MasTec očekává, že upravený EPS v roce 2026 meziročně vzroste o 42 % na 9,30 USD, a to po dosažení rekordního objemu zakázek ve výši 21,4 miliardy USD, který byl meziročně vyšší o 30 %.
Key Takeaways MasTec's Q2 revenues rose 23.4% year over year and adjusted EPS surged 48.8% to $2.22.MTZ's record $21.4 billion backlog climbed 30%, led by a 58% gain in Clean Energy and Infrastructure.The Superior Group acquisition adds 3,000 employees and strengthens MasTec's data-center capabilities. MasTec, Inc.’s (MTZ - Free Report) latest outlook underscores a strong 2026 growth trajectory, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) expected to jump 42% year over year to $9.30. The upgraded guidance follows a record second quarter, supported by broad-based demand and improving profitability.
In the second quarter of 2026, revenues increased 23.4% year over year to $4.37 billion, while adjusted EBITDA climbed nearly 40% to $384.2 million. Adjusted EPS surged 48.8% to $2.22, with the adjusted EBITDA margin expanding 100 basis points (bps) to 8.8%. Backlog provides further visibility. MasTec’s record 18-month backlog reached $21.4 billion, up 30% year over year and $1.1 billion sequentially. Clean Energy and Infrastructure led the backlog gains, rising 58% year over year. The segment’s revenues surged 43.4%, while EBITDA advanced 53.9%.
Power Delivery also remained a solid contributor, with revenues up 19.2% and EBITDA rising 23.7%. Pipeline Infrastructure was another standout, delivering 19.1% revenue growth and a 91% increase in EBITDA. Broad-based growth across communications, clean energy, power delivery and pipeline infrastructure markets is aiding the growth trajectory. Higher project activity, particularly in energy infrastructure, along with improved execution and productivity, adds to the tailwinds.
MTZ also closed the acquisition of The Superior Group, adding about 3,000 employees and strengthening its data-center infrastructure capabilities. The deal broadens its exposure to growing power and digital infrastructure demand. The combination of accelerating backlog, margin expansion, segment diversification and Superior’s capabilities makes the 42% EPS growth outlook a compelling marker of MasTec’s improving earnings power.
Competitive Landscape: MasTec vs. EMCOR & QuantaAI-driven data-center expansion, grid modernization and digital infrastructure spending are creating a favorable demand backdrop for MasTec, alongside other renowned infrastructure peers including EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME - Free Report) and Quanta Services, Inc. (PWR - Free Report) .
EMCOR benefits from robust AI infrastructure and data-center demand, supported by $15.62 billion of remaining performance obligations and disciplined capital allocation spanning organic investment, acquisitions and shareholder returns. Quanta remains leveraged to grid modernization and power demand from data centers, while pursuing disciplined capital deployment.
However, labor shortages, tariffs, inflation, permitting delays, elevated rates and potential project-cost pressures remain near-term risks for MTZ as well as its peers, including EMCOR and Quanta. Yet, MasTec’s broader exposure to clean energy, pipelines, communications and mission-critical construction offers diversification against these peers.
MTZ Stock’s Price Performance & Valuation TrendShares of this Florida-based infrastructure construction company have plunged 35.2% over the past six months, underperforming the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry, the broader Zacks Construction sector and the S&P 500 index.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
MTZ stock is currently trading at a premium compared with its industry peers, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.28, as shown in the chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
EPS Trend of MTZMTZ’s earnings estimates for 2026 have trended down over the past 30 days to $9.30 per share, while they grew over the same time frame to $12.83 per share for 2027. The estimated figures for 2026 and 2027 imply 42% and 37.9% year-over-year growth, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
MasTec stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DNA – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $18.22 and last traded at $15.5170, with a volume of 2024663 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.98.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts recently issued reports on DNA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ginkgo Bioworks to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Oppenheimer set a $5.00 price target on shares of Ginkgo Bioworks in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. BTIG Research reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Ginkgo Bioworks in a research note on Friday, September 4th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Ginkgo Bioworks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $12.00 to $9.00 in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ginkgo Bioworks in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $6.33.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks Stock Performance The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.22. The company has a market cap of $874.81 million, a PE ratio of -2.55 and a beta of 1.79. Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE:DNA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.75) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90) by $0.15. Ginkgo Bioworks had a negative return on equity of 60.27% and a negative net margin of 259.96%.The business had revenue of $20.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.05 million. Analysts forecast that Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. will post -3.2 EPS for the current year.
Insider Activity In other news, Director Christian Henry sold 5,000 shares of Ginkgo Bioworks stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.08, for a total value of $35,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,310 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,714.80. This trade represents a 20.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.69% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Ginkgo Bioworks A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DNA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Ginkgo Bioworks by 1.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 123,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 2,178 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ginkgo Bioworks by 808.9% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC now owns 4,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 3,899 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ginkgo Bioworks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Ginkgo Bioworks in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $102,000. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Ginkgo Bioworks in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $67,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Ginkgo Bioworks Company Profile (Get Free Report)
Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc is a biotechnology company that develops biological engineering technologies and services. Its platform is designed to help customers program cells and microorganisms to produce products or perform functions for applications in areas such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, chemicals and materials.
The company combines biological research, laboratory automation, genetic engineering, data analysis and software through its cell-programming platform and foundry operations.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Ginkgo Bioworks AI Chip Demand Gives Linde a New Growth Catalyst Qualcomm’s Huawei Deal Adds Strategic Depth to Its AI Expansion 3 Sectors Where Volatility Is Creating Entry Points, Not Exit Signals D-Wave’s Gate-Model Tech Notches a Major Milestone Receive News & Ratings for Ginkgo Bioworks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ginkgo Bioworks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Key Takeaways KMT's Metal Cutting organic sales rose 22% in fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 on share gains and project wins.Infrastructure organic sales jumped 74%, driven by pricing and project execution across key markets.KMT targets a $500 million aerospace cutting-tools market with innovation and a three-year pipeline. Kennametal Inc. (KMT - Free Report) is benefiting from solid demand across both its segments. Its investment in product development and shareholder-friendly policies also bodes well.
KMT currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Let’s delve into the factors that have been aiding the firm for a while now.
Solid Momentum in Metal Cutting Segment: Kennametal’s Metal Cutting business continues to benefit from share gains, higher aerospace build rates and project wins in energy. In fourth-quarter fiscal 2026, its organic sales rose 22% year over year. On a constant-currency basis, the segment’s sales increased 36% in energy, 35% in aerospace & defense and 25% in general engineering end markets. The Metal Cutting segment’s growth was supported by data center power generation wins, higher aerospace build rates and indirect-channel share gains.
Recovery in Infrastructure Segment and Pricing Momentum: Kennametal’s Infrastructure segment is benefiting from pricing, share gains and project execution across several end markets. The segment’s organic sales rose 74% year over year in the fiscal fourth quarter. On a constant-currency basis, energy end market’s sales increased 135%, earthworks rose 76%, aerospace & defense advanced 63% and general engineering increased 37%. Earthworks end market’s growth reflected higher volume in surface mining and construction, including share gains tied to material availability. Energy end market’s growth was driven mainly by pricing in the Americas, while aerospace & defense end market benefited from pricing and strategic initiatives in the Americas and EMEA.
In the past year, the company’s shares have gained 54.4% compared with the industry‘s 9.8% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Innovation and Portfolio Investment: Kennametal continues to invest in product development, digital capabilities and higher-growth applications. In aerospace, the company is targeting a roughly $500 million market for cutting tools used on carbon fiber reinforced plastics, which it estimates will grow 9% annually through 2028. Kennametal is pursuing the opportunity through proprietary geometry and material science, a broader product portfolio, application engineering, channel relationships and a three-year innovation pipeline. KMT also highlighted a recent customer win after it supplied a superior composite-cutting product and guaranteed supply during a competitor disruption.
Shareholder Returns With Discipline: Kennametal continues to return cash through dividends while adjusting repurchases to protect liquidity. In fiscal 2026, the company paid $60.8 million in dividends and repurchased $10.1 million of shares, returning about $71 million to shareholders. Since the $200 million repurchase program was authorized in February 2024, the company has bought back about $70 million of stock. However, the company has paused further repurchases until cash flow turns positive as tungsten-related working capital remains elevated.
Other Stocks to ConsiderSome other top-ranked companies are discussed below:
Helios Technologies (HLIO - Free Report) currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
HLIO delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 13.1%. In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Helios Technologies’ 2026 earnings has increased 10%.
Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT - Free Report) presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 4.3%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIT’s fiscal 2027 earnings has increased 1.4% in the past 60 days.
Crane Company (CR - Free Report) presently carries a Zacks Rank of 2. It has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 10.4%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CR’s 2026 earnings has increased 0.4% in the past 60 days.
Key Takeaways SharkNinja is expanding AI across consumer research, product development and marketing.AI is shortening early design work and broadening insights into consumer conversations.SharkNinja expects AI benefits to become more visible in 2027 as initiatives scale. SharkNinja, Inc. (SN - Free Report) is expanding its use of Artificial Intelligence across consumer research, product development and marketing. Through its Jailbreak SharkNinja initiative, employees develop tools to address business challenges. Management aims to turn deeper consumer understanding into faster innovation, stronger product decisions and more effective marketing across established franchises and emerging categories.
The initiative is progressing alongside strong business momentum. Second-quarter 2026 sales increased 22.2% year over year to $1.77 billion, while adjusted earnings per share rose 29.9% to $1.26. Domestic and international sales grew 15.5% and 36.6%, respectively. Research and development spending increased 22.3% to $109.3 million, supporting product development and expansion.
AI is broadening SharkNinja’s visibility into consumer conversations beyond branded hashtags, which appear in fewer than 20% of user content. These insights increasingly guide marketing and product development. The technology is also shortening early design work that previously took months, supporting core categories that receive roughly 20 of the company’s 25 annual product launches.
Execution centers on eight major AI projects and 20 smaller initiatives, with leadership reviewing progress every two weeks. Early results from Palantir’s promotions optimization work prompted a second phase. On its second-quarter earnings call, management expected fourth-quarter benefits from this partnership and initial gains from an Amazon Web Services media optimization system, with broader scaling in 2027.
SharkNinja raised its 2026 sales growth outlook to 16-17% from 11.5-12.5%. Management expects AI’s influence on product innovation and consumer insights to become more visible in 2027. It also sees opportunities to grow with roughly flat headcount, allowing resources to support further expansion while faster development and better consumer intelligence strengthen the product pipeline.
SN’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of SharkNinja have jumped 75.4% over the past six months against the industry’s 0.3% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, SN trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 3.16, above the industry’s average of 3.03.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SharkNinja’s fiscal 2026 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 23.9%, while the same for fiscal 2027 indicates an uptick of 15.6%. Estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have been revised upward by 38 cents and 45 cents, respectively, over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
SharkNinja currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Other Key PicksLifetime Brands (LCUT - Free Report) is a leading designer, marketer and distributor of kitchenware, cutlery & cutting boards, bakeware & cookware, pantryware & spices, tabletop and bath accessories. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Lifetime Brands’ current financial-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 4.4% and 156.8%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figures. LCUT delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 271.1%, on average.
Alliance Laundry Holdings Inc. (ALH - Free Report) is a provider of commercial laundry systems. It currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alliance Laundry’s current financial-year earnings and sales suggests growth of 31.4% and 6.3%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. ALH delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 19.7%.
G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (GIII - Free Report) designs, sources, distributes and markets a broad range of apparel and accessories under owned, licensed and private-label brands. The company also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for G-III Apparel’s current financial-year earnings and sales indicates decline of 13.8% and 8.4%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. GIII delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 1.4%.
Akcie společnosti AST SpaceMobile v úterý vzrostly o 8,38 % poté, co USA podpořily partnerství firmy s Rakuten v oblasti satelitní infrastruktury na nízké oběžné dráze Země (LEO).
Washington just put AST SpaceMobile's name in a bilateral tech deal with Japan, sending shares surging while rivals barely moved. The question now is whether a billion-dollar satellite award and superpower backing can overcome the company's persistent cash burn.
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AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) gained 8.38% to $63.34 in Tuesday trading. The jump came after Washington publicly backed the company’s satellite partnership with Japan’s Rakuten. Before the move, the stock had fallen 11.62% between September 8 and October 5, and it is still down 12.79% year to date.
Washington Backs the Rakuten Partnership by Name The White House science chief Michael Kratsios met Japanese minister Toshiharu Furukawa in Kyoto on October 4, 2026. The joint statement on the U.S.-Japan Technology Prosperity Deal issued after that meeting named AST SpaceMobile directly:
“Both sides welcomed Japan’s Rakuten Group and the U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile cooperation for the development and deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite infrastructure.”
The two governments also committed to Indo-Pacific connectivity work “through the use of government financing and assistance that mobilizes the private sector.”
Japan’s J-LEO Award Could Pay for Half of Its Satellites Japan’s communications ministry has initially selected the Rakuten joint venture for its J-LEO initiative, a deal worth up to approximately $1 billion. On the August call, President Scott Wisniewski framed the award as part of a wider trend:
“We see the J-LEO project as a real proof point for how countries, large countries, are thinking about their own infrastructure. This is infrastructure they can control and get access to.”
Management said the Japanese-flagged satellites represent “roughly half of the investment on those satellites” in capital that is “non-dilutive and non-debt.” Asked whether other countries might follow, management said: “I don’t know why a G20 country wouldn’t want this kind of capability given the price.”
That outside funding matters because the company is still burning cash. Q2 revenue came in at $31.52 million, missing expectations of $34.40 million. EPS of -$0.77 also missed the -$0.29 consensus. Pro forma liquidity tops $3.70 billion, and the company confirmed its 2026 revenue guidance of $150 million to $200 million.
Globalstar and Iridium Have Already Rallied This Year The two closest peers have far outperformed AST SpaceMobile in 2026. Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSAT) is up 36.65% year to date. Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM | IRDM Price Prediction) has rose 185.59%. On Tuesday, though, Globalstar dropped 0.16% and Iridium added 1.2%, which points to a rally specific to AST SpaceMobile.
Valuation shows how much growth investors are already expecting. AST SpaceMobile trades at 197 times trailing sales, compared with 39 for Globalstar.
Morgan Stanley’s SpaceX Call Put Space Stocks in Play Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analyst Adam Jonas repeated his Outperform rating on SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) with a $300 price target. He said that investors have only a few weeks to act before the next Starship test flight. SpaceX itself rose just 2%, while AST SpaceMobile posted the largest gain in the sector, 24/7 Wall St. reported.
Approvals and Satellite Launches Will Decide What Comes Next The J-LEO award still needs government approvals and final agreements. The company is aiming for about 45 satellites in orbit by early 2027, up from 13 today, and plans beta service later this year. CEO Abel Avellan said:
“Our growing commercial and government programs, expansive spectrum portfolio, and fortified balance sheet provide us with the flexibility to capture opportunities across an expanding total addressable market.”
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Key Takeaways SoundHound is extending OASYS across IoT, automotive systems, TVs and Voice Commerce.New deals bring OASYS agents to automotive diagnostics, TVs and in-car transactions.SOUN posted 45% revenue growth but remained loss-making and used nearly $60M in operating cash. SoundHound AI (SOUN - Free Report) is widening the reach of its agentic AI beyond traditional voice applications as it pushes deeper into connected devices, automotive systems and Voice Commerce. The strategy centers on OASYS, its self-learning agentic platform, which allows AI agents to operate independently of a specific channel and extend across physical and digital touchpoints. Management says OASYS agents can support vehicle assistants, retail transactions and other complex workflows across multiple verticals.
IoT Deals Broaden OASYS ReachMomentum is becoming visible in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. During the second quarter, SoundHound secured an IoT deal with an automotive maintenance and diagnostic company that plans to use AI agents to improve on-site productivity. The customer will integrate with OASYS, enabling purpose-built agents to work across multiple channels.
SoundHound is also moving into consumer electronics. A multinational electronics manufacturer agreed to deploy its technology for agentic transactions directly through TVs, while the company signed another automotive brand for in-car Voice Commerce. These initiatives could turn connected devices into transaction points, expanding monetization opportunities beyond licensing and voice assistance.
Growth Opportunity Comes With Execution RiskThe broader business provides encouraging momentum. Second-quarter revenues increased 45% year over year to $61.9 million, while SoundHound raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $230-$260 million. However, the company remained loss-making and used nearly $60 million of operating cash during the first half.
The completed LivePerson acquisition further expands SoundHound across voice, web, mobile, SMS and social channels. If OASYS can successfully connect these digital channels with cars, TVs and other devices, SoundHound could materially broaden its agentic AI addressable market.
SoundHound Faces Competition From Cerence and AlphabetCerence (CRNC - Free Report) remains a key competitor as SoundHound expands agentic AI across connected vehicles and IoT environments. Cerence offers generative AI-powered in-car assistants that can be embedded or cloud-connected, giving automakers control over branded, context-aware voice experiences. Cerence’s deep automotive specialization and established OEM relationships could make it harder for SoundHound to expand in vehicle-based commerce and connected-device applications.
Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) represents another major competitive threat as Google broadens the reach of Gemini across its device and automotive ecosystem. Gemini is being integrated into Android, Android Auto and vehicles equipped with Google built-in, allowing users to complete increasingly complex tasks through AI-driven interactions.
Alphabet’s extensive Android footprint gives it a significant distribution advantage as agentic AI expands across smartphones, vehicles and connected devices. Its automotive ambitions are also deepening through partnerships such as Mahindra, where Gemini-powered capabilities are being incorporated into in-vehicle experiences.
Still, SoundHound’s channel-independent OASYS platform and focus on OEM-controlled deployments could help it differentiate against both Cerence and Alphabet.
SOUN’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesSoundHound’s shares have lost 40.9% year to date (YTD), underperforming the industry, as shown below.
SOUN’s YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, SOUN trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 9.29, slightly lower than the industry’s average.
SOUN’s P/S Ratio (Forward 12-Month) vs. Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SoundHound’s 2026 and 2027 loss per share has narrowed to 19 cents and 14 cents, respectively, as shown below. The expected loss for 2026 remains wider than the previous year’s loss of 13 cents per share.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
SOUN currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Aptos has opened an onchain governance vote for AIP-144, a proposal that would introduce a native encrypted mempool to the network, shielding pending transactions from exploitation before blocks are confirmed.
What the Proposal Does At the core of AIP-144 is a straightforward but technically significant idea:
MEV, or maximal extractable value, is a well-documented problem in crypto markets. It refers to the maximum value that can be extracted from block production in excess of the standard block reward and gas fees by including, excluding, and changing the order of transactions in a block. In practice, this means validators or bots can observe pending transactions and act on them before they are confirmed, at the expense of ordinary users.
The feature would be optional, with sender information and transaction fees still remaining visible.
Governance Hurdle Remains However, approval is far from certain.
If passed, the upgrade would represent a meaningful step forward for transaction privacy at the protocol level, with potential appeal for both retail traders and institutional participants looking to avoid order-flow exposure.
