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Investors interested in stocks from the Retail - Apparel and Shoes sector have probably already heard of Urban Outfitters (URBN) and Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. (ZGN). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors?

Key Takeaways Cleveland-Cliffs posted a narrower Q2 loss as revenues rose 5.9% on higher steel pricing.Average steel selling price climbed 10.7%, lifting segment cash margin to $349 million.Q3 adjusted EBITDA is seen near $575 million, with Q4 expected to come in even higher. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted loss of 20 cents per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 21 cents and the year-ago loss of 51 cents.

Revenues rose 5.9% year over year to $5.2 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $5.1 billion by 1.9%. Higher steel pricing supported the top line and margin improvement, although steel shipment volumes declined from the prior-year quarter.

Consolidated cost of goods sold declined to $5.1 billion from $5.15 billion a year earlier. Selling, general and administrative expenses rose to $154 million from $137 million, while restructuring and other charges decreased to $3 million from $86 million.

CLF's Operational HighlightsSteelmaking revenues increased 5.9% year over year to $5.05 million from $4.8 billion. The segment generated a cash margin of $349 million, up sharply from $138 million in the year-ago quarter, reflecting stronger selling prices and improved cost performance.

The average net selling price per net ton of steel products was $1,124, up 10.7% from $1,015 a year earlier. The metric was above the consensus estimate of $1,109. 

External sales volumes for steel products totaled 4.025 million net tons, down 6.2% from 4.290 million net tons in the prior-year quarter. The figure missed the consensus estimate of 4.11 million net tons.

Financial Position of CLFCleveland-Cliffs ended the second quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $70 million, up from $57 million at the end of 2025. Long-term debt stood at $7.7 billion compared with $7.3 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025. The company had total liquidity of $3.1 billion as of June 30, 2026.

CLF's OutlookCleveland-Cliffs expects third-quarter 2026 adjusted EBITDA of approximately $575 million, more than double the second-quarter result. Management also expects fourth-quarter EBITDA to exceed its third-quarter guidance as average selling prices, shipment volumes and costs continue to move in a favorable direction.

CLF maintained its full-year 2026 steel shipment guidance of approximately 16.5-17 million net tons. The company continues to project capital expenditures of about $700 million, SG&A expenses of approximately $575 million and depreciation, depletion and amortization of roughly $1.1 billion.

Cash pension and other post-employment benefit payments and contributions remain projected at approximately $125 million. Management expects second-half earnings performance to be the company’s strongest since 2021 and believes it can reach its leverage target of less than 2.5 times debt to EBITDA by this time next year.

CLF’s Stock Price PerformanceCLF’s shares have lost 4.2% in the past year against the industry’s rise of 60.9%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

CLF’s Zacks Rank & Other Key PicksCLF currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) , Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO - Free Report) and Avient Corporation (AVNT - Free Report) .

Carpenter Technology is slated to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on July 30. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $10.58 per share, indicating 41.44% year-over-year growth. CRS sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. 

Kronos is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 5. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO’s second-quarter loss per share is pegged at 33 cents, indicating 65.63% year-over-year growth. KRO flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 at present.

Avient is slated to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6. The consensus estimate for AVNT’s earnings per share is pegged at $3.08. AVNT presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

HomeStock IdeasLong IdeasHealthcare 

SummaryHims & Hers Health is upgraded from "Hold" to "Buy," driven by operational discipline and strategic opportunism despite sector volatility.HIMS leverages FDA panel momentum on peptides, expanding into personalized treatments while maintaining a robust telehealth platform and global reach.Management pursues a "best in market" approach to peptide launches, prioritizing clinical rigor, validated supply chains, and data transparency over speed.Despite $974 million in convertible notes and sector skepticism, HIMS targets $6.5 billion in revenue and $1.3 billion in adjusted EBITDA by 2030, trading at ~2.5x forward sales.Looking for a portfolio of ideas like this one? Members of Haggerston BioHealth get exclusive access to our subscriber-only portfolios. Learn More » Getty Images

Investment Overview The stock of Hims & Hers Health (HIMS), the "consumer-first platform transforming the way customers fulfill their health and wellness needs," briefly leapt in value yesterday from ~$31.5 per share to >$35, before giving up most of the gains and ending the

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

RingCentral stock is among today’s top performers. Why is RNG stock up today? RingCentral Beats on Every Line and Raises the Bar for the Rest of the YearThe company posted non-GAAP earnings of $1.22 per share for the second quarter, clearing the analyst consensus of $1.16 by more than 5% and marking a 15% improvement from the $1.06 delivered in the same period a year ago.

Total revenue reached $657 million, ahead of the $650.5 million estimate and representing 5.9% growth from the $620 million generated in the prior year quarter. Subscription revenue, which accounted for 96% of the total, climbed 5.8% to $634 million.

The company also raised its quarterly dividend by approximately 67% to $0.125 per share, payable Aug. 20 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 6.

Guidance Moves Higher Across the BoardFor the third quarter, RingCentral guided for non-GAAP EPS of $1.25 to $1.30, bracketing the $1.25 analyst estimate, on total revenue of $664 million to $670 million, slightly above the $663 million consensus.

For the full year, the company raised its non-GAAP EPS outlook to $4.96 to $5.10 from a prior range of $4.85 to $5.01, lifted its total revenue guidance to $2.635 billion to $2.646 billion from $2.620 billion to $2.640 billion and increased its free cash flow forecast to $615 million to $625 million.

A Company-Wide AI Challenge Produced 2,500 Projects in Under 30 DaysBeyond the financial results, RingCentral shared the outcome of its AI-Native Challenge, a company-wide program in which employees across every discipline, not just engineering, built complete software projects from the ground up using ChatGPT Work and OpenAI’s Codex.

OpenAI Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser said RingCentral demonstrated what becomes possible when AI development tools are placed in the hands of an entire organization rather than confined to engineering teams alone.

RingCentral and NiCE Expand Partnership to Offer Integrated Communications PlatformThe deal builds on more than a decade of collaboration and gives enterprise customers a single integrated path to modernizing both their employee communications and customer experience operations.

RNG Shares Are SkyrocketingRNG Price Action: RingCentral shares were up 24.34% at $48.02 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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TEM heads into Q2 earnings with 21.3% expected revenue growth, strong diagnostics demand and AI deals, but near-term margin pressure remains.

An updated edition of the June 4, 2026, article. 

Global investment in clean energy is expanding at an unprecedented scale. Driven by a combination of rapid technological advances, massive power demand, and heightened geopolitical concerns, capital flows into the sector are set to reach a milestone $2.2 trillion this year, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Investment 2026 report. This is nearly double the $1.2 trillion allocated to fossil fuels this year, with spending on clean energy — including renewables, battery storage, grids, nuclear, and electrification — expected to account for almost 65% of global energy investment. 

This massive deployment of capital is propelled by three powerful, real-time demand drivers beyond long-term climate targets, which include the accelerating age of electricity, rapid buildout of AI infrastructure, and global geopolitical instability. 

Electricity-related spending now represents nearly 60% of all global energy investment. Total investment in power supply and grid infrastructure is set to hit $1.6 trillion this year — climbing to $2 trillion when including end-use electrification like electric vehicles and heat pumps. Traditional growth drivers, including low levelized costs of energy (LCOE) for solar and wind, provide a strong, cost-effective base for this expansion.

