Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Micron Technology (MU -7.25%) stock is sinking, down 5.5% to $897 as of 112:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 30, following Intel's less-than-stellar earnings forecast and slipping PC sales.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are down 1.5% and 2.6%, respectively.

MU Micron Technology$866.53-$67.74 (-7.25%)

NASDAQ · As of 2:23 PM ET 10/30/26

Intel earnings forecast drags down chip stocksIntel (INTC -30.62%) beat Wall Street's targets for its Q3 earnings, while coming in roughly in line on the top-line:

Revenue: $16.51 billion vs. about $16.5 billion expectedAdjusted EPS: $0.52 vs. $0.40 expectedHowever, the company also said that PC chip revenue fell 5% year over year to $8.1 billion. CFO David Zinsner warned the slowdown would run at least through the first half of 2027.

The company then lowered expectations for its next report. It's now projecting Q4 revenue to come in at $15.0 billion to $16.0 billion -- Wall Street wanted $17.1 billion. The company forecast a gross margin of 38%, down from the 44.1% in Q3.

Intel is on pace for one of its worst days ever as the whole semiconductor market falls.

Image source: Micron.

How expensive memory chips weigh on Intel's PC salesA big reason for the slowdown in chip sales is pricing. PCs have jumped in price, leading customers to pull back. Why? Memory costs have a lot to do with it. Because of the demand from AI data centers, Micron and other memory makers have enjoyed incredible pricing power, and while that's led to soaring revenue -- $54.23 billion last quarter -- it's starting to eat into consumer sales downstream of Micron.

Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intel and Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Bloomberg's Ed Ludlow looks at the fall in Intel shares as a bleak outlook exposes the chipmaker's struggle with a deepening PC slump and difficulty meeting CPU demand. Plus, AWS CEO Matt Garman discusses the cloud giant's accelerating growth and massive AI buildout.

Key Takeaways American Express saw billed business rise 8% to $454 billion in Q3, fueled by strong premium card spending.MA's value-added services revenues grew 19% YoY, driven by cybersecurity, analytics and fraud prevention.MA's capital-light model limits credit risk, while AXP faces rising rewards costs and lending exposure.
The global payments industry continues to evolve, driven by the growing adoption of digital transactions, expanding cross-border spending and changing consumer payment preferences. As businesses and consumers increasingly shift toward cashless transactions, payment companies are focusing on strengthening their networks, enhancing technological capabilities and diversifying revenue streams. American Express Company (AXP - Free Report) and Mastercard Incorporated (MA - Free Report) are two prominent players navigating these industry trends through distinct business models.

American Express follows an integrated payments model that combines card issuance, merchant acquiring and lending with a strong emphasis on premium customers and travel-related spending. In contrast, Mastercard operates a global payments network, generating revenues primarily from transaction processing and related services without directly assuming consumer credit risk. While both companies benefit from rising electronic payment volumes, their differing revenue structures, credit exposure and growth strategies create distinct opportunities and risks for investors.

Let’s dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which one is a better investment now.

The Case for American ExpressAmerican Express' premium-focused business model continues to benefit from resilient consumer spending and rising demand for fee-based card products. In the third quarter of 2026, its billed business increased 8% year over year to $454 billion, while U.S. consumer spending advanced 9.4%. Travel and entertainment spending rose 10%, supported by 13% growth in airline spending. Net card fees increased 16.4% year over year, reflecting the success of its refreshed Platinum Card offerings. The combination of spending growth, recurring membership fees and customer retention supports revenue visibility.

Customer acquisition and international expansion represent key growth opportunities for AXP. The company added 3.1 million new cards during the third quarter, with fee-paying products accounting for 76% of new accounts. International billed business increased 11%, marking 22 consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. Meanwhile, merchant acceptance expanded to more than 190 million locations globally from 160 million a year earlier. Greater merchant coverage, particularly outside the United States, could improve card utility and encourage additional spending among existing and prospective customers.

AXP is strengthening its membership ecosystem through travel, dining and lifestyle partnerships. Its expanded relationship with Airbnb will bring more than 1 million listings into Amex Travel, while investments in Centurion Lounges, Resy and premium hotel programs are aimed at increasing cardholder engagement. Spending at Resy restaurants grew 18% during the third quarter, while spending through Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection increased 50%. These initiatives could support customer retention, higher spending and continued demand for premium card products.