Sources:
PANews: Aptos proposal aims to enable encrypted transaction pool to reduce front-running risk
Crypto.news: Aptos proposes encrypted mempool to shield trades from front-running
Aptos Developer Docs: Encrypted Mempool Glossary
Aptos Labs has announced the launch of MonoMove, the largest proposed upgrade in the history of the Aptos blockchain execution engine. The firm noted that internal testing shows the new engine runs smart contracts up to 55 times faster than the current system, putting its performance among the fastest of production-ready blockchains. Smart contracts are software deployed on blockchains that automatically execute functions such as trade matching, collateral transfers, and payment processing when predefined conditions are met. All on-chain financial operations ultimately rely on smart contracts for execution, meaning the speed of the engine powering these contracts directly determines the volume of activities a blockchain network can support. Aptos Labs added that on Decibel—its incubated fully on-chain trading platform—collateral withdrawal speed has improved by up to 55 times versus the existing engine, while order placement speed has increased by up to 22 times.
The first thing that stands out on Gold’s daily chart is a fresh local low at 4133.
That move allowed sellers to test the important support zone we discussed yesterday:
“(…) Not far below current prices, the bulls have another potential ally: the bullish gap from early August at 4098-4135. This is now the nearest important support zone, and it is additionally reinforced by the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement mentioned above.
That gives this area a realistic chance of slowing the bears down during the coming week.(…)”
And so far, that’s exactly what happened.
The support zone encouraged buyers to step back in, pushing Gold back above the psychological 4200 barrier.
That’s the good news.
The harder part begins now.
Gold is approaching an important resistance combination built around the upper boundary of the black declining channel and the red short-term downtrend line that started in late August.
So, the real question isn’t whether Gold can bounce.
It already did.
The question is whether buyers are strong enough to turn that bounce into something bigger.
Until those resistance lines are broken, we remain in observation mode and wait for price to give us a clearer signal.
What would damage the bullish case? A daily close below 4100 and the loss of the key 4098-4135 bullish gap.
Daily Takeaway
We will watch 4098-4135 support and the resistance lines above the current price.
Hold above support → bulls remain alive → attack on channel resistance stays in play.
Break above the black channel + red downtrend line → first stronger confirmation that buyers are regaining control.
Daily close below 4100 → bullish recovery scenario weakens significantly.
Bounce confirmed. Reversal? Not yet.
Final Thought: today’s Lab has one very clear theme: a reaction is not the same thing as confirmation.
Dollar and Gold are only part of today’s story. Silver, Platinum, Palladium, and Copper are sitting around their own key technical decision zones – and some of them may be very close to confirming their next larger move.
Petrobras a Ecopetrol dokončily v kolumbijském Karibiku průzkumnou kampaň v hodnotě zhruba 1 miliardy USD, která vedla k objevům zemního plynu ve vrtech Sandia-1 a Copoazú-1.
Key Takeaways PBR and EC completed a two-and-a-half-year campaign with five wells and $1 billion invested.Sandia-1 and Copoazu-1 discoveries reinforce the Colombian Caribbean's gas-bearing potential.Petrobras and Ecopetrol will focus on appraisal, resource assessment and development planning. Petrobras (PBR - Free Report) is strengthening its position in Colombia’s offshore natural gas sector with the completion of a large-scale exploration campaign in the deepwater Caribbean. Recently, PBR and Ecopetrol (EC - Free Report) declared the completion of the two-and-a-half-year program, which involved drilling five exploration wells and approximately $1 billion in investment. Petrobras served as operator with a 44.4% interest, while Ecopetrol, a Colombia-based integrated oil and gas company, held the remaining 55.6% stake in the GUA-OFF-0 contract with the country’s National Hydrocarbons Agency.
The campaign is important for Petrobras because it extends the exploration portfolio beyond the core Brazilian operations while creating exposure to a potentially significant natural gas province. More importantly, the program has moved beyond pure exploration activity, producing discoveries that could support future resource development and strengthen Colombia’s domestic gas supply.
Successful Exploration Campaign Expands Gas PotentialThe campaign covered a demanding offshore operating environment and required substantial technical and logistical coordination. Petrobras led the planning and execution of activities spanning geoscience, engineering, maritime operations, aviation, port services and oceanographic work.
According to Ecopetrol, the project required more than 1,000 helicopter flights and 1,400 hours of flight time to move more than 16,000 passengers. Maritime operations transported more than 147,600 tons of cargo and 45 million liters of fuel, while vessels covered more than 22,000 nautical miles.
For investors, the scale of the campaign demonstrates Petrobras’ ability to manage complex deepwater exploration programs while maintaining operational discipline. The companies reported no accidents or operational incidents during the two-and-a-half-year campaign, supporting the partners’ execution track record in a technically challenging region.
Discoveries Improve the Investment CaseThe exploration effort has already produced encouraging results. On Aug. 3, 2026, Petrobras and Ecopetrol announced a natural gas discovery at the Sandia-1 exploratory well in the GUA-OFF-0 block. The well was drilled in about 1,285 meters of water and is located close to the Sirius and Copoazú discoveries, reinforcing the geological potential of the broader area.
The Sandia discovery followed the Copoazú-1 gas discovery announced in March 2026. Copoazú-1 was drilled in approximately 964 meters of water and further expanded the companies’ understanding of the gas-bearing system in the Colombian Caribbean.
These developments are strategically relevant for Petrobras. Exploration success can help replenish oil and gas resources over time and create additional opportunities to participate in future production growth. While discoveries alone do not immediately translate into cash flow, successful appraisal, development and commercialization could enhance the long-term value of the company’s Colombian portfolio.
Gas Demand Provides a Strategic TailwindThe Colombian Caribbean is becoming increasingly important as the country seeks to develop domestic natural gas resources. Ecopetrol has highlighted energy security and greater gas availability as key objectives of its offshore exploration strategy.
For Petrobras, the opportunity fits with its broader approach of exploring new frontiers through partnerships while leveraging the deepwater capabilities. The company has previously identified offshore Colombia as a long-term exploration focus and has a track record in the region, including an earlier gas discovery in 2014.
The partnership structure also distributes exploration exposure between Petrobras and Ecopetrol. Petrobras contributes its offshore operating expertise, while Ecopetrol maintains the larger economic interest in the block. Such arrangements can help the companies share the capital requirements and technical risks associated with frontier exploration.
What Should Investors Watch Next?The completion of the campaign marks a transition from drilling activity toward evaluating the commercial potential of the discoveries. Further geological analysis, appraisal work and development planning will be important before investors can determine the size and economic value of the resources.
Investors should therefore focus on the pace of appraisal activity, resource assessments and any future development decisions linked to the Sirius, Copoazú and Sandia discoveries. The ability to convert exploration success into economically viable production will ultimately determine the financial impact on Petrobras.
Overall, the completion of the Colombia campaign represents a constructive development for Petrobras. The company has expanded its knowledge of a promising offshore gas basin, added another discovery to the region’s growing resource base and demonstrated the ability to execute a complex exploration program. With natural gas demand and energy security remaining key priorities in Colombia, the company’s offshore position could provide a longer-term growth opportunity alongside its broader exploration portfolio.
PBR's Zacks Rank & Key PicksCurrently, PBR has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), while EC sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Investors interested in the energy sector might consider some better-ranked stocks, such as Marathon Petroleum (MPC - Free Report) and Delek US Holdings (DK - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Marathon Petroleum is valued at $123.29 billion. The company is a leading U.S. independent refiner, marketer and transporter of petroleum products, with a strong refining footprint and an extensive midstream business. Marathon Petroleum benefits from its integrated operations, strategic refining assets and diversified earnings streams across the energy value chain.
Delek US Holdings is valued at $4.54 billion. It is a diversified downstream energy company engaged in petroleum refining, renewable fuels, asphalt production and logistics operations. Delek US Holdings operates multiple refineries in the United States and is committed to delivering safe, reliable energy while investing in cleaner energy initiatives.
Key Takeaways D-Wave Quantum entered Q3 focused on converting $35.5 million in first-half bookings into revenues. QBTS secured access to up to $100 million in CHIPS Act funding to advance U.S. quantum capabilities. AT&T cut network optimization time from about one hour to under 15 seconds using D-Wave technology. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) entered the third quarter with a key focus on converting its strong booking pipeline into reported revenues. First-half bookings reached $35.5 million, up 1,120% year over year, while production applications accounted for 37.3% of first-half QCaaS revenues.
On Sept. 8, the company entered into a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, building on its previously announced Letter of Intent. The agreement provides D-Wave access to up to $100 million in funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, supporting its efforts to advance domestic quantum computing capabilities.
On Aug. 5, D-Wave also reported a research advance published in Nature involving its superconducting dual-rail architecture and quantum error correction. This development adds to the company’s ongoing efforts to advance its quantum computing architecture and improve the reliability and scalability of its systems.
Meanwhile, on Jul. 27, D-Wave and AT&T (T) signed an agreement to expand AT&T’s use of D-Wave’s quantum computing technology. In early work, AT&T reduced network optimization processing time from approximately one hour to less than 15 seconds using D-Wave’s quantum technology, highlighting the potential of quantum computing to improve the efficiency of complex network-related processes.
Peer UpdateIonQ (IONQ - Free Report) entered the third quarter with a significant change in its financial outlook. It completed the SkyWater acquisition on July 31, adding semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities to its quantum platform. IonQ updated its 2026 revenue outlook to $450-$460 million, including SkyWater's contribution from the acquisition date through year-end. The company also launched its Superion 256 platform, with first customer deliveries expected in 2027.
Rigetti’s (RGTI - Free Report) third-quarter growth is likely to be driven primarily by government-backed technology investment and efforts to strengthen its commercialization infrastructure, rather than near-term revenue acceleration. In September, the Commerce Department finalized up to $100 million in CHIPS R&D funding for the company, supporting the development of superconducting quantum computing, including fabrication and related technologies. Rigetti also established a dedicated Systems Delivery organization in August to support and scale on-premises customer deployments.
QBTS’ Price PerformanceOver the past year, QBTS’ shares have lost 55.3% compared with the broader Internet Software industry’s 3.9% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
QBTS’ Expensive ValuationQBTS currently trades at a forward 12-month Price-to-Sales (P/S) of 81.42X compared with the industry average of 4.40X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
QBTS Stock Estimate TrendIn the past 30 days, the company’s loss per share estimate for 2026 has remained unchanged.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
QBTS stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Expand Energy si vybrala Thoughtworks jako technologického partnera pro zavedení umělé inteligence napříč podnikem. Řešení připravené pro produkční provoz chce nasadit do konce roku 2026.
Key Takeaways Expand Energy selected Thoughtworks to scale AI beyond isolated projects across its business.The three-pronged effort targets AI opportunities, enterprise platforms, governance and solution delivery.Expand Energy aims for a production-ready AI solution by the end of 2026. Expand Energy Corporation (EXE - Free Report) is taking a major step toward scaling artificial intelligence (AI) across its business by selecting Thoughtworks as its strategic technology partner. The engagement is designed to help the company move beyond isolated AI projects and build an enterprise-wide capability spanning AI strategy, platform development and production deployment.
Building an Enterprise-Wide AI CapabilityAs North America's largest independent natural gas producer, Expand Energy operates across exploration and production as well as energy marketing. These businesses offer significant opportunities to use AI to improve processes and unlock value. The company aims to take a coordinated approach by identifying its highest-value AI opportunities and developing the infrastructure needed to scale them across the organization.
The multi-phase engagement with Thoughtworks will combine AI strategy, use-case prioritization, machine learning platform implementation and production deployment. Expand Energy plans to have a production-ready AI solution in place by the end of 2026, aligning the initiative with its long-term strategic priorities.
Three-Pronged Approach to AI DeploymentThoughtworks will support Expand Energy through three connected workstreams. The first will focus on identifying and prioritizing high-value AI opportunities by working with business and technical stakeholders across the company. This is intended to ensure AI investments are closely aligned with Expand Energy's strategic objectives.
The second workstream will establish the enterprise AI foundations required for broader adoption. This includes designing and beginning to implement data, platform and governance capabilities that can support AI at scale.
The third will focus on solution delivery and workforce enablement. Thoughtworks will build and deploy a high-priority AI solution while establishing an operating model for continued AI development. Expand Energy teams will also be enabled to adopt and scale AI responsibly across the organization.
EXE Is Moving From AI Pilots to ProductionExpand Energy's initiative is aimed at addressing the challenges that often arise when companies attempt to scale AI beyond individual experiments. Rather than separating planning from implementation, the engagement combines strategy and delivery from the outset.
Early proof-of-concept development will provide practical insights into data readiness, integration requirements, adoption challenges and potential business value. These findings can then be used to refine the company's AI roadmap and operating model based on real-world evidence.
Laying the Groundwork for Agentic AIThe partnership also establishes an operational foundation for expanding AI into business operations. Thoughtworks highlighted the importance of moving from isolated AI experimentation toward agentic AI capable of delivering business value at scale.
For Expand Energy, the initiative combines its industry expertise and leadership commitment with Thoughtworks' experience in AI strategy, enterprise machine learning platforms, machine learning operations, responsible AI governance and workforce enablement.
By integrating AI strategy, infrastructure and solution delivery into one program, Expand Energy is positioning itself to identify promising applications and build the capabilities needed to deploy them across the business. The initiative represents an important step in the company's broader digital transformation as it seeks to make AI a scalable part of its operations.
EXE’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksExpand Energy is a leading U.S.-based natural gas producer formed through the merger of Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Southwestern Energy Company. Currently, EXE has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector may consider some top-ranked stocks like Drilling Tools International Corporation (DTI - Free Report) , Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (FET - Free Report) and Montauk Renewables, Inc. (MNTK - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Drilling Tools International is a global oilfield services provider focused on supplying downhole tools used in horizontal and directional drilling. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DTI’s 2026 revenues indicates 1.6% year-over-year growth.
Forum Energy is a global oilfield products company, serving the subsea, drilling, completion, production and infrastructure sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FET’s 2026 earnings indicates 536.5% year-over-year growth.
Montauk Renewables is a fully integrated renewable energy company that specializes in the management, recovery and conversion of biogas into renewable energy. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MNTK’s 2026 earnings indicates 1100% year-over-year growth.
Planet Labs vypustila 20 satelitů včetně Tanageru-2, 18 satelitů SuperDove a prototypu Suncatcher, čímž rozšiřuje kapacitu pro téměř každodenní globální monitoring Země.
Key Takeaways Planet Labs launched 20 satellites, including Tanager-2, 18 SuperDoves and a Suncatcher prototype.Tanager-2 uses hyperspectral imaging to identify methane emissions and support several applications.The SuperDoves are set to boost PlanetScope capacity for near-daily global monitoring and diverse customers. Planet Labs PBC (PL - Free Report) has successfully launched 20 satellites aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base, marking another step in expanding its satellite constellation and Earth-observation capabilities. The launch included the company’s second Tanager satellite, 18 SuperDoves and the first demonstration mission associated with Google’s Project Suncatcher.
The company established initial contact with Tanager-2, the Suncatcher prototype and two SuperDove satellites following deployment. The remaining 16 SuperDoves are expected to be deployed through D-Orbit’s ION satellite carrier as planned. The mission represents Planet Labs’ 40th successful launch and brings the total number of satellites the company has built and delivered to orbit to 718.
The Suncatcher demonstration is designed to test the feasibility of using Google Tensor Processing Units in space for machine-learning workloads. Meanwhile, Tanager-2, developed with Carbon Mapper, is equipped with hyperspectral imaging capabilities designed to identify methane emissions and support applications such as rare-earth element identification, water-quality monitoring and agricultural intelligence. The satellite captures imagery across 426 contiguous spectral bands with approximately 5-nanometer spectral resolution and 30-meter spatial resolution. Planet Labs expects to launch at least three additional Tanager satellites.
The 18 SuperDoves are part of PL’s Flock 4J mission and are expected to add capacity to the company’s PlanetScope constellation, which provides near-daily global monitoring. The expanded fleet is intended to support commercial customers as well as civil government, defense and intelligence applications.
Planet Labs plans additional launches to further expand its satellite constellations and support growing demand for satellite services, data and vertically integrated geospatial intelligence solutions. The company’s latest launch therefore adds capacity across multiple satellite platforms while advancing its efforts to broaden Earth-observation coverage and capabilities.
Taking a Look at PL’s CompetitorsRedwire Corporation (RDW - Free Report) benefits from a record backlog, better revenue visibility, repeat defense awards and rising UAS and ISR demand. Margin improvement reflects better execution as the business scales. Capacity projects in Huntsville and Georgetown are aligned with real demand areas and backed by stronger liquidity. RDW invested in phased-array antenna technology for space communications. Redwire also reaffirmed its full-year 2026 revenue forecast of $450-$500 million. The $475 million midpoint implies 41.6% year-over-year growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $471 million, which is lower than the midpoint of the company's guided range.
Satellogic (SATL - Free Report) is gaining from strong sovereign and defense demand, rising adoption of persistent monitoring and improving operating leverage. The successful launch of its first Merlin satellite strengthens SATL’s path toward daily global remapping and full operational service in the second half of 2027. In the second quarter, revenues surged 259% year over year to $15.9 million, while adjusted EBITDA turned positive at $2.8 million. Growth was supported by sovereign satellite deliveries and expanding Aleph Observer subscriptions. Satellogic also ended the quarter with $80.7 million in contracted backlog, including $45.8 million expected within 12 months, providing solid revenue visibility.
PL’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesPlanet Labs’ shares have lost 50.6% over the past six months compared with the Satellite and Communication industry’s 21.4% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Planet Labs’ shares are trading at a forward 12-month price-to-sales multiple of 11.89X, significantly higher than the industry’s ratio of 2.93X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PL’s earnings for fiscal 2027 has been revised upward over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
PL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Planet Labs zvýšila ve 2. čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2027 tržby o 58 % na 116 mil. USD a zvedla spodní hranici výhledu celoročních tržeb na 430–441 mil. USD.
Key Takeaways Planet Labs' 51% slide contrasts with 58% revenue growth and rising defense demand.PL had an $815M backlog and expects fiscal 2027 revenues to be in the range of $430-$441M. Planet Labs has $865M in liquidity to fund expansion, though valuation and execution risks remain. Planet Labs PBC’s (PL - Free Report) shares have declined 50.6% over the past six months, raising a familiar question for investors: Is the selloff a warning sign or an opportunity to buy?
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Planet Labs provides daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. The company has a differentiated position in the Earth-observation industry, combining daily global monitoring with a decade-long imagery archive.
However, a lower share price alone does not establish a buying opportunity. Let’s discuss the company’s growth factors and the risks it faces to assess investment prospects and make an informed decision.
Defense Demand Main Driver for Planet LabsRevenues surged 58% year over year to $116 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2027. Defense and Intelligence revenues (including satellite services revenues) rose more than 90% year over year, while commercial and civil-government revenues increased over 15% and 5%, respectively.