Meanwhile, the rapid buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure has introduced a powerful new source of power demand lately. Data centers running complex, large language models require vast amounts of continuous electricity. Tech giants have emerged as the single largest group of corporate clean energy buyers, securing roughly 40% of all global corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) signed last year. With data center power consumption projected to nearly double by 2030, renewables remain the primary solution for meeting this fast-growing load.

On the other hand, recent geopolitical instability in the Middle East has exposed the vulnerabilities of long-distance fossil fuel supply chains, elevating energy security to a top national policy priority. As a result, net energy importers are increasingly turning to domestic, widely distributed clean energy assets, such as solar, wind, nuclear, and localized storage, to insulate their economies from external supply shocks and price volatility.

Consequently, renewables are on track to officially become the world’s largest source of electricity generation in 2026, overtaking coal after reaching near parity in 2025 (as predicted by IEA), with renewable generation poised to expand its share of total global electricity generation from 33% in 2025 to 37% by 2027.

At this critical juncture, one must be mindful that this target of renewable generation will be achieved only in conjunction with equivalent, if not more, energy storage capacity. As solar and wind power generation depends on weather conditions, battery energy storage systems (BESS) have emerged as a critical enabler of grid reliability. By capturing excess generation and dispatching power during peak hours, storage turns variable power into a steady, 24/7 energy supply while preventing grid overloads and blackouts.

With rapidly falling battery costs making renewable-plus-storage setups economically superior to traditional fossil fuel peaker plants, the IEA estimates global investment in battery storage to surpass $100 billion this year alone — solidifying energy storage as the central engine supporting the global clean energy rollout.

You may consider adding core clean energy stocks like Bloom Energy (BE - Free Report) , GE Vernova (GEV - Free Report) and Vestas Wind Systems (VWDRY - Free Report) to your portfolio to reap the benefits of the booming renewable energy and energy storage space.  Exposure to utilities such as Ameren (AEE - Free Report) may also offer a way to participate in the energy transition, as these companies continue to scale their renewable generation assets.

Ready to uncover more transformative thematic investment ideas? Explore 39 cutting-edge investment themes with Zacks Thematic Investing Screens and discover your next big opportunity.

4 Renewable Energy & Battery Storage Stocks to BuyBloom Energy specializes in on-site, non-combustion solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, providing 24/7, low-carbon electricity for data centers, microgrids, and industrial use. The company has deployed more than 1.5 gigawatt (GW) of low-carbon power across more than 1,200 installations globally.

On June 30, 2026, BE announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Brookfield to finance power projects for AI infrastructure – from previously announced $5 billion to $25 billion – a fivefold expansion since October 2025. This reflects the solid foothold that Bloom Energy enjoys in delivering clean, reliable power to large AI projects.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company’s 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 83.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BE’s 2026 earnings suggests a year-over-year improvement of 176.3%.

GE Vernova stands out as a global energy leader, offering a broad portfolio that spans onshore and offshore wind, grid and storage solutions, as well as next-generation power technology (ranging from hydro to nuclear). 

With approximately 59,000 wind turbines and 7,000 gas turbines, GEV’s technology base helps generate approximately 25% of the world's electricity. During the second quarter of 2026, SunZia, the largest renewable energy infrastructure project in U.S. history, became operational, powered by GE Vernova's 3.8 MW-154m wind turbines at its onshore wind farm in New Mexico.

On June 30, 2026, GE Vernova announced the completion of the modernization of its high-voltage research and development (R&D) laboratory at its Noventa di Piave site, near Venice, Italy. This project is part of a broader four-year investment of approximately $7.2 million to strengthen the site’s role in developing technologies for more reliable, flexible and resilient power grids. The investment builds on GE Vernova’s continued investment across its Italian electrification footprint, including the expansion of its manufacturing capacity in Sesto San Giovanni, valued at more than $30 million.

These investments highlight GE Vernova’s active role in strengthening power grids — the essential backbone required to smoothly transmit clean energy.

The stock boasts a long-term (three-to-five years) earnings growth rate of 18%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 18.8%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Vestas Wind Systems is a renowned designer, manufacturer, installer, and service provider for wind turbines across the globe. In mid-December 2025, Vestas became the first company to reach 200 GW of installed wind turbines globally with the installation of a V172-7.2 MW turbine in Germany. 

On July 22, 2026, the company announced that it received an order to deliver 43 MW of wind turbines to Germany, while at the end of June, it received five new orders totaling 309 MW from customers across nations like Poland and Japan. These orders are indicative of the strong demand that VWDRY’s wind turbines enjoy worldwide.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Zacks Rank #2 stock’s 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 14.2%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 19.90%. 

As a utility company that generates and distributes electricity and natural gas in Missouri and Illinois, Ameren has been rapidly accelerating the expansion of its renewable energy portfolio in recent years. 

Its subsidiary, Ameren Missouri, aims to add 3,200 megawatts (MWs) of renewable generation by 2030 and an additional 1,500 MWs by 2035. It also plans on adding 1,000 MWs of battery storage by 2030 and an additional 800 MWs by 2042. 

To further promote clean energy, AEE aims to add 1,500 MWs of nuclear generation by 2040 and retire all of Ameren Missouri’s coal-fired energy centers by 2042. 

On June 26, 2026, Ameren Missouri filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to recover the costs of electric system upgrades and construction of new power generation assets. This filing includes strengthening the grid and investing in smart technology through Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, a multi-year grid modernization framework specifically designed to accommodate and expand renewable energy sources. 

These initiatives reflect this Zacks Rank #2 stock's long-term strategy of delivering safe, reliable, affordable, clean, and equitable energy to its customers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE’s 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 6.7%. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.70%.

Key Takeaways NuScale remains milestone-driven despite an 81.9% one-year decline and lower valuation.Revenue is forecast to surge in 2027, largely on TVA-ENTRA1 progress and RoPower financing.More than $1.2 billion in liquidity and no debt help offset losses, cash burn and dilution risk. NuScale Power Corporation (SMR - Free Report) has absorbed a sharp valuation reset, with shares down 30.4% in the past three months and 82.9% over the past year. That decline has made the stock cheaper than its highs, but not necessarily inexpensive.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The investment case now rests on a narrow balance. NuScale has regulatory approval, a debt-free balance sheet and visible project opportunities. It also has minimal current revenue, persistent losses and project timing that remains hard to pin down.

SMR’s Valuation Still Demands Commercial ProofSMR still trades at 26.83 times forward 12-month sales. That is well above 4.38 times for the Zacks sub-industry, 6.66 times for the sector and 4.97 times for the S&P 500.

That premium depends less on current operations than on future contract wins. First-quarter revenue was just $565,000, down from $13.4 million a year earlier, after earlier Romanian project activity did not recur.

Oklo Inc. (OKLO - Free Report) , another advanced nuclear company, gives investors a similar framework for judging long-horizon nuclear commercialization stories. For SMR, the key question is whether approved technology can become contracted revenue quickly enough to justify a still-rich sales multiple.

