Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Key Takeaways Abbott's Diagnostics sales rose 42.3% reported and 2.9% comparable in Q2 2026, led by routine testing.Cancer Diagnostics sales grew 13.3%, driven by Cologuard, precision oncology and international operations. ABT expects faster Cancer Diagnostics growth in the second half on screenings and newer tests. Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT - Free Report) Diagnostics business manufactures and markets diagnostic systems and tests. The segment is transitioning from a pandemic-driven profile to a broader portfolio supported by routine testing and oncology.

In the second quarter of 2026, Diagnostics sales increased 42.3% on a reported basis and 2.9% on a comparable basis. Core Laboratory sales grew 3.2% on a comparable basis, including 7.5% growth in the United States. Testing demand remained resilient across hospitals and other laboratories. Rapid and Molecular Diagnostics sales declined 8% as respiratory testing normalized. However, the company expects easier comparisons in China and sustained demand outside China to support an improved growth trajectory in the second half.

Following the March 2026 acquisition of Exact Sciences, Diagnostics now includes the Cancer Diagnostics business. Cancer Diagnostics sales grew 13.3%, driven by mid-teens growth in Cologuard and a colorectal cancer screening test, along with contributions from precision oncology and international operations. Abbott expects Cancer Diagnostics’ growth to accelerate in the second half. This growth is expected to benefit from care gap programs, repeat screenings, newer tests and increased international adoption. 

Peer UpdateDanaher Corporation (DHR - Free Report) Diagnostics segment continued to perform strong in the second quarter, with core revenues increasing 2% year over year. Clinical diagnostics revenues grew at a mid-single-digit rate, supported by solid performance at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics and high-single-digit growth at Leica Biosystems and Radiometer. Cepheid’s non-respiratory revenues increased at a low-double-digit rate, driven by strength in hospital-acquired infection and sexual-health assays, while lower seasonal infection rates continued to pressure respiratory testing revenues. In China, declines at Beckman began to moderate as pricing stabilized and volumes improved, easing some of the pressure from volume-based procurement and reimbursement changes. 

QuidelOrtho Corporation (QDEL - Free Report) continues to benefit from its focus on the diagnostics business, supported by healthy growth across several key areas during the second quarter. Labs revenues increased 4% as reported driven by strength in the core business, although slower sales in China related to changes in In Vitro Diagnostics pricing partially offset growth. Immunohematology revenues increased 1% with growth improving to 5% outside China. Meanwhile, Point of Care remained a notable growth driver, with revenues advancing 16%, including a 10% increase in Triage revenues, highlighting solid momentum across the company’s diagnostics portfolio.

ABT Price PerformanceIn the past year, Abbott shares have plunged 19.6% compared with the industry’s 25.9% decline. 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Expensive ValuationABT currently trades at a forward 12-month Price-to-Sales (P/S) of 3.54X compared with the industry median of 2.81X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ABT Stock Estimate TrendIn the past 30 days, ABT’s EPS estimate for 2026 has moved north 0.2%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ABT stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Company brings enhanced artificial intelligence, data analytics and cyber capabilities to strengthen U.S. national security and defend the homeland

, /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), announced today that it was awarded the Enterprise Network Operations and Cybersecurity Support (ENOCS) contract to deliver comprehensive enterprise IT and cybersecurity services for the Army National Guard and other federal government partners. The new $1.3 billion contract, awarded by the General Services Administration (GSA) Assisted Acquisition Services, has a one-year base period and six one-year option periods.

The company will also operate, modernize, integrate and defend the Guard’s classified and unclassified networks, further strengthening its cyber posture. Through this contract, GDIT will support the Guard and other federal government partners to upgrade and build new enterprise IT environments that support mission needs. GDIT will provide integrated IT services, including standing up new operations centers, workforce support, technology provisioning and on‑site services. The company will also operate, modernize, integrate and defend the Guard's classified and unclassified networks, further strengthening its cyber posture. In addition, GDIT will apply advanced artificial intelligence, data analytics and communication capabilities to enhance mission execution. Together, these capabilities will create a more agile and resilient enterprise environment – streamlining  operations, enabling faster access to IT services, improving security and elevating service quality for the Guard and its partners.

"The Army National Guard depends on resilient, modern networks to support communities and government partners and safeguard the nation," said Brian Sheridan, GDIT senior vice president for Defense. "We look forward to bringing the full strength of GDIT's digital modernization, AI and cyber capabilities to enhance the mission readiness of the Guard and its partners."

The award builds on GDIT's partnership with the Army National Guard and a broad portfolio of Army-wide support, including delivering enterprise mission IT services for U.S. Army Europe, global integrated base defense sustainment support, flight school training and mission training complex support.

GDIT is a business unit of General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 120,000 people worldwide and generated $52.6 billion in revenue in 2025. More information about General Dynamics Information Technology is available at www.gdit.com.   More information about General Dynamics is available at www.gd.com.

SOURCE General Dynamics Information Technology

Key Takeaways Tyson shares fell 12.2% in 12 weeks as Beef losses widened and fiscal 2026 outlook deteriorated.TSN now sees adjusted Beef operating loss of $500M-$650M as cattle costs and tight supplies weigh.Tyson's Chicken profit rose to $488M, while nine-month free cash flow reached $913M. Shares of Tyson Foods, Inc. (TSN - Free Report) have fallen 12.2% over the past 12 weeks, putting the durability of its earnings recovery under scrutiny. The key issue is whether strength in Chicken and Prepared Foods can offset worsening Beef economics enough to steady investor sentiment.

Tyson’s diversified portfolio is still producing meaningful cash flow, but the widening Beef loss and weaker estimate trends keep the near-term setup challenging.

Tyson’s Beef Losses Keep DeepeningBeef sales fell to $5.39 billion in the fiscal third quarter as volume declined 15.9%, while average price increased 12.1%. Adjusted segment operating loss widened to $138 million from $116 million a year earlier.

For the first nine months of fiscal 2026, adjusted Beef operating loss reached $483 million, compared with $223 million a year earlier. Tyson said network optimization benefits were more than offset by USDA margin compression and higher cattle costs.

TSN Faces a Tougher Beef OutlookTyson now expects a fiscal 2026 adjusted Beef operating loss of $500 million to $650 million, worse than its prior outlook of $350 million to $500 million. Tight cattle supplies and elevated cattle costs remain the main constraints on throughput and profitability.

Management said the phased reopening of the Mexican border could improve cattle availability over time, but it is not expected to materially benefit fiscal 2026. The company also cautioned that the reopening will not fully close the Beef profitability gap even in fiscal 2027.

Tyson’s Chicken Business Provides a CounterweightChicken sales increased to $4.26 billion in the fiscal third quarter, while adjusted segment operating income rose to $488 million from $448 million. Adjusted margin expanded 60 basis points to 11.2%, and retail and foodservice volume increased 3.8%.

Tyson maintained fiscal 2026 adjusted Chicken operating income guidance of $1.9 billion to $2.05 billion. Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (PPC - Free Report) , another major protein processor, operates chicken processing and prepared-foods facilities across the United States and international markets, making it a relevant industry reference for Tyson’s poultry exposure.

TSN Still Has Financial BuffersOperating cash flow totaled $1.47 billion through the first nine months of fiscal 2026, while capital expenditures of $556 million left free cash flow at $913 million. Tyson ended the quarter with $4 billion of liquidity and net leverage of 2.1 times.

Total debt declined by $824 million from fiscal 2025, and management expects fiscal 2026 free cash flow of $1.3 billion to $1.7 billion. Hormel Foods Corporation (HRL - Free Report) , a global branded food company with a portfolio spanning meat and snacking categories, provides another useful reference point for Tyson’s branded Prepared Foods exposure.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Tyson’s Signals Still Call for CautionThe balance of evidence remains mixed. Chicken, Prepared Foods and cash generation offer support, but Beef losses are still widening and the company’s fiscal 2026 Beef outlook has deteriorated.

TSN currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), despite a VGM Score of A, Value Score of B, Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of C. The favorable Value, Growth and VGM Scores point to attractive underlying style characteristics, but Style Scores are designed to complement the Zacks Rank rather than override it.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is $3.95 per share and has moved 2.6% lower over the past four weeks. That negative revision trend, together with the #5 Rank, supports a cautious near-term view even after the recent share-price decline.

PubMatic, Inc. (PUBM) Q2 2026 Earnings Call August 6, 2026 4:30 PM EDT

Company Participants

Rajeev Goel - Co-Founder, CEO & Director
Steven Pantelick - Chief Financial Officer

Conference Call Participants

Stacie Clements - The Blueshirt Group, LLC
Shweta Khajuria - Wolfe Research, LLC
Robert Coolbrith - Evercore ISI Institutional Equities, Research Division
Naved Khan - B. Riley Securities, Inc., Research Division
Eric Martinuzzi - Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC, Research Division
James Heaney - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
Barton Crockett - Rosenblatt Securities Inc., Research Division
Simran Biswal - RBC Capital Markets, Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Hello, everyone, and welcome to PubMatic Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. My name is Annabeth, and I will be your Zoom operator today. Thank you for your attendance today. As a reminder, this webinar is being recorded.