The handover of the Pelican satellite to the Swedish Armed Forces supported top-line growth. In August, the company was awarded a satellite services tender by Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior, making the country the first civil government to procure Planet Labs’ dedicated Constellation Services. The tender includes options and has a maximum possible value of €25 million over five years.
At its last earnings call, Planet Labs also highlighted an $8 million August award from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for its Global Monitoring Service.
Management raised the lower end of fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $430-$441 million, representing 40-43% growth. It also projected adjusted EBITDA profit of $3-$10 million and targeted positive annual adjusted free cash flow.
PL’s Backlog Provides Revenue VisibilityThe company had a backlog of approximately $815 million, up about 11% year over year at the end of the fiscal second quarter. Roughly 50% of the backlog applies to the next 12 months and 70% to the next 24 months. Within Planet Labs’ eligible annual contract value book, recurring contracts represented 98%, and net dollar retention was 109%. Remaining performance obligations (“RPO”) totaled approximately $753 million, up 9% year over year.
Management estimates that executing contracts already in backlog could generate more than $400 million in revenues over the next four quarters, excluding new business and renewals. Management added that the company is confident it can sustain “high growth rates in future years,” supported by near-term visibility and pipeline strength.
This visibility is important as Planet Labs ramps up its satellite services business. On the last earnings call, management added that it had identified more than $4 billion in satellite-services opportunities, with over 25% qualified as near-term.
Planet Labs is also expanding capacity to support this opportunity. The company recently opened its Berlin manufacturing facility, which is expected to produce Pelican satellites and eventually scale to as many as 60 satellites per year.
AI and Satellite Upgrades Expand PL’s OpportunityCommercial applications are already emerging. An expanded six-figure renewal with a hyperscaler AI developer covers monitoring of global data centers and semiconductor-facility construction, illustrating how Planet Labs can participate in AI infrastructure growth through intelligence services.
The company is also advancing its satellite roadmap. On Oct.1, Planet Labs announced the launch of 20 satellites which includes a Google Project Suncatcher prototype, Tanager-2 and 18 SuperDoves. This launch was the 40th for Planet Labs, which now has a total of 718 satellites built and delivered into orbit. Suncatcher satellite will test Google’s Tensor Processing Units in space for the first time.
Looking ahead, Planet Labs is accelerating Owl, its upcoming next-generation monitoring satellite. Owl is expected to upgrade Planet Labs' monitoring capabilities from 3-meter to 1-meter-class resolution while providing roughly 10 times more data at about 10 times the speed, added management.
PL’s Sizable Financial ResourcesPlanet Labs exited the second quarter of fiscal 2027 with approximately $865 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, up more than 200% year over year. This increase was driven by positive free cash flow and proceeds from capital transactions over the past year.
The company generated $68.4 million in net cash from operating activities, while free cash flow was $21.3 million for the six months ended July 31, 2026. Adjusted free cash flow (excluding nonrecurring payments related to litigation settlements) was $28.8 million. PL generated nearly $120 million from stock sales under its ATM program. This sizable liquidity position gives Planet Labs ample flexibility to accelerate investments as demand for its satellite services and AI-enabled solutions grows.
No Case Is Without RisksQuarterly performance will remain uneven owing to the timing of satellite deliveries. Sweden’s satellite handover pulled revenues into the fiscal second quarter from the fiscal third quarter. Fiscal third-quarter guidance of $101-$105 million therefore implies a sequential revenue decline, alongside an expected adjusted EBITDA loss of $1-$6 million.
Growth also requires substantial investment. Planet Labs spent about $29 million in capital expenditures in the fiscal second quarter and expects fiscal 2027 capex of $100-$115 million. Management expects capex to increase in future quarters as it plans to channel spending toward manufacturing expansion in San Francisco and Berlin, supply-chain resiliency and next-generation satellite fleets.
Moreover, the increasing competition in the Earth observation space leaves less room for execution missteps. New satellites and AI offerings must deliver commercially, not merely meet development milestones. Planet Labs faces competition in the space from players such as BlackSky Technology (BKSY - Free Report) , Satellogic (SATL - Free Report) and Intuitive Machines, Inc. (LUNR - Free Report) .
PL’s ValuationPlanet Labs is trading at a forward 12-month price/sales ratio of 11.89X, higher than the Satellite and Communication sector’s multiple of 2.98X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The premium valuation to an extent is justified by its stronger growth profile, expanding backlog and rising defense exposure.
In comparison, BlackSky Technology trades at a forward 12-month P/S multiple of 4.51X, while Satellogic and Intuitive Machines are trading at a multiple of 12.62X and 2.97X, respectively.
Over the past six months, BKSY, SATL and LUNR have registered losses of 37.2%, 23.4% and 37.1%, respectively.
PL: A Buying Opportunity?At present, PL carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Planet Labs’ sharp share-price decline appears to offer a favorable entry point given its strong revenue growth, sizable backlog and expanding opportunities across defense. Its solid liquidity position provides room to fund expansion, while execution risks and elevated valuation remain key considerations.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Akcie společnosti Centrus Energy v úterý vzrostly o 11,3 % poté, co ministerstvo energetiky USA oznámilo, že společnosti Vistra poskytne půjčku ve výši 4,2 mld. USD, přestože nic nenasvědčuje tomu, že Vistra je zákazníkem společnosti Centrus.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced it will loan nuclear power company Vistra Corp (VST +11.95%) $4.2 billion to finance nuclear plant upgrades "across Vistra's nuclear fleet in Pennsylvania and Ohio," igniting a rally in nuclear power stocks Tuesday.
Shares of Vistra soared more than 11% through noon ET. Centrus Energy (LEU +10.89%) did even better, running up 11.3%.
Image source: Getty Images.
Vistra and CentrusPresident Trump has announced an "American nuclear renaissance," and the loan to Vistra is part of this plan. The $4.2 billion will be used to preserve capacity and extend the service life of Vistra's plants, and to expand electricity production by more than 10% by adding 433 megawatts (MW) of new nuclear capacity.
Investors probably think that this good news for Vistra is good news for Centrus Energy, too. After all -- Vistra uses nuclear fuel; Centrus produces (or more commonly, buys and resells) nuclear fuel. It seems logical that more power generation at Vistra should translate directly into Vistra buying more nuclear fuel from Centrus.
And yet, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, at least, there's no indication that Vistra is a customer of Centrus -- and no solid reason to believe that Vistra's expansion will in fact benefit Centrus stock.
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What it means for Centrus stockThat's not to say othercompanies won't buy more fuel from Centrus, of course. If the DOE loan is the start of a string of similar loans expanding nuclear power production across the U.S., for example, this could very well happen.
It's just not a given.
And "given" that Centrus stock is currently free cash flow-negative, and costs 83.5 times earnings today, I'm not convinced it's a great idea to bid up Centrus shares even more, on news that might not relate to it at all.
Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Vistra. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Prediction market Kalshi filed with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to launch perpetual futures contracts tied to Pepe meme coin. However, the platform withdrew it just two days after filing it, despite having listed Dogecoin and Shiba Inu meme coins.
Kalshi Withdraws PEPE Meme Coin Perpetual Futures KalshiEX LLC filed with the CFTC to launch perpetual futures for PEPE meme coin, according to the latest filing. The platform self-certified the KPEPEPERP contract for initial listing and intends to list the contract on a continuous basis.
KPEPEPERP is mentioned as a cash-settled perpetual, with no fixed expiration and no delivery of tokens. Kalshi also mentioned details including one kPEPE spot price underlying, CF Benchmarks as the underlying price index, trading hours, and funding and settlement pricing similar to kSHIB perp futures.
However, Kalshi has withdrawn the filing on October 1 for undisclosed reasons. Notably, it was filed on the same day as Uniswap perpetual futures, which is approved and listed on the platform.
Kalshi Withdraws PEPE Coin Perpetual Futures Filing. Source: CFTC The platform framed the product as a hedge for holders with real exposure to PEPE, including liquidity providers, market makers, and OTC desks.
As CoinGape reported on Monday, the CFTC approved S&P 500 stock index perp. This expanded Kalshi’s offerings beyond crypto and metal perp futures. The approval also put it in direct competition with traditional derivatives exchanges such as CME.
PEPE coin price has dropped more than 3% to $0.00000435 over the past 24 hours. The meme coin has rallied more than 20% in a month. Trading volume has also dropped more than 20% over the past 24 hours.
To explore how compliant platforms compare in the event contract space, check out our guide on the best regulated prediction markets US has to offer.
Key Takeaways Morgan Stanley sees about 75% upside for SpaceX, citing Starship and AI growth catalysts.SpaceX shares jumped about 7.7% on Monday following Morgan Stanley's bullish call.SpaceX-heavy ETFs provide a diversified way to tap into SpaceX's growth story. After reaching highs in the initial days following its mid-June IPO, SpaceX (SPCX - Free Report) shares fell sharply, declining about 48% through late July. However, since the start of August, the aerospace company’s stock has turned the tables, rebounding about 58%.
Morgan Stanley’s (MS - Free Report) bullish call on Sunday added to SPCX’s momentum, with shares rising about 7.7% on Monday to their highest level since mid-June. SPCX rose about 0.40% during pre-market hours on Tuesday.
According to analysts at Morgan Stanley, SpaceX is “cheap” at current prices, highlighting potential catalysts, including “future AI product releases, Starship progress, and additional neocloud contracts,” as quoted on a CNBC article.
With a Buy recommendation, Morgan Stanley analysts have set a $300 price target, suggesting about 75% upside from Monday’s close of $171.09. As quoted on the abovementioned article, Morgan Stanley analysts recommended buying SpaceX shares ahead of the next planned Starship test flight and the company’s third-quarter earnings report, which is expected in late October.
What's Driving Morgan Stanley's Bullish SpaceX Call?According to analysts at the investment bank, a successful attempt to catch the Starship upper-stage ship in the upcoming test flight, Starship flight 15, could mark the company’s most significant positive development since its IPO.
Adding to the bullish case for SPCX is the company’s AI business. SpaceX’s AI unit. Elon Musk said on Sunday that it is expected to be named SpaceXSI. It is generating significant revenues by renting out computing capacity. SpaceX’s AI business is gaining traction, with Anthropic and Google already among its major customers and it has signed multibillion-dollar deals. Microsoft is expected to become another key customer.
As reported by Reuters, according to Anthropic’s confidential IPO prospectus, Anthropic is expected to spend as much as $84.5 billion through 2029 on NVIDIA-powered computing capacity supplied by SpaceX’s AI unit.
Into SPCX’s Stock OutlookSpaceX currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.77 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations made by 39 brokerage firms. The current ABR compares to an ABR of 1.83 two months ago based on 35 recommendations.
Of the 39 recommendations deriving the current ABR, 25 are Strong Buy and three are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy, respectively, account for 64.1% and 7.69% of all recommendations. Two months ago, Strong Buy made up 62.86%, while Buy represented 5.71%, indicating that the majority of the analysts remain bullish.
Based on short-term price targets offered by 35 analysts, the average price target for SpaceX comes to $221.97, ranging from a low of $75.00 to a high of $800.00. The average price target represents an increase of 29.74% from the last closing price of $171.09 (as of market close on Oct. 5). SPCX has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Momentum Score of A.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Tap Into SpaceX's Growth With These ETFsHere, we have highlighted ETFs with exposure to SpaceX.
Roundhill Space & Technology ETF (MARS - Free Report) has an exposure of 26.76%.
Global X Space Tech ETF (ORBX - Free Report) has an exposure of 24.94%.
VanEck Space ETF (WARP - Free Report) has an exposure of 22.38%.
VegaShares Space & AI ETF (XSPC - Free Report) has an exposure of 17.66%.
WisdomTree Space Economy Fund (WSPC - Free Report) has an exposure of 17.7%.
Procure Space ETF (UFO - Free Report) has an exposure of 15.80%.
Tim Cook had enormous shoes to fill when he took over the Apple (AAPL -0.07%) CEO role from Steve Jobs in 2011. Jobs was a visionary leader, and skeptics weren't sure Cook was the right person to lead the consumer tech company into its next chapter. Fifteen years later, and the proof is in the pudding: Over Cook's tenure, the tech giant experienced massive growth as its market cap ballooned from $350 billion to approximately $4.75 trillion.
John Ternus took over from Cook on Sept. 1, and as his time at the helm of Apple begins, he faces the same sort of questions. Long-term investors want to know: Can Ternus match Cook's incredible run? How will the growth curve bend now?
New Apple CEO John Ternus. Image source: Apple.
Apple is a dominant global player Apple is in terrific shape, and that's both good and bad news for Ternus. The company is a well-oiled machine, but expectations will remain elevated. In its fiscal third quarter, revenue grew 16% year over year. The growth was driven by iPhone sales that rose 21.7% and services revenue that rose 12%. Total revenue reached $109.4 billion.
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Ternus is inheriting a business with immense recurring, high-margin, and diversified revenue. The downside is that the company's latest revenue guidance was fairly muted -- only 9% to 11% for the current quarter -- as management anticipates intensifying supply constraints. This will mark Ternus' first challenge, and investors will closely watch how he navigates this period.
There's also the problem with China. Under Cook, Apple became extremely reliant on Chinese manufacturing. Ternus will need to work through geopolitical tensions, the need to geographically diversify its manufacturing footprint, and U.S. pressure to onshore more of its manufacturing. And there are plenty of questions about Apple's long-term position in the artificial intelligence race.
Apple will be just fine The good news is that Ternus is a 25-year Apple veteran and has had a front-row seat to all that the iPhone maker has endured over the last quarter-century. If the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra (priced at more than $2,000) are successful, those will be not only morale wins but also economic ones.
Duplicating Cook's run won't be easy. I'd expect Ternus to usher in a new era of steady, but dialed-back growth over the next several years. A return to a focus on excellent design and innovation will be the real mark of success for the engineer-turned-executive.
Apple isn't a young, scrappy tech start-up. It's one of the largest companies in the world, and its cash-generating ability is astounding. It's still worth investing in, but it's not the growth stock it once was, and that's OK.
Google Cloud just posted 82% revenue growth while the stock sits nearly 16% below its 52-week high, and the gap between what Wall Street sees and what the market is pricing in keeps widening.
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The 24/7 Wall St. price target for Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG | GOOG Price Prediction) is $434.48. That implies 27.66% upside from the $340.35 close. Our rating is buy, and the model’s confidence is fairly high.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $340.35 Price Target from 24/7 Wall St. $434.48 Upside/Downside 27.66% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 70% The 64% figure in our headline comes from the model’s September 26 reading. On that date it set a target of $559, which was 63.89% above the price at the time. The latest update lowered the target and the confidence level. Even so, it still points to large gains from here.
A $514 Billion Cloud Backlog Has Not Moved the Stock Yet Over the past week GOOG fell 0.57%. It is up 1.68% over the past month, 8.29% year to date and 37.99% over the past year. Shares trade about 15.7% below the 52-week high of $403.96 and about 44.2% above the low of $236.07.
Second-quarter revenue rose 24.23% to $119.80 billion, ahead of the $116.91 billion estimate. EPS came in at $9.11 against expectations of $3.04, though a $99.03 billion unrealized equity gain inflated that number.
Google Cloud revenue grew 82% to $24.77 billion. Alphabet also suspended its buyback and raised about $70 billion in equity and debt.
Why Bulls See $451 and Beyond Google Cloud’s backlog reached $514 billion, with management expecting to recognize just over 50% as revenue within 24 months. Cloud operating margin expanded to 35.6% from 20.7% a year earlier.
API usage rose to 22 billion tokens per minute from 16 billion one quarter earlier. The Gemini app has 950 million monthly users. TPU system sales should add another lift, with most revenue from existing deals expected in 2027.
Wall Street generally agrees. Among covering analysts, 13 rate GOOG a strong buy, 42 a buy and 5 a hold, with no sell ratings. The consensus target is $419.65. The bull case points to $451.50.
What Could Go Wrong With a $185 Billion Spending Plan Alphabet guided 2026 CapEx to $175 billion to $185 billion. Second-quarter spending of $44.92 billion drove free cash flow to negative $5.86 billion. Long-term debt grew from $46.5 billion to $98.2 billion. Management also warned that leasing third-party capacity will pressure Cloud margins in the near term. The bear case is $367.87.
Operating cash flow was $185.7 billion over the trailing 12 months, and interest coverage stands at 175.5x. Alphabet remains supply limited, meaning demand is running ahead of the expansion.
How Alphabet Compares to Microsoft, Meta and Amazon Company Trailing P/E Operating Margin Alphabet 14 32.06% Microsoft 29 46.8% Meta 27 41.4% Amazon 35 11.2% Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is Alphabet’s closest cloud rival. Azure grew 43%, well below Google Cloud’s 82%, yet Microsoft trades at about double Alphabet’s earnings multiple.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) competes with Alphabet for digital ad dollars. Its EPS missed expectations by 14.42%, and its operating margin fell to 31%.
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is spending heavily on AI too. Its trailing free cash flow has turned negative at $7.6 billion, and AWS grew 37%. Equity gains inflate Alphabet’s P/E, but even after accounting for that, the peer group makes our target look conservative.
Cloud Momentum Tips the Scale Toward Upside The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $434.48 has a buy rating at 70% confidence. Cloud growth speeding up at a discount valuation points to upside. Watch whether the backlog converts to revenue at higher margins and whether free cash flow turns positive.
Year Price Target from 24/7 Wall St. 2026 $362.61 2027 $439.13 2028 $525.02 2029 $571.83 2030 $635.79 Alphabet needs to keep executing its AI infrastructure strategy for these projections to hold. Returns on the spending increase, along with antitrust pressure, could swing outcomes significantly in either direction.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Amazon ve 3. čtvrtletí očekává zisk nad horní hranicí výhledu; analytik uvádí srovnatelnou úroveň 21,7 miliardy USD s ohledem na loňské jednorázové vlivy.
SummaryAmazon.com, Inc. remains a Strong Buy as AWS demand outpaces supply, with 2027 capacity largely reserved and recent price hikes boosting profitability.AMZN's $98 billion in new debt funds both data center expansion and major stakes in Anthropic and OpenAI, with interest expenses rising but still manageable relative to operating profit.The real Q3 profit bar is $21.7 billion, not $17.4 billion, due to prior-year one-offs; I expect AMZN to potentially exceed the top end of guidance.Key risks include heavy AWS backlog concentration in Anthropic and OpenAI, but even a significant stumble would not materially alter my bullish stance. HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Back in August, I wrote that Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) owns something most companies would love to have, which is a stake in Anthropic large enough to help pay for its data centers without
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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of AMZN either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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Amazon spustil AI platformu Ads Agent pro plánování a optimalizaci reklamních kampaní; testy Full-Funnel přinesly o 67 % vyšší dlouhodobou návratnost investic do reklamy.
