deploy it securely. This is creating new opportunities for the company’s SASE and Zero Trust platforms, particularly as enterprises need to secure AI agents in addition to human users.
Cloudflare believes its developer-focused approach gives it an advantage in this market. Management said companies will have more AI agents working across their organizations and will need a security model designed for these agents. In one example, a large U.K. government agency was evaluating a first-generation Zero Trust provider but reconsidered the project after discussing its plans for AI agents with Cloudflare. Management said the agency canceled its existing request for proposal and is now reevaluating the project with an agents-first approach. Cloudflare believes its developer-focused approach has helped its SASE and Zero Trust platforms gain significant share over the past six months.
Customer wins in the quarter also show demand for Cloudflare’s security platform. A Fortune 100 technology company signed a $5.2 million, three-year contract for Cloudflare’s full SASE portfolio. The customer is replacing legacy VPNs and virtual desktops and moving its global workforce to a single Zero Trust platform. Cloudflare beat two first-generation Zero Trust vendors in the deal because of its network performance and unified management, with the customer expecting to operate the services with roughly one-third the staff.
The broader shift toward AI could therefore support Cloudflare’s SASE and Zero Trust growth. The company is also seeing enterprises replace fragmented security tools with its unified platform. Sustaining its recent market-share gains will depend on how well Cloudflare can convert growing AI security needs into larger and longer-term enterprise contracts. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cloudflare’s 2026 and 2027 revenues indicates year-over-year growth of 31.1% and 28.2%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Large-Customer Growth Boosts Cloudflare's ProspectsCloudflare is seeing strong momentum among its largest customers, which is driving strong revenue growth and customer retention. In the second quarter of 2026, the company ended with 4,698 customers generating more than $100,000 in annual revenues, up 27% year over year. Cloudflare added 282 large customers during the second quarter and a record 986 net additions in large customers, year over year. Each large-customer group, from $100,000 to more than $5 million in annual revenues, posted record year-over-year net additions in the second quarter of 2026.
Large customers are also becoming a bigger part of Cloudflare’s business. They accounted for 73% of total revenues in the second quarter, up from 71% a year ago. Strong expansion among these customers helped push dollar-based net retention to 120%, up from 118% in the previous quarter and 114% a year ago. This shows that existing customers are increasing their spending on Cloudflare’s products, while the company continues to add new large accounts.
The strong performance of large customers is supporting Cloudflare’s overall financial growth. Second-quarter revenues increased 36% year over year to $696.1 million. Management said new customer bookings grew at their fastest rate in more than five years, while pipeline generation increased at its fastest sequential pace in five years. Cloudflare added more than 80,000 paying customers during the second quarter, resulting in 74% year-over-year growth in its paying customer base.
The above-mentioned factors show that Cloudflare’s growing large-customer base could support future revenue growth if these customers continue to expand their use of Cloudflare's platform. The company is also seeing customers adopt multiple products, including its developer platform, Zero Trust and application security offerings. As of now, maintaining 120% net retention will depend on continued expansion among existing customers.
Long-Term Prospects Justify NET’s Premium ValuationCloudflare is currently trading at a higher price-to-sales (P/S) multiple compared with the industry. NET’s forward 12-month P/S ratio sits at 32.97X, higher than the industry’s forward 12-month P/S ratio of 4.06X.
NET Forward 12-Month P/S Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NET stock also trades at a higher P/S multiple compared with other industry peers, including F5 Networks, BlackBerry and Allot. At present, F5 Networks, BlackBerry and Allot have P/S multiples of 6.46X, 8.09X and 2.92X, respectively.
NET’s rally reflects strong investor confidence in AI security demand and large-customer growth, putting it above industry and peers in terms of valuation, reflecting the high growth expectations of the company in the long term.
Key Technical Indicator Signals Bullish Trend for NETCloudflare shares are trading above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, a bullish technical signal that indicates the potential for continued upward momentum in the near term.
NET 50-Day & 200-Day Simple Moving Averages
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Conclusion: Buy Cloudflare Stock Right NowCloudflare’s strong growth in AI security, SASE and Zero Trust, along with rising demand from large customers, supports its long-term growth outlook. The company’s strong revenue growth estimates and improving customer spending support the outlook for continued growth. Further, the stock’s valuation reflects high growth expectations, as Cloudflare remains well positioned to benefit from rising AI security demand over the long term.
Currently, Cloudflare carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
OrganiGram vykázal za čtvrtletí ztrátu 0,05 USD na akcii, což bylo horší než odhadovaná ztráta 0,01 USD. Tržby dosáhly 76,41 milionu USD a byly o 12,95 % vyšší než odhad.
OrganiGram (OGI - Free Report) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.05 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.01. This compares to a loss of $0.03 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -400.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this cannabis producer would post a loss of $0.01 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.01, delivering no surprise.
Over the last four quarters, the company has not been able to surpass consensus EPS estimates.
OrganiGram, which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Products industry, posted revenues of $76.41 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.95%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $51.16 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
OrganiGram shares have lost about 37.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 13.3%.
What's Next for OrganiGram?While OrganiGram has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for OrganiGram was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.01 on $79.35 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.09 on $241.36 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Medical - Products is currently in the bottom 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
FitLife Brands Inc. (FTLF - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 13.
This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.18 per share in its upcoming report, which represents no change from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
FitLife Brands Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $26.5 million, up 64.3% from the year-ago quarter.
Lam Research rozšiřuje aktivity do panelového packagingu pro větší AI čipy. Tržby z advanced packaging mají v kalendářním roce 2026 růst o více než 70 % meziročně.
Key Takeaways Lam Research is expanding into panel-level packaging to address larger, more complex AI chip designs.Advanced-packaging revenues are expected to grow more than 70% year over year in calendar 2026.Lam Research has shipped 510x515-mm panel systems and plans its first 310x310-mm tool this year. Lam Research Corporation (LRCX - Free Report) is expanding its opportunity in advanced packaging as artificial intelligence (AI) chips become larger and more complex. The company seems to be now focusing on the Panel-Level Packaging (“PLP”) method. In this connection, it established a Panel-Level Packaging Center of Excellence in Salzburg, Austria, in May 2026 to accelerate research, customer qualification and production readiness.
PLP is a semiconductor packaging method in which multiple chips are assembled on a large, flat panel rather than individual circular wafers. This approach allows manufacturers to process more chips at once, potentially reducing production costs and improving efficiency.
The move is strategically important because future AI systems are expected to use more chiplets, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks and larger packages. Lam Research expects advanced-packaging revenues to grow more than 70% year over year in calendar year 2026, providing a potentially meaningful new growth driver.
PLP could also expand Lam Research’s served market. The company has already shipped 510x515-millimeter panel systems to development programs in multiple regions and plans to ship its first 310x310-millimeter panel tool this year. These tools are designed to address the manufacturing challenges created by larger AI packages.
The opportunity comes at an attractive time. Lam Research generated record fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues of $6.72 billion, up 30% year over year and 15% sequentially. Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) jumped nearly 37% year over year and 24% sequentially to $1.82. Management expects 2026 wafer fabrication equipment spending to reach the low-$150 billion range, which bodes well for the company.
PLP is more than a niche initiative. If AI package sizes continue expanding, this technology could widen Lam Research’s market opportunity and support sustained growth beyond traditional wafer-fab equipment. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2027 revenues is pegged at $33.9 billion, indicating a year-over-year increase of approximately 46%.
Can Rivals Challenge Lam Research in Advanced Packaging?Lam Research is not alone in targeting the fast-growing advanced-packaging market. Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT - Free Report) is expanding its packaging portfolio as AI chips require more complex integration. Applied Materials expects its advanced-packaging revenues to grow more than 50% in calendar year 2026, making it a significant competitor to LRCX’s push into panel-level packaging. In the last reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, Applied Materials’ revenues increased 11.4% year over year to $7.91 billion, while non-GAAP EPS rose 19.7% to $2.86.
KLA Corporation (KLAC - Free Report) is another strong competitor, particularly in inspection and process control for advanced packaging. KLAC expects advanced-packaging revenues to be between $1 billion and $1.1 billion in 2026, up from approximately $635 million in 2025. Its packaging portfolio covers process control for wafers, panels and components, giving it exposure to the same shift toward larger and more complex packages. In the last reported financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, KLAC’s revenues increased 15.2% year over year to $3.66 billion, while non-GAAP EPS jumped 11.7% to $1.05.
The competitive landscape is strengthening as AI drives greater use of chiplets, HBM and larger packages. However, Lam’s focus on panel-level processing could differentiate it, particularly as AI packages become too large for traditional wafer-based approaches.
LRCX’s Share Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of Lam Research have surged 79% year to date compared with the Zacks Electronics – Semiconductors industry’s rise of 32.8%.
Lam Research YTD Price Return Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Lam Research trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 32.32, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 14.54.
Lam Research Forward 12-Month P/E Ratio
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lam Research’s fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of approximately 59% and 23%, respectively. Estimates for fiscal 2027 have been revised upward over the past 30 days, while estimates for fiscal 2028 have been raised over the past seven days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Lam Research currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Western Digital ve fiskálním roce 2026 zvýšil hrubou marži na 49,1 % díky vyšším kapacitám disků a lepším cenám. Firma čeká další zlepšení s náběhem ePMR disků až 40TB, které už začala dodávat ve 4. fiskálním čtvrtletí, a 44TB HAMR produktů.
Key Takeaways WDC's gross margin rose to 49.1% in fiscal 2026, driven by higher-capacity drives and pricing.Next-gen ePMR drives up to 40TB are expected to reach 50% of nearline bits by fiscal 2027's third quarter.WDC's cost per terabyte fell 8%, while 44TB HAMR products could support further margin gains. Western Digital Corporation (WDC - Free Report) is seeing higher-capacity drives play an increasingly important role in improving its margins. The company reported strong financial performance in fiscal 2026, with gross margin expanding 970 basis points (bps) to 49.1%. In the fiscal fourth quarter, gross margin increased 1,310 bps year over year to 54.4%. The improvement was driven by a mix shift toward higher-capacity drives, favorable pricing across the portfolio and disciplined execution in manufacturing operations.
The company began shipping its next-generation ePMR hard drives with capacities of up to 40 terabytes in the fiscal fourth quarter and expects a strong ramp over the following quarters. On the latest earnings call, management highlighted that the company is on track for these drives to account for 50% of nearline bits by the third quarter of fiscal 2027. The greater availability of higher-capacity drives is expected to provide additional opportunities for pricing while enabling the company to ship more capacity into the market.
Higher-capacity drives are also helping Western Digital improve its cost structure. Cost per terabyte declined approximately 8% year over year in the fiscal fourth quarter, while the company expects its long-term cost per terabyte to decline about 10% annually. Management attributed this reduction primarily to the transition toward higher-capacity drives and improved areal density. As the company executes its technology and product road map, including next-generation ePMR and HAMR products, cost per terabyte is expected to continue declining over time.
At the same time, higher-capacity drives provide more value to customers through better total cost of ownership, allowing Western Digital to increase price per terabyte while reducing cost per terabyte. Management stated this combination as a key factor supporting further gross margin improvement. The company reported incremental gross margins of 75% in fiscal 2026 compared with 60% in fiscal 2025, and ended the fourth quarter with year-over-year incremental gross margin of 84% to 85%. It expects approximately 80% to 81% incremental gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Western Digital anticipates non-GAAP gross margin in the range of 55-56% for the first quarter.
Western Digital expects continued gross-margin improvement as it ramps higher-capacity ePMR drives and introduces 44-terabyte HAMR products. Management believes these product transitions can support more exabyte shipments at better pricing while reducing costs over time, providing a basis for continued margin expansion.
Taking a Look at WDC’s CompetitorsSeagate Technology Holdings plc’s (STX - Free Report) fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP gross margin reached 52.7%, up 570 bps sequentially and 1,480 bps year over year. The company expanded non-GAAP gross margin for the 13th consecutive quarter. Non-GAAP operating margin rose to 44.6% from 26.2% in the year-ago quarter, highlighting the scalability of the company’s operating model. Free cash flow reached $1.12 billion in the June quarter, representing a margin of approximately 31%, while fiscal 2026 free cash flow climbed to a record $3.1 billion. Management expects cash generation to improve sequentially throughout fiscal 2027, supported by revenue growth, pricing, operating leverage and capital expenditures maintained within 4–6% of revenues.
Sandisk Corporation’s (SNDK - Free Report) fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP gross margin expanded to 84.6% from 78.4% in the previous quarter and 26.4% reported in the year-ago quarter. The result exceeded management’s 79-81% guidance. Non-GAAP operating margin rose to 79.2% from 70.9%, reflecting strong revenue growth and cost leverage. Adjusted free cash flow totaled $5.04 billion, excluding $1.94 billion of customer prepayments and deposits related to the new business models. For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Sandisk expects revenues of $10.3-$10.8 billion. Non-GAAP gross margin is expected between 83% and 85%.