Commercial payments and technology investments provide American Express with additional avenues for expansion. Its Graphite Card, Corporate Cashback Card and integrated expense management capabilities are designed to strengthen its position among small and midsized businesses. The acquisition of Center supports its efforts to automate business spending and expense reporting. The company is also using artificial intelligence to personalize customer experiences, improve acquisition efficiency and develop secure agentic payment capabilities. These investments, alongside disciplined expansion of its lending portfolio, could support broader revenue growth over time. It beat earnings estimates in three of the past four quarters and missed once, with an average surprise of 3.3%.

As of Sept. 30, 2026, the company had $43.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents against just $1.4 billion in short-term borrowings. AXP returned $2.2 billion to its shareholders in the third quarter of 2026 through dividends and buybacks. Its dividend yield of 1.2% is higher than MA’s 0.6%.

However, AXP faces headwinds from intensifying competition in the premium credit card market, rising customer acquisition costs and elevated spending on rewards and cardholder benefits. Its exposure to discretionary travel and entertainment spending makes it vulnerable to economic uncertainty and changes in consumer behavior. Meanwhile, commercial spending growth remains relatively subdued, while increased regulatory scrutiny and compliance-related expenses could pressure profitability.

The Case for MastercardMastercard's growth prospects are supported by rising digital payment adoption, cross-border spending and continued expansion of its global payment network. In the third quarter of 2026, gross dollar volume increased 7% year over year on a local-currency basis, while cross-border volume advanced 11% and switched transactions grew 9%. Contactless payments accounted for 81% of in-person switched purchase transactions. The network also reached 3.8 billion Mastercard and Maestro-branded cards, expanding its transaction base.

MA's growing value-added services business offers another avenue for revenue diversification. Revenues from these services increased 19% year over year in the third quarter, supported by demand for cybersecurity, fraud prevention, data analytics and customer engagement solutions, and pricing. Approximately 60% of its services business is linked to the payment network, creating opportunities to generate additional revenues from existing transaction flows. The integration of Recorded Future and RiskRecon capabilities further strengthens its cybersecurity portfolio, allowing Mastercard to expand its presence beyond conventional payment processing. It beat earnings estimates in each of the past four quarters, with an average surprise of 6.3%.

Strategic partnerships and commercial payment solutions are widening the company's addressable market. Its agreement with HDFC Bank is expected to bring approximately 3 million small-business cards onto the network, while the migration of Pinnacle Financial Partners' issuing portfolio beginning in 2027 offers additional transaction opportunities. MA is also integrating virtual cards into corporate payment workflows through partnerships with Tungsten Automation and Coupa. Growing adoption of automated supplier payments could support incremental transaction volumes and strengthen its position in business-to-business payments.

Mastercard is investing in emerging payment technologies to diversify its longer-term growth opportunities. Its Agent Pay and Agent Connect solutions aim to facilitate secure AI-powered transactions, supported by partnerships with Shopify and OpenAI. The acquisition of BVNK has strengthened its stablecoin infrastructure capabilities, enabling the launch of the Mastercard Global Money Platform. The platform’s integration with Mastercard Move's 17 billion endpoints could create additional opportunities in cross-border transfers, digital assets and enterprise money movement.

MA balances investments in innovation with shareholder returns through dividends and buybacks, supporting sustainable long-term growth despite regulatory and competitive pressures. In third-quarter 2026, it repurchased $3 billion of stock and bought an additional $0.6 billion through Oct. 26, 2026, while paying $763 million in dividends for the quarter. The company maintains a solid capital position with $10.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents, while short-term debt amounted to $1.7 billion as of Sept. 30, 2026. Its return on capital of 61.3% is significantly higher than AXP’s 12.4% and the industry’s 28.8%.

How Do the Estimates Compare for AXP & MA?The Zacks Consensus Estimate favors MA at this stage. The consensus estimate for MA’s 2026 earnings indicates a 17.1% increase from a year ago. Meanwhile, the consensus estimate for revenues suggests 13.6% growth. On the other hand, the consensus estimate for AXP’s 2026 earnings indicates 16% growth from a year ago, while the same for revenues suggests a 10% rise.

Price Performance ComparisonOver the past six months, AXP’s shares have gained 1.2%, underperforming MA’s 28.3% growth. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has increased 5.3% during this time.