Cantor retained its $320 target after Amazon unified campaign creation, placement, optimization and measurement. Summary
Amazon is turning commerce data into automated advertising workflow before proving durable revenue gains.
Amazon, the commerce, advertising and cloud-computing company AMZN, rose approximately 0.8% at 10.20am to $253.41 as of October 6, while its AI advertising push kept Cantor Fitzgerald bullish. According to Investing.com's report, the firm maintained its Overweight rating and $320 target after Amazon's latest product launches. That leaves roughly 26.3% upside to the target. The valuation snapshot puts shares just 1.26% above GF Value™ of $250.26, suggesting a price close to estimated fair value.
Amazon wants advertisers spending less time managing campaigns and more money running them. The company introduced Amazon Ads Agent as a unified platform for sponsored ads, Full-Funnel Campaigns, and display, video and audio advertising. Advertisers can hand campaign planning and optimization to AI, retain manual control or combine both. Investing.com reported that Full-Funnel testing delivered 67% higher long-term returns on advertising spending and 29% lower costs to acquire customers new to a brand. Strong numbers. Still test results.
The investment case rests on what happens after the rollout. Easier campaign setup could bring smaller businesses into Amazon's advertising ecosystem and encourage existing customers to spend more. But better advertiser returns do not automatically translate into higher profits for Amazon. Investors need evidence of broader adoption, sustained advertising growth and stronger incremental margins. The tools open the door. The earnings have to walk through it.
Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.
Amazon is spending $200 billion in a single year to dominate cloud infrastructure, but its free cash flow just turned negative and its stock has slipped 8% from its post-earnings peak. The data centers being built today will not produce…
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Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction) trades at $251.40. The stock has given back part of its post-earnings rally even though AWS is growing at its fastest pace in 18 quarters.
Amazon runs the world’s largest e-commerce operation and the leading cloud platform, and it is spending at a record pace to stay on top. Management plans roughly $200 billion in capex this year. Alongside that expansion came the “Built Together” push: a $1 billion investment in AWS Forward Deployed Engineering, with early customers including the NFL, NBA and Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV). Shares rose to $274.48 a week after the report, then slid back.
AWS Acceleration Gives Bulls a Record Backlog to Point To AWS revenue rose 36.7% to $42.2 billion, with a 39.4% operating margin. Backlog hit $496 billion. The AI and chips businesses each run above $25 billion annually with triple-digit growth. OpenAI committed about 2 GW of Trainium capacity, and Anthropic will secure up to 5 GW.
Demand is already locked in. The CEO said the lion’s share of 2027 capacity is reserved, and servers break even in a little under three years on contracts of at least five years. Analysts back it: 58 rate it Buy.
Negative Free Cash Flow Shows Where the Push Is Straining The spending has exceeded the cash. Trailing free cash flow turned negative at -$7.6 billion after quarterly capex of $54.21 billion, up 68.4%. The company’s long-term debt reached $119.1 billion, up from $65.6 billion. The free cash flow yield is a thin 0.28%.
Earnings quality is unclear too. GAAP EPS of $5.75 leaned on a $53.4 billion Anthropic gain, while comparable EPS was $1.88. Management never mentioned Forward Deployed Engineering on the earnings call, and memory, hard drive and SSD inflation is pressuring costs. Sentiment has slid 6.21 points in 30 days.
Capacity Timing Decides Who Wins This Argument The CEO admitted data center capital goes out two years before servers start making. That leaves a gap between spending and revenue. Profits are still growing: operating income rose 43.2%, so the bear case has limits. Negative cash flow caps the upside too.
It would take three things to settle this: Q3 operating income against guidance of $22.5 billion to $26.5 billion, steady AWS margins, and early revenue from Forward Deployed Engineering customers.
Shares Lag the Market Since Their Post-Earnings Peak Despite a 31% Target Gap The average analyst target of $330.59 implies 31.5% upside. That target comes from 60 rated analysts, and targets carry no guarantee:
Buy: 58 Hold: 2 The stock trades at about 35 times earnings and is up 8.92% year to date. Since the Q2 report, it has gained 9.3% while the S&P 500 rose 3.7%. Since its post-earnings peak, though, Amazon has fallen 8.4% while the S&P 500 added 0.2%.
Data Center Cash Flow Is the Test Investors Cannot Ignore At $251.40, Amazon’s case depends on cash flow.
The business is strong and the cash flow is weak. The upside improves if Q3 operating income lands near the top of guidance and AWS margins hold near 39% despite component inflation. The downside improves if capex goes well beyond $200 billion while AWS growth stalls. Market-implied probability of 2026 capex topping $210 billion stands at 71%.
Each quarter, compare capex with operating cash flow, which was $45.39 billion last quarter. Track how Amazon reports the backlog, and look for any revenue tied to Forward Deployed Engineering. The market has already reduced much of the post-earnings premium. The current price assumes capacity due online through 2027 will be fully used (a free report on seven AI infrastructure names covers the power, cooling, and networking suppliers feeding that expansion, here).
Watch whether the data centers Amazon is paying for start producing cash.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) is entering fiscal 2027 with multiple AI-driven growth engines, as Azure demand, its OpenAI economics, and emerging consumption-based Copilot pricing create additional monetization opportunities across the business.
BNP Paribas Sees Multiple AI TailwindsBNP Paribas analyst Stefan Slowinski said Microsoft is increasingly positioned to benefit from a second layer of AI monetization beyond infrastructure demand.
He highlighted Microsoft’s OpenAI revenue share and consumption-based pricing across Microsoft 365 Copilot as potential sources of upside to current expectations.
With OpenAI reportedly approaching nearly $70 billion in annual recurring revenue exiting Microsoft’s fiscal first quarter of 2027, Slowinski sees a path for Azure growth to reach as high as 46% in constant currency during fiscal first-quarter and approach 50% in fiscal second-quarter.
Ahead of Microsoft’s fiscal first-quarter results, BNP Paribas expects the company to benefit from accelerating revenue growth while continuing to generate positive free cash flow.
Copilot Consumption Could Lift M365 GrowthSlowinski pointed to GitHub Copilot as an early example of how consumption-based billing can outperform initial expectations.
He sees the potential for a similar pattern as usage-based Copilot revenue begins contributing more meaningfully to Microsoft 365.
BNP Paribas estimates that Copilot consumption could add roughly one percentage point of incremental Microsoft 365 Commercial Cloud growth by the fiscal fourth quarter.
Slowinski therefore sees potential for Microsoft to beat Azure expectations, issue stronger fiscal second-quarter guidance and deliver upside in Microsoft 365 Commercial Cloud while maintaining management’s commitment to positive free cash flow.
Cramer Sees Copilot Supporting MicrosoftCNBC’s Jim Cramer also identified Microsoft as one of a small group of AI leaders helping offset pressure from rising interest rates.
"Here, I think there’s tremendous distortion caused by some very big winners, namely NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), Microsoft and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)," Cramer said.
He pointed to improving sentiment around Copilot as a key catalyst for Microsoft. At the same time, Nvidia benefits from strong AI chip demand and Meta gains momentum around its Muse personal AI agent.
Microsoft accounted for roughly 5.8% of the S&P 500 as of Friday’s close, giving moves in the company an outsized influence on the broader index.
Ignite Could Become The Next CatalystBNP Paribas also identified Microsoft’s Ignite conference as a potential catalyst.
Microsoft is expected to hold a Financial Community Briefing on Nov. 17, with CEO Satya Nadella addressing investors in that format for the first time in many years.
Slowinski said the return of the briefing could indicate Microsoft’s willingness to provide more strategic and financial detail about its next phase of AI-driven growth and any potential capital-unlock strategy tied to its recent re-segmentation.
BNP Paribas Raises Microsoft Price ForecastBNP Paribas maintained its Outperform rating and raised its price forecast to $604 from $549, implying about 15% upside from Microsoft’s Oct. 5 price of $525.20.
Slowinski increased his fiscal 2027 revenue and earnings-per-share estimates by 1% to 2%.
He now models Azure growth of 46% in fiscal first-quarter 2027 and 49% in fiscal second-quarter.
BNP Paribas values Microsoft using a sum-of-the-parts framework based on 27.5 times fiscal 2028 earnings, up from 25 times previously, while also incorporating Microsoft’s stake in OpenAI.
Slowinski said the broader sector re-rating primarily drove the higher price forecast.
MSFT Price Action: Microsoft shares were up 1.35% at $532.25 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Key Takeaways NIKE's 20.12X forward P/E exceeds the industry average of 17.3X despite recent stock weakness.FY27 revenues are expected to fall in the high single digits, while EBIT is projected to decline faster.NIKE faces weakness in Sportswear, Jordan Brand and Greater China as turnaround benefits remain delayed. NIKE Inc. (NKE - Free Report) stock has been volatile in recent months, reflecting weakening demand, margin pressure and ongoing business-reset actions. However, its current forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 20.12X raises valuation concerns. This multiple exceeds the Zacks Shoes and Retail Apparel industry average of 17.3X, making NIKE’s stock appear relatively expensive.
Adding to investor caution, the company’s elevated price-to-sales (P/S) ratio affects enthusiasm. The Beaverton, OR-based athletic giant trades at a forward 12-month P/S of 1.11X, above the industry’s 1.04X. Together with its Value Score of D, this suggests that NIKE may not present a compelling value opportunity at current levels despite its strong fundamentals and brand leadership.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NIKE’s Premium Valuation Surpasses PeersAt 20.12X P/E, the Swoosh brand owner is trading at a much higher valuation than its competitors. Its peers, such as adidas AG (ADDYY - Free Report) , Steven Madden (SHOO - Free Report) and Wolverine World Wide (WWW - Free Report) , are delivering solid growth and trade at more reasonable multiples. adidas, Steven Madden and Wolverine have forward 12-month P/E ratios of 12.57X, 17.84X and 10.52X — all lower than that of NIKE. At such levels, NKE’s valuation seems out of step with its growth trajectory, especially given the recent decrease in its stock price.
NIKE’s elevated valuation underscores investors’ high growth expectations. However, compared with key competitors, the company appears increasingly vulnerable as market participants turn cautious toward overpriced Consumer Discretionary stocks. NKE’s ability to consistently deliver on or exceed these expectations will be critical to sustaining its premium valuation.
NIKE shares have lost 22.9% in the past three months compared with a 19.7% decline in the broader industry. The stock has also underperformed the Consumer Discretionary sector’s 5.7% decline and the S&P 500’s 2% growth in the same period.
NIKE’s performance has been relatively dismal compared with its peers. Shares of Wolverine World Wide and Steven Madden have outperformed NKE in the past three months, recording 10.4% and 14.6% growth, respectively. Meanwhile, shares of adidas have underperformed NKE with a 24.9% decline.
NKE’s 3-Month Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
At the current price of $33.96, the NKE stock trades close to its 52-week low of $31.94 reached on Oct. 2, 2026. The recent fall to the 52-week low was led by the company’s dismal first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Oct. 1. The current stock price is 53.1% below its 52-week high mark of $72.39. NKE trades below its 50 and 200-day moving averages, indicating a bearish sentiment.
What’s Hurting NIKE’s Stock PerformanceNIKE’s recent share-price pressure appears fundamentally tied to concerns that its turnaround will take longer and involve greater near-term earnings pain. First-quarter fiscal 2027 revenues declined 4% on a reported basis and 5% on a currency-neutral basis, underscoring persistent weakness across several key businesses.
NIKE Sportswear, Jordan Brand and Greater China remain the primary drags, offsetting solid momentum in the Performance portfolio. Sportswear declined in the low double digits, hurt by a nearly 50% reduction in Dunk revenues, weaker-than-expected sell-through of aged footwear and softer lifestyle traffic. Management also acknowledged broader marketplace pressure and a lack of energy in the lifestyle category.
Jordan Brand is another near-term headwind. Revenues fell in the mid-teens as NIKE deliberately reduces the volume and frequency of retro launches to restore scarcity and strengthen brand positioning. While strategically necessary, these actions are expected to weigh on sales, particularly in North America.
Greater China remains even more challenging, with revenues down 26% as NIKE restructures digital distribution, removes discount-heavy channels and works to improve inventory health. Management expects revenues and profitability in China to remain pressured for multiple seasons.
The outlook further explains investor caution. NIKE expects fiscal 2027 revenues to decline in the high-single-digit range, with EBIT falling faster than sales due to gross-margin pressure, fixed-cost deleverage and higher input costs. Although the Pace restructuring is expected to generate $2.5 billion in savings, most benefits are not expected until fiscal 2029-2030, reinforcing a prolonged “pain before gain” narrative.
NIKE’s Estimate Revision TrendThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for NIKE’s fiscal 2027 and 2028 earnings per share (EPS) have moved south, with estimates declining 3% and 2.3%, respectively, in the past seven days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
For fiscal 2027, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for NKE’s revenues implies a 7% year-over-year decline, while the same for EPS suggests 1.3% growth. The consensus mark for fiscal 2028 revenues and EPS indicates 9.5% and 32.6% year-over-year growth, respectively.
Is NIKE Still Worth a Shot?NIKE’s first-quarter fiscal 2027 performance underscores the near-term pains surrounding its turnaround. Persistent weakness in Sportswear, Jordan Brand and Greater China, coupled with expectations for a high-single-digit revenue decline and greater pressure on EBIT, suggests that a meaningful recovery may take time. Against this backdrop, NIKE’s premium valuation looks difficult to justify, particularly as the stock continues to decline and trades near its 52-week low.
The negative estimate revision trend adds another concern. Although management’s restructuring efforts and Performance portfolio strength could support longer-term improvement, the current outlook remains subdued and execution risks are elevated.
Given the combination of a premium valuation, deteriorating share-price performance, downward earnings estimate revisions and a weak near-term operating outlook, investors may be better off staying on the sidelines. NIKE currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and it appears prudent to avoid the stock until clearer signs of revenue stabilization, margin recovery and improving earnings momentum emerge.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Berkshire keeps buying Lennar shares even as the stock sinks below what it paid, a short seller questions the company's reported deliveries, and Greg Abel himself admits he sees no quick recovery in housing. That raises a question worth answering.
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Over two days last week, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B | BRK-B Price Prediction) bought about 2.4 million more Class A shares of Lennar (NYSE:LEN), paying between $78.37 and $81.90 in a roughly $193 million purchase.
By Monday’s close, Lennar had fallen to $74.44 after a 6.73% one-day drop. The stock now trades below the range Berkshire paid and below its $75.70 52-week low.
Berkshire has permanent capital, and it is adding to a stock that keeps falling. It is doing so deliberately, because its chief executive, Greg Abel, said in early September that he does not see a quick recovery in housing.
Wall Street is unconvinced too. The consensus target sits only modestly above the price. The ratings lean toward hold and sell, and a short seller has just questioned the quality of Lennar’s reported deliveries. That raises a fair question: why does a long-horizon buyer keep buying a stock analysts will not defend?
What Berkshire’s Form 4 Filing Shows Berkshire also bought about 15,000 Class B shares. Afterward, Berkshire held 28,438,045 Class A shares and 568,028 Class B shares, a stake of more than 11%.
That size is why you can see these trades at all. An investor owning more than 10% of a company’s registered stock becomes an insider for reporting purposes and must file a Form 4 within two business days. Berkshire’s buying now reaches the market almost in real time, and recent reporting noted its pace of purchases has slowed.
A Bearish Initiation and a Short Report in One Week The first setback came when Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) initiated coverage at Underweight with a $65 target, well below the current price. The second came from Hunterbrook, which is short both Lennar and Millrose Properties (NYSE:MRP). Hunterbrook says that Millrose, the land company Lennar spun off in 2025, bought more than 700 finished Lennar homes worth about $200 million, including at least 356 in the final week of the quarter.
Builders are judged on deliveries against guidance. A related party buying homes at quarter end raises the question of whether reported deliveries reflect real end buyers or an internal transfer.
These remain allegations from a firm that profits if both stocks fall, and Lennar has not responded as of this writing, so the conflict calls for independent confirmation even if the claims prove accurate.
A $79 Target Offers Almost No Cushion The consensus target of $79 implies upside of just 6.86%. Lennar is down 26.45% this year while the S&P 500 gained 13.62%.
The ratings show one Strong Buy and one Buy against nine Holds, three Sells and five Strong Sells. That mix leans heavily toward Hold and Sell ratings.
Analysts point to recent results. Adjusted EPS of $1.23 missed the $1.30 consensus, home sales gross margin slipped to 15.8% from 17.5%, and full-year delivery guidance was cut to 80,000 to 81,000 homes.
They are modeling today’s rates, which CEO Stuart Miller put at approximately 7%. Berkshire is underwriting the next cycle instead, which likely explains why it keeps buying.
Berkshire Is Paying for Land, Scale and Survival Abel added that housing is an industry Berkshire is “invested in for the long term.” Lennar owns roughly 2% of its homesites and controls the rest through third parties.
Miller said Lennar is “compromising margin in order to maintain volume,” using incentives of 12%. High rates hurt smaller builders most because they lack the scale to fund that spending.
Berkshire’s $6.8 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison already made it the fourth-largest U.S. homebuilder. If rates stay high for years, this thesis works for permanent capital but fails for anyone needing a return inside a normal holding period.
What Long-Term Lennar Holders Need to Know Now Lennar’s setup likely rewards only holders whose horizon spans a full housing cycle, while management, its largest outside shareholder, and most analysts all expect a slow recovery, and the short report remains unanswered. Miller said the land drag “will not finish quickly,” and fourth-quarter gross margin guidance of 15.5% to 16.0% shows no turn yet.
Berkshire itself offers another path to this exposure. Its shareholders get Lennar and Taylor Morrison exposure, buffered by insurance, rail, and utility earnings, without needing housing to recover on your schedule.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has created some enormous multibaggers for investors, but none are quite on the same level as Nvidia (NVDA +0.68%). When ChatGPT helped ignite the generative AI boom in late 2022, Nvidia was worth less than $400 billion. Today, the chipmaker's market capitalization has ballooned to roughly $5.6 trillion -- making it the most valuable company in the world.
NVDA Market Cap data by YCharts
This parabolic ascent shows how Nvidia evolved from a generic semiconductor company known for gaming GPUs into the undisputed king of AI infrastructure. Let's assess what might happen if you invested $500 in Nvidia every month from now through the end of 2030. Spoiler alert: Big gains could be in store.
How big can Nvidia get? Before crunching any numbers, I need to come up with a baseline of where Nvidia might be headed over the next several years. The company generated $96.2 billion in revenue during its most recent quarter, representing a staggering 106% increase from the prior year. Even more impressive, Nvidia's data center business generated $89 billion, growing 117% year over year.
The next chapter is already quietly unfolding. Nvidia's Vera Rubin architecture is moving into full production. The company says the platform can deliver 10x the agentic AI throughput of its previous generation Grace Blackwell architecture. This matters because AI spending is moving beyond simply training large language models (LLMs). Reasoning models, AI agents, robotics, and other inference workloads require enormous amounts of continuous computing power.
