Ares Capital vykázala ve 2. čtvrtletí upravený zisk 0,47 USD na akcii beze změny a GAAP čistý zisk 0,24 USD na akcii, zatímco oznámila dividendu 0,48 USD na akcii.
3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks With Real Capital Gains Potential in 2026Ares Capital NASDAQ: ARCC reported second-quarter core earnings of $0.47 per share, unchanged from the prior quarter, while GAAP net income rose to $0.24 per share from $0.13 in the first quarter. Chief Executive Officer Kort Schnabel said the company’s core earnings represented an annualized return on equity of 9.7% and reflected healthy portfolio performance despite subdued market activity.
The business development company said its portfolio continued to show organic weighted-average last-12-month EBITDA growth of about 8%, in line with its 10-year average. Schnabel said interest coverage, leverage and revolving-credit-facility utilization among portfolio companies remained near historical averages, while borrowers maintained average equity cushions of more than 50% below Ares Capital’s investments.
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Portfolio and Credit Performance Maximize Your Returns: 3 Dividend Stocks With Yields Over 5%Ares Capital ended the quarter with investments totaling $29.7 billion at cost and a portfolio valued at $29.3 billion at fair value, down slightly from $29.5 billion in the first quarter. Chief Financial Officer Scott Lem attributed the change principally to mark-to-market valuation adjustments and net repayment activity.
Net asset value was $13.9 billion, or $19.35 per share, down $0.24 per share sequentially. Lem said the company has increased NAV per share by more than 30% since inception while paying stable dividends.
3 Dividend-Yielding Stocks Too Cheap to Pass UpNon-accrual investments represented 2.4% of the portfolio at cost and 1.4% at fair value at quarter-end. President Jim Miller said the cost-based non-accrual rate remained below the company’s approximately 3% historical average since the global financial crisis and below an approximately 4% historical average for the BDC industry over the same period.
Management expects industry credit conditions to continue normalizing toward longer-term averages, though it said performance differences among managers have widened. Schnabel said Ares Capital added four investments to non-accrual during the quarter, but the companies were in unrelated businesses and did not indicate a sector-specific trend.
In response to questions about challenged portfolio companies, Schnabel said the company’s preference is for sponsors to provide additional capital and work with lenders rather than for Ares Capital to take control of businesses. He said the company is prepared to take control when necessary and views that capability as a competitive advantage.
Origination Activity and Market Conditions Ares Capital originated $2.6 billion of new investment commitments during the quarter across 20 industries and 38 sub-industries. About 75% of transactions involved existing borrowers, which management said demonstrated the value of its incumbent borrower and sponsor relationships.
While overall market transaction activity remained muted, Schnabel said Ares reviewed more than 25% more transactions than in the prior quarter. June was one of the company’s strongest months for transactions reviewed in the past two years, and management said the increased activity continued into July.
Miller said new senior loan commitments during the quarter carried average spreads 20 basis points wider than in the fourth quarter of 2025, while average upfront fees were 50 basis points higher. He said market terms had improved, particularly in the upper middle market, where fewer lenders have the scale to compete for larger transactions.
Schnabel said Ares Capital’s closing ratio was moderately below its historical average of roughly 5%, reflecting continued selectivity amid lower-quality deal flow earlier in the quarter. Management said it has recently seen deal quality improve alongside rising transaction volume.
The company said it committed to a nearly $2 billion credit facility during the second quarter, initially providing the full commitment before reducing its position. Schnabel said the ability to underwrite commitments of that size can create opportunities for higher fees and economics.
Management also said interest-rate volatility can be more disruptive to deal activity than the absolute level of rates, because buyers and sellers face more difficulty modeling financing costs under a wide range of potential rate outcomes.
Software and AI Exposure Schnabel said Ares Capital’s software investments continued to produce organic EBITDA growth above the broader portfolio average during the second quarter. The company has one small software loan on non-accrual and said its software debt investments have loan-to-value ratios in the low 40% range.
The company reiterated that its independent review of software-oriented portfolio companies found limited overall AI-related risk. Less than 50 basis points of the portfolio’s fair value was attributed to software investments considered higher AI risk, while less than 4% was attributed to medium or higher AI risk investments. Management said companies classified as medium risk were performing in line with the overall portfolio.
Liquidity, Funding and Dividend Ares Capital reported debt-to-equity leverage, net of available cash, of 1.12 times at quarter-end, effectively unchanged from the first quarter. The company had about $6 billion of available liquidity after repaying $1 billion of unsecured notes in July, Lem said.
During the quarter, the company completed approximately $1.2 billion of additional financing, including $800 million of unsecured notes and about $370 million of incremental commitments across two secured revolving credit facilities. It also launched what management described as the BDC sector’s first commercial paper program, with up to $1 billion of capacity.
Lem said commercial paper could lower funding costs by roughly 50 to 100 basis points compared with the company’s average secured borrowings at current market levels. The company made its first issuance under the program after the quarter ended and expects to use a few hundred million dollars of capacity initially.
The company declared a regular third-quarter dividend of $0.48 per share, payable Sept. 30 to shareholders of record Sept. 15. Ares Capital has paid stable or increasing regular quarterly dividends for 68 consecutive quarters, according to Lem. The company estimated taxable income spillover available for future distributions at approximately $988 million, or $1.38 per share.
About Ares Capital (NASDAQ:ARCC)Ares Capital Corporation NASDAQ: ARCC is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that specializes in providing debt and equity financing solutions to U.S. middle-market companies. As a BDC, Ares Capital offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of tailored credit investments, including senior secured loans, unitranche financing, mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. The firm's flexible capital structures are designed to support companies seeking growth capital, refinancing or strategic acquisitions.
Through its credit platform, Ares Capital focuses on originations, underwriting and portfolio management across a range of industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors such as healthcare, technology, industrials and business services.
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Grayscale tvrdí, že HYPE je při valuaci 15x až 18x stále podhodnocený vůči akciím Circle a Coinbase. Institucionální prodejní tlak ale stlačil cenu pod 55 USD.
Hyperliquid’s HYPE slipped below $55 amid intense institutional selling pressure, but asset manager Grayscale thinks the altcoin is still grossly undervalued.
Drawing from traditional valuation metrics, earnings per share (EPS), Grayscale’s Head of Research Zach Pandl said a similar model, earnings per token (EPT), can apply to HYPE.
According to him, Hyperliquid could make $1B in revenue by the end of 2027. With a projected total HYPE circulation of 270-310 million, that would translate to $3.25-$3.75 or a valuation multiple of 15x to 18x, Pandl added,
At the current HYPE price of $54, a forward ‘earnings multiple’ for HYPE of roughly 15 to 18x, suggesting the token may be undervalued compared to fintech equities.
Source: Grayscale The aforementioned table showed that stocks tied to Circle, Coinbase, Robinhood, and others were trading at higher multiples relative to their generated revenue.
Assuming HYPE can eventually trade at 35x or 40x valuation multiples like Coinbase’s COIN or Robinhood’s HOOD would imply a price target of $113 to $150. Grayscale’s Pandl concluded that,
Despite the gains in Hyperliquid’s HYPE token this year, it still looks cheap compared to fintech equities.
But he noted that the projection could be invalidated if revenue falls below their expectations or token supply exceeds their forecast.
Hyperliquid: Will HYPE hold on to 2026 gains? HYPE nearly quadrupled in H1 2026, running from $20 to about $80 amid U.S Spot ETF demand and institutional FOMO. But it has given back some gains amid an institutional sell-off and FUD.
Notably, crypto VC firms Multicoin Capital and Selini Capital are booking their HYPE profits.
In particular, Multicoin Capital unstaked over 1M HYPE valued at $59M and deposited $4.78M on Coinbase Prime. Last week, the firm unstaked another $120M, further spooking the market with pending selling pressure.
Source: Arkham Selini Capital also deposited $26.8M HYPE on the OKX exchange on the 29th of July.
The U.S. spot HYPE ETFs have also bled $4.5M in July, marking the first negative month since their debut in May. Interestingly, despite the outflows, the HYPE ETFs’ performance was relatively stronger compared to other spot crypto ETFs.
That said, if Hyperliquid [HYPE] loses $55, the next potential floor price could be $48 and $45 (the 200-day moving average).
Source: HYPE/USDT, TradingView Separately, TradeXYZ, one of Hyperliquid’s dominant HIP-3 deployers, said it will compensate affected SK Hynix (SKHYNIX) traders after a price anomaly liquidated $57.4M in long positions.
The firm noted that the liquidations stemmed from an oracle price anomaly. For analysts, the move to compensate victims could reinforce trust in the deployer and Hyperliquid, too.
Final Summary Grayscale said that HYPE is undervalued at a 15x-18x valuation multiple compared to Circle and Coinbase stocks that are valued at above 30x. Institutional sell-off led by Multicoin Capital and U.S. spot ETFs continues to cut HYPE’s 2026 gains.
Southwest Airlines vykázala upravený EPS 94 centů, meziročně +118,6 %, a překonala odhad o 80,8 %. Provozní výnosy sice vzrostly na 8,43 miliardy USD, ale za odhadem o 1,7 % zaostaly.
Key Takeaways Southwest Airlines' adjusted EPS jumped 118.6% to 94 cents, beating the consensus estimate by 80.8%.LUV's operating margin rose 3.3 points to 6.7% as unit revenue gained 20.1% on nearly flat capacity.Southwest has $5.3 billion in liquidity, but fuel, Boeing dependence and higher costs cloud the rebound. Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV - Free Report) has a stronger investment case after a sharp earnings rebound and a major stock rally. Better revenue productivity, solid liquidity and shareholder returns support the recovery story.
The case is still balanced. Fuel exposure, Boeing-related execution risk and a valuation premium to the airline sub-industry limit how aggressively investors may want to chase the shares.
LUV’s Earnings Beat Strengthens the Bull CaseSouthwest Airlines reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 94 cents per share, up 118.6% year over year. The result was 80.8% above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents.
The earnings beat came despite a revenue miss. Operating revenues of $8.43 billion rose 16.4% but missed the consensus mark by 1.7%, showing that cost control and stronger unit economics were central to the quarter’s upside.
Southwest Airlines Restores Margin MomentumAdjusted operating income climbed 138.8% to $585 million. Adjusted operating margin expanded 3.3 percentage points to 6.7%, despite an $889 million year-over-year increase in fuel expense.
The improvement was not driven by broad volume growth. Capacity increased only 0.2%, while adjusted revenue per available seat mile jumped 20.1%, helped by higher fares, disciplined capacity, assigned and extra-legroom seating, bag fees and better revenue management.
LUV’s Valuation Sends Mixed SignalsLUV trades at 0.66X forward 12-month price-to-sales. That is above 0.53X for the Zacks airline sub-industry but below Southwest Airlines' five-year median of 0.88X.
That creates a split valuation picture. The stock may look inexpensive against its own history, but it does not offer a clear discount to direct industry benchmarks. Delta Air Lines (DAL - Free Report) and American Airlines Group (AAL - Free Report) remain relevant peers for investors comparing airline demand, pricing and cost exposure; Delta Air Lines operates a global network serving more than 290 destinations, while American Airlines' investor relations site provides financial information for stockholders and analysts.
Southwest Airlines Has Moderate Target UpsideSouthwest Airlines' $55 price target compares with a reported share price of $46.31. The target still implies upside, but the stock has already gained 12.1% year to date and 50.8% over the trailing 12 months.
After that move, execution matters more. Further appreciation likely depends on whether Southwest Airlines can sustain unit-revenue gains while managing fuel, retrofit costs and fleet-delivery risk.
LUV’s Liquidity Supports the TurnaroundSouthwest Airlines ended the second quarter with $5.3 billion of liquidity, including $3.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents. Gross leverage was 2.1 times, and first-half operating cash flow reached nearly $2 billion.
Capital allocation also supports flexibility. The company paid $181 million in dividends in the first half of 2026 and repurchased $1.25 billion of common stock in the first quarter, while management expects 2026 net capital spending near the low end of, or below, the prior $3.0-$3.5 billion range.
Southwest Airlines’ Rating Case Needs ConfirmationThe bottom line: Southwest Airlines has improved its earnings profile, but investors still need confirmation that the rebound can withstand fuel volatility, higher nonfuel costs and Boeing-related execution challenges.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Its Value Score of A, Growth Score of A, Momentum Score of B and VGM Score of A indicate favorable estimate and style characteristics, but the remaining risk factors argue for selectivity rather than an unconditional chase after the rally.
Corteva čeká, že výnosy z nových produktů v oblasti Crop Protection se v roce 2026 přiblíží 2 miliardám USD. Firma zároveň míří na uvedení hybridní pšenice v roce 2027 a na rozdělení Seed a Crop Protection ve 4. čtvrtletí 2026.
Key Takeaways Corteva expects new Crop Protection product revenues to approach $2 billion in 2026.CTVA targets a 2027 hybrid wheat launch, representing a $1 billion long-term opportunity.Corteva plans to separate Seed and Crop Protection in fourth-quarter 2026. Corteva, Inc. (CTVA - Free Report) is moving deeper into technology-led agriculture as farmers seek products that can lift yield and manage pest pressure in tighter farm-margin conditions.
Its pipeline, improving seed royalty position and planned separation suggest a business mix that may look more focused over the next few years.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Corteva’s New Products Are Reshaping Crop ProtectionCrop Protection remains under pricing pressure, but Corteva’s newer products are becoming a larger offset. Management expects revenues from new Crop Protection products to approach $2 billion in 2026, giving the segment a stronger base of differentiated sales.
Arylex and Rinskor are still below peak sales, leaving room for further adoption. Corteva also expects to introduce at least seven new active ingredients over the next decade, while biologicals and its first biocontrol product add another layer to the portfolio. Bayer AG (BAYRY - Free Report) is a relevant comparison because investors often evaluate seed traits and crop chemistry pipelines against large global crop-science platforms.
CTVA Seed Innovation Extends Beyond the Current CycleCorteva’s Seed pipeline extends the technology story beyond the current planting season. Proprietary hybrid wheat is targeted for launch in 2027 and represents an estimated $1 billion long-term opportunity.
The longer-duration pipeline also includes next-generation above-ground and below-ground traits targeted for 2030 and 2030-2031. These platforms could help the Seed business stay tied to technology adoption rather than only acreage trends. BASF SE (BASFY - Free Report) gives investors another reference point for agricultural innovation where crop protection, seed-related technologies and farmer productivity intersect.
Corteva’s Royalty Shift Improves Seed EconomicsThe Seed business is expected to become royalty positive in 2026, ahead of management’s earlier royalty-neutral target. That shift matters because it can reduce the drag from in-licensed traits and create a more favorable earnings mix.
In the first quarter of 2026, Seed benefited from a roughly $30 million reduction in net royalty expense. Management also pointed to more than 100 independent seed company licensees for PowerCore Enlist corn and Enlist E3 soybeans. Out-licensing, including the Bayer agreement expected to generate roughly $1 billion of incremental revenues over the next decade, adds another margin lever.
CTVA’s Separation Could Sharpen Strategic FocusCorteva remains on track to separate its Seed and Crop Protection operations in the fourth quarter of 2026. The future advanced seed and genetics company will be named Vylor, while the Crop Protection company will retain the Corteva name.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
A standalone structure could make each business easier to evaluate. Vylor would center on germplasm, traits, gene editing, licensing and hybrid wheat, while the Crop Protection company would focus on differentiated chemistry, biologicals and product-cycle execution. Still, one-time separation expenses are expected to total roughly $350 million, and $50 million of net dis-synergies is included in the 2026 outlook.
Corteva’s Momentum Score Leads a Mixed Style ProfileCorteva’s innovation pipeline gives investors several technology-driven catalysts to watch, but execution will determine how much of that opportunity flows into returns. The company is also balancing Crop Protection pricing pressure, higher selling expenses and separation-related costs.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). That rank points to a favorable near-term earnings estimate backdrop, while the Momentum Score of A reflects strong share-price behavior and timing characteristics. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The rest of the Style Score profile is less supportive. Corteva has a Value Score of D, Growth Score of D and VGM Score of D, suggesting that valuation and growth characteristics are not yet as attractive as momentum. For investors, that mix argues for watching whether the pipeline, royalty gains and separation can support durable earnings quality at the current valuation.
Key Takeaways Corteva's two businesses offer investors distinct growth, margin and risk drivers.Seed organic sales rose 9%, EBITDA climbed 23% and margin expanded about 310 basis points.Crop Protection volumes rose 6% as cost savings helped lift total operating EBITDA 21%. Corteva, Inc. (CTVA - Free Report) gives investors exposure to two agriculture technology businesses with different earnings drivers. Seed accounts for 56.9% of total company net sales, while Crop Protection contributes 43.1%.
That balance matters as the company moves toward a planned fourth-quarter 2026 separation. The split could lead investors to value each business on its own growth, margin and risk profile.
Corteva’s Two Engines Support a Balanced Growth StorySeed and Crop Protection address separate farmer needs. Seed focuses on germplasm and traits that support yield potential and resistance to weather, disease, pests and herbicides. Crop Protection supplies products that protect crops from weeds, insects, other pests and disease.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Both segments are tied to the same farm economy. Crop acreage, commodity prices, farmer income, weather, seasonal planting patterns, currency moves and regional input demand all influence results. The mix can provide resilience when one business faces weaker pricing or seasonal pressure.
That context matters for peers, too. Bayer AG (BAYRY - Free Report) competes across seed, crop protection and digital farming, making it a useful comparison for integrated agriculture technology exposure. FMC Corporation (FMC - Free Report) , with its crop protection focus, offers a cleaner read on chemical demand and pricing conditions.
CTVA Seed Pricing Strengthens Revenue QualityCorteva’s Seed business delivered 9% organic sales growth in the first quarter of 2026. Price and product mix improved 3%, with gains across all regions, reflecting demand for differentiated technologies and value-based pricing.
This is not simply an acreage story. Brevant retail brand growth, licensing momentum, productivity savings and lower royalty costs are improving revenue quality. Seed operating EBITDA increased 23%, and segment margin expanded about 310 basis points.
Royalty economics are becoming a clearer earnings lever. Corteva recorded a roughly $30 million reduction in net royalty expense in the quarter and now expects Seed to become royalty positive in 2026, ahead of its earlier royalty-neutral target.
Corteva’s Crop Protection Volumes Offset Price PressureCrop Protection showed a different pattern. First-quarter revenues rose 10%, while organic sales increased 4%. Volumes improved 6%, with gains in every region, supported by demand for new products and spinosyn insecticides.
Pricing remains the offset. Segment price declined 2%, mainly due to competitive market dynamics in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Management expects low-single-digit Crop Protection pricing pressure to continue through 2026.
The volume picture still supports the segment’s role in Corteva’s portfolio. Herbicide sales increased 19%, insecticide revenues rose 12% and fungicide sales improved 10% in the quarter. Sustained margin improvement will still depend on mix, productivity and cost control.
CTVA's Cost Savings Expand the Earnings RunwayCorteva’s cost actions are extending the earnings runway beyond volume recovery. Operating EBITDA increased 21% year over year to $1.44 billion in the first quarter, while operating EBITDA margin expanded about 240 basis points to more than 29%.
The company generated roughly $70 million of combined productivity and input-cost benefits across Seed and Crop Protection. Lower Seed royalty costs added another tailwind, helping offset higher selling, general and administrative expenses.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Management reaffirmed its 2026 operating EBITDA outlook of $4.0 billion to $4.2 billion, representing growth of about 7% at the midpoint. The company is also running ahead of its prior three-year, $1 billion cost-reduction plan.
Corteva’s Buy Signal Meets Mixed Style ScoresThe bottom line is that Corteva’s two-engine model gives investors both technology-led Seed growth and Crop Protection volume leverage. The planned separation may sharpen that view by allowing the market to evaluate Vylor and the future Corteva separately.