WDC Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesIn the past year, shares of WDC have surged 479% compared with the Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry’s growth of 348%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 20.86 forward earnings compared with 9.43 for the industry.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
WDC’s estimate revisions are on an upward trajectory. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WDC’s earnings for fiscal 2026 has been revised north by 4.96% to $18.85 over the past 60 days, while the same for fiscal 2027 has gone up 17.76% to $35.48.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, Western Digital has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
Paramount schválil plán přesunout hollywoodské studio z Kalifornie, pokud do 1. října nedojde k jednání o smíru s generálním prokurátorem Robem Bontou. David Ellison uvedl, že by firma mohla odejít do Tennessee, Texasu, Georgie nebo jiného státu.
Paramount’s board has approved a plan to move the Hollywood studio out of California if the state’s attorney general Rob Bonta doesn’t agree to settlement talks in his bitter antitrust case by Oct. 1, according to reports.
Paramount CEO David Ellison told his top lieutenants last week that his company would relocate to Tennessee, Texas, Georgia or another state if Bonta refuses to come to the table in his case opposing Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Puck and Variety reported Tuesday.
The mogul discussed the ultimatum during an hourlong lunch meeting last Wednesday with Paramount’s 12-member Executive Leadership Team on the company’s storied Hollywood lot, according to Puck, which cited two people with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Paramount could eventually shift most studio jobs out of California under a five-year relocation strategy CEO David Ellison outlined to senior executives, according to Puck. Getty Images Ellison told the group that Paramount’s board, which he controls, had already signed off on the relocation plan, the report said.
The 43-year-old son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison set an Oct. 1 deadline for resolving the dispute since that’s the date a so-called $7 million-per-day “ticking fee” tied to the Warner Bros. deal is set to kick in, according to the report.
If there are no negotiations, Ellison said he would move either Paramount or the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. company out of California regardless of how the antitrust litigation ultimately plays out, Puck reported.
The Post has sought comment from Paramount and Bonta.
Ellison said the headquarters would be the first operation to relocate, with incentives from whichever state ultimately lands the company helping finance the move, according to the report.
He is already in contact with multiple states and is developing a five-year plan that would eventually shift most of the studio’s jobs to its new home, Puck reported.
Ellison estimated that leaving California would save Paramount $500 million a year in taxes.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has set an Oct. 1 deadline to resolve the company’s antitrust battle with California before pressing ahead with plans to relocate, according to Puck. AFP via Getty Images The company could also raise cash by selling the Paramount and Warner Bros. studio lots, each of which has been valued as high as $4 billion, Puck reported, while noting that the properties could fetch less given Los Angeles’ battered production market.
Paramount would nevertheless maintain a creative presence in Hollywood because many of its talent partners and vendors remain there, while executives and other business operations would be expected to relocate, according to the report.
Ellison told executives he still wants the combined company — and roughly 30,000 jobs — to remain in Southern California, Puck reported.
But he argued that relocating would be preferable to cutting content spending or restructuring the company as it shoulders the mounting cost of fighting the states and paying roughly $650 million in quarterly ticking fees, according to the report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has stayed publicly quiet about the antitrust suit, but privately favors a settlement between Paramount and the state, according to Puck. Anadolu via Getty Images The Warner Bros. deal could also leave Paramount on the hook for a $7 billion breakup fee if it fails to close by next June, Puck reported.
The relocation plan marks a dramatic escalation in Ellison’s showdown with Bonta, who is leading California and 11 other states in a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the Warner Bros. acquisition.
Bonta’s office blasted the latest maneuver, telling Puck that it is “another attempt to blackmail the state into letting an illegal deal through.”
“Paramount has lost the plot as it continues to lose in court.”
Ellison nevertheless expressed confidence during last week’s meeting that Paramount would defeat the states’ case and eventually complete the Warner Bros. deal, according to Puck.
His remarks reportedly rattled some members of Paramount’s leadership team.
Several executives later told colleagues about the meeting amid concerns about uprooting their families and disbelief that the dispute with California had deteriorated to the point where Paramount could leave the state, according to Puck.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading an antitrust challenge by California and 11 other states seeking to stop Paramount’s $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. REUTERS Among those reportedly attending the meeting were studio chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, streaming boss Cindy Holland and CBS chief George Cheeks.
Ellison is meanwhile trying to build political and industry pressure on Bonta to negotiate.
Paramount previously proposed a consent decree containing 12 concessions, including promises to keep both the Paramount and Warner Bros. lots operating and to release 30 movies a year through the two studios, Puck reported.
The company also offered theater chains a minimum 45-day theatrical window and a 90-day window before movies move to Paramount+, according to the report.
AMC Theatres and Regal owner Cineworld have backed the merger after receiving the proposal, while Cinemark’s board is expected to discuss whether to join them this week, Puck reported.
Bonta, however, has resisted the overtures, with the site reporting that he would presumably seek major structural remedies rather than Paramount’s piecemeal concessions.
Carvana ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila maloobchodní prodeje o 38 % na rekordních 197 325 vozů a upravená EBITDA vzrostla na 769 mil. USD. Marže ale klesla na 10,4 % a valuace zůstává vysoká.
Key Takeaways Carvana's retail units jumped 38% in Q2 2026, while it targets 3 million annual vehicle sales by 2030-2035.CVNA's adjusted EBITDA rose to $769M, but margin fell to 10.4% and gross profit per unit declined.Carvana's liquidity reached $7B, while inventory gaps, scaling demands and debt remain key risks. Carvana Co. (CVNA - Free Report) is scaling quickly, with higher retail volumes, rising adjusted EBITDA and improving cash generation supporting its long-term growth case. The company is also expanding production capacity through ADESA as it targets a much larger share of the used-vehicle market.
The trade-off is valuation. CVNA already reflects substantial growth expectations, while inventory constraints, execution demands and sizable debt leave little room for operational missteps.
Carvana’s Growth Case Remains PowerfulRetail units sold rose 38% year over year in the second quarter of 2026 to a record 197,325, nearly double the level two years earlier. Carvana estimates that it holds only about 2% of used-vehicle retail and continues to target 3 million annual vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035.
ADESA is central to that expansion. Carvana integrated retail production at three more ADESA locations in the quarter, bringing the total to 19. Its current footprint offers fully built-out annual capacity for about 1.5 million retail units and real estate capacity for 3 million units.
Carvana's closest peers include CarMax, Inc. (KMX - Free Report) — the #1 player in the used-vehicle space— and Sonic Automotive (SAH - Free Report) , whose EchoPark unit deals exclusively in used vehicles. But Carvana's growth is outpacing both companies by a wide margin. Retail used-vehicle sales volume at Sonic's EchoPark rose 17% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, while at CarMax, retail used-vehicle volume was roughly flat year-over-year in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.
CVNA’s Premium Valuation Demands ExecutionCarvana trades at 2.41X forward 12-month sales, above the 0.31X multiple for its Zacks sub-industry and its own five-year median of 1.95X. Its Value Score of F reinforces the valuation challenge.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
That premium puts more weight on continued volume growth and margin progress. Adjusted EBITDA rose to $769 million in the second quarter from $601 million a year earlier, but adjusted EBITDA margin contracted to 10.4% from 12.4% as growth investments and higher costs pressured profitability. Unit economics have softened. In the second quarter of 2026, total gross profit per unit fell $412 year over year to $7,014, while non-GAAP GPU declined $455 to $7,125.
Carvana’s Inventory Gap Adds RiskInventory growth has trailed sales growth, which can reduce customer selection and weaken conversion. Carvana is working to rebuild inventory as production expands, but the process depends on reconditioning capacity, staffing, training and logistics execution.
The risk grows with scale. Carvana must integrate more ADESA locations, improve reconditioning efficiency and manage transportation and last-mile delivery while sustaining customer experience. Previous reconditioning challenges show how operational disruptions can slow inventory growth and raise costs.
CVNA’s Balance Sheet Is ImprovingLong-term debt was $4.85 billion at June 30, 2026, compared with $4.83 billion at the end of 2025. Even so, net debt to trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA fell to 1X, the company’s best level to date.
Liquidity also strengthened. Cash and cash equivalents reached $2.63 billion, while total liquidity resources rose to $7 billion. Net cash provided by operating activities increased to $345 million in the first six months of 2026 from $261 million a year earlier.
Carvana’s Signals Call for PatienceCarvana’s growth trajectory remains attractive, but the stock’s premium valuation means execution must remain consistent. Inventory expansion, production scaling and cost control will be important as the company works toward its long-term volume and margin targets.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CVNA’s 2026 EPS calls for a year-over-year contraction of 2.37%. But the consensus mark for 2027 EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 40% from projected 2026 levels. See how the estimates have been revised over the past 60 days.
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CVNA currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Its Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of B point to favorable growth and price-trend characteristics, but the Value Score of F is a clear offset. The VGM Score of C also suggests a mixed overall Style Score profile.
The combination supports patience rather than an aggressive entry. Carvana has meaningful runway and improving financial capacity, but investors may want to see continued execution and better alignment between growth and valuation before taking a more constructive view.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
Stratasys získal zakázku v hodnotě 7,8 milionu USD na 24měsíční iniciativu s America Makes a Department of War (DoW). Cílem je rozšířit in-situ zajištění kvality pro platformy F3300 a F900.
$7.8 million 24-month initiative to support development of in-situ quality assurance capabilities for the F3300™ and F900® platforms
Program focuses on advancing manufacturing capabilities for the expansion of additive production capacity
MINNETONKA, Minn. & REHOVOT, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ: SSYS) today announced it has been awarded $7.8 million of funding through The 2026 America Makes and the Department of War (DoW) Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization Challenge that focuses on advancing additive manufacturing and related technologies to support defense manufacturing modernization. The 24-month award will support development of on-site quality assurance capabilities for Stratasys’ F3300™ and F900® industrial FDM® platforms. This will enable manufacturers to generate the real-time process data needed to scale additive manufacturing production, expand capacity and reduce reliance on costly post-build inspection and qualification.
America Makes, the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, brings together industry, government and academia to accelerate the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies that strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and defense readiness. Through the 2026 OIB Modernization Challenge, America Makes is supporting projects that advance manufacturing capabilities critical to industrial production, resilient supply chains and the defense industrial base.
“The next phase of additive manufacturing adoption within the defense industrial base is about moving from isolated applications to qualified, scalable production,” said John Wilczynski, Executive Director of America Makes. “Stratasys’ work to advance in-situ monitoring on established polymer production platforms addresses a critical part of that challenge - building greater trust in the manufacturing process and generating the data needed to support qualification. This project will create a stronger foundation for expanding additive manufacturing across production, sustainment and supply chain applications throughout the defense enterprise.”
The project is designed to address one of the key barriers limiting broader adoption of additive manufacturing in production environments: the ability to verify part quality efficiently, consistently and with sufficient technical evidence to support scale. Today, manufacturers in highly regulated industries often rely on extensive post-print inspection and qualification processes before parts can be deployed. By enabling quality data to be captured during the build process, in-situ quality assurance can help manufacturers reduce inspection burdens, compress qualification cycles and add additive manufacturing capacity with greater confidence.
“This initiative is about helping manufacturers scale additive production with confidence,” said Rich Garrity, Chief Business Unit Officer, Stratasys. “When production teams have access to quality data during the build process, they can qualify applications with less friction, expand production capacity more efficiently and integrate additive manufacturing more effectively into demanding production environments.”
The resulting capabilities are expected to support manufacturers across defense, aerospace, commercial aviation and other industrial markets where traceability, process control and part qualification are critical requirements. For the defense industrial base and defense prime contractors, in-situ quality assurance can help create a stronger technical foundation for expanding additive production capacity. For commercial aviation and highly regulated industrial manufacturers, it can provide a clearer pathway to scale production while reducing the cost and complexity associated with traditional inspection workflows.
The project will focus on developing advanced monitoring capabilities for the F3300™ and F900® platforms that provide greater visibility into the additive manufacturing process. By identifying potential anomalies during production and generating the documentation needed to support quality decisions, the technology is intended to help manufacturers improve production consistency, reduce qualification bottlenecks and accelerate adoption of additive manufacturing for production applications.
For manufacturers evaluating additive manufacturing as a scalable production technology, the significance of the initiative extends beyond the monitoring capability itself. The availability of real-time, in-process quality data can help transform additive manufacturing from a qualified application-by-application approach into a more scalable production model, enabling manufacturers to add capacity faster and with greater confidence.