Meanwhile, infrastructure commitments from big tech are getting larger. The big five hyperscalers -- Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Oracle -- plan to spend approximately $800 billion in capital expenditures (capex) in 2026 alone and roughly $1.3 trillion in 2027. Meanwhile, Anthropic has reportedly committed at least $518 billion to AI infrastructure over the next decade.
Nvidia is also expanding how it can monetize data centers. The company isn't merely selling GPUs anymore. AI factories now combine GPUs with other solutions from Nvidia, including CPUs, NVLink, networking, BlueField data processing units, storage infrastructure, and software platforms like CUDA.
I think complementing the legacy GPU business with adjacent solutions should help Nvidia expand its market share in the data center realm. Against this backdrop, I think the company can rise from a $5.6 trillion market value today to $15 trillion by 2030.
Image source: Nvidia.
What investing $500 a month in Nvidia looks like An investor putting $500 into Nvidia every month would invest $6,000 over the course of a full year. Assuming the strategy begins in October 2026 and continues through December 2030, the contributions would total $25,500.
Unfortunately, calculating the ending value isn't as simple as multiplying $25,500 by Nvidia's expected return. The reason is because you will be using a dollar-cost averaging strategy over the lifetime of the investment. This means the initial $500 invested in October 2026 has more than four years to appreciate, while a $500 investment made near the end of 2030 has almost no time to compound.
If I assume Nvidia's market capitalization rises gradually from $5.6 trillion to $15 trillion by the end of 2030, that works out to a 163% cumulative increase, or roughly 26% annualized or 1.9% per month when compounded. While this is a bit aggressive, I think it is also a reasonable upside scenario considering it's nowhere near the returns Nvidia generated during earlier stages of the AI boom.
If I run the calculated return across all 51 monthly investments, the $25,500 investment could finish 2030 worth approximately $43,400. That represents roughly $17,900 in investment gains, or 70% upside.
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Remember to think long-term Obviously, no one knows what Nvidia will be worth four years from now. If the company reaches a $10 trillion valuation by the end of 2030, the same $500 per month strategy would grow to roughly $34,400. If the AI infrastructure supercycle sends Nvidia all the way to $20 trillion, the investment could approach $51,600 -- nearly a 100% gain.
The first takeaway here is that Nvidia has enough structural tailwinds to support meaningful share price appreciation over the next several years. The second takeaway is to understand is that my estimates assume Nvidia's share price generally follows a smooth, compounded path toward the 2030 target.
In reality, the stock's movement will almost certainly be messier. This means the price could rise or fall significantly from month to month. That's actually the entire point of dollar-cost averaging: rather than trying to time the market and predict exactly when Nvidia's stock will rise or fall, investors consistently put the same amount of money to work. For someone investing consistently every month, patience will ultimately matter just as much as finding the right opportunities.
Key Takeaways Netflix expects live programming to consume 5% of 2026 content spend but only 1% of viewing hours.Content asset additions rose 32% to $9.8 billion, while free cash flow fell to $1.5 billion.Disney's sports income fell 17% as programming costs rose 10%, while Amazon monetizes sports via ads. Netflix's (NFLX - Free Report) expanding live sports slate is turning into a cost line investors can no longer treat as experimental. In September, the streamer kicked off its NFL schedule with the league's first regular-season game in Australia, part of an extension through the 2029-30 season covering a Week 1 game, a Thanksgiving Eve matchup, Christmas Day, a Week 18 finale and the NFL Honors. Netflix also confirmed that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will fight live on Dec. 11, while 2027 brings exclusive U.S. and Canada rights to the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The economics are lopsided. Netflix expects live programming to absorb just over 5% of 2026 content spend while generating only about 1% of view hours. Its defense rests on acquisition: live events accounted for six of the 10 biggest new-member sign-up days over the past five years. Yet that payoff is episodic, while rights costs recur.
Cash outlays are rising faster than earnings. Additions to content assets jumped 32% year over year to $9.8 billion in the first half of 2026, outpacing the 11% rise in content amortization, while capital expenditure climbed 46% to $415 million. Second-quarter operating margin contracted 70 basis points to 33.4%, and free cash flow fell to $1.5 billion from $2.3 billion, partly due to higher cash taxes.
Guidance offers partial comfort. Netflix narrowed 2026 revenues to $51.0-$51.4 billion and maintained a 31.5% operating margin target versus 29.5% in 2025, with ad revenues expected to double to about $3 billion. Third-quarter margin is projected at 33.2%.
However, the full-year target implies a fourth-quarter margin near 27%, in a quarter loaded with NFL holiday games and the Fury-Joshua bout. With content obligations at $25.1 billion and a cash content-to-amortization ratio of about 1.1x, sports escalation could test margin expansion beyond 2026.
How Disney and Amazon Are Managing Live Sports CostsDisney (DIS - Free Report) offers a direct read on sports cost inflation. In third-quarter fiscal 2026, Disney's Sports segment operating income fell 17% to $858 million, as programming and production costs rose 10% to $3.05 billion despite 4% revenue growth. Disney is pushing more ESPN games onto Disney+ this fall to broaden reach. Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) presents a monetization-led contrast. Amazon's advertising revenues grew 26% year over year to $19.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026, with Thursday Night Football, NBA, WNBA and NASCAR inventory selling out. However, Amazon does not separately disclose the profitability of its Prime Video sports rights.
NFLX’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesNetflix’s shares have plunged 28% year to date, underperforming the Zacks Broadcast Radio and Television industry and Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector’s decline of 20.1% and 14.7%, respectively.
NFLX’s YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Netflix’s valuation remains elevated, with the stock trading at a forward 12-month price/sales ratio of 5.04X versus the industry’s 3.52X. NFLX carries a Value Score of D.
NFLX’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NFLX’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.59 per share and remains unchanged over the past 30 days. This indicates a 41.9% increase from the previous year.
Tržby Walmart Connect ve 2. čtvrtletí fiskálního roku 2027 vzrostly o 43 %, zatímco tržby Walmart U.S. z e-commerce stouply o 24 %, což podpořilo růst marží.
Key Takeaways Walmart Connect grew 43% as U.S. e-commerce sales rose 24% in the fiscal second quarter. Advertising and membership revenues helped Walmart U.S. e-commerce achieve double-digit margin growth. Digital ad growth improved Walmart U.S. gross profit mix, while the Vibe deal expanded ad capabilities. Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) is seeing its digital business become a more meaningful contributor to its overall economics as e-commerce and related commerce solutions continue to expand. Advertising is playing an increasingly important role in that mix, supported by Walmart’s growing online business and broader digital platform capabilities.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2027, Walmart’s global advertising business increased 38%. Walmart U.S. advertising, including VIZIO, also rose 38%, while Walmart Connect grew 43%. The gains came alongside 24% growth in Walmart U.S. e-commerce sales, reflecting strength in store-fulfilled delivery, advertising and marketplace.
The profitability picture is also improving. Walmart U.S. e-commerce achieved double-digit incremental margins in the first half of fiscal 2027. Strong advertising and membership revenues contributed to that progress, along with greater delivery-network density, growth in fee-based fast deliveries and benefits from automation.
Advertising also supported Walmart U.S. business mix during the quarter. The company said a better business mix, primarily from growth in digital advertising, contributed to gross profit improvement. Walmart also expanded its advertising capabilities through the acquisition of Vibe, which provides self-service tools and enables advertisers to measure results against shopping behavior.
The second quarter shows that advertising is becoming a more important part of Walmart’s improving digital economics. Walmart Connect’s 43% growth, together with continued e-commerce expansion, supported the broader shift toward commerce solutions. Continued progress in these areas will remain important to Walmart’s ability to sustain the incremental-margin improvement already achieved in its U.S. e-commerce business.
What Do the Latest Metrics Say About Walmart?Walmart, which competes with Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) and Target Corporation (TGT - Free Report) , has seen its shares gain 1.8% over the past year compared with the industry’s breakeven performance. Shares of Costco have climbed 1%, while Target has surged 71.4% in the aforementioned period.
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From a valuation standpoint, Walmart's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 33.82, higher than the industry’s 30.74. The company is trading at a premium to Target (with a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 15.68) while trading at a discount to Costco (40.03).
JPMorgan Chase jmenovala Roba Sweeneyho globálním předsedou investičního bankovnictví, aby radil především klientům ze spotřebitelského a maloobchodního sektoru.
JPMorgan Chase logo is seen in this illustration taken January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
CompaniesNEW YORK, Oct 6 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase has appointed former Goldman Sachs and Sycamore executive Rob Sweeney as a global chair of investment banking, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
In the role, Sweeney will advise major corporate clients, particularly in the consumer and retail sector, and work with senior bankers on key relationships. He will also help lead the bank's efforts around its security and resilience initiatives, Filippo Gori and John Simmons, co-heads of global banking, said in a note.
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The hire comes as banks race to win a larger share of a rebounding dealmaking market after several subdued years for mergers and equity issuance. JPMorgan has hired more than 1,000 bankers globally this year, a source said, and has been expanding coverage teams across industries and regions as corporate activity picks up.
JPMorgan has made a series of senior hires across its global banking division in recent months including Amy Lissauer, who joined as global head of shareholder activism, and Michael Flynn, who was named head of small-cap investment banking.
In the second quarter, JPMorgan's investment banking fees rose 30% from a year earlier, their highest level since 2021.
Co-President Doug Petno in September said JPMorgan expected investment banking fees in the third quarter to rise by a mid-to-high teens percentage from a year earlier, supported by a strong deal pipeline and broad-based strength across its investment banking business.
Reporting by Nupur Anand in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
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Divize MedTech společnosti Johnson & Johnson očekává ve třetím čtvrtletí zrychlení díky segmentům Vision, Orthopedics a Surgery, zatímco segment Cardiovascular brzdí slabší výsledky Abiomedu. Konkurence zůstává protivětrem pro některé oblasti MedTech.
Key Takeaways J&J's MedTech growth slowed in Q2 as weaker Cardiovascular sales offset strong Shockwave growth.Abiomed's weakness may persist, but Vision, Orthopedics and Surgery are expected to accelerate in Q3.China's VBP program and competition remain headwinds, though MedTech is expected to improve in H2. Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ - Free Report) medical devices segment, known as MedTech, offers products in the orthopedics, surgery, cardiovascular and vision markets. The MedTech segment accounts for around 36% of J&J’s total revenues. In MedTech, J&J is a global leader in electrophysiology, circulatory restoration and heart recovery.
The MedTech segment delivered a mixed performance in the second quarter of 2026, with growth remaining positive but below the pace seen in its Innovative Medicine business. Sales were hurt by weaker sales in Cardiovascular, as competitive pressure in electrophysiology and lower Abiomed sales offset continued double-digit growth at Shockwave. Abiomed sales declined in the second quarter due to slow procedural volumes for the Impella heart pump franchise.
On its third-quarter conference call, investors will await information on whether sales in the MedTech segment improved from the first-quarter slowdown. Here’s what we expect.
J&J expects only modest Abiomed growth in the second half of 2026. While J&J’s Cardiovascular sales may continue to be slow in the third quarter due to weakness in Abiomed, its other three businesses, Surgery, Vision and Orthopedics, are likely to have continued to accelerate in the third quarter. While Abiomed procedures slowed, J&J claimed that overall procedure volumes were stable in the second quarter and there was no broad-based slowdown in medical procedure volumes across its MedTech business. An update on procedure trends in the third quarter is expected on the conference call.
The company continues to face headwinds in China from the government's volume-based procurement (VBP) program, with these pressures expected to continue in the second half. Competitive pressures are also expected to continue to hurt sales growth in some MedTech businesses in the third quarter.
Overall, the MedTech business is expected to perform better in the second half of the year than it did in the first half, driven by strength in Vision, Orthopedics, Surgery and better performance in Cardiovascular. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for J&J’s MedTech segment stands at $8.78 billion.
J&J’s Key Competitors in the Medical Devices MarketJ&J’s MedTech unit faces strong competition from several major players in the medical device industry, such as Medtronic (MDT - Free Report) , Abbott, Stryker (SYK - Free Report) and Boston Scientific (BSX - Free Report) .
While Medtronic has a strong presence in cardiovascular, neuroscience and surgical technologies, Stryker is a major player in orthopedics and surgical equipment. Boston Scientific markets products for cardiovascular, endoscopy, urology and neuromodulation. Abbott is known for its medical devices across cardiovascular, diagnostics and diabetes care.
JNJ’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesJ&J’s shares have outperformed the industry so far this year. The stock has risen 22.2% this year compared with 9.4% appreciation of the industry.
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From a valuation standpoint, J&J is slightly expensive. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 20.43 forward earnings, higher than 17.60 for the industry. The stock is also trading above its five-year mean of 15.65.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings has declined from $11.59 to $11.54 over the past 60 days, while that for 2027 earnings has declined from $12.80 per share to $12.64 over the same time frame.
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J&J has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Prodeje Fordu v USA ve 3. čtvrtletí klesly o 6,6 % na 509 764 vozů, zatímco prodeje modelu Maverick Hybrid vzrostly o 59,6 % na rekordních 27 793 kusů.
Key Takeaways Ford's U.S. sales fell 6.6%, but core-model sales were flat as retail share rose 0.4 points to 12.1%.F-Series, Super Duty and Maverick Hybrid gains highlight strong demand for Ford's higher-value vehicles.Paid software subscriptions topped 1.7M, while Ford expects the supplier issue to stay within EBIT guidance. Ford (F - Free Report) heads into its upcoming third-quarter earnings report with encouraging underlying trends in its core truck and SUV businesses, despite a decline in overall U.S. vehicle sales. Ford's third-quarter U.S. sales fell 6.6% year over year to 509,764 vehicles, primarily reflecting the planned phase-out of Escape and Corsair.
The strength of Ford's higher-value vehicle portfolio remains a key positive heading into earnings. F-Series sales increased 2.4% in September, while Super Duty production rose 4.4% to 110,275 units, marking its best quarterly performance in 19 years. Maverick Hybrid sales surged 59.6% to a record 27,793 units, and Bronco also recorded its strongest third-quarter sales.
Demand for large SUVs, including Explorer and Expedition, further supports the company's product mix and pricing position. Additionally, active paid software subscriptions surpassed 1.7 million through September, increasing more than 40% year over year and strengthening the potential for recurring, higher-margin revenues. Although a temporary supplier issue affected F-150 production late in September, management expects the financial impact to remain within its existing 2026 adjusted EBIT guidance of $10-$11 billion.
However, electric vehicle sales were the weak spot. According to Electrek, Ford’s U.S. EV sales plunged 80% year over year to 6,047 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, Mustang Mach-E sales fell 72.4% to 5,574 units, while F-150 Lightning sales tumbled 97% to just 289 units.
Competitive Context: GM & TMGeneral Motors (GM - Free Report) provides a useful comparison, as its third-quarter U.S. deliveries declined 5.5% to 670,974 vehicles, broadly reflecting the pressure on industry volumes. Nevertheless, GM's Silverado light-duty sales increased 13.3%, while Trax and Trailblazer posted gains of 16.3% and 51.1%, respectively. These results highlight that, much like Ford, GM continues to benefit from demand for selected trucks and affordable SUVs even as overall deliveries soften.
It also witnessed a steep pullback in EV demand. Chevrolet Equinox EV deliveries plunged 92.4% year over year to 1,905 units, Blazer EV sales declined to 1,261 units and Silverado EV deliveries fell 58% to 1,655 units. Cadillac LYRIQ sales dropped 50.5%, while GMC HUMMER EV and Sierra EV sales decreased 72.9% and 50.8%, respectively. GM noted that its overall third-quarter sales decline partly reflected a substantially smaller EV market.
The comparison becomes more nuanced when comparing Toyota (TM - Free Report) , which delivered 633,223 vehicles in the United States during the third quarter, up 0.6% year over year, with Toyota division sales rising 0.5% and Lexus sales increasing 1.6%.
Toyota's electrified vehicle sales, including hybrids, jumped 28.5% to 363,367 units and represented 57.4% of its total quarterly sales, underscoring the strength of its multi-path electrification strategy. Toyota also continues to benefit from a broad electrified lineup, with 32 electrified vehicle options available across the Toyota and Lexus brands.
The Zacks Rundown for FordShares of F have gained 1.49% in a year against its industry’s 3.4% decline.
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Ford is currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings of 6.33X, lower than the industry’s average of 82.96X. It carries a Value Score of A.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 70.6%.
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The consensus estimate for EPS for fiscal 2026 has been flat over the past 60 days.
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F currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Verizon ve druhém čtvrtletí roku 2026 získal 184 000 zákazníků mobilních tarifů s měsíčním vyúčtováním a 348 000 zákazníků širokopásmového připojení, avšak vysoké investice a dluh zůstávají rizikem.
Key Takeaways Verizon added 184,000 postpaid phone customers as churn and acquisition costs declined.Broadband growth and Verizon One are strengthening customer retention and lifetime value.High capital spending and debt remain challenges despite improving operating trends. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Free Report) has declined 6.5% in six months against the Wireless National industry’s growth of 131.2%. The stock has underperformed the Zacks Computer & Technology sector during this period.
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The company has outperformed its peers like AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) and T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS - Free Report) . Shares of AT&T have declined 14.1%, while T-Mobile has declined 18.5% during this period.
Key Growth Drivers for VerizonVerizon added 184,000 postpaid phone customers in the second quarter of 2026, up 193,000 year over year, while Consumer postpaid phone churn declined to 0.84% compared with 0.90% in the first quarter and 0.95% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Promotional acquisition and retention costs declined approximately 15% and 17%, respectively, year over year. The combination of stronger net additions, lower churn and better acquisition economics is improving operating leverage.
Broadband expansion remains another major growth catalyst for the company. Verizon added 348,000 broadband subscribers in the second quarter, taking its total broadband base above 17.1 million. The company remains on track to reach more than 32 million fiber passings by year-end. The Frontier acquisition is also creating opportunities to cross-sell mobility and broadband services.
The newly launched Verizon One plan, which combines Mobility and Broadband into a single offering, is also gaining traction. Management believes bundled mobility and broadband offerings improve retention and customer lifetime value by encouraging households to consolidate services. Verizon continues to compete with AT&T, which is also investing heavily in converged wireless and fiber offerings, making customer retention an increasingly important differentiator.
One of the most significant longer-term opportunities is Verizon's plan to leverage its extensive fiber infrastructure to support the rapid expansion of AI-related data centers. The company has signed an agreement worth more than $1 billion with Google to use Verizon's dark fiber to connect data centers. Verizon is also positioning itself for the next generation of wireless technology through its expanded 6G Innovation Forum, which added nine major technology companies, including AWS, NVIDIA, Intel and Cisco. Verizon has already conducted real-world trials involving integrated sensing and communications, as well as AI-enabled applications and wearables.
Key ChallengesVerizon operates in a highly competitive wireless market where pricing, promotional offers and network quality can quickly influence customer decisions. It faces competition from major players such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Charter. Although Verizon has improved postpaid churn and customer acquisition economics, maintaining that momentum without resorting to aggressive promotions will be critical.