NuScale’s Revenue Outlook Hinges on Project TimingThe Zacks Consensus Estimate projects NuScale’s revenues to rise from $35.9 million in 2026 to $183.2 million in 2027. That forecast implies a major pickup from the current base.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The increase depends heavily on the TVA-ENTRA1 program, which covers up to 6 gigawatts of nuclear capacity using NuScale modules. A power-purchase agreement could unlock site-specific licensing, engineering work and a future equipment supply contract.

Romania also matters. The RoPower project can enter its next development stage once financing is arranged. Earlier RoPower work generated service revenue in 2024 and 2025, showing how NuScale can earn before module deliveries begin.

SMR’s Balance Sheet Offsets Near-Term Cash BurnNuScale ended the first quarter of 2026 with about $1 billion in liquidity and no debt. Liquidity later increased to more than $1.2 billion by early May, giving the company time to fund design work, licensing and supplier readiness.

The cash cushion reduces immediate financing pressure, but it does not remove cash-burn risk. Research and development expenses rose to $12.8 million in the first quarter, while the operating loss widened to $57.5 million.

BWX Technologies Inc. (BWXT - Free Report) , a nuclear manufacturing and engineering company, represents a more established corner of the nuclear supply chain. That contrast highlights SMR’s challenge: investors are funding preparation before meaningful equipment revenue has arrived.

NuScale’s Catalysts Compete With Execution RiskThe clearest upside catalyst is a TVA power-purchase agreement through ENTRA1. Such a step could move the U.S. opportunity from planning toward revenue-producing development work.

Financing for RoPower’s next phase would add an international catalyst. Additional module orders, broader supplier commitments and manufacturing progress with critical components could also improve investor confidence.

The risks remain linked to sequencing. Customers need financing, regulators must approve site-specific work, suppliers must be ready and manufacturing has to scale. NuScale also raised $37.9 million through share sales in the first quarter, following a $475.2 million raise in the third quarter of 2025, keeping dilution risk in view.

SMR’s Sell Signal Clashes With Momentum StrengthThe bottom line is that SMR remains a milestone-driven stock after its steep decline. The valuation has reset, but the business still needs commercial proof through contracts, financing and revenue conversion.

SMR currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). That rank supports caution over the next one to three months, especially with current revenues low and losses still meaningful.

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

Style Scores are mixed. SMR has a Momentum Score of B, which suggests relative price and estimate momentum is the one favorable style factor. Yet its Value Score of F, Growth Score of F and VGM Score of F indicate weak scores across valuation, growth and the blended framework. For investors, the risk-reward profile remains tied more to future commercial milestones than established fundamentals.

Aggregate cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were $690.7 million.

Company Raises Capital But Says More Funding Will Be NeededDuring the second quarter of 2026, the company raised $230.8 million in gross proceeds through its ATM facility. Subsequent to June 2026, the company raised an additional $68.4 million in gross proceeds through its ATM facility.

In its SEC quarterly filing, the cancer drug developer reported that it has an accumulated deficit of $2,699.3 million, and expects to continue to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future.

Cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments are not sufficient to fund the company’s planned operations for a period of at least one year.

Going Concern Warning Highlights Future Cash RequirementsSummit said it continues to evaluate options to finance operating cash needs for product candidates further.

The company said that if it is unable to obtain funding when required in the future, it could be required to delay or reduce research and development programs, product portfolio expansion, or future commercialization efforts.

These conditions raise substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern.

Ridinilazole Sale Adds Potential PaymentsEarlier in July, Summit Therapeutics agreed to sell ridinilazole, an investigational Phase 3 precision antibiotic, to Toronto-based Biossil, Inc.

Summit will receive $500,000 upfront and up to $104.5 million in regulatory and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties on net sales.

SMMT Price Action: Summit Therapeutics shares were down 6.78% at $13.96 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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IREN (NASDAQ:IREN) and Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS | NBIS Price Prediction) just posted quarters that expose two very different neocloud playbooks. IREN is pivoting from Bitcoin mining into GPU hosting for NVIDIA and Microsoft. Nebius is scaling a born-cloud, full-stack AI platform with Meta as its anchor. Both are backed by NVIDIA equity, both are racing for gigawatts, and both want your capital for the same buildout wave.

GPU Hosting Carries IREN. Full Stack Carries Nebius. IREN’s Q3 FY26 revenue came in at $144.80M, with AI Cloud Services at $33.6M after nearly doubling sequentially, while Bitcoin mining contributed $111.2M. The $247.80M net loss includes $140.4M in non-cash impairments as mining rigs are decommissioned. The forward book tells the real story: a 5-year $3.4B NVIDIA AI Cloud contract, a prior $9.7B Microsoft deal, and $3.1B of contracted ARR. CEO Daniel Roberts said “There are no idle GPUs”, and the Childress and Sweetwater sites are being wired for GB300 NVL72 and Vera Rubin racks.

Nebius took the opposite path. Q2 FY26 revenue hit $399.00M, up 279.6% YoY, with AI Cloud alone at $389.7M (+841%). Adjusted EBITDA turned positive at $129.5M, cost of revenue dropped to 26% of sales, and remaining performance obligations sit at $33.59B. The Meta agreement ($12B committed plus up to $15B flexible) anchors the business.

Physical Staying Power Vs. Software Margin Expansion Lens IREN Nebius Core Bet Owned power and land, GPU hosting Full-stack Aether platform, inference Power Portfolio 5 GW globally secured >4 GW contracted target 2026 2026 ARR Target $3.7B $7B to $9B Cash $2.6B $9.3B Key Vulnerability Mining impairments, execution $10.04B convertible debt, Meta concentration IREN owns the dirt: long-term physical staying power from Childress, Sweetwater, the Spanish Nostrum acquisition, and Australian assets. Nebius owns the stack: Aether 3.5, Token Factory, and the Tavily and Eigen AI Labs acquisitions push it toward software margin expansion. Volozh called the platform “world-class from the infrastructure layer all the way up to our inference and agentic capabilities.”

What Decides This Through 2026 Watch whether IREN can absorb the Microsoft Horizon 1 handoff and light up 150,000 GPUs without another impairment surprise. Watch Nebius for adjusted EBITDA margin drift toward the ~40% 2026 target, because the operating loss of $128M shows the model still burns cash at scale. Reddit chatter reflects the split: IREN sits in very_bearish territory as traders debate the pivot, while NBIS threads have leaned Very Bullish.

Nebius Screens Defensible Today, IREN for the Patient On the data, Nebius screens more defensible near-term. The 163.99% YTD move prices in a lot, but positive EBITDA and a $33.59B RPO backlog anchor the underwriting case. IREN screens as a longer-duration turnaround setup with messier quarters. The 113.69% one-year gain reflects real hyperscaler validation, and the owned power base is hard to replicate. The key research variable for both: whether 2027 capex outpaces contracted revenue.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Nebius Group didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

For the quarter ended June 2026, Flagstar Bank (FLG - Free Report) reported revenue of $516 million, up 4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.05, compared to -$0.14 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $544.89 million, representing a surprise of -5.3%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -16.67%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.06.