Price Performance – AXP, MA & S&P 500
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Valuation: AXP vs. MAValuation-wise, Mastercard trades at a premium forward price-to-earnings multiple relative to AXP, reflecting its capital-light structure and lower risk profile. MA currently trades at a forward P/E of 28.34X, higher than AXP’s 16.37X. The valuation gap reflects the market’s preference for Mastercard’s stability and diversified growth prospects.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ConclusionBoth American Express and Mastercard are well-positioned to benefit from the ongoing shift toward digital payments. AXP’s premium-focused business model, growing membership base and attractive valuation support its long-term prospects. However, its exposure to consumer credit risk, rising rewards costs and discretionary spending creates potential headwinds.

MA appears to be the better investment choice at present. Its capital-light business model, stronger earnings and revenue growth expectations, expanding value-added services portfolio and growing presence in commercial and emerging payment technologies provide a competitive edge. Although MA trades at a premium valuation, its diversified growth drivers, strong profitability and lower direct credit exposure make it a more compelling bet for investors seeking long-term growth.

MA currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while AXP has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Blackstone: Anthropic may not immediately secure an investment-grade rating after its listing, and its financing sources could be constrained.

Beating AI News Flash: According to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the matter, Blackstone has informed investors in Anthropic’s latest $63 billion chip financing deal that the AI firm may not immediately obtain an investment-grade credit rating after its IPO, and is expected to receive a high-grade non-investment-grade (junk) rating. This contradicts Blackstone’s earlier guidance that Anthropic would secure an investment-grade rating by the end of the year. The development could limit Anthropic’s financing options, as many insurance and pension funds are barred from making large investments in junk-rated borrowers. Anthropic may need to continue relying on high-credit-rating providers to support its financing. Its prospectus shows the company plans to invest over $800 billion in building computing infrastructure by 2045. Securing an investment-grade credit rating is critical to meeting these targets, as it would enable Anthropic to borrow at lower interest rates to fund its AI infrastructure projects. The group holds more than $112 billion in cash and equivalents, and investors expect it to raise an additional roughly $100 billion in its IPO. In the "Project North Star" financing, over $42 billion in senior loans are guaranteed by Broadcom. The $18 billion subordinated debt has received a BB+ rating from KBRA with a positive outlook, and a BB rating from Morningstar DBRS. A Blackstone fund has invested $9 billion in this tranche, with a yield exceeding 10%. The three major rating agencies—Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P—have not yet formally assigned a credit rating to Anthropic.

2 hours ago

US stock losses widened, with the Nasdaq Composite down 3% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling more than 8%.

According to data from the BIT Stock Platform, US stock losses widened: the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 3%, the Nasdaq 100 Index dropped 3.55%, the S&P 500 Index declined nearly 2%, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) surged 21%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index slid more than 8%.

2 hours ago

Tether releases Q3 financial report: net operating profit reaches $1.5 billion, and excess reserves nearly double to $7.95 billion

Tether released its third-quarter 2026 financial report, posting a net operating profit of $1.5 billion, roughly flat with the previous quarter. Cumulative net operating profit for the first three quarters reached $4.5 billion, with its main revenue sources remaining U.S. short-term Treasury bonds and reverse repurchase agreements. As of September 30, Tether’s excess reserves rose to approximately $7.95 billion, nearly doubling from $4.1 billion at the end of Q2, an increase of about $3.8 billion. Total reserve assets at the end of the quarter stood at around $191.5 billion, with direct and indirect holdings of U.S. short-term Treasury bonds totaling $132.4 billion, and most reserves allocated to highly liquid, short-dated instruments. Tether noted that the total issuance of USDT remained broadly stable at $184 billion in the first three quarters of 2026. CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that the company’s reserve strategy aims to ensure liquidity to meet redemption demands during periods of market and financial system stress, while enhancing financial strength through excess reserves.

2 hours ago

Fed's Musalem: The Federal Reserve will need to raise interest rates again "soon"

Federal Reserve official Musalem said the Fed will need to raise interest rates again "soon". Current monetary policy remains accommodative, and overall financial conditions are still loose. Inflation is still too high and is unlikely to ease without action from the Federal Reserve.

2 hours ago

Fed's Daly: AI has a significant impact on medium and short-term monetary policy formulation

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said Friday that artificial intelligence (AI) not only affects long-term economic prospects but is also closely tied to the Federal Reserve’s medium- and short-term monetary policy decisions. Daly noted that the Fed needs to understand how technological advances impact U.S. economic growth, productivity, and the labor market to assess its dual mandate goals: inflation, price stability, and maximum employment.

