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F&G Annuities & Life NYSE: FG reported second-quarter adjusted net earnings of $85 million, or $0.65 per share, as lower alternative-investment returns and the impact of a reinsurance transaction weighed on results. Management said the quarter was largely in line with expectations and highlighted growth in assets under management, strong core retail sales and continued efforts to shift toward more fee-based, higher-margin and less capital-intensive businesses.

CEO and President Conor Murphy, speaking on his first earnings call in the role, said the company is focused on expanding its retail and institutional franchises while maintaining disciplined capital allocation. Murphy previously served as F&G's chief financial officer and president before becoming CEO.

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Assets, Sales and Investment Portfolio Assets under management before reinsurance rose 8% from a year earlier to $74.7 billion as of June 30. Retained AUM totaled $55.9 billion, reflecting positive asset flows that were partly offset by the first-quarter cession of a $1.8 billion in-force block associated with the F&G Life Re sale and a $750 million Funding Agreement-Backed Note maturity during the second quarter.

Gross sales totaled $2.7 billion, including $2 billion of core sales and $700 million of opportunistic sales. Core retail sales of indexed annuities and indexed life insurance reached $1.8 billion, which Murphy described as one of F&G's strongest quarters on record for core retail sales. He said the result came despite a year-over-year contraction in industry fixed indexed annuity sales.

Core institutional pension risk transfer sales were $200 million, while opportunistic sales included roughly $600 million of funding agreements and $100 million of Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities, or MYGAs. Management said it has de-emphasized MYGA sales because current returns are below its threshold. Net sales were $1.5 billion, reflecting reinsurance activity consistent with the company's capital targets for fixed indexed annuities and MYGAs.

F&G said 97% of fixed maturities in its retained investment portfolio were investment grade. Fixed-income yield increased to 4.91% from 4.77% in the first quarter and 4.83% in the prior-year quarter. Credit-related impairments averaged six basis points over the past five years and were two basis points during the first half of 2026.

The alternative-investment portfolio totaled $4 billion, or about 8% of the retained portfolio, including approximately $3 billion of limited partnerships and $1 billion of other equity interests. Annualized alternative-investment returns were approximately 5.9% in the second quarter, down from 8.3% in the first quarter. Murphy said many of those investments remain in earlier stages of their value-creation cycles.

Earnings and Capital Position Interim CFO Mark Wiltse said second-quarter alternative-investment income was $49 million, or $0.38 per share, below management's 12% long-term expected return but in line with its previously announced post-tax estimate of $51 million.

Adjusted net earnings declined $25 million from the first quarter. Wiltse attributed $21 million of the after-tax reduction to lower alternative-investment returns and $8 million to the incremental effect of the F&G Life Re resale completed March 1. Those factors were partially offset by consistent core spread, higher fees from accretive flow reinsurance, owned-distribution margin and expense discipline.

Compared with the second quarter of 2025, adjusted net earnings declined $18 million. The F&G Life Re resale reduced earnings by $12 million from the year-earlier period, while lower surrender-charge fee income and higher other liability costs, including expected increased amortization expense, also affected product margins.

Adjusted return on equity excluding accumulated other comprehensive income was 8% in the second quarter. Adjusted return on assets was 68 basis points. Operating expenses as a percentage of AUM before reinsurance declined to 47 basis points from 48 basis points in the first quarter. Management expects the operating expense ratio to improve to approximately 45 basis points by year-end 2027, compared with 60 basis points at the end of 2024. F&G reported GAAP equity excluding AOCI of $6 billion and book value per share excluding AOCI of $45.93. The company targets debt-to-capitalization, excluding AOCI, of approximately 25% and expects to maintain its estimated company action-level risk-based capital ratio above 400%.

Wiltse said the estimated effect of newly adopted NAIC capital charges on the company's collateralized loan obligation portfolio would reduce its RBC ratio by about 10 points as of June 30, before management actions. He described the impact as manageable.

Capital Allocation, Peak Alternatives and Outlook During the first six months of 2026, F&G funded $75 million of common and preferred dividends, $80 million of holding-company interest expense and $120 million of share repurchases. The company bought back 4.5 million shares at an average price of $26.44. Murphy said the second-quarter repurchases were opportunistic and should not be viewed as a primary use of capital going forward. He said approximately $12 million to $15 million remained under the current authorization, while any expansion would be a decision for the board.

Management also discussed Peak Altitude, F&G's owned-distribution business. Peak had approximately $700 million deployed into it and generated about $80 million of annual EBITDA in 2025, according to Murphy. Former CEO Chris Blunt, who remains an F&G director and is CEO of Peak Altitude, has launched a formal process to explore strategic alternatives for the business.

Murphy said F&G would ideally retain a minority ownership position in Peak while bringing in a strategic partner that acquires slightly more than half of the business. He said there has been interest but that the process remains in its early stages.

Looking ahead, management expects continued emphasis on core retail sales, fee-based businesses, life insurance, pension risk transfer and reinsurance partnerships. Murphy said F&G added another flow reinsurance partner in July. He expects pension risk transfer activity to increase in the second half, although he said the company is targeting annual PRT volume in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion rather than seeking year-over-year expansion.

F&G also announced that Mike Bailey, most recently retail CFO at Corebridge Financial, joined the company as incoming CFO. Bailey is expected to formally participate in F&G's third-quarter earnings call.

About F&G Annuities & Life (NYSE:FG)F&G Annuities & Life is the principal life insurance and annuity subsidiary of F&G Financial Group, Inc NYSE: FG, a publicly traded financial services holding company headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The company focuses on designing and issuing retirement income solutions that address longevity risk, capital preservation, and wealth transfer for individual and institutional clients.

Its product suite includes fixed indexed annuities, which offer the potential for market-linked growth with downside protection; fixed-rate annuities, delivering guaranteed interest over a defined term; and a range of life insurance policies such as term, universal, and variable universal life.

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Disney: How the Fubo Sports Deal Became a Game ChangerfuboTV NYSE: FUBO reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 results reflecting its second full quarter as a combined company with Hulu + Live TV, with management highlighting subscriber gains tied to major live sports, early advertising monetization improvements and a higher full-year adjusted EBITDA outlook.

North America revenue was $1.474 billion, compared with $1.074 billion a year earlier. On a pro forma basis, which assumes the Hulu + Live TV combination had been completed at the start of the comparable period, revenue was approximately flat from $1.475 billion in the prior-year quarter. The company ended the quarter with 5.75 million North American subscribers, up 2% from 5.63 million a year earlier. Rest-of-world subscribers rose 2% to 356,000, while rest-of-world revenue declined to $7.8 million from pro forma revenue of $8.6 million.

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Disney 2025 Shareholders: Major Updates for InvestorsThe company posted a net loss of $25.7 million, narrowing from a $38 million loss in the prior-year period. Loss per share was $0.25. Adjusted EBITDA was $19.1 million, compared with pro forma adjusted EBITDA of $31 million a year earlier.

World Cup and Sports Programming Drive Subscriber Activity Chief Executive Officer Alisa Bowen, who was hosting her first earnings call as fuboTV’s CEO, said major live events supported subscriber performance during the quarter. She cited engagement around the NBA Finals and the 2026 World Cup, which concluded roughly two and a half weeks before the call.

Disney: Forging a 3-Headed Sports Streaming Giant With Fubo DealBowen said fuboTV carried World Cup programming in English through Fox and in Spanish through Telemundo and Universo after renewing its NBCUniversal partnership for the Fubo service. The event supported total subscriber growth, with particular strength in enhanced Spanish-language offerings and Fubo-branded services, she said.

Chief Financial Officer John Janedis said the availability of World Cup programming had a favorable subscriber impact, though the company does not disclose performance for individual services. He contrasted a pro forma sequential subscriber decline of about 250,000 in the third quarter of 2025 with a sequential gain of 25,000 subscribers in the latest quarter.

Management said it expects some attrition following the tournament but views the event as a means of attracting higher-quality subscribers to Fubo. Bowen also said referrals from ESPN’s “Where to Watch” feature have converted from free trials to paid subscriptions at a higher rate than customers acquired through other channels, while showing favorable early retention trends.

Advertising Integration Shows Early Gains fuboTV said its migration of advertising inventory to the Disney Ad Server has produced double-digit year-over-year gains in CPMs and fill rates on the Fubo platform. Bowen said the technical elements of the advertising integration were completed in June and that fuboTV participated in Disney’s advertising upfront process for the first time this year.

Janedis said June was the Fubo business’s strongest month of advertising growth in at least several years. He added that CPMs rose year over year across news, sports and entertainment during the month, despite management’s prior discussion of softness in entertainment advertising.

Bowen said Disney’s audience-first sales approach enables advertisers to purchase the reach of the broader Disney portfolio while using audience-based targeting. She said Fubo’s sports viewing data and fan audiences can contribute to Disney’s Audience Graph, potentially improving monetization as advertisers pursue sports audiences across platforms.

Management said the advertising integration is tracking ahead of plan. Janedis said the company achieved CPM gains sooner than initially expected and identified advertising as a potential driver not only in the fourth quarter but also over subsequent quarters.

Strategy Focuses on Product Segmentation and Disney Collaboration Bowen said the company intends to retain Fubo and Hulu + Live TV as distinct products rather than combine them into one service. She said the brands appeal to different customer groups: Fubo maintains a sports-focused identity across news, sports and entertainment, while Hulu + Live TV has a broader entertainment proposition supported by Disney’s streaming bundles.

The company’s strategy is taking shape around four areas:

Optimizing pricing and package segmentation; Expanding the content portfolio with programming partners; Developing distribution and marketing partnerships; and Investing in technology, innovation and artificial intelligence. Bowen said fuboTV will provide additional detail on its strategic roadmap during its November earnings call. She said artificial intelligence is being used for search, content discovery, personalization, engineering workflows and marketing optimization. The company expects to introduce an AI-driven voice-search and discovery feature in time for football season.

Fubo also launched its Multiview feature on LG devices during the quarter. Bowen said the company plans to continue investing in user-interface innovation, while Disney is expected to bring Hulu + Live TV integration to the Disney+ application by the end of the calendar year.

Outlook Raised as Company Cites Balance Sheet Flexibility fuboTV ended the quarter with $236.4 million in cash equivalents and restricted cash and expects to finish the year with more than $200 million of cash. Janedis said the company’s cash balance exceeds the outstanding face value of its 2029 convertible notes, giving management “a lot of optionality.”

The company raised its fiscal 2026 pro forma adjusted EBITDA outlook to a range of $90 million to $100 million. It continues to target at least $300 million of adjusted EBITDA in fiscal 2028 and positive free cash flow in fiscal 2027 and 2028 under its current operating plan.

Janedis said fuboTV will continue investing in programming, marketing, technology and product development. He also said the combined company has identified savings opportunities in vendor contracts and has already completed a handful of renewals at substantially improved rates. Programming-contract benefits are expected to emerge over a medium- to longer-term period as multiyear agreements come up for renewal.

Bowen also announced that co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Alberto Horihuela will transition toward the end of the year into a senior adviser role. He will remain with the company as Founder Advisor through 2027.

About fuboTV (NYSE:FUBO)fuboTV Inc is a sports-focused live TV streaming platform that provides subscribers with access to a broad range of televised sports, news and entertainment programming. The service offers tiered channel packages featuring major networks such as ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC and regional sports networks, along with bundled options for premium channels and international programming. A core element of fuboTV's proposition is its cloud DVR functionality, which enables users to record live events and store them for later viewing.

In addition to its live television offerings, fuboTV has developed an in-house ad-supported streaming network—fubo Sports Network—that delivers original sports news, analysis and highlights.

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3 Red-Hot Cloud Infrastructure Stocks Powering 2025 GrowthFastly NYSE: FSLY reported record second-quarter revenue and improved profitability as customers expanded their use of its network, security and Compute products. The company also raised its full-year 2026 revenue and operating-profit outlook.

Revenue for the second quarter rose 23% year over year to $183.3 million, exceeding Fastly’s guidance range of $170 million to $176 million. Non-GAAP operating income was $27 million, above the company’s forecast of $12 million to $16 million, while non-GAAP operating margin reached 14.7%.

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3 Beaten-Down Small Caps Building Momentum for a 2025 Rally“Fastly delivered another exceptional quarter, demonstrating the success of our platform strategy efforts,” CEO Kip Compton said. He said the company’s results reflected customers adopting more products on its unified platform, alongside operational discipline and investment in higher-value growth opportunities.

Security and Compute Growth Fastly said security revenue increased 43% from a year earlier to $41.7 million, representing 23% of total revenue compared with 20% in the prior-year quarter. Network services revenue grew 17% to $133.9 million, while other products revenue increased 69% to $7.7 million, primarily driven by Compute sales related to AI and associated customer requirements.

Akamai: AI Tailwinds Drive Edge Computing and Security GrowthCompton said Fastly’s security and other revenue combined grew 46% year over year and reached an annual run rate of nearly $200 million. DDoS Protection and Bot Management each recorded triple-digit year-over-year growth, according to the company.

The company cited AI-driven and agentic traffic as a tailwind across its business, particularly in security and Compute. Compton said AI-generated traffic is growing at roughly 6.5 times the rate of human traffic, increasing demand for tools that can determine whether requests should be authorized, cached, throttled, monetized or blocked.

During the question-and-answer session, Compton said the company does not separately disclose AI traffic volumes but has identified customers where AI tools appear to be driving traffic growth. He said AI and agentic traffic are producing a larger effect in security and Compute than in network services, in part because AI requests can have high request volumes but lower bandwidth needs than streaming events.

Chief Financial Officer Rich Wong said the company’s Next-Gen Web Application Firewall, along with DDoS and Bot Management offerings, were key contributors to security growth. He characterized DDoS and bot-management adoption as still being in the “second inning” and said those products offer substantial cross-selling opportunity.

Customer Expansion and Major Events Fastly’s trailing 12-month net retention rate rose to 117%, compared with 113% in the first quarter and 104% a year earlier. The company said the increase reflected expansion across a broad range of customers using more of its platform.

Large customers, defined as those with more than $100,000 in annualized revenue, totaled 624 at quarter-end. Remaining performance obligations reached $341 million, up 38% from a year earlier, with the current portion of RPO growing 44%.

The company said the revenue outperformance was driven by increased traffic from its largest customers and, to a lesser extent, live sporting events and other one-time activities. Fastly’s top 10 customers accounted for 37% of second-quarter revenue and grew revenue 48% year over year. Revenue from customers outside the top 10 rose 12%.

Wong said less than half of the $10 million by which revenue exceeded the midpoint of guidance was attributable to episodic activity. He noted that 75% of World Cup games occurred in the second quarter, with the remaining 25% expected in the third quarter. Fastly also supported other live events, including an event held on the White House lawn.

Compton said Fastly believes it is gaining share in network services where performance matters, with customer wins often tied to platform reliability, resilience and security effectiveness rather than price discounting. He added that the company wants to generate more new customer wins and growth beyond its largest accounts, even as top customers continue to expand.

Margins, Cash Flow and Outlook Fastly’s non-GAAP gross margin reached a record 65.8%, up from 59% a year earlier and above the company’s guidance midpoint of 64%. Wong said the improvement reflected higher revenue relative to infrastructure costs as well as expense discipline in cost of revenue. He said the company believes gross margins can be sustained around current levels.