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

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

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

Book value per common share (GAAP): $18.31 versus $18.21 estimated by five analysts on average.Net Interest Margin: 2.1% versus 2.3% estimated by five analysts on average.Efficiency Ratio: 87.1% versus the four-analyst average estimate of 81.1%.Net charge-offs to average loans: 0.7% versus the four-analyst average estimate of 0.3%.Average Balances - Interest earning assets: $83.05 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $83.26 billion.Total Non-performing loans: $2.8 billion versus the two-analyst average estimate of $2.44 billion.Total risk-based capital ratio: 16.6% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 16.5%.Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio: 14% versus the two-analyst average estimate of 13.9%.Total Nonperforming Assets: $2.81 billion versus $2.45 billion estimated by two analysts on average.Leverage Capital Ratio: 9.7% compared to the 9.6% average estimate based on two analysts.Net Interest Income: $440 million compared to the $471.21 million average estimate based on five analysts.Total non-interest income (loss): $76 million compared to the $75.17 million average estimate based on five analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for Flagstar Bank here>>>

Shares of Flagstar Bank have returned -2.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 24, 2026) - Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Futu Holdings Limited ("Futu" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: FUTU) on behalf of investors that purchased or otherwise acquired Futu shares between May 24, 2023 and May 27, 2026 (the "Class Period").

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CASE

If you are an investor in Futu and have suffered losses, you may CLICK HERE to contact us. You may also contact Kaplan Fox by emailing [email protected] or by calling (646) 315-9003.

DEADLINE REMINDER: If you are a member of the proposed Class, you may move the court no later than August 25, 2026 to serve as a lead plaintiff for the purported class. If you have losses we encourage you to contact us to learn more about the lead plaintiff process. You need not seek to become a lead plaintiff in order to share in any possible recovery.

According to the complaint, on May 22, 2026, before the market opened, Reuters published an article reporting that the China Securities Regulatory Commission ("CSRC"), along with seven other government agencies including the central bank, had launched a crackdown aimed at "brokers it accused of illegally moving money to foreign markets" including "overseas firms and their local partners operating without approval." The article allegedly reported that online brokers including Futu "would be penalised for soliciting business in China without an onshore licence, the securities regulator said."

Also on May 22, 2026, Futu disclosed in a press release that it had received a Notification Letter from the CSRC. The Company reported the letter states "certain Futu entities in mainland China and Hong Kong (the "Related Companies") without obtaining the requisite licenses or approval, conducted securities business, public fund sales business and futures business in mainland China." The press release further states that the CSRC "proposes to order the Related Companies to rectify or cease such activities, confiscate illegal gains, and impose fines, with the total proposed penalty amounting to approximately RMB1.85 billion (approximately USD271 million)."

On May 22, 2026, the price of Futu shares fell $34.10 per share, or 27.5%, to close at $89.76 per share.

Then, on May 28, 2026, before the market opened, Futu announced in a press releasee financial results for the first quarter of 2026. According to the complaint, the Company reported net income of HK$831.0 million (US$106.0 million) after giving effect to the proposed penalties comprised of: "(i) confiscation of illegal gains of approximately RMB470 million [approximately $69.21 million USD], and (ii) imposition of fines of approximately RMB1.38 billion, [approximately $20 billion USD] in an aggregate amount of approximately RMB1.85 billion."

On May 28, 2026, the price of Futu shares fell $5.31 per share, or 4.8%, to close at $104.91 per share.

The complaint alleges, among other things, that throughout the Class Period, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that (1) Futu was not in compliance with the requirements of the CSRC, including because the Company continued to conduct securities business, public fund sales business and futures business in mainland China without obtaining the requisite licenses or approval; (2) as a result, Futu was reasonably likely to face regulatory penalties, including the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and other penalties; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, Futu's financial results were overstated.

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Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP is a nationally recognized law firm focused on complex litigation, with offices in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Jersey. Founded in 1956, the firm has spent more than 50 years prosecuting securities, antitrust, and consumer protection actions in federal and state courts nationwide, recovering more than $10 billion for clients and the classes it has represented.

Kaplan Fox is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier plaintiffs' securities litigation firms and has received recognition from Chambers and Partners, Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon. Serving as lead or co-lead counsel in many landmark cases, the firm has secured some of the largest recoveries in the history of securities litigation, including a $2.425 billion recovery on behalf of Bank of America shareholders in In re Bank of America—the largest recovery ever obtained for claims under Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act—$800 million recovered for the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and other pension funds in ATRS v. Allianz Global Investors, and a $475 million settlement in In re Merrill Lynch.

For decades, Kaplan Fox has represented public pension funds, institutional investors, businesses, and individuals in high-stakes litigation. Through its successful advocacy and precedent-setting victories, the firm has helped shape important areas of securities and corporate law while advancing accountability and protecting investor interests.

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Key Takeaways Seagate expects Q4 revenue of about $3.45B and non-GAAP EPS of about $5.00 per share.STX is benefiting from AI, cloud and data center demand, with HAMR and Mozaic driving growth.Seagate sees strong momentum from pricing, margins and free cash flow despite competitive and cyclical risks. Seagate Technology Holdings plc (STX - Free Report) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on July 28, after the closing bell.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $5.10 per share, indicating a 96.9% year-over-year increase. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is $3.5 billion, suggesting a 43% uptick from the year-ago actual.

For the fiscal fourth quarter, STX expects revenues of $3.45 billion (+/- $100 million). At the midpoint, this indicates a 41% year-over-year improvement. Non-GAAP earnings are expected to be $5.00 per share (+/- 20 cents). 

STX’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 10.7%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

What the Zacks Model Predicts for STXOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for Seagate this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is exactly the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Seagate has an Earnings ESP of +1.75% and a Zacks Rank #1 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Factors Shaping STX Upcoming Q4 EarningsSeagate’s fiscal fourth-quarter performance is likely to have been cushioned by the explosive growth of AI, cloud computing and enterprise data centers, all of which continue to fuel demand for HDDs. Hyperscalers and cloud providers increasingly rely on Seagate's advanced HDD solutions because they offer the lowest cost per terabyte for massive-scale storage. STX is capitalizing on this opportunity through its HAMR roadmap and areal density strategy, improving cost and power efficiency while targeting mid-20% exabyte growth.

Its 44TB Mozaic 4+ platform is expected to lead HAMR shipments by the end of 2026, while the 50TB Mozaic 5 remains on track for late-2027 qualification. As production scales, Seagate plans to expand HAMR beyond hyperscale customers into enterprise and edge markets, enhancing long-term efficiency and growth. Nearline drives remain Seagate's most profitable business. Enterprise customers continue prioritizing larger-capacity drives that reduce operating costs while maximizing storage density. Demand has consistently exceeded supply over recent quarters, allowing Seagate to maintain healthy pricing.

An encouraging trend over recent quarters has been Seagate's improving profitability. Non-GAAP gross margin hit a record 47%, increasing about 1,080 basis points year over year, driven by favorable product mix and ongoing pricing initiatives in the fiscal third quarter. If revenue again surpasses expectations in the fiscal fourth quarter, margins could surprise positively, leading to stronger earnings growth than revenue alone might suggest. For the fiscal fourth quarter, non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be around $295 million. At the midpoint of revenue guidance, non-GAAP operating margin is projected to rise into the low 40% range.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

STX's optimistic fiscal fourth-quarter outlook highlights increasing business momentum and future opportunities. Management emphasized that the company is entering a “new era of structural growth” fueled by strong AI-driven demand, increased adoption of Mozaic products and disciplined execution focused on expanding margins, cash flow and long-term value. It generates robust free cash flow, which it uses to fund dividends, share buybacks, technology investments and strengthen its balance sheet. Its above-average dividend yield, combined with earnings growth, makes the stock attractive for both income and long-term capital appreciation.