“America Makes plays a critical role in bringing together industry, government and technology leaders to address some of manufacturing’s most important challenges,” Garrity added. “Collaborative initiatives like this help accelerate innovation and strengthen the capabilities needed to support the future of advanced manufacturing.”
Stratasys’ portfolio of additive manufacturing solutions combines industrial hardware, production-grade materials, software and application expertise to help manufacturers improve efficiency, increase production flexibility and solve complex manufacturing challenges across aerospace, transportation and industrial markets.
About Stratasys
Stratasys is a global leader in 3D printing solutions, helping manufacturers transform product design, bring agility to manufacturing and supply chains, and improve patient care. Through smart and connected 3D printers, polymer materials, a software ecosystem and parts on demand, Stratasys solutions deliver competitive advantages at every stage of the product lifecycle. Thousands of organizations worldwide rely on Stratasys to improve business agility, accelerate innovation and drive growth.
For more information about Stratasys, visit www.stratasys.com.
About America Makes
America Makes is the nation's leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, America Makes is driven by the goal of increasing U.S. global manufacturing competitiveness through the adoption of additive manufacturing and related advanced manufacturing technologies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those forward-looking statements are based on current information that is, by its nature, subject to potential change, due to risks and uncertainties faced by the Company, including those risks described in Item 3.D “Key Information - Risk Factors” of Stratasys’ annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025, which Stratasys filed with the SEC on March 5, 2026, and in other reports and documents that Stratasys files with or furnishes to the SEC from time to time, which are designed to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect Stratasys’ business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any forward-looking statements made in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and Stratasys undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Stratasys, FDM, Fortus, F900 and SUP4050B are trademarks or registered trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. and/or its affiliates. ULTEM™ and 9085 are trademarks of SABIC, its affiliate or subsidiary.
Key Takeaways AutoNation's Q2 adjusted EPS rose 1.8% to $5.56, beating the $5.43 consensus estimate by 2.4%.After-Sales gross profit hit a record $607.1M, becoming AutoNation's largest gross profit contributor.AutoNation expects second-half adjusted EPS growth on After-Sales, CFS, finance growth and fewer shares. AutoNation, Inc. (AN - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $5.56 per share, up 1.8% from $5.46 a year ago. Earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.43 by 2.4%. Results benefited from record After-Sales gross profit and stronger Customer Financial Services profitability. Revenues of $6.93 billion declined 0.6% year over year and missed the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion by 0.6%.
AN's After-Sales Business Delivers Record ProfitParts and service revenues increased 3.4% year over year to $1.26 billion. Gross profit rose 1.4% to a record $607.1 million, making After-Sales the largest contributor to AutoNation's gross profit.
Customer-pay revenues increased 7% year over year, while wholesale parts revenues advanced 16%. Customer-pay repair orders rose 5% and warranty repair orders increased 8%. Parts and service gross margin declined to 48.1% from 49%, mainly reflecting a higher mix of lower-margin wholesale parts.
AutoNation's Finance Businesses Show MomentumCustomer Financial Services gross profit totaled $357.6 million, down 2.7% from $367.7 million a year earlier as lower retail vehicle volumes offset stronger per-unit profitability. CFS gross profit per vehicle retailed climbed 3.2% to $2,799 from $2,712. The improvement came despite an approximately 2% drag from higher AutoNation Finance originations.
AutoNation Finance, meanwhile, generated income of $10.7 million, up from $2 million a year ago. The portfolio reached $2.67 billion, increasing about 52% from $1.76 billion, while quarterly originations totaled $485 million. AN Finance accounted for 11% of total vehicle sales and 18% of financed vehicle sales, highlighting the growing contribution of the captive finance platform.
AN's Vehicle Volumes Remain Under PressureNew vehicle revenues declined 3.1% to $3.29 billion as retail unit sales fell 4% to 63,240. New vehicle gross profit per unit dropped 14.5% to $2,381, reflecting higher vehicle costs. Much of the volume decline was due to weaker battery-electric vehicle sales and difficult comparisons against tariff-related demand pull-forward in 2025.
Used vehicle revenues increased 1.3% to $2.01 billion despite a 7.5% decline in retail unit sales to 64,521. Retail used vehicle revenue per unit increased 8.4% to $28,674, while gross profit per unit slipped 2.5% to $1,582.
AN's Gross Profit and Adjusted Income DeclineTotal gross profit fell 3.5% year over year to $1.23 billion, with gross margin narrowing to 17.8% from 18.3%. Adjusted operating income declined 7% to $343.1 million from $369.3 million.
Adjusted SG&A expenses represented 68.2% of gross profit, improving sequentially from 69.8% in the first quarter but remaining above 66.2% a year ago. Management expects the ratio to reach its 66%-67% target range on a run-rate basis by year-end.
AutoNation's Cash Flow Funds Acquisitions and BuybacksAdjusted free cash flow totaled $439.2 million in the first half of 2026, representing 125% of adjusted net income. AutoNation spent $316.5 million on acquisitions and $126 million on capital expenditures during the period.
The company also repurchased 2.3 million shares for $457 million in the first half. As of June 30, 2026, cash and cash equivalents were $53.3 million. Non-vehicle debt was $4.43 billion. AutoNation had about $1 billion of liquidity, including $0.9 billion available under its revolving credit facility, net of commercial paper borrowings.
AN Expects Earnings Growth in the Second HalfManagement expects after-sales customer-pay gross profit to maintain mid-single-digit growth, supported by customer retention and technician capacity. With stable vehicle unit profitability, continued CFS and After-Sales growth, AutoNation Finance expansion and a lower share count, management expects adjusted earnings per share to grow year over year in the second half of 2026.
AN stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Peer ReleasesPenske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.62 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.38 by 7.1%. Adjusted earnings declined 4.2% from the comparable $3.78 per share a year ago. Penske’s revenues rose 6% year over year to $8.51 billion and topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.93 billion by 7.4%. For the first six months of 2026, cash flow from operations totaled $418 million and capital expenditures were $134.9 million. As of June 30, Penske’s liquidity was about $1.4 billion, including $69.5 million in cash.
Sonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.82 per share, down 17% year over year. Earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.75 by 4%. Revenues rose 8% to $3.93 billion and topped the consensus mark of $3.78 billion by 4%. Sonic ended the quarter with about $294 million of cash and floor plan deposits and roughly $676 million of total available liquidity. The company raised full-year new-vehicle gross profit per unit guidance to $2,850-$3,000 from $2,700-$3,000. Sonic’s EchoPark unit is still expected to deliver 12%-15% retail used-unit growth this year.
Lithia Motors (LAD - Free Report) posted second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $10.03 per share, which increased 9% from $9.20 a year ago. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.67 by 15.7%. Quarterly revenues increased 2.2% year over year to $9.79 billion and topped the consensus estimate of $9.64 billion by 1.6%. As of June 30, 2026, Lithia had cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents of $363.9 million, up from $341.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. During the quarter, Lithia repurchased roughly 854,000 shares at a weighted average price of $284, representing $242 million of share repurchases.
Aramark ve čtvrtletí končícím v červnu 2026 překonal odhady: zisk na akcii činil 0,52 USD a tržby 5,06 miliardy USD. Akcie od začátku roku přidaly asi 51,1 %.
Aramark (ARMK - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.48 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.4 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +8.33%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this provider of food, facilities and uniform services would post earnings of $0.47 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.49, delivering a surprise of +4.26%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.
Aramark, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, posted revenues of $5.06 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.24%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $4.63 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Aramark shares have added about 51.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 13.3%.
What's Next for Aramark?While Aramark has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Aramark was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.76 on $5.26 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.24 on $19.97 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Restaurants is currently in the bottom 31% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, Arcos Dorados (ARCO - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 13.
This restaurant owner is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.15 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +36.4%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
Arcos Dorados' revenues are expected to be $1.28 billion, up 12.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Chemours ve 2. čtvrtletí snížil čistou ztrátu na 274 mil. USD, ale upravený EPS i tržby zaostaly za odhady. Tržby klesly o 1 % na 1 591 mil. USD kvůli 4% poklesu objemů, částečně kompenzovanému 2% růstem cen a 1% příznivým měnovým vlivem.
Key Takeaways Chemours cut its Q2 net loss to $274 million, while adjusted EPS fell short of estimates. Sales fell 1% as a 4% volume decline offset higher pricing and favorable currency impacts. Chemours expects Q3 EBITDA of $175-$205 million and 2026 sales growth of 1-5%. The Chemours Company (CC - Free Report) reported a net loss of $274 million or a loss of $1.81 per share for the second quarter of 2026. This compares favorably with the year-ago quarter’s net loss of $380 million or a loss of $2.53 per share.
Barring one-time items, earnings were 42 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents by roughly 2.3%. Adjusted earnings also declined from 61 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.
The company reported second-quarter net sales of $1,591 million, reflecting a 1% decrease from the previous-year quarter. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,674.1 million by roughly 5%. Net sales were affected by a 4% decrease in volumes, partly offset by a 2% increase in price and a 1% favorable currency impact.
Adjusted EBITDA declined 5% year over year to $247 million for the quarter from $260 million. The decrease was due to higher costs in Advanced Performance Materials (APM) associated with the Washington Works outage and lower sales following the SPS Capstone line closure, partly offset by pricing increases across all segments.
The Chemours Company Price, Consensus and EPS SurpriseCC’s Segment HighlightsThe Titanium Technologies (TT) division recorded revenues of $661 million in the second quarter, marking a 1% increase from the previous year. The figure missed our estimate of $663.6 million. The year-over-year increase was driven by a 2% rise in global pricing and a 1% currency tailwind, which more than offset a 2% decline in global volumes.
In the Thermal & Specialized Solutions (TSS) segment, revenues decreased 1% year over year to $591 million in the reported quarter. The figure missed our estimate of $637.3 million. The decline was due to a 4% fall in volumes, partly offset by a 2% increase in price and a slight currency tailwind. Lower volumes primarily reflected weaker North American stationary AC aftermarket sales of Opteon blends compared with elevated demand in the prior-year quarter.
TSS adjusted EBITDA increased 3% year over year to $213 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin improved one percentage point to 36%, aided by higher pricing and the timing of certain costs.
Revenues in the APM unit amounted to $326 million, which declined 6% year over year. The figure missed our estimate of $338.2 million. The downside was mainly caused by a 9% decrease in volumes, partly offset by a 2% increase in price and a slight currency tailwind. The volume decline primarily reflected the SPS Capstone line closure, while Performance Solutions sales rose 8% year over year on strength in data center and semiconductor end markets.
CC’s FinancialsOperating cash flow in the second quarter was $158 million compared with $93 million in the year-ago quarter. Capital expenditures were $44 million compared with $43 million in the prior-year quarter. Free cash flow increased to $114 million from $50 million a year earlier.
As of June 30, 2026, Chemours had consolidated gross debt of $3.9 billion. Debt, net of $671 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, was $3.2 billion. Total liquidity was $1.6 billion, and the net leverage ratio was approximately 4.4.
CC’s OutlookFor the third quarter, the company expects consolidated net sales to decline in the range of 5% to flat sequentially. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $175-$205 million. Corporate expenses are expected to be $40-$45 million. The company also expects capital expenditures of around $65 million and free cash flow of at least $50 million.
Chemours expects TSS’ net sales to decrease sequentially in the mid-teens to 20% range in the third quarter, reflecting less favorable seasonality and weaker Opteon blends aftermarket demand. Adjusted EBITDA is projected to be between $125 million and $140 million.
TT’s net sales are expected to increase sequentially in the low-to-mid-single-digit percentage range, driven by recent pricing announcements, with stable volumes. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $70-$80 million.
APM’s net sales are expected to increase sequentially in the mid-to-high-single-digit percentage range, driven by normalized operations at Washington Works and continued strength in Performance Solutions. Adjusted EBITDA for APM is expected to be between $20 million and $30 million.
For 2026, Chemours expects net sales to grow in the range of 1-5% year over year and adjusted EBITDA of $775-$825 million. Capital expenditures are expected in the range of $250-$280 million, with free cash flow conversion above 25%. The company continues to target a net leverage ratio of around 3.8x by year-end 2026.
CC’s Price PerformanceChemours’ shares have gained 17.4% in the past year compared with the 6.8% rise of the industry.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CC’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksCC currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks are Almonty Industries Inc. (ALM - Free Report) , ClearSign Technologies Corporation (CLIR - Free Report) and Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT - Free Report) .
Almonty is expected to report second-quarter results on Aug. 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALM’s second-quarter earnings is pegged at 10 cents per share. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.