I will now turn the call over to Stacie Clements.

Stacie Clements
The Blueshirt Group, LLC

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to PubMatic's earnings call for the second quarter of 2026. This is Stacie Clements, and I'll be your operator today. Joining me on the call are Rajeev Goel, Co-Founder and CEO; and Steve Pantelick, CFO.

Before we get started, I have a few housekeeping items. Today's prepared remarks have been recorded, after which Rajeev and Steve will host live Q&A. [Operator Instructions] A copy of our press release can be found on our website at investors.pubmatic.com.

I would like to remind participants that during this call, management will make forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our future performance, market opportunity, growth strategy and financial outlook. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, macroeconomic environment and future conditions. These forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. You can find more information about these risks and uncertainties in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission

By PYMNTS  |  August 7, 2026

 | 

Highlights

More than 600,000 DraftKings customers have used its predictions product, while annualized trading volume rose from $2.3 billion to $11 billion between April and July.

DraftKings sees only about 1% customer overlap with the largest prediction market operator in sportsbook states and estimated 80% to 90% of prediction volume there comes from professional or institutional-style traders.

The company now controls brokerage, exchange and market-making capabilities, giving it a path to capture more fees, improve customer lifetime value and replicate the vertical-integration strategy that strengthened its sportsbook business.

DraftKings is positioning itself not simply as a sportsbook operator, but as a nationwide sports commerce platform capable of acquiring, engaging and monetizing customers across multiple products.

As company executives stressed to investors during a second-quarter 2026 earnings call Friday (Aug. 7), prediction markets are becoming central to that ambition.

“We delivered a strong second quarter and enter the back half of the year with real momentum, as our core business grew across handle, users and engagement,” DraftKings Co-Founder and CEO Jason Robins said in a Friday press release. “Our super app is now live nationwide, and Predictions is already growing faster than we anticipated. The similarity of Predictions customer metrics to Sportsbook customer metrics, our advantaged LTV position and our playbook to innovate on a leading Predictions offering all underpin our confidence that we can win the category.”

DraftKings generated $115 million in adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter, while customer-friendly sports outcomes created an approximately $80 million revenue headwind. Management nevertheless maintained its full-year revenue guidance of $6.5 billion to $6.9 billion and adjusted EBITDA guidance of $700 million to $900 million. Its core business remains on track to generate roughly $1 billion in adjusted EBITDA this year.

See also: How Uncertainty Became the Engagement Engine of the Digital Economy

DraftKings Is Turning the Sportsbook Into a Super App DraftKings said customer acquisition increased nearly 75% year over year during the second quarter, helped by the NBA Finals and World Cup. The company acquired roughly 30% more customers than expected while spending only about 10% more than planned, with acquisition costs coming in approximately 25% better than anticipated.

Some of those customers are coming from markets DraftKings historically could not reach through regulated sports betting. Its prediction product is now available nationally through the broader DraftKings Sports app. More than 600,000 customers have used predictions this year, and management said adoption has exceeded expectations. Annualized trading volume increased from $2.3 billion to $11 billion between April and July.

That changes the geographic logic of DraftKings’ business. Instead of waiting for large states such as California and Texas to legalize online sports betting, DraftKings can establish customer relationships there through prediction markets today. Robins said consumers in states without legal sportsbooks are showing profiles similar to sportsbook customers elsewhere.

Management said it sees only about 1% customer overlap between its sportsbook users and customers of the largest prediction market operator in states where online sports betting is already legal. DraftKings also estimates that 80% to 90% of prediction market volume in those jurisdictions comes from professional syndicates and institutional-style traders who were largely not sportsbook customers in the first place.

Early customer economics are reinforcing the thesis. DraftKings said prediction customers are being acquired for materially less than sportsbook customers while showing comparable early retention and volume characteristics. More than half have used “combos,” the prediction market equivalent of packaging multiple outcomes together, and the feature is approaching 20% of prediction volume.

Read also: DraftKings Brings $11 Billion Prediction Market Into Flagship App

Owning More of the Gaming Economics Comes Down to Infrastructure, Not Acquisition DraftKings now operates across three layers of the prediction market stack, including brokerage, exchange and market making. Management said owning those functions allows it to capture economics that would otherwise flow to third parties while giving the company greater control over products, pricing and customer experience.

The company plans to move much of its major sports prediction volume onto its own exchange, DKeX, beginning around the college football and NFL seasons. As more activity moves internally, management said it expects unit economics to improve, potentially creating a multiyear margin tailwind.

The sportsbook remains the engine. DraftKings is now trying to build an ecosystem around it.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Banking Both Sides: Instant Payouts Turn Receivers Into Customers” found that gig, creator and marketplace platforms are the most aggressive adopters of instant payouts in absolute terms, with nearly one-third of senders offering instant payouts always or most of the time.

For all PYMNTS digital transformation coverage, subscribe to the daily Digital Transformation Newsletter.

Key Takeaways Weyerhaeuser beat earnings estimates as Wood Products EBITDA rose sharply on stronger lumber pricing.WY raised 2026 Strategic Land Solutions EBITDA guidance after expanding climate-related projects.Weyerhaeuser trades at a premium valuation as housing and commodity risks remain in focus. Weyerhaeuser Company (WY - Free Report) is showing signs of an earnings recovery, but the stock does not offer an easy buy case. Second-quarter results beat expectations and Wood Products improved sharply, while Climate Solutions and engineered wood investments add longer-term growth avenues.

The counterweight is valuation. WY trades well above its sub-industry, sector and the S&P 500 on forward earnings, while housing demand and commodity pricing remain uncertain.

WY's Earnings Recovery Supports the Bull CaseSecond-quarter adjusted earnings of 13 cents per share topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of six cents by 116.7%. Net sales of $1.87 billion exceeded the $1.80 billion consensus mark by 4%, while Wood Products adjusted EBITDA rose to $129 million from $71 million sequentially.

Management expects higher lumber production and sales volumes in the third quarter and slightly lower unit manufacturing costs. Engineered wood products also improved in the second quarter, with adjusted EBITDA rising to $54 million from $39 million.

Weyerhaeuser's Climate Assets Add OptionalityClimate Solutions generated $126 million of sales in the first half of 2026, including a $94 million conservation easement completed in the first quarter. Weyerhaeuser's second solar site began operating in the second quarter, with three additional solar developments under construction.

The company also received permits for its first biocarbon facility near its McComb, MS, lumber mill. Weyerhaeuser raised full-year 2026 Strategic Land Solutions adjusted EBITDA guidance by $25 million to approximately $450 million, broadening its earnings sources beyond timber and wood products.

WY's Valuation Leaves Little Room for ErrorWY's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 49.94, compared with 27.18 for its Zacks sub-industry, 20.3 for the Zacks Construction sector and 20.71 for the S&P 500. The stock's five-year median is 30.18.

That spread makes execution more important. Investors need stronger earnings improvement to justify a multiple already above relevant benchmarks, leaving less room for operating setbacks or a slower recovery.

Weyerhaeuser's Housing Exposure Keeps Risk ElevatedDemand remains exposed to housing affordability, mortgage rates in the mid-6% range and weak consumer confidence. Repair-and-remodel activity was steady but muted in the first half, while OSB adjusted EBITDA posted a $6 million loss in the second quarter as supply exceeded demand and costs remained elevated.

Commodity sensitivity compounds the risk. Management estimates that a $10 change in lumber prices changes annual EBITDA by roughly $50 million. Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LPX - Free Report) , another housing-linked wood-products producer, reported second-quarter OSB sales down $68 million year over year as prices and volumes declined. Rayonier Inc. (RYN - Free Report) , which now combines timberlands and wood products following its January merger with PotlatchDeltic, offers a related reference point for the same timber-and-lumber cycle.

WY's Hold Signal Matches the Trade-OffBottom line, WY's investment case remains balanced rather than decisive. Earnings recovery, Wood Products improvement and land-based growth opportunities support the outlook, but a premium valuation and housing-linked volatility keep the risk-reward from looking straightforward.

The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), pointing to a balanced short-term stance rather than a clear Buy signal. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Its Value Score of D, Growth Score of F, Momentum Score of D and VGM Score of F are less favorable readings within the Style Score framework, which is designed to complement the Zacks Rank. The score mix indicates that value, growth and momentum characteristics are not currently among the stronger Style Score profiles, leaving the fundamental recovery as the key area to watch.

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (CPK) Q2 2026 Earnings Call August 7, 2026 8:30 AM EDT

Company Participants

Lucia Dempsey - Head of Investor Relations
Jeffrey Householder - President, CEO & Chairman
James Moriarty - Executive VP, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Policy & Risk Officer
Jeffrey S. Sylvester - Senior VP & CFO

Conference Call Participants

Constantine Lednev - Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Research Division
Michael Brown - Barclays Bank PLC, Research Division
Tate Sullivan - Maxim Group LLC, Research Division
Christopher Ellinghaus - Siebert Williams Shank & Co., L.L.C., Research Division
Paul Fremont - Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Welcome to Chesapeake Utilities Corporation's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions]

I would now like to turn the call over to Lucia Dempsey, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Lucia Dempsey
Head of Investor Relations

Thank you, and good morning, everyone. Today's presentation can be accessed on our website under the Investors page and Events and Presentations subsection. After our prepared remarks, we will open up the call for questions.