Non-GAAP net income was $26.2 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared with a loss of $5 million, or $0.03 per share, in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted EBITDA totaled $38.1 million, or 21% of revenue, compared with $8.9 million, or 6% of revenue, a year earlier.

Fastly ended the quarter with approximately $337 million in cash equivalents, marketable securities and investments, and a positive net cash balance of $14 million. Operating cash flow was $39.3 million, while free cash flow was $3.6 million, marking the company’s sixth consecutive quarter of positive free cash flow.

Third-quarter revenue is projected at $184 million to $190 million. Third-quarter non-GAAP operating income is expected to be $20 million to $24 million. Full-year 2026 revenue guidance was raised to $732 million to $746 million. Full-year non-GAAP operating income guidance was increased to $88 million to $96 million. Fastly maintained its full-year free-cash-flow outlook of $40 million to $50 million. For 2026, Fastly expects gross margin of approximately 65%, plus or minus 50 basis points. The company anticipates infrastructure capital spending of 10% to 12% of revenue, with spending weighted toward the first half as it added equipment amid supply-chain constraints. Wong said Fastly continues to monitor memory-component supply conditions and is using software-defined infrastructure and server upgrades to expand capacity efficiently.

Fastly plans to discuss its platform strategy, growth opportunities and financial disclosures further at its Investor Day on Sept. 22 in New York.

About Fastly (NYSE:FSLY)Fastly, Inc operates an edge cloud platform designed to accelerate, secure and enable modern digital experiences. The company offers a suite of services including a content delivery network (CDN), edge compute, load balancing, web application firewall (WAF) and DDoS protection. Fastly's real-time architecture allows customers to seamlessly deploy software logic at the network edge, reducing latency by bringing applications and content closer to end users.

Founded in 2011 by Artur Bergman, Fastly has evolved from a pure-play CDN provider into a comprehensive edge cloud platform.

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Cardano (ADA) is displaying renewed bullish momentum after reclaiming a crucial support trendline, drawing positive attention from market analysts. The network’s recent achievements in cross-chain interoperability, particularly the launch of its inaugural IBC bridge with Injective, are further bolstering confidence in both its on-chain development and market outlook.

Market Structure Strengthens, Analysts Eye Key LevelsADA is currently trading at $0.2015, supported by a 24-hour volume of $827.85 million and a market capitalization of $7.35 billion. The stabilization of ADA’s price action over the past day, along with network expansion, points to the potential for a bullish reversal.

Technical analysts, including The Boss, emphasized that Cardano’s price is forming a pattern of higher lows above its longstanding ascending trendline. This development suggests buyers are gradually regaining control after a period of consolidation.

The prospect of a renewed rally has led traders to focus on resistance levels at $0.2242, $0.3136, $0.3825, and $0.4488. Maintaining momentum above the key trendline would affirm the bullish outlook, while a decisive breakout could signal a transition from accumulation to a new expansion phase.

Buyers have managed to reclaim ADA’s recent trading range, strengthening the market structure and supporting the case for further upside, according to The Boss. The formation of higher lows highlights increasing investor confidence in the ongoing recovery.

Cardano and Injective Complete Live IBC ConnectionData from crypto analyst Mintern indicated that Cardano has completed its first live cross-chain bridge, connecting with the Injective blockchain through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. This integration enables seamless transfers of assets between the two networks, eliminating the need for centralized intermediaries and enhancing cross-chain liquidity for users of both ecosystems.

This bridge not only expands Cardano’s reach beyond its native blockchain, but also provides Injective with access to one of the largest proof-of-stake ecosystems. Such technological developments underscore the industry’s focus on blockchain infrastructure, capital efficiency, and multi-chain innovation.

The live IBC bridge empowers ADA and Injective assets to be utilized across both networks, marking a significant milestone for blockchain interoperability and decentralized finance access.

With momentum building around ADA’s price and network capabilities, traders are closely monitoring how Cardano manages upcoming resistance levels. A strong move above these points could further strengthen market sentiment and attract additional buyers.

Simultaneously, increasing activity on the Injective IBC bridge may positively impact Cardano’s DeFi landscape by facilitating broader asset integration and cross-chain financial services.

Tools for Real-Time Crypto Market TrackingAs technical setup and real-time data have grown vital for traders following ADA’s trend, platforms like CryptoAppsy have emerged to streamline market monitoring. Without requiring users to create accounts, CryptoAppsy centralizes portfolio management, live prices, personalized alerts, and macroeconomic insights, enabling investors to stay agile and quickly respond to price movements, news, and Fed policy changes.

The ability to filter coin-specific updates and receive alerts as assets approach resistance or support levels is increasingly valued by both institutional and retail participants as Cardano and Injective continue to broaden their interoperability and reach within the blockchain sector.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

3 Healthcare Stocks With Fresh Dividend Hikes and Different Income ProfilesEncompass Health NYSE: EHC reported second-quarter 2026 results marked by revenue, earnings and discharge growth, prompting the inpatient rehabilitation provider to raise its full-year outlook.

Revenue increased 9.6% from the prior-year quarter, while adjusted EBITDA rose 9.2% to $348 million and adjusted earnings per share increased 10.7%, President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Tarr said on the company’s earnings call. The revenue increase reflected 5.6% discharge growth and a 3.9% increase in net revenue per discharge, according to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Doug Coltharp.

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Healthcare Added 35,200 Jobs—3 Stocks Positioned to BenefitColtharp said the increase in net revenue per discharge was driven by higher patient acuity, including growth in medically complex categories such as stroke and brain injury. Same-store stroke volume rose 5.5%, while same-store brain injury volume increased 3.9%. Total growth in those categories was 7.9% and 8.0%, respectively. Knee and hip replacement volume increased about 1% during the quarter.

Guidance Raised Following Second-Quarter Results The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook and now expects net operating revenue of $6.41 billion to $6.49 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $1.365 billion to $1.395 billion, and adjusted EPS of $6.02 to $6.25.

More Than Yield: 5 Stocks Beating the Market and Hiking DividendsThe updated outlook incorporates an estimated 2.3% increase in net revenue per Medicare discharge beginning Oct. 1, based on the 2027 inpatient rehabilitation facility final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on July 30. The company expects the rule’s Medicare pricing impact in the fourth quarter to be approximately 2.3%.

Encompass also revised its assumptions for salaries, wages and benefits per full-time equivalent employee, now expecting growth of 3.5% to 4.0% for 2026. Coltharp said the increase reflects greater participation in nursing and therapy career ladder programs, although the company expects the investments to support retention, quality and lower reliance on premium labor.

Premium labor costs declined $2.6 million year over year to $25 million in the quarter. Contract labor represented 1.1% of total FTEs, improving 20 basis points from the second quarter of 2025. The company has recorded 11 consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines in premium labor costs, Coltharp said.

However, Encompass reduced its expected 2026 net provider-tax benefit to adjusted EBITDA to approximately $10 million, from a prior expectation of roughly $21 million. The change stemmed primarily from retroactive adjustments related to the 2025 Florida Medicaid program.

Capacity Expansion Continues Demand for inpatient rehabilitation services remained strong, Tarr said. During the second quarter, Encompass opened a 50-bed hospital in Concordville, Pennsylvania, and a 40-bed hospital in Loganville, Georgia. The Loganville facility is the company’s eighth joint venture with Piedmont. It also added 10 beds at existing hospitals.

Through the first half of 2026, the company opened three hospitals totaling 139 beds and added 54 beds at existing facilities. It plans to open another five hospitals with 250 total beds during the remainder of the year and add between 100 and 150 beds to existing hospitals.

Encompass’ announced development pipeline beyond 2026 includes 13 hospitals and 606 beds. Management said it expects to announce additional projects, including smaller-format hospitals, later this year.

Systemwide occupancy was 77.4% in the second quarter, up 290 basis points from a year earlier. The company had 60 hospitals with occupancy above 90%, averaging 94% occupancy. About 90% of planned bed additions for the second half of 2026 and first half of 2027 are slated for hospitals in that highly occupied group.

New hospitals have generally reached four-wall positive EBITDA by month six and occupancy above 70% by month 10, Coltharp said. The company has lowered the occupancy threshold at which it begins evaluating bed expansions to 70% to 75%, compared with its historical range of 80% to 85%.

North Carolina Opportunity and Capital Allocation North Carolina repealed its certificate-of-need law for inpatient rehabilitation care effective Oct. 1. Encompass currently operates one hospital in the state and has identified 15 priority markets after conducting a market-by-market review. The company has three real-estate parcels under contract and expects its next North Carolina hospital opening in late 2028 or early 2029.

Management said the state could move the company toward the upper end of its target to open six to 10 new facilities annually beginning in 2029. The opportunity may also include a hub-and-spoke approach combining traditional hospitals and small-format facilities.

During the quarter, Encompass repurchased about 704,000 shares for $74.2 million, bringing year-to-date repurchases to approximately 1.41 million shares for $145.8 million. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $0.21 per share, payable in October, and raised its share repurchase authorization to $1 billion.

The company issued $500 million of 5.875% senior notes due 2034 during the quarter and used most of the proceeds to redeem $400 million of 4.5% senior notes due 2028. Net leverage stood at 1.9 times at quarter-end.

Medicare Advantage Appeals and Workforce Programs Management said Medicare Advantage preauthorization denials remained a challenge, despite marginal improvement from the fourth quarter of 2025 and first quarter of 2026. Encompass has been piloting an “admit and appeal” program across nine hospital markets since late February.

Through July, the company had admitted 298 patients under the program. Of 144 cases that had been fully adjudicated, Encompass prevailed in 128 cases, an 89% success rate. Chief Operating Officer Pat Tuer said the company may initially expand the effort for diagnoses where results have been strongest, including potentially stroke patients, before considering a broader rollout by year-end.

The company also cited improvement in clinical turnover. Annualized nursing turnover was about 19%, the lowest level in more than 12 years, while therapy turnover was just above 7%, the lowest in five years. Tuer said 43% of eligible registered nurses and certified nurses participate in the company’s career ladder programs, and turnover among ladder participants was approximately 5%.

About Encompass Health (NYSE:EHC)Encompass Health Corporation is a leading provider of post‐acute healthcare services in the United States, operating a comprehensive network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and home health and hospice agencies. Its inpatient rehabilitation hospitals offer intensive therapy programs for patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cardiac and pulmonary disorders, and orthopedic procedures. Through its home health segment, Encompass Health delivers skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to patients in the comfort of their homes, while its hospice services provide end‐of‐life care focused on symptom management and emotional support for patients and families.

Founded in 1984 as HealthSouth Corporation and rebranded as Encompass Health in 2018, the company has grown organically and through acquisitions to serve patients across more than 30 states.

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3 Small-Cap Stocks to Watch After the Fed’s Rate CutsEmergent Biosolutions NYSE: EBS reported second-quarter 2026 revenue and adjusted EBITDA above its prior guidance and analyst consensus, driven by accelerated medical countermeasure deliveries to U.S. government customers. The company also lowered its full-year outlook as increased competition and pricing pressure in the naloxone market are expected to weigh on sales of NARCAN.

Revenue for the second quarter totaled $234 million, above the high end of the company’s prior guidance range of $185 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $97 million, representing a 41% margin, compared with $33 million and a 23% margin in the year-earlier period. Year-to-date revenue reached $390 million, up from $363 million in the first half of 2025, while adjusted EBITDA increased to $132 million from $112 million.

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Big Rallies Brewing? 3 Analyst Favorites to Watch CloselyChief Executive Officer Joseph Papa said the results reflected “strong execution and acceleration” of medical countermeasure, or MCM, deliveries during the quarter. MCM revenue totaled $168 million, which Papa said was the company’s highest second-quarter MCM revenue since 2020.

Medical Countermeasures Drive First-Half Performance Emergent said its MCM business remains a central growth driver, supported by contracts with the U.S. government and international customers. During the quarter, the company received a $52.7 million contract modification for ACAM2000 and a $64.5 million contract modification for botulism antitoxin. It secured more than 10 contract awards year to date.

Watch These 4 Overbought Stocks As Market Rotation ContinuesInternational MCM sales accounted for approximately 20% of total first-half 2026 MCM revenue, according to Papa. The company cited continued engagement with U.S. and allied governments amid heightened concerns about biodefense preparedness.

Papa also said Emergent is seeking to collaborate with artificial intelligence leaders and partners to address potential bioterrorism risks and improve preparedness. He noted that the company continues to pursue programs including TEMBEXA, Ebanga and Raxibacumab. The MOSA study in Africa, which is evaluating TEMBEXA in Mpox, has enrolled more than 100 patients, with additional sites being opened by the study sponsor and partners.

During the quarter, Emergent received Saudi Food and Drug Authority approval for ACAM2000 and approval from Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority to expand ACAM2000’s label to include an Mpox indication.

NARCAN Competition Prompts Restructuring and Impairment Management said the naloxone market changed late in the second quarter with a new 4-milligram over-the-counter nasal naloxone approval on June 16 and the anticipated August launch of a 10-milligram prescription product. The company also cited more aggressive pricing across the category.

Papa said Emergent believes NARCAN retains more than 50% of the naloxone market and remains the market leader. However, he said the company expects further price erosion as new competitors enter the market. Management expects overall naloxone unit demand to remain relatively flat.

In response, Emergent announced restructuring actions expected to generate about $40 million in annualized net savings. The measures include:

A reduction of approximately 90 positions; The closure of two wet laboratories in Maryland; The sale of an underutilized office building for $6.4 million; and An exit from a central warehouse lease. The company expects to incur approximately $11 million in costs to achieve the savings. Papa said the company will begin realizing some savings in 2026, with the full $40 million annualized run rate expected in 2027.

Chief Financial Officer Rich Lindahl said Emergent recorded a non-cash impairment charge of approximately $191 million during the second quarter related to the NARCAN asset group. The charge reflected the company’s revised assessment of expected future cash flows amid pricing and competitive developments. Lindahl said the impairment does not affect cash, liquidity, operating cash flow or adjusted EBITDA, but will reduce GAAP net income.

Emergent plans to seek growth in the commercial franchise through additional NARCAN offerings, including a carrying case, multipack configurations and wall kits.

Outlook Lowered on Commercial Revenue Pressure Emergent lowered its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $645 million to $675 million, from a prior range of $720 million to $760 million. The revision primarily reflects lower expected commercial revenue in the second half due to increased NARCAN competition and naloxone pricing and volume pressure.

The company maintained its view that MCM revenue would be flat to slightly down for the full year, with the first-half benefit from accelerated deliveries already reflected in reported results.

GAAP net loss: $245 million to $225 million Adjusted net income: $10 million to $30 million Adjusted EBITDA: $130 million to $150 million, down from prior guidance of $155 million to $175 million Adjusted gross margin: 42% to 44% Third-quarter revenue: $110 million to $130 million At June 30, Emergent had $140 million in cash and $190 million in total liquidity. Gross debt was $590 million and net debt was $450 million. Lindahl said the company collected $145 million through July from accounts receivable outstanding at quarter-end, describing the collections as normal working-capital activity rather than a securitization or financing transaction.