ClearSign is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 19. The consensus estimate for CLIR’s loss per share is pegged at 25 cents. CLIR presently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Applied Industrial is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIT’s fourth-quarter earnings per share is pegged at $2.92. AIT carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present.
Sonic Automotive ve 2. čtvrtletí překonal odhady: upravený EPS činil 1,82 USD a tržby vzrostly o 8 % na 3,93 mld. USD. EchoPark zvýšil tržby o 15 %, ale zisk na jednotku klesl o 12 %.
Key Takeaways Sonic Automotive's Q2 adjusted EPS beat estimates by 4%, while revenues rose 8% to $3.93 billion.EchoPark revenues rose 15% as retail used-vehicle sales volume increased 17%, but unit profit fell 12%.Sonic Automotive's Powersports revenues surged 53%, while new and used retail unit volumes rose sharply. Sonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.82 per share. Earnings declined 17% year over year but beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.75 by 4%. Revenues rose 8% to $3.93 billion and topped the consensus mark of $3.78 billion by 4%. The quarter benefited from higher retail new and used vehicle volumes and growth across EchoPark and Powersports segments.
At the consolidated level, gross profit rose 2% to $616.2 million. Adjusted SG&A expenses increased 6% to $443.4 million. Adjusted SG&A, as a percentage of gross profit, was 72.0% compared with 69.2% a year earlier. Adjusted net income fell 23% to $58.3 million.
SAH’s Franchise Revenues Rise as Vehicle Margins NarrowFranchised Dealerships segment revenues increased 6% year over year to $3.28 billion. New-vehicle revenues rose 5% to $1.76 billion, while used-vehicle revenues increased 9% to $814.3 million. Parts, service and collision repair revenues advanced 6% to $515.5 million, while finance, insurance and other revenues increased 2% to $147.9 million.
Retail new-vehicle unit volume rose 1%, and used-vehicle volume advanced 6%. Profit per vehicle remained under pressure. Reported retail new-vehicle gross profit per unit fell 11% to $3,024, while used-vehicle gross profit per unit declined 12% to $1,399.
Segment income was $70.7 million, down 23% from the year-ago period. Management cited difficult comparisons tied to pre-tariff consumer demand pull-forward in the second quarter of 2025.
Sonic’s EchoPark Growth Comes With Lower Unit ProfitEchoPark revenues increased 15% to $582.9 million, while gross profit rose 4% to a second-quarter record $64.3 million. Retail used-vehicle sales volume increased 17% as Sonic carried more affordable inventory and expanded its non-auction sourcing mix. Wholesale vehicle volumes increased 12%.
That volume growth came with lower per-unit economics. Total used-vehicle and F&I gross profit per unit fell 12% to $3,292. Segment income dropped 38% to $7.2 million, while adjusted EBITDA declined 15% to $13.9 million.
SAH’s Powersports Business Posts Strong ExpansionPowersports revenues surged 53% to a second-quarter record $73.5 million. Gross profit increased 58% to $19.7 million. New retail unit volume rose 27% to 1,775 units, while used retail volume jumped 61% to 1,317 units.
Finance and insurance revenues climbed 75% to $3.5 million, with F&I gross profit per unit up 27% to $1,125. Segment income improved to $2.3 million from breakeven, and adjusted EBITDA increased 145% to $4.9 million. The five Harley-Davidson dealerships acquired in April are expected to add about $100 million in annualized revenue.
SAH Raises New-Vehicle GPU View, Keeps Growth FocusSonic ended the quarter with about $294 million of cash and floor plan deposits and roughly $676 million of total available liquidity. The board approved a quarterly dividend of 41 cents per share, to be paid out on Oct. 15, 2026, to stockholders of record as of Sept. 15.
Management raised full-year new-vehicle gross profit per unit guidance to $2,850-$3,000 from $2,700-$3,000. EchoPark is still expected to deliver 12%-15% retail used-unit growth, total gross profit per unit of $3,100-$3,300 and adjusted EBITDA of $35-$40 million. Sonic also expects $8-$12 million of incremental EchoPark brand marketing expense in the fourth quarter and plans to open an Orlando location during the quarter.
Sonic currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Peer ReleasesPenske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.62 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.38 by 7.1%. Adjusted earnings declined 4.2% from the comparable $3.78 per share a year ago. Penske’s revenues rose 6% year over year to $8.51 billion and topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.93 billion by 7.4%. For the first six months of 2026, cash flow from operations totaled $418 million and capital expenditures were $134.9 million. As of June 30, Penske’s liquidity was about $1.4 billion, including $69.5 million in cash.
Lithia Motors (LAD - Free Report) posted second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $10.03 per share, which increased 9% from $9.20 a year ago. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.67 by 15.7%. Quarterly revenues increased 2.2% year over year to $9.79 billion and topped the consensus estimate of $9.64 billion by 1.6%. As of June 30, 2026, Lithia had cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents of $363.9 million, up from $341.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.During the quarter, Lithia repurchased roughly 854,000 shares at a weighted average price of $284, representing $242 million of share repurchases.
AutoNation, Inc. (AN - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $5.56 per share, up 1.8% from $5.46 a year ago. Earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.43 by 2.4%. Revenues of $6.93 billion declined 0.6% year over year and missed the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion by 0.6%. Parts and service revenues increased 3.4% year over year to $1.26 billion. Gross profit rose 1.4% to a record $607.1 million, making After-Sales the largest contributor to AutoNation's gross profit. As of June 30, 2026, AutoNation had cash and cash equivalents of $53.3 million. Non-vehicle debt was $4.43 billion.
Marvell Technology oznámila v 1. čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2027 rekordní výnosy 2,418 miliardy USD a upravený non-GAAP EPS 0,80 USD, přičemž na 2. čtvrtletí očekává výnosy 2,7 miliardy USD. CEO uvedl, že zakázky v oblasti AI jsou výjimečné a růst má ve fiskálním roce 2027 zrychlovat.
Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL | MRVL Price Prediction) has become one of the loudest AI infrastructure trades of 2026. After a run from the low $80s in early 2026 to a June peak near $309, shares have cooled to $208.56. That reset is exactly why our model sees room to run.
Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Marvell is $273.13 over the next 12 months, implying 30.96% upside from current levels. We rate MRVL a buy, with confidence of 90%.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $208.56 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $273.13 Upside 30.96% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Round Trip From $309 Back to $208 MRVL is up 145.78% year to date and 170.24% over the past year, yet down 11.56% in the last month. Shares sit well below the 52-week high of $329.80 and far above the $61.31 low.
The rerating traces to Q1 FY2027 in May 2026, when Marvell reported record revenue of $2.418 billion (up 27.6% YoY) and non-GAAP EPS of $0.80, then guided Q2 revenue to $2.7 billion (roughly 35% YoY growth). CEO Matt Murphy flagged “exceptional AI-related bookings” and said growth would accelerate each quarter through fiscal 2027.
Why Bulls See a Breakout to $350 The bull case rests on custom silicon and optics. Marvell is chasing a $94 billion data center TAM by calendar 2028 and has publicly targeted a jump from 13% to 20% share. Management has 18 XPU and XPU-attach sockets ramping, plus $75 billion of lifetime revenue potential in the pipeline.
Data Center accounts for 76% of revenue, and the Celestial AI and XConn acquisitions extend Marvell into photonic fabric and chiplet interconnect. If AI capex holds and 1.6T optics ramp on schedule, the bull scenario reaches $350.56 by August 2027, a 68.08% return.
What Could Go Wrong Concentration is the biggest bear item. With three-quarters of revenue from data center and heavy hyperscaler exposure, any shift to in-house silicon would hit hard. Rising stock-based comp of $207.6 million in Q1 FY2027 and the large contingent consideration liability add earnings volatility.
MRVL trades at 54x forward earnings. Bulls counter that the GAAP earnings decline reflects deal-related charges from Celestial AI and XConn, non-cash items masking record free cash flow of $483.1 million. The bear scenario prices in a stall, landing at $207.74.
How Marvell Compares to Broadcom and AMD Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) competes head-on for custom AI accelerator and networking sockets at the same hyperscalers. AVGO trades at 23x forward earnings with a consensus target of $527.88 versus a current price of $422.40, and posted 47.9% revenue growth last quarter. That gap makes Marvell’s 54x forward multiple look aggressive on paper, but MRVL’s smaller base means faster percentage growth is achievable.
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) offers a growth-versus-valuation counterpoint. AMD is also scaling data center revenue rapidly, which reframes MRVL’s multiple as reasonable inside the AI accelerator peer set. Against this cohort, our $273.13 target looks fair.
Company Forward P/E YTD Return Marvell 54x 145.78% Broadcom 23x 22.49% AMD N/A N/A Marvell Price Projection 2026-2030 The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $273.13 with 90% confidence points to a buy. Accelerating quarterly guidance, record design wins, and a $75 billion custom silicon pipeline tip the scale.
Key confirmation would be Marvell delivering Q2 FY2027 revenue at or above the $2.7 billion midpoint. Key risks to watch include a hyperscaler pulling a socket or 1.6T optics slipping a quarter.
Extending the model forward, here is where our framework projects MRVL, assuming continued AI capex and successful ramp of custom XPU sockets.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $237 2027 $273 2028 $332 2029 $391 2030 $451 These projections assume Marvell executes on its custom XPU and electro-optics roadmap. Upside could come from faster 1.6T optics adoption, while hyperscaler in-sourcing or China trade tightening could pull the trajectory lower.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Vertiv v červenci spadl o 27,9 %, i když ve 2. čtvrtletí tržby vzrostly o 24 % na 3,72 miliardy USD a upravený zisk na akcii o 60 % na 1,52 USD. Firma navíc zvýšila výhled tržeb pro 3. čtvrtletí o 400 milionů USD a pro celý rok o 250 milionů USD (na mediánu rozpětí).
Shares of AI infrastructure provider Vertiv (VRT -0.84%) plunged 27.9% in July, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Vertiv is one of the main infrastructure suppliers for AI data centers, supplying electricity and water-cooling systems that are becoming increasingly important as the latest AI-powered chips consume more energy.
The company delivered what appeared to be a solid earnings report toward the end of the month. Still, the report wasn't "perfect," and Vertiv appeared to get caught up in the negative sentiment surrounding AI semiconductors in July, following a huge run-up in their stock prices during the first half of the year.
Today's Change
(
-0.84
%) $
-2.30
Current Price
$
270.10
Vertiv posts strong growth, but not enough for skittish investors In July, market sentiment turned sharply negative toward AI-related semiconductor stocks and "AI-adjacent" industrial stocks that serve AI data centers, such as Vertiv.
A combination of prominent short-seller Michael Burry promoting his short bets against AI stocks, the release of China's Kimi 3 open-weight model, and the "blow-up" of AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness conspired to send virtually all AI stocks into a tailspin in July.
Vertiv is seen as a key player within the AI data center build-out, providing electrical systems and cooling systems, so it wasn't spared. The predictably negative reaction to a fairly strong but imperfect earnings report at the end of the month capped off a brutal month.
In the second quarter, Vertiv's revenue grew 24% to $3.72 billion, while adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings per share surged 60% to $1.52 per share. While earnings growth beat Wall Street's expectations, even the robust 24% revenue growth figure fell slightly short. Vertiv had grown 30% in its prior quarter, so perhaps that imperfection caused the post-earnings sell-off, as investors were in an unforgiving mood.
Image source: Getty Images.
But the pessimism seems misplaced The good news for investors is that the "disappointing" second-quarter revenue appears to be due to timing issues rather than a lack of demand. Vertiv forecasts revenue to reaccelerate in the second half of the year, raising third-quarter revenue guidance by $400 million and full-year guidance by $250 million at the midpoint of the range. That implies some revenue spilled from the second quarter to the third quarter, while the overall outlook for the full year actually improved.
2026 adjusted earnings per share are now expected to be $6.70 at the midpoint of the new guidance, putting the current stock price at 40 times this year's earnings expectations.
That seems like a steep price to pay for an industrial stock; however, with the AI build-out continuing and large cloud giants raising billions in new capital to fund it, it doesn't appear that Vertiv's growth will slow anytime soon.
Penske Automotive Group ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila výnosy o 6 % na 8,51 miliardy USD a upravený zisk na akcii (EPS) 3,62 USD překonal odhad. Tahounem byl růst prodejů ojetých aut a servisu.
Key Takeaways Penske Automotive's Q2 revenues rose 6% to $8.51 billion, while adjusted EPS beat estimates at $3.62.Retail auto revenues climbed 6%, with used vehicle sales up 9.4% and service gross profit rising 3.1%.Class 8 orders surged 170%, while Penske Automotive's 2026 secured order book reached nearly $660 million. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.62 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.38 by 7.1%. Adjusted earnings declined 4.2% from the comparable $3.78 per share a year ago.