On Slide 2, we show our typical disclaimers, while I remind you that matters discussed on this conference call may include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements and projections could differ materially from our actual results. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements section of our 2025 annual report on Form 10-K and in our second quarter Form 10-Q provide further information on the factors that could cause such statements to differ from our actual results.

Additionally, the company evaluates its performance based on certain non-GAAP measures, including adjusted gross margin, adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share, and the information presented today includes the appropriate disclosures in accordance with the SEC's Regulation G. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the related GAAP measures have been provided in the

Key Takeaways Griffon's Q3 earnings rose 8.6%, while revenues increased 7% on favorable price, mix and volume.Residential demand drove volume gains, while price and mix contributed 6% to revenue growth.Griffon reaffirmed fiscal 2026 sales of $1.8 billion and adjusted EBITDA of about $458 million. Griffon Corporation (GFF - Free Report) reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended June 2026) adjusted earnings of $1.51 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.33. The bottom line increased 8.6% year over year.

Total revenues of $481.4 million beat the consensus estimate of $453 million and increased 7% year over year. The growth was attributable to favorable price and mix of 6%, along with increased volumes of 1%, driven primarily by residential.

GFF’s Operating ResultsEffective from the fiscal second quarter, Griffon declared its AMES U.S., Canada, UK and Australia businesses as discontinued operations. The company currently reports the continuing operations’ financial results as a single segment.

Margin ProfileGriffon’s cost of sales increased 10.6% year over year to $255.3 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 3.0% year over year to $110.6 million. The gross margin decreased to 47.0% from 48.7% in the year-ago period.

Net income was $51.6 million against a net loss of $120.1 million in the prior-year quarter. The company’s adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations totaled $124.8 million, up 2.1% from the year-ago quarter.

GFF’s Balance Sheet & Cash FlowAt the end of the fiscal third quarter, Griffon had cash and cash equivalents of $110.4 million compared with $99.0 million at the end of fiscal 2025 (ended September 2025). Long-term debt, net of current maturities, was $1.26 billion at the end of the fiscal third quarter compared with $1.40 billion at fiscal 2025-end.

In the first nine months of fiscal 2026, the company generated net cash of $217.9 million from operating activities from continuing operations compared with $234.5 million in the year-ago period.

Griffon paid dividends of $30.9 million and repurchased shares worth $119.1 million in the same period. Exiting the fiscal third quarter, it had $193.8 million remaining under the share repurchase program.

In the first nine months of fiscal 2026, free cash flow from continuing operations was $194.2 million and capital expenditures were $23.7 million.

OutlookThe company has reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 financial guidance. For fiscal 2026 (ending September 2026), management anticipates net sales from continuing operations to be $1.8 billion.

It expects adjusted EBITDA to be approximately $458 million. For the fiscal year, Griffon now expects interest expense of $80 million, down from the prior expectation of $93 million, reflecting reduced debt and interest income from transaction-related notes receivable. Capital expenditures are expected to be $50 million.

GFF’s Zacks RankPerformance of Other CompaniesCarlisle Companies Incorporated (CSL - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $7.03 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.43 by 9.3%. The bottom line increased 12% year over year.

Revenues rose 8% year over year to a record $1.57 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion.

3M Company (MMM - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.40 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.27 by 5.7%. The bottom line increased 11% year over year.

MMM’s adjusted net revenues of $6.5 billion topped the consensus estimate of $6.4 billion and grew 5.5%. On an adjusted basis, organic revenues increased 5.4% year over year.

Graco Inc. (GGG - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 91 cents per share, up 17% from 78 cents in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 81 cents by 12.4%.

The company’s net sales rose 3% year over year to $590.6 million but lagged the consensus estimate of $609 million by 3%. Organic order backlog (excluding acquisitions) rose 28% from the end of 2025.

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The billionaire founder of Rockstar Energy has purchased millions of shares of Celsius Holdings and is calling for the ouster of that company's CEO after its earnings miss this week.

Russ Savage now controls more than 12 million shares of Celsius, he told CNBC. Celsius markets its energy drinks to athletes and health-conscious consumers and has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Savage founded Rockstar in 2001 and sold it to PepsiCo in 2020 for a final purchase price of more than $4 billion, he said.

Savage's stake in Celsius amounts to roughly 4.7% of the company and would be worth about $300 million at current stock levels. While Savage has been quietly advising Celsius to change its cost structure and marketing strategy for over a year, he now says new leadership is needed.

"The CEO, the COO, the brand manager and the marketing manager all need to be fired," Savage told CNBC.

Celsius said in response that it is seeing continued demand and resilience across its base.

"We welcome ideas that are potentially value-creating from all Celsius Holdings shareholders," a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We remain focused on executing our total energy portfolio strategy to drive durable, long-term growth. Members of our Board and management team have engaged with Russ Savage many times over the past several years."

Celsius shares plunged 18% on Thursday after the company's second-quarter earnings missed analyst expectations, coming in at 36 cents per share versus the 43 cents expected by Wall Street, according to LSEG. Revenue of $817.9 million fell below the $870 million expected, and net income attributable to common shareholders fell by more than half compared to last year's second quarter.

On the company's earnings call, Celsius Chairman and CEO John Fieldly cited a product rationalization program and deliberate pause in innovation as main reasons for the shortfall. He said the company was managing the integration of Alani Nu, which it acquired last year for $1.8 billion, and of the Rockstar brand in the U.S. and Canada, which it acquired from Pepsi also last year as part of a long-term strategic partnership.

Pepsi continues to own the Rockstar brand internationally.

Fieldly said on the earnings call that the company may have been overly aggressive in reducing the number of products being sold to make way for newer lines. Still, he said, the company sells 1 out of every 5 energy drinks in the U.S., and the sector remains strong.

"We are a key growth driver for the energy category, and we are just beginning to unlock the full potential of our expanding portfolio," Fieldly said.

Savage, who was born Russell Weiner and started Rockstar with a $50,000 mortgage against his California condo, said he offered advice to Celsius over a year ago, but was largely ignored. He said Celsius has too many layers of management, with too many costs, and no real accountability.

"They need one person making the decisions, paying attention to every detail, not a group of people in a firing squad," he said.

Savage said the implication in the earnings call, that Celsius gave up shelf space to make way for its other brands, was a dire signal. In the fast-moving and hypercompetitive energy drink space, it's difficult for brands to reclaim shelf space once they've lost it, he said.

"Once you lose shelf space, you're dead," he said. "The chains will give it to Red Bull or Monster."

Savage said he's offering to take over as CEO before the problems become too deep to fix. When building Rockstar, he said, he managed every detail — from sales and marketing to sponsorships, packaging, distribution and innovation. He said the same type of cost-conscious, driven leader is needed at Celsius.

"I'm publicly volunteering to do it," he said. "The CEO has lost credibility with the investment community."

Savage said he's owned Celsius shares on and off for more than two years. He started acquiring his most recent stake in March, when the stock fell to the low $30 range. He said he bought the stock thinking it was undervalued and poised for a recovery. But he blamed what he called management missteps for the shares' continued decline.

"I didn't think they would wreck it this badly," he said. "Now I'm trying to help fix it."

Celsius stock now trades at about $27 per share after a sharp gain on Friday following CNBC's report of Savage's stake.

Celsius Holdings 3-day chart.

Item 1 of 3 The Resmed name and logo are shown on one of their buildings in San Diego, California, U.S., August 3, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake

[1/3]The Resmed name and logo are shown on one of their buildings in San Diego, California, U.S., August 3, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

CompaniesAug 7 (Reuters) - Shares of ResMed (RMD.N), opens new tab dropped about 6% in morning trade on Friday after the medtech company forecast fiscal 2027 revenue below Wall ​Street expectations, impacted by suspended ventilator sales and cost pressures.

ResMed said it would ‌suspend sales of its Astral ventilators, used by patients who require acute or long-term life-support, following a device correction and FDA recall, opens new tab tied to five serious injuries last week.

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The fresh guidance ​assumes no sales of Astral ventilators during fiscal 2027 and factors ​in an expected $75 million impact due to the suspension, as the ⁠company redirects scarce electronic components to support repairs and servicing of existing devices. ​ResMed said it has not yet decided whether Astral sales will resume in ​fiscal 2028.

The company now expects fiscal 2027 revenue of $5.75 billion to $5.85 billion, below analysts' expectations of $5.92 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Emerging competitive and ongoing cost pressures also limit ​its growth outlook, Baird analyst David Rescott said.

ResMed, which makes devices to manage ​sleep apnea, among other medical equipment, plans to increase prices during fiscal 2027 as rising costs ‌for ⁠electronic components and freight pressure its margins.

“We can no longer offset inflation with productivity alone,” CFO Aaron Bloomer said on a call with analysts.

ResMed's sleep apnea devices face competition from Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab weight-loss drug Zepbound, which was approved by the ​FDA in 2024 ​to treat obstructive ⁠sleep apnea. While the condition can affect anyone, it is more common in people who are overweight or obese, according to ​the health regulator.