The company completed a term loan refinancing in April, establishing a $150 million term loan maturing in 2031. Its board also authorized a $75 million program to repurchase senior unsecured notes. During the second quarter, Emergent repurchased 1.1 million shares for approximately $9 million, bringing year-to-date share repurchases to $18 million.

About Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS)Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing medical countermeasures and specialty products that address public health threats. The company's portfolio includes vaccines, antibody therapies and critical care products designed to protect against biological, chemical and emerging infectious disease threats. Emergent has longstanding partnerships with government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), to support national preparedness programs.

Key commercial products in Emergent's lineup include BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed), ACAM2000 (smallpox vaccine) and Vaxchora (cholera vaccine), alongside therapeutic treatments such as Anthrasil (anthrax immune globulin) and the naloxone-based nasal spray Narcan for opioid overdose reversal.

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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From High-Yield to High-Growth: 3 Stocks Boosting DividendsDevon Energy NYSE: DVN said second-quarter execution exceeded its guidance targets as the company advanced integration work following its May 7 merger with Coterra, identified more than 350 synergy initiatives and completed its 2026 debt-reduction target.

Second-quarter results included legacy Devon operations for the full period and Coterra operations beginning May 7. President and Chief Executive Officer Clay Gaspar said the company generated $1.7 billion in adjusted free cash flow while exceeding guidance for oil production, total production and capital spending.

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Devon Energy Bets on Scale With Coterra Acquisition“We outperformed our second quarter guidance across the key value drivers,” Gaspar said. “That execution translated into a $1.7 billion adjusted free cash flow.”

Production, costs and capital spending beat guidance Chief Financial Officer Shane Young said oil production averaged 503,000 barrels per day, or 1.6% above the midpoint of guidance. Total production reached 1.36 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, at the top end of the company’s forecast range.

3 Dividend Stocks Offering Higher Yields and Bullish ForecastsTotal operating costs, including gathering, processing and transportation expenses, were $8.23 per barrel of oil equivalent, 2% better than the midpoint of guidance. Capital expenditures totaled $1.3 billion, 2.4% below the midpoint, Young said.

Gaspar said the company’s reinvestment rate improved to 43% of cash flow, compared with rates in the mid-50% range over the preceding two years. He attributed the performance to well productivity and drilling and completion efficiencies.

Following first-half execution, Devon tightened its full-year 2026 oil-production guidance to 495,000 to 505,000 barrels per day. The company expects total volumes of about 1.4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and full-year capital spending of $4.8 billion to $5 billion.

For the third quarter, Devon forecast oil production of 550,000 to 560,000 barrels per day, total production of 1.66 million to 1.69 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, and capital spending of $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion. Young said the quarter should be the company’s highest-capital quarter of 2026, reflecting a full quarter of combined operations and some spending that shifted from the second quarter. Capital spending is expected to decline in the fourth quarter as activity decreases in the Marcellus, Anadarko and Powder areas.

Merger integration and shareholder returns Gaspar said Devon is confident it can achieve at least $1 billion in annual synergies by year-end 2027. The company has identified more than 350 initiatives across capital optimization, operating margins and corporate costs.

The capital initiatives include lower drilling and completion costs, supply-chain benefits and reallocating 2027 spending toward more efficient uses. Operational plans include consolidating field activities, leveraging infrastructure and improving gathering, processing, transportation and revenue deductions. Corporate initiatives include eliminating redundancies and lowering the cost of capital.

Young said Devon returned more than $1 billion during the second quarter through dividends, share repurchases and debt reduction. The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, up 33% from the first quarter, totaling $366 million. It also repurchased 4.3 million shares during the final seven weeks of the quarter after buybacks resumed following the merger closing.

Devon retired $250 million of senior notes and $250 million of term-loan debt during the quarter. In July, it retired the remaining $750 million of its term loan scheduled to mature in the third quarter. The company said it has now completed its $1.25 billion debt-reduction target for 2026. It ended the quarter with $4 billion in liquidity, including $1 billion of cash. Devon’s remaining repurchase authorization was $7.8 billion, which Young said would be deployed through a combination of systematic and opportunistic repurchases. The company is targeting approximately $9 billion of total debt by year-end 2027, a level it said is achievable largely through maturities occurring during 2027.

Permian lease sale adds inventory Devon highlighted its acquisition of federal acreage in New Mexico’s Delaware Basin, which it said added approximately 400 premium drilling locations. Gaspar said the headline acquisition cost was $6.5 million per location, but the acreage’s 12.5% federal royalty rate—roughly half the typical royalty burden for state and private acreage—provided an estimated $2.5 million per-location benefit. That implied an effective cost of roughly $4 million per location, he said.

The acreage was undeveloped and adjacent to Devon’s existing footprint, according to Gaspar. He said the location could support longer laterals and benefit from the company’s existing water, gas-gathering and electrical infrastructure. Devon is already filing permits and expects the acreage to play a meaningful role in its 2027 program.

Gaspar said the federal lease sale was the last Delaware Basin federal sale of that scale. Going forward, the company expects to focus on acreage trades and smaller bolt-on acquisitions.

Technology and portfolio review remain priorities Management described technology as a key component of its operational and integration strategy. Gaspar said Devon’s closed-loop artificial intelligence system is autonomously optimizing 1,000 wells in real time, with broader deployment planned. The company is also using proprietary subsurface models to predict well performance and optimize spacing and completion designs.

Devon reported that its first 10 surfactant trial wells across six landing zones showed improved recovery versus offset control wells. John Raines, executive vice president of exploration and production for the Permian, said 90% of the trial wells showed material uplift and the company observed more than 15% uplift at 180 days. Devon plans to expand the completion-phase testing program to more than 50 wells this year.

The company is also conducting surfactant work during the production phase of wells in the Delaware Basin, with plans to scale that activity to about 20 jobs per month and evaluate expansion to the Williston Basin by year-end.

Meanwhile, Devon’s portfolio review remains underway. Gaspar said each asset is being evaluated on capital efficiency, free-cash-flow durability, market value and strategic fit within a Permian-centric business. He expects an update this fall and said the review would be measured in months rather than years.

On potential sale proceeds, Young said Devon would first address associated tax obligations and then assess the effect of any divestiture on cash flow, credit capacity and its debt target. He said possible uses could include debt reduction, opportunistic repurchases, dividend support or, for a sufficiently large transaction, an accelerated share-repurchase program.

About Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN)Devon Energy Corporation NYSE: DVN is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company focuses on the exploration, development, production and marketing of hydrocarbons, including crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and natural gas. Devon operates as an upstream energy company that acquires, evaluates and develops onshore resource plays using a combination of drilling, completion and production optimization techniques.

Core business activities include identifying and developing energy reserves, operating well programs and managing reservoir performance to generate production and cash flow.

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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Edited by

StatusCore contributors identified a critical vulnerability affecting the V5 Alpha proving system on 27 July 2026 through internal AI-assisted auditing.

V5 remains Alpha software. Critical findings can arise during this phase, and the audit process exists to identify them before broader deployment. This finding places V5 funds, applications, and contract state at risk.

Treat funds and applications on V5 as exposed to a protocol-level failure until contributors complete incident response work and operators carry out the required network actions.

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What we are disclosingAn attacker may be able to exploit a flaw in the current V5 proving system by constructing a proof that passes verification for a transaction the network should reject. If accepted, that transaction could produce a state transition outside the rules V5 intends to enforce.

Contributors cannot determine whether anyone exploited the flaw before this finding. The affected system lacks the information needed to distinguish ordinary accepted transactions from transactions accepted through the flawed proving path. Historical chain activity cannot establish whether exploitation occurred or quantify its impact.

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Application safeguardsWe expect application teams to prepare safeguards in the coming weeks.

Those safeguards may include changes to application controls, deployment procedures, user flows, and migration plans. We expect each team to assess its contracts and determine which protections fit its architecture and users.

We expect teams planning a V5 deployment to pause that work until contributors publish further guidance. We expect teams with live contracts to review their ability to limit user exposure, isolate affected functionality, and move users to fresh deployments if needed.

We expect applications that maintain administrative or emergency controls to assess whether those controls can reduce user risk during the incident timeframe.

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Next stepsCore contributors are working with operators, application teams, and bridge operators as applications add security guards around affected flows.

The findings from this incident will inform the V6 release, including circuit updates that prevent the network from accepting proofs tied to an affected proving system.

V5 launched as Alpha software, with V6 planned for later in 2026. Contributors will publish a security roadmap covering the remaining work and release path.

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Known vulnerability statusReviewers have not identified other high-severity or critical V5 Alpha vulnerabilities at this time.

Internal and external human audits have completed, and contributors continue AI-assisted auditing. Alpha is the period for identifying faults before production deployment.

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Community

Community

4 Aug

•

xx min read

Dark Forest Aztec Game Goes LiveDark Forest is a real-time strategy game played across a procedurally generated universe where most of the map is hidden. You cannot see rival players, their planets, or their fleets. You only know what you have explored. Everyone shares one universe, and nobody has the full picture.

In most onchain games, every position and every move is public, because the chain is public. Dark Forest used zero-knowledge proofs to break that assumption: players prove their moves are valid without revealing where those moves came from. The result is a game of hidden information running on a public network.

Dark Forest Aztec ports the original Dark Forest 0.6 to Aztec. It keeps the gameplay from the original and rebuilds the privacy layer on Aztec's programmable privacy.

A note before diving in: this is early, experimental software on Aztec Alpha V5. Treat it as an alpha and play accordingly.

The universe you cannot seeYou start on a single home planet with almost the entire map dark. To find anything you mine the universe, running a client that explores coordinates and reveals what sits there: unclaimed planets, resources, and eventually the edges of other players' territory.

You are never handed a view of the board. You earn it one region at a time, and everyone else works under the same fog.

What is hidden on AztecYour home coordinates and your fleet movements are private state, expressed as first-class private notes on Aztec. Your location and where you send energy stay hidden, enforced in the contracts by zero-knowledge cryptography.

What sits onchain is a set of cryptographic commitments. Instead of storing every planet's full details in the open, the contracts store Poseidon2 hashes of entity state. When you make a move, your client supplies the full state, the contract checks it against the stored hash, applies the change under zero-knowledge constraints, and writes a new hash back. Full game state lives offchain and gets rebuilt from public logs by an indexer, which is what renders your map without exposing every player's position.

So you can prove you made a legal move from a planet you own without revealing where that planet is. Aztec applies the same principle to private payments and private contracts.

How you playFour actions carry the game.

Explore. Your explorer sits in the bottom left. Set it running and it uncovers the map around you, surfacing planets, resources, and other players.

Send energy. Most planets produce energy. Click and drag from a planet you own toward a target to capture or weaken it.

Route silver. Asteroid fields produce silver. Move it to your planets and spend it on upgrades, or send it to a Spacetime Rip to convert it into score.

Hunt artifacts. Some planets hold artifacts. Your Gear ship discovers them. Once harvested, you deposit them on planets to boost stats.

Four stats drive most decisions.

Energy is the core resource. Planets generate it over time up to a capacity, and you spend it on everything: claiming planets, reinforcing your own, attacking rivals. Two details matter. Moves are taxed, so a flat percentage of a planet's total capacity burns every time you send energy, which discourages small frequent moves. And energy decays over distance, so send it too far and almost nothing arrives. A common rule of thumb is to let a planet fill to about 75%, then send it down to about 25%.

Defense reduces the damage incoming energy does when it lands. Higher-level planets often have lower defense, but they hold much more energy, so they still take more to capture. Defense matters most on front lines.

Range sets how far a planet can send energy. It governs how fast you expand and how efficiently you move energy inside your own empire, since shorter relative distances mean less decay. Good range also lets you strike deep into an opponent's territory.

Speed sets how quickly a move arrives. Usually secondary, though a fast strike can land before a rival reacts, and some playstyles reward capturing many nearby planets quickly.

Planets can also be upgraded with silver and enhanced with artifacts. Space types carry different multipliers, from mild Nebula to punishing Dead Space, so where a planet sits changes how it plays.

How scoring worksThere is a scoreboard, and territory alone does not win it. This round scores two activities: discovering artifacts with your Gear ship, and withdrawing silver through Spacetime Rips.

Point values from the in-game help page:

Each unit of silver withdrawn: 1Common artifact: 2,000Rare: 10,000Epic: 200,000Legendary: 3,000,000Mythic: 20,000,000Silver accrues one point at a time. A single Mythic artifact is worth twenty million of them, so artifact hunting decides rounds and silver withdrawal sets your floor.

Silver has two competing uses. Spend it on upgrades and your planets get stronger, extending range and hardening defense. Withdraw it through a Spacetime Rip and it becomes scored points, but it is gone. Every unit is a choice between building the empire and banking points.

Upgrades tend to win early, since a stronger empire reaches more asteroid fields and finds more artifacts. Late in a round that calculation flips, because a planet you never use is worth less than points already scored.

Artifacts do both jobs at once. They score on discovery, and once deposited they boost a planet's stats, which makes the next expedition easier.

Why you exploreNothing happens until you find something to act on. Your explorer turns dark space into planets you can capture, asteroid fields you can mine, and artifact-bearing planets you can raid. Sitting still means no new energy, no silver, no score.

Exploring also buys information. The map you have uncovered is an advantage nobody else holds. Knowing where high-level planets sit, which asteroid fields are unclaimed, and where space types shift lets you plan further ahead than someone still working through their starting region.

You find other players as a byproduct. There is no player list. You explore outward until your revealed region touches territory someone already owns: a planet in another player's colors, sitting where you were about to expand. Their home coordinates stay private, so you learn something narrow. Someone is here, roughly this direction, holding this much. You infer the rest, and you have no way of knowing whether they found you first.

What happens when you run into someoneYou have three broad options.

Stay quiet and keep growing. Nothing forces you to engage. Keep exploring elsewhere, keep routing silver, keep upgrading. Your positions stay private, so silence costs you only time, which is what you want if they are stronger. The risk is that they are doing the same thing faster.

Fortify the border. If the contact sits somewhere you cannot lose, spend energy hardening the planets facing them. Defense is worth most where an attack will actually land. This keeps the option to fight without committing to one.

Attack. Send enough energy to overwhelm the target's defense and the planet becomes yours, along with its production and its position as a staging post. Higher-level planets are the prize and take proportionally more to crack.

Attacking costs more than energy. A move that lands tells your rival where you strike from, and that you are close enough to be worth answering. Retaliation can then come from directions you have not explored, launched from planets you cannot see.

Multiplayer in practiceEveryone plays one shared universe in real time. No turns, no lobbies. Energy regenerates whether you are watching or not, moves stay in flight while you sleep, and rivals expand while you are away from the screen.

Most strategy games let you watch a threat approach. Here you tend to see the consequences: a planet you owned this morning in someone else's colors, an incoming move you notice once it is already close.

That produces a particular kind of paranoia. You are trying to find everyone else while avoiding being found, and every expansion is a strategic bet that the space ahead is empty.

Information becomes tradeable, because it is scarce. Players compare notes, warn each other about aggressive neighbors, and agree who expands where, then break those agreements when the scoreboard makes it worth breaking.

Why it matters beyond the gameA fully onchain game where players cannot see each other's positions is hard to build, and building it well says something about the platform underneath.