Amid geopolitical tensions, including the Middle East conflict, Seagate does not expect any material impact on its business, supported by proactive supply chain and logistics management. Per management, AI-driven demand for large-scale storage remains strong, with rising exabyte demand, continued Mozaic product qualification and disciplined pricing supporting its growth outlook. Despite the favorable outlook, Seagate is not without risks. It faces risks from a potential slowdown in enterprise IT spending, which could delay storage upgrades despite healthy hyperscale demand. The HDD industry also remains cyclical, with periods of oversupply capable of pressuring pricing and margins.

Additionally, intense competition from Western Digital Corporation (WDC - Free Report) and other storage technology providers could have challenged Seagate's quarterly performance.

STX Stock vs. IndustrySTX stock has gained traction, climbing 505.3% in the past year, exceeding the Zacks Computer-Integrated Systems industry’s, the Zacks Computer & Technology sector and the S&P 500’s growth of 216.4%, 25.6% and 18%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company has also surpassed its industry peers like Agilysys, Inc. (AGYS - Free Report) , which has crashed 18.7% in the past year. Seagate’s shares have, however, trailed past storage rivals Micron Technology (MU - Free Report) and WDC, which soared 790% and 711.2%, respectively.

STX Trades at a PremiumIn terms of forward price/earnings, STX’s shares are trading at 30.56X, higher than the industry’s 13.03X. If earnings continue expanding over the next several quarters, today's valuation could still remain justified.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

WDC, MU and AGYS are trading at multiples of 28.42X, 6.64X and 47.92X, respectively.

Is STX Stock a Portfolio Must-Have?Seagate appears well-positioned to deliver another strong quarterly performance. Robust AI-driven storage demand, expanding HAMR adoption, improving margins and disciplined capital allocation all support the possibility of a fiscal fourth-quarter earnings beat. While cyclical risks and enterprise spending fluctuations should not be overlooked, the company's improving competitive position and favorable industry trends suggest that Seagate can continue creating shareholder value over the coming years.

If it delivers another earnings beat while maintaining a strong outlook for fiscal 2027, the stock may remain an attractive long-term investment. For investors seeking diversified exposure to the AI infrastructure trend along with reliable cash flow and dividend income, Seagate deserves serious consideration as a core technology stock.

The Zacks Wireless Non-US industry is navigating a challenging environment marked by elevated infrastructure investments, margin pressure, supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical instability, ongoing global conflicts and elevated customer inventory levels. Nevertheless, secular demand for high-speed wireless and fiber services remains intact, fueled by increasing digitalization, expanding IoT adoption and continued 5G rollouts.

In this backdrop, America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. (AMX - Free Report) , SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (SKM - Free Report) and SoftBank Group Corp. (SFTBY - Free Report) are likely to gain from significant long-term growth opportunities and are well positioned to capitalize on robust demand for advanced connectivity solutions and next-generation network services.

Industry Description The Zacks Wireless Non-US industry comprises overseas providers of mobile telecommunications and broadband services. These companies primarily offer voice services, including local, domestic and international calls, roaming services and prepaid and postpaid. The firms provide value-added services, such as IoT, comprising logistics and fleet management and automotive and health solutions. They also offer content streaming, interactive applications, wireless security services and mobile payment solutions. Some industry players sell mobile handsets and accessories through dealer networks and offer co-billing services to other telecommunications service providers. The firms provide IT solutions, cable and satellite pay television subscriptions, as well as data services and hosting services to residential and corporate clients.

What's Shaping the Future of Wireless Non-US Industry? Waning Legacy Services: Increased infrastructure spending for network upgrades has largely compromised short-term margins. Aggressive promotional expenses, lucrative discounts and the adoption of several low-priced service plans to attract and retain customers are eroding profits. A steady decline in linear TV subscribers and legacy services due to a challenging macroeconomic environment and high inflation adds to the margin woes. Consequently, the firms within the industry are increasingly seeking diversification from legacy telecom services to more business, enterprise and wholesale opportunities. The companies are making significant investments to upgrade their network and product portfolio, including considerable advances in software-defined, wide-area network capabilities and a new Cloud Core architecture.

Network Optimization: The convergence of network technologies requires considerable investments from traditional carriers (telecom and cable) and cloud service providers. With the exponential growth of mobile broadband traffic and home Internet solutions, user demand for coverage speed and quality has increased manifold. This has resulted in a massive demand for advanced networking architecture, forcing service providers to upgrade their networks to support the surge in home data traffic. The industry participants continue to invest in networks to increase coverage and implement new technologies to optimize network capabilities. There is a continuous need for network tuning and optimization to maintain superior performance standards, creating demand for state-of-the-art wireless products and services. Telecom services show a weak correlation to macroeconomic factors, as these are considered necessities. This, in turn, has led the carriers to focus more on network upgrades to cater to the evolving customer needs.

Depleting Margins: High raw material prices due to the Iran war, on-again-off-again shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, soaring energy prices, the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war and the consequent economic sanctions against the Putin regime have affected the operation schedule of various firms. The demand-supply imbalance has crippled operations and largely affected profitability due to inflated equipment prices. Wireless operators have been facing challenges due to the disruptive rise of over-the-top service providers in this dynamic industry. Price-sensitive competition for customer retention in the core business is expected to intensify in the coming days. Aggressive competition is likely to limit the ability to attract and retain customers and affect operating and financial results.

Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bearish Trends The Zacks Wireless Non-US industry is housed within the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector. It currently has a Zacks Industry Rank #184, which places it in the bottom 26% of more than 250 Zacks industries.

The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates bleak near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Before we present a few non-US wireless stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock market performance and valuation picture.

Industry Outperforms S&P 500, Sector The Zacks Wireless Non-US industry has outperformed the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector and the S&P 500 composite in the past year.

The industry has soared 37.2% over this period compared with the S&P 500’s and sector’s rise of 20% and 28.4%, respectively.

One-Year Price Performance

Industry's Current Valuation The Enterprise Value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio is commonly used for valuing wireless stocks. The industry currently has a trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA of 5.39X compared with the S&P 500’s 18.5X. It is also trading below the sector’s trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA of 20.43X.

Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 11.23X and as low as 3.1X, with a median of 5.31X, as the chart below shows.

Enterprise Value-to-EBITDA Ratio (Past Five Years)

3 Non-US Wireless Stocks to Buy América Móvil: Based in Mexico City, America Movil is the leading provider of integrated telecommunications services in Latin America. It offers enhanced communications solutions in 25 countries in Latin America, the United States and Central and Eastern Europe. America Movil’s principal markets are Mexico and Brazil, the two largest economies in Latin America. The company’s biggest subsidiary, Telcel, is the largest wireless service provider in Mexico. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year and next-year earnings has been revised 19.3% and 22.5% upward, respectively, over the past year. The stock has gained 41.5% in the past year. It has a VGM Score of B. America Movil carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Price and Consensus: AMX

SK Telecom: Headquartered in Seoul, the company provides wireless telecommunication services in South Korea and globally. Together with its affiliates, it operates diverse Information and Communications Technology (“ICT”) businesses. With capabilities in 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data analysis and quantum cryptography communications, SK Telecom is strengthening its position as a global ICT leader. It has embarked on the “AI Pyramid Strategy” to accelerate innovation centered around three key areas — AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation and AI Service. It has gained 57% in the past year. This Zacks Rank #2 company has long-term earnings growth expectations of 59.1% and has a VGM Score of B.