But Morningstar analysts said the Apple Watch's (AAPL.O), opens new tab ​ability to ⁠identify possible sleep apnea cases could drive more diagnoses and treatment, which could help counter the weight-loss-drug threat to ResMed's devices. Sleep apnea devices are still the standard of ⁠care ​on the market and widely used.

ResMed reported fourth-quarter ​adjusted profit of $2.95 per share, topping estimates of $2.89, while revenue rose 9% to $1.46 billion, in line ​with expectations.

Reporting by Kunal Das and Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Key Takeaways Datadog's Q2 revenues rose 36% to $1.12 billion, while non-GAAP EPS reached 65 cents.More than 750 AI customers use Datadog, with 31 spending over $1 million annually. Datadog sees Q3 revenues of $1.135B-$1.145B after derisking lower usage at its largest customer. Datadog, Inc. (DDOG - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 earnings call to emphasize accelerating demand across AI and non-AI customers, while acknowledging a usage reduction at its largest customer.

Co-Founder and CEO Olivier Pomel framed AI as an additional growth driver, citing stronger cloud consumption, new observability workloads and wider adoption of Bits AI and security products.

DDOG Sees Broad-Based Growth AccelerationRevenues rose 36% year over year to $1.12 billion, while non-GAAP earnings were 65 cents per share. Revenues and earnings exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 billion and 58 cents, respectively.

CFO David Obstler said sequential revenue growth of 11% was the strongest since the second quarter of 2022, with a record $115 million added from the first quarter. Non-AI customer revenue growth accelerated to the high-20% range.

Datadog ended the second quarter with about 4,720 customers generating at least $100,000 in ARR, up from about 3,850 a year earlier.

Datadog Builds Around AI-Native DemandPomel said more than 750 AI customers use Datadog, including all 10 companies management identifies as leading AI players. Obstler added that 31 AI customers spend more than $1 million annually, including eight above $10 million.

Pomel said MCP tool calls quadrupled again sequentially and rose more than 22 times versus Q4 2025. He described observability opportunities across GPUs, models, agents and the applications those agents call.

Obstler said enterprise new-logo annualized bookings more than doubled year over year. New customers accounted for about 30% of year-over-year revenue growth, up from 25% in the first quarter.

DDOG Pushes Bits AI Deeper Into OperationsPomel said Bits AI has expanded beyond alert investigation into chat, monitoring management, coding, testing and release validation. Datadog is also rolling out AI-credit packaging as its use cases broaden.

A Bank of America analyst asked whether automation could reduce traditional observability activity. Pomel said Bits AI users are deploying more of the platform, creating more dashboards and alerts, and bringing more users into Datadog.

Pomel also said Bits Security Analyst is being separated from Datadog's SIEM so it can work with other SIEMs, widening the market for AI-driven security operations.

Datadog Derisks Largest-Customer UsageManagement disclosed a nine-figure renewal with its largest customer, but said usage will decline beginning in the third quarter. Pomel said Datadog fully derisked guidance for that customer so the account would not overshadow broader business trends.

For the third quarter, revenues are expected to be $1.135 billion to $1.145 billion, representing 28% to 29% growth, with non-GAAP earnings estimated to be 63 to 65 cents per share. Full-year revenue guidance is $4.45 billion to $4.47 billion.

A Morgan Stanley analyst pressed for renewal details and the lower usage. Pomel declined to discuss customer-specific economics, while stressing that growth excluding the largest customer has continued to accelerate.

DDOG Q&A Tests Sustainability and SpendA Goldman Sachs analyst raised customer concerns about Datadog bills. Pomel said the company must show its software saves customers money or helps them make money, and highlighted AI cost control as a growing priority.

Pomel said Infinite Cardinality Metrics is designed to reduce billing unpredictability when customers send more granular data. He tied the product to rising data volumes and more complex questions from AI applications.

A JPMorgan analyst asked whether non-AI acceleration is sustainable. Pomel said growth is largely coming from existing customers through higher volumes, cloud migration and broader product adoption. Obstler also cited expanded go-to-market capacity.

Datadog Keeps Investing Into ScalePomel closed with confidence on product development and go-to-market execution, saying Datadog has more products planned for the remainder of the year and large sales pipelines to pursue.

Obstler said R&D and go-to-market investments are producing results and positioning the company for continued execution.

DDOG's Zacks Signals Stay MixedDDOG carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), alongside a Growth Score of A, Momentum Score of A and a VGM Score of B. Under the Zacks Style Scores framework, A and B are the more favorable grades, especially when paired with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Value Score of F tempers that profile because the framework gives its strongest preference to top-ranked stocks with A or B individual Style Scores. The Zacks Rank can change as earnings estimates are revised after the reported results.
 

Key Takeaways Labcorp shares gained 14% in a month as earnings, revenues and operating margins improved. Specialty testing posted double-digit growth in oncology, women's health, autoimmune disease and neurology.Labcorp trades at 16.7X forward earnings, above its 14.4X five-year median but below its 17.8X high. Labcorp Holdings Inc. (LH - Free Report) shares have gained 14% in the past month, sharpening the debate over how much upside remains after a rapid advance. The rally comes as the company is reporting better earnings, expanding margins and growth across both Diagnostics Laboratories and Biopharma Laboratory Services.

The operating picture has improved, but valuation has moved above Labcorp’s longer-term norm. That leaves investors weighing execution and business momentum against a higher bar for future results.

Labcorp’s One-Month Rally Sets a Higher BarLabcorp’s 14% four-week gain stands out against an already stronger operating backdrop. The company’s Diagnostics Laboratories business grew revenues 5.5% year over year in the second quarter, while Biopharma Laboratory Services, or BLS, advanced 6.5%.

The move does not establish that any single development drove the stock higher. It does, however, raise expectations as investors assess whether improving profitability, specialty testing demand and biopharma activity can sustain the recent momentum.

LH’s Q2 Results Add Fundamental SupportSecond-quarter adjusted earnings were $4.99 per share, up 14.9% year over year and 4.2% above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Revenues increased 5.8% to $3.73 billion and also topped the consensus mark.

Profitability improved with the top line. Adjusted operating income rose to $588.7 million from $531.6 million, while the enterprise adjusted operating margin expanded 70 basis points to 15.8%. The margin gain shows that revenue growth is translating into better operating leverage.

In the past 30 days, Labcorp’s 2026 earnings have moved north by 1.3% to $18.24. 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Labcorp’s Growth Drivers Still Have Room to RunSpecialty testing remains a central growth engine. Oncology, women’s health, autoimmune disease and neurology each delivered double-digit revenue growth during the first half of 2026, supporting new health-system and provider wins and a favorable test mix.

BLS adds another source of momentum. Second-quarter revenue rose 6.5% to $836.2 million, Central Laboratories revenue increased 9.8% and the segment’s adjusted operating margin reached 17%. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (DGX - Free Report) , another large diagnostic testing provider, offers investors a direct industry comparison for laboratory demand and health-system relationships. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO - Free Report) also provides a relevant biopharma-services reference point through its broad pharmaceutical and clinical research capabilities.

LH’s Valuation Raises the Priced-In QuestionLabcorp trades at 16.7X forward 12-month earnings, modestly above the Zacks sub-industry’s 16.2X multiple. It also sits well above its own five-year median of 14.4X, although the current multiple remains below the five-year high of 17.8X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

That premium does not negate the company’s improving results, but it reduces the room for disappointment. Further upside will likely require continued earnings execution, sustained specialty and BLS growth and additional margin progress to justify a valuation already above Labcorp’s longer-term norm.

Labcorp’s Ratings Favor Momentum Over GrowthThe near-term setup is balanced rather than one-sided. Labcorp currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which points to a neutral short-term earnings-revision backdrop rather than a clear buy or sell signal.

The Style Scores tilt more favorably toward momentum and value. Labcorp has a VGM Score of B, Momentum Score of A and Value Score of B, while its Growth Score is C. The mix fits the current tension: price momentum and valuation characteristics are favorable, but the pure-growth profile is less compelling. After the recent rally, execution remains important as investors weigh business progress against a richer valuation.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Key Takeaways Dominion Energy reaffirmed 2026 EPS guidance as Q2 earnings and revenues topped consensus.CVOW is 81% complete, but the final turbine is now due at year-end 2027 as costs rise to $11.65B.D has over 53 GW of data center capacity in contracting stages, including 12 GW under service agreements. Dominion Energy, Inc. (D - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 call to pair unchanged guidance with a six-month schedule reset for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW). Project execution returned to investor focus.

Management emphasized record demand, data center contracting and the infrastructure needed to support large loads. Those themes framed analyst scrutiny.

D Reaffirms Its 2026 Financial FrameworkCFO Steven Ridge said second-quarter operating earnings were $0.79 per share, including $0.03 of RNG 45Z credits. The result topped the $0.73 Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.20%.

Revenues of $4.48 billion topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.30%. CFO Ridge called the first half strong.