Revenues rose 6% year over year to $8.51 billion and topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.93 billion by 7.4%. Retail automotive same-store new and used units increased 5%, while same-store service and parts gross margin improved 80 basis points to 59.5%.
Penske currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
PAG's Retail Automotive Sales RiseRetail automotive revenues increased 6% year over year to $7.3 billion. New vehicle revenues rose 5.9% to $3.38 billion, used vehicle revenues advanced 9.4% to $2.47 billion and finance and insurance revenues increased 1.3% to $211 million. Service and parts revenues rose 1.6% to $867.1 million, while fleet and wholesale revenues declined 0.8% to $375.6 million. Same-store revenues grew 5.7% to $7.12 billion.
Retail automotive gross profit slipped 0.7% to $1.16 billion, with gross margin contracting to 15.8% from 16.9%. New vehicle gross profit per retail unit fell 10.4% to $4,782, while used vehicle gross profit per unit declined 8.8% to $2,095. Service and parts gross profit increased 3.1% to $517 million.
Penske Automotive Sees Truck Market ImprovementRetail commercial truck revenues declined 1.7% year over year to $927.8 million. Total new and used truck units retailed increased 1.7% to 5,431, as a 64.8% jump in used units offset a 7.8% decline in new units. Retail commercial truck gross profit slipped 0.6% to $142.8 million, while gross margin improved 20 basis points to 15.4%.
Class 8 market orders increased 170% in the second quarter. Premier Truck Group's backlog was about 10,400 units, with the majority expected to convert into retail sales in the second half of 2026. Used truck demand also strengthened as freight conditions improved.
PAG's Distribution Business Delivers GrowthCommercial Vehicle Distribution and Other revenues jumped 41.1% year over year to $283.9 million. Gross profit rose 30.5% to $57.7 million, although gross margin declined to 20.3% from 22%.
Australia's off-highway business was a key contributor, with revenues increasing 63% in the quarter. The company secured more than $300 million of orders during the period, bringing its 2026 secured order book to nearly $660 million, supported by energy solutions, mining and defense demand.
Penske Automotive Gets Lift From PTSPenske Transportation Solutions contributed $57.4 million in earnings to PAG, up 7% year over year. The improvement reflected growth in full-service leasing, better fleet utilization, lower operating expenses and lower interest costs.
PTS managed more than 379,200 trucks, tractors and trailers. Continued weakness in the rental market and a lower gain on used-truck sales partly offset the benefits from improved freight conditions and fleet-rightsizing actions.
PAG's Profitability Faces Margin PressureConsolidated gross profit edged up 0.4% to $1.36 billion, but gross margin narrowed to 15.9% from 16.8%. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 3.2% to $974 million, and operating income declined 7.6% to $337.6 million.
Operating margin fell to 4% from 4.5%. Adjusted EBITDA was $401.8 million, up 0.3%, while other interest expense rose 53.2% to $33.1 million, reflecting higher borrowing costs associated with acquisitions.
PAG’s Balance Sheet and Capital ReturnsFor the first six months of 2026, cash flow from operations totaled $418 million and capital expenditures were $134.9 million. As of June 30, liquidity was about $1.4 billion, including $69.5 million in cash.
PAG repurchased 265,104 shares for $42.5 million in the first half, leaving $221.2 million available under its repurchase authorization. The board also raised the quarterly dividend 1.4% to $1.44 per share, marking the company's 23rd consecutive quarterly increase.
Peer ReleasesSonic Automotive, Inc. (SAH - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.82 per share, which fell 17% year over year but beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.75 by 4%. Revenues rose 8% to $3.93 billion and topped the consensus mark of $3.78 billion by 4%. Sonic ended the quarter with about $294 million of cash and floor plan deposits and roughly $676 million of total available liquidity. The company raised full-year new-vehicle gross profit per unit guidance to $2,850-$3,000 from $2,700-$3,000. Sonic’s EchoPark unit is still expected to deliver 12%-15% retail used-unit growth this year.
Lithia Motors (LAD - Free Report) posted second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $10.03 per share, which increased 9% from $9.20 a year ago. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.67 by 15.7%. Quarterly revenues increased 2.2% year over year to $9.79 billion and topped the consensus estimate of $9.64 billion by 1.6%. As of June 30, 2026, Lithia had cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents of $363.9 million, up from $341.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.During the quarter, Lithia repurchased roughly 854,000 shares at a weighted average price of $284, representing $242 million of share repurchases.
AutoNation, Inc. (AN - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $5.56 per share, up 1.8% from $5.46 a year ago. Earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.43 by 2.4%. Revenues of $6.93 billion declined 0.6% year over year and missed the consensus estimate of $6.97 billion by 0.6%. Parts and service revenues increased 3.4% year over year to $1.26 billion. Gross profit rose 1.4% to a record $607.1 million, making After-Sales the largest contributor to AutoNation's gross profit. As of June 30, 2026, AutoNation had cash and cash equivalents of $53.3 million. Non-vehicle debt was $4.43 billion.
Key Takeaways ManpowerGroup shares gained 39.2% in a month, outpacing the staffing industry's 15.2% rise.MAN's 2026 earnings are projected to rise 21.9%, while revenues are expected to increase 7.3% y/y.Demand for workforce, cloud, AI and data services, along with regional growth, supports ManpowerGroup. Shares of ManpowerGroup (MAN - Free Report) have had an excellent run over the past month. The stock has risen 39.2%, outperforming the industry’s 15.2% growth. The Zacks S&P 500 composite has risen 2.9% over the same time frame.
MAN has a Growth Score of B. This style score condenses key financial metrics to reflect a fair sense of the quality and sustainability of its growth.
ManpowerGroup has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 4.3%.
The company’s third-quarter 2026 earnings are expected to increase 21.7% year over year. Its 2026 and 2027 earnings are projected to rise 21.9% and 41.2%, respectively. Revenues are anticipated to grow 7.3% in 2026 and 4.4% in 2027.
Factors That Bode Well for MAN
ManpowerGroup is a global service provider of comprehensive workforce solutions. Its diversified business mix helps organizations with recruitment, training, outsourcing and consulting services. The consistent demand across manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, logistics and retail, along with U.S. sales activity, continues to drive the company’s growth. Rising automation concerns further increase demand for MAN’s upskilling and career transition solutions, supporting long-term revenue growth.
Strong demand for cloud migration, application development, data and artificial intelligence (AI) services continues to boost the company's growth. MAN’s brand, Experis, a specialized technology talent provider, empowers organizations to modernize technology infrastructure, streamline operations and accelerate innovation through expert consulting services in cloud, AI, data and applications.
The company is witnessing strong regional growth. During the second quarter of 2026, revenues from the Americas climbed 14.4% year over year. U.S. revenues grew 6%, while Other Americas revenues increased 29% year over year. Revenues in Southern Europe and Northern Europe jumped 7.4% and 3.9% year over year, respectively. This shows the company benefits from broad-based growth across markets, which mitigates concentration risks and expands its global footprint.
MAN boosts operational efficiency by balancing strict cost control and strategic pricing with targeted investments in operational technology. The company has rolled out cloud-based and mobile apps, upgraded front-office systems and enhanced global technology infrastructure across key markets.
MAN has demonstrated a strong commitment to its shareholders through consistent dividend payments and share repurchases. In fiscal 2023, 2024 and 2025, the company repurchased shares worth $179.8 million, $140 million and $38 million, respectively, while paying out $144.3 million, $145.8 million and $66.7 million, respectively, in dividends. This consistency underscores its dedication to creating long-term value for investors.
Risks to Watch
ManpowerGroup's global presence makes it vulnerable to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The company earned nearly 85% of its revenues from outside the United States in 2025, the majority of which were generated in Europe. Volatility in the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies heavily impacts the company’s bottom line.
Stiff competition from several players in a highly competitive employment services industry also affects MAN’s financial performance. This competition can limit pricing power, increase operational expenses and reduce market share. As a result, the company must balance competitive pricing strategies with the need to maintain healthy profit margins.
ManpowerGroup currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
Stocks to Consider
A couple of better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are Veralto Corporation (VLTO - Free Report) and Thomson Reuters Corporation (TRI - Free Report) .
Veralto Corporation carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 8.4%. VLTO delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.6%, on average.
Thomson Reuters also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 15.3%. TRI’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the surprise being 2.7%, on average.
Middleby ve 2. čtvrtletí dokončila odštěpení Food Processing a stala se čistě společností zaměřenou na stravovací služby. Tržby vzrostly o 9,9 % na 875,5 mil. USD a upravený EBITDA činil 193,2 mil. USD.
The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD), a global leader in commercial foodservice solutions, today reported net earnings for the second quarter of 2026.
Tim FitzGerald, CEO of the Middleby Corporation said, "The second quarter marked a transformational milestone for our company as we successfully completed the separation of our Food Processing business and launched Midera as an independent, publicly traded leader in food processing equipment. With this separation, Middleby is now a pure-play commercial foodservice company, focused on driving innovation and growth across the global foodservice industry. Throughout this transformation, we remained committed to disciplined capital allocation, repurchasing approximately 1.4 million shares, or 3% of our outstanding shares, during the second quarter and 8.7 million shares, or 16% of our outstanding shares, over the past six quarters. These actions underscore our confidence in the strength of our business and our commitment to creating long-term shareholder value.”
Tim FitzGerald continued, "We delivered strong second quarter results at our commercial foodservice business with 8% organic growth that was broad-based across channels, customer types, and regions. The strategic investments we have made in recent years are delivering results, and we continue to define the future of commercial foodservice through industry-leading innovation and customer-focused solutions. These results give us great confidence as we begin our journey as a pure-play commercial foodservice leader."
2026 Second Quarter Financial Results
All results presented are on the reported second quarter continuing operations basis, inclusive of Food Processing unless otherwise noted.
Net sales increased 9.9% in the second quarter over the comparative prior year period. Excluding the impacts of acquisitions and foreign exchange rates, sales increased 6.4% in the second quarter over the comparative prior year period.A reconciliation of organic net sales (a non-GAAP measure) by segment is as follows:($ in millions)
Commercial
Foodservice
Food
Processing
Total
Company
Net Sales
$
630.6
$
244.9
$
875.5
Reported Net Sales Growth
8.6
%
13.3
%
9.9
%
Acquisitions
—
%
11.0
%
3.0
%
Foreign Exchange Rates
0.3
%
1.0
%
0.5
%
Organic Net Sales Growth(1)(2)
8.3
%
1.3
%
6.4
%
(1) Organic net sales growth defined as total sales growth excluding impact of acquisitions and foreign exchange rates.
(2) Totals may be impacted by rounding.
Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) was $193.2 million in the second quarter compared to $181.6 million in the prior year.A reconciliation of organic adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) by segment is as follows:($ in millions)
Commercial
Foodservice
Food
Processing
Total
Company(1)
Adjusted EBITDA
$
162.5
$
49.8
$
193.2
Adjusted EBITDA %
25.8
%
20.3
%
22.1
%
Acquisitions
—
%
—
%
—
%
Foreign Exchange Rates
—
%
(0.2
)%
—
%
Organic Adjusted EBITDA %(2)(3)
25.8
%
20.5
%
22.2
%
(1) Includes corporate and other general company expenses, which impact Segment Adjusted EBITDA, and amounted to $19.2 million.
(2) Organic Adjusted EBITDA defined as Adjusted EBITDA excluding impact of acquisitions and foreign exchange rates.
(3) Totals may be impacted by rounding.
Operating cash flows during the second quarter amounted to $99.7 million compared to $91.8 million in the prior year. Operating cash flows during the second quarter also include $7.5 million of payments of strategic transaction costs associated with the business portfolio transformation.Adjusted EPS excluding Food Processing is estimated to be $1.74 for second quarter compared to $1.40 in the prior year. These are preliminary estimates and will be finalized in Q3 2026 as the company reports the historical Food Processing results within discontinued operations. The growth in Adjusted EPS includes an increase related to organic growth, benefits from share repurchases and a discrete benefit related to foreign currency as part of the separation of the Food Processing business, partially offset by higher interest costs associated with the convertible notes maturity and a higher tax rate. Please reference the guidance section of the earnings release and our earnings slides for further details.The total leverage ratio per our credit agreements was 2.4x. The trailing twelve-month bank agreement pro-forma EBITDA was $787.7 million. Post spin the estimated total leverage ratio per our credit agreement was 2.7x.Net debt, defined as debt less cash, at the end of the 2026 fiscal second quarter amounted to $1.8 billion as compared to $2.0 billion at the end of fiscal 2025. Our borrowing availability at the end of the second quarter was approximately $2.6 billion.2026 Outlook
Management also provided the following expectations for the third quarter and full year 2026 for the total company post-spin of the Food Processing business and excluding Residential:
3rd Qtr, 2026
Full Year 2026
Net sales
$620-$640 M
$2.48-2.53 B
Organic Growth
4%
7%
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$143-150 M
$572-588 M
Adjusted EPS(2)
$1.67-1.83
$6.73-6.89
(1) Includes corporate and other general company operations.