Price and Consensus: SKM

SoftBank: Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SoftBank provides telecommunication services in Japan and internationally. The company is evolving from a traditional telecommunications carrier into an AI infrastructure provider, enabling intelligence across distributed edge and cloud environments so that devices, robots and connected systems can operate beyond their standalone capabilities. This Zacks Rank #2 company has gained 71.2% in the past year.

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 24, 2026) - Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP is investigating potential securities violations against Cerebras Systems Inc. ("Cerebras" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CBRS).

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS INVESTIGATION

If you are a Cerebras investor and have suffered losses, or if you have information that could assist in the Cerebras investigation, you may CLICK HERE to contact us. You may also contact Kaplan Fox by emailing [email protected] or by calling (212) 329-8571.

Cerebras is an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company that designs and manufactures AI compute platforms including processors and data centers. On or around May 14, 2026, Cerebras conducted an initial public offering ("IPO"), selling 30 million shares of Class A common stock at an offer price of $185 per share.

On June 23, 2026, after market close, Cerebras announced in a press release financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 and outlook for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026. During the subsequent earnings call, the Chief Financial Officer stated that "[f]or the rest of 2026, in order to accelerate our ability to service the significant near-term demand in our contracted backlog, we've chosen to make more capacity available sooner by temporarily renting our own systems back from an existing customer while we aggressively build out and deploy our own data center capacity. The additional cost of renting third-party capacity will depress core cloud and other services margin temporarily from current levels. We expect the impact to be a decrease of 10 to 15 margin points based on the volumes we are now anticipating before beginning to [ramp back] towards our target margin of 60% plus as we transition away from our rented systems."

Following this news, the price of Cerebras stock declined from a closing price on June 23, 2026 of $226.72 to close at $182.26 per share on June 24, 2026, a decline of $44.26 per share, or by 19.61%.

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Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP is a nationally recognized law firm focused on complex litigation, with offices in New York, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Jersey. Founded in 1956, the firm has spent more than 50 years prosecuting securities, antitrust, and consumer protection actions in federal and state courts nationwide, recovering more than $10 billion for clients and the classes it has represented.

Kaplan Fox is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier plaintiffs' securities litigation firms and has received recognition from Chambers and Partners, Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon. Serving as lead or co-lead counsel in many landmark cases, the firm has secured some of the largest recoveries in the history of securities litigation, including a $2.425 billion recovery on behalf of Bank of America shareholders in In re Bank of America—he largest recovery ever obtained for claims under Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act—$800 million recovered for the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and other pension funds in ATRS v. Allianz Global Investors, and a $475 million settlement in In re Merrill Lynch.

For decades, Kaplan Fox has represented public pension funds, institutional investors, businesses, and individuals in high-stakes litigation. Through its successful advocacy and precedent-setting victories, the firm has helped shape important areas of securities and corporate law while advancing accountability and protecting investor interests.

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On June 12, Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX -4.87%) completed the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history. SpaceX stock initially opened on the Nasdaq at $150, valuing the company at north of $2 trillion. Just weeks later -- on July 7 -- the company was fast-tracked into the Nasdaq-100 index.

Let's analyze how SpaceX stock has held up since joining the Nasdaq-100 and assess what a $5,000 investment made at that time is worth today.

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What is the Nasdaq-100 index? The Nasdaq-100 is an index that includes around 100 of the largest nonfinancial companies listed on the Nasdaq Exchange, using a modified market capitalization weighting system. Investors can track the index through exchange-traded funds (ETFs) such as Invesco QQQ, making inclusion an event that triggers automatic buying from passive funds.

How has SpaceX stock performed since joining the Nasdaq-100? SpaceX stock closed at $149.47 after its first trading day as a member of the Nasdaq-100. By the closing bell on July 22, shares had dropped to $115.26 -- a decline of 23%.

Several factors have put pressure on SpaceX stock recently. These include profit-taking after the initial IPO hype faded, questions about the company's lofty valuation, and scrutiny over its aggressive capital expenditures and their impact on its operating losses.

Image source: Getty Images.

Breaking down the implications of an investment in SpaceX A $5,000 investment in SpaceX stock made at its closing price on July 7 would now be worth about $3,856. This loss illustrates the types of sharp swings that volatile growth stocks can undergo, even after hitting positive milestones.

SPCX data by YCharts.

Some SpaceX shareholders might consider cutting their losses if the stock's decline exceeds their comfort level. However, investors with a long-term mindset may employ a buy-and-hold approach or selectively add to their SpaceX positions on further dips to lower their cost basis.

While no single strategy fits every situation, smart investors understand that disciplined risk management remains essential, particularly when it comes to companies with lofty valuations, high expectations, and the inherent uncertainties that come with those attributes.

Adam Spatacco has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SPCX 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.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Apple Inc. stock climbed 3% on Friday, outperforming much of the technology sector even as semiconductor stocks came under pressure.

The gains came after Baird raised its price target on the iPhone maker while maintaining an Outperform rating ahead of the company's upcoming quarterly earnings report.

The broader technology sector was weaker during the session. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.19%, while shares of Intel, Micron and Advanced Micro Devices declined between 1% and 5%.

Apple's relative strength comes as investors prepare for the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings report, scheduled for July 30, and assess several product and software initiatives expected over the coming months.

William Power, Senior Research Analyst at Baird, raised the price target on Apple to $330 from $310 on Thursday while reiterating its Outperform rating.

The brokerage expects Apple to deliver solid fiscal third-quarter results, supported by continued iPhone demand and stable growth in its services business.

While memory pricing remains a headwind, Baird expects recent price increases to help offset some of that pressure.

The brokerage acknowledged that Apple's valuation appears elevated compared with historical levels but believes several factors continue to support the stock.

Port in the storm (of software and mega-cap tech capex). We expect solid FQ3 results, driven by strong iPhone growth and steady services trends. Memory pricing remains a daunting headwind, though price increases should ease the pressure. Valuation looks rich relative to past trends, suggesting much may be priced in, but we expect the strong free cash flow, upcoming product cycle and early positive comments on Siri AI to support the stock. We also think Street estimates over the NTM are set up well, with potential for further upside.

According to Baird, Apple generated approximately $129 billion in free cash flow over the last twelve months, while an upcoming product cycle and encouraging early commentary surrounding Siri AI could provide additional support for shares.

The firm also believes Wall Street earnings estimates for the next twelve months leave room for further upside.

Apple is scheduled to report earnings on July 30, with options markets implying a potential 3.5% move in the stock following the results.

Beyond earnings, investors are closely watching Apple's upcoming hardware refresh.

The company is preparing to introduce its next-generation M6 processor across its Mac lineup beginning this fall and extending into next year.

The refresh is expected to include updated 14-inch MacBook Pro models and new iMac computers, marking the first refresh for the desktop line in two years.