Dominion reaffirmed 2026 operating earnings guidance of $3.45 to $3.69 per share, with a $3.57 midpoint, plus credit, dividend and long-term growth guidance. CFO Ridge said the 2026 equity program is complete and FFO-to-debt remained above 15%.

Dominion Resets CVOW Schedule and CostChair, president and CEO Robert Blue said CVOW was 81% complete, with 31 turbines installed and a 32nd underway. More than 450 megawatts of capacity were already on the grid.

CEO Blue said the final turbine is now expected at year-end 2027, a six-month shift. The project cost estimate increased about 2% to $11.65 billion after adding $288 million for the extra two quarters.

A Barclays analyst asked about further slippage. CEO Blue said the revised plan reflects actual Portsmouth loadouts, added weather and vessel-maintenance contingency, and longer jacking at difficult sites. He remained confident in the updated date.

D Points to Durable Data Center DemandCFO Ridge said Dominion has more than 53 gigawatts of data center capacity in contracting stages, including 12 gigawatts under electric service agreements. Contracts increased by more than five gigawatts since year-end.

CFO Ridge also said nine of the DOM Zone's 10 highest peak days occurred this year, including the eight highest summer peaks in the past two months. The large-load framework is designed to protect existing customers from cost shifts and stranded costs.

CEO Blue said air permits were filed for nearly five gigawatts of combined-cycle capacity at Canadys and Mount Storm. A Goldman Sachs analyst asked whether Mount Storm was incremental, and CFO Ridge said it is already in the current capital plan.

Dominion Advances NextEra ReviewCEO Blue said state and federal applications were filed for the proposed NextEra Energy combination. The transaction includes $2.25 billion of shareholder-funded bill credits for Dominion customers.

CEO Blue said Virginia hearings begin Nov. 17. The proposed South Carolina schedule sets a Dec. 8 hearing and a final order by Jan. 29, 2027.

A Barclays analyst asked whether Virginia's review could be extended. CEO Blue said the current timeline is sufficient, citing the commission's experience with statutory deadlines and prior mergers.

D Addresses Grid Reliability and StorageA Jefferies analyst asked about a transmission fault that prompted data centers to switch to backup power. Executive vice president and CEO of Utilities Edward Baine said the fault was rare and the centers had been expected to ride through the momentary event.

Utilities CEO Baine said no significant incremental grid investment is needed from the event, but customer collaboration and mitigation work will continue. CEO Blue said Dominion will keep investing in transmission and applying lessons learned.

CFO Ridge said the five-year forecast includes $2 billion for batteries, about 3% of the capital plan. He identified a fall technical conference and the next integrated resource plan as steps toward acceleration.

Dominion Keeps Execution at CenterCEO Blue returned to three priorities: meeting financial commitments, hitting major CVOW milestones and securing constructive regulatory outcomes. His closing message remained centered on execution.

CFO Ridge's demand commentary added system expansion for large loads while maintaining credit targets. Broader financial guidance stayed unchanged despite the CVOW schedule reset.

D's Zacks Rank and Style Score SignalsD currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), with a Value Score of D, Growth Score of F, Momentum Score of B and VGM Score of F. Under Zacks methodology, better Style Scores are associated with better expected performance, making momentum the strongest style reading. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Style Scores complement the Zacks Rank, with the framework favoring Rank #1 or #2 stocks paired with A or B scores. D's profile combines a stronger Momentum grade with weaker Value, Growth and VGM readings and an unfavorable Rank. The Zacks Rank can change as estimates are revised after the just-reported results.

Key Takeaways Archer Aviation's Q2 revenues are estimated at $1.95 million, with a loss of 25 cents per share.ACHR rose 8.1% in a month and trades at 1.91X price-to-book versus the industry's 6.51X.Archer Aviation's 18.06 current ratio signals strong liquidity as certification and production advance. Archer Aviation Inc. (ACHR - Free Report) is expected to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 10, after market close.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at a loss of 25 cents per share, indicating a year-over-year rise of 7.41%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pinned at $1.95 million.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ACHR’s Earnings Surprise HistoryArcher Aviation’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in one, the average surprise being 7.89%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

What Our Quantitative Model Predicts for ACHROur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Archer Aviation this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here, as you will see below.

Earnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is -10.20%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Currently, ACHR carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Stocks Worth a LookSome stocks from the sector that have the combination of factors indicating an earnings beat are Vertical Aerospace (EVTL - Free Report) and Mercury Systems (MRCY - Free Report) . Vertical Aerospace and Mercury Systems have an Earnings ESP of +15.39% and +6.67%, respectively. EVTL and MRCY both carry a Zacks Rank #3 at present.

Factors That Might Have Impacted ACHR’s Q2 PerformanceArcher Aviation continues to advance its electric air taxi strategy through collaborations with U.S. cities, aviation authorities and international partners to support the commercialization of its Midnight aircraft. Continued progress in FAA certification and preparations for operations under the U.S. eVTOL Integration Pilot Program are also likely to have boosted the company's performance in the to-be-reported quarter.

ACHR also continued expanding its commercial infrastructure through the modernization of Hawthorne Airport and preparations for early commercial operations in the UAE. These initiatives are likely to have supported revenue generation and strengthened Archer's second-quarter performance.

Archer Aviation also carried on ramping up its manufacturing capabilities and flight-test activities while preparing for commercial operations and scaling production of its Midnight aircraft. These efforts are likely to have aided the company's operational execution in the to-be-reported quarter.

However, higher spending on certification activities, flight testing, manufacturing expansion and commercialization initiatives may have increased operating expenses, trimming some of the gains in the to-be-reported quarter.

ACHR Stock Price PerformanceOver the past month, the stock has gained 8.1% compared with the industry’s rise of 7.3%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ACHR Stock Is Trading at a DiscountArcher Aviation is trading at a discount relative to the industry, with a trailing 12-month price-to-book of 1.91X compared with the industry average of 6.51X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ACHR Stock’s LiquidityThe company’s current ratio is 18.06 compared with the industry’s average of 1.12. A ratio of more than one suggests a healthy liquidity position where the business can meet its immediate financial obligations without selling long-term assets.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Investment ViewpointArcher Aviation is steadily advancing its commercialization strategy through continued progress in FAA certification, expanding international opportunities and strengthening manufacturing readiness. Backed by a healthy liquidity position, ongoing flight-test activities and early operating plans in the United States and the UAE, the company remains well positioned to capitalize on the growing advanced air mobility market.

However, ACHR remains exposed to certification and commercialization risks, while elevated investments in manufacturing, flight testing and network build-out are likely to keep cash burn and operating losses high until commercial operations scale.

Endnote on ACHRArcher Aviation is steadily building the foundation for future growth through continued execution across certification, operational readiness and market expansion. With early deployment plans taking shape and production capabilities advancing, the company remains well positioned to benefit as the electric aviation industry moves toward commercialization.

Given its attractive valuation, better price performance and strong liquidity, investors might consider adding ACHR stock to their portfolios right now.

For the quarter ended June 2026, Telephone & Data Systems (TDS - Free Report) reported revenue of $309.28 million, down 73.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $2.24, compared to -$0.05 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $315.05 million, representing a surprise of -1.83%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +100%, with the consensus EPS estimate being -$999,900.00.

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 TDS performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom: $248.41 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $256.75 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -6.3%.Operating Revenues- All other: $6.81 million versus $5.5 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +36.1% change.Operating Revenues- Array: $54.07 million versus $52.37 million estimated by two analysts on average.Adjusted OIBDA- TDS Telecom: $68.67 million versus $83.69 million estimated by two analysts on average.View all Key Company Metrics for TDS here>>>

Shares of TDS have returned +3.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

Key Takeaways H&R Block is set to report fiscal Q4 results on Aug. 11, with revenues estimated to rise 0.6% y/y to $1.12B.Assisted tax preparation revenues expected to rise 2.3% y/y, supported by expert-led, tech-enabled services.H&R Block's EPS is estimated to fall 1.8% y/y to $2.23 amid higher AI investments and operational expenses. H&R Block, Inc. (HRB - Free Report) is set to report its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 11, after the closing bell.

The company has an impressive earnings surprise history. HRB’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four reported quarters and missed once, delivering an average surprise of 1.8%.

Shares of HRB have had a decent run over the past month. The stock has risen 17.4% compared with the industry’s 10.1% gain and the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 2.8% growth.

Q4 Expectations From HRBThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pinned at $1.12 billion, suggesting a 0.6% rise from fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 actuals.

Multiple factors such as strong client retention, increased investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and robust assisted tax preparation demand are collectively expected to have boosted the company’s top line in the June-end quarter of fiscal 2026.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues from U.S. assisted tax preparation is pegged at $702 million, suggesting a 2.3% year-over-year increase. The consensus estimate for Service revenues is pegged at $1.08 billion, indicating a 3.8% year-over-year rise. High demand for expert-led, technology-enabled tax preparation and operational improvements is likely to have driven the expected growth.

HRB’s consistent expansion of its AI capabilities is likely to have positively impacted the top line. The recent expansion of HRB’s AI assistants designed for tax professionals, such as SideKick and AI Tax Assist, is anticipated to have boosted client engagements. The usage of AI to automate the company’s Second Look program, which helps tax professionals review prior-year returns more efficiently, is expected to have improved customer retention.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in the to-be-reported quarter is pegged at $2.23 per share, indicating a 1.8% year-over-year decline. We expect increasing investments in AI and rising operational expenses to have impacted the bottom line in the quarter.