Hidden state, private notes, and client-side proving are the same building blocks behind private applications across Aztec. Dark Forest is a way to watch them work.

Getting startedDark Forest Aztec is playable now as an alpha. Expect a learning curve; the original was famous for it. DFArchon maintains onboarding material and a community for new players. Round One is live. The universe is dark, and everyone else is out there somewhere. Go find them, quietly.

Play Now‍

Follow the BuildersDFArchon on X‍

Source and docs

Aztec Network

Aztec Network

22 Jul

•

xx min read

How Gas Works on AztecGas on AztecGas on Aztec is known as Fee Juice and is used to pay for transaction costs. This is the same as $ETH on Ethereum. Some apps will handle transaction costs for you under the hood, but if you are using a browser extension wallet, you will not be able to send transactions without it. Fee Juice can be obtained by bridging the $AZTEC token on Ethereum to the Aztec Network L2. This means that under the hood, all activity that happens on Aztec is underpinned by the $AZTEC token bridged into the network. Some bridges like Shield (by human.tech) handle this for you, allowing you to allocate a portion of your bridged transaction to convert into Fee Juice and land in your wallet automatically.

Public vs Private AssetsAssets and transactions on the Aztec Network can be either public or private. If you bridge publicly, your tokens will arrive as public, traceable tokens visible to all. Privately bridging, on the other hand, will give you private assets that are visible only to you. These assets can then be sent privately to another user or wallet without ever revealing who you are, what tokens were sent, how many, or who the recipient is.

Public vs Private GasLike tokens on the Aztec Network, Fee Juice (gas) can also be public or private. The reason for this is that even if what you are sending is private, the gas you spend to execute that transaction could still be visible if you are using public Fee Juice, potentially revealing transaction patterns and activity. Private Fee Juice keeps your entire transaction footprint hidden. When you send a private transaction, you can use private Fee Juice, and when you send a public transaction, you can use public Fee Juice, which means your transaction costs are always aligned with the type of transaction you're making.

Fee Juice in AppsAztec has native fee abstraction, which means apps could let you pay for transactions in any token you want, or cover your fees entirely. Apps like Nyx may choose to cover part or all of a user's transaction costs, or allow you to pay in tokens that are convenient for you. This means you will most likely never see Fee Juice in an app; instead, you'll pay in whatever makes sense for what you're doing, on your terms. Similarly, you might never even see an Aztec wallet at all, because the app itself becomes your interface that you connect to using your MetaMask wallet.

Fee Juice in Browser WalletsIf you're using a browser extension like Azguard, you'll manage Fee Juice directly in your wallet alongside your private and public balances, converting between tokens as needed to cover transaction costs.

When you bridge tokens in, you'll need enough Fee Juice to cover the cost of your first transaction, then you'll need to monitor how much Fee Juice you have available to make transactions. Browser wallets will allow you to send either publicly or privately to other users and will default to using either public or private Fee Juice depending on the type of transaction. Both private Fee Juice and public Fee Juice will appear by default in your token list.

Wrapping upHow you handle Fee Juice depends on where you're transacting: apps can abstract it away entirely and let you pay in any token, while a browser wallet like Azguard puts it in your hands to manage across public and private balances. Match your gas to your transaction, keep private activity private down to the fee, and you move on your terms.

Aztec Network

Aztec Network

21 Jul

•

xx min read

Introducing Alpha V5The Aztec Network today activated Alpha V5, a major protocol upgrade passed by token-holder governance and executed onchain. Alpha V5 reduces private-transaction proving times by more than 2x compared to the previous version, lowers the cost of a fully private transaction by roughly 50%, resolves the critical issues found in V4, and sees the first wave of apps go live. Users can now send private transactions and earn yield on Aave simply by connecting their Ethereum wallets on Nyx, bridge from Ethereum to Aztec using Shield or TRAIN, privately collect NFTs on RavenHouse, or play Dark Forest Aztec, a hidden-information strategy game in a universe that lives entirely onchain. 

"Alpha V5 continues Aztec's work at the frontier of client-side proving, with cryptographic breakthroughs that cut proving times by more than half this release," said Zac Williamson, Co-founder, Aztec Foundation. "We believe Aztec is now the fastest system in the world for proving a fully private transaction entirely on a user's own device, and every release moves the industry closer to private transactions at public transaction speeds."

As the only decentralized privacy L2, Aztec is the credibly neutral privacy layer for Ethereum. Aztec allows anyone to write smart contracts that include both private and public aspects – every private transaction is proven on the user's own device, so no operator, sequencer, or intermediary can see the data. The Alpha V5 proving improvements come from cryptographic advances that make this client-side proving faster than any prior release. The network remains in alpha, but with V5 it is ready for teams to begin building and deploying applications.

Performance - 2.5 second fully private transactions Making private transactions practical comes down to how quickly a proof can be generated on a user's own device, without offloading that work to a server that would learn what the user is doing. On Alpha V5, proving a private token transfer natively now takes approximately 2.5 seconds on a consumer laptop, down from 5.2 seconds on V4, and about 6.8 seconds in a browser, down from 12.5 seconds. Across every measured transaction flow, client-side proving times improved by approximately 2x compared with V4.

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Bench machine: an M2 MacBook (12 cores, throttled to 8). "Native" runs Aztec's C++ proving binary; "WASM" runs the same prover in a browser engine (Node on V8).‍

Alpha V5 lowers ECDSA signature-verification cost by approximately 2x, speeds up Poseidon2 hashing by approximately 3x, and reduces the protocol circuit gate count by approximately 50% (gate count is the number of individual operations a proving circuit must perform, and it is the main driver of how long a proof takes to generate). Each of these lowers the amount of work a device performs to prove a transaction, and the reduction in gate count in particular compounds across every proof the network generates.

Apps - send, receive, and earn privately on EthereumAlpha V5 launches the first wave of apps on a network where privacy is built into the protocol rather than managed by an operator. On other networks that claim privacy, transactions still pass through an operator or node that reads them in plaintext, or depend on a viewing key that a third party holds, so users rely on someone else to protect their data and to decide when it gets disclosed. On Aztec, every private transaction is proven on the user's own device, so the app, the sequencer, and any operator never need to see the underlying data. Nyx is one of these apps, allowing users to privately send transactions and privately earn yield on Aave. 

"On Ethereum, everything you do is public. That's why we built Nyx: a private account governed by your Ethereum wallet", said Nikhil, Co-founder of Nyx. "Now you can send, receive and earn in private. Nyx was the first app live on the Aztec Alpha, and we're excited to expand participation to more users with the added stability of Alpha V5."

Other apps on Alpha V5 include Azguard and Nethermind (wallets), Shield, TRAIN, and RavenHouse (bridges), and the Aztecscan block explorers. Also launching is Dark Forest Aztec, a game where users explore a universe, control planets, manage planetary energy, expand territory, and launch attacks through strategic play with private state and hidden actions.

Dark Forest Aztec private universe-building gameplayLower costs, higher security Transaction fees on Aztec come from two main sources: the cost of proving a transaction and the cost of verifying the rollup proof on Ethereum. Alpha V5 reduces both. It lowers the network's proving-cost parameter by 50%, and it reduces the L1 gas required to verify a rollup proof by approximately 40%. Because rollup proofs are verified on Ethereum and that cost is shared across all transactions in a batch, the L1 reduction lowers fees for every user, while the lower proving-cost parameter reduces the per-transaction proving fee directly. Together, these bring the average cost of a fully private token transfer to under a $0.05 transaction cost.

Alpha V5 also hardens the network on several fronts. It resolves critical vulnerabilities found in Alpha V4 along with additional bugs discovered since launch. Aztec's bug bounty program on Cantina also drew more than 234 security researchers to participate. The network remains in alpha, and further bugs may surface as usage grows, but each release has closed the issues found in the last and strengthened the protocol against new ones. With the critical V4 issues resolved and these safeguards in place, Alpha V5 is stable enough for teams to begin building and deploying applications.

AvailabilityAlpha V5 is live now, view the Alpha V5 landing page for a full list of features, performance updates, and live apps to explore. 

About AztecAztec is the only decentralized, privacy-first Layer 2 on Ethereum. Developers write private and public logic in the same smart contract, and private functions are executed and proven on the user's own device, so no operator sees the underlying data. The protocol is upgraded through onchain governance, and the network settles to Ethereum. For more information, visit aztec.network.

Aztec Network

Aztec Network

30 Jun

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Inside an Aztec TransactionOn Ethereum today, each transaction reveals everything publicly. The token you moved, the size, the timing, the wallet it came from, every action you take. Given the limitations of this type of transparent network, the industry is now focusing on bringing privacy onchain as a top priority. The response to this has mostly been to enable private transactions that shield transfers in various ways. But when we look at how privacy works on Web2, it’s clear that users and developers need granular privacy controls: the ability to decide what is public or private and who is able to see different types of data.

Aztec was built so that one transaction can carry two halves. A private half that runs on your own device and never leaves it, and a public half that the network runs in the open. Apps can choose which aspects are private or public, and users can choose what they want to reveal and when.

This article will follow an example transaction on Aztec: a vote in an onchain election built on Aztec, where who you are and which candidate you chose stay private, while the running tally for each candidate stays public for anyone to verify.

Public and private in one movePicture the vote you cast in our example as two aspects that seamlessly weave together. In the first step, you act in private: an app records your vote on your device and hands the network a proof that the vote is valid without revealing it. In the second, the network acts in public: it checks that proof, then adds one to the chosen candidate's public tally. It is one transaction: one part stays with you, one part goes to the network. Both parts end up recorded onchain, in two separate state trees, one private and one public. The walkthrough below follows how these two aspects work together and what this means for how your transaction lands onchain. 

It starts on your deviceYou open the voting app and connect an Aztec wallet. That first step looks like any onchain app. The difference is inside the wallet. An Aztec wallet carries a private execution environment, the PXE, pronounced "pixie", which runs on your phone or in your browser. The PXE is where the private half of your transaction executes, and where the proof of that work gets made, on your hardware, under your exclusive control.

Every account on Aztec is a smart contract rather than a bare key. That design, account abstraction, allows a wallet to authorize a transaction however its owner chooses without writing an identity onto the network for everyone to read. The wallet is the front door, and on Aztec you can decide if the door is open or closed, who you share your information with. 

The private half runs on your deviceThe voting app is a smart contract with two kinds of functions. The private functions run first, and they run inside your PXE. Your identity and the candidate you picked are the private inputs, and they stay on your device.

The only thing to leave your device is a proof confirming the legitimacy of your vote. Aztec's client-side proving system, Chonk, takes the private execution and produces a zero-knowledge proof: a compact cryptographic receipt that your vote followed the rules, that you are eligible, and have not voted before, while revealing nothing about who you are or who you voted for. Think of it as a sealed ballot the network can confirm is valid without opening it. The network learns only that a legitimate vote happened. It does not learn how you voted, or even which account voted. 

This is the part that used to be too slow to be practical. Generating a proof on a phone was the bottleneck every privacy app hit. Aztec’s Chonk is purpose-built for fast proving on low-memory devices, both natively and in the browser, so the private half runs on the device in your hand instead of on someone else's server.

The public half runs in the openSome elements of a vote should be public. The tally is shared infrastructure, the number everyone relies on to trust the result. Thanks to programmable privacy on Aztec, the app marks that part public. Public functions live on the network and run in the open, the way functions do on Ethereum.

On Aztec, private and public logic live in the same contract, and the developer decides which is which, function by function and variable by variable. Programmable privacy is a dimmer, not a switch. The voting app turns it up on the individual ballot and turns it down on the running tally. That boundary is a design decision written into the contract, and it is the thing no transparent chain and no fixed-privacy chain can offer.

The network checks the proof and runs the public partYour vote leaves your device as a bundle: the zero-knowledge proof of the private half, plus the call to the public function that updates the count. It goes to Aztec's sequencers, a decentralized set of thousands of independent operators, with more than 3,500 of them running the network today.

The sequencers do two jobs at once. They verify the proof of your private vote, confirming it is valid and eligible without seeing the choice behind it, and they run the public function that adds one to the chosen candidate and updates the public tally. Your ballot stays sealed. The count goes up by one for everyone to see. The same proof guarantees you cannot vote twice, even though no one learns which ballot is yours.

Two state trees, both onchainAztec has two main state trees, and both live onchain. One holds private state, the other holds public state, so the full record of what happened sits on the network rather than on any one person's laptop. The two trees store each record in two different ways depending on if it needs to be private or public. 

The private tree uses a UTXO model, the same note-based design used by Zcash. In this model, state is written as commitments: each entry is a sealed record that a valid vote was cast, with the voter and the choice kept private. Just like with Zcash or Bitcoin, you do not edit a private entry in place. You write a new one, and the design stops the same vote from being cast twice (old state is nullified). The vote stays private, and the record of a legitimate vote happening is onchain for the network to check.

The public tree uses an account-based model, the same shape Ethereum uses: values that update in place, readable by anyone. This is where each candidate's tally lives.

One transaction wrote information to both trees. The private tree recorded that you voted, sealed. The public tree recorded the new totals, in the open. Everything is onchain. The difference between the two trees is how much each one reveals.

Every private app on Aztec writes into that same private tree. A vote, a payment, and a payroll run all land in one shared record of activity, so each user's privacy grows stronger as the network grows, instead of splitting into a separate pool for every app.

A block is proposed, and Ethereum records itAztec is an L2 on Ethereum, so everything settles to Ethereum L1. A sequencer on Aztec gathers transactions into a proposed block. Other sequencers validate it before it goes to Ethereum's pending chain. At that point the block sits on Ethereum, ordered and recorded, waiting for its proof. The network has agreed on what happened and the proposed block is just waiting a final proof. 

Anyone can prove itProving a block is its own job, and on Aztec, it belongs to no one in particular. A decentralized, permissionless set of provers competes to take a full epoch, a 32-block stretch of the chain, and compresses it into a single zero-knowledge proof of the entire epoch. Anyone with the hardware can run a prover and bid for the work. There is no privileged operator, no committee you have to trust, no outside network holding a key.

That openness is the whole point of a privacy layer. A system that protects your data but routes it through one trusted server has only moved the exposure rather than removed it. Aztec keeps proving permissionless and your private inputs on your device, thereby avoiding any exposure.

The economics land in the voter's favor too. As an L2 network, Aztec spreads the cost of that one L1 proof across thousands of transactions in the rollup, so a vote costs pennies, not the millions of gas a private proof would cost verified alone on Ethereum.

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Settled on Ethereum, verifiable by anyoneA prover then posts the epoch proof to Ethereum's proven chain, and the Aztec state is final. Ethereum verifies one proof and inherits the correctness of everything inside it. Aztec extends Ethereum and settles to Ethereum, so your hybrid transaction carries Ethereum's security without carrying Ethereum's enforced transparency.

Anyone can now verify that the result is valid and that every counted vote was legitimate. No one can see how any individual voted. The tally is on the shared ledger where it belongs, and your ballot stayed yours the whole way through.

What this unlocksFor the voter, their ballot was never a broadcast. The candidate you chose stayed yours, with no record tying your wallet to a name for anyone to read later, and you can still check that your vote was counted and the result is honest. You took part without your choice becoming data for systems built to act on it.