CTVA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which points to favorable near-term earnings estimate trends. That is a constructive signal for investors who rely on earnings estimate revisions over the next one to three months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Style Scores are more mixed. CTVA has a Value Score of D, Growth Score of D and VGM Score of D, suggesting the stock does not screen well across those factors. Its Momentum Score of A aligns with recent outperformance, but the weaker Value, Growth and VGM scores argue for a balanced view.
Uber investuje do Rivianu až 1,2 mld. USD do roku 2031 a plánuje koupit 10 000 vozů R2 s právem dokoupit až 40 000 dalších pro robotaxi. Nasazení má začít v Miami a San Franciscu v roce 2028.
In the new frontier of robotaxis, Uber Technologies (UBER +0.21%) decided that its best strategy is not to build them. Instead, it will rely on other companies, like Rivian Automotive (RIVN -1.41%), to produce its fleet. In the long run, this can benefit Uber, as it already has the software and branding to easily integrate robotaxis into its transportation ecosystem.
But this can also benefit Rivian, making it a potentially sneaky robotaxi winner. Here's why.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Details of the deal In March, Uber announced it would invest up to $1.2 billion in Rivian through 2031, contingent on Rivian meeting certain milestones. Uber or its fleet partners will also purchase 10,000 of Rivian's R2 robotaxis, with the right to purchase up to 40,000 more by 2030, bringing potential total purchases to 50,000 vehicles. The plan is to roll out the R2 vehicles in Miami and San Francisco in 2028 and eventually be in 25 cities by 2031.
Beyond the Uber agreement There's a lot for Rivian to like about Uber's deal, as it could serve as a high-stakes test of its autonomous vehicle technology in a market that will only become more valuable. By 2035, the global robotaxi market is expected to reach $415 billion, according to research from Goldman Sachs Group.
If the deal with Uber is successful, it would lend credibility to Rivian's abilities to produce robotaxis, helping to expand its revenue-generating potential. Areas of opportunity would be wide open, including everything from rental cars to delivery vehicles.
Speaking of delivery vehicles, as a fun fact, Amazon, which owns over 158 million shares of Rivian as of March 31, ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian in 2019. This is just hypothetical, but in the not-too-distant future, it's not difficult to imagine a scenario in which Amazon could order autonomous delivery vans from a company like Rivian and have robots ride in them to deliver packages.
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The challenges ahead As much as there is to like about Rivian's upside potential, there are also risks. Rivian is not a profitable company, reporting net losses of $3.6 billion in 2025 and $4.7 billion in 2024. Relatively speaking, it simply doesn't produce many vehicles and needs to increase its scalability to eventually reach profitability. As an example, Rivian expects to deliver up to 70,000 vehicles for all of 2026, while competitor Tesla delivered over 480,000 vehicles in just the second quarter of 2026.
The good news for anyone considering an investment in Rivian is that scaling is underway, with a plant under construction in Georgia that's expected to start producing vehicles in 2028.
With all that in mind, an investment in Rivian is about what it could do in the future, including executing its plan to build a robotaxi fleet for Uber. That can unlock more opportunities, but it requires precise execution from the management team with little room for error.
For those with a higher risk appetite, Rivian could be a small, speculative position in a portfolio. For a less risky investment in the robotaxi space, I would consider Uber, as it's profitableand comes with a fuller transportation ecosystem that is shaping up to include everything from robotaxis to air taxis.
Medifast čeká na výsledky za 2. fiskální čtvrtletí 2026, přičemž výnosy mají podle odhadu klesnout na 78,4 milionu USD a EPS má zůstat na ztrátě 67 centů. Firma dál čelí tlaku léků GLP-1 a slabší sítě coachů.
Key Takeaways Medifast likely continued to face pressure from GLP-1 adoption and fewer active earning coaches.MED's lower sales volumes may have continued to weigh on gross profit and margin performance.MED is likely to benefit from stronger coach productivity and ongoing cost structure improvements. As Medifast, Inc. (MED - Free Report) prepares to unveil its second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 03, after market close, investors are eager to see if the company can beat market expectations.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $78.4 million, implying a 25.8% decline from the prior year. Meanwhile, the consensus mark for earnings has moved from a loss of 68 cents to a loss of 67 cents per share in the past seven days. This indicates a substantial decline from the year-ago period’s earnings of 4 cents. MED has a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 635.6%, on average.
Key Factors to Note for MED's Q2 EarningsMedifast likely continued to face headwinds from the rapid adoption of GLP-1 medications, which have been reshaping the traditional weight-loss market. The company has previously indicated that this shift is reducing demand for conventional weight management programs, placing continued pressure on coach participation and overall business performance. These industry dynamics are likely to have remained a meaningful headwind during the to-be-reported quarter.
The decline in the number of active earning coaches might have created pressure on revenue trends. The company has previously attributed weaker sales performance to the contraction in its coach network, and this trend is likely to have continued to weigh on overall business performance in the second quarter.
Profitability also likely remained challenged as softer sales volumes continued to pressure gross profit and margins. Management had previously noted that lower revenue reduced the company's ability to leverage fixed costs efficiently, resulting in margin compression. These factors might have continued to weigh on earnings performance during the quarter.
However, Medifast is also likely to have benefited from continued improvements in coach productivity. Management had previously highlighted that this key leading indicator of future growth had reached its highest level in many years and was expected to maintain positive momentum. In addition, the company's ongoing cost structure realignment likely supported operating performance by improving efficiency, generating cost savings and preserving profitability, while allowing continued investment in long-term growth initiatives. These efforts might have helped mitigate some pressure from the challenging operating environment.
What the Zacks Model Says About MEDOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for MED this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is the case here.
MED has an Earnings ESP of +2.26% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Other Stocks With Favorable CombinationHere are three other companies you may also want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season:
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.08% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings per share is pegged at 53 cents, implying a 23.2% year-over-year decline. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $6.2 billion, which indicates a decrease of 3% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. KHC has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.2%, on average.
US Foods Holding Corp. (USFD - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.10% and a Zacks Rank of 2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings per share is pegged at $1.37, implying a 15.1% year-over-year decline.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $10.5 billion, which indicates growth of 3.8% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. USFD has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.4%, on average.
Sysco Corporation (SYY - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.56% and a Zacks Rank of 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings per share is pegged at $1.51, implying a 2% year-over-year increase.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $21.9 billion, which indicates an increase of 3.7% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. SYY has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.1%, on average.
Vanguard přikoupil 269 200 akcií Strive Asset Management a zvýšil tak expozici vůči společnostem navázaným na Bitcoin. Celkově drží 1,98 milionu akcií v hodnotě zhruba 23,7 milionu USD.
Vanguard, one of the world’s leading investment management firms, has increased its exposure to Bitcoin-related equities through a significant addition to its holdings in Strive Asset Management. The move highlights a broader trend of institutional interest in companies with ties to Bitcoin.
Vanguard boosts Strive Asset Management stakeVanguard’s Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) acquired an additional 269,200 shares of Strive Asset Management, bringing its total investment to approximately $3.2 million. With this purchase, the fund’s overall holdings in Strive now reach 1.98 million shares, with a combined market value of roughly $23.7 million.
Strive Asset Management primarily focuses on corporate engagement and investment strategies that include exposure to Bitcoin treasury holdings. The company has drawn increased attention from institutional investors seeking access to digital asset markets through equity positions.
Mini dictionary: Strive Asset Management, a US-based asset management firm that advocates shareholder-driven stewardship and has gained attention for investing in companies with significant Bitcoin holdings.
Data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET showed the increased activity, reflecting a pattern seen among several major asset managers as they seek to diversify portfolios with crypto-linked assets.
Vanguard Holdings in StriveShares AddedTotal SharesEstimated ValueJuly 2026269,2001.98 million$23.7 millionInstitutional adoption gathers paceJoe Burnett, Director of Market Research at The Bitcoin Way, commented on social media that the growing integration of Bitcoin into mainstream markets is increasingly occurring through passive investment channels like index funds and ETFs.
A growing portion of global capital is passive, simply tracking returns and mirroring market allocations. The world is starting to own Bitcoin, sometimes without even realizing it.
This trend, Burnett explained, suggests that many mainstream investors are gradually becoming exposed to Bitcoin-related assets as part of diversified fund portfolios, rather than through direct purchases of cryptocurrencies.
Evolving stance at VanguardIn early 2024, Vanguard held a cautious approach to cryptocurrency. The firm, under then-CEO Tim Buckley, declined to offer spot Bitcoin ETFs to its brokerage clients. This policy shifted after the appointment of Salim Ramji as CEO. Ramji, a former BlackRock executive with experience overseeing the launch of BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), brought a more receptive attitude towards digital assets.
By late 2025, Vanguard reversed a key policy and lifted its restriction on digital asset ETFs, although it maintained that it would not launch proprietary crypto products. The company continued increasing stakes in companies with substantial Bitcoin treasury reserves, such as Strive Asset Management, building on earlier disclosures from April regarding its growing shareholdings.
Vanguard drew further industry attention in July by advertising for a newly created position: Head of Digital Assets for Personal Wealth. The role signals expanded ambitions in digital asset management and direct engagement with evolving investor demand for cryptocurrencies within traditional finance platforms.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Generální ředitel Grayscale Peter Mintzberg podal oznámení o prodeji 2 611 akcií XRP ETF GXRP. Tahle zpráva přichází ve chvíli, kdy podíly fondu výrazně klesají a může to ukazovat na slabší poptávku.
Grayscale, the crypto asset manager overseeing more than $35 billion in assets under management (AUM), has disclosed that CEO Peter Mintzberg plans to sell 2,611 shares of the company’s XRP ETF.
The filing comes as XRP trades near $1.09, raising questions about investor demand and the ETF’s weaker position in the market.
Grayscale CEO Peter Mintzberg filed a Form 144 notice with the SEC to sell 2,611 shares of the Grayscale XRP Trust ETF, trading under the ticker GXRP. Based on the filing value of about $53,395, the shares are worth roughly $20.45 each.
Mintzberg acquired the shares on Oct. 3, 2024, through a private purchase from the trust, well before GXRP became a listed spot XRP ETF.
The proposed sale would be handled on NYSE Arca through Cantor Fitzgerald.
Meanwhile, Mintzberg is also not the first Grayscale insider to reduce exposure to GXRP. Digital Currency Group founder Barry Silbert and Grayscale Chief Legal Officer Craig Salm filed notices to sell their pre-listing GXRP shares in January 2026, when the ETF was trading near $37.
While Mintzberg’s proposed sale is small, the wider movement in GXRP shares is more important for investors.
Regulatory filings from January showed GXRP had approximately 5.79 million shares outstanding. However, more recent filings indicate that figure has declined significantly.
Since ETF share redemptions typically require the fund to sell its underlying XRP holdings and reduce the number of outstanding shares, the drop may reflect weakening investor demand.
At the same time, GXRP is facing growing competition from newly launched U.S. spot XRP ETFs. While the broader XRP ETF market has grown to more than $971 million in net assets, Grayscale now holds only about 6% of the market, according to the Soso value data.
Even so, investor interest in XRP remains strong overall, with cumulative inflows across U.S. XRP ETFs surpassing $1.5 billion.
XRP Price Faces Key $1.12 ResistanceDespite the filing news, XRP price continues to rise 2.57% in 24 hours to around $1.09.
However, the technical picture remains cautious. XRP is trading below its 30-day and 200-day moving averages, while RSI sits near 40 and MACD is close to a bearish crossover.
A daily close above $1.12 could strengthen the recovery and put $1.50 back in focus. If XRP fails to break higher, continued ETF redemptions and weaker momentum could keep the token under pressure.
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The XRP Ledger has also implemented the fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment, which is another significant update in the network. The amendment received 85.71% validator consensus with 30 out of 35 trusted validators voting in favor of the amendment, with 5 validators opposing the proposal.
XRP Ledger Fix Amendment Is Live Now XRPScan data indicates that the amendment has now been activated, with XRPL version 3.2.0 as the minimum version needed to be compatible with the mainnet.
The update has an immediate impact on operators using software versions prior to that. XRPScan said, “The fixCleanup3_2_0 amendment is now active. With this, all nodes running version 3.1.0 and below are amendment blocked until they upgrade to 3.2.0. Please take action to ensure service continuity.”
The latest release is also very well received in the network data. There are currently 103 validators running version 3.2.0, that is 68.67% of all validators, and 543 nodes running version 3.2.0, 64.26% of all nodes. In comparison, version 3.1.3 is still used by 37 validators (24.67%) and 268 nodes (31.72%) meaning a lot of operators have already upgraded, and some are still upgrading.
fix amendment for the XRP Ledger just went live, now XRPL 3.2.0 is the new min version for main net.
the XRP Ledger just got better in a flip of the switch moment. pic.twitter.com/Vugr2Xq4PT
— Vet (@Vet_X0) July 29, 2026
The milestone was also noted by an XRPL dUNL validator Vet, who posted: “fix amendment for the XRP Ledger just went live, now XRPL 3.2.0 is the new min version for main net.” The validator added, “the XRP Ledger just got better in a flip of the switch moment.”
The alert comes after a previous warning issued by XRPL contributor Vet who wrote, “all nodes running XRPL versions below 3.2.0 will experience service interruptions.” Those nodes that have not been upgraded will not be able to continue to be compatible with the network following the amendment.
What Has Changed With The Update? It includes several bug fixes and enhancements to the infrastructure and developers. It also brings in the biggest protocol change in the release, XLS-0095. The XRP Ledger’s server software officially changes its name from rippled to xrpld as part of that change. The migration started on the 15th of June and changes to configuration paths, deployment scripts, metadata references and database directories for node operators.
The fixCleanup3_2_0 patch introduces correction of rounding and accuracy problems detected in the Single Asset Vaults and Lending Protocol on XRP Ledger. It also addresses some bugs in the Permissioned DEX and Permissioned Domains, which enhances the existing functionality without adding any new network features.
Aviva Investors spustila na XRP Ledger svůj první tokenizovaný fond ve spolupráci s Ripple. Jde o tokenizovanou třídu USD Liquidity Fund, schválenou i centrální bankou Irska.
U.K. asset manager Aviva Investors has announced the launch of its first tokenized fund in partnership with crypto firm Ripple. This follows the partnership that both firms struck earlier this year to advance tokenization on the XRP Ledger (XRPL)
Aviva Investors Tokenizes USD Fund On XRP Ledger In a press release, the asset manager announced the successful launch of a tokenized share class of its USD Liquidity Fund on the XRP Ledger. “This marks the first tokenisation of an Aviva Investors fund, and follows the announcement of the partnership between the firm and Ripple early in the year,” the release read.
As CoinGape reported, Ripple partnered with Aviva Investors earlier this year to advance tokenization on the XRP Ledger. This is notably Ripple’s first partnership with a European investment firm to tokenize real-world assets (RWA) at scale.
Aviva Investors revealed that crypto custodian Komainu and digital platform company Licuido both supported the launch of the tokenized share class. Meanwhile, the asset manager also received approval from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) for the launch of this tokenized fund.
Coincidentally, the launch of this tokenized fund comes as the Ripple-backed XRP Ledger fix amendment goes live. The network’s developers have continued to push upgrades in a bid to boost the network’s institutional adoption.
How The Fund Works Aviva Investors noted that the fund targets low-risk returns and daily liquidity by offering investors exposure to high-grade US dollar-denominated short-term debt instruments. The asset manager further mentioned that the new share class will be available to eligible investors with digital wallets.
Meanwhile, BNY Mellon, the fund’s custodian, will be responsible for holding the assets for these tokenized shares. “The structure has been designed to operate within existing regulatory frameworks, providing a scalable foundation for future innovation in fund distribution and market infrastructure,” the asset manager added.
The XRP Ledger continues to see increased activity in terms of tokenization. RWA.xyz data shows that the total tokenized value on the network currently stands at just over $4.3 billion. The RWA holders on the network are notably up over 17% in the last month.
For more on tokenization, please check out our page on Best Platforms to Trade Tokenized Stocks
Ethereum Foundation jmenovala bezpečnostního výzkumníka pcaversaccio do své rady na počáteční jednoleté dobrovolné období. Přichází po restrukturalizaci, která zrušila 54 míst a snížila rozpočet o zhruba 40 %.
29 July 2026 | 18:43 The Ethereum Foundation has added security researcher pcaversaccio, known across the ecosystem as "pc," to its board for an initial one-year voluntary term. He joins President Aya Miyaguchi, co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Swiss counsel Patrick Storchenegger.
Key Takeaways His SEAL 911 work gives the board direct experience of active hacks and exploits. The appointment follows a restructuring that cut 54 positions and reorganized the EF around five domains. The board sets values and oversees management; it does not decide protocol upgrades. The Ethereum Foundation has added security researcher pcaversaccio, known across the ecosystem as “pc,” to its board for an initial one-year voluntary term. He joins President Aya Miyaguchi, co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Swiss counsel Patrick Storchenegger.
The appointment lands just over a month after the largest internal reorganization in the Foundation’s history, which makes the choice of person worth reading closely. A smaller EF has put someone from the incident-response side of Ethereum inside the group that oversees its direction.
He Was Already Advising the Foundation Pc sits on the Silviculture Society, an unpaid advisory group that gives confidential guidance to EF leadership on censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security. He also contributed feedback to the EF Mandate, the document published in March defining the Foundation’s mission and decision-making principles.
Moving him from that channel onto the board formalizes a relationship that was already shaping how the organization describes its purpose.
What He Brings From Outside Governance Pc co-founded and helps lead SEAL 911, a free emergency response service connecting projects and users facing live security incidents with vetted researchers. Security Alliance reports more than 3,300 cases handled, over 125 emergency response rooms coordinated and more than $180 million in assets recovered.
That is a specific kind of experience: compromised keys, exploited contracts, stolen funds, and the coordination problem of responding while an attack is still running.
The clearest value he adds is calibration. Boards weighing privacy or censorship-resistance trade-offs usually do so in the abstract, months before any consequence lands on a user. Someone who has coordinated live incident response has watched which theoretical safeguards hold when a protocol is under attack and which collapse on contact. That is a different class of input from what a foundation board normally receives.
His writing covers the same ground from the other direction. The Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto argues that privacy, security and censorship resistance belong at Ethereum’s foundation rather than arriving as features bolted on after commercial adoption. Ethereum Privacy: The Road to Self-Sovereignty sets out a direction for stronger transaction privacy, encrypted mempools and resistance to blockchain surveillance.
Both are personal frameworks rather than adopted roadmaps, and together they indicate the perspective arriving at the board table: Ethereum should serve institutions and ordinary users while keeping the properties that stop any company, government or intermediary from controlling it.
The Foundation He Is Joining Is Smaller On June 23, the Foundation completed a months-long restructuring that removed 54 employees, roughly 20% of its workforce. The remaining work was organized into five domains covering the protocol, access, users, community and institutions, each with a narrower remit than before.
The financial reset ran deeper. As Coindoo examined in its analysis of Ethereum’s leaner Foundation model, the 2026 budget fell by roughly 40% as the EF moved toward endowment-style spending designed to preserve resources for decades.
The Foundation drew no explicit connection between the two events, though the protocol cluster’s mandate reads like a description of pc’s own writing: censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy and security as non-negotiable guarantees. The EF was explicit that the group exists for something other than making Ethereum more marketable or turning it into a financial rail run by intermediaries.
One of the five domains is dedicated to institutions, so this is a matter of sequencing rather than opposition. Commercial growth sits inside the structure; the appointment signals where the limits are drawn.
What a Board Seat Actually Controls The Foundation describes its board as a security council: it protects the organization’s values, sets long-term vision and checks that management decisions align with both. It can appoint or remove executive directors.
Its reach stops there. Ethereum’s upgrades are decided through client teams and the wider developer process, none of which the board directs. Daily strategy and operations belong to management.
The voluntary, one-year terms sit alongside that limited scope. Pc joins an oversight body instead of running an operational cluster, and the EF gets a defined review point, though it has said nothing about renewal.
So the appointment changes no budget line and no roadmap item on its own. Its effect shows up later, in how a smaller Foundation allocates what it has left: which security and privacy work gets funded, whether the institutional domain preserves permissionless access, and how firmly the board holds management to the Mandate when those pull against each other.
Why This Appointment, Now After a 20% workforce reduction and a 40% budget cut, an organizational chart only goes so far. What a Foundation in that position needs is a board willing to push back when efficiency, adoption or institutional pressure starts eroding the values it says it exists to protect.
Pcaversaccio arrives from the place those values get tested hardest: live attacks, real assets, users losing money in real time. Whether that changes anything depends on decisions the EF has yet to make.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Statements about the appointment’s likely effects are analytical conclusions rather than Foundation policy. Methodology: The analysis uses the Ethereum Foundation’s own announcements on its board, restructuring and mandate, Security Alliance’s published SEAL 911 figures, pcaversaccio’s public writing and Coindoo’s earlier coverage of the Foundation’s budget reset. Author
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
Ethereum Institutional dokončila první kolo financování a získala podporu od více než 100 organizací a osobností z ekosystému. Peníze mají urychlit institucionální adopci Etherea.
Ethereum Institutional has announced the completion of its inaugural ecosystem funding round, securing support from more than 100 organizations and prominent industry figures to accelerate institutional adoption of Ethereum.
The fundraising effort is backed by BitMine, SharpLink, Ethereum co-founders Joe Lubin and Mihai Alisie, as well as a wider network of crypto-focused institutions and ecosystem participants. The organization did not reveal the size of the round.
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The initiative aims to convert years of institutional engagement into greater adoption of Ethereum-based financial infrastructure, with a focus on tokenized assets, stablecoins, collateral systems and onchain market infrastructure.
Its supporter coalition includes major names across the Ethereum ecosystem such as 21Shares, Anchorage Digital, Arbitrum, Circle, Consensys, Fireblocks, Galaxy, Ledger, MetaMask, Robinhood, Securitize, Uniswap Labs and zkSync, alongside dozens of other projects and contributors.
Ethereum Institutional said it will now expand outreach to traditional financial institutions, including banks, asset managers, custodians, market infrastructure providers and sovereign entities evaluating blockchain adoption.
The organization also plans to increase investment in institutional education, market intelligence, ecosystem promotion and collaborative initiatives involving layer 2 networks, application developers and infrastructure providers.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Ethereum just posted 18.7 million transactions in a single week, the highest figure the network has ever recorded. At the same time, the median cost of a transaction fell to $0.008, an all-time low. For context, that’s less than a penny per transaction on the world’s largest smart contract platform.
What’s driving the surge The record-setting week didn’t come out of nowhere. Ethereum’s daily transaction peaks approached 2.9 million back in January 2026, and the network processed over 200 million transactions in Q1 2026 alone.
The fee collapse traces back to network upgrades activated in 2025. The Pectra and Fusaka upgrades were specifically designed to improve layer-1 scalability and reduce transaction costs.
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Stablecoin usage and staking participation have been identified as key drivers of the activity boom.
Token Terminal flagged the milestone figures, and Blockworks had previously reported comparable weekly highs of roughly 18.66 million transactions earlier in 2026. Multiple analytics platforms have confirmed the trend of elevated transaction volumes compared to previous years.
The price paradox Despite all this record-breaking activity, ETH has been trading below $2,400 as of April 2026.
Much of the economic activity happening on Ethereum isn’t directly benefiting ETH’s price. A significant portion of transactions are migrating to layer-2 solutions, which settle on Ethereum but don’t generate the same fee revenue for the base layer.
Stablecoins are among the most-used assets on the network, but their growth doesn’t automatically translate into demand for ETH itself. Users can transact heavily in USDC or USDT without ever needing to hold meaningful amounts of the native token.
The ultra-low fees compound this problem. When median transaction costs are less than a penny, the network burns very little ETH through its fee mechanism. Ethereum’s EIP-1559 burn mechanism, which was supposed to make ETH deflationary during periods of high usage, becomes far less potent when each transaction costs $0.008.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Cardano slaví 6 let od upgradu Shelley, který přinesl staking, stake pooly a decentralizovanou produkci bloků. Síť dnes uvádí 439 epoch, 9,25 milionu bloků a 190 milionů slotů.
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The Cardano community is marking 6 years since the historic Shelley upgrade that brought staking to the network.
Shelley is the successor to the Byron era, in which the Cardano mainnet was launched in September 2017 along with the ADA cryptocurrency. The Shelley era comprised the critical initial steps in Cardano's journey to optimize decentralization.
The Cardano community X account shared this milestone in a recent post, highlighting key statistics that define the network and the features introduced by the Shelley upgrade.
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"Byron hard forked into Shelley. Stake pools, decentralised block production and staking rewards became a thing. The chain hasn't stopped since," the Cardano community X account wrote.
6 years ago today:
439 epochs
9.25M blocks
190M slots
Byron hard forked into Shelley. Stake pools, decentralised block production and staking rewards became a thing.
The chain hasn't stopped since. https://t.co/VYnjq2c4pC
— Cardano Community (@Cardano) July 29, 2026 Cardano started as a federated network with just a few nodes. Early 2020 saw the Byron reboot pave the way for decentralization, with a new node implementation built from scratch within a modular design to support future upgrades.
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The Shelley upgrade in July 2020 then introduced stake pools and delegation. The Shelley development theme introduced a decentralized ledger, which created a new economic system.
In Q1 2021, the stake pool operator (SPO) community began producing 100% of new blocks. Currently, there are 2,882 pools with 21.56 billion ADA in live stake, according to data from Cexplorer.
Cardano eyes biggest scaling upgradeFast forward six years, and Cardano is eyeing its biggest scaling upgrade: Ouroboros Leios, which has launched on a public testnet named the Musashi Dojo.
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Ouroboros Leios runs through five phases named after chapters of Musashi's Book of Five Rings: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void, moving from basic protocol validation through adversarial testing to final mainnet preparation.
Input Output targets an initial five to twenty times increase in Cardano's base layer throughput capacity through Ouroboros Leios, with a mainnet hard fork planned for later in 2026.
The Van Rossem hard fork, which went live this July, lays the foundation for the Dijkstra era hard fork, which will introduce Ouroboros Leios to Cardano.
Ontology MainNet se chystá na upgrade v3.1.2 při bloku 20 800 000. Do Ontology EVM přidá čtyři Ethereum opkódy: PUSH0, BASEFEE, MCOPY a transient storage.
The next Ontology MainNet upgrade, to v3.1.2, is scheduled for block height 20,800,000. The release focuses on security optimisations and brings four widely adopted Ethereum Improvement Proposals to the Ontology EVM: PUSH0, BASEFEE, MCOPY, and transient storage. For builders, the practical result is smaller contracts, cheaper temporary state, and less friction when porting existing Ethereum code across. For node operators, it means one job: upgrade to v3.1.2 before block height 20,800,000 is reached.
Why opcode parity matters The Ethereum opcode set is not static. It has expanded steadily through successive network upgrades: BASEFEE arrived with London in August 2021, PUSH0 with Shanghai in April 2023, and both MCOPY and transient storage with Cancun-Deneb in March 2024 (Ethereum upgrade history).
Compiler defaults moved with them. Solidity now targets a recent EVM version by default, which means a team compiling a contract today with no special flags produces bytecode that assumes these instructions exist. An EVM chain that has not adopted them forces developers into a workaround: pin an older target EVM version, accept larger and more expensive bytecode, and maintain a separate build configuration for that chain alone.
That is a small tax, but it is paid on every deployment, and it accumulates. v3.1.2 removes it for the four instructions below.
What the Ontology MainNet upgrade includes PUSH0 (EIP-3855) PUSH0 places the value zero directly onto the stack. Before it existed, contracts pushed zero using PUSH1 0x00, which occupies two bytes of bytecode and costs 3 gas at runtime. PUSH0 occupies one byte and costs 2 gas.
The saving per instruction is small; the aggregate is not. The EIP notes that roughly 11.5 percent of all PUSH instructions executed on Ethereum MainNet push the value zero. Every one of those is a byte of contract size and a unit of gas, on a chain where deployment is charged per byte of code.
BASEFEE (EIP-3198) BASEFEE lets a contract read the current block’s base fee directly on-chain, at a cost of 2 gas. Previously a contract that needed to reason about network fee conditions had to be handed that value by an off-chain source, which introduces a trust assumption and a point of failure.
Reading it from the chain itself removes both. It is a prerequisite for gas-aware contract logic: dynamic bounties that scale with network conditions, fee-sensitive automation, and layer-2 constructions that need to verify fee data without relying on an oracle.
MCOPY (EIP-5656) MCOPY copies a region of memory in a single instruction, including where the source and destination regions overlap. Before it, copying memory meant a loop of loads and stores.
The efficiency gain is substantial. Copying 256 bytes cost at least 96 gas using the conventional approach; MCOPY does it for 27 gas. That matters most for the operations that move data around constantly: ABI encoding and decoding, string and byte-array handling, and cryptographic routines.
Transient storage, TSTORE and TLOAD (EIP-1153) Transient storage introduces a state area that behaves like storage but is discarded when the transaction ends. TSTORE writes to it and TLOAD reads from it, each at 100 gas.
The canonical use case is reentrancy protection. A reentrancy guard needs a flag that survives across calls within one transaction and is meaningless afterwards, which is exactly what transient storage provides. Implementing that with persistent storage means writing a value to disk-backed state and then clearing it again, with the gas refund mechanics that go with it. Transient storage makes the same pattern cheap and simple, and the same applies to any temporary state a transaction needs to carry: locks, accumulators, and intermediate values passed between calls.
What this changes for builders Contracts that already compile for Ethereum are closer to running unmodified on Ontology. Common libraries and tooling that assume these instructions no longer need chain-specific handling, and the bytecode a modern compiler emits is smaller than the bytecode it was previously forced to emit.
One practical note: v3.1.2 adds these four instructions specifically, not the complete opcode set of any single Ethereum upgrade. Set your target EVM version explicitly in your build configuration rather than relying on the compiler default, and test deployments against the upgraded network before committing to production.
Node operators: what you need to do Every Ontology MainNet upgrade depends on the node network moving with it. All Ontology node operators, including consensus nodes, candidate nodes, and sync nodes, should complete the upgrade to v3.1.2 as soon as possible, and before block height 20,800,000 is reached.
The release is available on GitHub: ontology v3.1.2.
Timely upgrades across the node network keep MainNet operating stably through the transition and ensure compatibility with the improvements above. Nodes that have not upgraded by the time the block height is reached will fall out of consensus with the rest of the network.
The infrastructure underneath Ontology’s strategy is built on verified human data: identity people own, data given with consent, and a record that holds up to scrutiny. That strategy asks people to contribute data and asks projects to verify it, which means it depends on a network where transactions are fast, inexpensive, and predictable enough that contributing is not a cost decision.
That is what a release like v3.1.2 is for. It is not the headline; it is the reason the headline is possible. Keeping the Ontology EVM current with the standards the rest of the ecosystem builds against is how the trust layer stays usable at scale.
The wider strategy is set out in full here: Verified Human Data: Ontology’s AI-Era Vision at Eight.
Resources Release binaries and notes: github.com/ontio/ontology/releases/tag/v3.1.2 EIP-3855, PUSH0: eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-3855 EIP-3198, BASEFEE: eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-3198 EIP-5656, MCOPY: eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-5656 EIP-1153, transient storage: eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1153 Ethereum upgrade history: ethereum.org/en/history Thank you to all node operators and community members for your continued support of the Ontology ecosystem.
UMB Financial vykázala ve 2. čtvrtletí čistý zisk 271,8 mil. USD, tedy 3,56 USD na akcii, podpořený růstem úvěrů, silnějšími poplatkovými výnosy a investičními zisky. Čistý úrokový výnos i kvalita úvěrů zůstaly silné.
S&P Downgrades 5 Banks: What Does It Mean For The Market?UMB Financial NASDAQ: UMBF reported second-quarter 2026 net income of $271.8 million, or $3.56 per diluted share, as loan growth, fee income expansion and investment gains supported results. The company posted an operating return on tangible common equity of 20.3% and an operating efficiency ratio of 48.1%.
Chairman and CEO Mariner Kemper said average loan balances increased at a 12.6% annualized rate from the first quarter, supported by a record $2.6 billion in gross loan production. Commercial and industrial loan balances grew at a nearly 22% annualized pace, with activity led by markets including St. Louis, Utah, Texas and Arizona.
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Kemper said the company’s loan momentum reflected market-share gains more than changes in the broader economy. “It’s business as usual,” he said, adding that growth was occurring across regions and verticals and that the next 90 days appeared similar to the prior 90 days.
Credit Quality and Margin Performance Credit metrics remained strong during the quarter. Net charge-offs were 16 basis points of average loans, while nonperforming loans declined to 31 basis points of loans from 38 basis points in the first quarter.
Reported net interest margin was 3.32%, including a 23-basis-point benefit from purchase-accounting adjustments. Excluding that impact, core net interest margin was 3.09%, up four basis points sequentially. Chief Financial Officer Ram Shankar attributed the improvement primarily to a favorable shift in earning-asset mix toward loans and changes in liquidity levels.
The company recorded $35.9 million of net interest income from purchase-accounting adjustments, including $10.9 million of accelerated accretion tied to early payoffs of acquired loans. UMB expects approximately $46 million of contractual accretion during the remainder of 2026 and $77 million in 2027.
For the third quarter, Shankar said UMB expects core margin to remain relatively flat compared with the second-quarter adjusted margin. The outlook will depend on demand deposit account growth, excess liquidity, SOFR movements and lending and funding mix shifts.
Deposit Trends and Balance-Sheet Flexibility Average deposits were flat from the first quarter. Growth in commercial and asset-servicing deposits was offset by seasonal declines in public funds and lower investor-solutions balances. The average cost of interest-bearing deposits was also roughly unchanged.
Kemper said the third quarter is typically a seasonal low point for deposits, particularly because of public-fund flows, but management expects stronger activity in the second half of the year. He emphasized that the company views deposits over longer periods rather than focusing on quarterly changes because institutional client activity can create episodic swings.
UMB’s off-balance-sheet deposits increased 3.6% sequentially to $23.7 billion. Kemper said the company could bring a portion of those client deposits onto the balance sheet at market rates if needed, without affecting fee income. The company also had nearly $1.5 billion of excess cash and $2.3 billion of securities scheduled to mature or roll off over the next 12 months.
Management did not provide a target for its loan-to-deposit ratio, instead pointing to the company’s historical ability to produce steady deposit growth. Kemper said core deposits remain central to the company’s balance-sheet value and have remained a priority throughout his tenure as CEO.
Fee Income Gains and Expense Outlook Noninterest income rose $40.7 million, or nearly 20%, from the first quarter to $245.5 million. The increase included $27.1 million in net gains from private investment holdings, primarily related to Beacon Communications and SpaceX Technologies, as well as higher 12b-1 and money-market income and continued strength in fund services and corporate trust.
Total fee income from institutional banking businesses increased 6% sequentially and 19.6% from a year earlier. Asset servicing and corporate trust each posted fee-income growth of more than 20% year over year. Excluding investment gains and mark-to-market effects related to company-owned life insurance, core fee income was about $210 million.
Kemper said UMB expects trust and securities-processing revenue to maintain its general growth rate, potentially with upside, citing strong pipelines and market-share gains. He said fund services has shifted over the past decade toward larger and more complex client relationships, while the company has also benefited from platforms expanding access to alternative investments.
Operating noninterest expense totaled $398 million, up 6% from the first quarter. The increase included merit-related salary and benefit expenses, higher deferred compensation expense and $4.1 million of operational losses. Shankar said UMB expects third-quarter operating expenses of approximately $390 million, in line with consensus expectations.
Capital Actions and Outlook UMB’s common equity Tier 1 ratio increased 29 basis points during the quarter to 11.45% as of June 30. The company raised its quarterly common dividend 16.3% to $0.50 per share and repurchased approximately 38,000 shares for $5 million.
Management said its first capital priority remains supporting organic loan growth. Shankar said a preliminary assessment of potential new capital rules suggests a possible net benefit of 50 to 60 basis points after including accumulated other comprehensive income, depending on changes to risk-weighted assets.
The company expects to maintain positive operating leverage for full-year 2026, despite the effect of lower expected contractual accretion income. Its effective tax rate was 20.8% in the second quarter, and management expects a 2026 tax rate between 20% and 22%.
About UMB Financial (NASDAQ:UMBF)UMB Financial Corporation NASDAQ: UMBF is a diversified financial services holding company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Through its principal banking subsidiary, UMB Bank, N.A., the company provides a full suite of commercial and consumer banking services. Key offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, treasury and cash management, as well as online and mobile banking solutions designed to serve businesses, individuals and municipalities.
In addition to its core banking operations, UMB Financial delivers wealth management and trust services, investment advisory, asset management and retirement planning to high-net-worth individuals, families and institutions.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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The AI boom extends far beyond the biggest tech names. Discover 10 companies supplying the memory, storage, networking, semiconductor manufacturing, and power infrastructure that make AI possible. Learn where the next wave of AI investment opportunities may emerge—and the key risks investors should watch as the global AI buildout accelerates.
Generac uvedl, že za posledních 90 dní získal nové zakázky na datová centra za více než 1 mld. USD a backlog v této oblasti dosáhl asi 1,6 mld. USD. CEO čeká, že výstavba potrvá alespoň dalších 5 až 7 let.
Generac (NYSE:GNRC | GNRC Price Prediction) Chairman, President and CEO Aaron Jagdfeld used a July 29 CNBC interview to frame the company’s data center order flow as the leading edge of a multi-year infrastructure cycle. “We booked over $1 billion worth of new orders for data centers, specifically for data centers, in the last 90 days. And that kind of pace is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,“ Jagdfeld said.
He tied that pace to a longer runway: “The planning is in place, the developments are underway in many cases, and the capital is committed or being raised today. All indications are that at least for the next 5-7 years and maybe longer, that this buildout phase is going to take place.“
Generac’s $1.6 Billion Backlog Confirms the Data Center Pivot Generac’s second quarter showed the mix shift Jagdfeld has been telegraphing for years. Q2 earnings came in at $2.91 per share against consensus of $2.01, with revenue of $1.17 billion, up 10.59% year over year. The commercial and industrial segment grew 29% to $556 million, while the residential segment slipped 2% to $617 million. Reported gross margin expanded to 44.5%, aided by roughly $71 million in pre-tax tariff refunds that added about 6 percentage points to the quarter’s gross margin.
Total data center backlog reached approximately $1.6 billion, a figure that, per Jagdfeld’s Q2 release, “does not include any committed volumes from the second hyperscale customer.” A global supply agreement with a second hyperscale customer was signed during the quarter, layered on top of a first hyperscale relationship that has nearly $700 million committed for 2027 volume.
Generac Is Rapidly Transforming Beyond Residential Power Jagdfeld described the strategic pivot in blunt terms: “We used to be about 65% residential, one third C&I, and now we’re closing in on more of a 50-50 balance.” He explained the rationale by contrasting revenue durability: “The residential business, as much as we love it, is dependent on kind of exogenous events and with the weather events and things that happen. And so it’s a little bit outside of our control.“
The capital deployment supports that thesis. Generac closed the Enercon acquisition to expand its large megawatt generator packaging, added a Belvidere, Illinois, manufacturing facility, and picked up Allmand for mobile power. Capital expenditures nearly doubled to $58.29 million in the quarter as capacity was pulled forward.
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Higher Margins and 30% C&I Growth Strengthen the Bull Case Management held to full-year 2026 net sales growth guidance in the mid-to-high teens %, with C&I growth projected in the low 30% range. Raised profitability guidance now calls for an adjusted EBITDA margin of 20.0% to 21.0%, lifted from a prior 18.5% to 19.5% band. The stock traded up 5.5% on the report and is up 51% year-to-date with the stock trading at $194.19 today.
Sell-side positioning reflects the tension between the backlog signal and cyclical concerns. Analysts’ consensus price target is $293.75, with 13 buy or strong buy ratings against 6 holds and 1 strong sell. Shares trade at roughly 23x forward earnings, a discount to the trailing multiple of 63x that reflects the compounding earnings power investors are underwriting.
The Next Hyperscale Contract Could Unlock Another Leg of Growth CEO Jagdfeld has staked Generac’s growth thesis on a data center buildout cycle that could run through the end of the decade. The next major signal will be whether the second hyperscale customer’s committed volumes enter the backlog and whether Generac can expand capacity without sacrificing margins.
With more than $1 billion in new data center orders booked in just 90 days, a $1.6 billion backlog and contract structures already locking in 2027 demand, the near-term visibility strongly supports Jagdfeld’s multi-year infrastructure thesis.
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TRX is now available for both spot trading and perpetual contracts on Backpack Exchange, the Dubai-registered trading platform built by former FTX and Alameda Research employees. TRON DAO made the announcement on July 29, marking another expansion milestone for a blockchain network that has quietly become one of crypto’s most heavily used rails.
The token was trading between $0.32 and $0.33 at the time of the listing.
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Backpack’s post-FTX playbook Backpack Exchange was founded by people who had front-row seats to one of the industry’s most spectacular implosions. The platform is registered in Dubai, emphasizes regulatory compliance, and has been rolling out state-by-state access for eligible jurisdictions.
The exchange launched its native BP token back in March 2026, with a total supply of 1 billion tokens. Of that, 25% was allocated for initial distribution through an airdrop.
TRON’s quiet dominance problem The network reports hundreds of millions of accounts and processes billions in daily transfer volume.
The bulk of that activity comes from stablecoin transfers, particularly USDT. Tether’s decision years ago to make TRON a primary settlement layer turned the network into crypto’s unofficial remittance highway.
Justin Sun founded the network in 2017, and its mainnet went live in 2018.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Stellar má na síti tokenizovaná RWA v hodnotě 3,06 miliardy USD ve 70 produktech, ale 30denní objem převodů klesl o 50,57 % na 386,11 milionu USD. Aktivita tak zůstává hlavně u stablecoinů.
@StellarOrg is accumulating tokenized real-world assets at pace, but the trading activity those assets generate is heading in the opposite direction.
The network now carries $3.06 billion in tokenized RWAs spread across 70 products, a gain of 5.88% over the past month, according to data from @RWA_xyz. Yet RWA transfer volume over the same 30-day period fell 50.57% to $386.11 million. The assets are on-chain. They are just not moving.
Stablecoins carry the loadThe velocity story on Stellar belongs to stablecoins, not RWAs. Stellar's stablecoin market cap expanded 38.30% over the month and generated $6.45 billion in 30-day transfer volume, roughly 17 times the RWA figure, off a fraction of the total float. That gap underscores a familiar tension in the tokenization space: issuance numbers grow steadily, but secondary market activity, the measure that signals real utility, has yet to follow.
The concentration of Stellar's RWA base is also worth noting. @Spiko_finance alone accounts for $1.3 billion of the $3.06 billion total. Stellar's RWA market cap had already surged 91% quarter-on-quarter to $1.52 billion at the end of Q1 2026, driven largely by growth in government treasury assets including Spiko's EUTBL, USTBL, and UKTBL products, according to Messari. That momentum has continued, but it is concentrated in a narrow set of issuers.
Where Stellar sits in the broader RWA market Ethereum leads the overall RWA tokenization market with roughly 56% of total value, while Stellar holds second place at around 13%, ahead of Polygon, Solana, and Avalanche. In 2026, Stellar's role has expanded beyond payments, with the network now serving as a key venue for tokenizing currencies and bonds, supported by built-in token features and a growing set of fintech partnerships.
The stablecoin outperformance suggests Stellar's payment rails are functioning well. The question for the network's RWA ambitions is whether that transaction activity can eventually spill over into the tokenized asset side, or whether the two remain on separate tracks.
Sources:
Messari: State of Stellar Q1 2026
Lumexo: Top 5 Blockchains Tokenizing Real-World Assets in 2026
LumenQuery: How the Stellar Foundation Is Driving RWA Adoption On-Chain
BNY zavádí blockchain do správy fondů a přesouvá záznamy o vlastnictví tokenizovaných fondů on-chain, přičemž tradiční systémy ponechá v provozu. Prvním klientem bude Baillie Gifford.
BNY is adding blockchain technology to its transfer agency business as the bank expands digital asset services beyond custody and stablecoin support.
BNY Moves Fund Records to Blockchain BNY is launching a digital transfer agency platform to process fund transactions and maintain shareholder records on-chain. The system will create a shared ownership ledger for tokenized funds while the bank keeps its traditional transfer agency in place.
The bank safeguards more than $59 trillion in client assets and services about $8.6 trillion through its transfer agency business. The new platform aims to reduce repeated checks between intermediaries that support fund administration.
BNY Chief Product and Innovation Officer Carolyn Weinberg said the bank is modernizing a function behind fund transactions by bringing the “books and records onchain.” The platform will give asset managers a digital record of ownership for tokenized products.
The bank expects traditional systems to remain active for years. BNY Global Head of Asset Servicing Emily Portney said “trillions and trillions of dollars” in funds will continue using existing rails.
Tokenized Fund Rollout Starts With Major Clients Baillie Gifford will become the first client to use the platform for a fully native U.K.-regulated tokenized fund. BNY’s Dreyfus division and BlackRock are also expected to use the same infrastructure for planned tokenized products.
The platform places BNY inside the growing market for tokenized funds. These products can hold traditional assets, while investor ownership is recorded through blockchain-based tokens.
BNY is also preparing tokenized U.S. Treasuries and pilot transactions on its private blockchain before the end of 2026. A client letter said the bank already executed after-hours Treasury transactions with stablecoin issuers earlier this year.
The bank expects blockchain records to support faster settlement and round-the-clock market operations. Shared records can also reduce manual reconciliation between banks, fund managers, custodians, and other service providers.
BNY Builds on BTC ETH and USDC Services BNY has been expanding digital asset services for several years. The bank created its Digital Assets unit in February 2021 to support multi-asset custody and related infrastructure.
The bank launched Bitcoin and Ethereum custody services in October 2022. That made BNY one of the first large custodian banks to support custody for both assets.
BNY also expanded its work with Circle in June 2026 to support minting and burning for USDC. The move connected the bank more closely with stablecoin settlement and reserve operations.
In May, BNY announced a strategic collaboration with Finstreet Limited and ADI Foundation to offer crypto custody in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. The agreement added another regulated market to BNY’s digital asset push.
BNY’s blockchain transfer agency platform extends that strategy into fund administration. The bank is not replacing its older systems but adding new rails for tokenized funds and blockchain-based ownership records.
If you want global financial firms to protect assets and meet rules, institutional crypto custody solutions are essential.
Bloom Energy NYSE: BE occupies a strategic position in the AI ecosystem because of its singular ability to relieve AI's existential bottleneck: power.
Among the numerous bottlenecks plaguing the AI industry, power is the single factor that can undermine the entire ecosystem. Build all the datacenters you want; if there is no power to run them, they are just expensive warehouses filled with unusable gear.
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Bloom Energy
$173.99 +7.15 (+4.28%)
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52-Week Range$32.52▼
$351.28Price Target$257.55
What Bloom Energy does is solve the problem: its catalytic fuel cells are easy to deploy, available at scale, and in production, enabling hyperscalers and neoclouds across the system to bypass traditional power grids (which are insufficient to run AI) and front-run nuclear (which is still years away) as they aggressively expand AI infrastructure globally.
And there is proof in the Q2 results and accompanying commentary, which highlight Bloom Energy’s importance to AI at scale.
"They [hyperscalers and neoclouds] want to understand, as they share confidentially with us what their capacity expansion plans are, and ask us if we can meet that … that's when we get validated,” CEO KR Sridhar said in response to a question on the earnings call.
Bloom Energy’s Strength Isn’t Just About OracleBloom Energy’s stock price strength is underpinned by Oracle NYSE: ORCL, which was the first to lean heavily into Bloom's on-site fuel cell power systems, but it is driven by broad-based demand.
Bloom's Q2 revenue grew more than 165%, accelerating sequentially and year over year, outpacing the consensus figure by 3,000 basis points, driven by demand for products and services. The company doesn't provide specific client details, but it reported product sales of $935 million, up more than 200% and accounting for approximately 88% of revenue, with margin strength across products and services.
Margin news was a catalyst, as the company was already profitable and improved its profitability in Q2 due to its unexpected scale. The critical takeaways are that gross margin came in at a solid 34.3%, operating income at approximately 24%, and free cash flow of $175 million reverses losses in the prior year.
Guidance is another catalyzing factor, validating the Q2 strength and revenue-generating opportunity. The company aggressively raised its full-year revenue and earnings targets, prompting an immediate response from analysts, and may be cautious in its forecast.
Another pertinent detail from the conference call is that guidance isn’t linked to any one contract, deal, or deployment, but rather to executing on what’s becoming a robust backlog. Execution doesn’t appear to be an issue, as management is indicating ample capacity and resources, including critical precious metals independent of China.
Bloom Energy Growth Outlook Derisked by BrookfieldBloom Energy’s growth outlook is derisked by Brookfield NYSE: BN, which is backing the company with a $25 billion backstop. The funds, initially set at $5 billion, are intended to assist in the rapid deployment of energy assets, an industry in which Brookfield has ample experience. It is the largest and longest-running real asset manager, owning and operating a global network of utility and infrastructure assets. The benefits to Bloom Energy are multifaceted, extending well beyond funding to include business validation and market exposure. Brookfield intends to use Bloom Energy fuel cells for its own data center assets.
Analysts' and institutional activity are other factors highlighting Bloom Energy’s importance and the opportunity presented. While the consensus rating remains a Hold, the 25 analysts covering the stock and a 45% Buy-side bias suggest stronger market sentiment. Additionally, the initial analyst responses indicate upgrades and price target increases are coming down the pipe.
The consensus ahead of the release was for 50% upside, with high-end targets adding double-digit upside. Institutions, meanwhile, own more than 75% of the stock, revealing high conviction, and have been accumulating in 2026.
Post-release price action is favorable. The stock jumped by more than 5% in premarket trading the day after the release, confirming the late-July lows as a bottom. The likely outcome is that Bloom Energy shares continue to rebound, but there is some risk for investors. Resistance targets in the $200 to $220 region may cap gains in the near term.
In this scenario, Bloom Energy’s stock price could become range-bound, but that is not expected, given the Q2 strength and guidance update. The more likely scenario is that subsequent reports strengthen the outlook, leading analysts into a more bullish posture and pushing the stock price back to existing highs, representing approximately 100% upside from the late-July low.
Bloom Energy’s biggest risk is regulatory. Regulatory hurdles may delay data center projects and, by extension, the demand for Bloom Energy products. The caveat is that hyperscale demand is real, and these projects are unlikely to be scrapped, only relocated, which is a compelling factor for Bloom’s product; Bloom Energy fuel cells are incredibly versatile and can be colocated with virtually any project.
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Nuclear energy is entering a new growth cycle as rising power demand, expanding data centers, and renewed policy support bring the sector back into focus. After strong gains in recent years, the most impactful phase of nuclear investment may still be ahead. This report highlights seven nuclear energy stocks positioned across the value chain—combining near-term revenue with long-term upside as next-generation technologies scale. Click the link below to unlock the full list.
29 July 2026 | 12:12 Zcash fell through the support cluster at $470 and $472 little after activating Ironwood, the network's most consequential upgrade in years, trading near $461 at the time of writing
Key Takeaways Ironwood closes a supply-verification gap. Spot and futures flows remain negative. The nearest support sits at $450. Losing $450 would expose $419. The Flaw Ironwood Was Built to Close Developers found a soundness flaw in the zero-knowledge circuit behind Orchard, Zcash’s shielded pool. In theory it allowed counterfeit ZEC to be created without detection. The patch shipped in June, and no evidence of exploitation surfaced.
Proving that turned out to be the harder problem. Orchard’s privacy guarantees, the reason the pool exists, also made its recorded supply impossible for users to audit independently. A shielded pool that nobody can inspect cannot demonstrate that nobody exploited it.
Ironwood answers that by introducing a new shielded pool and version 6 transactions while closing Orchard to new deposits. Funds leaving the old pool pass through a turnstile that caps outflows at the total that previously went in. As balances migrate, the supply becomes verifiable.
This is real engineering work on a real problem. It creates no reason for anyone to buy the token today.
The Market Had Already Moved On ZEC climbed towards $560 earlier in July, then began printing lower highs and lower lows. By activation day on July 28 the token was trading inside a falling channel and approaching the $470 cluster from above.
Daily Zcash/USD technical chart with Fibonacci retracement levels and indicators. That sequence could be the whole explanation. Ironwood was announced, documented and discussed for weeks, giving anyone who wanted exposure ample time to take it. Traders holding into the event had their catalyst; those arriving afterwards found a chart that had already turned.
Price action cannot identify individual sellers or their motives. What it establishes is that a successful upgrade landed without generating enough demand to interrupt a decline already underway.
Flow Data Points the Same Way Coinglass recorded net negative spot flows across every window on its dashboard. The 12-hour balance showed $10.2 million in and $12.81 million out, for a net of minus $2.6 million. Eight hours ran to minus $1.65 million, four hours to minus $935,000, and the most recent hour to minus $329,000 on $1.18 million in against $1.5 million out.
Futures told a similar story at the longer horizons: $148.5 million in against $155.6 million out over 12 hours, a net of minus $7.1 million, with eight hours at minus $2.98 million. The shorter windows flipped positive, adding $418,000 over four hours and $213,000 over one.
Those late positive readings show derivatives traders returning around current prices. Their direction is unknowable from flow balances alone, and their size leaves the 12-hour imbalance untouched.
One caveat applies throughout. These are Coinglass flow balances, and the dashboard does not define whether each movement represents an exchange transfer, a completed trade or another accounting category. They indicate direction, not executed buying and selling.
Where the Levels Sit Now The 0.382 Fibonacci retracement near $470 and the 50-day moving average at $472 sat close enough together to function as a single support zone. ZEC now trades beneath both, which converts the area into resistance: traders who bought there may sell a rebound to exit nearer break-even, while others treat it as a fresh entry for shorts.
Today’s high of $470 stopped just next to the Fibonacci level. A daily close above $472 would reclaim both, and the 100-day average at $484 sits immediately beyond, making three technical hurdles inside $14.
Below, $450 is the first support, an area that absorbed trading recently and sits near the falling channel’s lower boundary. A close beneath it opens the 0.236 retracement around $420, which shaped price through the May and June swings.
Verified Scarcity Still Needs a Buyer Ironwood arrived weeks after more than 80% of all ZEC entered circulation. As covered in our analysis of Zcash’s 80% supply milestone, future issuance now represents a shrinking share of maximum supply, which steadily reduces dilution from mining.
The two developments reinforce each other. Less new issuance tightens the supply picture, and Ironwood lets the market confirm that migration from Orchard adds nothing beyond what the turnstile permits.
Scarcity works on the supply side of the equation. The demand side is what the flow data measures, and it has yet to respond. Zcash spent this month fixing what it could control and discovering that the market was looking elsewhere.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Network upgrades, technical indicators and flow data do not guarantee future price performance. Methodology: The analysis uses the ZEC/USD daily chart dated July 29, 2026, Fibonacci retracements, moving averages, RSI and Coinglass Spot Flows and Futures Flows dashboards. Because the dashboards do not define the accounting methodology behind each flow category, the figures are presented as directional net-flow balances rather than direct evidence of buying, selling or exchange inventory changes. Author
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
About $80 million ZEC crosses into Zcash's new 'Ironwood' pool in the first day (xing419/Pixabay)Summary
About 176,000 ZEC, or roughly $81 million, has moved into Zcash’s new Ironwood shielded pool in the first day after the upgrade, representing about 5 percent of the Orchard pool’s balance at activation.Orchard, which can no longer accept deposits, is steadily shrinking as coins exit through a turnstile mechanism that limits total withdrawals to the amount verifiably deposited.Migration to Ironwood is voluntary, leaving most of Zcash’s shielded supply temporarily stranded in a now-closed Orchard pool while holders, wallets and exchanges move funds at their own pace.About 176,000 ZEC, worth roughly $81 million, had migrated into Zcash’s new Ironwood shielded pool by Wednesday, a day after the upgrade activated and sealed the pool where a counterfeiting flaw had gone undetected for four years.
That is roughly 5% of the 3.66 million ZEC held in Orchard at activation. Orchard's balance has since fallen to about 3.51 million, with around 46,000 ZEC crossing over in the past 24 hours, according to the Ironwood migration tracker.
Zcash holds funds in separate compartments called pools, each one a generation of the network's privacy technology. The transparent pool works like bitcoin, with every balance and transaction visible on the chain, and holds about 12.5 million ZEC.
The shielded pools hide amounts and participants. Sapling, introduced in 2018, holds about 582,000 ZEC, and Orchard, which arrived in 2022 and was the newest until this week, held about 3.5 million. Each time the network upgrades its privacy cryptography, it opens a new pool rather than rebuilding the old one, leaving holders to move their coins across themselves.
Orchard can no longer take deposits. Every coin still inside has to leave through the turnstile, the accounting rule that caps total withdrawals at the amount verifiably deposited, so the pool's balance can now only fall.
Migration is voluntary, so the timeline depends on how quickly holders, wallets, and exchanges move funds. For now, the bulk of Zcash's private supply sits in a pool that has been closed to new money since Tuesday.
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Anvil: The Missing Collateral Layer
Anvil: The Missing Collateral Layer
Anvil is a shared on-chain collateral layer built on a programmable letter of credit: reserve assets as a guarantee -no loan, no interest, keep custody & yield.
4 hours ago
Anvil is a shared on-chain collateral layer built on a programmable letter of credit: reserve assets as a guarantee -no loan, no interest, keep custody & yield.
Why it matters:
Anvil is a shared on-chain collateral layer built on a programmable letter of credit: reserve assets as a guarantee -no loan, no interest, keep custody & yield.
Lennox International Inc. (LII) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 29, 2026 9:30 AM EDT
Company Participants
Chelsey Pulcheon - Director of Investor Relations
Alok Maskara - CEO, President & Director
Michael Quenzer - Executive VP & CFO
Conference Call Participants
Ryan Merkel - William Blair & Company L.L.C., Research Division
Thomas Moll - Stephens Inc., Research Division
Noah Kaye - Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Research Division
Jeffrey Hammond - KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Research Division
Jeffrey Sprague - Vertical Research Partners, LLC
Stephen Volkmann - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
Christopher Snyder - Morgan Stanley, Research Division
Nicole DeBlase - Deutsche Bank AG, Research Division
Nigel Coe - Wolfe Research, LLC
Deane Dray - RBC Capital Markets, Research Division
Brett Linzey - Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Research Division
Presentation
Operator
Welcome to the Lennox 2026 Second Quarter Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] As a reminder, this call is being recorded.
I will now turn the call over to Chelsey Pulcheon from Lennox Investor Relations. Chelsey, please go ahead.
Chelsey Pulcheon
Director of Investor Relations
Thank you, Madison. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us as we share our 2026 second quarter results. Joining me today is CEO Alok Maskara; and CFO, Michael Quenzer. Each will share their prepared remarks before we move to the Q&A session.
Turning to Slide 2. A reminder that during today's call, we will be making certain forward-looking statements, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties as outlined on this page. We may also refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures that management considers relevant indicators of underlying business performance. Please refer to our SEC filings available on our Investor Relations website for additional details, including a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures. The earnings release, today's presentation and the webcast archived link for today's call are available on our Investor Relations website at investor.lennox.com.
BofA zopakovala doporučení Buy pro Ulta Beauty a vidí možnost získat zpět část tržeb po ukončení partnerství s Targetem. Odhaduje, že získání zpět 20 % až 60 % z dřívějších 650 milionů USD GMV může přidat 130 až 390 milionů USD tržeb.
BofA reiterated its Buy rating and $685 price forecast on Ulta stock on Wednesday, pointing to a substantial revenue recapture potential.
Recapturing Target GMV Offers Incremental GrowthAccording to the analyst note, the $650 million in estimated gross merchandise value (GMV) previously generated through Target locations sat directly on Target’s profit and loss (P&L) statement. Consequently, any sales Ulta re-routes back to its standalone footprint will register as incremental to its comparable store sales.
Hutchinson said recapturing a portion of the beauty spending that previously flowed through Ulta Beauty’s Target shop-in-shop locations could add 100 to 315 basis points to annual revenue growth beginning in the third quarter of 2026.
BofA modeled three potential win-back scenarios:
20% Recapture: Adds $130 million in revenue (104.9 bp growth impact). 40% Recapture: Adds $260 million in revenue (209.8 bp growth impact). 60% Recapture: Adds $390 million in revenue (314.7 bp growth impact). The analyst said recaptured spending would be worth about three times more to Ulta in EBIT than the royalty stream it replaces. As a result, the company would need to recover roughly one-third of the lost gross merchandise value to maintain flat operating profit, with any additional recovery providing further upside.
Because recaptured sales leverage Ulta’s existing store footprint, BofA assumes they will convert at a 29% incremental operating margin.
Footprint Overlap and Digital Enhancements Support Win-BackUlta’s store proximity to Target locations strengthens its ability to convert former shop-in-shop shoppers into higher-value standalone store visitors.
Furthermore, ULTA’s ongoing investments in systems, loyalty data and speed — including Ship-from-Store in 1,000-plus locations and an Uber Eats partnership covering 1,500-plus stores — help mitigate competitive pressures from Amazon.
Target Assortment Shift Creates Competitive GapAs Target expands its Target Beauty Studio to 600 stores in August with a mass-to-prestige lineup, BofA notes that Ulta represented under 5% of Target’s $13 billion beauty business. The note concluded that Ulta shops likely “offered too much prestige product for the average Target customer,” positioning Ulta to recapture prestige-focused beauty consumers as the partnership ends.
ULTA Stock Price Activity: Ulta Beauty shares were up 1.40% at $508.54 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo: Gregory C Sanders / Shutterstock.com
This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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Parsons propadl o 38,1 % poté, co snížil výhled na rok 2026: tržby 6,2–6,5 mld. USD, upravený EBITDA 500–560 mil. USD a provozní cash flow 430–490 mil. USD. Zisk na akcii za 2. čtvrtletí 0,86 USD překonal odhad, ale trh zklamal slabší výhled.
It's that time of summer again. With August on the doorstep, companies are busy announcing financial results. Like many other businesses, Parsons (PSN -37.11%) posted quarterly earnings before the bell today -- and investors are clearly unhappy with what the company reported -- though it has more to do with what management offered on 2026 guidance.
As of 12:58 p.m. ET, shares of Parsons, a specialist in defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure solutions, are down 38.1%.
Image source: Getty Images.
Beating bottom-line expectations isn't enough to outshine a less auspicious outlook for 2026 Reporting second-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.86, Parsons exceeded the $0.76 adjusted EPS that analysts had anticipated. Investors aren't impressed, though.
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Instead, they're focusing on management's downwardly revised 2026 outlook. The company now projects 2026 revenue of $6.2 billion to $6.5 billion, down from the original sales forecast of $6.5 billion to $6.8 billion. Similarly, management revised profitability expectations. Whereas it had originally projected 2026 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), including non-controlling interest, of $615 million to $675 million, it now projects $500 million to $560 million.
Parsons also revisited cash flow expectations. Paring back its original 2026 operating cash flow guidance of $470 million to $530 million, management now projects $430 million to $490 million in cash from operations.
According to Matt Ofilos, the company's CFO, the downwardly revised guidance doesn't reflect something materially wrong with the business. It stems from the company's divestitures and the timing of new awards.
Does today's sell-off represent a buying opportunity? While the market is thoroughly disappointed with the company's new outlook for 2026, there's reason to believe that the future remains bright for Parsons as the company reported a 4% year-over-year increase in its total backlog. For those able to see past the market's immediate reaction to the company's earnings report, now might be a good time for patient investors to pick up shares of this tech stock.
Parsons Corporation (PSN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 29, 2026 8:00 AM EDT
Company Participants
David Spille - Senior Vice President of Investor Relations
Carey Smith - President, CEO & Chairwoman
Matt Ofilos - Chief Financial Officer
Conference Call Participants
Mariana Perez Mora - BofA Securities, Research Division
John Godyn - Citigroup Inc., Research Division
Sheila Kahyaoglu - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
Gavin Parsons - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division
Andrew J. Wittmann - Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Jonathan Siegmann - Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Research Division
Gautam Khanna - TD Cowen, Research Division
Matthew Akers - BNP Paribas, Research Division
Tobey Sommer - Truist Securities, Inc., Research Division
Sangita Jain - KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Research Division
Noah Poponak - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division
Louie Dipalma - William Blair & Company L.L.C., Research Division
Presentation
Operator
Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Parsons Corporation Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I will now hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Dave Spille, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
David Spille
Senior Vice President of Investor Relations
Thank you. Good morning, and thank you for joining us today to discuss our second quarter 2026 financial results. Please note that we provided presentation slides on the Investor Relations section of our website. On the call with me today are Carey Smith, Chair, President and CEO; and Matt Ofilos, CFO. Today, Carey will discuss our corporate strategy and operational highlights, and then Matt will provide an overview of our second quarter financial results as well as a review of our 2026 guidance. We then will close with a question-and-answer session.
Management may also make forward-looking statements during the call regarding future events, anticipated future trends and the
Vertiv těží z boomu AI: tržby za 1. čtvrtletí vzrostly meziročně o 30 % na 2,65 miliardy USD. Wall Street zůstává převážně býčí, konsenzuální cíl je 377 USD, tedy přes 31 % nad cenou akcie.
It's been a fantastic past 12 months for Vertiv (VRT -16.38%) shareholders. Even with the stock's pullback from its mid-May record-breaking peak, it's still up about 96% from where it traded at this time last year.
Veteran investors know such a big run-up in such a short period of time is a tough act to follow, of course. Some are even anticipating more pullback. And maybe that's what's in the cards.
The analyst community, however, remains more optimistic about this ticker's foreseeable future.
Image source: Getty Images.
Vertiv is reporting plenty of growth The company makes equipment used in data centers, by the way. Not processing chips like those supplied by Nvidia, or networking hardware like that made by Broadcom. Rather, Vertiv manufactures power systems, cooling solutions, and the specialized racks and enclosure frames that make it possible to integrate this equipment with the usual data center tech.
Yes, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is proving very good for business. Vertiv's first-quarter top line of $2.65 billion was up 30% year over year, and is expected to grow about as much for the entirety of 2026. Analysts are looking for comparable growth next year as well. Moreover, the company is profitable. Last year's bottom line of $4.20 is expected to reach $6.48 per share this year, en route to $8.83 in 2027.
This fantastic growth course begs one question: Why has the stock been sinking since May's high, falling 24% from that peak?
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Valuation may have a little something to do with it. At its peak, VRT was trading at more than 58 times this year's projected profits, and over 40 times next year's expected bottom line. That's a steep price to sustain, no matter how compelling your growth story is. It's even tougher to sustain when investors start to doubt artificial intelligence's long-term future.
Curiously, though, analysts aren't deterred.
Wall Street is (mostly) still on board with Vertiv OK, a handful of analysts are doubters. Two of the 33 covering this stock rate it as underweight. The lowest price target is $255, 11% below the stock's current price.
The vast majority of the analyst crowd watching this stock, however, is firmly bullish. Indeed, 22 of the 33 analysts covering it consider VRT a strong buy, while the consensus price target stands at $377, more than 31% above Vertiv shares' present price. It's a target, of course, that rightfully doesn't reflect too much concern about a rich valuation.
What are these analysts seeing that others aren't? It's not what they're seeing. Rather, it's all the noise they're looking past. The AI industry's stocks may be losing ground because growing infrastructure spending may or may not pay off soon enough to suit investors. But there's no denying that artificial intelligence will feature prominently in the future, once its key players refine their businesses and meet actual needs.
In this vein, a Precedence Research outlook indicates that the worldwide AI infrastructure market is poised to grow at an average annualized rate of nearly 22% through 2035. Vertiv is well positioned to win at least its fair share of this growth.
Just bear in mind that not even analysts expect VRT shares to reach their consensus target in a straight line.
Key Takeaways GEHC posted adjusted EPS of $1.13 in Q2, up 6.6%, as pricing and productivity supported results.PDx revenues rose 15.6% and AIS gained 7.9%, while PCS revenues declined 13.3%.GEHC reaffirmed 2026 organic growth of 3%-4% and adjusted EPS guidance of $4.80-$5.00. GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. (GEHC - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.13, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.04 by 8.7%. The bottom line increased 6.6% year over year, aided by commercial execution, pricing and productivity gains.
GAAP EPS in the quarter was $1.24, up 16.5% from the year-ago level.
GEHC shares were up 8.3% in pre-market trading. Year to date, shares of the company have lost 21.9% compared with the industry’s 17.1% decline. However, the S&P 500 Index has risen 8.1% in the same period.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
GEHC's Revenue Growth Gains MomentumRevenues of $5.29 billion increased 5.7% year over year on a reported basis and 3.5% organically. The top line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.7%. Revenue growth was led by Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (PDx) and Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS), along with strength in the United States, EMEA and Rest of World markets. However, growth was partially offset by a decline in the Patient Care Solutions (PCS) segment.
Total company orders increased 11.1% year over year organically. The book-to-bill ratio was 1.15X, indicating rising orders compared to shipments, with backlog reaching a record $23.9 billion. Management cited order growth across every segment, supported by strong commercial execution and adoption of new products.
GE HealthCare’s Q2 Segmental DetailsPharmaceutical Diagnostics revenues increased 15.6% year over year to $843 million. Growth was supported by higher contrast-media volumes, pricing and U.S. radiopharmaceutical demand. Segment EBIT was $250 million, up 16.9% year over year.
Advanced Imaging Solutions revenues increased 7.9% year over year to $3.77 billion. Growth was supported by CardioVascular and Interventional Solutions, computed tomography and Molecular Imaging. Segment EBIT was $525 million, up 15.4% year over year.
Patient Care Solutions revenues declined 13.3% year over year to $675 million. Management attributed the decline primarily to operational and fulfillment challenges, despite strong first-half orders that indicated healthy customer demand.
GEHC's Margin and Cash Flow ImproveNet income margin expanded 90 basis points to 10.6%. However, net income margin was negatively impacted due to PCS weakness and inflation in memory chips, oil and freight costs.
Cumulative cash flow from operating activities at the end of the second quarter was $458 million compared with $344 million a year ago.
GE HealthCare’s Financial PositionGEHC exited the second quarter with cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $2.11 billion compared with $2.28 billion in the previous quarter.
Total assets increased to $37.25 billion from $37.12 billion on a sequential basis.
GE HealthCare Reaffirms 2026 GuidanceGE HealthCare reaffirmed its guidance for 2026.
The company still expects organic revenue growth of 3-4% in 2026. It anticipates adjusted EPS to be in the range of $4.80-$5.00, implying 4.6%-9.0% year-over-year growth, as expected previously.
Management anticipates approximately $250 million of inflation associated with memory chips, oil and freight and other components, but expects pricing and cost actions to offset more than half of that impact.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 revenues and EPS is pegged at $21.71 billion and $4.89, respectively.
GE HealthCare’s Growth Strategy and Innovation OutlookGE HealthCare delivered solid second-quarter 2026 results, with both earnings and revenues surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Growth was driven by strong execution in Pharmaceutical Diagnostics and Advanced Imaging Solutions, supported by healthy demand across the United States, EMEA and Rest of World. However, weakness in Patient Care Solutions, along with inflation in memory chips, oil and freight, weighed on margins. The company is taking focused actions to improve PCS execution and supply performance while reviewing strategic options to maximize its long-term value.
Management expects pricing, productivity and cost-control initiatives under its Heartbeat operating model to offset anticipated inflationary impact. The company consolidated Imaging and Advanced Visualization Solutions into the new Advanced Imaging Solutions segment and is integrating its Global Markets organization to create a more connected imaging ecosystem and strengthen commercial capabilities. Its growth strategy remains centered on precision care, innovation-led revenue expansion and business optimization.
GEHC formed a $500 million Care Alliance with Catholic Health, expanded theranostics collaborations and installed the first StarGuide GX system at Essen’s Nuclear Medicine Center of Excellence. The company is advancing cloud-enabled enterprise imaging, AI-assisted radiation therapy planning through MIM Contour ProtégéAI+ 2.0 and quantitative PET imaging with MIM KineticID. Robust U.S. radiopharmaceutical demand remains another growth avenue, with Flyrcado positioned to generate more than $500 million annually and Vizamyl targeted to exceed $200 million by 2028. GEHC’s gadolinium-free MRI contrast-agent trial is also progressing, strengthening its focus on precision care and next-generation diagnostic solutions.
GEHC’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderGE HealthCare has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are West Pharmaceutical (WST - Free Report) , McKesson (MCK - Free Report) and Cardinal Health (CAH - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
West Pharmaceutical reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.37, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13.9%. Revenues of $872.3 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.2%.
West Pharmaceutical has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 14.4%. WST’s earnings surpassed estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 17.4%.
McKesson reported a fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $11.69, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.1%. Revenues of $96.3 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.5%.
McKesson has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 13.7%. MCK’s earnings surpassed estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 3.1%.
Cardinal Health reported a third-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $3.17, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 13.2%. Revenues of $60.94 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.3%.
Cardinal Health has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 17%. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 10.3%.
Společnost Gartner zařadila Freshworks mezi lídry v Magic Quadrant 2026 pro platformy IT Service Management. Firma to přičítá rychlému růstu zákazníků a hloubce a rozsahu své sjednocené platformy pro service operations.
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) announced today that it has been named by Gartner as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for IT Service Management Platforms. The evaluation was based on specific criteria analyzing the company’s overall Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute. Freshworks attributes this recognition to its rapid customer growth and the depth and scale of its unified service operations platform.
According to Gartner, “The ITSM platforms market reached nearly $9 billion in 2025, growing 13.74% year over year and remains the largest segment of the IT operations value management market.” The report later notes, “Asset visibility has evolved toward a unified data fabric that connects ITSM, asset and operational data, becoming a prerequisite for effective automation and AI-driven decision making.”
Historically, IT and operations have run on a single linear trigger: something happens, and a human responds. A laptop is requested, so a ticket gets created for manual provisioning. An alert fires, so an onsite engineer investigates. Many leaders have been promised zero touch autonomous service, yet the core blockers to modernization are not a lack of ambition; they’re disconnected data, missing context, and AI that acts as more of a consulting project instead of an accelerator.
“Service and operations leaders don't just want a faster ticketing system, they want an AI-powered platform that unifies service, operations, assets and knowledge together on a shared data layer," said Dennis Woodside, Chief Executive Officer & President of Freshworks. "We believe our positioning as a Leader by Gartner highlights a clear shift in the market. We’re focused on giving agile enterprises the depth and scale they need, alongside domain-specific AI so they can move at the speed of their business while staying firmly in control.”
Companies like Amerisure, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team and New Balance already trust Freshservice to run that way. Our customer base experiences a CSAT of 97.8% and an average first contact resolution of 75%.
Freshworks drives service transformation across three core areas:
Unified ServiceOps Platform: Brings together IT Service (ITSM), Operations (ITOM), Asset (ITAM), and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) on a single platform with a common data and context model. Our one service delivery model serves IT, HR, Finance, and other business teams - not separate tools stitched together - meaning a single common layer of insights, analytics and integrations.Trusted, Domain-Specific AI: Deploys intelligent agents across critical workflows - including IT and HR requests, incident triage, and multichannel self-service - to automate routine resolutions. Freshworks has built Freddy AI for the problems tens of thousands of customers have today, with a foundational understanding of over a decade of experience, workflow, and service domain solutioning to make Freddy AI more accurate, reliable and effective.Rapid Impact: Built for short implementation cycles that deliver immediate value without consultant overhead and no-code setup. On average, Freshservice customers go live in under 90 days, delivering a 168% ROI and a six-month payback period (read The 168% ROI behind switching to Freshservice).
"One of the benefits is that we started with IT, and now we bring in a bunch of other workspaces, such as facilities, loss prevention, HR, and all the other business departments," said Markus Gaulke, Platform Manager for New Balance.
To access the full Gartner Magic Quadrant report, visit here.
About Freshservice
Freshservice by Freshworks is an AI-powered ServiceOps platform that unifies IT Service (ITSM), Asset (ITAM), Operations (ITOM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) on a single platform with a shared data layer. It gives IT, HR, finance, and facilities teams full visibility across services and infrastructure without the complexity of stitched-together tools. Freshservice comes with a natively embedded AI layer called Freddy AI that helps agents resolve issues faster, automates employee service requests, and gives leaders the insights they need to make better decisions. The result is resilient, proactive service delivery that scales across the entire organization.
About Freshworks
Freshworks is the AI-powered, unified service operations platform that is fast to deploy, intuitive to use, and enables every employee to be more productive. We offer powerful governance and scale, without the operational drag of legacy platforms. Organizations including Bridgestone, New Balance, S&P Global, and Sony Music trust Freshworks to deliver quality employee and customer service and manage efficient technology operations. For the latest updates, visit freshworks.com and follow Freshworks on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.
Gartner Disclaimer
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Diamondback Energy (FANG) má výsledky za 2. čtvrtletí 2026 oznámit 3. srpna; konsensus čeká zisk 6,08 USD na akcii a výnosy 4,8 mld. USD. Firma čelila slabým cenám plynu a vyšším nákladům, ale podpořila ji silnější těžba ropy a zajištění.
Key Takeaways Diamondback reports Q2 2026 results on Aug. 3, with consensus estimates of $6.08 EPS and $4.8B in revenues.FANG faced weak gas prices and higher costs, though hedging and stronger oil production supported performance.Diamondback boosted activity with more rigs and AI-driven optimization while maintaining capital discipline. Diamondback Energy (FANG - Free Report) is set to release second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter is pegged at a profit of $6.08 per share on revenues of $4.8 billion.
Let’s delve into the factors that might have influenced the Permian-focused oil and gas producer’s performance in the June quarter. But it’s worth taking a look at FANG’s previous-quarter performance first.
Highlights of Q1 Earnings & Surprise HistoryIn the last reported quarter, this Midland, TX-based upstream player reported adjusted earnings per share of $4.23, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.55, driven by strong production. Revenues of $4.2 billion also topped the consensus estimate by 10.6%.
FANG beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters and missed in one, delivering an average surprise of 5.3%. This is depicted in the graph below:
Trend in Estimate RevisionThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second-quarter bottom line has remained unchanged in the past seven days. The estimated figure indicates a 127.7% rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues, meanwhile, suggests a 31.1% increase from the year-ago period.
Factors to Consider for FANG’s Q2 PerformanceDiamondback is a leading pure-play Permian Basin operator recognized for its low-cost production, capital discipline and shareholder-friendly approach. Its high-quality, high-margin asset base enables the company to generate robust free cash flow across commodity cycles. Diamondback held around 3,618 million barrels of oil equivalent in proved reserves, and its average daily output totaled 921 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025.
Diamondback could face softer second-quarter results despite a favorable oil backdrop. Deeply negative Waha natural gas prices likely pressured realized gas and NGL pricing, forcing the company to temporarily curtail roughly 2,000-3,000 barrels of daily production on economic grounds. While management raised activity by adding rigs and a fifth completion crew, higher operating activity may have lifted production-related costs before the associated volumes fully contributed. FANG also acknowledged continued macro uncertainty, making production decisions quarter by quarter. In addition, ongoing investments in Barnett development and debt reduction priorities could have limited the immediate benefit of elevated commodity prices on quarterly earnings. Our model suggests that the company’s total costs and expenses are expected to have increased to $4.3 billion from the year-ago level of $2.5 billion, weighing on its earnings in the to-be-reported quarter.
However, on a bullish note, Diamondback’s strong well performance, reduced production downtime through automation and AI-driven optimization, and improved completion designs continued to enhance operational efficiency. Management increased activity with additional rigs and a fifth frac crew while maintaining capital discipline, positioning the company for higher oil production. Robust oil prices, effective crude marketing and extensive hedging against weak gas prices should have further supported cash flows and operating performance in the quarter to be reported.
What Does Our Model Say About FANG?Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Diamondback this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy), or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that is not the case here.
FANG presently has an Earnings ESP of -0.84% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Stocks With the Favorable CombinationHere are some firms from the energy space that you may want to consider, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle.
Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. (REPX - Free Report) currentlyhas an Earnings ESP of +6.63% and a Zacks Rank #3. Itis scheduled to release earnings on Aug. 5. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
REPX beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the last four quarters and missed in the other, with the average being 22.3%. Valued at around $740.3 billion, Riley Exploration’s shares have gained 18.1% in a year.
Magnolia Oil & Gas Corporation (MGY - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +4.28% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. The firm is scheduled to release earnings on Aug. 5.
For 2026, MGY has a projected earnings growth rate of 50.3%. Valued at nearly $4.4 billion, Magnolia’s shares have lost 4.8% in a year.
Permian Resources Corporation (PR - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.77% and a Zacks Rank #3. The firm is scheduled to release earnings on Aug. 5.
For 2026, PR has a projected earnings growth rate of 35.7%. Valued at nearly $17 billion, Permian Resources’ shares have rallied 36.8% in a year.
Datadog zvýšil výhled tržeb za celý rok 2026 na 3,225–3,245 miliardy USD po růstu RPO o 51 % na 3,48 miliardy USD. Delší víceleté smlouvy zlepšují viditelnost budoucích tržeb.
Key Takeaways Datadog's RPO jumped 51% to $3.48 billion as multi-year contracts and longer terms improved visibility.DDOG raised 2026 revenue guidance to $3.225-$3.245 billion, citing demand and execution confidence.Enterprise clients adopting 10-plus products, strong retention and AI deployments support recurring growth. Datadog (DDOG - Free Report) is making its revenue growth more predictable as momentum in multi-year customer agreements improves revenue visibility and reinforces the durability of its subscription-based business model. During the first quarter of 2026, the company reported a 51% year-over-year increase in remaining performance obligations (RPO) to $3.48 billion, with management attributing the growth partly to a higher mix of multi-year contracts and longer contract durations. This expanding backlog provides greater visibility into future revenues, strengthening the predictability of recurring subscription revenues while reducing reliance on short-term renewals.
Datadog continues to win large enterprise expansion deals, with several customers expanding their usage across 10 or more Datadog products. Higher multi-product adoption, coupled with gross retention in the mid-to-high 90% range and net revenue retention in the low 120% range in the first quarter of 2026, supports longer-term customer commitments, increases switching costs and strengthens recurring revenue growth. AI-driven deployments are further contributing to larger enterprise engagements, expanding the company's long-term revenue opportunity.
Reflecting this momentum, management raised its full-year 2026 revenue outlook to $3.225-$3.245 billion from $3.175-$3.195 billion, underscoring confidence in customer demand and execution. While longer-duration contracts enhance revenue visibility and improve growth predictability, Datadog's ability to sustain this momentum will depend on continued customer renewals, platform expansion and healthy enterprise IT spending.
How Do Datadog's Rivals Stack Up?Dynatrace (DT - Free Report) emphasizes large enterprise platform standardization over maximizing RPO, unlike Datadog's expanding multiyear contracts. Dynatrace wins bigger end-to-end observability deals, records $1 million-plus ACV contracts in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 and broader platform adoption through DPS subscriptions. Dynatrace focuses on durable ARR expansion, enterprise consolidation and long-term consumption while benefiting from strategic AI-driven platform commitments rather than emphasizing deferred revenue metrics.
Snowflake (SNOW - Free Report) competes more directly with Datadog through rising RPO and multiyear enterprise commitments. In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Snowflake reported 38% RPO growth, a new five-year AWS agreement and increasing $10 million-plus customers, supporting long-term revenue visibility. While Datadog benefits from larger multiyear observability contracts, Snowflake leverages AI-driven data platform expansion and enterprise consumption, making the company a formidable long-duration subscription competitor.
DDOG’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of DDOG have surged 68.5% over the past year, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector's growth of 22.8%.
DDOG’s Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, DDOG appears overvalued, trading at a trailing 12-month price-to-sales ratio of 24.92X, above the industry’s 5.27X. DDOG has a Value Score of F.
DDOG’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate projects earnings of $2.41 per share for 2026 and $2.88 for 2027, reflecting year-over-year growth of 17.56% and 19.29%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Datadog stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Key Takeaways HII is expected to post Q2 sales of $3.14 billion, up 2% year over year.Shipbuilding volumes likely lifted Ingalls and Newport News revenues in the quarter.Mission Technologies sales likely grew, but higher G&A expenses may have hurt earnings. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII - Free Report) is scheduled to release second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30, 2026, before market open. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 2.43% in the last reported quarter.
Let’s discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results.
Factors Likely to Affect HII’s Q2 ResultsHigher sales volume from surface combatants is likely to have boosted the Ingalls segment’s top line in the second quarter.
Higher sales volumes from submarine and aircraft carrier programs are likely to have boosted the Newport News segment’s revenue performance.
Higher sales volumes from All-Domain Operations, Global Security and Unmanned Systems are likely to have bolstered the company’s Mission Technologies segment’s revenues in the second quarter of 2026.
However, higher general and administrative expenses are likely to have hurt the company’s earnings.
Q2 Estimates for HII StockThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for HII’s second-quarter sales is pegged at $3.14 billion, which indicates an increase of 2% from the prior-year number.
The consensus estimate for HII’s earnings is pegged at $3.80 per share, which indicates a year-over-year decline of 1.6%.
What the Zacks Model Unveils for HIIOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for HII this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here, as you will see below.
Earnings ESP: Huntington Ingalls has an Earnings ESP of +0.53%. You can uncover the best stocks before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: HII currently carries a Zacks Rank of 4. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Stocks to ConsiderInvestors may consider the following players from the same sector, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle.
CurtissWright (CW - Free Report) is slated to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 5, after market close. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.36% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.
CW’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 14.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $3.62 per share, which suggests a year-over-year rise of 12.1%.
Axon Enterprise (AXON - Free Report) is scheduled to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 5, after market close. It has an Earnings ESP of +4.76% and a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.
AXON’s long-term earnings growth rate is 30.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues stands at $868.4 million, which implies a year-over-year increase of 29.9%.
ATI INC (ATI - Free Report) is slated to report its second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 6, before market open. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.32% and a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.
ATI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 28%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.03 per share, which suggests a year-over-year rise of 39.2%.
Highwoods Properties zvýšila výhled FFO na rok 2026 na 3,46–3,70 USD na akcii po silném leasingu a růstu nájemného. Ve 2. čtvrtletí FFO i tržby překonaly odhady.
Key Takeaways HIW beat Q2 FFO and revenue estimates as leasing activity and higher in-place rents supported growth.Highwoods raised 2026 FFO guidance after improving leverage and maintaining strong leasing momentum.HIW advanced developments, completed asset sales and expects occupancy to rise in the second half of 2026. Highwoods Properties, Inc. (HIW - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 funds from operations (FFO) of 90 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.7%. The figure increased 1.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Rental and other revenues rose 7.9% year over year to $216.38 million and surpassed the consensus mark of $210.96 million. Robust leasing, higher in-place rents and positive rent spreads supported the quarter. Same-property cash net operating income (NOI) increased 0.3%.
In response to the above results, HIW shares were trading close to 4% higher in the early hours of today’s market session.
HIW's Leasing Volume Remains RobustHighwoods signed 1.07 million square feet of second-generation leases, up from 923,000 square feet in the prior-year quarter. The total included 326,000 square feet of new leases, while the dollar-weighted average lease term was 6.4 years.
Second-generation leases generated GAAP rent growth of 20.9% and cash rent growth of 3.2%. Net effective rents were 8% above the previous five-quarter average, indicating that the company maintained healthy leasing economics despite elevated tenant improvement and leasing commission requirements.
Highwoods Improves Occupancy and In-Place RentsQuarter-end in-service occupancy was 85.7% compared with 85.6% a year earlier. On properties owned throughout the second quarter, occupancy increased 110 basis points sequentially. The in-service leased rate stood at 89.6%, leaving a meaningful backlog of signed leases that have not yet commenced.
Average cash rental rates for in-place leases increased 2.6% year over year to $34.45 per square foot. Management expects occupancy to continue trending higher during the second half of 2026 as tenants begin occupying previously leased space.
Highwoods Advances Its Development PipelineThe company placed Midtown East in Tampa into service during the quarter. Highwoods owns a 50% interest in the 143,000-square-foot development, which was 94.9% leased and 39.5% occupied. Its share of total investment was $41.5 million.
The active development pipeline totaled $230 million at Highwoods’ share and was 93% leased, with only $28 million left to fund. The company also signed 63,000 square feet of first-generation leases, lifting the 642,000-square-foot 23Springs project to 93% leased well ahead of its projected stabilization.
HIW's Asset Sales Strengthen LiquidityHighwoods sold the 513,000-square-foot, fully occupied Bridgestone Tower in Nashville for $255 million. It also sold its 50% joint venture interest in a 10-acre land parcel for $4 million at its share.
The company expects to complete another $73.5 million of non-core dispositions during the third quarter. Including these pending transactions, announced and completed 2026 sales would total about $375 million. The additional proceeds increase financial flexibility but also create near-term earnings dilution because management does not assume reinvestment during the second half.
Highwoods Reduces Leverage and Raises OutlookNet debt to adjusted EBITDAre improved to 6.24X from 6.72X in the first quarter. Highwoods ended the quarter with $145.38 million of cash and no borrowings under its $750 million revolving credit facility.
Management raised its 2026 FFO guidance to $3.46-$3.70 per share from $3.40-$3.68. The outlook assumes same-property cash NOI growth between negative 1% and positive 1%, and year-end occupancy of 86.5%-88.5%.
HIW's Zacks RankHighwoods currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Performance of Other Office REITsBXP, Inc. (BXP - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 FFO of $1.78 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71. FFO rose 4.1% from the year-ago period. Results reflected higher occupancy and same-property NOI growth, which supported the FFO beat. Total portfolio occupancy climbed 100 basis points sequentially to 88.4%.
SL Green Realty Corp. (SLG - Free Report) delivered second-quarter 2026 FFO of $1.43, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.19 by 20.17%. However, FFO declined 12.3% from $1.63 in the year-ago quarter. The results reflected stronger Manhattan leasing, higher occupancy and growth in same-store cash NOI.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
FormFactor rozšířil partnerství s Keystone Microtech, aby posílil kapacitu testování čipů pro AI, HPC, paměti a pokročilé pouzdření. Firma očekává ve 2. čtvrtletí 2026 výnosy 240 mil. USD a EPS 61 centů.
Key Takeaways FormFactor expands its Keystone pact to scale probe-card support for AI, HPC, memory and advanced packaging.Keystone will add design, assembly, testing, repair and distribution while FORM retains its core IP.FORM expects Q2 2026 revenue of $240M, plus or minus $5M, and EPS of 61 cents, plus or minus 4 cents. FormFactor (FORM - Free Report) recently announced an expanded partnership with Keystone Microtech, under which it is expected to strengthen FORM’s ability to serve rapidly growing semiconductor-testing requirements across AI, high-performance computing, advanced packaging, memory and high-speed connectivity. FormFactor will retain responsibility for its proprietary probe-card technologies, while Keystone Microtech will provide design, assembly, testing, repair and distribution support for designated products. This complementary structure should allow FormFactor to increase manufacturing scalability without compromising ownership of its intellectual property, patents or technical know-how.
The partnership also expands FormFactor’s operational presence in Taiwan, one of the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturing hubs. Keystone’s local assembly, repair and customer-support capabilities should shorten response times, improve service availability and help the company support faster customer production ramps. This is particularly important because probe cards are customized for individual chip designs and must be delivered within tight customer schedules. FormFactor has emphasized that first-time-right execution, rapid cycle times and reliable production support are major barriers to entry in the probe-card market.
The collaboration should also support FormFactor’s capacity expansion as demand grows across HBM, GPUs, custom ASICs and networking devices. The company believes its position across both Foundry & Logic and DRAM testing provides an advantage as custom HBM increasingly combines logic functionality with memory technology. FormFactor’s prospects are supported by increasing test intensity and complexity in advanced semiconductor architectures. As more chips are combined through advanced packaging, manufacturers must test individual die more thoroughly before integration to avoid expensive yield losses. FormFactor expects this trend to increase demand for higher-performance probe cards capable of handling greater parallelism, tighter pitches, higher power levels and faster data rates.
The company expects second-quarter 2026 earnings to be 61 cents (+/- 4 cents) per share. FormFactor expects second-quarter 2026 revenues to be $240 million (+/- $5 million). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2026 earnings has been steady at 61 cents per share over the past 30 days, suggesting 125.93% growth from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. The consensus mark for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $240.11 million, indicating an increase of 22.63% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter.
FORM Faces Tough CompetitionFormFactor is facing significant competition from the likes of Teradyne (TER - Free Report) and Cohu (COHU - Free Report) .
Teradyne’s leadership in automated test equipment (ATE) is a key catalyst. As AI chip production accelerates, Teradyne’s UltraFLEX and UltraFLEXplus platforms are widely used to test high-performance GPUs, AI accelerators, networking processors and advanced data center semiconductors from leading chipmakers. The company continues to benefit from rising test complexity as larger AI processors require more sophisticated and longer testing cycles. Teradyne’s strong relationships with major semiconductor manufacturers and a broad installed base make it a key player in AI semiconductor manufacturing.
Cohu’s offering of semiconductor test handlers, contactors, interface products and inspection solutions that support the production of AI processors, networking chips and high-performance computing devices has been a major driver. The company has been expanding its capabilities in advanced packaging and high-performance test applications, enabling customers to improve throughput, automation and yield as AI semiconductor complexity continues to increase. Cohu's broad portfolio allows it to participate across multiple stages of semiconductor testing, particularly in high-volume manufacturing environments.
FORM’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of FormFactor have appreciated 58.2% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s rise of 8.9%.
FORM Stock’s Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The FORM stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month price/earnings of 33.82X compared with the broader sector’s 20.44X. FormFactor has a Value Score of F.
FORM’s Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FORM’s 2026 earnings is currently pegged at $2.40 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, suggesting 84.62% growth from 2025’s reported figure.
FormFactor currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Lattice Semiconductor čeká ve 2. čtvrtletí meziroční růst tržeb na 185,1 mil. USD a zisku na 44 centů na akcii. Tahounem má být poptávka po nízkoenergetických FPGA a investice do AI serverů.
Key Takeaways LSCC is expected to post higher Q2 2026 revenues and earnings compared to last year.LSCC's low-power FPGA demand and AI server investments are expected to support quarterly sales.Lattice's industrial demand and expanding design wins are expected to sustain momentum. Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (LSCC - Free Report) is set to report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 4, after the closing bell. In the last reported quarter, the company delivered an earnings surprise of 13.89%. It pulled off a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.47% on average, beating estimates only once in the previous quarters.
The company is expected to record year-over-year revenue growth, supported by a favorable demand environment across its key end markets. Healthy customer demand and continued execution of its product strategy are expected to have aided its business performance.
Factors at PlayDuring the second quarter of 2026, Lattice is expected to have benefited from continued demand for its low-power FPGA portfolio, including the Nexus, Avant, Certus and LatticeECP families. Ongoing customer migration to these next-generation platforms, driven by their enhanced performance, power efficiency and connectivity features, is likely to have supported product sales during the quarter.
During the quarter under review, continued investments in AI servers and cloud infrastructure are expected to have remained a key growth driver for Lattice. Rising capital spending by hyperscale and enterprise customers is likely to have boosted demand for the company's platform management, secure boot, I/O expansion and system control solutions, contributing positively to quarterly revenues.
Lattice's Industrial and Embedded business is expected to have delivered a steady performance during the June quarter, supported by sustained demand from factory automation, robotics and embedded computing applications. Improving channel inventory conditions and broader customer spending trends across industrial markets are likely to have provided an additional tailwind to quarterly performance.
During the to-be-reported quarter, Lattice's expanding design-win pipeline, supported by continued investment in development tools, IP cores, reference designs and software platforms, is expected to have strengthened its product ecosystem. This is likely to have facilitated the transition of new designs into commercial deployments, helping maintain business momentum during the quarter.
For the June quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues is pegged at $185.1 million, indicating an increase from $124 million recorded a year ago. The consensus mark for earnings is pegged at 44 cents per share, indicating an increase from 24 cents reported in the year-ago quarter.
Earnings WhispersOur proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Lattice for the second quarter. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. This is not the case here.
Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: Lattice carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Stocks to ConsiderHere are some companies you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this season:
Sandisk Corporation (SNDK - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +4.13% and sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present. It is set to release its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 numbers on Aug 5.
The Earnings ESP for Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI - Free Report) is +0.52%, and it carries a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 numbers on Aug 05.
The Earnings ESP for Arista Networks Inc (ANET - Free Report) is +3.08%, and it carries a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 numbers on Aug 04.
SoFi ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšila počet produktů o 2,2 milionu a 51 % nových produktů přišlo od stávajících členů. Tržby vzrostly o 40 % na 1,2 miliardy USD a firma zvedla celoroční výhled tržeb.
SoFi is using AI to move beyond financial guidance toward automated actions, including planned subscription management and cancellation.
Loan originations reached a record $14.8 billion as SoFi expanded its third-party loan platform into SMB and home equity.
SoFi raised its revenue outlook but held its profit guidance steady as management opted to keep investing in new products and businesses.
SoFi wants artificial intelligence to do more than answer a customer’s financial questions. It wants AI to eventually act on them, and in the process give customers more reasons to keep their financial lives inside its expanding financial ecosystem.
Cross-selling emerged as a key point of discussion on the company’s Wednesday (July 29) earnings call. SoFi added a record 1.1 million members in the second quarter, but added 2.2 million products. Existing members accounted for 51% of new products, compared with 35% a year earlier, while products per member reached 1.54.
CEO Anthony Noto addressed the economics, telling analysts that “the more Money members we bring in, the more Relay members we bring in, the more downstream benefit we get in SoFi Invest and SoFi Credit Card, and SoFi SMB, as well as all the loan products.” He said, “Those acquisition costs are basically zero on those other products.”
SoFi Plus provides one example. Of the roughly 206,000 subscribers at quarter-end, 85% were already SoFi members, and 25% subsequently opened another product. Noto said those members were also increasing deposits, assets under management and spending.
AI is being inserted into that model. SoFi Coach combines data from SoFi and externally connected accounts and is expected to move from providing financial guidance toward performing actions for customers. Automated subscription management and cancellation are planned for later this year.
Lending Still Carries Much of the Economics Personal loan originations reached a record $10.7 billion, student loan originations were $2.7 billion and home loans reached $1.4 billion. SoFi retained $7.6 billion of personal loan originations on its balance sheet while also transferring $3.1 billion through its Loan Platform Business.
Excluding delinquent-loan sales, the annualized personal-loan net charge-off rate declined to 3.7%, down 70 basis points sequentially. The 90-day delinquency rate fell seven basis points to 40 basis points.
CFO Chris Lapointe also pointed to increased transaction activity. Annualized spending across SoFi Money and Credit Card exceeded $28 billion, helping interchange revenue increase 67% year over year and 25% from the first quarter.
SoFi is taking the model into business accounts as well. Noto said the company plans to follow its SMB lending product with checking, savings and other services. Its newer Big Business Banking operation is aimed at commercial customers that need API-based fiat and digital-asset banking.
Noto said SoFi’s cryptocurrency business is settling transactions in the stablecoin, and commercial banking customers can use it for payments. He also said SoFi expected to begin settling Mastercard debit and credit card transactions in SoFiUSD within weeks. About $300 million of SoFiUSD was in circulation at quarter-end, per company materials.
Revenue Growth Meets Reinvestment Adjusted net revenue rose 40% year over year to $1.2 billion. Financial Services revenue increased 29% to $466 million, while Lending adjusted net revenue rose 59% to $712 million.
SoFi raised its full-year adjusted net revenue forecast to $4.75 billion to $4.85 billion, representing roughly 32% to 35% growth, while leaving adjusted EBITDA guidance at approximately $1.6 billion. Lapointe said SoFi intends to use some of the additional revenue to fund growth rather than push it immediately to the bottom line. Investors sent the shares down 9% at the start of trading on Wednesday.
“There are just too many large attractive growth areas for us to invest versus adding even more profitability,” Lapointe said. “Choosing not to invest today would come at the expense of capturing that growth opportunity in the future.”
Equifax zdvojnásobil cíl úspor z AI pro roky 2026–2028 na 150 milionů USD. Zároveň tržby z hypoték vzrostly o 40 % a VantageScore používá asi 1 300 hypotečních věřitelů.
Key Takeaways Equifax doubled its 2026-2028 AI savings target to $150 million to drive productivity and margin gains.EFX mortgage revenue rose 40% as VantageScore reached 1,300 lenders and 2.2 million Q2 transactions.Equifax plans a $750 million Crculo deal as international margins improve and growth broadens beyond the U.S. Equifax Inc. (EFX - Free Report) is leaning on artificial intelligence, mortgage scoring adoption, international expansion and new products to extend its growth profile.
The trends are visible in recent revenue gains. Its investment value still depends on whether Equifax can turn innovation and demand into margin expansion, disciplined acquisitions and durable earnings growth.
Equifax Expands AI-Driven Efficiency GoalsEquifax doubled its 2026-2028 AI-driven cost and capital savings target to $150 million, making artificial intelligence a broader productivity tool rather than just a product feature.
Management is applying AI and agentic solutions across product development, technology, operations and support functions, including human resources, legal and finance. The goal is to improve speed, accuracy and productivity while supporting margin expansion. Technology and operations represent about 60% of gross labor spending, giving the program a meaningful operating base.
EFX Mortgage Growth Signals Product AdoptionU.S. Information Solutions, or USIS, delivered 17% revenue growth in the second quarter, helped by a 40% increase in mortgage revenues. The gains reflect product adoption as well as a mortgage market that provided enough activity for Equifax’s scoring and data offerings to show leverage.
VantageScore adoption is an important part of that story. By July 2026, about 1,300 mortgage lenders were using the product, and second-quarter VantageScore transactions reached about 2.2 million, nearly triple the first-quarter level. TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) also competes in credit data and analytics, making lender adoption a key industry battleground.
Equifax Targets Mexico Through a Major AcquisitionEquifax signed an agreement to acquire Círculo de Crédito for an enterprise value of $750 million. The deal would expand Equifax’s international footprint in Mexico and fit its bolt-on acquisition strategy.
Círculo generated approximately $134 million in trailing revenues through June 30, 2026, up 31%, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of roughly 46%. Management expects the transaction to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first year. Experian plc (EXPGY - Free Report) , another global information services company, offers peer context because international data and analytics scale remain central to the sector’s growth narrative.
EFX International Margins Show Operating LeverageInternational revenues rose 8% on a reported basis in the second quarter and 4% in local currency. Asia Pacific was the standout, with 17% reported revenue growth and 7% local-currency growth, while Latin America rose 9% on a reported basis and 3% in local currency.
The margin trend was more encouraging than the headline growth rate alone. International operating margin improved to 12.1% from 10.9%, and adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 27.6% from 26.4%. That 120-basis-point improvement contrasted with margin pressure in Workforce Solutions and USIS, showing better incremental leverage outside the U.S. segments.
Equifax Scores Temper the Emerging Growth StoryThe emerging growth story is credible, but it is not yet an all-clear investment signal. AI savings, VantageScore adoption, new-product activity and the Círculo acquisition give Equifax multiple paths to faster revenue growth, but execution risk remains tied to integration, capital demands and margin delivery.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which points to a neutral near-term earnings-revision picture. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Its Growth Score of B supports the expansion thesis, while a VGM Score of C suggests the overall blend of value, growth and momentum is not especially strong.
The Momentum Score of F is the main restraint. Zacks Style Scores are designed to complement the Zacks Rank, and stronger scores generally indicate better alignment with a given investment style. For EFX, the profile favors patient investors who are comfortable waiting for technology initiatives and mortgage adoption to translate into steadier market confirmation.
Equifax ve 2. čtvrtletí zvýšil tržby o 10,6 % na 1,70 miliardy USD a upravený zisk na akcii o 12,5 % na 2,25 USD. Akcie EFX za rok klesly o 22,7 % a firma ponechala celoroční výhled tržeb.
Key Takeaways Equifax revenue rose 10.6% and adjusted earnings increased 12.5% in the second quarter.EFX trades near its price target, while its forward P/E remains above the sub-industry multiple.Strong cash flow and shareholder returns offset liquidity, leverage and acquisition-related risks. Equifax Inc. (EFX - Free Report) has fallen 22.7% in the past year, raising a fair question for investors: has the drop created value, or is the market still pricing in real risk?
The answer looks mixed. Equifax is still delivering revenue and adjusted earnings growth, but valuation, estimate revisions and momentum signals do not yet make the stock an obvious bargain. TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) and Experian PLC (EXPGY - Free Report) remain relevant peers for investors comparing credit-data and analytics exposure.
EFX Revenue and Earnings Growth Remain Strong
Equifax reported second-quarter 2026 revenues of $1.70 billion, up 10.6% year over year. Adjusted earnings were $2.25 per share, up 12.5%, with both metrics modestly ahead of consensus expectations.
The growth was not narrow. U.S. Information Solutions revenue rose 17%, helped by 40% mortgage revenue growth and better diversified-market trends. Workforce Solutions gained 7%, with verification services also up 7% on strength in Talent Solutions and Consumer Lending.
Management kept its full-year revenue guidance at $6.71 billion to $6.78 billion. That points to reported revenue growth of 10.5-11.6% for 2026, supported by mortgage services, verification offerings and new products.
Equifax Valuation Offers Limited Upside
The valuation case is less clear. At $187.89, EFX trades not far below the $196 price target, leaving only modest potential appreciation implied by that target.
The stock’s forward price-to-earnings ratio is about 19.8X. That is above the sub-industry multiple, limiting the argument that the shares are cheap after the sell-off.
The multiple is also below Equifax’s five-year median, giving long-term investors some valuation support. The result is a mixed setup rather than a clear discount.
TransUnion competes in consumer credit reporting and related analytics, making it a useful reference point for investors weighing whether weakness in EFX is company-specific or part of a broader credit-data valuation reset.
EFX Estimate Trends and Momentum Stay Mixed
Estimate trends have not fully backed the recovery argument. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal-year earnings has moved slightly lower over the past one, four and 12 weeks.
That matters because estimate revisions are central to the near-term stock setup. A falling estimate path can keep investors cautious, even when quarterly revenue and adjusted earnings growth remain positive.
Share-price momentum sends a conflicting message. EFX has posted stronger four-week and 12-week performances, suggesting buyers have stepped in recently.
Still, the 52-week return remains sharply negative, and the Momentum Score of F signals weak momentum characteristics. That makes the rebound look incomplete.
Equifax Cash Flow Helps Offset Balance Sheet Risk
Cash generation remains a meaningful offset. Management expects more than $1 billion of free cash flow in 2026 and cash conversion above 100%, which should support investment, dividends and share repurchases.
Equifax returned $366 million to shareholders in the second quarter, including $300 million of repurchases and $66 million of dividends. That shows management is still allocating capital to shareholders while funding growth initiatives.
Balance sheet risk should not be dismissed. The current ratio of 0.60 indicates limited short-term liquidity coverage, while the debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92 points to meaningful leverage.
The planned acquisition of Círculo de Crédito for an enterprise value of $750 million could add strategic reach in Mexico, but it also raises future capital demands. Experian’s global credit-data footprint gives investors another comparison point when judging Equifax’s international growth ambitions.
EFX Scores Support a Cautious Investment View
The bottom line is that EFX looks more like a patient-investor candidate than a clear buying opportunity after its one-year decline. Growth is intact, but upside to the price target is limited and the estimate-revision backdrop is not decisively positive.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
That points to a neutral near-term earnings-revision setup rather than a strong positive or negative signal.
Equifax has a Value Score of B and a Growth Score of B, which are constructive for investors focused on valuation and growth quality. Its VGM Score of C is more balanced, while the Momentum Score of F weakens the overall profile.
For investors already comfortable with Equifax’s business quality and cash-flow outlook, the decline may justify a closer look. For new buyers, the stock still lacks a strong all-around signal.
Kenvue v 1. čtvrtletí 2026 zvýšila upravenou provozní marži na 24 % díky úsporám a lepší efektivitě. Tržby segmentu Skin Health and Beauty vzrostly o 8,4 %.
Key Takeaways Kenvue's diverse portfolio spans self-care, skin health and essential health categories.Kenvue's adjusted operating margin improved to 24% in Q1'26 on efficiency gains.Kimberly-Clark transaction could expand scale, distribution reach and cost opportunities. Kenvue Inc. (KVUE - Free Report) remains a closely watched consumer health name as investors weigh trusted brands, improving margins and a major pending transaction.
The company’s mix of self-care, beauty and everyday health products gives it a broad demand base, but uneven organic growth and execution risks keep the outlook balanced.
Kenvue Builds a Diverse Health PortfolioKenvue operates through Self Care, Skin Health and Beauty, and Essential Health. Its brand lineup includes Tylenol, Zyrtec, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Listerine, Nicorette, Johnson’s and BAND-AID Brand, giving the company exposure to pain care, allergy, smoking cessation, oral care, baby care, wound care, skin care and beauty categories.
That range reduces dependence on one product line and supports repeat-purchase behavior across everyday health needs. Global reach through retailers, pharmacies and digital channels further helps Kenvue serve recurring consumer demand across developed and international markets.
Kenvue Improves Margins Through EfficiencyProfitability has become a central part of the Kenvue story. In the first quarter of 2026, adjusted gross margin expanded 80 basis points to 60.8%, while adjusted operating margin improved 420 basis points to 24%.
The gains reflected supply-chain productivity, favorable value realization and cost optimization actions, including Our Vue Forward and the 2026 Restructuring Initiative. Lower selling, general and administrative expenses also helped offset inflation, tariffs and lower volumes, showing that disciplined spending can support earnings even when sales growth is modest.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Skin Health Drives Kenvue Recovery EffortsSkin Health and Beauty delivered the strongest segment growth in the first quarter. Net sales increased 8.4%, while organic sales rose 5%, supported by 4.2% volume growth and 0.8% favorable value realization.
The segment benefited from innovation, sharper brand activation and targeted e-commerce initiatives. Neutrogena’s entry into sun care in select EMEA markets and the launch of OGX Pro Growth in North America and EMEA supported demand. Adjusted operating income rose to $168 million from $92 million, making the segment an important contributor to the company’s recovery profile.
Kimberly-Clark Deal Creates Strategic PotentialKenvue’s pending cash-and-stock combination with Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB - Free Report) adds another strategic dimension. Kenvue shareholders are expected to receive 0.14625 Kimberly-Clark shares plus $3.50 in cash for each Kenvue share, subject to closing conditions.
Shareholders of both companies have approved the required proposals, and the U.S. antitrust waiting period has expired. Foreign regulatory approvals remain outstanding, with closing expected in the second half of 2026. If completed, the transaction could combine Kenvue’s consumer health brands with Kimberly-Clark’s global personal-care platform, creating broader scale, distribution reach and cost opportunities.
The transaction also places Kenvue in a wider consumer staples context. The Procter & Gamble Company (PG - Free Report) , with major beauty, health care and household product categories, remains a useful comparison for investors watching branded consumer product scale and global distribution.
Kenvue’s Market Position Faces Mixed SignalsKenvue’s long-term setup combines durable brands, better profitability and a potential deal catalyst. Still, the stock’s profile is not without offsets, including modest organic growth, Self Care volume pressure, restructuring costs, debt, litigation exposure and limited earnings visibility while the Kimberly-Clark transaction remains pending.
The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which fits a balanced near-term view rather than a clear bullish or bearish signal. Its Value Score of C, Growth Score of C and VGM Score of C suggest average characteristics across valuation, growth and combined style measures, while its Momentum Score of D points to weaker share-price and estimate-revision support.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
For investors, the scores reinforce the need to weigh operating improvements against unresolved risks. Kenvue has credible drivers in brands, efficiency and Skin Health momentum, but broader stock strength may require clearer organic growth, transaction resolution and sustained execution.
Kenvue v 1. čtvrtletí zvýšila upravený EPS o 33 % na 32 centů a provozní marži rozšířila o 420 bazických bodů na 24 %. Volný peněžní tok vzrostl na zhruba 350 milionů USD.
Key Takeaways Kenvue's Q1 adjusted EPS rose 33% as operating margin expanded 420 basis points to 24%.KVUE trades below its sub-industry, sector and S&P 500 forward earnings multiples.Kenvue's free cash flow rose to about $350 million, supporting dividends, debt and brand investment. Kenvue Inc. (KVUE - Free Report) gives investors a consumer health story that is neither simple value nor clear growth. The stock’s appeal rests on better margins, stronger earnings and a portfolio of familiar brands.
The offset is visibility. Organic growth remains modest, debt is elevated and the pending Kimberly-Clark transaction limits the company’s ability to frame its 2026 outlook.
Kenvue Shows Earnings Strength Despite Slow GrowthKenvue reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of 32 cents per share, up 33% from the prior-year period. Reported sales increased 4.5% to $3.91 billion, helped by a 3.8-percentage-point foreign-currency benefit.
The earnings gain came despite only 0.7% organic sales growth and a 0.3% volume decline. Adjusted gross margin expanded 80 basis points to 60.8%, while adjusted operating margin rose 420 basis points to 24%, reflecting supply-chain productivity, favorable value realization, restructuring benefits and tighter spending.
Kenvue Valuation Offers A Balanced ViewKVUE trades at 16.49X forward 12-month earnings. That is below the 18.41X multiple for its Zacks sub-industry, the 17.28X level for the Zacks sector and the 20.11X multiple for the S&P 500 index.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The $21 price target reflects 17.53X forward 12-month earnings, pointing to a measured view rather than a deeply discounted setup. Haleon plc (HLN - Free Report) gives investors another consumer health reference point, while The Procter & Gamble Company (PG - Free Report) offers a broader consumer staples comparison for scale, brand investment and defensive demand.
Debt And Execution Risks Pressure KenvueKenvue ended the first quarter with total debt of about $8.7 billion, up from $8.5 billion at fiscal 2025-end. Interest expense was $95 million for the quarter, leaving less flexibility if operating trends weaken.
Execution risk also remains part of the investment case. Kenvue expects about $250 million of pre-tax restructuring expenses and other charges in 2026, continues to face product liability matters involving acetaminophen and talc-related products and is not providing 2026 financial guidance while the Kimberly-Clark transaction remains pending.
Kenvue Cash Flow Supports Investor AppealCash flow is a clearer positive. Operating cash flow rose to $489 million from $428 million in the prior-year period, mainly because of higher net income.
Capital expenditures declined to $139 million from $179 million, lifting free cash flow to roughly $350 million from about $249 million. Stronger cash generation can support dividends, debt management and continued investment behind core brands.
Kenvue’s Ranking Signals A Cautious Investment ProfileThe bottom line is that Kenvue’s margin progress and cash flow improvement make the stock more interesting, but the case is still balanced by slow organic growth, leverage and transaction-related uncertainty. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which fits a cautious profile rather than a clear near-term outperformer.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Style Scores also lean mixed. KVUE has a Value Score of C, Growth Score of C, Momentum Score of D and VGM Score of C. Since higher Style Scores are generally more favorable, these readings indicate limited broad-based strength across valuation, growth and momentum, even as operating execution has improved.
Rabobank říká, že tříměsíční cíl pro USD/JPY na úrovni 159 nyní vypadá optimisticky. Pár se drží poblíž 163,86 a další růst závisí na jestřábím postoji BoJ a slabších očekáváních Fedu.
Economists say the Dollar-Yen could extend higher unless the BoJ signals faster rate hikes, with its three-month forecast at 159 now requiring several factors to align. The US Dollar traded close to 163.84 against the Japanese Yen on Wednesday, holding near its highest level of 2026 as markets awaited policy decisions from both the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan.
USD/JPY has gained around 4.5% since the end of December and approximately 0.8% in July alone. The pair has also risen in five of the past six months, leaving the Yen under sustained pressure.
Latest — Exchange Rates:
Dollar to Yen (USD/JPY): 163.86431 (0.00%)
Euro to Dollar (EUR/USD): 1.137884 (-0.06%)
Pound to Dollar (GBP/USD): 1.328349 (-0.02%)
Rabobank says Friday’s BoJ meeting will come with one advantage: policymakers will already know the outcome of the Fed decision.
That matters because the bank believes the FOMC “may have more impact on the USD/JPY exchange rate than” the BoJ’s own announcement.
A surprise Fed hike would likely deliver another powerful Dollar boost. Rabobank does not expect that outcome, however, and says unchanged US rates could instead trigger “a little profit-taking on long USD positions”.
The Yen’s bigger test comes a day later.
Rabobank argues that recent BoJ comments may have been “specifically aimed at preparing markets for hawkish signals” from Friday’s meeting. Without them, the risk is straightforward: “an absence of hawkish signals from the BoJ this week could open the door for further upside pressure on USD/JPY”.
Image: USD/JPY year-to-date chart showing the climb from January lows near 152 towards 164 USD/JPY’s path this year helps explain why Rabobank thinks the BoJ cannot afford an ambiguous message. The pair has not simply spiked towards 164; it has rebuilt its advance in stages since May, repeatedly recovering from shallow setbacks.
That persistence is the uncomfortable part for Tokyo. Verbal warnings and earlier Ministry of Finance intervention have slowed the move at times, but neither has changed its direction for long. The chart therefore supports Rabobank’s view that intervention alone may be “too costly” when the underlying force is an appreciating US Dollar.
Rabobank notes that the MoF has not bought Yen in the open market since spending JPY11.73 trillion between late April and late May.
One explanation is cost. The bank says officials may simply consider it “too costly to push against an appreciating USD”, particularly while US rate expectations remain firm.
There are signs that Japanese policy support has had some impact. Although USD/JPY has climbed sharply, the Yen is still the fourth-best-performing G10 currency over the past three months because the Dollar has strengthened even more broadly.
Rabobank says this suggests “both the MoF’s intervention and the hawkish signals from the BoJ have had some impact in supporting the JPY”.
Near-Term USD/JPY Forecast: A Move Back to 159 Needs a Hawkish BoJ and Softer Fed Expectations Rabobank maintains a three-month USD/JPY forecast of 159, but admits that target “currently looks optimistic”.
A faster BoJ tightening cycle would help. The bank says an October rate increase, rather than waiting until December, could provide the Yen with support.
Japan’s inflation backdrop gives policymakers room to sound firmer. The BoJ has said an underlying price measure remains well above its 2% target, while wage negotiations have delivered another strong result.
Even that may not be enough on its own.
Rabobank says a move to 159 would likely require “various factors to come together”: greater reassurance over Japan’s fiscal outlook, a clearly hawkish BoJ and a decline in fears of further Fed tightening.
The final ingredient may prove decisive. As the bank puts it, “how far the JPY can recover versus the USD, if at all, is likely to be determined” by the Fed Chair’s message.
FTC žaluje Hims & Hers kvůli sdílení zdravotních dat uživatelů s Meta a Snap navzdory slibům o ochraně soukromí. Úřad také tvrdí, že firma používala klamavé účtování a ztěžovala rušení předplatného.
The New York Stock Exchange with a Hims & Hers Health, Inc banner is pictured as a person runs past in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
CompaniesJuly 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is suing Hims & Hers (HIMS.N), opens new tab alleging the telehealth platform shared users' health data with online advertisers despite promising privacy and engaged in deceptive billing and cancellation practices, an FTC spokesperson said.
Hims & Hers is one of the largest telehealth players in the market for weight loss drugs. The company offers telehealth appointments and prescriptions for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and mental health medications, which it ships straight to customers.
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Users' sensitive health information was shared with online advertising companies including Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab and Snap (SNAP.N), opens new tab, via their interactions with Hims' website and through tracking technologies, the FTC plans to allege in the lawsuit being filed along with Los Angeles County and Utah.
Hims & Hers also starts charging users for prescriptions before they have had a chance to meet with healthcare providers, the spokesperson said.
Most customers do not receive a consultation with a provider, and instead are charged for prescriptions soon after filling out an intake form, according to the agency. Hims & Hers also makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions, the FTC plans to allege.
Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
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Jody Godoy reports on tech policy and antitrust enforcement, including how regulators are responding to the rise of AI. Reach her at [email protected]
Jupiter spustil Spot V2 jako plnohodnotný obchodní terminál na Solaně s analytikou v reálném čase, chytrými příkazy a levnějším exekučním enginem. Současně oznámil získání většinových podílů v Moonshot a Sonarwatch; JUP po zprávě vzrostl asi o 8 %.
Jupiter just shipped what it’s calling a “100% reinvented” trading platform, and for once the marketing language might not be entirely hyperbolic. Spot V2 transforms the leading Solana DEX aggregator from a simple swap router into a full-featured trading terminal, complete with real-time analytics, smart order types, and an execution engine that claims to cut trading costs by a factor of ten.
For a protocol that already handles over 50% of all DEX volume on Solana, that’s less of an upgrade and more of a moat-widening exercise.
What’s actually in the box The centerpiece of Spot V2 is something Jupiter calls Ultra Mode. The pitch: automatic optimizations that make trading roughly 10x cheaper than standard execution. Think of it like a smart router on steroids, one that doesn’t just find the best price across liquidity pools but actively minimizes the total cost of getting your trade done, including gas and slippage.
Speaking of slippage, the platform now offers real-time slippage estimation. Instead of guessing how much you’ll lose between clicking “swap” and the transaction confirming, Spot V2 shows you a live estimate before you commit.
Smart trigger orders are another addition worth noting. These let traders set conditional trades that execute automatically when specific on-chain conditions are met.
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Then there’s organic scoring for tokens. Rather than relying purely on market cap or volume rankings, which are trivially easy to manipulate, Jupiter is introducing a scoring system designed to surface tokens based on more authentic activity signals.
The perpetual contracts side got attention too, with limit orders and one-transaction trading now available. Previously, opening a perp position on Jupiter required multiple transaction confirmations. Collapsing that into a single click removes friction that competitive platforms had already eliminated.
Strategic acquisitions sweeten the deal The Spot V2 launch didn’t happen in isolation. Jupiter simultaneously announced it had acquired majority stakes in two projects: Moonshot and Sonarwatch.
Moonshot is a platform focused on token launches, giving Jupiter a direct pipeline into new token distribution on Solana. Sonarwatch, meanwhile, specializes in portfolio tracking and analytics.
The market seemed to approve. Following the combined announcements, the JUP token climbed approximately 8%.
Context: Jupiter’s grip on Solana DeFi To understand why Spot V2 matters, you need to appreciate just how dominant Jupiter already is. Routing more than half of all decentralized exchange volume on Solana isn’t just market leadership. It’s near-monopoly territory.
What this means for investors For JUP holders, the calculus is relatively straightforward. Jupiter is transitioning from an aggregator, essentially middleware, into a full-stack trading platform.
Spot V2 launched in beta with a phased rollout planned for its features. Building a comprehensive trading terminal is genuinely hard, and Jupiter is attempting to match centralized exchange experience while maintaining the decentralization properties that make DeFi attractive in the first place.
The acquisitions add another dimension of risk and opportunity. Integrating Moonshot and Sonarwatch successfully could create meaningful synergies, giving Jupiter proprietary data advantages and first-mover access to new token launches.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Morgan Stanley Investment Management spustila Solana Trust ($MSOL) s poplatkem 0,14 %, nejnižším mezi americkými Solana ETF. První den zobchodoval asi 19 milionů USD.
Morgan Stanley Investment Management, the asset management arm of the eponymous financial services giant, entered the Solana Spot ETF race yesterday, July 28, with the launch of the Morgan Stanley Solana Trust ($MSOL) on NYSE Arca. The firm also launched the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust ($MSSE) on the same day.
The fund charges a 0.14% expense ratio, making it the lowest-cost Solana ETF in the U.S. market.
The launch also expands Morgan Stanley Investment Management's ETF and ETP platform, which now includes 22 products with more than $14 billion in assets under management. The firm's digital asset lineup now covers $BTC, $ETH, and $SOL after launching the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust earlier this year.
$MSOL’s Strong First Day Trading $MSOL recorded roughly $19 million in trading volume during its first day, with 951,216 shares changing hands.
Like its competitors, the ETF integrates staking from launch. Morgan Stanley intends to stake up to 100% of the fund's $SOL holdings, although that allocation may vary. Investors will receive an anticipated 95% of staking rewards, while Morgan Stanley will not retain any share of those rewards. Institutional staking provider Figment will supply staking services for the new fund.
Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas described the launch as one of the most significant developments for spot ether and Solana ETFs since the initial wave of crypto ETFs.
He noted that Morgan Stanley's 16,000 financial advisors oversee roughly $7 trillion in client assets, giving the firm's products access to one of the largest wealth management networks in the world. Balchunas also pointed out that the firm's 0.14% fee immediately made both $MSOL and $MSSE the cheapest funds in their respective categories, while highlighting that Morgan Stanley plans to pass 100% of staking rewards back to ETF investors.
"Digital assets are becoming an increasingly important component of diversified investment portfolios. As client interest in digital assets continues to grow, we’re focused on providing a range of digital asset solutions that allow investors to diversify their portfolios across traditional and decentralized asset classes while also adhering to Morgan Stanley’s standards for governance, infrastructure and risk management." - Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley
Competition Intensifies on Fees Morgan Stanley's aggressive pricing arrived as competition among Solana ETF issuers continues to increase.
On July 27, 21Shares announced a 12-month sponsor fee waiver for its Solana ETF (TSOL). Beginning July 28, the fund reduced its fee from 0.21% to 0.00%, temporarily making it the lowest-cost Solana ETF in the United States until July 28, 2027.
The U.S. Spot Solana ETFs are sorted by their fees in the table below:
Mixed Signals Across the Solana ETF Market Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley also highlighted another milestone yesterday, announcing that one of the world's largest wealth management firms had made the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF available to its advisors and clients. He described the move as another sign that Solana continues to move further into mainstream finance.
Despite that announcement and Morgan Stanley's debut, U.S. spot Solana ETFs collectively recorded $18.07 million in net outflows on July 28. All outflows came from Bitwise's $BSOL, marking the largest single-day outflow from U.S. spot Solana ETFs in 8 months. The last time a larger outflow occurred was on December 3, 2025, when investors withdrew $32.19 million.
Unless U.S Spot Solana ETFs see some humongous inflows before the end of the week, July would mark a second consecutive month with net outflows since the $786,580 netted in June.
Read More on SolanaFloor Solana Block Capacity Up 66% Following SIMD-0286 Activation
Bulk Trade Launches BIP-1 With Near-Zero Cost To Deploy Perp Markets
Aurora Labs spustila pro Solflare nativní cross-chain převody přes Aurora Intents, které umožňují posílat aktiva z Bitcoinu, Etherea a dalších sítí přímo do Solany bez klasických bridge rozhraní.
Aurora Labs has launched native cross-chain funding for Solflare wallets through Aurora Intents, allowing users to move assets from Bitcoin, Ethereum and other leading blockchains directly into Solana without interacting with traditional bridge interfaces.
Aurora Intents is powered by NEAR Intents, which settles more than $23 billion in total transaction volume and processes over $2.3 billion each month.
The integration introduces permanent deposit addresses for each supported blockchain and token. According to the projects, users simply transfer assets to the assigned address, while Aurora Intents automatically manages cross-chain routing, liquidity sourcing and token conversion using NEAR Intents infrastructure before delivering assets to Solflare.
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Aurora Labs says transfers from Ethereum-based networks generally complete in under one minute, while Bitcoin deposits take about 14 minutes.
The initial release supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, BNB Chain, Tron and NEAR. SOL and stablecoins are the primary destination assets, with additional tokens supported depending on liquidity availability.
The platform charges a 0.1% fee for stablecoin transfers and 1% for other assets, although all deposits will be fee-free during the first month after launch, subject to a combined $125,000 fee waiver.
Aurora Labs said replacing bridge applications with reusable deposit addresses removes one of crypto’s biggest onboarding friction points.
“Bridging has always carried too much anxiety — too many steps, too much that can go wrong. We chose Aurora Intents because its intent-based model removes all of that: you state what you want on Solana, and you receive the real token, on one permanent address for each source-chain-and-token pair that you can reuse forever. No dApp to connect, no wrapped assets,” Vidor Gencel, co-founder and co-CEO of Solflare, stated.
“We think this turns the hardest part of getting onto Solana into something as simple and trusted as a send — and makes Solflare the natural gateway to Solana for funds flowing in from every major chain,” he added.
Solflare said the approach provides users with a simpler and more trusted way to bring assets into the Solana ecosystem.
“Exchanges trained users to copy a deposit address and send funds, and Aurora Intents now brings that same action to a self-custodial wallet,” Declan Hannon, CEO of Aurora Labs, noted. “Apps lose users at the funding step, and most of those users already hold assets somewhere else. Aurora Intents turns that into a deposit address, and both the funds and the users arrive on Solana.”
The rollout follows continued growth across the Solana ecosystem, where monthly active addresses rose approximately 50% during Q1 2026. Solflare currently has more than 4 million active users and over $15 billion in assets under self-custody.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
PhoenixTrade na Solaně poprvé překročil $10 milionů v open interest, podle zpráv až na $11 milionů. Růst přišel po spuštění pobídkového programu Flight Club s odměnami ve výši $420 tis. v USDC.
PhoenixTrade, the perpetual futures DEX built on Solana by Ellipsis Labs, has crossed $10 million in open interest for the first time. Reports indicate the figure climbed as high as $11 million, representing a roughly 25% jump from its previous all-time high of $8.8 million set just weeks earlier in June 2026.
What’s driving the surge PhoenixTrade launched its “Flight Club” incentive program on July 27-28, just a day or two before the open interest milestone landed. The program allocates $420K in USDC rewards over 28 days, distributed based on trading volume, open interest held, and referrals.
The incentive launch also coincided with Phoenix crossing $1 billion in cumulative unincentivized perpetual trading volume.
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According to DeFiLlama data, PhoenixTrade’s cumulative perpetual volume sits around $917 million, with roughly $163 million in 30-day trading volume and approximately $67 million in 24-hour volume.
The architecture advantage PhoenixTrade’s technical pitch centers on what it calls a “crankless” fully on-chain order book. Traditional on-chain order books require external actors, called cranks, to process and match orders. Phoenix eliminates that intermediary step. The practical result: gasless trading and transaction fees of roughly 0.005%.
Solana’s perps landscape is getting crowded PhoenixTrade’s milestone is happening in a Solana ecosystem that includes perps competitors Jupiter, Drift Protocol, and Zeta Markets. Hyperliquid, which runs its own L1, has become the benchmark that every on-chain perps platform gets measured against, with open interest regularly sitting in the billions compared to PhoenixTrade’s $10-11 million.
The $420K Flight Club program runs for 28 days. The real test comes after the rewards stop flowing.
What this means for investors Incentive programs like Flight Club can create artificial volume spikes that collapse once rewards dry up. If PhoenixTrade’s open interest drops back below $8 million after the 28-day program ends, it would suggest the milestone was more sugar rush than structural growth.
PhoenixTrade’s 0.005% fee structure leaves very little room to go lower, which means the protocol needs to win on volume and user experience rather than further fee cuts.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Celo přidalo nativní podporu pro USAT od společnosti Tether, včetně mintování, vykupování a použití jako gas token. Je to druhá síť po Ethereu, která USAT hostí nativně.
Celo has added native support for USAT, a US dollar stablecoin backed by Tether, expanding regulated digital dollar access across its ecosystem.
The deployment, announced on Wednesday, makes Celo the second network after Ethereum to host native USAT and introduces several features from launch, including native minting, redemption and the ability to use USAT as a gas currency for transactions.
Issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, USAT is backed by reserves custodied by Cantor Fitzgerald and designed to comply with the requirements of the GENIUS Act.
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Celo said its gas payment model removes a common crypto onboarding hurdle by allowing users to pay fees with stablecoins rather than requiring a separate blockchain token. The network’s fee abstraction technology, now formalized under CIP-64, has already driven stablecoin-based gas payments, with more than 50% of Celo fees paid using stablecoins, the team added.
The launch strengthens the relationship between Tether assets and Celo. The network has become the top distribution platform for USDT by weekly active users, accounting for 28% of USDT transfers across blockchains. Celo also dominates adoption of XAUt0, holding more than 90% of unique holders for the omnichain Tether Gold asset.
Celo CEO Marek Olszewski said USAT will bring compliant dollar infrastructure to users already relying on the network for payments, savings and commerce.
“Bringing Anchorage and Tether’s trusted, compliant stablecoin infrastructure to Celo is the critical next step in our work building a trillion-dollar onchain economy that is more accessible, efficient, and equitable than the systems that came before,” Olszewski stated.
Tether US CEO Bo Hines added that Celo’s existing stablecoin activity made it a natural expansion target.
USAT adoption will continue through Celo-based applications. Opera’s MiniPay wallet, which has more than 18 million users, plans to add support for USAT, expanding its existing Tether asset offerings. Valora has already integrated the stablecoin, while additional support is expected from protocols including Morpho, Squid and Uniswap.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Pagaya Technologies (PGY) se obchoduje pod úrovní odvětví i konkurentů na ukazatelích P/S a P/TB, zatímco ziskovost se zlepšuje. Růst nákladů a beze změny odhady zisků ale mohou brzdit krátkodobý růst.
Key Takeaways Pagaya trades below industry and peers on P/S and P/TB metrics despite improving profitability.PGY's AI-powered platform and capital-light funding model support resilience across lending cycles.PGY faces rising production costs, while unchanged earnings estimates may limit near-term upside. Pagaya Technologies (PGY - Free Report) appears attractively valued based on two widely used valuation metrics: price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-tangible book (P/TB). Value investors often seek companies trading below their intrinsic worth or at a discount to peers, and PGY currently fits that profile.
The stock trades at a forward 12-month P/S ratio of 0.86X, significantly below the industry average of 2.78X. Moreover, as shown in the chart below, PGY’s current forward P/S multiple is well below its three-year peak, indicating that the stock is trading at a discount to its historical valuation.
PGY P/S (F12M)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
PGY also looks inexpensive on a tangible book basis. Its trailing 12-month P/TB ratio stands at 2.82X compared with the industry average of 3.99X.
PGY P/TB (TTM)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company’s valuation remains compelling even when compared with close peers. Upstart Holdings (UPST - Free Report) trades at a forward 12-month P/S ratio of 1.59X, whereas Virtu Financial (VIRT - Free Report) trades at 3.64X, both well above PGY’s 0.86X. Similarly, PGY’s P/TB TTM ratio of 2.82X is lower than Upstart’s 4.05X and Virtu Financial’s 5.59X.
Taken together, these valuation metrics suggest that Pagaya is trading at a meaningful discount relative to both its industry and key peers, leaving room for potential upside if the market reassesses the company’s value.
However, valuation alone does not make a compelling investment case. Investors should also evaluate Pagaya’s underlying fundamentals, earnings trajectory and long-term growth prospects before making an investment decision.
Key Factors Supporting PagayaDiversified AI-Powered Lending Platform: PGY’s core strength has been its resilient and adaptable business model. The company has transformed itself from a personal loan-focused platform into a diversified lending technology company with exposure across personal loans, auto lending and point-of-sale (POS) financing. This broader product mix reduces reliance on any single lending category, making revenue generation more resilient across economic and credit cycles.
At the same time, the company’s proprietary AI-powered technology has strengthened its competitive advantage. Its pre-screen solution enables banks and lenders to identify creditworthy existing customers and extend pre-approved loan offers without requiring a formal application. This not only expands credit access but also helps lending partners increase customer engagement and wallet share while keeping customer acquisition costs low.
Capital-Light Funding Model: Unlike traditional lenders, Pagaya follows an asset-light business model and generally does not retain loans on its balance sheet. Instead, loans originated through its AI-powered network are quickly transferred to institutional investors through asset-backed securities (ABS) and forward flow agreements.
Supported by a network of more than 160 institutional funding partners, this funding model provides a diversified and dependable source of capital while reducing reliance on public securitization markets.
By keeping credit exposure low and limiting balance-sheet risk, Pagaya has maintained financial flexibility and liquidity even during periods of elevated interest rates and volatile capital markets.
Improving Profitability: Pagaya has been translating strong revenue growth into improving profitability through higher operating leverage and disciplined cost management. As transaction volumes and monetization increased in 2025, revenues grew faster than operating expenses, driving margin expansion, a sharp increase in adjusted EBITDA and a return to sustained GAAP profitability.
This momentum continued into the first quarter of 2026, supported by continued expense discipline and solid performance across the personal loan and auto lending businesses. Reflecting confidence in its scalable platform and profitability trajectory, management expects 2026 GAAP net income of $110-$160 million.
Analyzing PGY’s Price PerformanceDespite improving fundamentals, PGY shares have declined 20.5% year to date, underperforming both the industry and the broader market. The industry has lost 10.9%, while the S&P 500 Index has returned 7.8%. The disconnect between operating performance and stock price suggests that investors remain cautious toward the fintech sector despite Pagaya’s improving profitability.
The performance of PGY has been better than that of Upstart but worse than Virtu Financial. Upstart shares have lost 36.4%, while the VIRT stock has appreciated 76.1% year to date.
PGY’s YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
How to Approach the Pagaya Stock?Given its resilient business model and capital-efficient funding strategy, PGY continues to stand out in the fintech space. Its AI-driven platform and reliance on forward flow agreements shield it from market volatility and credit risks.
Moreover, the stock trades at a discount relative to peers like UPST and Virtu Financial, making its valuation attractive.
However, the company has been witnessing a persistent increase in expenses over the past few years. Over the last three years (2022-2025), total costs and operating expenses saw a compound annual growth rate of 1.2%, mainly because of elevated production costs. Since production costs are highly correlated to the company’s network volume, the metric is anticipated to keep increasing in the near term as the value of the company’s assets originated by its partners with the assistance of AI and with respect to single-family rental operations grow. Thus, rising expenses will hurt PGY’s bottom-line growth to an extent.
Analysts do not seem optimistic regarding PGY’s earnings growth potential. Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Pagaya’s 2026 and 2027 earnings has been unchanged at $3.23 and $3.72, respectively.
PGY’s Earnings Estimate Revision Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Overall, Pagaya combines an attractive valuation with improving profitability, a scalable AI-driven platform and a capital-light business model. These strengths make the stock appealing for long-term investors seeking exposure to the fintech lending space. However, rising production costs and the absence of upward earnings estimate revisions suggest that near-term upside may remain limited.
As such, existing shareholders can continue to hold the stock, while prospective investors may prefer to wait for a more attractive entry point or clearer evidence of sustained earnings momentum.
At present, Pagaya carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