What Our Model Says About HRBOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for H&R Block this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

H&R Block has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Stocks to ConsiderHere are a few stocks, which, according to our model, have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this season.

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.37% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The company is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 19.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ADI’s third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $3.92 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 36.3%. For earnings, the consensus mark is pegged at $3.33 per share, implying a 62.4% increase from the year-ago quarter’s actual. ADI beat the consensus estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 5.5%.

Coherent Corp. (COHR - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.65% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is scheduled to announce its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 12.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COHR’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenues is pegged at $1.99 billion, indicating 30.1% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.62 per share, implying a year-over-year increase of 62%. COHR beat the consensus estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average earnings surprise of 6.2%.

Key Takeaways Pagaya beat Q2 EPS and revenue estimates as network volume hit a record $3.5B, up 33% y/y.PGY said that auto drove more than three-quarters of the year-over-year network volume increase.Pagaya raised its 2026 GAAP net income view to $155-$180M while maintaining its underwriting posture. Pagaya Technologies Ltd. (PGY - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 earnings call to emphasize accelerating partner-led growth, especially in auto, while maintaining its underwriting posture. Management also raised its full-year GAAP net income guidance after record network volume and profitability.

Non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.07 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.71. Total revenues of $387 million surpassed the consensus estimate of $358.2 million.

PGY Auto Flywheel Drives Volume GrowthCEO Gal Krubiner said that Pagaya’s growth reflected its partner-focused strategy, with network volume reaching a record $3.5 billion, up 33% year over year. Auto accounted for more than three-quarters of the year-over-year increase.

President Sanjiv Das said that dynamic offer optimization allows partners to adjust loan amount, APR, down payment and term in real time, helping lenders make more competitive offers at the dealer desk.

A Jefferies analyst asked why auto was accelerating. President Sanjiv Das cited product optimization, closer alignment with market terms and access to application flow that partners previously kept for themselves.

Pagaya Expands Through Partners & ProductsDas said that Pagaya is onboarding about seven partners across personal loans, auto and point of sale, with regional banks gaining importance in the personal-loan pipeline.

Das added that the Affiliate Optimizer product generated more than $1 billion in personal-loan network volume in the second quarter. Pagaya also expects additional personal-loan partners to join Experian Activate and several new partners to go live in the second half.

Krubiner said that the embedded platform is designed to scale products across existing partners with limited incremental investment, allowing new product capabilities to be replicated throughout the network.

PGY Raises Net Income OutlookCFO Jonathan Dobres said that Pagaya raised its full-year GAAP net income guidance by about 25% at the mid-point. The new guidance is $155-$180 million.

For the third quarter, CFO Jonathan Dobres guided network volume of $3.43-$3.63 billion, total revenues and other income to $370-$390 million, adjusted EBITDA to $120-$130 million, and GAAP net income to $42-$52 million.

For 2026, management expects network volume of $12.5-$13.25 billion, revenues of $1.43-$1.53 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $460-$490 million.

Pagaya Defends Underwriting DisciplineA Stephens analyst asked whether faster growth reflected looser underwriting. CEO Krubiner said that the company’s underwriting posture has not changed and attributed growth primarily to new products and deeper partner integration.

President Das said that more than 45% of application flow now comes from non-decline channels as Pagaya moves further up partners’ lending funnels.

Das said that the average personal-loan borrower has about $120,000 of income, a 680 FICO score and a 28% debt-to-income ratio. CFO Jonathan Dobres added that 2025 and 2026 vintages are performing in line with underwriting expectations.

PGY Funding Mix Supports ScaleDas said that Pagaya completed a record $3.7 billion in ABS funding across six transactions, while its last three securitizations were upsized amid investor demand.

CFO Jonathan Dobres said that about 40% of flow now comes from non-prefunded ABS products. The funding mix includes forward flow, committed revolving structures and traditional prefunded ABS.

A Canaccord Genuity analyst asked about forward-flow conditions. CFO Jonathan Dobres said that funding channels are more diversified and committed than before, with forward flow remaining one part of a broader funding strategy.

Pagaya’s Focus After Q2Krubiner kept the strategic focus on extending more products across more partners while preserving operating leverage. Core operating expenses declined 6% year over year even as network volume expanded.

Dobres informed that core operating expenses are already sized for significant growth. Management’s posture coming out of the second quarter centers on scaling the existing platform, maintaining credit discipline and broadening committed funding sources.

PGY Zacks Signals Favor Value & GrowthPGY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), with Value and Growth Scores of A, a Momentum Score of D and a VGM Score of A. The profile combines strong value and growth characteristics with weaker momentum. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Under the Zacks framework, A and B Style Scores are more favorable, while the strongest combinations generally pair those grades with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 (Buy). PGY’s Zacks Rank can change as earnings estimates are revised after the just-reported results.

Quantum Earnings Could Decide Whether the Sector’s Sell-Off Has Gone Too FarD-Wave Quantum NASDAQ: QBTS reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $3.1 million, essentially unchanged from the year-earlier period, as growth in quantum computing-as-a-service subscriptions and professional services offset a smaller contribution from systems revenue.

The company said second-quarter QCaaS subscription revenue rose 50% year over year to $1.9 million, while professional services revenue increased more than 18% to about $900,000. Systems and other revenue was approximately $300,000, primarily tied to installation and site-preparation activities for a previously announced $20 million system sale to Florida Atlantic University.

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D-Wave’s AT&T Deal Shows Quantum Computing Is Moving Beyond TheoryBookings increased 59% from a year earlier to $2.1 million in the quarter, while the average booking size rose more than 87%, according to Chief Financial Officer John Markovich. The company recognized revenue from about 100 customers, with commercial enterprises accounting for 62.4% of revenue, up from 45.1% a year earlier. Forbes Global 2000 customers represented 47.7% of quarterly revenue, compared with 20.4% in the prior-year quarter.

Losses Rise as Company Invests in Development and Sales D-Wave posted a second-quarter net loss of $48 million, or $0.13 per share, compared with a net loss of $167.3 million, or $0.55 per share, a year earlier. The narrower net loss was primarily driven by a $142 million decline in non-cash, non-operating charges related to the remeasurement of its former warrant liability. The company redeemed all of its remaining publicly traded warrants in November 2025.

D-Wave Quantum or a Quantum ETF: Which Is the Better Bet?Adjusted EBITDA loss widened to $37.1 million from $20 million in the prior-year quarter. Markovich said the increase reflected higher personnel-related spending to support accelerated product development and go-to-market initiatives.

GAAP gross profit declined 14% to $1.7 million, and gross margin fell to 55.4% from 63.8%, which the company attributed primarily to increased personnel costs.

For the first six months of 2026, revenue was $5.9 million, down 67% from $18.1 million in the first half of 2025. The prior-year period included $13.7 million of revenue from D-Wave’s first annealing quantum computer system sale. First-half bookings, however, climbed to $35.5 million from $2.9 million, including the $20 million Florida Atlantic University system order.

Remaining performance obligations, or backlog, totaled $40.7 million as of June 30, up 668% from a year earlier. D-Wave said about 57% of that balance is expected to be recognized as revenue within 12 months and 72% within two years.

Production Applications Gain Greater Share of QCaaS Revenue Chief Executive Officer Alan Baratz said the company now has six customer applications in production and is seeing broader interest from large enterprises. More than 37% of first-half QCaaS revenue, or $1.3 million, came from production business applications, compared with 9.8%, or about $300,000, in the first half of 2025.

D-Wave highlighted several customer deployments during the call:

AT&T expanded its agreement with D-Wave to apply annealing quantum computing to network optimization. D-Wave said one early application reduced processing time from about one hour to less than 15 seconds. AT&T plans to assess further uses involving outage response, technician routing, network planning and traffic management. Optum, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary, moved from an initial proof-of-technology effort directly into a production application for optimization problems involving thousands of variables and hundreds of thousands of constraints. Baratz said the application had run about 30,000 jobs by mid-June after launching in May. NTT Docomo used D-Wave technology in mobile-network optimization applications. The company said one deployment reduced paging signals by 15%, while another reduced location-registration signals by about 65% and paging signals by 7% during peak periods. Baratz said the company’s QCaaS pipeline is expanding and that D-Wave is closing larger deals with larger companies. He also said roughly 25% to 30% of current discussions involve business units directly or bring business units into conversations early, compared with none a year ago.

Gate-Model Roadmap and Annealing System Plans D-Wave also detailed progress on its gate-model quantum computing program following its acquisition of Quantum Circuits earlier this year. The company announced peer-reviewed research published in Nature describing a two-qubit entangling gate on an eight-qubit dual-rail processor. According to Baratz, the research demonstrated approximately 99.9% fidelity in two-qubit operations with gate times of about 500 nanoseconds.