2 hours ago

CZ: When assessing the impact of a theft, one should not only look at the dollar amount; the key is whether the platform can fully cover the losses.

CZ responded in a post to discussions about the scale of Binance’s hack and its impact on Bitcoin (BTC) prices, noting that the $6.3 billion theft is the largest in U.S. dollar terms but not by BTC quantity. He cited the Mt. Gox incident, which involved 650,000 BTC—more than 5% of Bitcoin’s total supply at the time—arguing that market impact cannot be assessed solely by dollar amounts. CZ added that factors like the number of affected users and the share of their assets that were impacted must also be considered. According to him, both the Mt. Gox and FTX incidents affected nearly all users and their assets. He stressed that a more critical question is who will ultimately bear the losses, whether the platform can fully cover them, and avoiding passing the burden to users. CZ stated that the event remains a major disaster for the crypto industry, Binance, and himself, but that the exchange can weather the shock. He emphasized: “The most important thing is that we protect users.”

2 hours ago

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) shares were trading higher on Friday on a continued rally on better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and upbeat fiscal 2026 guidance.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share on the Company's common stock. The dividend is payable on December 21, 2026 to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 1, 2026.

The Board of Directors also approved a 5% common stock dividend payable on December 22, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 1, 2026. Statements reflecting the issuance of shares as a result of the stock dividend should be mailed on or about December 22, 2026. No fractional shares will be issued, and shareholders will receive cash for such fractional interests based on the market value of the stock on the record date. The quarterly cash dividend will not be payable on any shares to be issued pursuant to the 5% stock dividend.

About Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) is a regional bank holding company with $34.8 billion in assets¹, offering banking, payment solutions, wealth management and securities brokerage through its subsidiaries. Commerce Bank, its primary subsidiary, brings over 160 years of experience helping individuals and businesses through high-touch service and sophisticated, personalized financial solutions.

Commerce maintains an extensive network of banking centers, wealth offices, and ATMs throughout the Midwest, as well as commercial offices in 11 states and offers payment solutions nationwide. The company also delivers financial planning, private banking, investment management and trust services to clients through a network of dedicated wealth offices across the country. Customers can conveniently access their accounts 24/7 using mobile and online platforms, as well as a customer service line.

Learn more at www.commercebank.com

1As of September 30, 2026

More News From Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

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Key Takeaways TMUS' Q3 2026 earnings beat estimates by 12.6%, while revenues climbed 7.4% year over year to $23.58 billion.T-Mobile raised its 2026 adjusted free cash flow guidance to $18.7-$18.8 billion on stronger service growth.Rising churn and higher equipment and service costs could pressure TMUS' margins despite stronger guidance. T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS - Free Report) raised its 2026 profitability and cash-flow outlook after third-quarter earnings and revenues topped expectations. The update points to sustained service-revenue momentum, better customer monetization and stronger cash generation.

The key question is whether those gains can continue while T-Mobile funds network investment, returns capital to shareholders and absorbs higher churn and operating costs.

TMUS Earnings Beat Reflects Stronger OperationsT-Mobile reported third-quarter 2026 earnings of $3.22 per share, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.86 by 12.6%. Revenues of $23.58 billion exceeded the consensus mark by 1.2% and increased 7.4% year over year.

Operating income rose 25% to $5.66 billion, while core adjusted EBITDA increased 10.8% to $9.62 billion. The improvement shows that higher revenues translated into stronger profitability despite cost pressure in equipment and services.

T-Mobile Service Growth Drives the UpgradeService revenues increased 6.2% year over year to $19.38 billion, with postpaid service revenues up 9.3% to $16.27 billion. Postpaid average revenue per account, or ARPA, advanced 4.2% to $155.73, supported by premium-plan adoption, higher fee revenues and rate-plan modernization.

Management now expects full-year postpaid ARPA growth of approximately 3.5%, up from its prior 2.5%-3% range. That higher target strengthens the monetization outlook because more revenue is being generated from customer relationships, not only from subscriber growth.

AT&T Inc. (T - Free Report) reported 3.8% year-over-year service revenue growth in the third quarter. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ - Free Report) reported 2.9% growth in mobility and broadband service revenues and also raised its 2026 outlook, underscoring an active competitive backdrop across the U.S. wireless market.