Apple is also preparing to launch Apple Upgrade, a new device leasing program backed by Klarna. The service is scheduled to become available in the United States on July 28.

Separately, Evercore ISI reiterated its Outperform rating and maintained a $365 price target following news of the Apple Upgrade program.

The investment firm also maintained its bullish stance after reports that Apple is engaged in settlement discussions with the US Department of Justice over an antitrust lawsuit filed in March 2024.

Apple is also expanding its presence in the automotive software market.

The company announced that Ford will become the first automaker to adopt its new MapKit for Automotive software development kit.

The technology will be integrated into dashboards across Ford's forthcoming electric vehicle platform and will also provide road data for the automaker's BlueCruise hands-free driving system.

The announcement marks a deeper expansion into vehicle software following Apple's decision two years ago to end its own electric vehicle project.

Unlike CarPlay, which primarily provides infotainment services, the new automotive software integrates Apple's mapping technology more directly into vehicle systems.

With earnings approaching, new hardware launches on the horizon and continued expansion into automotive software, investors will be closely watching whether Apple can sustain its recent outperformance amid broader volatility across the technology sector.

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM ScoreIf you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) Meta Platforms is the world’s largest social media platform. The company’s portfolio has evolved from the Facebook app to multiple apps, including photo and video sharing app Instagram and WhatsApp messaging app, largely through acquisitions. Along with in-house developed Messenger and newer services such as Threads, these products form Meta’s Family of Apps, which reached about 3.56 billion daily active people on average in March 2026.

META is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A.

Momentum investors should take note of this Computer and Technology stock. META has a Momentum Style Score of A, and shares are up 11.7% over the past four weeks.

Three analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.04 to $33.04 per share. META boasts an average earnings surprise of +12.3%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, META should be on investors' short list.

The window for Flight 13 opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT at Starbase, Texas.

Neither stage will be recovered, with the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage targeting controlled splashdowns in the Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean.

• SpaceX stock is showing notable weakness. What’s behind SPCX decline?

Traders See Launch as Near Certainty, Splashdown Less SoOn Polymarket, traders assign an 81% chance of a successful launch today, and roughly a 91% chance that Starship flies by July 31.

Traders price a 72% chance of a controlled Starship splashdown, meaning the ship survives reentry and comes down where SpaceX aims it.

Starship will attempt to deploy 20 V3 Starlink satellites, next-generation broadband units that are reportedly too large to fly on Falcon 9.

Starlink already generates the bulk of SpaceX’s revenue, but the bigger V3 satellites that would expand the network’s capacity can only reach orbit on Starship.

Six of the satellites carry cameras that will scan Starship’s heat shield prior to reentry and beam imagery to operators. SpaceX has painted several tiles white to simulate missing ones, testing whether it can verify from orbit that a ship is safe to fly home, a prerequisite for catching and reusing Starship.

Why It Matters for SPCXFull reusability is what underpins Musk’s promise of dramatically cheaper launches, the assumption baked into much of the SpaceX bull case.

The launch comes at a delicate moment for SpaceX. The stock is trading near $117 this morning, roughly 13% below its $135 June listing price, and touched an all-time low this week.

Short interest reportedly grew to 32% as Musk warned short sellers they won’t survive, and the Aug. 4 earnings call is followed by an Aug. 6 lock-up expiration freeing roughly 900 million insider-held shares.

“Starship becoming operational is the critical path to the SpaceX investment thesis,” Raymond James analyst Brian Gesuale wrote recently.

photo: Kemarrravv13 via Shutterstock

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Tesla, Inc. (TSLA -3.01%) told investors on its Wednesday earnings call that it still plans to invest more than $25 billion on capital projects by the end of this year. The statement reaffirms guidance laid out in April, even as its Q2 profits came in well below what Wall Street expected.

Capital expenditures (capex) -- the money a company puts into factories, equipment, and other long-lived assets -- hit $5.8 billion in the quarter alone. That’s 142% more than the $2.4 billion the company spent in the same quarter a year ago.

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As of 10:20 a.m. ET on Friday, Tesla shares have fallen more than 16% since markets closed on Wednesday. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were down about 1.3% and 2.8%, respectively, over the same stretch.

Tesla wants to build fastChief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja confirmed the company is on track to spend $25 billion. More increases are expected over the next two to three years, with the funds earmarked for the company’s Robotaxi fleet, AI computing infrastructure, Optimus manufacturing, and semiconductor fabrication.

CEO Elon Musk framed the strategy as speed over thrift. "We should be spending on capex as fast as we can spend, as fast as we can without it being too wasteful," he said on the call, adding, "it's OK to be a little less capital efficient if we get things done sooner."

Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot, is one of Tesla’s top priorities, with Musk having called it a $10 trillion business in the past. The company pulled its Model S and Model X production lines out of the Fremont plant to clear space for first-generation Optimus robots.

Image Source: Company Image

The first units to roll off the line won’t be headed to customers, however. Rather, "the initial Optimus builds will be used in [its] Optimus Academy for training data collection and further functionality development."

Cybercab, the company’s robotaxi, has already begun production at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas, and Semi production is expected to ramp this year at a new Nevada plant.

Tesla’s numbers missed the markThe quarter's top line was strong. Sales topped $28.2 billion, a 26% increase from a year earlier. That was substantially higher than Wall Street had expected, but it was mostly where the good news ended.

Gross margins fell considerably from 17.2% to 16.8%. Analysts expected an increase to 19.4%. Profits slid as well: non-GAAP earnings came in at $0.33 per share versus the expected $0.51.

The bottom lineTesla is going through a major period of transition, and there are some potentially exciting things happening. The company’s robotaxis are now live in seven cities, the first Optimus robots should be coming off the line by the end of the year, and after some major hits to its sales figures last year in Europe, registrations were up sharply in June across France, Sweden, Italy, and Portugal.

That being said, I’m still a skeptic. Tesla is spending record sums on businesses that don't generate revenue yet and, despite their exciting nature, may never become real businesses. Margins are taking a beating, and the company’s CEO is running two of the largest companies around at the same time.

And even after shares have fallen more than 35% since their highs at the end of last year, they are still trading at incredible multiples.

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July has been a horrible month for the stock prices of Elon Musk’s two publicly traded companies: Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) and SpaceX (Nasdaq: SPCX).

As of the close of markets yesterday, the two companies have seen their stock prices decline by roughly 24% and 31%, respectively, since June 30. Here’s what you need to know.

Tesla stock got hammered yesterdayLet’s start with Tesla, Inc. While the electric vehicle company has seen its stock price decline for most of July, the drop had been subtle, and similar to what most major tech stocks had seen across the month.

However, then yesterday came, and TSLA stock crashed more than 14.5% in a single trading session, ending the day down $54.32 to $319.69.

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So what the heck happened? In short: Tesla’s earnings happened.

Yesterday, the company revealed its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026. For the quarter, Tesla reported revenue of $28.24 billion, representing roughly 26% growth from the same quarter a year earlier.

That type of growth is nothing to sneeze at, and, as noted by CNBC, Tesla’s Q2 revenue came in well ahead of the $25.71 billion LSEG analysts were expecting.

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An exchange-traded fund holding the S&P 500 minus those seven names is outperforming the Magnificent Seven group by nearly 17 percentage points this year.