The company expects to deliver a 17-physical-qubit dual-rail system later in 2026, followed by a 49-physical-qubit system in 2027 and a 181-physical-qubit system in 2028. D-Wave said the systems are designed to demonstrate progressively lower logical error rates. Its longer-term roadmap calls for a 10-logical-qubit system in 2030 and a system with 100 logical qubits and more than 1 million reliable operations by 2032.

Baratz said D-Wave expects to make a gate-model simulator available through its Leap quantum cloud platform later this year. The company said the simulator is intended to support error-aware quantum programming based on the expected behavior of its dual-rail architecture.

On the annealing side, D-Wave reiterated plans for a 20,000-qubit Advantage 3 system in 2029 and a 100,000-qubit system in 2031. The company also expects to ship two annealing quantum computer systems in 2026, likely during the fourth quarter.

Outlook and Liquidity Markovich said third-quarter revenue is expected to rise modestly from second-quarter levels, while fourth-quarter revenue should increase significantly from the third quarter and account for the majority of 2026 revenue. The timing reflects expected fourth-quarter system shipments and the subsequent installation and calibration work, some of which may carry into 2027.

As of June 30, D-Wave had $546.2 million in cash and marketable investment securities, down from $819.3 million a year earlier. More than 90% of the decrease was related to approximately $250 million in cash consideration paid for the Quantum Circuits acquisition, the company said.

About D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ:QBTS)D-Wave Quantum Inc NYSE: QBTS develops and provides quantum computing systems, software and services focused on quantum annealing technology. Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, D-Wave designs specialized processors that leverage quantum mechanics to solve complex optimization and sampling problems. Since its founding in 1999 by physicists including Geordie Rose, the company has pursued the development of commercially viable quantum hardware and accompanying software tools.

The company’s product portfolio centers on its quantum annealers, which are complemented by hybrid solvers that integrate classical and quantum computing resources.

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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Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC - Free Report) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.02 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.04. This compares to a loss of $0.14 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +50.00%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.06 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.17, delivering a surprise of -183.33%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.

Canopy Growth, which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Products industry, posted revenues of $58.63 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.20%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $52.13 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.

Canopy Growth shares have lost about 18.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 12.6%.

What's Next for Canopy Growth?While Canopy Growth 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 Canopy Growth 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 -$0.03 on $58.66 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$0.11 on $243.57 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 34% 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, FitLife Brands Inc. (FTLF - Free Report) , is 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.

As Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) stock gained over 5% this week fueled by its strong second quarter 2026 earnings report, Finbold has observed its increased insider trading .

Two Pfizer directors, Ronald E. Blaylock and Mortimer J. Buckley spent a total of $1,959,190 to purchase PFE shares on August 5, according to data from Secform4, which Finbold analyzed on August 7. Specifically, Blaylock spent $998,821 to buy 39,231 Pfizer shares at an average price of $25.46, hence increasing shares stake to 71,688.

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Buckley bought 37,632 PFE shares for $960,369 at an average price of $25.52, thereby inflating the holdings to 37,632 shares. On the other hand, Danica Jennifer, the company’s Senior Vice President (SVP) and Controller, sold 3,278 Pfizer shares for $83,261 at an average price of $25.4, thus currently holding 28,611 shares.

Pfizer’s insider trading. Source: Secform4 As a result, Pfizer insider trading has resulted in a net purchase of about $1,875,929.

Why are top executives net-buying Pfizer stock? Top executives at Pfizer are net buying PFE shares after the company delivered a strong quarterly earnings report, raised its full-year guidance, and announced billions in new cost cuts. Pfizer announced $15.03 billion in revenue, which beat analysts’ expectations of $14.41 billion. 

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Additionally, the company raised its full-year 2026 guidance to a range of $60.5 billion to $62.5 billion, up from $59.5 billion to $62.5 billion. The upward adjustment was fueled by its newly acquired drugs that consist of non-COVID portfolio. 

As such, several Wall Street analysts, including Vamil Divan at Guggenheim, have reiterated a Buy rating for Pfizer stock in the next 12 months. As of press time, 20 analysts surveyed by TipRanks have set an average 12-month target for PFE shares at $27.94, signaling a potential 5.96% upside.

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PFE stock price outlook Over the last 30 days, PFE stock price has surged by 8.94%, trading at $26.20 on Friday. Consequently, the company had a market capitalization of approximately $149.3 billion.

PFE stock 30D chart. Source: Finbold The company’s stock price is well positioned to rally further as insider net purchases boosts analysts and investors’ confidence.

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Take-Two Interactive (TTWO - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.36 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.31 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.61 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +16.13%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this publisher of "Grand Theft Auto" and other video games would post earnings of $0.56 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.8, delivering a surprise of +42.86%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Take-Two, which belongs to the Zacks Gaming industry, posted revenues of $1.39 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.30%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.42 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four 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.

Take-Two shares have lost about 9.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 12.6%.

What's Next for Take-Two?While Take-Two 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 Take-Two 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 #1 (Strong 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 $0.90 on $1.81 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.86 on $8.56 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, Gaming is currently in the bottom 27% 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, Bally's (BALY - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026.

This casino operator is expected to post quarterly loss of $2.10 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +44.2%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Bally's' revenues are expected to be $778.5 million, up 18.4% from the year-ago quarter.

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Realty Income (NYSE:O | O Price Prediction) just notched its 115th consecutive quarterly dividend increase and announced a $6 billion hyperscale data center joint venture with Cloud Capital.

Shares trade at $62.70 and are up 14.62% YTD, yet the market treats this like a boring bond proxy. The question: can O reach $100 by 2027?

Why Realty Income Shares Are Stuck Despite a Guidance Raise The stock slipped 3.93% in the past week and is roughly flat over the last month (-0.35%). GAAP EPS of $0.37 came in below consensus, missing expectations, dragged by $54.19 million in real estate impairment provisions.

Net debt to EBITDAre ticked up to 5.4x from 5.2x. With a beta of 0.72, O doesn’t move fast in either direction. The market is punishing the headline miss while ignoring that revenue topped expectations and AFFO/share grew 3.8% YoY.

Wall Street Sees Modest Upside. Our Model Says 38% The Street consensus target is $68.01, built from 3 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 15 Hold, and 1 Strong Sell ratings. Our base case is $86.79 for a 38.42% total return by August 2027, with a bull scenario of $95.15 and a bear of $75.27. Confidence sits at 0.9.

Only 33% of analysts are bullish, too low given quarterly earnings growth of 17.9% YoY and the fact O just became the only fourth U.S. REIT to receive an “A” rating from Fitch. The Street is anchored to the old retail net lease story. The data center pivot changes the growth algorithm.

The Path to $100 Per Share Reaching $100 from today’s price of $62.70 would require a gain of 59.5%. With forward EPS of $2.45, a $100 price implies a forward P/E of 41x. Our base case of $86.79 already implies roughly 29x, meaning the bold target needs about 12x of additional multiple expansion.

Two things are required. First, the market must re-rate O out of the “bond proxy” bucket and into a “hybrid infrastructure REIT” bucket. CEO Sumit Roy laid out the case directly: “we are leveraging our scale, relationships, and track record to access new sources of growth while maintaining the same disciplined underwriting standards that have defined Realty Income for decades.”

Second, AFFO growth must accelerate. Management raised 2026 AFFO guidance to $4.44 to $4.45 and lifted investment volume to $10 billion, deploying capital at a 7.3% initial cash yield. The primary risk is a funding-cost spike that compresses spreads on the deals driving the story.

Where Realty Income Trades Today vs Its Earnings Power At $62.70, O trades at a forward P/E near 26x on the $2.45 forward EPS figure, though the more relevant REIT lens is roughly 14x forward AFFO on $4.44.

That is inexpensive for a name compounding AFFO in the mid-single digits with an “A” credit rating and a 5.14% yield. Shares sit between the 52-week low of $53.77 and high of $66.87. Over 10 years, the stock has returned 51.63% in price alone, before dividends.

$100 Is a Stretch, But Here’s Why It’s Possible Getting to $100 by 2027 requires a 59.5% gain and a re-rating to 41x forward earnings.

Three things need to go right: the Cloud Capital hyperscale JV must scale into a repeatable growth engine, AFFO growth needs to move from 4% toward high single digits, and the rate backdrop needs to cooperate enough to preserve investment-grade funding advantages.

A sharp move higher in long rates would derail it. The base case of $86.79 remains more probable. Returns at this level shouldn’t be expected every year, but the blueprint for reaching $100 in 2027 is clear.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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Investors piling into the Direxion Daily PLTR Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ:PLTU) just watched their fund rip 63.76% in a single week. The catch: over the past 12 months, Palantir stock is essentially flat, yet PLTU holders are down more than a third.

That gap, between a shrugging underlying and a bleeding leveraged product, is the story behind this fund and the reason the retail crowd keeps buying it anyway.

What PLTU Actually Is PLTU is a 2X leveraged single-stock ETF from Direxion designed to deliver daily returns of 200% of Palantir Technologies (PLTR). It is not a long-term buy-and-hold vehicle; leveraged ETFs reset their exposure every day, so multi-day returns can diverge sharply from a simple “2x the stock.” Assets have swelled to $486.9 million as of the fund’s latest NPORT filing dated April 30, 2026, with direct PLTR shares making up 20.97% of net assets and the remainder achieved through cash collateral and swap positions.