For a founder, the election app in this walkthrough is easy to implement without needing to build extensive custom code. Secret ballots with a public, verifiable count, in one contract, is a product category that opens up only because the boundary is programmable. You can build governance, elections, and polls where people vote without fear and the result still proves itself. And of course you can build anything that requires both public and private state to work seamlessly together. 

For an infrastructure provider, the same machinery serves clients who need a result they can stand behind without exposing the people who produced it. Selective disclosure lets a client prove exactly what a counterparty needs to see, the count and the integrity of the process, and protect everything else, on their own terms. That is a guarantee a transparent chain cannot make.

A real vote needs two things at once: a secret ballot and a count anyone can check. A transparent chain makes you give up the first to get the second. On Aztec, you get both. The tally settled on Ethereum for anyone to verify, and how you voted stayed yours. The infrastructure is in place, what will you create with it? 
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->Review the Aztec Basics ->Head to the docs and start building today
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Verisk logo is seen in this illustration taken November 9, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

CompaniesWASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A Delaware judge ordered, opens new tab data analytics firm Verisk (VRSK.O), opens new tab to try completing its planned $2.35 billion ​acquisition of roofing software maker AccuLynx, with ‌the order coming more than seven months after Verisk said it pulled the plug on the deal.

Here are details:

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Bonnie David, a ​Delaware Chancery Court judge, said Verisk's termination ​of the deal was invalid "because its willful conduct ⁠caused the failure of a condition to closing."

In ​late December, Verisk had said its decision to terminate ​the deal followed a notification from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that the agency had not completed its review of ​the transaction by the termination date of December ​26.

AccuLynx had notified Verisk that it believed the deal termination was ‌invalid. ⁠Verisk had said it strongly disagreed with the assertion and planned to "vigorously" defend its position.

Verisk had unveiled its plan to acquire AccuLynx in July 2025, a ​deal that ​was initially ⁠expected to close by the third quarter of 2025.

The FTC had in October ​sought more details from Verisk and AccuLynx ​about ⁠the proposed transaction, signifying an extended regulatory review and delaying the closing of the deal.

The judge said on ⁠Friday ​that AccuLynx was entitled to damages ​for direct costs with interest.

The deal is subject to FTC approval.

Reporting ​by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue

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

Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

Can DICK'S Turn Foot Locker Into a Winner?Delek US NYSE: DK reported second-quarter 2026 net income of approximately $170 million, or $2.71 per share, as stronger refining margins, improved throughput and record logistics results supported performance.

On an adjusted basis, the company posted net income of about $344 million, or $5.48 per share, and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $639 million. Excluding a 50% renewable volume obligation, or RVO, adjustment, adjusted EBITDA was about $490 million and adjusted earnings were $3.64 per share, according to Executive Vice President and CFO Robert Wright.

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3 Refiners Benefiting From Oil Volatility and Tight Fuel SupplyPresident and CEO Avigal Soreq said the company navigated volatility in crude and product markets during the quarter while continuing to focus on reliability, cash-flow generation and disciplined capital allocation.

Refining performance and market outlook Wright said quarter-over-quarter EBITDA improvement was led by stronger refining margins and higher throughput following the completion of the Big Spring refinery turnaround. Soreq said Big Spring has performed in line with expectations since the turnaround, with improved reliability, greater crude-slate flexibility, better product yields and increased octane and blending capability.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Isn’t Done Winning YetDelek has no planned refinery turnarounds for the remainder of 2026, Soreq said, positioning its system to participate in favorable market conditions.

Management pointed to steep backwardation, shifting crude differentials and tight transportation-fuel markets as important factors in the refining environment. Soreq said the company believes access to crude supplies, high distillate yields and the ability to respond quickly to market changes are important advantages.

During the question-and-answer session, Soreq said global refined-product markets remain affected by capacity outages and that normalization could take several quarters after current market disruptions end. He also cited Delek’s access to Gulf Coast and Midcontinent markets, domestic crude availability and high distillate and jet fuel yields as favorable characteristics.

On refining margin capture, Soreq said a decline in market backwardation should benefit realized crack spreads. He described the current forward curve as relatively flat compared with the significantly steeper backwardation seen during the second quarter.

For the third quarter, Delek guided to total refining-system throughput of 296,000 to 316,000 barrels per day. By refinery, the company expects:

Tyler throughput of 72,000 to 77,000 barrels per day; El Dorado throughput of 78,000 to 83,000 barrels per day; Big Spring throughput of 68,000 to 73,000 barrels per day; and Krotz Springs throughput of 78,000 to 83,000 barrels per day. The company also forecast third-quarter operating expenses of $220 million to $230 million, general and administrative expenses of $50 million to $55 million, and depreciation and amortization expense of $110 million to $120 million.

Optimization efforts and logistics growth Soreq said Delek’s Enterprise Optimization Plan, or EOP, contributed an estimated $60 million to second-quarter profit and loss. The program is intended to increase annual cash flow by at least $220 million on a run-rate basis.

Management said it is pursuing another phase of optimization initiatives, though it did not provide details. Soreq described EOP as an ongoing effort across the organization rather than a one-time project. Mohit Bhardwaj, Delek’s executive vice president of New Energy, Strategy and Investor Relations, said the company’s confidence in its mid-cycle free-cash-flow profile has increased.

Delek Logistics Partners delivered approximately $144 million in adjusted EBITDA, its best quarterly result in company history, Wright said. Performance was supported by momentum across its Permian Basin crude, natural gas and water businesses.

Delek Logistics reaffirmed its 2026 EBITDA guidance of $520 million to $560 million. Soreq said the partnership expects third-party EBITDA to exceed 80% on a pro forma basis during 2026, a metric that management views as central to its strategy to further separate the logistics business economically from Delek US.

Mark Hobbs, executive vice president of Delek Logistics Partners, said the Libby I and Libby II gas plants are operating well and that the company is nearing completion of a sour-gas gathering and compression system. The facilities and associated acid-gas injection well are intended to provide a sour-gas solution in the Northern Delaware Basin and support increased gas volumes through the remainder of the year.

Cash flow, debt reduction and shareholder returns Cash flow from operations totaled $263 million in the second quarter, including a $138 million net working-capital outflow. Investing activities used $176 million, including $61 million of capital purchases at Delek Logistics, primarily for growth projects, and $55 million of refining capital purchases.

Financing activities represented an $82 million outflow. Delek reduced its term loan from $920 million to $850 million through a refinancing and paydown, while standalone net debt, excluding Delek Logistics, declined by $72 million during the quarter, Wright said.

The company paid approximately $16 million in dividends and repurchased about $20 million of shares during the quarter. Soreq said Delek intends to maintain its dividend through the cycle and balance additional cash deployment between debt reduction and share repurchases.

Small refinery exemptions Management also discussed small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard. Soreq said elevated RVO costs have created a burden for qualifying small refineries and that the company expects the Environmental Protection Agency to continue providing relief for 2025 and beyond.

Bhardwaj said Delek’s recently granted Krotz Springs exemption reflected findings by the EPA and Department of Energy that the refinery faced disproportionate economic harm from Renewable Fuel Standard obligations. He said the company is encouraged by the strength of its 2025 petitions but did not provide timing or financial guidance for potential awards.

Management emphasized that any RIN-related proceeds would represent the return of costs previously incurred to remain in compliance, rather than new cash provided by another party. Delek said it would continue its existing capital-allocation approach and does not intend to hold excess cash solely for the purpose of maintaining a larger balance-sheet cash position.

About Delek US (NYSE:DK)Delek US Holdings, Inc NYSE: DK is an independent downstream energy company engaged in the refining, logistics, and marketing of petroleum products. Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, the company operates a network of inland refineries, storage terminals and pipelines, and convenience store locations. Delek US focuses on converting crude oil into a variety of finished products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and renewable fuels, serving wholesale and retail customers across the United States.

In its refining segment, Delek US owns and operates four inland refineries located in Texas and Arkansas.

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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5 Alternative Energy Stocks Riding the AI Power CrunchCurtiss-Wright NYSE: CW raised its full-year 2026 earnings, revenue and free-cash-flow outlook after reporting second-quarter results that management said exceeded expectations, supported by growth across aerospace and defense and commercial markets, expanding margins and a growing order book.

Second-quarter sales rose 5% from a year earlier to $924 million, while operating income increased 12%, producing 110 basis points of operating-margin expansion. Diluted earnings per share increased 15% year over year, Chair and Chief Executive Officer Lynn Bamford said. The company generated $160 million of free cash flow during the quarter, up 37% from the prior year, with free-cash-flow conversion of 116%.

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Lower Rates Put RV Stocks Back in the Fast Lane“The successful and ongoing execution of our Pivot to Growth strategy has been the key to our quarterly performance,” Bamford said.

Orders Outpace Sales as Defense Electronics Bookings Surge New orders increased 8% in the second quarter, resulting in a book-to-bill ratio above 1.1x. Through the first half, orders rose 12%, exceeding sales growth of 9% and producing a year-to-date book-to-bill ratio above 1.2x, according to the company.

Clearway Energy’s Price Dip: 3 Reasons It’s a Signal to BuyDefense Electronics posted a record order performance, with bookings increasing nearly 50% from a year earlier in the quarter and more than 30% year to date. The segment received awards for Turret Drive Stabilization Systems for international ground vehicles, tactical communications equipment for U.S. military operations, modernization efforts for helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and fighter jets, as well as initial Golden Dome orders and development contracts for next-generation programs.

Chief Financial Officer Chris Farkas said the strengthening order book reflects Curtiss-Wright’s alignment with U.S. and international defense spending, as well as momentum in commercial aerospace and industrial markets. He noted that some Defense Electronics orders, including those related to the C-17 program and turret-drive systems, have multiyear characteristics.

Management also said it has seen no indication that prior timing delays in Defense Electronics orders reflect weakening demand. Bamford said the company’s strong first- and second-quarter order activity, along with a strong July and expectations for the third quarter, support the view that the delays were timing-related.

Segment Performance Reflects Aerospace, Naval and Nuclear Strength Aerospace & Industrial sales increased 12% during the quarter. Growth included higher defense sales of actuation and sensor equipment for U.S. and foreign fighter programs, as well as electromagnetic actuation equipment for ground-based mobile launcher systems. Commercial aerospace also benefited from higher original-equipment-manufacturer sales across narrow-body and wide-body platforms.

Operating income in Aerospace & Industrial rose 25%, while margin expanded 180 basis points, driven by higher revenue absorption, favorable business mix and restructuring savings. Those factors were partly offset by continued investment in development programs.

Defense Electronics sales declined 3%, in line with company expectations, as lower tactical communications revenue due to the timing of prior-year orders was partly offset by higher turret-drive revenue for international programs. The segment’s operating margin increased 120 basis points to 28%, reflecting favorable mix and cost containment despite higher research-and-development spending.

Naval & Power sales increased 7%, led by submarine-program production timing, higher naval shipyard aftermarket revenue, and growth in commercial and government nuclear programs. Segment operating income rose 12%, with margin expanding 80 basis points on higher revenue absorption.

Full-Year Guidance Raised Curtiss-Wright now expects 2026 sales to increase 8% to 9%, citing improved expectations in defense and general industrial markets. The company projects operating margin of 19.1% to 19.3%, representing expansion of 50 to 70 basis points, and forecasts diluted EPS of $15.10 to $15.40, or growth of 14% to 16%.

Aerospace & Industrial: Sales are expected to increase 8% to 10%, with operating margin of 18.5% to 18.7%. Defense Electronics: Sales are expected to rise 4% to 6%, with operating margin of 27.5% to 27.7%. Naval & Power: Sales are expected to grow 10% to 11%. Free cash flow: The company raised its outlook to a record $585 million to $605 million, including a nearly 30% year-over-year increase in capital expenditures. Farkas said third-quarter sales are expected to show modest growth from the second quarter, while operating income and margin should be roughly flat sequentially due to revenue timing, less favorable Defense Electronics mix and higher R&D investment. The company expects a record fourth-quarter revenue performance and an operating margin above 20% to finish the year.

Investment Plans Target Naval and Nuclear Opportunities The company announced an $80 million multiyear investment to expand its Cheswick, Pennsylvania, facility to support naval demand and anticipated commercial nuclear awards. The expansion began in 2025 and will be supported by internal capital investments, Maritime Industrial Base funding and state assistance.

Bamford said Curtiss-Wright has received about $95 million in industrial-base funding to date, compared with $70 million at the end of March. The funding could support increased content and potential second-source opportunities for critical U.S. Navy platforms.

In commercial nuclear, management said it expects mid- to high-teen sales growth in 2026, supported by its order book. Bamford said Curtiss-Wright continues to expect an AP1000 reactor order this year and sees opportunities tied to potential U.S. deployment of Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, as well as international projects.

The company said it plans to provide updated long-term financial targets at its next Investor Day, which is being planned for the second quarter of 2027.

About Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW)Curtiss-Wright Corporation NYSE: CW is a diversified, global engineering company that designs, manufactures and services highly engineered products and integrated systems for the aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Its offerings span a range of electromechanical, motion control and flow control technologies, including flight control and actuation systems, sensors and avionics components, pumps and valves, power conversion and heat exchangers, and platform integration solutions for marine and ground systems.

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Copa Holdings May Be the Airline Stock Built to Break OutCopa NYSE: CPA reported second-quarter operating profit of $91.7 million and an operating margin of 8.7%, as sharply higher fuel costs weighed on results despite continued demand strength and a 16.5% increase in capacity.

Net profit totaled $68.2 million, or $1.67 per share, while net margin was 6.4%, according to CFO Peter Donkersloot. The company said its results reflected an 85% year-over-year increase in average all-in jet fuel prices, which rose to $4.28 per gallon from $2.32 per gallon in the second quarter of 2025.

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5 High-Yield Stocks With Analyst Support and Room to Run“Our second quarter results demonstrate the resilience of our business model in a significantly higher fuel price environment,” Executive Chairman and CEO Pedro Heilbron said. He added that the company continues to expect high load factors and solid financial performance for the full year as booking trends remain strong.

Revenue Growth and Fuel-Price Pressure Operating revenue rose 25.7% from a year earlier to $1.1 billion. Passenger yields increased 8.7%, while revenue per available seat mile, or RASM, rose 7.9% to $0.116. Load factor was 86.7%, compared with 87.3% a year earlier.

MarketBeat Week in Review – 05/18 - 05/22Executive Vice President Robert Carey said the FIFA World Cup temporarily affected travel patterns during June. June load factor declined 2.3 percentage points year over year, creating modest pressure on unit revenue. Copa estimated that the event reduced second-quarter RASM by about $0.001.

Fuel costs were the principal factor behind the decline in profitability from the prior-year period. Operating margin was down from 21.7% in the second quarter of 2025. Donkersloot said roughly 40% of second-quarter bookings had already been sold before fuel prices increased, limiting the company’s ability to immediately pass the higher costs through to fares.

Still, stronger demand and higher yields enabled Copa to recover about 40% of the year-over-year increase in fuel expense during the quarter, according to the company. Excluding fuel, cost per available seat mile remained flat at $0.057. Including fuel, unit cost increased 26% to $0.106.