Verizon continues to invest heavily in fiber, wireless spectrum and network infrastructure while simultaneously returning capital to shareholders. Capital expenditures reached $8.2 billion in the first half of 2026, with full-year capital spending guided at $16-$16.5 billion. These investments will likely support growth in the long run, but this is putting pressure on free cash flow in the near term.
Verizon reduced debt and paid off substantially all of Frontier's debt six months ahead of schedule. However, its net unsecured debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio stood at 2.5X at the end of the second quarter. At the end of second-quarter 2026, total unsecured debt stood at $136.5 billion, while net unsecured debt totaled $128.7 billion.
Estimate Revision Trend of VZEarnings estimates for VZ for 2026 have remained unchanged for the past 60 days while for 2027 it has increased.
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Key Valuation Metric of VZFrom a valuation standpoint, VZ appears to be trading relatively cheaper compared to the industry and its mean. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 8.75, lower than 37.6 for the industry.
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End NoteImproving wireless customer trends and broadband expansion are the primary growth engines for Verizon. Its convergence strategy is strengthening retention, while cost reductions are expanding margins. However, Verizon's improving operating trends do not eliminate the risks facing the company. Stiff competition and high debt burden remain major concerns. Verizon must execute its transformation and Frontier integration, manage a substantial investment program and convert its emerging AI infrastructure opportunity into durable revenue. With a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), VZ appears to be treading in the middle of the road, and new investors could be better off if they trade with caution. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways Royal Caribbean enters 2027 with bookings ahead of historical levels and record pricing.New ships in 2027 should expand Royal Caribbean's capacity and add differentiated experiences.AI pricing, app use and loyalty growth are helping Royal Caribbean optimize yields and customer spending. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL - Free Report) is entering 2027 with strong booking momentum and record pricing, reinforcing confidence that its growth run can extend beyond 2026. Management said early 2027 bookings were pacing ahead of historical levels and were being secured at higher prices, while booked load factors remained elevated.
The company’s expanding portfolio provides additional support for 2027. Hero of the Seas is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2027, while Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker are expected to enter service during the second and third quarters, respectively. These additions should broaden capacity while introducing differentiated experiences that can support pricing.
Royal Caribbean is also leveraging technology and loyalty to protect yields and deepen customer engagement. Its AI-driven pricing models manage roughly $20 million and growing price points, helping optimize revenues rather than simply fill cabins. Meanwhile, Points Choice and Status Match have generated more than half a million new loyalty enrollments; more than 90% of guests use the company’s app, and over half of onboard revenues are purchased before embarkation. These trends give RCL more opportunities to personalize offers, strengthen repeat demand and capture incremental spending.
Still, sustaining record pricing will depend on healthy consumer demand and disciplined capacity growth. Geopolitical disruptions have already affected some European itineraries, underscoring the sensitivity of bookings to external events. Even so, strong 2027 pricing, expanding vacation offerings, deeper loyalty engagement and new capacity give Royal Caribbean multiple levers to sustain its growth momentum into next year.
How Cruise Peers CCL and NCLH Are Positioning for 2027Carnival Corporation Ltd. (CCL - Free Report) is also entering 2027 with strong pricing momentum. The company is already about half booked for the year, with both occupancy and pricing at record levels. Carnival expects only modest capacity growth in 2027, which should support its strategy of managing the booking curve for price. Its expanding destination portfolio, including Celebration Key, is another lever to differentiate the product and strengthen yields, while continued loyalty initiatives are aimed at increasing repeat demand and lifetime value.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH - Free Report) , meanwhile, is rebuilding its pricing and demand-generation strategy. The company is shifting toward a baseloading approach that establishes more competitive pricing earlier in the booking curve to build demand sooner, preserve price integrity and reduce close-in discounting. NCLH expects the first half of 2027 to remain pressured, particularly the first quarter, but sees sequential improvement as marketing, revenue-management and demand-generation initiatives gain traction. Investments in Great Stirrup Cay and its new Great Tides Waterpark are also intended to strengthen differentiation and improve revenue potential.
RCL’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of Royal Caribbean have declined 12.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s 7.2% fall.
RCL Stock’s One-Year Price Performance
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From a valuation standpoint, RCL trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 14.06, below the industry’s average of 15.81.
RCL’s P/E Ratio (Forward 12-Month) vs. Industry
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RCL’s 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year increase of 13.8%. The EPS estimates for 2026 have increased in the past seven days.
Key Takeaways PepsiCo is refining price-pack architecture as North America organic revenues fell 0.5%.Portion-control multi-packs topped $3.5B in annual net revenues and grew volume and sales.Record productivity savings are expected to help fund affordability investments and offset costs. PepsiCo Inc. (PEP - Free Report) is stepping up its affordability efforts as pressure on consumer budgets weighs on demand, particularly in North America. In the second quarter of 2026, U.S. food and beverage category trends moderated as inflationary pressures tightened household spending.
North America organic revenues declined 0.5%, while PepsiCo Foods North America posted a 2% net revenue decline, primarily reflecting lower effective net pricing. Against this backdrop, PepsiCo is sharpening its price-pack architecture to enhance affordability, while continuing to invest in value-oriented initiatives across its portfolio.
The strategy is also being supported by portfolio formats that give consumers greater choice at different price points. Portion-control multi-packs, which generate more than $3.5 billion in annual net revenues, delivered both volume and net revenue growth in the quarter. Meanwhile, PepsiCo's permissible portfolio, representing roughly $3 billion in annual net revenues, also recorded strong volume and sales growth. These trends suggest that targeted pack sizes and differentiated offerings can help the company address affordability without relying solely on broad-based pricing actions.
However, affordability investments carry a near-term profitability trade-off. North America's core operating margin contracted in the quarter, partly reflecting investments in convenient-food affordability, while PepsiCo expects higher input-cost inflation in the second half.
Management plans to lean on record productivity savings to help offset these pressures and fund investments aimed at accelerating growth. If sharper price-pack architecture can improve consumer value perception, support volumes and deepen household penetration, PepsiCo's affordability push could become an important lever for restoring North American momentum.
Highlighting KO & MNST’s Affordability InitiativesThe Coca-Cola Company (KO - Free Report) and Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST - Free Report) are also refining their price-pack strategies to offer consumers greater value while navigating persistent cost pressures and cautious spending.
Coca-Cola is leaning on revenue growth management to keep its beverages accessible as lower-income consumers remain pressured. The company is using different package formats and entry price points, including mini-can multi-packs in retail and single mini cans in convenience stores, to enhance affordability. Management noted that its RGM toolkit will continue addressing both affordability and premiumization, helping Coca-Cola stay close to changing consumer needs.
Monster Beverage is broadening its affordability strategy by offering energy drinks across multiple price points and expanding lower-priced brands in key international markets. Management highlighted growing momentum for its affordable portfolio in EMEA, including Bang Energy, while also targeting further expansion of affordable brands in China and India. These initiatives could help Monster recruit new consumers and deepen household penetration as the global energy-drink category continues to expand.
PEP’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of PepsiCo have lost 13.6% in the past three months compared with the industry’s decline of 4%.
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From a valuation standpoint, PEP trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 14.21X compared with the industry’s average of 18.49X.
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PEP’s 2026 and 2027 earnings per share (EPS) implies year-over-year growth of 5.3% and 4.3%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved south in the past seven days.
Akcie Shopify od květnového minima vzrostly o 80 % a překonaly rezistenci na úrovni 221 USD. Tržby mají letos podle průměrného odhadu vzrůst o 31,9 % na 15,25 mld. USD.
Buy Shopify (SHOP). The stock broke key resistance ($221), invalidated the double-top, and is showing bullish continuation signals (golden cross, above Ichimoku cloud, PPO > 0). The Muse/Meta partnership strengthens the “agentic commerce” story: more AI-driven shopping should lift merchants’ activity, which increases Shopify’s take-rate and payment processing. Fundamentals are also improving (GMV and payment processing up sharply).
Key Risk: Valuation crush: SHOP’s forward P/E (~79) is so high that even “good” results or slower growth triggers a fast multiple contraction.
E-commerce software momentum
Buy Shopify’s ecosystem exposure via e-commerce software/merchant-enablement names (e.g., Square/Block (SQ) as a payments beneficiary, or a basket of high-quality e-commerce enablers). The news is a demand-side catalyst: if AI agents drive more transactions, payment volume and merchant tooling usage rise across the stack, not just on Shopify’s platform. Momentum is already working in SHOP; the second wave is broader payments/merchant adoption.
Key Risk: Platform share loss: merchants choose other platforms/tools for AI shopping, so transaction growth concentrates away from these beneficiaries.
Shopify stock has rebounded in the past few months, reaching its highest level since January 13 this year. It has soared by 80% from its lowest level in May, bringing its market capitalization to over $205 billion. This rally may continue after invalidating the double-top pattern at $158.
SHOP stock has been in an upward trend in the past few weeks, helped by its recent partnership with Meta Platforms. In a statement, Shopify said that users can use Muse to manage their stores, including adding products, collections, inventory, and orders. The partnership came after Amazon blocked Muse.
Investors believe that Shopify may benefit from the new era of agentic shopping as people will use these agents to shop. Indeed, data shows that traffic to American retail sites from AI sources has jumped by 393% this year, and this trend may continue.
Shopify will benefit from all this because it is the biggest provider of e-commerce software globally. Its business strategy involves making money by charging website owners a monthly free. In addition to this, the company makes money by taking a cut for all transactions made by the websites. As such, as agentic commerce grows, so does the commission it makes.
The most recent earnings report showed that its revenue and profits are doing relatively well and that more companies are moving to its platform. Some of the recent additions to the platform are Guess, Fred Segal, AVON, and Arhaus.
Its results showed that the GMV jumped to $116 billion from $101 billion in the first quarter and $88 billion in the same period last year. Its payment processing jumped to over $78 billion in the quarter from $36 billion in Q1’24.
Analysts expect that Shopify’s business will continue to grow in the near term. The average estimate is that its annual revenue will jump by 31.9% this year to $15.25 billion. After that, the company is expected to hit $19.1 billion. At the same time, its earnings per share (EPS) is expected to keep rising.
The main challenge that Shopify investors face is that its valuation has become elevated. It now has a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 79.2, much higher than the technology sector average of 23. The multiple is also much higher than other companies, including faster growers like Micron and Nvidia.
These multiples likely explain why analysts have a mild outlook for the company. For example, Mizuho has a target of $180, while Wedbush has a target of $176.
SHOP stock chart | Source: TradingView
The daily chart shows that the SHOP stock bottomed at $128.97 in May this year and then started an uptrend. This rally continued after it published its financial results in August this year.
The stock has now moved above the important resistance level of $221, its highest point on August 13. It has invalidated the double-top pattern whose neckline is at $171.30.
Shopify has also formed a golden cross pattern, a common bullish continuation sign. Also, it remains above the Ichimoku cloud indicator, while the Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) has moved above the zero line. Also, it formed an inverted head-and-shoulders pattern.
By invalidating the double-top pattern, chances are that it will continue rising, potentially to the psychological level of $250.
Key Takeaways Merck's stock fell 7.2% in a month after gaining roughly 60% over the past year.Keytruda drives growth, while Winrevair, Welireg and Ohtuvayre add to the top line.Merck faces Gardasil weakness, generic pressure and Keytruda's 2028 patent expiration Merck’s (MRK - Free Report) stock has declined 7.2% in a month. Investors are looking at this correction as a pullback after a strong run rather than a deterioration in its core business. The stock has surged roughly 60% over the past year. It also reached a 52-week high of about $157 in late August.
In general, investors have become more confident in Merck’s growth outlook and ability to offset the eventual patent cliff of its blockbuster cancer drug, Keytruda, after 2028. Keytruda continues to deliver solid growth, while newer products such as Winrevair, Welireg and Ohtuvayre are scaling rapidly. Merck has also been aggressively building its pipeline through acquisitions and partnerships, and investors are increasingly giving credit to these efforts. Merck's partnership with Moderna (MRNA - Free Report) around the personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene has also become more important.
Let’s understand all these factors in detail and analyze Merck’s strengths and weaknesses to understand how to play the stock in such a scenario.
Merck’s Keytruda Engine Continues to Power Top-Line GrowthMerck has more than six blockbuster drugs in its portfolio, with Keytruda as the primary top-line driver. Keytruda, approved for several types of cancer, alone accounts for more than 55% of the company’s pharmaceutical sales. In the United States, Keytruda is approved for more than 45 indications spanning 19 tumor types, along with two tumor-agnostic approvals, as well as for many of these indications worldwide.
The drug has played an instrumental role in driving Merck’s steady revenue growth over the past few years. Keytruda sales are gaining from continued strong momentum in metastatic indications and rapid uptake across earlier-stage launches. The company expects the growth to continue till it loses patent exclusivity in 2028. More than 2,800 clinical studies are currently evaluating Keytruda across multiple cancer types and treatment settings.
Merck is working on different strategies to drive Keytruda's long-term growth. These include innovative immuno-oncology combinations, including Keytruda with LAG3 and CTLA-4 inhibitors. In partnership with Moderna, Merck is developing a personalized mRNA therapeutic cancer vaccine called intismeran autogene in combination with Keytruda in pivotal phase III studies for earlier-stage and adjuvant NSCLC and adjuvant melanoma. The combo therapy recently met both primary and secondary endpoints in a phase III study in certain patients with high-risk melanoma.
Merck’s subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda, known as Keytruda Qlex, was approved in the United States and EU in 2025 and generated sales of $590 million in the first half of 2026. Keytruda Qlex can offer substantially quicker administration time than the intravenous infusion of Keytruda.
Merck expects Keytruda to achieve peak sales of $35 billion by 2028. Merck’s other oncology drugs, Welireg, AstraZeneca (AZN - Free Report) -partnered Lynparza and Eisai-partnered Lenvima, are also contributing to top-line growth.
Merck’s Animal Health business is also a key contributor to its top-line growth, with sales expected to more than double by the mid-2030s.
Merck’s Pipeline Strengthens Its Outlook Beyond KeytrudaMerck’s expanding drug pipeline and potential new blockbuster drugs beyond Keytruda look encouraging.
Its phase III pipeline has almost tripled since 2021, supported by in-house progress as well as the addition of candidates through M&A deals. Merck expects to launch 20 new drugs by 2030, with many already launched.
Its new products, pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair, cancer drug Welireg and 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Capvaxive, have begun to contribute significantly to top-line growth.
Some new products approved/launched recently are RSV antibody, Enflonsia (clesrovimab), Idvynso, a once-daily, single-tablet two-drug regimen of doravirine and islatravir, and Lipfendra (enlicitide), an oral PCSK9 inhibitor to help reduce LDL cholesterol in adults with hypercholesterolemia.
Some key candidates in late-stage development are sacituzumab tirumotecan or sac-TMT, an anti-TROP2 antibody-drug conjugate for multiple tumor types, MK-8591D/islatravir plus lenacapavir, a once-weekly oral treatment for HIV, and alimatravir, a monthly oral HIV PrEP candidate.
Merck is actively pursuing acquisitions to prepare for Keytruda’s 2028 patent expiration. Recent deals added Ohtuvayre through Verona Pharma, influenza candidate MK-1406 through Cidara, and potential blockbuster cancer drug MK-4208 through Terns Pharmaceuticals.
Declining Sales of MRK’s Gardasil & Other VaccinesMerck’s Gardasil/Gardasil 9 franchise is facing a significant slowdown, with sales declining 9% in the first half of 2026 due to weaker demand in China, Japan and the United States. China remains the biggest challenge, as economic weakness has dampened demand and led to elevated channel inventories at partner Zhifei, prompting Merck to halt shipments temporarily.
Although limited shipments resumed in China in the second quarter under a revised agreement, the growing availability of lower-cost domestic HPV vaccines could further put pressure on Gardasil, an imported premium-priced vaccine. Gardasil China revenues are expected to remain immaterial for Merck in 2026. In the United States, Gardasil demand is being hurt by changes in vaccination recommendations, including greater use of single-dose schedules.
Sales of some other Merck vaccines, like Proquad, M-M-R II, Varivax, Rotateq and Vaxneuvance, also declined in the first half of 2026.
Keytruda’s 2028 Patent Loss a Key Risk for MerckMerck is heavily reliant on Keytruda. Though Keytruda may be Merck’s biggest strength and a solid reason to own the stock, the company is excessively dependent on the drug. Keytruda’s core U.S. patent is expected to expire around 2028, with additional patents expiring slightly after that. Keytruda is expected to face significant biosimilar competition around 2028-2029. Once biosimilars enter, Keytruda’s sales are likely to decline sharply.
Also, competitive pressure might increase for Keytruda in the near future from dual PD-1/VEGF inhibitors that inhibit both the PD-1 pathway and the VEGF pathway at once. They are designed to overcome the limitations of single-target therapies like Keytruda.
Merck’s Januvia and Other Drugs Face Generic PressureMRK is seeing declining demand for its diabetes products (Januvia/Janumet) and the generic erosion of some drugs like Isentress/Isentress HD and Bridion in the European Union and Dificid in the United States. Bridion lost market exclusivity in the United States in July 2026 and sales are expected to decline further in future quarters. Januvia and Janumet lost market exclusivity in the United States in May 2026 and Janumet XR in July 2026. Sales of Januvia/Janumet are expected to decline steeply in future quarters due to the government price setting in 2026 and 2027, the patent expiry in 2026 and ongoing competitive pressure.
MRK Share Price, Valuation & EstimatesMerck’s shares have risen 32.6% so far this year compared with an increase of 9.4% for the industry. The stock has also outperformed the sector as well as the S&P 500 index, as seen in the chart below.
From a valuation standpoint, Merck is slightly expensive. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 17.44 forward earnings, slightly lower than 17.60 for the industry. The stock is trading above its 5-year mean of 12.98.
MRK Stock ValuationImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
Estimates for MRK’s 2026 earnings have declined from $3.04 per share to $2.77 per share over the past 60 days, while those for 2027 have declined from $9.72 per share to $9.61 per share.
MRK Estimate MovementImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stay Invested in MRK StockMerck has one of the world’s best-selling drugs in its portfolio, generating billions of dollars in revenues. Though Keytruda will lose patent exclusivity in 2028, its sales are expected to remain strong until then.
It expects more than $70 billion of potential non-risk-adjusted commercial opportunity for the current pipeline by the mid-2030s. This estimate is more than double the peak consensus sales estimate for Keytruda of $35 billion in 2028.
Merck faces several near-term challenges, including persistent challenges for Gardasil, potential competition for Keytruda, and rising competitive and generic pressure on some of its drugs. Near-term profitability remains affected by costs related to Merck’s various acquisitions. However, these acquisitions eventually benefit the company.