The catalyst pulling money in is obvious. Palantir’s Q2 2026 report, filed August 3, 2026, showed adjusted EPS of $0.41 versus the $0.28 consensus and revenue of $1.94 billion, up 92.83% year over year. CEO Alex Karp called the earnings report “otherworldly” and pointed to 149% U.S. commercial revenue growth as evidence the “sovereign AI” thesis is unlocking.

The One-Week Payoff Palantir’s response to the earnings report was violent to the upside. From July 28 to August 4, 2026, PLTR climbed 31.68%, rising from $123.53 to $162.66. PLTU, doing exactly what a 2x fund is supposed to do over a short, trending stretch, jumped from $27.37 to $44.82 in that same window.

Zoom out to one month and the pattern holds: PLTR gained 25.8%, PLTU gained 46.09%. That is the fund working as advertised, and it is the version of the story getting shared on Reddit, where a post titled “Palantir posts blowout Q2 numbers, with U.S. commercial revenue soaring nearly 150%” pulled 491 upvotes and 311 comments in r/stocks.

The Decay Trap Nobody Is Posting About Over the past year, Palantir stock returned 1.24%, moving from $160.66 on August 4, 2025 to $162.66 on August 4, 2026. A naive reader would expect a 2x fund to be up roughly 2.5%. Instead, PLTU lost 34.56%, sliding from $68.49 to $44.82.

A hypothetical $10,000 invested in PLTR one year ago would be worth roughly $10,124 today. The same $10,000 in PLTU would be worth about $6,544.

The mechanism is volatility decay. Because leveraged ETFs reset every day, a stock that swings hard and finishes near where it started still generates real losses in the fund. Palantir did exactly that: it hit $187.75 in December 2025, then bottomed at $133.02 in February 2026, then chopped its way back. Hold this fund through that kind of trip and the daily-reset math grinds capital away, even if the underlying ends the year unchanged.

Year to date, the same picture: PLTR is down 8.49%, PLTU is down 38.09%.

Why Traders Still Want It The bull case for using PLTU lives in the day, not the year. Palantir carries a beta of 1.56 and a forward implied P/E of 133, meaning any earnings surprise or AI-adjacent headline moves the stock in double-digit chunks. Wall Street is broadly onside, with 19 buy ratings against just 1 sell and 1 strong sell, and a consensus 12-month target of $182.20. For a trader who thinks the next catalyst hits in a straight line, 2x exposure without margin is the appeal.

The problem, and it needs saying directly, is that the fund is engineered for that exact use case and nothing more. Direxion’s own prospectus language on its 2X funds warns that “the Fund will lose money if [the underlying’s] performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if [the underlying’s] performance increases over a period longer than a single day.” The last 12 months of PLTU are that warning in chart form.

What to Watch Next Palantir’s Q3 2026 revenue guide of $2.160 to $2.164 billion sets the next catalyst, with adjusted operating income guided to $1.292 to $1.296 billion. If PLTR keeps trending, PLTU keeps compounding upward. If the stock chops between its 52-week range of $106.37 to $207.52, the decay math resumes its quiet work. The fund is doing exactly what it was designed to do. The question is whether the people buying it know which version of the trade they are in.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Micron Technology MU shares fell more than 1.8% on Friday as investors weighed fresh investment plans from South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix alongside a more cautious outlook for memory pricing from Citi.

The memory-chip maker has declined about 9% over the past month, although the stock remains up more than 660% over the past 12 months.

Investor attention remains focused on when memory chip supply will catch up with surging demand driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure.

On Friday, SK Hynix said its board approved 54.3 trillion won ($38.15 billion) in investments for new chip fabrication facilities in South Korea.

The announcement follows even larger investment commitments made earlier this year.

In June, SK Hynix and Samsung said they would spend a combined 800 trillion won ($518.58 billion) to build new semiconductor manufacturing hubs in southwest Korea.

However, additional supply is not expected to arrive immediately.

Large semiconductor fabrication plants typically require years to construct.

Micron's own $100 billion manufacturing project in New York, announced in 2022, is not expected to begin production until 2030, while no major new memory manufacturing capacity is expected to come online until roughly next year, with additional capacity planned for 2028.

Citi lowered its price target on Micron to $1,150 from $1,400 while maintaining its Buy rating, reflecting a more moderate outlook for DRAM and NAND pricing over the coming quarters.

The bank reduced its valuation multiple to 8 times revised calendar-year 2027 earnings estimates from 10 times previously.

"We trim MU TP to $1,150 from $1,400 based on 8x P/E vs prior 10x times revised C27 EPS to reflect lower market multiples on mixed memory peer results," the Citi analyst wrote.

The revision followed meetings with memory supply chain participants and third-party experts during the "Future of Memory and Storage" conference.

"We see both DRAM and NAND prices decelerating Q/Q in the next four quarters with prices peaking in 2Q of next year," the analyst said.

Citi now expects DRAM prices to decline 3% in the second half of 2027 compared with its previous expectation for flat pricing.

NAND prices are projected to fall 5% during the same period. The firm also reduced its fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings estimates by 1% and 2%, respectively.

The bank also expects Micron's profitability to moderate as pricing eases.

"We expect Micron's gross margins to decline from current mid-80s and sustain in mid-70s next year as prices decline from a high base with ~40% DRAM bits under LTA pricing contracts," the analyst wrote.

China expansion remains a longer-term concernBeyond near-term pricing, Citi identified expanding Chinese memory production as its biggest structural concern.

"China competition and capacity additions in both NAND and DRAM markets is the biggest risk to our thesis," the analysts said.

According to Citi, China's leading NAND producer YMTC plans to increase capacity by adding 50,000 to 60,000 wafer starts next year to its existing 200,000-unit capacity and aims to become the world's largest NAND manufacturer by 2030.

DRAM producer CXMT also plans to expand production from roughly 350,000 wafers to around 400,000 next year, with a longer-term target of approximately 600,000 wafers by 2030, although Citi noted that yields remain low.

While US export restrictions limit Chinese-made memory sales into the United States, Citi warned that competition could still affect Micron internationally.

"While US government is unlikely to allow made in China memory sales to US, sales to data centers in other regions like Europe could indirectly impact Micron," analysts wrote.

Analysts on Wall Street project that Pan American Silver (PAAS - Free Report) will announce quarterly earnings of $0.84 per share in its forthcoming report, representing an increase of 95.4% year over year. Revenues are projected to reach $1.16 billion, increasing 43.2% from the same quarter last year.

Over the last 30 days, there has been a downward revision of 6% in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter, leading to its current level. This signifies the covering analysts' collective reconsideration of their initial forecasts over the course of this timeframe.

Before a company reveals its earnings, it is vital to take into account any changes in earnings projections. These revisions play a pivotal role in predicting the possible reactions of investors toward the stock. Multiple empirical studies have consistently shown a strong association between trends in earnings estimates and the short-term price movements of a stock.

While investors typically use consensus earnings and revenue estimates as indicators of quarterly business performance, exploring analysts' projections for specific key metrics can offer valuable insights.

Given this perspective, it's time to examine the average forecasts of specific Pan American Silver metrics that are routinely monitored and predicted by Wall Street analysts.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Ounces Produce - Gold (Silver and Gold Production)' should arrive at 176 thousands of ounces. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 179 thousands of ounces in the same quarter of the previous year.

Analysts' assessment points toward 'Ounces Produce - Silver (Silver and Gold Production)' reaching 6476 thousands of ounces. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 5094 thousands of ounces.

The consensus estimate for 'Ounce Production - La Colorada Operation - Silver' stands at 1468 thousands of ounces. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 1507 thousands of ounces in the same quarter of the previous year.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Ounce Production - Huaron Operation - Silver' of 806 thousands of ounces. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 844 thousands of ounces.

Analysts predict that the 'Ounce Production - San Vicente Operation - Silver' will reach 694 thousands of ounces. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 755 thousands of ounces in the same quarter last year.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Ounce Production - Dolores Operation - Silver' should come in at 109 thousands of ounces. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 291 thousands of ounces.

It is projected by analysts that the 'Ounce Production - Dolores Operation - Gold' will reach 5 thousands of ounces. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 10 thousands of ounces.

Analysts expect 'Ounce Production - Shahuindo Operation - Silver' to come in at 57 thousands of ounces. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 60 thousands of ounces in the same quarter last year.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Ounce Production - Shahuindo Operation - Gold' at 28 thousands of ounces. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 34 thousands of ounces in the same quarter of the previous year.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Ounce Production - Timmins Operation - Gold' will reach 27 thousands of ounces. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 25 thousands of ounces.

The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Average Realized Prices per ounce - Silver' will likely reach $73.70 . The estimate compares to the year-ago value of $32.91 .

Analysts forecast 'Average Realized Prices per ounce - Gold' to reach $4632.88 . Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $3305.00 in the same quarter of the previous year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Pan American Silver here>>>

Shares of Pan American Silver have demonstrated returns of +8.9% over the past month compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.3% change. With a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), PAAS is expected to lag the overall market performance in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .