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RADNOR, Pa., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (www.ktmc.com), a nationally recognized securities litigation law firm, is investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws by HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA) on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired HCA Healthcare, Inc. securities and experienced significant financial losses.

HCA Announces Disappointing Financial Results
On July 14, 2026, HCA issued a press release reporting its preliminary financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2026. Among other items, HCA sharply lowered its full-2026 profit guidance, citing an unfavorable shift in the company's payer mix, which impacted revenue by approximately $400 million in the quarter.

HCA’s Stock Drops Over 6%
Following the news of HCA’s poor financial results, HCA Healthcare, Inc.’s stock price fell over 6%.

CONTACT KTMC TO DISCUSS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS:
If you purchased or acquired HCA Healthcare, Inc. securities and have lost money on your investment, please provide your information here: https://www.ktmc.com/hca-hca-healthcare-inc-investigation?utm_campaign=hc?utm_source=Globe&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=hca&mktm=PR

You can also contact attorney Jonathan Naji, Esq. by calling (484) 270-1453 or by email at [email protected]. There is no cost or obligation to speak with an attorney.

ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP (KTMC):

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (KTMC) is a leading U.S. plaintiff-side law firm focused on securities-fraud class actions and global investor protection. The firm represents individual investors as well as institutions, such as major pension funds, asset managers, and international investors. KTMC has led some of the largest recoveries in securities litigation and has been recognized by peers and the legal media with numerous accolades, including being recognized in Chambers & Partners USA 2026 as a Band 1 Top Firm in Securities and Class Actions, Legal 500’s Tier 1 Rankings for Securities and M&A Litigation, The National Law Journal’s Plaintiff’s Hot List and Trailblazers in Plaintiffs' Law, BTI Consulting Group’s Honor Roll of Most Feared Law Firms, The Legal Intelligencer’s Class Action Firm of the Year, Lawdragon’s Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, and Law360’s Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar. The firm operates globally with offices in Pennsylvania and California. KTMC has recovered over $25 billion for our clients and the classes they represent.

CONTACT:
Jonathan Naji, Esq.
280 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
(484) 270-1453
[email protected]

May be considered attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

DXC Technology NYSE: DXC held its 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, with Chairman David Herzog acknowledging dissatisfaction with the company’s stock performance in fiscal 2026 while pointing to artificial intelligence initiatives and recently outlined financial goals as key elements of the company’s turnaround strategy.

Speaking on behalf of the board, Herzog said directors are “unsatisfied with our stock price performance during fiscal 2026” and are committed to long-term shareholder value appreciation. He said the board is working with senior leadership to chart a path toward “sustainable, profitable growth.”

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Herzog highlighted what he described as “encouraging building blocks” for the company’s future, including new AI-infused solutions across DXC’s offerings. He said the company’s ability to operate customers’ mission-critical systems underpins its global infrastructure business. Herzog also cited DXC’s insurance software and services business as a market leader, with AI-based applications aimed at modernizing legacy infrastructure without costly or risky replacement projects.

CEO Points to Investor Day Framework and Anthropic Partnership Raul Fernandez, DXC’s president and chief executive officer, said the company used its investor day in New York last month to present “a clear and compelling picture of who DXC is becoming.”

Fernandez said DXC outlined a disciplined financial framework through fiscal 2029, including a return to organic growth, expansion in non-GAAP EBIT margin and continued strong free cash flow generation. He said the company was transparent that the current fiscal year represents a transition.

Fernandez also said DXC demonstrated AI strategy, scale and products it is currently delivering to customers. He pointed to a recently announced global partnership with Anthropic, which he described as a “landmark” agreement intended to advance DXC’s AI capabilities in the mission-critical systems it operates globally.

“The early response from our customers and our partners has been very strong, reinforcing our confidence that DXC is extremely well-positioned for long-term growth and AI value creation,” Fernandez said.

Stockholders Elect Directors, Ratify Auditor DXC reported that 135,086,527 shares of common stock, or about 83.35% of shares entitled to vote, were represented by proxy or online, establishing a quorum for the meeting.

Stockholders elected all nine director nominees to serve until the 2027 annual meeting or until their successors are elected and qualified. The elected directors are David Barnes, Raul Fernandez, Anthony Gonzalez, David Herzog, Pinkie Mayfield, Dawn Rogers, Carrie Teffner, Kiko Washington and Bob Woods.

Herzog also thanked Karl Racine, who had served as a director since January 2023 and was not standing for re-election.

Stockholders ratified Deloitte & Touche LLP as DXC’s independent auditor for fiscal 2027. Herzog said the company will report first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings after the market close on July 30 and would not discuss company performance beyond fiscal 2026 during the annual meeting.

Compensation Vote Passes, Omnibus Equity Plan Fails DXC said stockholders approved, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the company’s named executive officers. However, an amendment to the company’s 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan did not receive the required affirmative votes and was not approved.

The rejected proposal would have increased the number of shares available for issuance under the omnibus plan by 20 million, from 51.2 million to 71.2 million, and extended the plan term to March 30, 2037.

Stockholders did approve an amendment to the company’s 2017 Non-Employee Director Incentive Plan. That amendment increases the number of shares available under the plan by 1 million, from 1.245 million to 2.245 million, and extends the term to March 30, 2037.

DXC said it will report final vote results in a Form 8-K filing within four business days.

Board Addresses Pay and Shareholder Alignment During the question-and-answer portion, DXC responded to a stockholder question about executive and board compensation in light of the company’s stock performance and its plan to improve results.

Herzog said the increase in reported CEO pay was driven by a multi-year, front-loaded equity award covering an extended period. He said the award was designed to support retention and align incentives with stockholders during a critical period in DXC’s transformation.

According to Herzog, the awards are tied to growth in revenue, growth in free cash flow and relative shareholder return targets. “If these targets are not met, the awards do not pay out at target,” he said.

Herzog said director compensation is benchmarked to peer companies and reviewed periodically to ensure the company can attract and retain directors with the skills required for the transformation. He also said management compensation is tied directly to the commitments outlined at the company’s investor day.

Before adjourning the meeting, Herzog said the board would continue dialogue with investors and review compensation programs to align with shareholder interests. He also said the board was disappointed that the omnibus equity plan proposal did not pass, calling equity compensation a critical and market-standard tool to attract and retain senior talent and align incentives with long-term shareholder value creation.

About DXC Technology (NYSE:DXC)DXC Technology, headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, is a global leader in IT services and solutions. The company was formed in 2017 through the merger of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) and the Enterprise Services business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, combining decades of experience in consulting, systems integration and managed services. Since its inception, DXC has focused on helping clients modernize IT environments and drive digital transformation across their organizations.

DXC Technology's core service offerings encompass cloud and platform services, applications and analytics, security, and workplace and mobility solutions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

Should You Invest $1,000 in DXC Technology Right Now?Before you consider DXC Technology, you'll want to hear this.

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Expansions at the company's Tognana, Italy, technology campus support growing worldwide demand for advanced thermal infrastructure and strengthen Vertiv's cooling innovation capabilities

, /PRNewswire/ -- Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced investments at its Tognana campus near Padua, Italy, to expand manufacturing and integrated testing capabilities for data center cooling systems. The company expects the investments to double chiller production capacity in the region by the end of 2026 and plans to complete a new large-scale testing laboratory in early 2027, supporting growing demand for AI and high-density computing infrastructure.

Vertiv expects to double regional chiller manufacturing capacity with the expansion of its Tognana, Italy facility. The new laboratory will enable testing of large-scale chillers and validate their integration with liquid cooling systems under high-density load conditions and extreme temperature ranges. The expanded capability is intended to help customers validate thermal performance under expected site conditions and deploy increasingly complex cooling systems with greater speed and confidence.

"AI is driving thermal demands that didn't exist two years ago, with higher densities, faster deployment demands, and no room to compromise on reliability," said Gio Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv. "The expansion at Tognana puts us further ahead with more manufacturing capacity, integrated testing, and advanced thermal management systems built for current and future generations of silicon. This investment reinforces our position at the front of the curve."

The campus serves as one of Vertiv's principal centers for cooling technology development, integrating research and development, product management, manufacturing, testing, and customer engagement. The site includes a Customer Experience Center where customers and consultants can participate in witness testing of a broad range of cooling technologies across the thermal chain under real-world operating conditions.

For more information on Vertiv's leading portfolio of power and thermal management, infrastructure solutions, IT systems, and services for critical digital applications, visit Vertiv.com. 

About Vertiv
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to enable its customers' vital applications to run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today's data centers, communication networks and commercial and industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, USA, Vertiv does business in more than 130 countries. For more information, and for the latest news and content from Vertiv, visit Vertiv.com.

Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27 of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. These statements are only a prediction. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements set forth herein. Readers are referred to Vertiv's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a discussion of these and other important risk factors concerning Vertiv and its operations. Vertiv is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT
[email protected]

SOURCE Vertiv Holdings Co

Wall Street expects a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when Asbury Automotive Group (ABG - Free Report) reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 28. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus EstimateThis auto dealership chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $6.30 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -15.2%.

Revenues are expected to be $4.46 billion, up 2.1% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.88% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Asbury Automotive?For Asbury Automotive, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.46%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.

So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Asbury Automotive will beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Asbury Automotive would post earnings of $5.68 per share when it actually produced earnings of $5.37, delivering a surprise of -5.46%.

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

Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Asbury Automotive doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paylocity, a leading provider of HCM, Finance, and IT solutions, today introduced Paylocity Ignite AI, its platform-wide AI with agents that automate manual work, help reduce risk, and enable teams to move faster. Embedded throughout Paylocity’s platform, Ignite AI brings data, insights, and automation into moments where decisions are made and work gets done.

Purpose-Built Agents That Help Teams Take Action

Ignite AI includes new, purpose-built agents that automate tasks across pay, time, recruiting, and other areas where work often slows down.

Answer & Insight Agent

Getting answers from your data today means running reports, exporting spreadsheets, or waiting on someone else to dig them out. And even then, a report shows what happened, not why. Clients told us they need to explore their data on their own terms, because every business asks different questions. The Answer & Insight Agent was built for exactly that: ask a question in natural language and get answers in real time, pulling from your company data across the platform.

Hire faster by understanding exactly where the recruiting funnel breaks downProactively manage overtime in real time before it becomes a cost problemVisualize turnover trends in a clear chart with actionable insights ready to share with senior leadersAnalyze what is driving costs across locations, teams, and shiftsSpot the pay, performance, or retention risks hiding across the workforceUnderstand where onboarding stalls and what it's costing in productivity The real power is in the back-and-forth: ask follow-ups, visualize trends, and go deeper. Because the agent isn’t built around a fixed set of questions, it goes wherever your thinking does. It turns blind spots into real-time, strategic decisions.

Payroll Analysis Agent

Reviewing every anomaly in a large payroll before the deadline takes hours, and errors still slip through. The Payroll Analysis Agent helps payroll teams catch issues before submission by:

Surfacing anomalies based on each organization's historical payroll trendsExplaining what changed and why it matters in plain languageFocusing review on the areas that need attention Payroll admins spend less time hunting for issues and more time resolving them.

Candidate Fit Agent

High-volume recruiting teams need every advantage to move quickly without sacrificing quality. The Candidate Fit Agent helps recruiters:

Surface candidates for review based on role criteriaSummarize how applicants match role requirements, while flagging criteria that may not be compliantReduce time spent sorting and sourcing across large applicant pools Recruiters stay in control of every hiring decision, spending less time screening and more time engaging candidates.

Ignite AI also includes additional agents that improve data quality and streamline payroll operations, including the Resume Summary Agent, which gives recruiters candidate overviews; the Data Inspection Agent, which detects gaps in employee records and guides resolution before they cause downstream issues; and the Time Correction Agent, which surfaces time errors, requests, and compliance issues so supervisors can resolve them before payroll deadlines. These join a growing set of agentic experiences available today including guided benefits enrollment, expense submission, and accounts payable validation, with additional agents planned across scheduling, candidate engagement, and more.

Managing AI with Confidence

To help organizations scale AI responsibly, Paylocity is introducing the Ignite AI Hub, a centralized dashboard for managing and measuring AI across the organization.

With Ignite AI Hub, leaders can:

Measure business impact and productivity gainsMonitor adoption across teamsControl which agents are activeIdentify new opportunities for automation The Ignite AI Hub provides the visibility and control organizations need to confidently deploy AI while keeping people at the center of decision-making.

Shaped Directly by Clients

Ignite AI was developed alongside clients. Paylocity assembled an advisory group of HR and business leaders to help identify high-impact opportunities, validate real-world use cases, and guide product innovation.

“The way Paylocity is weaving AI across the platform is better than anything I’ve seen in other systems,” said Ryan Zimmerman, VP of Human Resources at POLYWOOD. “I’m so excited by the momentum I’m seeing and to be part of shaping it.”

"It actually feels like I have another team member supporting me," said Genevieve Gonnigan, VP of HR & People and Culture, at Lincoln Park Zoo. "Manual processes are a time suck, and Ignite AI turns things that would be a 5- to 10-minute process into a 30-second question or resolves them on its own."

“Ignite AI is the next evolution of AI at work: embedded across the Paylocity platform, built for every team, and informed by the real-world needs of clients who use it every day,” said Toby Williams, President and CEO of Paylocity. “It brings intelligence and automated action directly into the flow of work, helping organizations move faster, make confident decisions, and unlock greater value from their teams. This is only the beginning of what we're building.”

Learn more about Ignite AI.

About Paylocity

Headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) is an award-winning provider of HCM, Finance, and IT software solutions. Paylocity offers one unified, easy-to-use platform that helps businesses across HR, Finance, and IT streamline operations, manage spend and talent, and build culture and connection—with AI embedded directly into everyday workflows to save time, reduce manual effort, and support better decisions. Known for its unique culture and consistently recognized as one of the best places to work, Paylocity accompanies its clients on the journey to create great workplaces and help all employees achieve their best. For more information, visit www.paylocity.com.

CONTACT:
Nicole Andergard Reddy
[email protected]

503-855-7385

, /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced that its U.S. wholesale brokerage, binding authority and programs division, Risk Placement Services, Inc. (RPS), has acquired Greensburg, Pennsylvania-based W.N. Tuscano Agency, Inc. (Tuscano). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Tuscano is a managing general agency (MGA) and wholesale insurance broker for independent agents in western Pennsylvania. The Tuscano team, led by Robin Tuscano, will remain in their current location under the direction of Steve Levin, Northeast Region leader for RPS.

"Tuscano is a highly regarded agency that complements our market expertise and further expands our wholesale capabilities in Pennsylvania," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome Robin and his associates to our growing, global team."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Wall Street analysts expect Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings (KNX - Free Report) to post quarterly earnings of $0.49 per share in its upcoming report, which indicates a year-over-year increase of 40%. Revenues are expected to be $2.01 billion, up 8% from the year-ago quarter.

Over the last 30 days, there has been an upward revision of 7.5% in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter, leading to its current level. This signifies the covering analysts' collective reconsideration of their initial forecasts over the course of this timeframe.

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

While it's common for investors to rely on consensus earnings and revenue estimates for assessing how the business may have performed during the quarter, exploring analysts' forecasts for key metrics can yield valuable insights.

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

Analysts forecast 'Revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge' to reach $1.73 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +3.6% year over year.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Truckload and LTL fuel surcharge' will reach $271.42 million. The estimate points to a change of +43.1% from the year-ago quarter.

The consensus estimate for 'Operating revenue- LTL' stands at $405.31 million. The estimate suggests a change of +4.8% year over year.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge- LTL Segment' of $340.60 million. The estimate indicates a change of +0.9% from the prior-year quarter.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Operating Ratio' at 93.5%. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported 96.1% in the same quarter of the previous year.

Analysts expect 'Adjusted Operating Ratio' to come in at 92.9%. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 93.8% in the same quarter last year.

The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Adjusted Operating Ratio - Truckload' will likely reach 92.9%. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 94.6%.

It is projected by analysts that the 'Adjusted Operating Ratio - LTL' will reach 91.4%. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 93.1%.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Adjusted Operating Ratio - Logistics' should arrive at 96.3%. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of 94.8%.

Analysts' assessment points toward 'Average tractors - Truckload' reaching 20,865 . Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 21,311 in the same quarter last year.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Load count - Intermodal' should come in at 38,307 . Compared to the present estimate, the company reported 32,682 in the same quarter last year.

Analysts predict that the 'Average revenue per load - Intermodal' will reach $2623.91 . Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $2572.00 in the same quarter of the previous year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Knight-Swift here>>>

Shares of Knight-Swift have experienced a change of +0.3% in the past month compared to the -0.6% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. With a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), KNX is expected to outperform the overall market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Key Takeaways OKLO hit a 52-week low as investors reassessed early-stage nuclear risks.OKLO is advancing fuel fabrication, Aurora projects and isotope capabilities despite remaining pre-revenue.Wider 2026 and 2027 loss estimates, heavy spending and execution risks keep the near-term outlook uncertain. After a strong run in 2025, Oklo Inc. (OKLO - Free Report) has come under heavy selling pressure, with the stock falling 42.7% over the past three months and recently touching a 52-week low of $39.53. The weakness has not been limited to OKLO, as NuScale Power (SMR - Free Report) has declined about 41% and NANO Nuclear Energy (NNE - Free Report) has dropped roughly 40% over the same period. The broad pullback suggests that investors have become more cautious about early-stage nuclear developers because of long commercialization timelines, ongoing losses and limited near-term revenue visibility.

3-Month Price Performance Comparison Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Still, OKLO’s deeper slide raises an important question: Has the market already priced in most of the company’s execution risks, or could the stock remain under pressure until regulatory progress and project development begin producing clearer financial results?

Regulatory Progress, Customer Pipeline Back Long-Term StoryUnlike traditional reactor developers, OKLO is building a vertically integrated platform that combines power generation with fuel fabrication, fuel recycling and isotope production. This integrated approach could provide multiple revenue opportunities over time instead of relying solely on electricity sales.

The company has continued to make operational progress despite the stock's weakness. Construction activities are advancing at the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility, while work continues on the Aurora-INL project, where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the company's Principal Design Criteria topical report. Oklo is also progressing its Aurora-Ohio development alongside plans for a 1.2-gigawatt power campus with Meta, while expanding isotope capabilities through the Groves test reactor and the Idaho Radiochemistry Laboratory.

Compared with NuScale Power, which focuses primarily on commercializing light-water small modular reactors, and NANO Nuclear, which is developing portable microreactors, OKLO is attempting to build an entire nuclear ecosystem. While this broader strategy increases execution complexity, it also creates more potential growth avenues if commercialization succeeds.

Falling Earnings Estimates Reflect OKLO’s Near-Term ChallengesDespite these operational milestones, Wall Street remains cautious. The Zacks Consensus Estimate now points to roughly 3% and 9% wider losses for both 2026 and 2027, respectively. Those downward estimate revisions reflect investors' recognition that OKLO remains a pre-revenue company with significant development costs before meaningful commercial operations begin.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company continues to invest heavily across several projects simultaneously, including reactor deployment, fuel fabrication, recycling facilities and isotope production. While these investments may strengthen its long-term competitive position, they also delay profitability and increase execution risk.

The earnings outlook also compares unfavorably with peers. NuScale Power has progressed further in certain licensing activities, while NANO Nuclear continues to advance its own commercialization roadmap. Although all three companies remain early-stage nuclear developers, investors are increasingly rewarding companies that demonstrate clearer visibility toward future revenues.

Several Catalysts Could Change Investor SentimentAlthough current earnings remain weak, several upcoming developments could improve confidence in Oklo's business.

The company recently achieved an important milestone after receiving Department of Energy approval of the Documented Safety Analysis for its Groves Isotope Test Reactor. The project has now entered the final startup review process and targets first criticality after completion of readiness reviews. This milestone supports OKLO's broader isotope strategy, which aims to supply radioisotopes for healthcare, manufacturing, scientific research and national security applications.

OKLO has also strengthened its engineering capabilities through acquisitions while continuing to build fuel supply infrastructure. Its Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility and Tennessee Advanced Fuel Center are designed to support long-term reactor deployment by improving access to nuclear fuel and recycling capabilities. The company's collaboration with NVIDIA and Los Alamos National Laboratory to apply artificial intelligence to fuel validation further demonstrates its effort to combine advanced computing with nuclear technology.

Image Source: Oklo Inc.

Meanwhile, NuScale Power and NANO Nuclear continue to compete for leadership in the emerging advanced nuclear market. Both companies are pursuing their own regulatory and commercialization milestones, meaning investor attention will likely shift toward whichever developer demonstrates the fastest progress. Even so, OKLO's vertically integrated strategy, customer relationships and fuel-cycle capabilities differentiate it from both SMR and NNE.

OKLO's Risks Still Cannot Be IgnoredThe biggest challenge remains execution. OKLO still generates virtually no recurring operating revenues, while commercial power production remains several years away. Delays in regulatory approvals, construction schedules or fuel availability could postpone commercialization further.

The company is also spending aggressively to develop multiple projects simultaneously. If timelines slip, additional financing may eventually become necessary despite its current liquidity. Moreover, valuation remains heavily dependent on future expectations rather than operating fundamentals.

Competition also continues to intensify. NuScale Power already possesses greater market visibility in certain reactor segments, while NANO Nuclear is pursuing similar opportunities in advanced microreactors. Investors therefore have multiple nuclear developers to choose from, making execution increasingly important.

Time to Buy the Dip or Stay Away?OKLO remains one of the most ambitious companies in the advanced nuclear industry, with progress across reactor development, fuel fabrication, recycling and isotope production supporting its long-term vision. However, the stock's sharp decline reflects legitimate concerns about widening losses, delayed revenue generation and significant execution risks. While upcoming regulatory milestones and commercialization progress could eventually improve investor sentiment, the near-term outlook remains uncertain. Given the weaker earnings estimate revisions and the risks associated with its pre-revenue business model, OKLO stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

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

21.7.2026 16:05, BAACEZ

Česká energetická skupina ČEZ bude ve spolupráci s českým státem a společností Rolls-Royce SMR rozvíjet další lokality pro výstavbu malých modulárních reaktorů v České republice. Zástupci obou společností a ministr průmyslu a obchodu Karel Havlíček podepsali ve Velké Británii memorandum.

Společnost ČEZ dnes informovala o podepsání memoranda mezi českým státem, společností ČEZ a Rolls-Royce SMR, na jehož základě bude probíhat rozvoj dalších lokalit pro výstavbu malých modulárních reaktorů. Posuzují se především lokality v Moravskoslezském a Ústeckém kraji. První malý modulární reaktor od Rolls-Royce SMR by měl vzniknout ve Velké Británii v lokalitě Wylfa na ostrově Anglesey v severním Walesu. První malý modulární reaktor v Česku by měl vzniknout ve druhé polovině 30. let v Temelíně.

„Malé modulární reaktory jsou globální příležitostí pro český průmysl. Naše tradiční jaderné firmy mají dlouhou historii a unikátní know-how, které mohou díky své účasti na projektu malých modulárních reaktorů dále prohlubovat. První úspěchy jsme již zaznamenali, tradiční plzeňská jaderná společnost Škoda JS se stala jedním ze dvou dodavatelů klíčových komponent jaderného ostrova pro malé modulární reaktory Rolls-Royce SMR. A věřím, že to je pouze začátek. Britská společnost teprve začíná budovat svůj dodavatelský řetězec a my už v této fázi sledujeme velký zájem českých firem, které chtějí usilovat o svou pozici v globální konkurenci,“ uvedl člen představenstva společnosti ČEZ Tomáš Pleskač.

Akcie ČEZ Akcie společnosti ČEZ (BAACEZ) dnes na pražské burze posilují o 1,15 % na 1325,0 Kč. Na RM-SYSTÉMu akcie rostou o 1,38 % na 1324,0 Kč.

Zdroj: ČEZ

Jakub Němec
Fio banka, a.s.
Prohlášení

Související odkazy ČEZ: Erste zvyšuje cílovou cenu z 1104 Kč na 1300 Kč při novém doporučení „hold“ ČEZ: Zvyšujeme cílovou cenu z 1044 Kč na 1150 Kč, doporučení měníme ze stupně "redukovat" na "držet" ČEZ: Oddo BHF zvyšuje cílovou cenu z 920 Kč na 1540 Kč s novým doporučením „Outperform“ ČEZ: Radim Fiala zvolen novým předsedou dozorčí rady ČEZ: J&T Banka zvyšuje cílovou cenu na 1332 Kč a mění investiční doporučení na „buy“

Avanda Investment Management Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,280 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,304,000. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.1% of Avanda Investment Management Pte. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $132,015,115,000 after purchasing an additional 7,269,279 shares in the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 90,841,345 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $59,963,463,000 after buying an additional 4,395,763 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,558,637 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $26,112,735,000 after buying an additional 310,947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes META has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down from $825.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,015.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $830.45.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on META

Meta Platforms Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $645.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.63 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $604.11 and its 200-day moving average is $626.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total transaction of $1,268,023.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,890.56. This represents a 65.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 37,948 shares of company stock worth $23,184,319 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to beat second-quarter estimates, citing healthy ad demand and AI-related improvements, with Q2 revenue now seen at $60.6 billion and EPS at $7.50 versus consensus of $60.2 billion and $7.18. Meta Platforms expected to top earnings estimates as ad growth remains healthy, says BofA Positive Sentiment: Investors are also encouraged by reports that Meta could monetize its AI buildout more directly, including a potential large-scale computing deal with Anthropic, which could help justify its heavy capex and reduce valuation pressure. Zuckerberg Is Quietly Turning Meta Into A Compute Provider Ahead Of Q2 Earnings Positive Sentiment: BlackRock’s $12 billion financing for new Meta data centers in Texas underscores strong outside confidence in Meta’s AI infrastructure strategy and signals continued investment in future capacity. BlackRock Leads $12 Billion Financing for New Meta Data Centers in Texas Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Meta’s expanding AI ambitions and “compute provider” strategy reinforces the bullish AI narrative, but the market is still waiting for proof that the spending will translate into durable returns. Meta’s AI Ambitions Keep Expanding. Is META Stock Keeping Up? Neutral Sentiment: Meta faces a Tennessee trial over claims Instagram was designed to be addictive, adding headline risk and potential legal overhang for the stock. Meta faces Tennessee trial over allegations Instagram was designed to be addictive Negative Sentiment: Reports of temporary Facebook and Instagram outages may add near-term frustration for users and advertisers, though the impact appears more operational than fundamental. Users of Meta’s Facebook, Instagram report suffering some outages Meta Platforms Profile (Free Report)

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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Posted by Defense World Staff on Jul 21st, 2026

Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Free Report) by 46.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 668,784 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 213,584 shares during the quarter. CocaCola comprises approximately 0.6% of Andra AP fonden’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $50,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key CocaCola News Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Coca-Cola’s pricing power and ability to balance higher prices with affordability and volume growth, suggesting the company can protect margins and sustain durable growth in 2026. Coca-Cola’s Pricing Power: Is it Still Driving Growth in 2026? Positive Sentiment: UBS said Coca-Cola’s growth outlook remains strong ahead of Q2 results, with expectations that the company will deliver solid earnings and keep full-year guidance intact, which could support shares if confirmed. Coca-Cola’s Growth Outlook Remains Strong Ahead of Q2 Results, UBS Says Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also noted that KO is trading near all-time highs as investors rotate away from more volatile AI names, reinforcing Coca-Cola’s appeal as a stable large-cap holding. 5 Stocks Quietly Trading Near All-Time Highs While Everyone Watches the AI Drama (KO) Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola picked bankers for a possible India bottler IPO, which could be a long-term strategic move but does not yet provide enough detail on valuation, timing, or financial impact. Coca-Cola picks bankers for its India bottler IPO Neutral Sentiment: Multiple pieces of analyst and technical commentary are keeping KO in focus before earnings, but they are mostly reiterating existing bullish sentiment rather than revealing a fresh catalyst. Coca-Cola Stock in Focus: A Look at the Earnings, Analyst Activity, Technical Picture Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues KO is trading at a premium valuation versus peers, which could limit upside if upcoming earnings or guidance fail to exceed expectations. Coca-Cola: Safety Has A Price, But Right Now, It’s A Premium One Insider Transactions at CocaCola In other news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $9,842,608.29. This trade represents a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $83.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays raised their price target on CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.20.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CocaCola

CocaCola Price Performance KO stock opened at $82.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $353.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $85.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $81.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.77.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. Research analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

About CocaCola (Free Report)

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage manufacturer, marketer and distributor best known for its flagship Coca‑Cola soda. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company develops and sells concentrates, syrups and finished beverages across a broad portfolio of brands. Its product range spans sparkling soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready‑to‑drink teas and coffees, and other still beverages, marketed under both global and regional brand names.

Coca‑Cola’s brand portfolio includes widely recognized names such as Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Powerade and Dasani, and in recent years the company has expanded into the coffee and premium beverage categories through acquisitions such as Costa Coffee.

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As Mistral is expanding its AI compute capacity in Europe, the companies are expanding their strategic partnership with Microsoft's commitment to leverage part of this capacity, bringing Mistral's frontier and efficient models across Microsoft's AI platform and giving customers flexible deployment options from cloud to fully disconnected environments
 

Scaling Europe's AI compute capacity: Microsoft and Mistral are announcing a new agreement to expand AI infrastructure in Europe. Microsoft will leverage Mistral's expanded Europe-based GPU infrastructure to increase capacity for AI development and to support the delivery of MSFT's cloud and AI services. This represents a multibillion dollar commitment from Microsoft and an important way for Microsoft customers to benefit from Mistral's scientific and compute innovations. Integrating Mistral models into Microsoft enterprise products: Mistral Medium 3.5 and OCR 4 are now available in Microsoft Foundry, and Mistral Medium 3.5 is now in Microsoft Copilot Studio. This brings the benefits of Mistral's frontier, efficient and multilingual models to Microsoft customers globally, allowing developers to build, customize and operate AI applications. Giving enterprises greater control over AI at scale: Azure enables organizations to deploy Mistral models across cloud, cloud-connected and fully disconnected environments, while maintaining control over data, operations and business continuity.
  , /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Mistral on Tuesday announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership to help enterprises and regulated industries adopt frontier AI with greater choice, control and operational consistency. The companies are bringing Mistral's frontier and efficient models across the Microsoft platform, including Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio and Azure, so customers can build and run AI across a spectrum of operating environments, from cloud-scale deployments to customer-controlled and fully disconnected operations.

Across Europe and other regulated markets, organizations want access to frontier AI while maintaining control over their data, operations and critical workloads. This partnership extends Microsoft's Sovereign Cloud approach by combining Mistral's frontier models with Microsoft's security, compliance and cloud-to-edge platform, giving customers greater choice in how and where they deploy AI.

"Europe should have access to the world's most capable AI without compromising control over their data, operations or digital future," said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft. "By bringing Mistral's frontier European models into our sovereign cloud portfolio and enabling them across public cloud, cloud-connected and fully disconnected environments, we are honoring the European Digital Commitments we made and giving customers a trusted foundation for AI they can operate on their own terms."

"Our mission has always been to put frontier AI in the hands of every organization while keeping them in control of their technology," said Arthur Mensch, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mistral. "With Microsoft as our partner, our models reach enterprises and public institutions at global scale — delivered through a platform trusted for the most demanding, regulated workloads and available everywhere our customers operate."

Europe's AI future: expanded GPU capacity

Underpinning the partnership is a new multibillion-dollar agreement focused on expanding AI infrastructure in Europe. Mistral is adding its GPU capacity, drawing on thousands of the latest NVIDIA Vera Rubin GPUs to increase AI compute availability for customers and provide a shared platform for training, inference and large-scale deployment.

The agreement strengthens Europe's AI infrastructure while helping Microsoft meet growing demand for cloud and AI services. Consistent with Microsoft's flexible approach to global infrastructure, which combines its own datacenters, leased facilities and strategic collaborations with third-party providers, it expands Microsoft's capacity footprint in Europe and supports the European Digital Commitments announced in 2025.

"Agentic AI is driving unprecedented demand for high-performance, energy-efficient AI infrastructure," said Ian Buck, Vice President of Hyperscale and High-Performance Computing, NVIDIA. "By deploying NVIDIA Vera Rubin systems at scale, Mistral and Microsoft will give customers the computing foundation they need to build and run the next generation of AI across Europe and beyond."

Frontier AI, enterprise ready: Mistral models in Microsoft Foundry and Copilot Studio

At the platform layer, Mistral's latest Medium 3.5 and OCR 4 models are now available in Microsoft Foundry, giving developers access to frontier models within a consistent environment for building, customizing and deploying AI applications. Mistral Medium 3.5 brings an open-weight model into a managed Azure environment, enabling developers and enterprises to build, customize and deploy AI applications with control, sovereign deployment options, and predictable, cost-efficient scaling. OCR 4 supports structured document-processing pipelines and agentic workflows, and both models can be applied across agentic applications, automation and domain-specific solutions using tools and workflows already established across the Foundry platform.

At the application layer, the companies brought Mistral's Medium 3.5 model to Copilot Studio, combining model flexibility with enterprise-grade governance, empowering teams to choose the best model for a given scenario while maintaining control over how and where data is processed.

One deployment experience across any environment: Microsoft Foundry and Foundry Local

Organizations can develop AI applications using the same models, tools, APIs and workflows across Microsoft Foundry and Foundry Local. This gives teams a consistent way to build, customize and operate AI applications regardless of where those applications ultimately run.

Microsoft Foundry provides the development platform for discovering, building and deploying models and agents in the cloud. Foundry Local extends that development and runtime experience to Azure Local, so organizations can bring AI closer to their data, users and operational environments. Together, they help reduce the need to redesign applications for each deployment scenario while giving customers more flexibility in how they meet sovereignty, latency and resilience requirements.

Flexible deployment with a common operating model: Azure and Azure Local

Organizations increasingly need different levels of operational control depending on workload sensitivity, regulatory obligations and mission requirements. Azure and Azure Local provide a common platform that supports AI deployments across a spectrum of operating environments:

Cloud: Azure-hosted deployments for cloud scale, agility and access to the latest platform innovation. Cloud-connected: Customer-controlled Azure Local environments that remain connected to Azure services and operations when needed. Fully disconnected: Azure Local deployments that can operate independently of external connectivity for highly sensitive, constrained or mission-critical environments. Across these operating models, customers can use Mistral models with a consistent platform and operational approach. This helps regulated organizations avoid a fragmented AI architecture while supporting the level of control, resilience and connectivity their workloads require. 

For regulated industries where strategic autonomy is required, this offers concrete advantages. These customers can apply AI to sensitive workflows while aligning data, operations and access controls to their specific requirements. Critical infrastructure providers can maintain AI capabilities where resilience and service continuity are essential. Manufacturing and industrial organizations can analyze production, quality and operational data locally where latency, IP protection, export controls, cybersecurity and supply-chain resilience can shape deployment requirements. Healthcare organizations can support AI-enabled workflows where privacy, data residency, clinical continuity and regulated data handling are foundational requirements.

What this enables for our customers

As part of the expanded relationship, the companies are aligning on a joint go-to-market plan and will pursue enterprise opportunities together across Europe and globally. Mistral and Microsoft are also expanding the partnership to accelerate customer adoption, by funding PoCs, offering Azure credits, and leading workshops to drive AI innovation with customers.

Organizations in financial services, manufacturing, healthcare and other regulated sectors are running AI in settings where control and resilience are mandatory. With this partnership, they can build AI applications in Microsoft Foundry and run them in Azure or on Azure Local, using Mistral models in cloud, cloud-connected and fully disconnected operating environments.

Microsoft and Mistral will continue working to serve customers as we innovate across the models, development experience, development platform and European AI infrastructure that make this possible.

Learn more

Learn more: www.mistral.com Discover Microsoft Sovereign Cloud: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sovereignty Learn more about Azure Local: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/local Learn more about Microsoft Foundry: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ai-foundry Learn more about Microsoft Copilot Studio: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio About Mistral

Mistral is a pioneer company in generative artificial intelligence, empowering the world with the tools to build and benefit from the most transformative technology of our time. The company democratizes AI through high-performance, optimized, and cutting-edge open-source models, products and solutions as well as end-to-end infrastructure with Mistral Compute. Headquartered in France and independent, Mistral defends a decentralized and transparent approach to technology, with a strong global presence in the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore. Learn more at www.mistral.ai

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

AerCap is the world's largest owner of 787 Dreamliner jets Agreement includes substitution rights for the 787-10, giving AerCap customers more capacity and operational flexibility , /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and AerCap today announced that the leasing industry's biggest 787 Dreamliner customer placed a new order for 15 787-9 jets. This latest purchase increases AerCap's 787 Dreamliner portfolio to approximately 140 airplanes.

The agreement includes substitution rights for the 787-10, giving AerCap the flexibility to switch to the larger 787 Dreamliner variant that delivers more capacity and new opportunities for its airline customers.

Boeing and AerCap today announce that the leasing industry’s biggest 787 Dreamliner customer placed a new order for 15 787-9 jets. "The addition of these 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes to our fleet further strengthens our position as the world's largest owner of 787 jets," said Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap. "As demand for modern, fuel-efficient widebody airplanes continues to grow, this transaction enables us to provide our customers with greater access to one of the industry's most versatile and sought-after airplane families. The 787 has consistently demonstrated strong operating economics and exceptional performance across a wide range of route networks."

AerCap's 787 Dreamliner fleet portfolio is attractive to airlines seeking to renew their fleets and achieve their sustainability goals. As the largest member of the 787 Dreamliner family, the 787-10 will boost an airline's capacity with 50 more seats than the 787-9, while reducing fuel use and emissions by 25% compared to the airplanes it replaces. As airlines deal with near-term macro-economic uncertainties, AerCap's extensive portfolio helps customers to grow or replace older widebody airplanes without committing to direct purchases.

"AerCap's continued investment in the 787 Dreamliner family underscores the airplane's role in enabling long-haul connectivity and superior economics for airlines," said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We deeply value this partnership and look forward to supporting AerCap and its customers as they open and sustain new long-haul routes to further connect the world."

AerCap was the first lessor to take delivery of the 787 Dreamliner in 2013. The 787 Dreamliner has since become the standard for new generation widebody airplanes, opening more than 540 new nonstop routes between city pairs that were never previously served and carrying more than 1.3 billion passengers since entering service.

About AerCap

AerCap is the global leader in aviation leasing with one of the most attractive order books in the industry. AerCap serves approximately 300 customers around the world with comprehensive fleet solutions. AerCap is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (AER) and is headquartered in Dublin with offices in Shannon, Memphis, Miami, Singapore, London, Dubai, Shanghai, Amsterdam and other locations around the world.

About Boeing

A leading global aerospace company and top U.S. exporter, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. Our U.S. and global workforce and supplier base drive innovation, economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing is committed to fostering a culture based on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.

Contact 
Boeing Media Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing

Netflix (NFLX +0.53%) investors were disappointed with the company's most recent earnings results. Although the streaming giant continues to grow at a decent pace, it clearly isn't enough to win over growth investors, especially with it projecting its growth rate to decline to 12% for the current quarter (down from 13%).

One opportunity for Netflix to reignite its growth could be via an acquisition. The streaming company failed to acquire assets from Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year, but Netflix's name continues to pop up in rumors. Investors may be eagerly anticipating news of a deal, in the hopes that it can pave the next wave of growth for the business. But co-CEO Ted Sarandos appeared to have poured cold water on that, stating on the company's earnings call that "we're primarily builders, not buyers."

Image source: Getty Images.

Why Netflix might not go the M&A route Sarandos made it clear on the company's recent conference call that while Netflix may not necessarily be averse to pursuing mergers & acquisitions (M&A), it would have to make a lot of sense for the business to consider one: "Our track record is clear that we have a very high bar to do any big M&A." CFO Spence Neumann also said, "we invest in the business both organically and opportunistically through M&A."

The key word there is opportunistically. When it pursued Warner Bros., Netflix had a great opportunity to acquire top assets and content, including HBO. And it pursued the deal aggressively until it no longer made sense to do so, as the valuation climbed amid a bidding war with Paramount Skydance.

While an acquisition could certainly help Netflix's business grow, management's focus on building rather than simply buying reflects what the company has done over the years. It has reinvested in its own growth, building its content and varied offerings rather than relying on acquisitions. It has yielded strong results as the business has grown tremendously over the years, and may continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

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Is Netflix stock a buy? This year, Netflix's stock has declined by around 30%, as investors have appeared to have lost confidence in the company's path forward. While the market initially breathed a sigh of relief when Netflix walked away from the Warner Bros. deal earlier this year, the rally was short-lived, as concerns about what the company would do with co-founder Reed Hastings leaving the company began to weigh on the stock.

Uncertainty can significantly reduce a stock's value and also create attractive buying opportunities along the way. With Netflix trading near its 52-week low, it may be one of the best growth stocks for long-term investors to buy right now.

David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

General Motors (GM - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $3.57 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.13 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.53 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +14.06%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this an automotive manufacturer would post earnings of $2.61 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.7, delivering a surprise of +41.76%.

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

General Motors, which belongs to the Zacks Automotive - Domestic industry, posted revenues of $48.03 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.15%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $47.12 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

General Motors shares have lost about 6.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.

What's Next for General Motors?While General Motors has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for General Motors was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $3.19 on $47.61 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $12.88 on $184.88 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Automotive - Domestic is currently in the bottom 33% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 28.

This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.36 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -2.7%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 3.2% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.

Ford Motor Company's revenues are expected to be $45.66 billion, down 2.7% from the year-ago quarter.

Dividend growers build generational wealth. That is the entire premise behind a “buy and hold forever” portfolio: Own companies whose competitive moats let them pay you more every single year, regardless of what the macro backdrop looks like. In July 2026, three names still fit that description as cleanly as they did a decade ago, though each is trading through very different setups right now.

Here is the case for three stocks as long-duration dividend compounders, along with the risk each carries into the second half of 2026.

McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD | MCD Price Prediction) is the classic forever-hold: a global brand moat, franchise-heavy cash flows, and a dividend streak that keeps stretching. The most recent hike lifted the quarterly payout to $1.86 per share, and the company has now delivered 25+ consecutive years of dividend increases, putting it squarely in Dividend King territory. The yield sits at 2.59%.

The bull case rests on cash generation and unit growth. Q1 FY2026 revenue came in at $6.52 billion, up 9.4% year over year, with EPS of $2.83 beating expectations. Global comps rose 3.8%, and loyalty members drove more than $9.00 billion in systemwide sales in the quarter alone. CEO Chris Kempczinski put it plainly: “McDonald’s delivered this quarter. Our 6% global Systemwide sales growth shows how we executed with discipline.” Management is guiding to roughly 2,600 new restaurant openings and operating margin in the mid-to-high 40% range for FY2026.

Shares are down around 12% year to date and 9.75% over the past year, sitting well below the analyst target of $329.84. That underperformance is the entry point for long-term holders.

The risk: ongoing inflationary cost pressure on U.S. margins, higher interest expense, and restructuring charges expected to run through 2027. The dividend is safe. Near-term earnings growth is the question.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) P&G (NYSE:PG) is the definitional Dividend King. The company just extended its streak to a 70th consecutive annual dividend increase and has paid an uninterrupted dividend for 136 consecutive years since 1890. The Q2 2026 payout was bumped to $1.0885 per share, up from $1.0568. Yield: 2.79%.

If you want a portfolio anchor that keeps paying through recessions, wars, and rate cycles, this is it. Q3 FY2026 delivered $21.235 billion in net sales, up 7.4% year-over-year, with core EPS of $1.59. It was the fourth consecutive quarter of beating both top and bottom-line estimates. Free cash flow reached $3.026 billion in the quarter. Every one of the five segments grew, with Beauty leading at 7% organic growth. Management plans to return roughly $10 billion in dividends and $5 billion in buybacks this fiscal year.

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

CEO Shailesh Jejurikar summed up the setup: “We delivered a solid acceleration in top-line results in our fiscal third quarter, with broad-based growth across product categories and regions.” P&G fits neatly into a broader Dividend King framework that income-focused investors are studying more closely this year (our 10 Dividend Kings to Buy Now report walks through the criteria).

The risk: tariffs. Management flagged a ~$400 million after-tax tariff headwind for FY2026 plus a ~$150 million commodity drag, and results are now expected toward the lower end of the core EPS guide of $6.83 to $7.09.

Visa (NYSE: V) Visa (NYSE:V) is the growth-oriented dividend name in this trio. The current yield of 0.74% looks small, but that is the whole point: Visa reinvests aggressively while raising the payout at a double-digit clip. The October 2025 hike raised the quarterly dividend from $0.59 to $0.67, a 14% increase, extending an 18+ year streak of annual increases.

The moat is a near-duopoly network processing enormous volume. Q1 FY2026 net revenue hit $10.90 billion, up 14.6%, with non-GAAP EPS of $3.17. Data processing revenue, the highest-margin engine, grew 17% to $5.54 billion. Visa also repurchased roughly 11 million shares for $3.8 billion in the quarter, with $21.1 billion remaining on the authorization.

CEO Ryan McInerney credited “resilient consumer spending and a strong holiday season, as well as continued strength in value-added services and commercial and money movement solutions.” Shares are up 11% over the past month and 45% over the past five years, with analysts targeting $398.70.

The risk: the interchange MDL litigation is an ongoing GAAP overhang, with a $707 million provision in Q1 FY2026 alone. Global regulatory scrutiny of merchant fees is the multi-year variable to watch.

The Bottom Line These are three different flavors of the same idea. MCD offers a defensive Dividend King entering a rebuild year at a discount. PG offers the longest-running income streak in American business, with tariff pressure providing a rare re-entry point. Visa offers dividend growth funded by structural payment volume. The “forever” part is the ability to raise the payout every year for the next twenty.

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

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Bottomline and American Express are partnering to integrate Paymode into American Express Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) through a new feature called BIP Connect.BIP Connect gives eligible American Express customers access to Premium ACH vendors on Paymode, improving connectivity and digital payment adoption.New Amex Trendex research from American Express highlights buyer-supplier relationships are strained, and payment errors persist as a result of invoice inefficiencies. PORTSMOUTH, N.H., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bottomline, a global leader in business payments, today announced a strategic partnership with American Express to deliver a more connected digital business payment experience. Through the partnership, Bottomline’s secure business payments network, Paymode, is now integrated into American Express Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) through a new feature called BIP Connect, enabling eligible customers to pay Premium ACH vendors through Paymode. BIP enables buyers to initiate electronic payments to suppliers as an alternative to paper checks and ACH, leveraging American Express’ unique direct relationships with suppliers to help drive working capital flexibility on both sides of the transaction.

Payments automation may help address key gaps identified by surveyed financial decision-makers. Recent Amex Trendex research found that 67% of financial decision-makers surveyed agree that payment inefficiencies make it harder for their business to operate at its full potential. This complexity may stem from fragmented vendor networks that limit visibility and control, as well as from manual processes. Bottomline and American Express are helping to address these challenges by connecting eligible BIP customers with a broad network of authenticated, verified vendors across key industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, commercial real estate, and higher education.

The offering may help address the challenges faced by many financial decision-makers surveyed. For example, 90% of financial decision-makers surveyed report their business experienced payment errors in the last 12 months, and 65% say inefficiencies in their invoice and payment experiences make it more challenging to maintain strong buyer-supplier relationships. Through the secure Paymode network, businesses gain access to participating vendors that are enrolled, authenticated, and accept digital payments, helping create more predictable and seamless payment interactions between payers and vendors.

Expanding and Modernizing B2B Payments
Eligible businesses can initiate payments to vendors using their existing American Express BIP account, while vendors receive funds via Premium ACH through Paymode. This supports the continued shift to digital payments, helps improve working capital flexibility for buyers, and gives vendors a more predictable, data-informed payment experience.

“Partnering with American Express is an important step forward in helping businesses modernize how they manage payments,” said Craig Saks, CEO, Bottomline. “By integrating Paymode into BIP, we’re giving buyers access to greater control, enhanced security, and a simpler way to manage payables and receivables, while making it easier for vendors to reconcile payments and maintain visibility into their cash flow.”

The integration provides eligible American Express BIP customers with secure, authenticated payments backed by Paymode’s multi-layer fraud controls, a consistent user experience, and seamless access to Paymode’s vendor network.

“Businesses continue to look for new ways to modernize supplier payments without adding complexity,” said Widad Chaoui, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Corporate and B2B Products, American Express. “Our partnership with Bottomline allows BIP customers to get expanded access to Bottomline’s extensive network of B2B suppliers, while also providing working capital flexibility and control.”

About Bottomline
Bottomline helps businesses transform the way they pay and get paid. A global leader in business payments and cash management, Bottomline’s secure, comprehensive solutions modernize payments for businesses and financial institutions globally. With over 35 years of experience, moving more than $16 trillion in payments annually, Bottomline is committed to driving impactful results for customers by reimagining business payments and delivering solutions that add to the bottom line. Bottomline is a portfolio company of Thoma Bravo, one of the largest software private equity firms in the world, with more than $172 billion in assets under management. For more information, visit www.bottomline.com.

Bottomline, the Bottomline logo, Paymode, and

BEA are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bottomline Technologies, Inc.

About American Express
American Express (NYSE: AXP) is a global payments and premium lifestyle brand powered by technology. Our colleagues around the world back our customers with differentiated products, services, and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Founded in 1850 and headquartered in New York, American Express’ brand is built on trust, security, service, and a rich history of delivering innovation and Membership value for our customers. We seek to provide the world’s best customer experience every day to a broad range of consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, and large corporations, and we build and manage relationships with millions of merchants across our global network.

For more information about American Express, visit americanexpress.com, americanexpress.com/en-us/newsroom/, and ir.americanexpress.com.

Amex Trendex Research Methodology

American Express commissioned a 7-minute online survey among n=521 U.S. Business Owners and/or Financial Decision-Makers (DMs) who manage or oversee specific business functions (including invoice-based payments; accounts payable/receivable; accounts reconciliation; business spend; cash flow; and working capital). The survey included n=100 buyers, n=164 suppliers and n=257 respondents who are both buyers and suppliers. Respondents’ organizations were either small (<100 employees, n=134), mid-sized (100-999 employees, n=200) or large (1,000+ employees, n=187). The survey was fielded between June 10-17, 2026.

At the total sample, the margin of error is +/-4 percentage points (ppts) at the 95% confidence interval. By role, the margins of error for the following are: Buyers, +/- 10 ppts; Suppliers, +/- 8 ppts; Both a Buyer and Supplier, +/-6 ppts.

Media Contact
Heather Pavliga
[email protected]

Andra AP fonden cut its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW – Free Report) by 43.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,913 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 71,607 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $21,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 630,956 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $152,161,000 after acquiring an additional 21,119 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 446,441 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $107,664,000 after acquiring an additional 25,609 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 207,797 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $50,112,000 after purchasing an additional 17,225 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 133.9% in the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 9,402 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,222,000 after acquiring an additional 5,383 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 993,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $239,552,000 after purchasing an additional 22,175 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. HSBC dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

View Our Latest Research Report on Lowe’s Companies

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937 over the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $204.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $114.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $216.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.29. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

About Lowe’s Companies (Free Report)

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.

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Genuine Parts (GPC - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.15 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.1 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.1 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +2.38%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this auto and industrial parts distributor would post earnings of $1.81 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.77, delivering a surprise of -2.21%.

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

Genuine Parts, which belongs to the Zacks Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry, posted revenues of $6.54 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.36%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $6.16 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Genuine Parts shares have lost about 0.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.7%.

What's Next for Genuine Parts?While Genuine Parts has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Genuine Parts was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.03 on $6.48 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $7.69 on $25.37 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts is currently in the top 20% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (DRVN - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026.

This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.30 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -16.7%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Driven Brands Holdings Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $516.75 million, down 6.2% from the year-ago quarter.

The past few weeks have seen the bond market start asking a question the stock market has mostly been happy to ignore: Who can actually afford the AI buildout?

On July 9, S&P Global Ratings gave its answer for one of the biggest spenders. It cut Oracle Corp.'s NYSE: ORCL long-term credit rating to BBB-, the lowest rung of investment grade and just one notch above junk.

The stock has since fallen to around $125, down nearly 30% over the past month and nearly 50% over the past year.

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Oracle Corporation (ORCL) Price Chart for Tuesday, July, 21, 2026

What makes the downgrade worth more than a passing glance is what it reveals about the wider group. Every major AI spender is pouring money into building out their supply capabilities, but they're all doing it from different financial positions, and the gap between them is widening fast.

The Downgrade Isn't Really About Oracle's BusinessOracle Today

$124.98 +3.60 (+2.97%)

As of 09:58 AM Eastern

This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

52-Week Range$120.03▼

$345.72Dividend Yield1.60%

P/E Ratio21.51

Price Target$265.03

S&P's reasoning for the Oracle downgrade was blunt.

The agency admitted it had underestimated the scale of investment required for Oracle's AI ambitions, and now expects the company's free operating cash flow deficit to widen to roughly $42 billion in fiscal 2027, nearly double its earlier forecast.

The other red flag was customer concentration. S&P estimates that around half of Oracle's $638 billion in remaining performance obligations is tied to OpenAI alone, and it described that single relationship as a key credit risk.

The concern is understandable—Oracle has taken on long-term commitments on facilities and equipment to serve OpenAI's demand, so even if the latter's payments were to slow, Oracle's obligations would still need to be paid in full.

Where Each Spender Actually SitsSo what does that mean for Oracle's peers? Well, if you put the four biggest AI spenders side by side, then the divide becomes obvious.

The top two are Microsoft Corp. NASDAQ: MSFT, which carries an AAA rating, and Alphabet Inc. NASDAQ: GOOGL, which carries an AA+ rating. Next up is Amazon.com Inc. NASDAQ: AMZN, still at the higher end of the scale at AA, while Oracle sits alone down at BBB-.

The uncomfortable answer to the question, though, is that none of them can fully fund this from existing cash generation anymore. All four have seen their free cash flow compressed dramatically by the scale of the spending, and all four have been active issuers in the bond market to help cover the gap. What separates them isn't whether they borrow, but how heavily they're leaning on it, and how much of the repayment depends on revenue that hasn't arrived yet.

The Headroom GapMicrosoft and Alphabet started this cycle with the strongest balance sheets and the most cushion, which is why they still sit near the top of the ratings scale despite spending heavily. Amazon is only just holding on to its positive free cash flow. Still, its accelerating AWS growth is giving investors a reason to stay cautiously bullish on the spending for now.

Oracle is the only one, so far, that seems to have run out of room, and its move into negative free cash flow is a bright red flag. The leverage numbers underscore the point: Oracle sits several times above Amazon on debt-to-equity and nearly 20 times above Alphabet, which is actually running a net cash position.

More importantly, it has no rating cushion left, whereas its peers have several notches to go before their own credit standing comes under real pressure.

Why the Funding Gap MattersOverall MarketRank™100th Percentile

Analyst RatingModerate Buy

Upside/Downside118.3% Upside

Short Interest LevelHealthy

Dividend StrengthModerate

News Sentiment0.51 Insider TradingSelling Shares

Proj. Earnings Growth35.70%

See Full Analysis

This distinction appears in three places that directly impact shareholders. The first is increased interest expense. Oracle's higher risk profile means that every additional dollar of debt costs more than it would for its better-rated peers, which will hurt its profitability.

The second is a lower likelihood of buybacks. Companies generating strong free cash flow, like Alphabet, can keep buying back their shares while continuing to invest in growth, whereas negative free cash flow will make it far more difficult for Oracle to do the same.

The third is what happens if demand for AI cools. A company funding most of its capital expenditure from operations can simply spend less and wait. A company funding itself predominantly with debt still owes the money it's borrowed, regardless of whether the expected revenue arrives, and its valuation becomes far harder to defend when investors start to doubt it will.

So Who Can Actually Afford It?Line the four up against the question, and a clear order emerges. Microsoft and Alphabet are best positioned to fund this from what the business itself generates, with the strongest balance sheets, the lowest leverage, and, in Alphabet's case, more cash than debt.

Amazon sits in the middle. It's spending more than anyone, and its cash generation is stretched thin as a result. Still, the accelerating growth at AWS suggests the money is meeting existing demand rather than demand it's hoping to create.

Oracle is the outlier on both halves of the question. It's leaning hardest on borrowing and on revenue that hasn't arrived yet, with a backlog that has to convert and a single customer accounting for around half of it. That combination is why it's the only one of the four with no rating cushion left.

Should You Invest $1,000 in Oracle Right Now?Before you consider Oracle, you'll want to hear this.

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Andar Capital Management HK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU – Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,000 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,351,000. Micron Technology comprises 1.2% of Andar Capital Management HK Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MU. Resolute Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Micron Technology in the 1st quarter valued at $278,000. MWA Asset Management increased its position in shares of Micron Technology by 105.1% in the 1st quarter. MWA Asset Management now owns 1,487 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. JSF Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Micron Technology by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. JSF Financial LLC now owns 3,332 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its stake in Micron Technology by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 572 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $193,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Micron Technology by 22.4% during the first quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,457 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $3,871,000 after acquiring an additional 2,096 shares in the last quarter. 80.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Micron Technology Here are the key news stories impacting Micron Technology this week:

Positive Sentiment: Micron is being highlighted as a strong AI chip and memory beneficiary, with several bullish articles pointing to durable demand, strong profitability, and attractive valuation after the recent pullback. NVIDIA & Micron: 2 Profitable AI Stocks With Strong Growth Potential Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and other analysts said the selloff in memory stocks created a strong buying opportunity, arguing that data-center memory shortages are still intensifying. The Memory Stock Sell-Off Created a ‘Strong Entry Point,’ Says Morgan Stanley. Investors Are Buying In. Positive Sentiment: Shares of Micron, SanDisk, and Western Digital rebounded as investors rotated back into semiconductor names after last week’s sharp drop in AI-related stocks. Micron Jumps 5%, SanDisk Rises 6%, Western Digital Climbs 4% as Memory Stocks Rebound With Chips Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha upgrade argued Micron’s business model and large backlog could drive EPS accretion and multiple expansion through FY2027. Micron: Berkshire-ification Against The Possible Greenfield Margin Squeeze (Upgrade) Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage noted large institutional call buying and speculative dip-buying in Micron, which can support short-term trading sentiment but does not change the company’s fundamentals. The Ugliest Stocks in the Market Just Got a Very Expensive Vote of Confidence (MU) Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Micron’s broader role in the AI trade and memory shortage, reinforcing that the stock remains highly sensitive to swings in semiconductor sentiment. Micron, Lumentum, Sweetgreen, AMC, Domino’s, and More Stocks That Explain Today’s Market Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry’s short position and warning that Micron is “cyclical like no other” added caution around the stock’s valuation and the risk of a deeper AI-chip correction. Claude AI Says Michael Burry’s Micron (MU) Warning “Deserves Respect” Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary also warned that semiconductor and technology stocks could still face another leg down if the recent AI trade unwind continues. Expect a 75% technology stocks wipeout, warns strategist Negative Sentiment: Micron has also been under pressure recently after SK Hynix’s memory-price warning sparked debate over how long tight supply can last, contributing to the prior selloff. Micron Stock Set to Snap Losing Streak After SK Hynix Memory Price Warning Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Micron Technology from $1,200.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,300.00 price target on shares of Micron Technology in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Micron Technology from $1,150.00 to $1,375.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Micron Technology in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on shares of Micron Technology in a research report on Monday, April 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $700.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Micron Technology has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,268.93.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Micron Technology

Insider Activity at Micron Technology In other Micron Technology news, EVP April S. Arnzen sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,083.94, for a total value of $43,357,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 85,737 shares in the company, valued at $92,933,763.78. The trade was a 31.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lynn A. Dugle sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,150.43, for a total transaction of $1,495,559.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,728 shares in the company, valued at $20,394,823.04. The trade was a 6.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 163,300 shares of company stock valued at $152,667,204. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Micron Technology Price Performance Shares of MU opened at $865.46 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.42, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $950.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $606.14. Micron Technology, Inc. has a 1-year low of $103.38 and a 1-year high of $1,255.00. The company has a market cap of $977.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 2.14.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 24th. The semiconductor manufacturer reported $25.11 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.39 by $3.72. Micron Technology had a net margin of 55.91% and a return on equity of 71.13%. The firm had revenue of $41.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 345.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Micron Technology has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 30.000-32.000 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Micron Technology, Inc. will post 72.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Micron Technology Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Investors of record on Monday, July 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 6th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.1%. Micron Technology’s payout ratio is presently 1.36%.

Micron Technology Company Profile (Free Report)

Micron Technology, Inc is a global semiconductor company that designs and manufactures memory and storage solutions. Its product portfolio includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs), memory modules and embedded memory solutions for a wide range of computing and electronic devices. Micron supplies components used in data centers, enterprise and cloud infrastructure, client computing, mobile devices, automotive systems and industrial applications, and also markets consumer-facing products under the Crucial brand.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Micron has grown into an international manufacturer with research, development and production facilities across multiple regions.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Micron Technology The Ugliest Stocks in the Market Just Got a Very Expensive Vote of Confidence Is Domino’s Stock Serving Up a Buying Opportunity? A $1T Black Hole: SpaceX Eyes Pentagon AI to Break Free Why Gold Miners Could Be the Market’s Biggest Comeback Story Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU – Free Report).

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BlackBerry stock price has pulled back in the past two weeks in New York and Toronto. It dropped to $8.83 on Monday, down by 35% from its highest point this year. Even so, it is one of the best-performing stocks as it jumped by over 130% this year as investors cheer its turnaround and its positioning in the AI and robotics market.

BlackBerry, a company that once played a big role in the smartphone industry, has done well in the past few months as the turnaround efforts by John Giamatteo continued paying off. 

This recovery has been helped by its QNX business, which provides a real-time operating system used in connected and autonomous vehicles. Its system is now embedded in over 275 million vehicles.

At the same time, investors believe that it is one of the top players in the AI and robotics market, especially after its partnerships with companies like Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Arm.

BlackBerry stock jumped after it reported upbeat first-quarter results, indicating its business was doing relatively well. Its revenue jumped by 26% to $152.9 million, with its gross margin growing by 4 percentage points.

The company’s growth was largely driven by its QNX segment, whose revenue rose by 26% to $72.3 million. QNX expanded its partnership with Nvidia to advance safety-critical AI across robotics, medical, and industrial systems.

Its secure communications revenue soared by 24% to $73.6 million. BlackBerry made $7 million from licensing.

The company reached several major milestones in the quarter, including achieving FedRAMP Class D recertification for the BlackBerry AtHoc solution.

This certification will strengthen its position for US government contracts.

Still, there are concerns about BlackBerry shares. One of the key concerns is whether it can sustain its organic growth.

Yahoo Finance data shows that its second-quarter revenue will come in at $145.53 million, up by 12.2% from the same period last year. This will mark a deceleration from the previous quarter.

For the year, the company’s revenue is expected to be $614 million, up by 12% YoY. It is then expected to hit $678 million next year, up by 10% YoY. 

Another concern, which may explain the recent pullback, is valuation. The stock has become expensive after this year's rally.

Data shows that the forward price-to-earnings ratio has moved to 78, much higher than most companies, including popular names like Nvidia and Micron. 

BB stock price chart | Source: TradingView

The weekly chart shows that the BB stock price has pulled back in the past few days, moving from a high of $13.57 to the current $8.83. 

This retreat is happening as investors book profits after the stock surged from last year’s low of $1.96 to a high of $13.57. It remains substantially above the 50 and 200 moving averages.

Therefore, there is a risk that mean reversion will pull it much lower in the near term. If this happens, the stock will drop towards the 50 EMA level of $5.9 as traders wait for its second quarter earnings report.

READ MORE: BlackBerry stock hits 52-week high: take profit or let it run?

Artificial intelligence is moving into a new phase. The first wave centered on building massive GPU clusters to train ever-larger models. Now the industry is broadening. Companies are investing in AI memory, networking, storage, and increasingly powerful CPUs to support emerging workloads such as agentic AI. 

That shift matters because it expands the number of semiconductor companies benefiting from AI spending instead of narrowing it. Few businesses are better positioned to capitalize on that trend than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM | TSM Price Prediction), which manufactures chips for nearly every major AI designer regardless of which technology ultimately comes out on top.

AI Growth Is Expanding Beyond GPUs Taiwan Semiconductor’s second-quarter results underscored just how central the company has become to the AI ecosystem. According to its second-quarter earnings release, revenue climbed to NT$1.27 trillion (about $40 billion), up 36% year over year, while net income surged 77%. Gross margin remained a robust 67.7%, highlighting that demand continues to outstrip supply for the company’s advanced manufacturing capacity.

Those results shouldn’t be viewed as a one-quarter success. Instead, they illustrate how AI demand continues to ripple across the semiconductor industry.

Today’s AI leaders, including Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), and many others, rely on Taiwan Semiconductor’s manufacturing expertise. Whether companies are building GPUs, AI accelerators, networking chips, or custom silicon, many eventually end up at TSM’s fabs.

Let’s look at what that means. Instead of betting on which chip designer will dominate AI over the next decade, investors can own the company building chips for nearly all of them.

Stop guessing which AI chip will win. All roads lead to one manufacturer currently capturing a 61% surge in profits. © 24/7 Wall St. The CPU Opportunity Is Only Getting Started The next growth engine may surprise investors. During the second-quarter conference call, CEO C.C. Wei noted that agentic AI is creating renewed demand for CPUs inside AI data centers. While GPUs remain the primary workhorses for AI training and inference, CPUs coordinate workloads, manage memory, and handle countless supporting tasks.

As Wei explained:

“The AI market continues to be very dynamic. The emergence of Agentic AI is leading to a resurgence in the role of CPUs in AI data centers… no matter what CPU approach is taken, whether it’s x86, ARM-based, or RISC-V architecture, they are almost all TSMC’s customers.”

That’s an important point investors shouldn’t overlook. The CPU market now has multiple growth paths:

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

CPU Architecture Key Players Why It Matters For TSM x86 AMD, Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) AI servers continue requiring powerful host CPUs ARM Nvidia, Ampere, Apple, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Custom processors are becoming more common in AI infrastructure RISC-V Numerous startups and hyperscalers Open-source architecture is attracting growing investment In every case, Taiwan Semiconductor stands to manufacture many of those chips.

Ironically, investors don’t have to predict which CPU architecture wins. If AI demand continues expanding, TSM benefits from higher wafer volumes regardless of whether x86, ARM, or RISC-V captures the largest market share.

Key Takeaway In short, Taiwan Semiconductor offers investors something increasingly rare: a way to benefit from AI without having to predict which chip company becomes the next superstar.

Granted, risks remain. Semiconductor demand has always been cyclical, geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan haven’t disappeared, and AI spending could eventually slow from today’s rapid pace.

That said, the AI opportunity is becoming broader rather than narrower. Memory, CPUs, networking, and custom AI silicon are all seeing growing investment alongside GPUs. Since Taiwan Semiconductor sits at the center of nearly every one of those markets, each new AI trend creates another avenue for growth.

Ultimately, that’s the company’s greatest competitive advantage. AI may evolve in ways nobody fully expects over the next decade. Regardless of whether the future belongs to GPUs, custom accelerators, ARM processors, x86 chips, or RISC-V designs, Taiwan Semiconductor is positioned to manufacture the silicon powering them all. 

For investors looking for one company that can ride nearly every wave of the AI revolution, that’s a compelling place to start.

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

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Posted by Defense World Staff on Jul 21st, 2026

Andra AP fonden lowered its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Free Report) by 36.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 206,708 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 118,500 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $21,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets ABT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $118.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Abbott Laboratories has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.61.

View Our Latest Stock Report on ABT

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 1.0% NYSE:ABT opened at $101.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $177.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.92, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.84. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $81.97 and a 52 week high of $137.49.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $12.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.52 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is 81.55%.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau purchased 2,200 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $91.50 per share, for a total transaction of $201,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 2,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,300. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel J. Starks acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $92.65 per share, for a total transaction of $926,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,751,103 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $625,489,692.95. This trade represents a 0.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile (Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions.

In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Abbott Laboratories The Ugliest Stocks in the Market Just Got a Very Expensive Vote of Confidence Is Domino’s Stock Serving Up a Buying Opportunity? A $1T Black Hole: SpaceX Eyes Pentagon AI to Break Free Why Gold Miners Could Be the Market’s Biggest Comeback Story Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT – Free Report).

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Production continues to ramp for U.S. Navy's most advanced maritime radar

, /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, was awarded a $1.8 billion contract extension for SPY-6 radars for the U.S. Navy, building on the initial hardware production and sustainment contract awarded in March 2022. The contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $3.3 billion.

"This contract extension reflects the Navy's confidence in our ability to deliver advanced, reliable and scalable radar solutions," said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. "Our continued investment and commitment to ramping production will ensure the fleet has the sensing advantage to stay ahead of evolving threats for decades to come."

SPY-6 is now aboard two commissioned U.S. Navy ships and is installed on 11 others, all of which are undergoing various stages of testing. Over the next decade, SPY-6 is expected to be deployed on more than 50 U.S. Navy ships, giving the fleet unmatched sensing capability and multi-mission readiness to stay ahead of evolving threats.

Raytheon's SPY-6 family of radars are built on more than a decade of design, testing and manufacturing experience and have been validated by successful performance at sea. The company has invested more than $800 million to modernize its radar manufacturing facilities and expand production capacity. With these upgrades, Raytheon is positioned to double SPY-6 output by 2028, helping ensure long-term availability and lowering cost for the Navy.

Raytheon is significantly expanding its engineering workforce in Andover to support this critical program. Opportunities are available for emerging talent, experienced professionals, and veterans. Discover open roles on our website and apply today.

About Raytheon
Raytheon, an RTX business, is a leading provider of defense solutions to help the U.S. government, our allies and partners defend their national sovereignty and ensure their security. For more than 100 years, Raytheon has developed new technologies and enhanced existing capabilities in integrated air and missile defense, smart weapons, missiles, advanced sensors and radars, interceptors, space-based systems, hypersonics and missile defense across land, air, sea and space.

About RTX
With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. With industry-leading capabilities, we advance aviation, engineer integrated defense systems for operational success, and develop next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2025 sales of more than $88 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. 

SOURCE RTX