Meanwhile, its new products, strong progress in its pipeline, and business development and acquisitions have increased confidence that Merck may be able to maintain growth even after Keytruda loses exclusivity. Investors can continue to retain this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock as its long-term prospects remain intact. Given the recent decline, MRK could prove to be a potential buying opportunity for long-term investors. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways Chevron is raising its PEL 90 stake to 45.1% through a $11 million deal with Trago Energy.Nabba-1X is planned for Q4 2026, making the well a key near-term catalyst for Chevron.Equinor's entry shares exploration exposure as Chevron maintains operatorship of PEL 90. Chevron Corporation (CVX - Free Report) is strengthening its position in Namibia’s Orange Basin as a key exploration catalyst. The company’s affiliate Harmattan Energy Ltd. recently agreed to acquire Trago Energy Pty Ltd.’s 10% participating interest in Petroleum Exploration License 90 (PEL 90). Trago, a subsidiary of Custos Energy (Pty) Ltd., will receive $11 million in cash at closing, along with contingent consideration linked to future appraisal and production milestones. The transaction remains subject to government, regulatory and third-party approvals.
This agreement is notable because it follows Chevron’s decision in August to farm out a 17.4% interest in PEL 90 to Equinor (EQNR - Free Report) . Rather than simply reducing its exposure to the license, Chevron is now adding another 10% interest. The transaction would increase Chevron’s participating interest in PEL 90 if both the Equinor farm-out and the Trago acquisition are completed.
Chevron Reshapes Its PEL 90 PositionBefore the Equinor transaction, Chevron held a 52.5% participating interest in PEL 90. QatarEnergy owned 27.5%, while Trago Energy and Namibia’s state-owned oil company NAMCOR each held 10%. Equinor’s planned acquisition would lower Chevron’s interest to 35.1% once completed. The latest agreement would lift it to 45.1%, assuming both transactions close.
That ownership structure gives Chevron a sizeable economic interest without carrying the entire exploration burden. Equinor’s planned entry would add another major international energy company to the PEL 90 partnership. Chevron, meanwhile, continues to operate PEL 90, preserving control over the exploration program.
The transaction comes as Chevron prepares for another exploration well on PEL 90. PEL 90 covers Block 2813B in the Orange Basin, a frontier region that has drawn major industry attention because of discoveries in the broader basin. The license covers about 5,433 square kilometers, according to Sintana Energy, and is located near the Venus discovery operated by TotalEnergies (TTE - Free Report) .
Nabba-1X Offers a Near-Term CatalystFor investors, the next major development to watch is the planned Nabba-1X exploration well. Chevron plans to drill the Nabba-1X exploration well on PEL 90 in the fourth quarter of 2026 as part of a wider multi-well exploration campaign across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Nabba-1X will be Chevron’s second exploration well offshore Namibia after Kapana-1X reached total depth in January 2025. The earlier well did not encounter commercial hydrocarbons, although the drilling program generated geological information that the company can use in planning future activity.
That makes Nabba-1X a potentially important value driver. A commercial discovery would strengthen the case for further appraisal and development across PEL 90 and could increase the long-term value of Chevron’s position. However, the project remains at the exploration stage, so investors should not treat potential resources as established reserves.
Broader African Exploration PushThe Namibia transaction also fits Chevron’s broader push to expand its frontier exploration portfolio in Africa. The company has outlined activity across Namibia, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea as part of a multi-well program designed to pursue high-impact opportunities. In September, Chevron outlined exploration activity across several Sub-Saharan African basins as part of its broader exploration program.
For Chevron, this strategy can add future production opportunities without relying solely on mature assets. Frontier exploration, however, comes with significant geological and execution risks. The outcome of individual wells can be difficult to predict, and unsuccessful drilling can delay development plans while increasing capital requirements.
Investment TakeawayThe Trago transaction gives Chevron a larger stake in PEL 90 at an important point in the asset’s exploration cycle. The $11 million upfront payment is modest relative to Chevron’s scale, but the additional interest increases its exposure to any success from Nabba-1X and subsequent appraisal activity. Contingent consideration tied to commercial production also underscores the potentially longer-term nature of the transaction.
At the same time, investors should recognize that the deal does not remove the uncertainty surrounding the asset. Completion of the transaction still requires approvals, while the upcoming well must establish commercial potential before PEL 90 can become a meaningful production asset.
Overall, Chevron’s decision to increase interest in PEL 90 signals that it sees sufficient potential in the acreage to justify a larger position ahead of Nabba-1X. The well’s result should therefore be the key near-term event to watch, with a successful outcome capable of improving the long-term growth profile of Chevron’s upstream portfolio.
CVX's Zacks Rank & Another Key PickCurrently, CVX and EQNR carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each, while TTE has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Equinor is a Norway-based integrated energy company with operations spanning oil and gas, renewables and low-carbon solutions. The company’s upstream portfolio is anchored by the Norwegian Continental Shelf, while its international operations include oil and gas assets across the United States, Brazil, Angola, the United Kingdom and Canada. On the other hand, TotalEnergies is a France-based global integrated energy company engaged in oil, natural gas, biofuels, renewables and electricity. The company operates across the energy value chain in about 120 countries and produced 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025, including 46% from natural gas.
Investors interested in the energy sector might consider another top-ranked stock, such as Delek US Holdings (DK - Free Report) , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Delek US Holdings is valued at $4.54 billion. It is a diversified downstream energy company engaged in petroleum refining, renewable fuels, asphalt production and logistics operations. Delek US Holdings operates multiple refineries in the United States and is committed to delivering safe, reliable energy while investing in cleaner energy initiatives.
Caterpillar ve 2. čtvrtletí vykázal rekordní upravené EPS ve výši 8,17 USD a tržby 20,5 mld. USD, což představuje meziroční nárůst o 23,5 %; objednávková kniha činila 72,1 mld. USD.
SummaryCaterpillar is upgraded to Buy, with shares now undervalued relative to robust forward EPS growth and a favorable risk/reward profile.Q2 results were record-breaking: $8.17 EPS (vs. $7.20 consensus), $20.5B revenue (+23.5% YoY), and a $72.1B order backlog.CAT’s 2026 EPS forecast rose from $24.72 to $27.19, supporting a $930 intrinsic value using a 30x P/E and a reasonable PEG ratio.Technicals are mixed, but sustained support above $770 and an improving RSI favor a long position with a stop below $770. Jajang Komarudin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) shares bounced off critical support in September. Leading into its Q3 earnings report in a few weeks, the Dow component remains among the best of the 30 blue chips YTD. But the
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SAP se dohodl na převzetí belgické společnosti zaměřené na AI TechWolf. Transakce by měla být po schválení regulačními orgány dokončena ve čtvrtém čtvrtletí roku 2026.
SAP (NYSE:SAP), the enterprise applications company, has agreed to acquire TechWolf, a Ghent-based provider of an artificial intelligence (AI) work intelligence platform, though the companies did not disclose the terms of the deal.
The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.
TechWolf gives enterprises a continuously updated view of the work their employees do and the skills they have, using its proprietary data model called a context graph for work.
The acquisition will bring TechWolf's context graph, AI models and applied AI research team into SAP, establishing work intelligence as a strategic SAP asset.
TechWolf is expected to become an intelligent core of the SAP SuccessFactors portfolio, supporting skills mapping, workforce planning and organizational redesign using context from across the Autonomous Enterprise.
The platform draws on the human resources and business systems that customers connect, and models the work itself, the skills people apply and the external labor market against each customer's business strategy.
Manoj Swaminathan, president and chief product officer for SAP Autonomous Suite, said the technology will make token usage more efficient, lower the cost of deploying workforce agents and improve AI-driven scenarios such as skills-based hiring and role redesign.
Andreas De Neve, TechWolf's chief executive and co-founder, said the company had spent eight years building its platform and would use the acquisition to extend its work across a broader business context and at greater scale.
Subject to closing and required consultation, SAP plans for TechWolf to remain an independent entity under De Neve, headquartered in Ghent, with offices in London, New York and San Francisco.
Its platform will remain available to SAP and non-SAP customers, while its clients include HSBC, GSK, Ericsson, PayPal and Booking.com.
JP Morgan was the exclusive financial advisor to TechWolf, whose open-source models have been downloaded more than two million times.
Shares of SAP gained around 2.7% on Tuesday morning in New York.
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Linde má rekordní objem nasmlouvaných prodejů plynů ve výši 8,1 miliardy USD poté, co získala nové zakázky v elektronickém průmyslu za 1 miliardu USD, podpořené poptávkou po čipech pro AI.
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.
$387.78▼
$548.201.30%
31.73
$546.80
Linde NASDAQ: LIN has been selling gases—nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and hydrogen—for more than a century, mostly to hospitals, food companies, and refineries.
Now, though, it’s riding the wave of surging semiconductor demand and a record $8.1 billion backlog.
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While industrial gases are not the first thing many tech-focused investors think about, for Linde, the tech space has helped earn it an overwhelming Buy recommendation from analysts. The artificial intelligence buildout has turned semiconductor fabs into one of Linde's fastest-growing markets.
Yet the stock is holding back. To understand the strengthening growth story and a sagging share price, investors should understand the broader issues facing the company.
Record Sales Meet New Margin PressureOn the surface, Linde's July 31 report looked excellent. Sales rose 9.3% to a record $9.29 billion, with underlying sales up 4% from a mix of 2% higher prices and 2% higher volumes. That beat the $9.02 billion analysts expected.
Earnings grew even faster. Diluted earnings per share were up 11.3% to $4.15. Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) climbed 10% to $4.50, edging past the $4.49 consensus. Linde also continued to buy back stock and pay dividends, returning $1.59 billion to shareholders in the quarter.
The blemish, though, was profitability. Adjusted operating profit was up 7%, but the adjusted operating margin slipped to 29.5%, down 60 basis points from a year earlier. For a company that has built its margins, that was enough to send the shares down about 6% on earnings day.
Lincare Emerges as the Main Margin DragOperationally, the primary culprit was Lincare, Linde's U.S. home care business, which supplies oxygen and respiratory equipment to patients at home. CEO Sanjiv Lamba said cost inflation and policy changes have made Linde's efforts to prune the unit difficult. As a result, he raised the possibility of selling the unit, telling analysts the company was evaluating "the strategic fit of this U.S. home care business within Linde, both in part and as a whole."
Still, the core engine kept humming. Electronics sales grew 18% in the quarter, and management raised the low end of its full-year adjusted EPS outlook to $17.70 to $17.90, implying growth of 8% to 9%.
AI Chip Demand Is Powering Linde’s BacklogThe heart of the investment thesis is straightforward. Linde's contracted sale-of-gas backlog hit a record $8.1 billion after the company added $1 billion in new electronics work.
On the same day as earnings, Linde announced it will invest $1 billion to build two new air separation units in Phoenix for one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers, supplying gases for two new fabs.
Lamba said he expects electronics to remain Linde's largest backlog contributor and one of its fastest-growing markets, with more than 20 projects worth about $1.3 billion set to start up before year-end. Other industrial markets were also improving, with aerospace accounting for more than a third of manufacturing growth in the quarter.
Slower Growth Tests Linde’s Premium ValuationThere are reasons for concern, however, and the market has picked up on many of them.
Shares are currently trading roughly where they were a year ago. Although up about 14% from the start of this year, they’ve dropped about 10% in the past three months.
Linde's premium valuation is one issue. The company has relied on its ability to expand margins, and that streak is being questioned. Barely beating per-share expectations also didn’t help; at the same time, there’s sluggish industrial demand outside the U.S. market.
Margins in Asia also slipped because Linde is selling lower-margin equipment to electronics customers, the company said, though they expect that business to recover in the coming quarters. Management's third-quarter outlook of $4.45 to $4.55 in adjusted earnings per share implies slower growth of 6% to 8%.
Current Price$488.04High Forecast$580.00Average Forecast$546.80Low Forecast$460.00Linde Stock Forecast Details
Linde is scheduled to report third-quarter results on Oct. 29. Beyond the headline earnings figures, investors will be watching for any update on the strategic review of Lincare, whether margin pressure is beginning to ease, and how quickly the company is converting its record sale-of-gas backlog into revenue as new electronics projects come online. The report could help determine whether the recent weakness in the stock is a temporary pause or a sign that growth is starting to moderate.
Perhaps the more important risk, though, is what investors are paying for growth that is steady rather than spectacular. If chipmakers slow their fab buildouts, some of that investment could earn less than planned.
Even with these areas of caution, analysts remain firmly in Linde's corner. Twenty-one of the 23 analysts tracking the company rate it a Buy, with two extending it to a Strong Buy. Only two analysts rate it a Hold.
Overall, the consensus 12-month target price is $546.80 per share, about 13% up from current trading levels. The highest price target is $580 per share, while the lowest is $460.
The Recent Dip May Offer an OpportunityThese days, Linde finds itself in a somewhat in-between investment state. It is not one of the high-flying growth stocks, and it is not one of the bargain-bin value stocks either.
It is a high-quality compounder that has perhaps just hit a pothole. The stock market today is treating the Lincare problem as a possible reason to sell. But the bigger story is a record backlog tied to AI chip demand that should drive growth for years.
Assuming margins return and the third quarter report comes in healthy, the recent dip in price might look like a solid opportunity.
Should You Invest $1,000 in Linde Right Now?Before you consider Linde, you'll want to hear this.
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Commerce Bancshares dokončila akvizici společnosti Nolan & Associates, čímž rozšířila své poradenství v oblasti fúzí a akvizic, získávání kapitálu a nástupnictví. Transakce má podpořit neúrokové výnosy z poplatků.
Key Takeaways Commerce Bancshares gains M&A, capital-raising and ownership-transition advisory capabilities.Nolan & Associates adds advisory and transaction fees that could lift non-interest income.CBSH can cross-sell advisory, lending, treasury and wealth services across middle-market clients. Commerce Bancshares (CBSH - Free Report) has completed the acquisition of Nolan & Associates, adding investment banking (IB) capabilities to its middle-market franchise. Announced in June 2026, the transaction brings expertise in M&A, capital raising and ownership-transition advisory. Nolan & Associates will retain its leadership, employees and St. Louis-area office, providing continuity while giving CBSH an established platform to expand its advisory offering.
Strategically, the acquisition extends CBSH’s relationship with middle-market clients beyond conventional banking products. Nolan & Associates’ ties with business owners, corporations and private equity firms should enable CBSH to participate in transactions ranging from acquisitions and divestitures to capital raising and succession planning. This broadens CBSH’s addressable revenue opportunity while creating scope to connect advisory clients with lending, treasury and other banking services.
The more important financial benefit could come through non-interest income. Nolan & Associates generates revenues primarily from advisory and transaction fees, meaning CBSH can earn incremental revenues without deploying significant amounts of capital onto its balance sheet. Commerce Bancshares can introduce existing commercial clients to Nolan & Associates’ advisory services, while transaction clients may subsequently require banking or wealth-management solutions. Such referrals could lift fee revenues per relationship and improve the overall economics of CBSH’s client base. However, IB revenues remain sensitive to M&A volumes, financing conditions and broader capital-market activity.
The transaction also complements CBSH’s wider diversification strategy. Earlier in 2026, the company completed the acquisition of FineMark Holdings, expanding its private banking and wealth management footprint.
Overall, Nolan & Associates strengthens CBSH’s ability to generate revenues from advisory-driven activities, alongside its core banking operations. The acquisition is unlikely to transform the company’s earnings profile on its own, but it expands the breadth of its middle-market offering and provides another channel for fee growth without requiring proportionate balance-sheet expansion.
CBSH’s Peers Building Middle-Market Advisory CapabilitiesCommerce Bancshares’ strategy mirrors a broader shift among regional banks toward higher-fee advisory and capital-markets businesses. By expanding beyond lending, banks can capture a larger share of corporate clients’ financial activity while creating revenue streams that are less directly tied to net interest margins.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (HBAN - Free Report) has taken a similar approach to expanding its middle-market advisory franchise. In 2026, Huntington Securities and Capstone Partners acquired three businesses from Janney Montgomery Scott, including TM Capital. The transaction strengthened Huntington’s M&A and private-equity capabilities, giving it greater scope to pair established commercial banking relationships with advisory mandates and transaction-related fees.
Regions Financial Corporation (RF - Free Report) also maintains a sizable advisory presence through BlackArch Partners and Clearsight Advisors. These platforms extend Regions’ capabilities in M&A and strategic advisory, including exposure to middle-market and technology-oriented clients.
CBSH’s Price Performance & Zacks RankOver the past six months, CBSH shares have gained 10.3% compared with the industry’s 5.7% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Currently, Commerce Bancshares carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Společnost Becton, Dickinson and Company investuje v USA 19 miliard USD do výroby a dodavatelského řetězce zdravotnických potřeb; 3 miliardy USD budou určeny na rozšíření výrobních závodů.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), a global medical technology firm and the largest domestic producer of critical medical consumables, on Tuesday announced a monumental partnership with the U.S. government.
The agreement aims to drastically expand domestic manufacturing and fortify the supply chain for vital medical products that patients and clinicians rely on daily.
Massive Investment in Domestic ProductionThe strategic alliance directly supports the Trump administration’s ongoing initiatives to scale up stateside manufacturing capacity and guarantee a robust supply chain for essential healthcare items.
To achieve this, the company plans to invest a staggering $19 billion across the U.S. over several years, encompassing capital, operational, and supply chain enhancements.
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Out of this massive total, the company will channel $3 billion exclusively into expanding key manufacturing facilities nationwide.
This expansion will boost end-to-end U.S. production by roughly 5 billion essential medical consumables every year.
As a result, the medical technology leader will elevate its share of domestically sourced consumables to approximately 80%.
American Steel and Tariff ReliefHighlighting its commitment to local sourcing, the manufacturer pledges to produce 100% of the needles it sells in America using solely American-made steel.
Furthermore, the landmark agreement shields the company from future Section 232 tariffs on specified products and materials, provided it meets agreed-upon operational milestones.
This exemption offers substantial long-term predictability for supply chain management. Because officials have yet to determine the final product scope and tariff rates, the company has not quantified the financial impact, but will provide updates when authorities finalize the actions.
BDX Price Action: Becton Dickinson shares were up 2.06% at $184.38 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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AbbVie snížila výhled upraveného zisku na akcii (EPS) pro 3. čtvrtletí 2026 na 3,73 až 3,77 USD, což je pod konsensem 3,85 USD, kvůli nákladům ve výši 216 milionů USD.
AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV – Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 3.730-3.770 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.850. The company issued revenue guidance of -.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC upped their target price on AbbVie from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on AbbVie from $282.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on AbbVie from $244.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on AbbVie from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on AbbVie from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AbbVie currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.39.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABBV
AbbVie Stock Up 1.2% Shares of AbbVie stock opened at $265.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $469.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 75.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $258.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.01. AbbVie has a 12-month low of $190.75 and a 12-month high of $269.39. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $3.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $16.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.80 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 9.80% and a negative return on equity of 422.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.97 earnings per share. AbbVie has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.840-3.880 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AbbVie will post 14.05 earnings per share for the current year.