(2) FY 2026 Adjusted EPS expectation is the sum of the four quarters of Adjusted EPS, please reference earnings slides for further detail on guidance.
Beginning in the third quarter of 2026, the historical financial results of the Food Processing business for periods prior to the spin-off will be reflected in the company’s consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations. The below amounts represent Middleby excluding Food Processing and Residential which are to be considered preliminary and could change as the company finalizes discontinued operations.
1st Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2026
Net sales
$616 M
$631 M
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$139 M
$145 M
Adjusted EPS
$1.55
$1.74
(1) Includes corporate and other general company operations.
1st Qtr, 2025
2nd Qtr, 2025
3rd Qtr, 2025
4th Qtr, 2025
Full Year 2025
Net sales
$563 M
$581 M
$606 M
$602 M
$2.35 B
Adjusted EBITDA(1)
$130 M
$139 M
$142 M
$140 M
$551 M
Adjusted EPS
$1.47
$1.40
$1.72
$1.52
$6.10
(1) Includes corporate and other general company operations.
Conference Call
The company has scheduled a conference call to discuss the second quarter results at 10 a.m. Eastern/9 a.m. Central Time on August 11th. The conference call is accessible through the Investor Relations section of the company website at www.middleby.com. If website access is not available, attendees can join the conference by dialing (844) 676-5090, or (412) 634-6754 for international access. The conference call will be available for replay from the company’s website.
Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to the company regarding the company's business which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our expectations with respect to our future performance and the outcome of our strategic review. The company cautions investors that such statements are estimates of future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Such factors include variability in financing costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the timely development and market acceptance of the company's products; the availability and cost of raw materials; any variation between the preliminary and final historical results of the Food Processing business; and other risks detailed herein and from time-to-time in the company's SEC filings. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof, and the company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in commercial foodservice solutions. The well-known Middleby brands develop and manufacture a broad portfolio of innovative products for commercial kitchens worldwide. Middleby serves a diverse customer base with equipment and technology offerings that include cooking, warming, beverage, ice and IoT while proudly showcasing its advanced foodservice solutions in five state-of-the-art Middleby Innovation Kitchens across North America and Europe.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Per Share Information)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
2nd Qtr,
2026
2nd Qtr,
2025
2nd Qtr,
2026
2nd Qtr,
2025
Net sales
$
875,549
$
796,799
$
1,715,457
$
1,527,422
Cost of sales
540,468
480,697
1,057,186
918,742
Gross profit
335,081
316,102
658,271
608,680
Selling, general and administrative expenses
186,601
167,598
374,898
329,407
Restructuring expenses
732
687
2,271
1,935
Income from continuing operations
147,748
147,817
281,102
277,338
Interest expense and deferred financing amortization, net
25,969
20,256
51,449
39,077
Net periodic pension benefit
(2,428
)
(1,601
)
(4,857
)
(3,117
)
Other (income)/expense, net
(2,177
)
2,128
(4,798
)
3,088
Earnings from continuing operations before income taxes
126,384
127,034
239,308
238,290
Provision for income taxes
43,275
25,368
70,915
51,561
Earnings from continuing operations before equity in net losses of affiliate
83,109
101,666
168,393
186,729
Equity in losses of affiliate, net of tax
(28,895
)
—
(28,895
)
—
Net earnings from continuing operations
54,214
101,666
139,498
186,729
Earnings/(loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax
598
4,290
(134,759
)
11,579
Net earnings
$
54,812
$
105,956
$
4,739
$
198,308
Net earnings/(loss) per share(1):
Basic from continuing operations
$
1.20
$
1.93
$
3.01
$
3.52
Basic from discontinued operations
0.01
0.08
(2.91
)
0.22
Basic earnings per share
$
1.21
$
2.01
$
0.10
$
3.73
Diluted from continuing operations
$
1.20
$
1.91
$
3.01
$
3.47
Diluted from discontinued operations
0.01
0.08
(2.91
)
0.21
Diluted earnings per share
$
1.21
$
1.99
$
0.10
$
3.68
Weighted average number of shares
Basic
45,326
52,616
46,279
53,105
Diluted
45,343
53,154
46,293
53,888
(1) Earnings/(loss) per share amounts for continuing operations and discontinued operations are calculated independently and may not sum to total earnings per share due to rounding.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in 000’s)
(Unaudited)
Jul 4, 2026
Jan 3, 2026
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents
$
159,178
$
222,239
Accounts receivable, net
601,178
573,039
Inventories, net
737,633
692,589
Prepaid expenses and other
111,222
111,176
Prepaid taxes
22,761
41,159
Current assets held for sale - discontinued operations
11,836
1,102,441
Total current assets
1,643,808
2,742,643
Property, plant and equipment, net
423,052
431,622
Goodwill
1,794,299
1,799,649
Other intangibles, net
1,030,987
1,061,192
Long-term deferred tax assets
6,729
8,209
Pension benefits assets
112,235
106,444
Equity method investment
109,724
—
Note receivable
86,879
—
Other assets
152,940
165,407
Total assets
$
5,360,653
$
6,315,166
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current maturities of long-term debt
$
44,101
$
44,420
Accounts payable
224,281
206,666
Accrued expenses
549,383
574,810
Current liabilities held for sale - discontinued operations
9,522
242,335
Total current liabilities
827,287
1,068,231
Long-term debt
1,935,423
2,128,582
Long-term deferred tax liability
212,184
156,723
Accrued pension benefits
7,308
7,629
Other non-current liabilities
168,497
177,772
Stockholders' equity
2,209,954
2,776,229
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
$
5,360,653
$
6,315,166
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Percentages)
(Unaudited)
Commercial
Foodservice
Food
Processing
Total
Company(1)
Three Months Ended July 4, 2026
Net sales
$
630,613
$
244,936
$
875,549
Segment income from continuing operations
$
143,564
$
43,978
$
147,748
Income from continuing operations % of net sales
22.8
%
18.0
%
16.9
%
Depreciation
7,302
4,197
12,040
Amortization
10,558
2,541
13,099
Restructuring expenses
571
161
732
Acquisition related adjustments
(297
)
(1,063
)
(3,000
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
828
—
828
Strategic transaction costs
—
—
14,479
Stock compensation
—
—
7,253
Segment adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations(2)
$
162,526
$
49,814
$
193,179
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations % of net sales
25.8
%
20.3
%
22.1
%
Three Months Ended June 28, 2025
Net sales
$
580,605
$
216,194
$
796,799
Segment income from continuing operations
$
137,946
$
42,679
$
147,817
Income from continuing operations % of net sales
23.8
%
19.7
%
18.6
%
Depreciation
6,911
3,095
10,705
Amortization
10,952
2,629
13,581
Restructuring expenses
745
(58
)
687
Acquisition related adjustments
37
(2,496
)
(2,335
)
Strategic transaction costs
—
—
5,591
Stock compensation
—
—
5,590
Segment adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations
$
156,591
$
45,849
$
181,636
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations % of net sales
27.0
%
21.2
%
22.8
%
(1) Includes corporate and other general company expenses, which impact Segment Adjusted EBITDA, and amounted to $19.2 million and $20.8 million for the three months ended July 4, 2026 and June 28, 2025, respectively.
(2) Foreign exchange rates favorably impacted Segment Adjusted EBITDA by approximately $0.3 million for the three months ended July 4, 2026.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Percentages)
(Unaudited)
Commercial
Foodservice
Food
Processing
Total
Company(1)
Six Months Ended July 4, 2026
Net sales
$
1,246,149
$
469,308
$
1,715,457
Segment income from continuing operations
$
283,230
$
78,343
$
281,102
Income from continuing operations % of net sales
22.7
%
16.7
%
16.4
%
Depreciation
14,546
7,902
23,540
Amortization
21,181
5,262
26,443
Restructuring expenses
1,260
104
2,271
Acquisition related adjustments
(119
)
(374
)
(2,133
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
828
—
828
Strategic transaction costs
—
—
24,424
Stock compensation
—
—
17,327
Segment adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations(2)
$
320,926
$
91,237
$
373,802
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations % of net sales
25.8
%
19.4
%
21.8
%
Six Months Ended June 28, 2025
Net sales
$
1,143,322
$
384,100
$
1,527,422
Segment Income from Continuing Operations
$
270,042
$
66,189
$
277,338
Income from continuing operations % of net sales
23.6
%
17.2
%
18.2
%
Depreciation
13,541
5,986
21,051
Amortization
22,246
5,543
27,789
Restructuring expenses
1,883
52
1,935
Acquisition related adjustments
309
(1,858
)
(1,933
)
Strategic transaction costs
—
—
9,063
Stock compensation
—
—
7,878
Segment adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations
$
308,021
$
75,912
$
343,121
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations % of net sales
26.9
%
19.8
%
22.5
%
(1) Includes corporate and other general company expenses, which impact Segment Adjusted EBITDA, and amounted to $38.4 million and $40.8 million for the six months ended July 4, 2026 and June 28, 2025, respectively.
(2) Foreign exchange rates favorably impacted Segment Adjusted EBITDA by $2.6 million for the six months ended July 4, 2026.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Per Share Information)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
2nd Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2025
$
Diluted per
share
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
54,214
$
1.20
$
101,666
$
1.91
Amortization(1)
13,724
0.30
15,357
0.29
Restructuring expenses
732
0.02
687
0.01
Acquisition related adjustments
(3,000
)
(0.07
)
(2,335
)
(0.04
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
828
0.02
—
—
Net periodic pension benefit
(2,428
)
(0.05
)
(1,601
)
(0.03
)
Strategic transaction costs
14,479
0.32
5,591
0.11
Change in fair value of note receivable
(2,693
)
(0.06
)
—
—
Equity in losses of affiliate, net
28,895
0.64
—
—
Discrete tax impact of Spin related transactions
4,629
0.10
—
—
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(2,964
)
(0.07
)
(3,540
)
(0.07
)
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(2)
—
—
—
0.02
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations
$
106,416
$
2.35
$
115,825
$
2.20
Diluted weighted average number of shares
45,343
53,154
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(2)
—
(511
)
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
45,343
52,643
Six Months Ended
2nd Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2025
$
Diluted per
share
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
139,498
$
3.01
$
186,729
$
3.47
Amortization(1)
27,694
0.60
31,362
0.58
Restructuring expenses
2,271
0.05
1,935
0.04
Acquisition related adjustments
(2,133
)
(0.05
)
(1,933
)
(0.04
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
828
0.02
—
—
Net periodic pension benefit
(4,857
)
(0.10
)
(3,117
)
(0.06
)
Strategic transaction costs
24,424
0.53
9,063
0.17
Change in fair value of note receivable
(4,499
)
(0.10
)
—
—
Equity in losses of affiliate, net
28,895
0.62
—
—
Discrete tax impact of Spin related transactions
4,629
0.10
—
—
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(8,817
)
(0.19
)
(8,059
)
(0.15
)
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(2)
—
—
—
0.06
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations
$
207,933
$
4.49
$
215,980
$
4.07
Diluted weighted average number of shares
46,293
53,888
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(2)
—
(769
)
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
46,293
53,119
(1) Includes amortization of deferred financing costs and convertible notes issuance costs.
(2) Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares was calculated based on excluding the dilutive effect of shares to be issued upon conversion of the notes to satisfy the amount in excess of the principal since the company's capped call offsets the dilutive impact of the shares underlying the convertible notes. The calculation of adjusted diluted earnings per share excludes the principal portion of the convertible notes as this will always be settled in cash. Given the settlement of the convertible notes in the third quarter of 2025 the weighted average number of shares will no longer require an adjustment in 2026.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION
(Amounts in 000’s)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
2nd Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2025
2nd Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2025
Net Cash Flows Provided By (Used In):
Operating activities(1)
$
99,714
$
91,761
$
187,526
$
229,047
Investing activities(2)
(11,649
)
(18,101
)
544,878
(45,669
)
Financing activities
(102,803
)
(346,368
)
(787,468
)
(403,459
)
Free Cash Flow
Cash flow from operating activities(1)
$
99,714
$
91,761
$
187,526
$
229,047
Less: Capital expenditures(3)
(10,695
)
(14,584
)
(18,634
)
(41,064
)
Free cash flow
$
89,019
$
77,177
$
168,892
$
187,983
(1) Includes payments of strategic transaction costs of $7.5 million and $15.2 million for the three and six months ended July 4, 2026.