Demand Trends Support Updated Outlook Copa raised its full-year capacity outlook and now expects available seat miles to grow between 14% and 15% in 2026. The company projects a full-year operating margin of 17% to 19%, assuming a load factor of about 87%, RASM of $0.12, ex-fuel CASM of $0.0570, and an all-in fuel price of $3.60 per gallon.

Carey said the company was seeing approximately 10% RASM growth in the second half, with broadly similar year-over-year performance expected in the third and fourth quarters. As of the call, Copa was about 75% booked for the third quarter and about 25% sold for the fourth quarter.

July traffic figures supported management’s view of strong underlying demand. Copa reported a nearly 90% load factor during the month, one of its highest ever, while capacity increased 16% year over year. Carey said that load factor was achieved in a higher-yield environment.

During the analyst question-and-answer session, Heilbron said demand was healthy across Copa’s network rather than concentrated in a single region. He said Brazil and North America were somewhat stronger, but characterized differences across markets as marginal.

Heilbron also said the company believes some of the fare increases associated with elevated fuel prices can be sustained even if fuel costs decline. He noted that average yields in Copa’s region and network had been below 2019 levels before the increase in fuel prices, without accounting for inflation.

Network, Fleet and Hub Expansion Copa took delivery of four Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft during the quarter, ending the period with a fleet of 131 aircraft. The company expects one additional MAX 8 delivery during the remainder of 2026.

Management attributed the higher capacity forecast partly to aircraft deliveries arriving on time or slightly ahead of schedule, faster deployment of those aircraft and increased utilization. The company expects 12 aircraft deliveries in 2027, offset by the planned retirement of two Boeing 737-700 aircraft undergoing 20-year maintenance checks.

Copa also plans to launch service to Porlamar, Isla Margarita, Venezuela, in November. The addition will bring the company’s network to 88 destinations in 32 countries across the Americas. Heilbron said Copa expects to announce an 89th destination before the end of August, with service planned to begin in December.

Beginning in March 2027, Copa will transition its Panama City hub from six to eight connecting banks. Management said the change is intended to improve connectivity, increase aircraft utilization and make more efficient use of airport infrastructure. Carey said the revised structure should create additional capacity for growth while keeping average connection times broadly unchanged.

The company also began operating Starlink-equipped flights in July, becoming the first airline in Latin America to offer the high-speed internet service, according to Copa. The airline expects the fleetwide rollout to be completed in the first half of 2027. Business-class travelers, preferred members at the Gold, Platinum and Presidential levels, and Starlink subscribers will receive complimentary access, while other passengers will pay for the service.

Balance Sheet and Shareholder Returns Copa ended the quarter with approximately $1.5 billion in cash and investments, equal to 39% of trailing 12-month revenue. Total debt, including lease liabilities, was about $2.7 billion, all related to aircraft financing. The company reported an average debt cost of 3.7% and a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 0.9 times.

The board ratified a quarterly dividend of $1.71 per share, payable Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 31. Donkersloot also said Copa had executed $45 million of its authorized share repurchase program year to date, with about $60 million remaining under the current authorization.

About Copa (NYSE:CPA)Copa Holdings, SA NYSE: CPA is a Panama‐based aviation holding company that provides passenger and cargo air transportation across the Americas and the Caribbean. Through its principal subsidiary, Copa Airlines, the company operates a modern fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, offering scheduled flights that connect passengers through its Tocumen International Airport hub in Panama City. The company also offers dedicated cargo services under the Copa Cargo brand, leveraging belly hold capacity on its passenger flights to transport freight throughout its network.

The roots of Copa Holdings trace back to 1947, when Compañía Panameña de Aviación began operations as the flag carrier of Panama.

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Nvidia logo is seen in this illustration taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab will invest up to $3 billion in ​power infrastructure developer Lancium, the company behind ‌the Stargate data center campus in Texas, the Information reported on Friday.

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The chipmaker will invest an initial $2 billion for ​a stake of roughly 20% in Lancium, ​which is backed by Blackstone (BX.N), opens new tab, according to the ⁠report.

Nvidia could invest an additional $1 billion if the ​company meets certain thresholds, including grid hookups, the ​report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Under the deal, Lancium and its portfolio of land and power connections have ​an enterprise value of around $10 billion, according to ​the Information.

The capital is expected to help Lancium expand its ‌operations ⁠as it explores a potential initial public offering in 2027, the report said.

Nvidia and Lancium did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Stargate is ​a joint ​venture between ⁠SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle to build data centers. The project was announced in ​January by U.S. President Donald Trump, who ​said ⁠that the companies would invest up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

Lancium owns the 1,000-acre ⁠Lancium ​Clean Campus in Abilene, Texas, ​which serves as the first operational site of the Stargate initiative.

Reporting ​by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard

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

CACI International NYSE: CACI reported record revenue, EBITDA margin and free cash flow for its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter and full year, while issuing fiscal 2027 guidance that calls for continued double-digit revenue growth and at least $900 million in free cash flow.

For fiscal 2026, the national security technology company generated $9.6 billion in revenue, up 10.9% from the prior year, including 7.2% organic growth. EBITDA margin rose 110 basis points to 12.3%, while adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 12.7% to $29.83. Free cash flow totaled $735 million, and the company said free cash flow per share rose 68%.

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Fourth-quarter revenue was $2.7 billion, an increase of 17.6% year over year, including 11.6% organic growth. Quarterly EBITDA margin reached 13%, up 150 basis points from a year earlier. The company said a gain from a minor divestiture in its U.K. business added about 30 basis points to fourth-quarter margin. Adjusted diluted EPS was $8.91, up 6.1%, and quarterly free cash flow was $233 million.

Fiscal 2027 Outlook CACI forecast fiscal 2027 revenue of $10.65 billion to $10.85 billion, representing growth of 11.3% to 13.4%, including about $500 million of acquired revenue. The company expects EBITDA margin in the high 12% range, adjusted diluted EPS of $32.96 to $33.86, and free cash flow of at least $900 million.

Chief Financial Officer Jeff MacLauchlan said the free-cash-flow outlook includes a delayed $40 million tax refund and a $115 million cash benefit related to changes in the Section 174 research-and-development tax credit. CACI expects free cash flow per share to grow about 22% in fiscal 2027 and expects adjusted net income conversion of at least 100% for a second consecutive year.

MacLauchlan said organic growth is expected to be stronger in the second half of fiscal 2027 than in the first half, with first-quarter organic growth anticipated to be in the low single digits. He also described the company’s historical revenue cadence as approximately 45% in the first half and 55% in the second half, while cash flow has tended to be more heavily weighted toward the second half.

Technology Programs and Market Demand President and Chief Executive Officer John Mengucci said the company’s growth strategy centers on software-defined technologies for national security missions, supported by its operational workforce and investments made ahead of customer demand.

In electronic warfare, Mengucci said CACI’s Spectral program reached Milestone C and is moving into low-rate initial production, with deployment expected to begin in the second half of fiscal 2027. The company’s SkyValor counter-unmanned aircraft system was selected for southern-border homeland-defense work, and CACI recently received a separate $500 million Domestic Shield award.

Mengucci said the company sees growing demand for counter-UAS systems and described the market as a long-term growth opportunity. He said CACI has received export approval for most or all of its systems and has delivered variations of those systems to 17 countries.

In space, CACI completed the integration of ARKA, which it acquired to combine sensing and AI-enabled analytics with CACI’s existing technology and customer presence. Mengucci said the combined business recently received an award supporting the U.S. Space Force against adversarial threats, its first award leveraging both legacy CACI and ARKA capabilities. The company also cited a classified counterspace win, progress to Phase 3 of the Space Force’s Enterprise Space Terminal program, and technology supporting NASA’s Artemis II mission.

The company also highlighted technology modernization programs for U.S. Transportation Command, the Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army and the Defense Intelligence Agency. CACI said it is using AI across software development to reduce development time, improve quality and increase delivered capability.

Backlog, Awards and Capital Structure CACI recorded more than $10 billion in fiscal 2026 contract awards, representing a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1 times. The weighted average duration of those awards was nearly six years. Total backlog exceeded $32 billion, up 2% year over year, while funded backlog increased 29%.

MacLauchlan said approximately 83% of fiscal 2027 revenue is expected to come from existing programs, with recompetes accounting for 9% and new business accounting for 8%. The company had nearly $11 billion in bids under evaluation at year-end, about 75% of which represented new business, and expects to submit another $22 billion in bids over the following two quarters.

Management said nontraditional procurement methods, including other transaction authorities, commercial solutions openings and commercial acquisitions, are becoming more prevalent. Mengucci said CACI’s fiscal 2026 OTA award value was more than double the combined value of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025. He said smaller OTA awards can move more quickly into larger production programs, making traditional award metrics less directly comparable over time.

Following the ARKA acquisition, CACI ended the quarter with pro forma leverage of 3.7 times, down by half a turn during the quarter. The company now expects leverage to return to the low-3-times range by June 2027, one quarter earlier than previously projected.

Progress Against Long-Term Targets Management said the fiscal 2027 outlook puts CACI on track to meet or exceed the three-year financial goals it established at its November 2024 investor day. The company now expects to generate at least $2.1 billion of free cash flow over the three-year period, compared with its prior $1.6 billion target. It also expects three-year EBITDA margin of 11.9% to 12%, above its prior mid-11% target.

Mengucci said CACI’s emphasis on operational support will remain part of its model even as the company expands its technology portfolio. He said more than 1,400 employees are embedded across combatant commands globally, providing mission insight that helps inform technology investments and product development.

About CACI International (NYSE:CACI)CACI International Inc is a leading provider of information solutions and services to the U.S. federal government, with a primary focus on defense, intelligence, homeland security and federal civilian agencies. The company delivers advanced technology and domain expertise to support mission-critical operations, offering capabilities in areas such as data analytics, cyber security, network integration, enterprise IT modernization and logistics support. By integrating software, hardware and professional services, CACI helps clients enhance situational awareness, improve decision making and maintain critical infrastructure resilience.

Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, CACI has evolved from a small consulting operation into a global enterprise.

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Not Just Oil: 3 Fertilizer Stocks Boosted by Hormuz ClosureCF Industries NYSE: CF reported first-half 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $2.2 billion and second-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 billion, as tight global nitrogen supply-demand conditions and strong operating performance supported results.

Net earnings attributable to common stockholders totaled $1.3 billion, or $8.71 per diluted share, for the first half, including $727 million, or $4.73 per diluted share, in the second quarter, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Scribner said during the company’s earnings call.

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Top 3 Bank Stocks to Watch as Fed Rate Cuts LoomPresident and CEO Chris Bohn said the company operated its available ammonia capacity at nearly 98% during the first half. He also highlighted a trailing 12-month incident rate of 0.16 incidents per 200,000 hours worked, which he said was below industry averages.

Supply Constraints Support Nitrogen Market Chief Commercial Officer Bert Frost said global nitrogen prices rose during the first half as an already-tight market was further constrained by supply disruptions associated with the conflict with Iran. While some customers in regions with later application seasons deferred purchases amid higher prices, North American agricultural demand remained strong through most of the period, particularly for ammonia and urea.

Regional Bank Buybacks: 5 Institutions Making Big MovesCF Industries shifted production toward urea from UAN during the first half, Frost said, while also delivering its second-highest first-half diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF, volumes. DEF was the company’s highest-margin product during the period.

Purchasing slowed in North America during June as the nitrogen distribution channel reduced inventories to low levels. However, Frost said those inventory positions supported strong participation in the company’s UAN and ammonia fill programs in July. CF Industries built a UAN order book extending into November and expects a strong fall ammonia season, he said.

The company expects the global nitrogen market to remain tight into 2027. Frost cited higher capital costs, permanent capacity closures, limited new capacity additions, geopolitical uncertainty, elevated logistics and insurance costs, and high liquefied natural gas prices affecting marginal producers.

China is expected to export urea volumes similar to last year, according to Frost. While those exports are needed to meet global demand, he said they are not expected to materially loosen market conditions. CF Industries also expects purchasing activity to recover in deferred markets, including Brazil and India, while North American demand remains firm through upcoming application seasons.

Higher Construction Costs Raise Mid-Cycle Outlook Management raised its baseline mid-cycle outlook, projecting approximately $2.9 billion in EBITDA and $1.7 billion in free cash flow. Scribner said the revised outlook reflects higher construction costs for new nitrogen capacity in regions with low-cost natural gas, which have narrowed the historic cost advantage those locations held over North American projects.

During the question-and-answer session, Bohn said the company’s assumed NOLA urea price increased to $385 per short ton from $355 per short ton. Of the $30 increase, he estimated that roughly $10 could be linked to structural changes associated with geopolitical disruptions, including higher freight, insurance and risk-related costs. The remainder principally reflects higher capital costs, he said.

Scribner said the company’s analysis assumes a 1.3 million- to 1.4 million-ton capacity site with capital spending of approximately $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion, natural gas costs of $3.50, and a 10% to 12% financial return.

By 2030, CF Industries expects initiatives already underway to lift mid-cycle EBITDA to approximately $3.3 billion. Scribner said that expected $400 million increase includes about $300 million from the Blue Point project and $100 million from additional carbon-capture benefits at Donaldsonville and Yazoo City.

Blue Point and Yazoo City Projects Advance Bohn said Blue Point has received all necessary construction permits, nearly all long-lead equipment has been ordered, and module fabrication is expected to begin later this year. Construction is expected to begin in August, accelerating the company’s capital-expenditure pace.

CF Industries expects 2026 capital expenditures of approximately $1.3 billion, with the company’s share totaling about $950 million. Bohn said roughly 50% of Blue Point capital expenditures are fixed through engineering, module-yard work and certain lump-sum turnkey infrastructure contracts.

At Yazoo City, the company now expects operations to resume during the first half of 2027, rather than late 2026. Bohn said the revised schedule primarily reflects longer procurement timelines for electrical equipment.

The site will no longer produce prilled ammonium nitrate. Instead, it will produce ammonia, ammonium nitrate solution and DEF, changes management said are intended to improve the complex’s operational and logistics flexibility. Scribner said CF Industries has recorded nearly $50 million in equipment impairments connected with Yazoo City and has received about $75 million in insurance recoveries to date, including property damage and business interruption proceeds.

Cash Flow, Dividend and Share Repurchases Trailing 12-month net cash from operations was approximately $3 billion and free cash flow was approximately $1.8 billion, Scribner said. Over that period, CF Industries returned nearly $1.3 billion to shareholders, including $958 million used to repurchase 10.6 million shares and $314 million in dividend payments.

In July, the board increased the quarterly dividend 20% to $0.60 per share. Since the start of 2021, shares outstanding have declined 29%, while the company’s dividend has doubled, Scribner said.

Bohn said CF Industries remains committed to share repurchases and views its shares as undervalued. Management said its capital-allocation priorities remain strategic growth investments, share repurchases and dividends.

The company also said its low-carbon ammonia sales program continued to gain momentum. About 10% of ammonia sales volume in the first half was low carbon and earned an average premium of more than $20 per ton, according to Frost.

About CF Industries (NYSE:CF)CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.

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3 Low-Volatility Plays Quietly Making a Name For ThemselvesAtmos Energy NYSE: ATO reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 earnings guidance after reporting net income of $1.2 billion, or $7.33 per diluted share, for the first nine months of the fiscal year. Earnings per share rose 14.5% from the prior-year period, according to management.