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) missed on earnings, with free cash flow turning negative.

Tesla lost 14.52% on the day. Alphabet lost 7.13%.

Last year the trade ran the other way. MAGS returned 22.99% in 2025 against 15.63% for XMAG.

QUICK CONTEXT: Magnificent Seven Lose Their Market GripThe Magnificent Seven have stopped carrying the market in 2026. Through Thursday’s close, an equal-weight basket of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta and Tesla was down about 3.6% for the year, while the broader S&P 500 had gained roughly 8.2% over the same period.

The weakness is uneven but severe. Tesla had fallen about 29%, Microsoft nearly 21% and Meta 8%. Alphabet and Amazon were barely positive. Apple, up roughly 18.5%, and Nvidia, up 12%, were the only clear winners by a wide margin, leaving the group increasingly dependent on two stocks.

The split widened on July 23, when all seven shares fell and the equal-weight basket dropped about 4.7%. Alphabet and Tesla led the decline, putting fresh attention on whether enormous commitments to artificial intelligence, data centers, robotaxis and robotics can generate adequate returns for future shareholders.

That matters because these companies remain among the largest weights in major U.S. indexes. Their earlier gains made benchmarks unusually dependent on a small technology cluster; their 2026 underperformance has broadened market leadership. Investors are no longer rewarding AI spending automatically. They want clearer evidence that escalating investment will produce durable cash flow and profits.

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I bought more Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL | GOOGL Price Prediction) on Thursday, watched the stock close down 7.13%, and I plan to buy more next week. The Q2 report the market called a boondoggle is exactly the receipt I needed to keep clicking buy.

Here is the setup in human terms. Alphabet just posted the strongest quarter in its history, then raised roughly $70 billion in combined equity and debt, doubled long-term debt to $98.2 billion, suspended the buyback, and printed negative free cash flow of -$5.855 billion. The market read that as balance sheet weakness. I read it as CFO Anat Ashkenazi doing textbook asset-liability matching, funding 15-to-30-year infrastructure with long-dated capital while preserving working capital for the operating business. That is a company front-loading capex to clear a Cloud backlog above $460 billion.

The Receipts Revenue landed at $119.796 billion, up 24.23% YoY, the 12th straight quarter of double-digit revenue growth. EPS of $9.11 beat the $3.0427 estimate, the 11th straight EPS beat. Operating income rose 30.38% YoY. Operating margin expanded to 34%. The company that supposedly cannot self-fund grew operating cash flow 40.8% YoY to $39.069 billion in a single quarter.

Cloud is the story I keep buying. Google Cloud revenue hit $24.768 billion, up 82% YoY. Nearly 90% of the Fortune 100 now runs Gemini Enterprise. Gemini processes 22 billion API tokens per minute. The Gemini App has 950 million monthly active users. Distribution at that scale does not show up on a competitor slide deck the following week.

Then the balance sheet everyone panicked over. Total assets are $921.983 billion. Shareholders’ equity is $640.480 billion. Cash and short-term investments sit at $242.474 billion. The $98.2 billion in long-term debt is a rounding item against that equity base.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Google didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Why Not the Obvious Alternative Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) are the names most readers reach for first, and I own some of both. The number that keeps my capital moving to Alphabet is cloud growth of 82% YoY on a $24.768 billion quarterly base, layered on a Search franchise that still delivered 17% YoY growth in Q2. I am paying roughly 26 times earnings for that combination, with a free cash flow yield near 3.93%. Azure and AWS are excellent businesses. Neither is showing me an 82 handle on cloud growth this quarter.

The Real Risk Capex could keep running ahead of revenue longer than I want. The $180-190B capex plan Reddit is asking about is real, and interest expense rose nearly 5x YoY. If enterprise AI demand stalls, that spending sits on the books as depreciation. What has not changed for me: the backlog is already contracted, operating margin is expanding while capex doubles, and the equity base absorbs the debt with room to spare.

Forward conviction is simple. I am buying a business that grew revenue 24% while the market marked it down for spending too much money to grow faster. That is the trade I keep taking with a straight face.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Google didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

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Key Takeaways Alphabet leads search with 91.27% share as AI Overviews and AI Mode deepen user engagement.Google Search & Other revenues rose 17% to $63.3B, helped by retail, finance and better query monetization.AI Mode connects Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music, letting users complete tasks without leaving Search. Alphabet’s (GOOGL - Free Report) Search-related endeavors have received a massive push through AI integrations. The company is leading the search domain with 91.27% market share, followed by Microsoft’s (MSFT - Free Report) Bing, with 4.68% share, Yahoo!’s 1.28%, Yandex’s 0.79%, DuckDuckGo’s 0.67% and Baidu’s (BIDU - Free Report) 0.46%, per the latest data from StatCounter.

Alphabet’s dominance is being reinforced by rapid AI innovation rather than disrupted by it. On the second-quarter 2026 earnings call, the company highlighted that AI Overviews and AI Mode have been integrated into a single seamless Search experience, helping drive higher user engagement and incremental search queries. AI Mode has already surpassed one billion monthly active users, while Google continues to send billions of clicks to websites every week through its AI-powered search features, addressing concerns that AI could reduce web traffic.

Search monetization also remains strong. Google Search & Other revenues climbed 17% year over year to $63.3 billion, driven primarily by retail and finance advertisers. Alphabet noted that Gemini-powered improvements in query understanding allow Google to better monetize longer, more complex searches by delivering more relevant advertisements. AI-powered advertising products such as AI Max are already being widely adopted, with advertisers using these tools seeing higher conversions at similar returns on ad spend.

Alphabet is also expanding Search beyond traditional web queries into an AI-powered productivity platform. The company recently introduced integrations that allow users to connect services such as Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music directly within AI Mode, enabling actions like creating shopping carts, generating design templates and building playlists without leaving Search. These capabilities deepen user engagement while making Google’s ecosystem more valuable and difficult for competitors to replicate.

GOOGL Faces Tough Competition in the Search DomainAlphabet faces competition from Microsoft and Baidu in the Search domain.

Microsoft is strengthening its search ecosystem through Bing and Edge by embedding advanced AI capabilities across its consumer products. Microsoft is also integrating proprietary AI models into Bing, improving image generation, speech recognition and search experiences while benefiting from broader investments in Copilot, Azure AI and its multi-model strategy. These enhancements are designed to increase user engagement, improve search relevance and capture a larger share of digital advertising, creating a stronger competitive challenge for Google in AI-powered search.

Baidu is also accelerating its AI-first search strategy, particularly in China. The company has highlighted continued improvements in AI Search through enhanced planning, content generation and content-quality evaluation, enabling more intelligent and higher-quality search results while reducing low-quality content. Baidu plans to further integrate AI Search with ERNIE Assistant to improve information discovery, content understanding and task completion. The company has also reiterated that AI Search remains one of its highest-priority applications and will continue to receive investments to strengthen search accuracy and user experience.

GOOGL’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesAlphabet shares have returned 1.5% year to date (YTD), outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 10.8%.

GOOGL Stock’s Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

GOOGL stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month price/sales of 8.07X compared with the broader sector’s 6.46X. Alphabet has a Value Score of D.

GOOGL Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $14.34 per share, up 0.3% over the past 30 days, suggesting 32.65% growth from 2025’s reported figure.
 

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