(2) Includes proceeds from sale of 51% interest in Residential Kitchen Equipment Group, net of cash transferred, of $564.6 million for the six months ended July 4, 2026.
(3) Includes purchase of previously leased food processing manufacturing facility for the six months ended June 28, 2025.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION(1)
(Amounts in 000’s)
(Unaudited)
1st Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2026
Net sales
$
839,908
$
875,549
Less: Food Processing
(224,372
)
(244,936
)
Net sales excluding Food Processing
$
615,536
$
630,613
Income from continuing operations
$
133,354
$
147,748
Less: Food Processing
(22,685
)
(26,850
)
Income from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
110,669
$
120,898
Depreciation
7,795
7,843
Amortization
10,623
10,558
Restructuring expenses
1,596
571
Acquisition related adjustments
178
(1,937
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
—
828
Stock compensation
8,531
6,004
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
139,392
$
144,765
1st Qtr, 2025
2nd Qtr, 2025
3rd Qtr, 2025
4th Qtr, 2025
Full Year 2025
Net sales
$
730,623
$
796,799
$
807,355
$
866,425
$
3,201,202
Less: Food Processing
(167,906
)
(216,195
)
(201,353
)
(264,701
)
(850,155
)
Net sales excluding Food Processing
$
562,717
$
580,604
$
606,002
$
601,724
$
2,351,047
Income from continuing operations
$
129,521
$
147,817
$
147,718
$
149,835
$
574,891
Less: Food Processing
(21,547
)
(32,783
)
(24,088
)
(40,939
)
(119,357
)
Income from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
107,974
$
115,034
$
123,630
$
108,896
$
455,534
Depreciation
7,455
7,610
7,646
8,277
30,988
Amortization
11,294
10,952
10,657
10,654
43,557
Restructuring expenses
1,137
746
349
519
2,751
Acquisition related adjustments
(237
)
161
283
(1,878
)
(1,671
)
Stock compensation
2,001
4,661
(495
)
4,699
10,866
Impairments
—
—
—
9,298
9,298
Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
129,624
$
139,164
$
142,070
$
140,465
$
551,323
(1) These amounts represent Middleby excluding Food Processing and Residential which are to be considered preliminary and could change as the company finalizes discontinued operations.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION(1)
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Per Share Information)
(Unaudited)
1st Qtr, 2026
2nd Qtr, 2026
$
Diluted per
share
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
85,284
$
1.81
$
54,214
$
1.20
Less: Food Processing
(18,786
)
(0.40
)
(8,242
)
(0.19
)
Net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
66,498
$
1.41
$
45,972
$
1.01
Amortization(2)
11,247
0.24
11,183
0.25
Restructuring expenses
1,596
0.03
571
0.01
Acquisition related adjustments
178
—
(1,937
)
(0.04
)
Facility consolidation related expenses
—
—
828
0.02
Net periodic pension benefit
(2,429
)
(0.05
)
(2,428
)
(0.05
)
Change in fair value of note receivable
(1,806
)
(0.04
)
(2,693
)
(0.06
)
Equity in losses of affiliate, net
—
—
28,895
0.64
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(2,267
)
(0.04
)
(1,425
)
(0.04
)
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
73,017
$
1.55
$
78,966
$
1.74
Diluted weighted average number of shares
47,243
45,343
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
47,243
45,343
(1) These amounts represent Middleby excluding Food Processing and Residential which are to be considered preliminary and could change as the company finalizes discontinued operations.
(2) Includes amortization of deferred financing costs and convertible notes issuance costs.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION(1)
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Per Share Information)
(Unaudited)
1st Qtr, 2025
2nd Qtr, 2025
$
Diluted per
share
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
85,063
$
1.56
$
101,666
$
1.91
Less: Food Processing
(15,988
)
(0.30
)
(37,047
)
(0.69
)
Net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
69,075
$
1.26
$
64,619
$
1.22
Amortization(2)
13,091
0.24
12,728
0.24
Restructuring expenses
1,137
0.02
746
0.01
Acquisition related adjustments
(237
)
—
161
—
Net periodic pension benefit
(1,516
)
(0.03
)
(1,601
)
(0.03
)
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(2,844
)
(0.05
)
(2,744
)
(0.05
)
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(3)
—
0.03
—
0.01
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
78,706
$
1.47
$
73,909
$
1.40
Diluted weighted average number of shares
54,621
1.26
53,154
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(3)
(1,028
)
(511
)
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
53,593
52,643
3rd Qtr, 2025
4th Qtr, 2025
$
Diluted per
share
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
94,452
$
1.87
$
86,086
$
1.72
Less: Food Processing
(16,535
)
(0.33
)
(23,872
)
(0.48
)
Net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
77,917
$
1.54
$
62,214
$
1.24
Amortization(2)
12,725
0.25
11,322
0.23
Restructuring expenses
349
0.01
519
0.01
Acquisition related adjustments
283
0.01
(1,878
)
(0.04
)
Net periodic pension benefit
(1,597
)
(0.03
)
(1,580
)
(0.03
)
Impairments
—
—
9,298
0.19
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(2,681
)
(0.06
)
(4,031
)
(0.08
)
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
86,996
$
1.72
$
75,864
$
1.52
Diluted weighted average number of shares
50,521
50,032
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(3)
53
—
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
50,574
50,032
(1) These amounts represent Middleby excluding Food Processing and Residential which are to be considered preliminary and could change as the company finalizes discontinued operations.
(2) Includes amortization of deferred financing costs and convertible notes issuance costs.
(3) Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares was calculated based on excluding the dilutive effect of shares to be issued upon conversion of the notes to satisfy the amount in excess of the principal since the company's capped call offsets the dilutive impact of the shares underlying the convertible notes. The calculation of adjusted diluted earnings per share excludes the principal portion of the convertible notes as this will always be settled in cash.
THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
NON-GAAP INFORMATION(1)
(Amounts in 000’s, Except Per Share Information)
(Unaudited)
Full Year 2025
$
Diluted per
share
Net earnings from continuing operations
$
367,267
$
7.04
Less: Food Processing
(93,441
)
(1.79
)
Net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
273,826
$
5.25
Amortization(2)
49,866
0.96
Restructuring expenses
2,751
0.05
Acquisition related adjustments
(1,671
)
(0.03
)
Net periodic pension benefit
(6,294
)
(0.12
)
Impairments
9,298
0.18
Income tax effect of pre-tax adjustments
(12,301
)
(0.24
)
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(3)
—
0.05
Adjusted net earnings from continuing operations excluding Food Processing
$
315,475
$
6.10
Diluted weighted average number of shares
52,179
Adjustment for shares excluded due to anti-dilution effect on GAAP net earnings(3)
(468
)
Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares
51,711
(1) These amounts represent Middleby excluding Food Processing and Residential which are to be considered preliminary and could change as the company finalizes discontinued operations.
(2) Includes amortization of deferred financing costs and convertible notes issuance costs.
(3) Adjusted diluted weighted average number of shares was calculated based on excluding the dilutive effect of shares to be issued upon conversion of the notes to satisfy the amount in excess of the principal since the company's capped call offsets the dilutive impact of the shares underlying the convertible notes. The calculation of adjusted diluted earnings per share excludes the principal portion of the convertible notes as this will always be settled in cash.
USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
The company supplements its consolidated financial statements presented on a GAAP basis with this non-GAAP financial information to provide investors with greater insight, increase transparency and allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the company should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, and the financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP and reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release do not have standard meanings and may vary from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.
The company believes that organic net sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, organic adjusted EBITDA, segment adjusted EBITDA, net debt, net leverage, adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted per share measures are useful as supplements to its GAAP results of operations to evaluate certain aspects of its operations and financial performance, and its management team primarily focuses on non-GAAP items in evaluating performance for business planning purposes. The company also believes that these measures assist it with comparing its performance between various reporting periods on a consistent basis, as these measures remove from operating results the impact of items that, in its opinion, do not reflect its core operating performance including, for example, intangibles amortization expense, impairment charges, restructuring expenses, and other charges which management considers to be outside core operating results.
The company believes that free cash flow is an important measure of operating performance because it provides management and investors with a measure of cash generated from operations that is available for mandatory payment obligations and investment opportunities, such as funding acquisitions, repaying debt and repurchasing our common stock.
The company believes that its presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful because it provides investors and securities analysts with the same information that Middleby uses internally for purposes of assessing its core operating performance.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260811523406/en/
Middleby (MIDD - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.35 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.28 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.35 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +3.07%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this food preparation equipment company would post earnings of $1.94 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.16, delivering a surprise of +11.34%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Middleby, which belongs to the Zacks Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, posted revenues of $875.55 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.63%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $977.86 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Middleby shares have lost about 12.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 13.3%.
What's Next for Middleby?While Middleby has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Middleby was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.42 on $831.49 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $9.54 on $3.39 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Manufacturing - General Industrial is currently in the top 26% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 13.
This industrial products company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $2.92 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +4.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.1% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.
Applied Industrial Technologies' revenues are expected to be $1.29 billion, up 5.6% from the year-ago quarter.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Owl Capital Inc. ("Blue Owl") (NYSE: OWL) today announced that its indirect subsidiary, Blue Owl Finance LLC, intends to offer 10-year senior unsecured notes (the "notes"), subject to market and other conditions. The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by each of Blue Owl, Blue Owl Capital GP Holdings LLC, Blue Owl Capital GP LLC, Blue Owl Capital Holdings LP, Blue Owl Capital Carry LP, Blue Owl Capital Group LLC, Blue Owl GPSC Holdings LLC, Blue Owl Capital GP Holdings LP, Blue Owl GP Stakes GP Holdings LLC, Blue Owl Real Estate Holdings LP, Blue Owl Real Estate GP Holdings LLC and Blue Owl Capital Holdings LLC. Blue Owl intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to repay a portion of outstanding borrowings under its revolving credit facility.
BofA Securities, Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are acting as joint book-running managers.
The notes are being offered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and only by means of a prospectus and prospectus supplement. An electronic copy of the prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, is available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained by contacting the joint book-running managers: BofA Securities, Inc., NC1-004-03-43, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte NC 8255-0001, Email: [email protected]; Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, Email: [email protected], Telephone: (866) 471-2526; or Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase the notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
About Blue Owl
Blue Owl (NYSE: OWL) is a leading asset manager that is redefining alternatives®. With $319 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026, we invest across three multi-strategy platforms: Credit, Real Assets and GP Strategic Capital. Anchored by a strong permanent capital base, we provide businesses with private capital solutions to drive long-term growth and offer institutional investors, individual investors, and insurance companies differentiated alternative investment opportunities that aim to deliver strong performance, risk-adjusted returns, and capital preservation.
Together with over 1,380 experienced professionals globally, Blue Owl brings the vision and discipline to create the exceptional.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this release, including those relating to the timing, size and other terms of the offering, are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "would," "should," "future," "propose," "target," "goal," "objective," "outlook" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions available under applicable securities laws and speak only as of the date made. Blue Owl assumes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements except as required by law.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Blue Owl's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.
Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the inability to recognize the anticipated benefits of strategic acquisitions; costs related to acquisitions; the inability to maintain the listing of Blue Owl's shares on the New York Stock Exchange; Blue Owl's ability to manage growth; Blue Owl's ability to execute its business plan and meet its projections; potential litigation involving Blue Owl; changes in applicable laws or regulations; and the possibility that Blue Owl may be adversely affected by other economic, business, geo-political and competitive factors.
Investor Contact
Ann Dai
Head of Investor Relations
[email protected]
Range Resources ve 2. čtvrtletí překonala odhady zisku i tržeb díky vyšší produkci a lepším realizacím. Potvrdila výhled produkce na rok 2026 na 2,35–2,40 mld. kubických stop ekvivalentu denně i kapitálový rozpočet 650–700 mil. USD.
Key Takeaways RRC beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates as higher production and realizations lifted results.RRC kept its $650-$700M capital budget and 2.35-2.40 Bcfe/d 2026 production outlook unchanged.Range Resources must bring 30 more wells online and ramp output toward roughly 2.5 Bcfe/d by year-end. Range Resources (RRC - Free Report) delivered a sizable second-quarter 2026 earnings and revenue beat as higher production and better price realizations supported results. The quarter also kept the company’s multiyear development plan moving forward.
The next test is execution. Improved commodity-differential guidance and operating efficiency support the second-half setup, but Range Resources still needs infrastructure, well performance and development sequencing to lift output toward its year-end target.