The company maintained its fiscal 2026 guidance range of $8.40 to $8.50 per share. Chief Financial Officer Chris Forsythe said third-quarter performance at Atmos Pipeline–Texas, or APT, was in line with expectations, though natural-gas price spreads narrowed beginning in June as additional pipeline takeaway capacity entered service earlier than expected.

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Financial drivers and regulatory activity Powering Up: UGI Banks $685M in Strategic TurnaroundForsythe said year-to-date results included a $132 million, or $0.63-per-share, impact from Texas House Bill 4384. Of that amount, $71 million was recognized in the distribution segment and $61 million was recognized at APT.

Other contributors to year-to-date performance included $227 million of rate increases across the company’s operating segments, as well as a $41 million operating-income increase tied to residential and commercial customer additions and higher customer load. APT’s through-system revenue, net of the Rider REV mechanism, increased about $34 million, or $0.16 per share.

Utility Gas Inflation Is Soaring. This Stock Is a Clear WinnerAPT captured average spreads of $4.66 during the first nine months of fiscal 2026, compared with $1.77 in the comparable prior-year period. Forsythe attributed the higher spreads to rising associated-gas production, constrained takeaway capacity and lower demand during an unseasonably warm winter heating season.

However, management said those conditions have changed. Forsythe said new takeaway capacity that had been expected to enter service later in the calendar year came online in late June and late July, contributing to compressed spreads. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Akers said the company now expects APT’s second-half earnings contribution to land near the lower end of a previously discussed $0.08-to-$0.12 range.

Since the start of the fiscal year, Atmos Energy has implemented $396 million of annualized operating-income increases, including $260 million implemented during the fiscal third and fourth quarters, Forsythe said. The company has seven regulatory filings in progress seeking nearly $334 million in annualized operating-income increases, with most of that amount expected to be implemented in the first quarter of fiscal 2027.

Capital spending targets safety, reliability and growth Akers said the company’s fiscal-year capital expenditures total $3.1 billion, with more than 87% directed toward safety and reliability improvements for its distribution, transmission and underground-storage systems. Forsythe later said the company remains on track to spend approximately $4.2 billion in capital expenditures during fiscal 2026.

At APT, the company is developing several projects around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Two projects southeast of the metroplex would install a combined 29 miles of 36-inch pipeline connecting adjacent compressor stations with the Tri-City storage facility. The projects are intended to enhance reliability and capacity for gas transported from the Haynesville and Cotton Valley shale plays to the Bethel and Tri-City storage facilities.

Atmos Energy also began construction on a bilateral compressor station in Carthage, Texas, intended to increase capacity on its 36-inch Line S-2 pipeline. In addition, it is completing the final phase of the WA Loop Project, which would add 15 miles of 36-inch pipe and complete a 92-mile pipeline loop serving the northwestern portion of the metroplex. Management said all of those projects are scheduled to enter service by the end of the calendar year.

APT also plans to submit its annual Rider REV tariff this month, seeking to provide $160 million to $165 million in revenue credits to local distribution company customers between Nov. 1, 2026, and Oct. 31, 2027. If approved as filed, Akers said customers would receive more than $300 million in savings through the Rider REV mechanism between November 2023 and October 2027.

Customer additions and operating costs Atmos Energy added nearly 51,000 customers during the 12 months ended June 30, including nearly 39,000 customers in Texas. The company added 600 commercial customers during the third quarter and more than 2,500 curb commercial customers year to date.

The company also added five industrial customers in the third quarter and 12 industrial customers year to date. Those 12 customers are expected to consume approximately 950,000 Mcf annually once fully operational, which Akers said is volumetrically equivalent to about 18,000 residential customers.

Consolidated operations and maintenance expense declined $14 million year to date, Forsythe said, reflecting the effects of House Bill 4384 deferrals that offset higher employee compliance and safety spending in the distribution segment and increased maintenance spending at APT. Still, the company raised its fiscal 2026 O&M outlook, excluding bad-debt expense, to a range of $875 million to $885 million.

Akers said the higher spending reflects ongoing activity in the company’s service territories, including customer growth, line-locate work, compliance requirements and maintenance activity.

Balance sheet and outlook Atmos Energy ended June with an equity capitalization ratio of 60%, no short-term debt outstanding and $4.6 billion of available liquidity. That liquidity includes approximately $937 million in net proceeds available under existing forward-sale agreements, which Forsythe said should meet the company’s remaining fiscal 2026 equity needs and a significant portion of anticipated fiscal 2027 needs.

Looking ahead, Akers said the company expects earnings-per-share growth of 6% to 8% from the current fiscal 2026 guidance range as it moves into fiscal 2027. Management said it will refresh its five-year plan later in the fall, including its outlook for operating and maintenance cost growth.

About Atmos Energy (NYSE:ATO)Atmos Energy Corporation NYSE: ATO is a U.S.-based natural-gas utility that primarily focuses on the regulated distribution of natural gas. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company operates through local distribution systems to deliver natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. Atmos's core activities include pipeline operations, gas distribution, system maintenance and reliability programs designed to ensure safe and continuous service to its customers.

The company's services encompass gas delivery, system integrity and maintenance, storage and transmission connections, and customer-facing programs such as billing, conservation initiatives and energy-efficiency offerings.

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Blockchain

7 August 2026 | 18:20 Hyperliquid’s policy arm is pushing regulators to consider whether perpetual futures, best known for crypto trading, could also work as hedging tools for businesses exposed to commodity prices.

Key Takeaways Its proposal centers on giving businesses additional hedging options alongside traditional futures contracts. Agricultural markets provide a demanding test because farmers and merchants use derivatives to manage real operating risks. Public blockchains could streamline collateral and settlement, but liquidity and market protections would still determine whether the products are useful. In an August 7 submission connected to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s July 29 Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting, the Hyperliquid Policy Center focused on product choice, the CFTC’s gradual approach to perpetual futures and the potential role of public blockchains in derivatives markets.

The committee represents agricultural producers, merchants and other businesses that use derivatives to manage costs and revenues tied to their operations. Its July meeting examined risk-management tools for agricultural users alongside 24-hour trading and newer derivatives products.

Bringing perpetual futures into that discussion puts the structure in front of businesses with very different needs from crypto traders. The question for regulators is whether it can offer a useful hedging alternative in markets where derivatives protect operating margins.

Hyperliquid Policy Center CFTC submission letter. Why Would a Farmer Need a Perpetual Future? Traditional futures contracts expire. A farmer, commodity merchant or food producer that wants to remain protected against price changes beyond the life of a contract has to close or roll the position into another maturity.

A perpetual future removes the fixed expiry date. The position can remain open while a funding mechanism helps keep its price aligned with the underlying market.

That could suit companies with continuous exposure to commodities. A business that regularly buys energy, grain or another input may want to maintain protection for an extended period without repeatedly moving into a new contract.

Traditional futures remain useful when their expiration dates align with a harvest, shipment or scheduled purchase. A December contract, for example, may suit an exposure that also ends in December.

Perpetuals would give businesses another option when the risk they are managing does not fit neatly into a fixed maturity.

24-Hour Trading Is Useful Only If Liquidity Follows The CFTC is also examining longer trading schedules. In his remarks to the Agricultural Advisory Committee, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig focused on giving farmers and producers efficient tools for managing price uncertainty.

Commodity prices can move while US exchanges are closed. Weather events, geopolitical developments, energy shocks and overseas trading can all affect markets outside normal domestic sessions.

Longer trading hours could allow companies to adjust hedges sooner when those events occur.

Liquidity remains the complication. Thin overnight trading can mean fewer counterparties, wider spreads and larger price moves from relatively small orders. Under those conditions, a 24-hour perpetual contract could offer worse execution than a traditional future during its most active trading hours.

Keeping a market open around the clock only helps if enough participants are there to trade. Commercial users, market makers and other counterparties still need to provide sufficient depth.

Public Blockchains Could Change the Market Infrastructure Derivatives markets require collateral transfers, position reconciliation and settlement of gains and losses between participants. Public blockchains could handle some of those processes on infrastructure that operates continuously and can be independently verified.

Faster collateral movement and systems that remain available outside traditional banking hours could be useful to commercial participants. This may be especially relevant for perpetual contracts, where positions stay open and collateral requirements can change as prices move.

The Hyperliquid Policy Center has also argued that regulators should distinguish public blockchain infrastructure from financial businesses that take custody of customer assets or intermediate transactions.

Agricultural derivatives offer a practical setting for that argument to be tested. Any advantage would need to appear in areas businesses already care about, including collateral efficiency, settlement speed and access during volatile market periods.

The Policy Push Also Serves Hyperliquid’s Broader Strategy Hyperliquid has its own stake in how regulators treat perpetual futures and onchain derivatives.

Hyperliquid Policy Center describes itself as an independent research and advocacy organisation focused on creating a regulated US path for onchain finance. When it launched, the Hyper Foundation committed 1 million HYPE tokens to support its work, according to the organisation’s official launch announcement.

A regulatory framework that accommodates perpetual futures and public blockchain infrastructure could give platforms built around those markets more opportunities to compete with established derivatives venues.

The campaign also comes as Hyperliquid faces growing competitive pressure. JPMorgan has recently argued that regulated US perpetual products could narrow the platform’s advantage, while HYPE ETF demand has weakened. Our earlier analysis explains why JPMorgan sees growing competition as a test for Hyperliquid and HYPE.

That gives the policy effort a broader strategic importance. Expanding the regulatory role of perpetual futures could increase the number of markets where onchain derivatives platforms are able to compete.

The Real Test Is Whether Businesses Actually Use Them Perpetual futures already have a long trading history in crypto. What remains uncertain is whether companies managing commodity and other commercial exposures would find the same structure worthwhile.

Farmers, merchants and producers will judge these products on hedging costs, liquidity, collateral requirements and their ability to respond when markets move.

If perpetual futures improve those areas, they could earn a place alongside established derivatives products.

If they do not, regulatory approval may expand where the contracts can trade without creating much demand from the businesses the CFTC’s agricultural committee represents.

Methodology: This article uses the Hyperliquid Policy Center’s August 7 submission relating to the CFTC Agricultural Advisory Committee’s July 29 meeting, official CFTC meeting materials and Hyperliquid Policy Center disclosures. The analysis focuses on the practical implications of perpetual futures, continuous markets and public blockchain infrastructure. Disclaimer: The article is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal or investment advice. Regulatory policy and derivatives-market rules may change as the CFTC considers new products and public comments. Author

Alex is Editor-in-Chief of Coindoo and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, with nearly a decade of experience covering financial markets - crypto first, then everything else. It started in 2016 with Bitcoin. Like most people at the time, he didn't fully understand it - so he kept digging. Blockchain, tokenomics, the projects, the cycles. That curiosity never stopped, and eventually pulled him into traditional markets too: equities, commodities, macro. Not because he left crypto behind, but because you can't properly understand one without the other. What drives him is straightforward: he wants to know why something is happening, not just that it's happening. Most market coverage stops at the headline - price up, price down, here's a chart. Alex finds that kind of reporting actively unhelpful. If you walk away from an article without understanding the mechanism behind the move, what did you actually learn? He holds a degree in Tourism from New Bulgarian University - not the most obvious path into financial markets, but markets have a way of pulling in people who are simply too curious to stay out. He has authored over 200 in-depth analyses and more than 10,000 articles across crypto and traditional finance. He still thinks every day in markets teaches him something new. That's probably why he hasn't stopped.

Movement has announced a partnership with New Jersey-based Mexico remittance expert El Vecino and on-chain wallet provider RISE to power a digital-dollar service that lets customers hold their own money and send it home in seconds through WhatsApp.

Leveraging El Vecino’s 19 years of experience in US-to-Mexico physical remittances, RISE’s wallet capabilities and LATAM network, and Movement’s access to regulated, sub-second payment rails, the partnership enables stablecoin-settled transfers to be sent to Mexico almost instantly, giving customers a simple way to initiate transfers without opening a bank account or downloading an app.

Rather than having to visit a physical location to initiate every cash transfer, El Vecino customers can now begin the process through the familiar WhatsApp messenger. Funds settle in seconds before recipients cash out through Mexico's extensive OXXO and Circle K retail networks, or receive funds directly via the country's SPEI banking system. 

The partnership aims to simplify sending money home along one of the world's most important remittance corridors. Funds settle in seconds and can be received via SPEI or withdrawn as cash through physical networks like OXXO and Circle K.

In a corridor where over $62 billion moved in 2024, speed matters—but so does trust. The initiative combines El Vecino’s long-standing relationship with the community, RISE’s product expertise, and Movement’s access to regulated payment infrastructure.

Transforming the Remittance ExperienceFor years, many remittances to Mexico have followed a similar pattern: cash handling, visits to physical locations, intermediaries, waiting periods, and settlement times spanning several days.

With this new route, the user initiates the transfer via WhatsApp, funds settle in seconds, and the recipient can receive the money via SPEI or withdraw cash at OXXO and Circle K locations.

The goal isn't to sell a tech narrative; it is to reduce friction regarding a financial need that already exists for thousands of Mexican families.

Discussing stablecoin remittances only makes sense if the infrastructure actually improves the user experience. In this case, the improvement lies in fewer steps, reduced reliance on manual processes, and much faster settlement.

The U.S.-Mexico corridor is the largest in the world and remains vital for families relying on recurring transfers. Being able to initiate a transfer using a familiar tool like WhatsApp—without opening a U.S. bank account—addresses a practical need rather than a passing product trend.

Who manages the customer relationship also matters. El Vecino has spent 19 years building trust regarding remittances to Mexico from New Jersey. That trust is central to the model.

How it WorksEach party brings something unique to this new remittance route to Mexico.

El Vecino contributes 19 years of experience in physical remittance services to Mexico and an active user base already familiar with its operations. It currently processes approximately 25,000 transactions per month—amounting to $70 million annually—across remittances, domestic and international payments, check cashing, and other services. Around 85% of these transactions are destined for Mexico.

RISE provides the wallet and regional network that enable the digital user experience.

Movement contributes regulated payment infrastructure and stablecoin settlement within seconds, as well as compliant fiat on-ramps and off-ramps—services that have historically been difficult for community-based remittance operators to secure.

Operating the new route via WhatsAppInstead of having to visit a physical location to initiate each transfer, El Vecino users will be able to start the process via WhatsApp.

Funds are then settled almost instantly. The recipient in Mexico can receive them directly via SPEI or withdraw cash through a wide, well-known commercial network.

The new service will first be piloted with El Vecino’s 20,000 users. In a second phase, it will expand through the RISE network to reach an estimated 800,000 users. Looking ahead, the model also targets other corridors in Latin America, including Guatemala and El Salvador.

Crucially, this collaboration demonstrates that a community-based operator does not need to build its own blockchain infrastructure to modernize its remittance services to Mexico. It also shows that stablecoin-based remittances can function within a regulated model, offering real local payouts and an experience designed for users who already have established habits, trusted channels, and recurring needs. 

From a broader perspective, the case is significant because it combines local distribution, a digital product, and regulated settlement in one of the world's most active remittance corridors.