AbbVie Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be given a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. AbbVie’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 195.48%.
Insider Buying and Selling at AbbVie In other news, EVP Nicholas Donoghoe sold 32,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $8,177,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 74,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,607,500. This represents a 30.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.
AbbVie News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:
Positive Sentiment: AbbVie and partner Genmab reported positive Phase 3 results for epcoritamab combined with R-CHOP in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The treatment produced a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival versus R-CHOP alone, potentially expanding epcoritamab into frontline treatment and supporting future regulatory filings. AbbVie and Genmab lymphoma trial announcement Positive Sentiment: The lymphoma result strengthens AbbVie’s bispecific-antibody strategy and could add a new growth opportunity as the company seeks to diversify beyond its mature immunology portfolio. Reports indicated the combination reduced the risk of progression or death by approximately 51%. AbbVie lymphoma trial risk reduction report Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved AbbVie’s new Parkinson’s treatment, described as the first approved selective D1/D5 drug, adding another commercial product to the company’s neuroscience franchise. AbbVie Parkinson’s treatment approval Neutral Sentiment: AbbVie joined a federal 340B rebate pilot program ahead of its planned 2027 launch. The impact is uncertain, but the program could influence future pricing and reimbursement for participating medicines. AbbVie 340B rebate pilot Negative Sentiment: AbbVie lowered third-quarter 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $3.73–$3.77, below the approximately $3.85 analyst consensus, after including $216 million of acquired in-process research and development and milestone expenses. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was reduced to $13.76–$13.96 from $13.87–$14.07. AbbVie updated earnings guidance About AbbVie (Get Free Report)
AbbVie Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets medicines for a range of serious and chronic health conditions. Its portfolio spans immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, aesthetics, gastroenterology and women’s health.
The company’s products include the immunology medicines Skyrizi and Rinvoq; neuroscience treatments such as Vraylar, Ubrelvy and Qulipta; and oncology medicines including Imbruvica and Venclexta. AbbVie also markets Botox Cosmetic and Botox Therapeutic, as well as other products for aesthetics, eye care and specialty care.
AbbVie was established in 2013 as an independent, publicly traded company following its separation from Abbott Laboratories.
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Kombinace epcoritamabu s R-CHOP ve studii fáze III snížila u nově diagnostikovaného DLBCL riziko progrese onemocnění nebo úmrtí o 51 % oproti samotnému R-CHOP.
Key Takeaways AbbVie's epcoritamab plus R-CHOP significantly improved PFS versus R-CHOP alone in frontline DLBCL.The combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% in the phase III study.Epcoritamab plus R-CHOP was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile consistent with prior reports. AbbVie (ABBV - Free Report) , along with Genmab (GMAB - Free Report) , announced positive top-line data from the phase III EPCORE DLBCL-2 study, which evaluated epcoritamab in combination with standard-of-care rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) in patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of two to five.
Year to date, shares of AbbVie have rallied 19.1% compared with the industry’s increase of 11.4%.
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What Did ABBV’s EPCORE DLBCL-2 Study Results Show?The open-label, multicenter, randomized EPCORE DLBCL-2 study evaluated the efficacy of fixed treatment duration,epcoritamab, a T-cell engaging bispecific antibody administered subcutaneously, in combination with R-CHOP versus R-CHOP alone in the given patient population.
The study met its primary endpoint, wherein treatment with epcoritamab plus R-CHOP demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with R-CHOP alone. The combo of epcoritamab + R-CHOP reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51%.
Per the company, this is the first phase III study of a bispecific antibody combination therapy to demonstrate statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS in frontline DLBCL.
The results were based on the first planned efficacy interim analysis. Following the significant benefit observed, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended unblinding the study.
The safety profile of epcoritamab in combination with R-CHOP was generally well tolerated and similar to previously reported safety profiles of the individual treatments.
AbbVie and Genmab plan to engage with global regulatory bodies to determine the next steps of development for the investigational combination of epcoritamab plus R-CHOP.
More on ABBV’s Epcoritamab Development ProgramAbbVie currently markets epcoritamab under the brand name Epkinly in the United States and Japan, and as Tepkinly in the European Union.
Epkinly/Tepkinly is already approved as monotherapy for adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (R/R FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
In July 2026, the EC approved Tepkinly in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (Tepkinly+R2) for adult patients with R/R FL after at least one line of systemic therapy.
The FDA approved Epkinly in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide for a similar indication in the United States in November 2025.
AbbVie has partnered with Denmark-based Genmab to jointly develop epcoritamab under the companies' oncology collaboration agreement. While both companies share commercialization rights in the United States and Japan, AbbVie is responsible for commercialization in other global markets.
AbbVie and Genmab continue to advance their global development and regulatory expansion while evaluating the therapy as a monotherapy and in combination regimens across multiple hematologic malignancies through several late-stage clinical studies.
ABBV’s Zacks Rank & Stock to ConsiderAbbVie currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
A better-ranked stock in the large-cap pharma sector is Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) , currently holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Over the past 60 days, estimates for Pfizer’s 2026 earnings per share have risen from $2.95 to $2.98, while estimates for 2027 have increased from $2.85 to $2.95 during the same time. PFE’s shares have surged 15.8% year to date.
Pfizer’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 16.62%.
SSR Mining zvýšila investiční rozpočet společnosti Puna pro rok 2026 na 20 mil. USD, aby prodloužila životnost dolu Chinchillas. Puna očekává produkci 6,25–7 milionů uncí stříbra.
Key Takeaways SSRM's Puna operations advance Chinchillas laybacks, Melina and Cortaderas to extend mine life.Puna targets 6.25-7M ounces of silver in 2026 despite lower H1 production.SSRM expects Puna to produce 95,000-115,000 GEOs, supporting its full-year production guidance. SSR Mining Inc.’s (SSRM - Free Report) Puna operations boost the company’s revenue mix through silver, lead and zinc production while hosting several mine-life extension potential.
SSRM’s fully-owned Puna operations in Argentina include the Chinchillas mine and the Pirquitas property. The company’s recent efforts at the operations include advancing additional Chinchillas laybacks, the nearby Melina open-pit target and the Cortaderas project. To extend operations at Chinchillas, the company has increased its 2026 growth capital guidance at Puna to $20 million from previously announced $18 million.
The Puna operations produced 3.4 million ounces of silver in the first half of 2026 compared with 5.4 million ounces in the prior year. However, the company expects 6.25-7 million ounces of silver from the operations, relatively evenly split between the third and fourth quarters.
The mine is facing higher costs, with AISC expected to trend toward the top of the company’s 2026 guidance of $20-$22 per ounce. The upside is largely due to inflationary pressures.
Nonetheless, SSRM expects the Puna mine to produce 95,000-115,000 GEOs in 2026. The mine produced 112,368 GEOs in 2025. Along with solid second-half performances from other operations, this positions the company on track to meet its full-year guidance of 450,000-535,000 GEOs, indicating a 10% year-over-year improvement at the mid-point. Along with SSRM’s other key projects like Marigold, as well as Seabee and CC&V, Puna showcases significant potential upside.
Mine Performances by SSR Mining’s PeersAngloGold Ashanti plc’s (AU - Free Report) gold production dipped 4% year over year in the first half of 2026, reflecting the sale of the Serra Grande mine in December 2025. Lower second-quarter production at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine due to a contractor fatality in April 2026 and planned mine sequencing and maintenance across certain operations also led to the decline. However, AngloGold Ashanti expects the second-half 2026 production to be higher than the first half.
Newmont Corporation (NEM - Free Report) is progressing with several growth projects like Cadia Panel Caves and Tanami Expansion 2 in Australia. These projects are expected to expand Newmont’s production capacity and extend mine life, driving revenues and profits.
Newmont has recommenced work at the Cadia panel cave project following the seismic event in April. The Tanami expansion is progressing with an expected completion of all underground infrastructure by the end of the third quarter of 2026. Newmont remains on track to achieve its previously announced 2026 guidance. The company expects attributable gold production of approximately 5.26 million ounces.
SSRM’s Price Performance, Valuations & EstimatesThe SSRM stock has appreciated 44.8% in a year compared with the industry’s growth of 24.3%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Basic Materials sector and the S&P 500 have gained 12.6% and 15.5%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
SSR Mining is currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings multiple of 8.51X, a discount to the industry average of 15.69X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.87 per share, indicating a year-over-year surge of 92.5%. The estimate for 2027 of $3.90 per share suggests an increase of 1%.
The consensus mark for 2026 has moved south for the past 60 days, while the same for 2027 has been unchanged.
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SSR Mining currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Michael Brown, seniorní viceprezident společnosti RH, odchází do společnosti Vesta Home na pozici hlavního kreativního ředitele, kde bude vést tvorbu nábytkových kolekcí a expanzi v oblasti luxusního interiérového designu.
RH (NYSE:RH) (RH (NYSE:RH)) senior vice president Michael Brown has left the luxury home furnishings retailer to become chief creative officer at Vesta Home, where he will oversee furniture collections and help expand its luxury interior design business.
Brown led interior design globally at RH and will now develop Vesta Home furniture collections and lead expansion of its luxury interior design division, defining its creative vision across markets.
Jefferies, the investment bank, reiterated its 'hold' rating on RH, saying it is premature to have conviction in how much new business the RH Estates line will add.
Jefferies also said international investment could drag on RH margins into 2027, as the retailer is years into building its foundational platform abroad but still needs measurable spending.
Jefferies called the departure notable because it follows other exits of long-tenured executives and comes after RH launched RH Estates and revamped its Trade program.
Brown co-founded RH Interior Design in New York City in 2011 and helped grow it into a global residential design firm after starting as a senior design leader.
He also helped launch embedded design offices and ateliers, the first standalone RH Interior Design studio in Palm Desert, and Bespoke RH Interior Design, an independent full-service offering.
Vesta Home completes more than 2,500 residential projects a year in markets including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Hamptons, working with homeowners, developers and real estate professionals.
Its vertically integrated platform spans interior design, luxury home staging, custom furniture manufacturing, furniture sales and turnkey furnishing, and it staged more than 5.2 million square feet in 2025, representing about $13.7 billion in transactions.
The exit follows that of Stefan Duban, RH's chief gallery officer, who left after 25 years to become president of merchandising, retail and business-to-business at Thuma.
Jefferies recommends a 'buy' rating on Arhaus, an RH competitor.
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Mysten Labs a Google Cloud spouštějí VAA, vrstvu pro ověřitelné záznamy pro agenty AI; šifrované důkazy budou ukládány ve Walrus a koordinovány prostřednictvím Sui.
According to official announcements, Mysten Labs today announced a partnership with Google Cloud to launch the Verifiable Agent Arbitrator (VAA). Developed as a joint layer-1 evidence layer, the system is designed to help enterprises prove their AI agents operate within authorized scopes. As AI agents increasingly execute transactions, negotiate with other agents, and conduct cross-enterprise activities, the VAA provides enterprises with activity records that can be verified independently of the platform that generated them. Currently, enterprises aim to deploy AI agents into production environments, but relevant applications are limited by the lack of activity records trusted by counterparties, auditors, or regulators. The VAA is intended to fill this gap, helping enterprises comply with upcoming regulatory requirements—including the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). Starting in 2027, the AI Act will impose fines of up to €15 million or 3% of a company’s global annual turnover for log failures. The VAA separates AI agent activity records from their integrity proofs. Detailed telemetry data, including prompts, model outputs, tool calls, and policy decisions, will remain private and stored in customer-controlled Google Cloud Storage; encrypted proofs of these records will be stored in Walrus, a data platform built for AI applications, and coordinated via the Sui Layer 1 blockchain.
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Micron ve fiskálním čtvrtém čtvrtletí zvýšil tržby mezikvartálně o 30,8 % na 54,23 mld. USD při hrubé marži 86,8 %; Citi však očekává, že ceny pamětí mohou dosáhnout vrcholu v polovině roku 2027.
Citi's cycle warning follows a quarter in which revenue rose approximately 31% sequentially. Summary
Record results now require memory pricing to remain disciplined beyond the next capacity cycle.
Micron Technology, the memory and high-bandwidth-memory producer MU, slipped approximately 0.17% to $1,062.12 at 10.25am on October 6 as investors weighed how long the memory boom can last. According to Barron's reporting, Citi's Atif Malik sees mid-2027 as an early possible peak for memory prices, with growing Chinese supply a concern. The question is sharp: how much of today's pricing power survives the next capacity wave?
The latest results show why investors remain interested. Micron reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $54.23 billion, up 30.8% from the previous quarter, with an 86.8% GAAP gross margin. Annual revenue reached $133.19 billion, versus $37.38 billion a year earlier. Those margins are extraordinary. They also give competitors a powerful reason to expand production.
The valuation graphic puts shares 40.47% above the $756.12 GF Value estimate, suggesting a hefty premium for sustained growth. That estimate is no price ceiling, but it raises the stakes if memory pricing cools. Strategic customer agreements can improve demand visibility; they cannot automatically preserve margins or a favorable product mix. Micron needs to turn today's shortage into lasting earnings power before rising supply gives customers more bargaining room.
Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.
Věrnostní program AMC Stubs využívá více než 40 milionů amerických domácností a jeho členové ve 2. čtvrtletí 2026 tvořili více než polovinu návštěvníků kin AMC v USA.
Key Takeaways AMC Stubs has reached more than 40 million U.S. households, underscoring its broad reach.Stubs members represented more than 50% of AMC's U.S. guest count in the second quarter of 2026.AMC uses viewing preferences to make loyalty efforts more targeted and encourage repeat theater visits. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC - Free Report) is strengthening its relationship with moviegoers through the AMC Stubs loyalty program. A large loyalty base gives the company direct access to customer preferences and viewing behavior. This relationship can help AMC better understand its guests and create more targeted ways to encourage repeat visits.
More than 40 million U.S. households have participated in AMC Stubs, highlighting the scale of the program. The platform also has a meaningful presence among AMC’s active customer base, with Stubs members representing more than 50% of total U.S. guest count in the second quarter of 2026. This gives the company a broad pool of customers with whom it can maintain an ongoing relationship.
The program also gives AMC a better understanding of customer preferences, including the genres and titles that guests watch at its theaters. This allows the company to make its loyalty efforts more relevant and targeted. AMC uses these insights to reward patronage and encourage guests to visit its theaters for movies that match their interests.
The scale of Stubs also gives AMC a significant customer engagement platform. With more than half of U.S. guest traffic coming from members, the program is already closely linked to a large portion of the company’s domestic audience. Combining loyalty data with customer preferences can help AMC make the marketing and engagement efforts more targeted and strengthen its relationship with moviegoers.
Going forward, the effectiveness of the loyalty strategy will depend on how well AMC converts its large Stubs base and customer insights into repeat visits. A broader and more engaged loyalty relationship can provide the company with another avenue to support customer retention and encourage more frequent theater visits.
AMC Entertainment’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesAMC’s shares have surged 118% over the past six months, while the industry gained 3.4%. Over the same period, AMC Entertainment has outperformed industry players like Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (CNK - Free Report) and The Marcus Corporation (MCS - Free Report) .
AMC’s Price Performance
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From a valuation standpoint, AMC Entertainment stock trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 0.44, below the industry’s average of 2.56. Cinemark and Marcus have P/S ratios of 1.14 and 0.99, respectively.
AMC Entertainment’s P/S Ratio (Forward 12-Month) vs. Industry
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMC’s 2026 loss per share of 22 cents indicates a 77.1% year-over-year improvement from a loss of 96 cents. Conversely, industry players like Cinemark and Marcus are likely to witness 2026 earnings growth of 141.4% and 652.9%, respectively.
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AMC’s Zacks RankAMC Entertainment currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Sanofi zaplatí Regeneronu předem 1 miliardu USD za společný vývoj a komercializaci čtyř nových dlouhodobě působících protilátek; zisky z celosvětového prodeje si rozdělí rovným dílem.
What happened Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) said on October 1, 2026, it entered the Sixth Amendment with Sanofi. Under the amendment, Sanofi will make a $1.0 billion upfront payment.
The companies also agreed to co-develop and co-commercialize four new long-acting, Regeneron-invented antibodies that target IL-13, IL-4, IL-4R and IL-4xIL-13. Global profits on sales of the New Licensed Products will be shared equally. Regeneron will be the lead development and lead regulatory party before applications for marketing approval.
Regeneron will remain the lead regulatory party for applications for marketing approval and further commercialization in the United States. Sanofi will be the lead regulatory party for applications for marketing approval and further commercialization outside the United States. Regeneron can also opt in, asset by asset, to Sanofi's Phase 2/3 asset lunsekimig and another early development product after certain trials. If it exercises that option, it will reimburse Sanofi for certain development costs.
In the same filing, Regeneron said it and Sanofi entered a settlement agreement. Under it, Regeneron agreed to dismiss its lawsuit over information access and audit rights.
Key numbers Metric Latest Change Source Upfront payment $1.0 billion SEC 8-K Potential milestone payments up to an additional $7.0 billion SEC 8-K New long-acting antibodies 4 antibodies SEC 8-K Expected acquired IPR&D charge $22 million SEC 8-K Expected net income per diluted share impact -$0.18 SEC 8-K Read more: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) stock analysis and investment case
Why it matters OptimistFi's case is that Regeneron turns a concentrated set of approved biologics into durable free cash flow that funds research and development, buybacks and pipeline investment. This agreement is mixed for that case.
The $1.0 billion upfront payment is about 45 times the approximately $22 million pre-tax acquired in-process research and development charge Regeneron expects in third quarter 2026. That gives Regeneron immediate cash and shared economics if the antibodies succeed. But the filing says up to an additional $7.0 billion depends on development, regulatory and commercial milestones.
It also says development costs above a budget cap fall to Regeneron, subject to later recoupment. The separate settlement also means Regeneron agreed to dismiss a lawsuit tied to Dupixent information access and audit rights.
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What's next Regeneron said the full Sixth Amendment will be filed as an exhibit to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2026. That filing will also include Regeneron's final third-quarter 2026 results, which are still subject to closing procedures.
A filing that confirms the $1.0 billion payment and the expected charge would support the cash-flow case. Slippage on either would weaken it.
More from OptimistFi REGN stock: the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals thesis, its status and the next test to watch United States Brent Oil Fund, LP (NYSE Arca: BNO) Tracks a Supply Gap Alpha Teknova, Inc. (NASDAQ: TKNO) Adds Regulatory Support for PluriFreeze Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) Has a Conditional $18 Billion Bill Stock research on every company OptimistFi covers Latest stock research and investment-case updates OptimistFi: evidence-first equity research Sources SEC 8-K — Current report on Form 8-K covering the Sixth Amendment, settlement and third-quarter charge estimate. Read the full OptimistFi thesis on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: https://optimistfi.com/stocks/REGN
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The full Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. investment case, its status and the next test to watch live on the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. thesis page.
Originally published on OptimistFi, evidence-first equity research. More at optimistfi.com.