RRC’s Q2 Earnings and Revenue Beat ExpectationsAdjusted earnings reached 79 cents per share, up from 66 cents a year earlier and 41.1% above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 56 cents. The result reflected higher natural gas equivalent output and improved realizations.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Revenues of $795.3 million increased 8.5% year over year and surpassed the consensus estimate of $720 million by 10.5%. The combination gave Range Resources a meaningful second-quarter beat on both major headline measures.
Two other natural gas producers that have also reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2026 earnings are Antero Resources (AR - Free Report) and Comstock Resources (CRK - Free Report) . For more details, read our blogs, “CRK Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Miss on Weak Gas Prices” and “AR Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Record Production Gains.”
Range Resources Benefited From Better RealizationsPre-hedge natural gas liquids realizations rose 23% to $29.10 per barrel, a $3.49 premium to the Mont Belvieu equivalent. Oil realizations before hedges climbed 59% to $83.96 per barrel.
Range Resources also narrowed its 2026 natural gas differential guidance to 35 to 40 cents below NYMEX from 35 to 45 cents below and lifted its natural gas liquids outlook to a $2.00 to $2.50 premium to Mont Belvieu. Those revisions improve the realization backdrop for the second half.
RRC’s Operating Efficiency Supports the 2026 PlanSecond-quarter production averaged 2.30 billion cubic feet equivalent per day, up 4.5% year over year. Range Resources, having more than 30 years' worth of attractive Marcellus drilling opportunities, turned 21 wells to sales across roughly 300,000 lateral feet, while record drilling and completion performance supported development progress.
Image Source: Range Resources
The company retained its $650 to $700 million capital budget and 2.35 to 2.40 billion cubic feet equivalent per day production outlook.
Range Resources Still Has Work Ahead in 2026The quarter did not clear every execution hurdle. Production of 2.30 billion cubic feet equivalent per day was below the projected 2.39 billion, showing that the planned second-half ramp remains important.
Range Resources had turned 38 of its planned 68 wells to sales through the first half, leaving 30 for the remainder of 2026. Infrastructure commissioning, well performance and activity sequencing will therefore be central to reaching roughly 2.5 billion cubic feet equivalent per day by year-end.
RRC’s Cash Flow Strengthens the Impact of the BeatCash flow from operations before working-capital changes rose 10.7% year over year to $332.5 million. During the quarter, Range Resources repurchased $78 million of shares and paid $24 million in dividends.
Net debt fell to $880.8 million at June 30, 2026, down 28% from $1.22 billion at year-end 2025. That balance-sheet improvement lends more weight to the operating beat, though future cash generation remains sensitive to natural gas and natural gas liquids prices, as is the case for peers such as Antero Resources and Comstock Resources.
RRC’s Ratings Temper the Post-Earnings OptimismThe second-quarter beat, improved realizations and operating records support the 2026 growth plan, but the remaining production ramp still leaves execution risk. Range Resources must convert its second-half well schedule and infrastructure additions into the output and cash flow embedded in its targets.
RRC currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), and has not witnessed earnings estimate revisions for 2026 over the past seven days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Legend Biotech vykázala ve 2. čtvrtletí 2026 poprvé ziskovost na úrovni celé firmy a upravený čistý zisk 63 milionů USD. Výnosy z CARVYKTI vzrostly meziročně o 50 % na zhruba 657 milionů USD.
CPI Data Sparks Rally in Biotech StocksLegend Biotech NASDAQ: LEGN reported second-quarter 2026 results marked by continued global growth for CARVYKTI and the company’s first quarter of company-wide profitability on both an IFRS and adjusted basis, management said during its earnings call.
Interim Chief Executive Officer Alan Bash said the company generated approximately $657 million in worldwide net trade sales for CARVYKTI during the quarter, up 50% from a year earlier and 10% sequentially. He also said Legend generated adjusted net income of $63 million and expects to remain adjusted-net-income profitable during the second half of 2026.
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Why Legend Biotech Stock Is Having Its Best Month YetThe call followed the departure of former CEO Dr. Ying Huang last month. Bash said the leadership change does not represent a change in strategy, with the company remaining focused on expanding CARVYKTI, advancing its next-generation pipeline and strengthening execution.
CARVYKTI Growth Driven by Earlier-Line Use and International Expansion CARVYKTI sales in the U.S. increased 32% year over year, while sales outside the U.S. rose 128%, according to Bash. U.S. sales grew 9% sequentially, supported primarily by accelerating adoption in earlier treatment lines. International sales increased 13% sequentially as launches continued across 19 markets and the company expanded its activated treatment-site network.
Legend said CARVYKTI is now available through 348 treatment sites globally. More than 150 authorized treatment centers are in the U.S., including community hospitals representing roughly 40% of those sites.
Management said use in the second through fourth lines of treatment now accounts for more than 70% of CARVYKTI’s U.S. volume. The company had previously said second- and third-line use represented 41% of total mix, but said it does not plan to provide that more detailed breakout every quarter.
Bash said the company and its partner, Johnson & Johnson, continue to position CARVYKTI as a “one-and-done” treatment option compared with continuous therapies. Management also cited clinical and real-world data suggesting patients may have better outcomes when they receive CAR-T therapy before other BCMA-directed treatment options.
Legend reiterated its view that CARVYKTI has peak annual sales potential above $5 billion.
In Vivo CAR-T Data and Pipeline Plans The company highlighted early clinical data for LB2501, a CD19/CD20 dual-targeting in vivo CAR-T therapy being studied in relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Data presented at the European Hematology Association Congress included 12 patients in an ongoing China-based investigator-initiated Phase I dose-escalation trial.
At the second dose level, six patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma had a 100% objective response rate and an 83.3% complete response rate, Bash said. CAR-T cells were detected in peripheral blood for as long as 116 days. The treatment was reported to be well tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxicities, serious adverse events or deaths reported in the data set.
Legend expects to file a U.S. investigational new drug application for LB2501 by the end of 2026 and intends to conduct the initial U.S. Phase I study itself. The company said it plans to present additional data from the China study at future medical conferences and is ultimately targeting an update on six-month complete-response rates.
During the question-and-answer session, management also disclosed that Legend will conduct an investigator-initiated study in China of LB2505, an investigational BCMA-targeted in vivo CAR-T treatment for multiple myeloma. The program is subject to the company’s collaboration agreement with Johnson & Johnson, and management did not provide additional details.
Legend said it remains interested in pursuing in vivo CAR-T opportunities in autoimmune disease across multiple potential targets. Management distinguished its lentiviral vector-based platform from Sail’s preclinical circular mRNA and lipid nanoparticle platform.
Beyond in vivo programs, the company said it continues to advance autologous CAR-T candidates targeting Claudin 18.2, DLL3, GPRC5D and other targets, as well as allogeneic programs for autoimmune disease and B-cell malignancies. Interim Head of R&D Yuhong Qiu said Legend continues to see a role for allogeneic therapies and expects to provide future updates on its LUCAR-G39D program.
Financial Results, Margins and Cash Position Chief Financial Officer Carlos Santos said total revenue increased 52% year over year, while operating margin improved to positive 15% from negative 9% in the prior-year period. He said revenue has grown at a 74% compound annual growth rate since the second quarter of 2023, while operating margin has improved from negative 142% over that span.
Gross margin on net product sales was 58% in the second quarter, compared with 41% in the first quarter. Santos said the first-quarter figure had been affected by one-time manufacturing-expansion costs that were reversed in the second quarter, along with other one-time favorability.
Management expects gross margin on net product sales to fall into the lower-50% range in the third quarter before rebounding to the mid-50% range in the fourth quarter. Santos said a growing outpatient mix, which is approaching 60% of total volume, introduces different margin dynamics. Over time, the company expects manufacturing scale and utilization to support gross margins of about 75%.
Research and development expense declined 2% year over year as costs from later-stage BCMA frontline studies declined, partly offset by increased investment in in vivo assets. Selling, general and administrative expense increased 19%, primarily reflecting investments supporting CARVYKTI’s position in BCMA CAR-T markets. Income tax expense was $22.3 million, compared with about $600,000 a year earlier, reflecting higher taxable income in the U.S., Belgium and China. Santos said Legend expects its tax rate to be in the high-20% range over the next several quarters, although the company is still negotiating a unilateral advanced pricing agreement with Chinese tax authorities.
As of June 30, Legend held approximately $965 million in cash equivalents and time deposits and had no long-term debt. The balance included about $212 million in net proceeds from a June public equity offering.
Management described the financing as opportunistic following the LB2501 data release and said the proceeds provide flexibility to accelerate development of the in vivo platform. The company also expects to fully settle a roughly $300 million loan obligation to Johnson & Johnson, including accrued interest, during 2026 through a combination of cash payments and collaboration-profit recoupments.
Legend maintained its objectives of sequential CAR-T growth through the rest of 2026, adjusted-net-income profitability in the second half, a fourth-quarter IND filing for LB2501 and additional in vivo data presentations at future medical meetings.
About Legend Biotech (NASDAQ:LEGN)Legend Biotech NASDAQ: LEGN is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and commercialization of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies for oncology. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, with research and development operations in Shanghai, the company leverages a global infrastructure to advance innovative cellular therapies. Legend Biotech pursues a strategy of strategic collaboration to extend its reach, most notably through its partnership with Janssen Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
The company's lead asset, ciltacabtagene autoleucel (commercially marketed as Carvykti), is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)–directed CAR-T therapy for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
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Nový člen představenstva HubSpot Gerald Dischler koupil 925 akcií za zhruba 200 000 USD. Nákup přišel po 52% poklesu ceny akcií za posledních 12 měsíců.
Gerald Dischler, a recent member of the Board of Directors at HubSpot, Inc. (HUBS +3.08%), purchased 925 shares of common stock on August 10, 2026 according to the SEC Form 4 filing.
Transaction summaryMetricValueTransaction value~$200,000Shares purchased925Post-transaction shares (directly held)1,940Post-transaction value$418,865.40Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($215.93); post-transaction value based on August 10, 2026 market close ($215.91).
Key questionsWhat was the scale of this acquisition relative to the insider’s existing position?
This purchase represented a 91% increase in direct holdings, nearly doubling the director's exposure to the common stock.How does this activity align with the company’s recent market performance?
The director expanded the position following a 52% decline in the stock's value over the previous 12 months, during a period where the company reported trailing twelve-month revenue of $3.4 billion.What is the current status of the director’s total stake?
Following the transaction, the director holds 1,940 shares directly, which corresponds to a 0.0038% ownership stake in the company.Company OverviewMetricValueShare Price (as of market close 2026-08-10)$215.91Market Capitalization$10.8 billionRevenue (TTM)$3.4 billionNet Income (TTM)$146.9 millionCompany SnapshotHubSpot provides a comprehensive, cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform featuring integrated modules for marketing, sales, customer service, and content management, complemented by specialized tools including search engine optimization, website management, and AI-driven chatbot capabilities.The company operates a subscription-based software-as-a-service business model, generating recurring revenue through tiered pricing structures that serve businesses of varying sizes and operational requirements across multiple geographies.HubSpot serves a diverse customer base spanning small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporations across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region, targeting organizations seeking integrated solutions to streamline customer engagement and operational efficiency.HubSpot maintains a substantial market position with a market cap of $10.8 billion, supported by a workforce of 9,016 employees. The company's integrated CRM platform strategy differentiates it within the competitive software-as-a-service landscape by consolidating multiple business functions into a single ecosystem, enabling customers to reduce operational complexity while enhancing customer lifecycle management capabilities.
What this transaction means for investorsThe Aug. 10 purchase of HubSpot stock by new Board of Directors member Gerald Dischler, who joined the Board in August of 2026, signals his confidence in its share price appreciation potential. The transaction happened at $215.93 per share, indicating Dischler believes HubSpot is a buy at that price.
He could be right, considering the stock hit a 52-week high of $525.51 last September. The share price dropped after the company reported second-quarter earnings results on Aug. 5.
HubSpot’s Q2 revenue rose a strong 20% year over year to $911.7 million. This growth helped it increase Q2 net income to $43.3 million, a substantial turnaround from a net loss of $3.3 million in 2025.
Despite these excellent results, HubSpot’s share price fell due to weaker than expected guidance for Q3 sales as management noted headwinds in its drive to build up its artificial intelligence business. The company forecasted Q3 revenue in the range of $924 million to $925 million, up 14% year over year, which is slower growth compared to Q2’s 20% increase.
Dischler’s buy at this time suggests he believes the stock will rebound over time.
Robert Izquierdo has positions in HubSpot. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends HubSpot. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