Voices From The AllianceTorab Torabi, CEO of Movement, said: “For too long, many Mexicans have struggled to send their hard-earned money home. The partnership with El Vecino and RISE helps correct this imbalance and demonstrates that stablecoins can function as a reliable settlement mechanism. 

It also allows us to show that regulated blockchain infrastructure can modernize one of the world’s most active remittance corridors.”

Mike Burns, founder of El Vecino, said: “El Vecino was built on the trust that comes from face-to-face interaction. Families trust us because they know we help them support their loved ones. Partnering with RISE and Movement allows us to bring that trust to a remote digital channel, with the same security and certainty that the money will arrive.”

Richard Mas, founder and CEO of RISE, said: “Every year, tens of billions of dollars flow from the United States to Mexico—money largely earned far from home by people whom the banking system has left behind. El Vecino spent 19 years building trust at the counter, household by household, and we are proud to join forces with them and Movement to give those users access to new, secure, and regulatory-compliant digital solutions.”

We at Movement are confident that this pathway will not only improve the experience for El Vecino users but can also serve as a model for other remittance providers serving migrant communities who are seeking a more efficient way to move money between the United States and Mexico.

This is where stablecoin-based remittances move beyond being an abstract idea and become practical infrastructure for solving real-world problems.

Retail investors are exiting Bitcoin at their fastest pace since December as whales keep accumulating near current prices.

Bitcoin whales and sharks are continuing to increase their holdings as the cryptocurrency trades in the $63,000 to $65,000 range, according to the latest data from Santiment.

The accumulation trend has strengthened since its previous report earlier this week, which highlighted a surge in network activity driven by the impact of the Coldcard hardware wallet security incident.

Retail Dumps Holdings At the time, Santiment reported that active Bitcoin addresses had climbed to a three-month high of 712,000 over the previous seven days, while transactions worth more than $100,000 reached a five-month high of 61,800. The firm said affected users rushed to move their funds and reorganize their wallets after the security breach, which ended up triggering a sharp increase in on-chain activity.

In its latest update, Santiment flagged a notable shift. While large holders have continued adding BTC to their wallets, micro holders are reducing their exposure at the fastest pace since December 2024.  The Coldcard hack remains a major factor, as both the accumulation by whales and the selling by smaller investors began around the same period.

The uncertainty surrounding the CLARITY Act also contributed to the trend. Bitcoin’s ongoing period of sideways price action has discouraged retail participants, adding to the selling pressure from smaller wallets. It is this divergence between large and small holders that is becoming more pronounced, Santiment explained.

With key stakeholders steadily accumulating while retail investors continue to exit, the analytics platform said the odds of BTC climbing above $70,000 are increasing. This, in turn, makes that outcome more likely than a drop below the $60,000 level.

The Coldcard fallout was also evident in data from CoinMetrics, which recorded a temporary increase in BTC held on exchanges.

You may also like: Bitcoin Barely Budges as Weak US Jobs Data Cuts Fed Hike Odds to 44% Bitcoin Miners Are Selling Again: Here’s How Much BTC Was Reportedly Offloaded Arthur Hayes: AI Bubble Burst Could Trigger Bitcoin Rally ETFs Stay in Positive Territory On the institutional side, US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs have recorded four straight days of inflows. On 6th August, these funds attracted nearly $129 million. BlackRock’s IBIT led the numbers with $123 million in inflows, followed by Fidelity’s ETF with $11.2 million. Outflows came from VanEck’s HODL, which shed $32.7 million, and Valkyrie’s BRRR, which lost $9.07 million on the day. The remaining funds either posted smaller additions or ended the session unchanged.

The latest stretch of gains has pushed the monthly figures to almost $755 million.

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In brief XRP fell 2.05% in 24 hours to $1.02, the lone red coin among the top 10; every other major is green. The Senate left Washington without voting on the Clarity Act, delaying the market-structure bill until at least September. XRP trades within a confirmed death cross, but prediction market traders remain optimistic for now. The Senate left town without taking up the Clarity Act, pushing the market-structure vote to at least September. Every major coin shrugged it off—except XRP.

While Bitcoin stayed flat, dealing with its own headwinds, and Dogecoin gained 1.38% over the day to be the best performer in the top 10 crypto assets by market cap, XRP dropped 2.05%, the only major token to close red.

On a week that saw it fall 3%, it's the weakest of the majors by a wide margin.

The delay isn't just procedural for XRP. The token's entire 2025–2026 rally thesis rested on the U.S. finally deciding what XRP is. The Clarity Act would sort crypto into securities and commodities and, in drafts Decrypt previously reported, would reclassify XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin as non-securities.

That means these coins would fall under the regulatory purview of the CFTC, widely viewed as the more preferable option by crypto industry observers, rather than the historically tougher SEC.

For Ripple, whose co-founder created the XRP cryptocurrency, that's the prize years of litigation were about: a federal answer to the SEC's long fight over whether XRP was an unregistered security. Ripple agreed to pay $50 million to settle its cross-appeal with the SEC, but a statute beats a settlement.

A law settles the question for every exchange, custodian, and regulator at once. Without it, XRP stays in legal limbo—and limbo is what the chart appears to be pricing.

XRP price: What the charts sayXRP is trading at $1.028, roughly a $64 billion market cap, down 0.71% on the day, after a red candle that has kept it pinned just above the $1.00 psychological floor. It's the second-lowest print on the daily chart since early 2024, above only the $0.9153 low marked last month.

XRP price data. Image: TradingviewThe trajectory is a clean, grinding downtrend. XRP has been in a strong bearish trend since 2025, when it reached $3 per coin. The 50-day EMA (the average price over the last 50 sessions) has crossed below the 200-day EMA (the average over the last 200 sessions) in a formation known as a death cross. XRP’s current price is below both lines, so there's no average acting as support beneath it.

The Relative Strength Index, or RSI, reads 35.9. RSI is a momentum gauge on a 0–100 scale: above 70 is overbought, below 30 is oversold. At 35.9, momentum is bearish with room for more downside before buyers typically step in.

The Average Directional Index, or ADX, reads 11.9. ADX measures trend strength, not direction: below 20 means the move lacks conviction and chop is common. However, the Squeeze Momentum indicator is still off, meaning volatility is expanding rather than coiling.

No compression means no loaded spring waiting to fire; moves here tend to be slow.

A bull case would appear if a daily close back above $1.10 (the lower Fib zone and first real resistance) and then the $1.13 point of control signal the floor is holding. An advance in the Clarity Act, though not until September at the earliest now, could also ignite some bullish appetite among traders.

Bear case: a break under $1.00 opens the path to $0.9153, the chart's lowest mark since 2024. A daily close there confirms the downtrend and erases the post-2024 recovery. The current trend is bearish, so this is a very likely scenario.

On Myriad, a prediction market developed by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, traders are currently optimistic on XRP’s short-term outlook. Traders are pricing in 77% odds that XRP stays above $1.00, at least over the weekend.

For now, $1.00 is the line. Above it, XRP is cheap and oversold; below it, the chart says the slide isn't done.

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The Lawsuit and Asset Freeze@Bybit_Official has filed a civil lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against North Korea, its Reconnaissance General Bureau, and the Lazarus Group. The action stems from the February 21, 2025 theft of approximately $1.5 billion in $ETH — over 400,000 ETH and stETH stolen from the Dubai-based exchange in what remains the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.

In addition to the lawsuit, Bybit said it won a preliminary injunction freezing certain stolen assets held by a group of unidentified individuals and entities, named in the case as John Doe defendants. The freeze order prevents those parties from transferring or selling the identified assets while litigation continues, giving the civil action real on-chain consequence even as enforcement against a sovereign state remains a longer road.

How the Attack UnfoldedDuring a scheduled transfer from a cold to a hot wallet, the hackers intercepted and rerouted funds to addresses they controlled, quickly converting the loot into Bitcoin and other assets and dispersing them across thousands of blockchain addresses to obscure their trail. The Lazarus Group managed to manipulate the Safe user interface used for Bybit transactions. By injecting malicious JavaScript into the UI, they created the illusion of a legitimate transaction, allowing the attackers to bypass security protocols and facilitate the unauthorized transfer of funds.

The Bybit hack made up the bulk of the $2.02 billion in crypto stolen by North Korea in 2025. In total, North Korean hackers have stolen $6.75 billion worth of crypto, according to data from Chainalysis, with the country widely believed to use stolen funds to finance its weapons program.

CEO @benbybit framed the lawsuit as part of a broader accountability push. "The Lazarus attack wasn't just an attack on Bybit. It was an attack on trust in our industry," he said, adding that Bybit has worked closely with investigators, exchanges, regulators, law enforcement, and now the courts. The civil action is being pursued independently of ongoing criminal investigations.

Sources:
CoinDesk: Bybit Sues North Korea and Lazarus Group, Secures Asset Freeze
FBI IC3: North Korea Responsible for $1.5 Billion Bybit Hack
American Banker: How North Korean Hackers Stole $1.5B in Ethereum from Bybit

A wave of sophisticated thefts has shaken the cryptocurrency community, exposing a critical flaw affecting the core security of widely used web and mobile wallets. Attackers leveraged a longstanding vulnerability in the CryptoJS JavaScript library to brute-force secret seed phrases, compromising user funds with alarming ease.

Flaw in CryptoJS exposes hundreds of walletsThe vulnerability, identified as “Ill Bloom,” has been linked to the theft of assets from over 2,100 wallet addresses on major blockchain networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Rootstock, and Polygon. Losses attributed to this exploit have now surpassed $5.7 million.

Normally, a standard 12-word seed phrase is designed to be virtually unbreakable, requiring computational timescales beyond the age of the universe to crack. However, CryptoJS library versions 3.x, specifically those starting with 3.1.2 except for 3.2.0 and 3.2.1, had a critical defect in their random number generation functions.

This bug caused the affected versions to produce only weak pseudo-randomness, drastically reducing the number of possible seed phrase combinations and making brute-force attacks feasible even on ordinary home computers.

Compounding the problem, CryptoJS was quietly embedded within hundreds of software packages. Wallet developers widely integrated it without awareness, inadvertently exposing users across many applications.

More than 2,100 wallet addresses across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Rootstock, and Polygon have fallen victim to Ill Bloom, with total losses above $5.7 million.

The first large-scale incident linked to Ill Bloom occurred on May 27, 2026, when attackers compromised 431 wallets in one day, siphoning off $3.14 million. Bitcoin investors suffered the greatest impact, losing $2.57 million. Ethereum, Rootstock, Tron, and Polygon users also faced significant losses, with values ranging from $23,000 to $286,000 across these networks.

Impacted wallets and user safeguardsBy August, applications confirmed as affected included RWallet (also known as RRWallet), Bexo Wallet, NanChat, Bitcoin Libre, and Milo Wallet. Some projects, notably Milo and RWallet, have ceased operations, leaving users with no dedicated support channels.

Developers of Bitcoin Libre responded by patching the bug in earlier releases. NanChat has issued a new security fix for its users, while an update for Bexo Wallet was still under review in app stores at the time of reporting.

Security researchers warn that updating wallet applications alone is not enough to safeguard user assets. Seed phrases created on versions affected by Ill Bloom remain fundamentally vulnerable, as their entropy was compromised from the start.

Specialists recommend that users review all public addresses potentially exposed, and if risk is detected, immediately transfer funds to freshly generated wallets. They urge the community to avoid storing substantial sums in browsers or mobile wallets whose keys were created with unsafe libraries.

For investors aiming to minimize risks and closely monitor their digital assets, leveraging advanced portfolio tools is vital. CryptoAppsy, for example, eliminates account setup complexity and brings together investments, real-time pricing, and multi-currency management on a single platform. By using features such as smart price alerts, coin-specific news filtering, instant tracking of new altcoins, and macroeconomic data like Fed interest rates, users can remain vigilant and ready to react to changes in market conditions.

Experts emphasize that if a wallet’s seed phrase originated from the defective CryptoJS versions, only migrating to a new wallet that generates fresh keys can restore full security.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

A Trump-associated Ethereum wallet has reportedly transferred $100 million worth of ETH to Binance. The move, if confirmed, would represent one of the largest single transfers from a politically linked wallet to a centralized exchange in recent memory.

What the blockchain says Arkham Intelligence, the blockchain analytics firm that tracks wallets belonging to public figures and institutions, has been monitoring multiple Ethereum addresses associated with Trump and his decentralized finance venture, World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The firm has documented a range of transactions from these wallets, including purchases as large as $10 million in ETH and smaller transfers to exchanges like Coinbase for apparent liquidity purposes.

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What Arkham has not publicly confirmed, however, is a single $100 million ETH movement to Binance. Historically, Trump-linked wallet activity has consisted of more modest transfers to centralized exchanges, with larger sums typically tied to WLFI operations rather than direct exchange deposits.

The Trump crypto empire in context Financial disclosures from mid-2026 show the former president holding over $100 million in Bitcoin and more than $55 million in Ethereum. Those are personal holdings alone.

Then there’s WLFI, which has reportedly generated over $1.4 billion in crypto-related gains during certain reporting periods. Roughly 85-87% of USD1, the stablecoin associated with WLFI, is concentrated on Binance, suggesting that Binance isn’t just a trading venue for Trump-linked assets but the primary infrastructure partner.

Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao following his 2024 conviction, and Binance subsequently ramped up promotional support for WLFI products.

Why a $100M transfer to Binance would matter If a Trump-controlled wallet genuinely moved $100 million in ETH to Binance, the most straightforward interpretation would be preparation for a sale. There’s also the possibility that this is an operational transfer rather than a sell signal. WLFI could be moving funds to Binance for staking, lending, or as collateral for USD1 minting. Given how much of the USD1 ecosystem already lives on Binance, a large deposit to that platform doesn’t automatically mean someone is heading for the exit.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Valvoline (VVV - Free Report) reported $544.6 million in revenue for the quarter ended June 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 24.1%. EPS of $0.57 for the same period compares to $0.47 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +1.49% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $536.62 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.50, the EPS surprise was +14%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Valvoline performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Same-store sales growth - System-wide: 8% versus 5.5% estimated by four analysts on average.System-wide stores - Franchised stores: 1,199 versus 1,224 estimated by three analysts on average.Stores Opened - Franchised: 26 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 23.Stores Opened - Company-operated: 15 compared to the 23 average estimate based on three analysts.System-wide stores - Company-operated stores: 1,232 compared to the 1,234 average estimate based on three analysts.Total System-wide stores: 2,456 compared to the 2,458 average estimate based on three analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for Valvoline here>>>

Shares of Valvoline have returned -6.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

For the quarter ended June 2026, F5 Networks (FFIV - Free Report) reported revenue of $865.08 million, up 10.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $4.73, compared to $4.16 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +3.96% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $832.12 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $3.98, the EPS surprise was +18.84%.

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.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how F5 performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Net revenues- Services: $402.25 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $402.31 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2.7%.Net revenues- Products: $462.83 million versus $429.8 million estimated by six analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +19% change.Net product revenues- Software: $223.31 million versus $219.37 million estimated by five analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +7.4% change.Net product revenues- Systems: $239.52 million compared to the $210.59 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +32.4% year over year.View all Key Company Metrics for F5 here>>>

Shares of F5 have returned -4% 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.