TMUS Raises EBITDA and Cash Flow GuidanceT-Mobile raised the midpoint of its 2026 core adjusted EBITDA outlook, setting a new range of $37.35-$37.45 billion versus $37.1-$37.5 billion previously. Adjusted free cash flow guidance increased to $18.7-$18.8 billion from $18.4-$18.8 billion.

Net cash provided by operating activities is now expected at $28.7-$28.8 billion, up from the prior $28.4-$28.8 billion range. Importantly, planned capital expenditures remain unchanged at approximately $10 billion.

That combination indicates the guidance improvement is tied to stronger service growth and operating efficiency rather than lower planned network spending. It also supports T-Mobile's ability to fund investment while maintaining shareholder distributions.

T-Mobile Still Faces Churn and Cost PressurePostpaid account churn increased to 1.09% from 0.97% a year earlier, partly reflecting a higher mix of broadband-only accounts and temporary effects from rate-plan modernization. Higher churn can raise retention costs and make customer growth more expensive.

Cost of equipment sales rose 12.2% to $5.44 billion, driven by higher manufacturer pricing and a richer premium-device mix. Cost of services increased 4.7% to $3.01 billion on higher wholesale network access, installation-fee amortization and maintenance expenses.

These pressures will help determine how much of the stronger revenue outlook ultimately reaches margins and free cash flow. Sustained promotional spending or higher operating costs could dilute part of the benefit from better monetization.

TMUS Ratings Temper the Guidance OptimismThe raised outlook improves the fundamental picture, but it does not remove the need for balance. T-Mobile must sustain service-revenue growth and cash conversion while managing churn, device costs and network spending.

TMUS currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). It also has a VGM Score of A, Momentum Score of A, Growth Score of B and Value Score of B. The favorable Style Scores indicate attractive characteristics across several investing styles, but they are designed to complement the Zacks Rank. With a Hold rank, the near-term signal remains neutral, keeping the stronger guidance in perspective rather than turning the quarter into an unequivocal bullish call. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Oracle's AI bookings hit numbers that stunned Wall Street, yet the stock sits nearly 49% below its peak while cash flow burns deep into the red. Something has to give, and the next two quarters will settle the argument.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL | ORCL Price Prediction) trades at $139.56. Shares rose 11.17% in the past week after a run of AI announcements and an Investor Day called as “Accelerating Value Creation”, and that rally lifted view around the stock.

The database and enterprise software giant now earns most of its money from AI cloud infrastructure. Cloud makes up 60% of revenue, up from 48% a year ago. Fears about spending and debt still drove the stock down 48.63% over the past year, from $271.69.

Record AI Bookings Meet a Discounted Multiple In fiscal Q1, adjusted EPS came in at $1.92, ahead of the $1.74 consensus. Revenue grew 29.6% to $19.34 billion, and cloud infrastructure rose 121%. Remaining performance obligations, meaning signed contracts not yet called, reached $664 billion. GPU usage was 97.9%, and capacity that came up for renewal was re-signed at a 20% premium.

Management raised fiscal 2027 targets to at least $90 billion in revenue and $8.10 in EPS. Even so, the stock trades at a forward P/E of just 16. Over the past 30 days, analysts made 35 upward revisions to fiscal 2027 EPS and only 1 cut. New deals add to the case: Google TPUs from Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) coming to OCI and a wider enterprise partnership with OpenAI. Building that capacity requires powering, cooling, and networking by somebody, which is why we pulled together seven suppliers behind the AI expansion in a free report here.

Cash Burn and Debt Could Swamp the Growth Story Free cash flow came in at negative $5.40 billion in Q1, following negative $23.69 billion in fiscal 2026. Full-year capex guidance stands at $90 billion to $95 billion. Interest expense rose 55% to $1.4 billion, and liabilities total $236 billion against $67 billion of equity. The CFO did not offer a date for positive free cash flow: “We have not given the time frame on that.”

Shareholders also took on dilution from a completed $20 billion equity program. Software license revenue fell 15%. Much of the backlog depends on a few large AI customers.

Waiting for Bookings to Become Cash Has Its Logic The stock still sits below its 200-day moving average of $157.59. Management expects about half of the backlog to convert to revenue within 36 months, but cash flow is still negative. Investors are looking to fiscal Q2, where guidance calls for 30%-34% revenue growth and EPS of $1.85-$1.93, and for proof that the New Mexico and Wisconsin sites stay on schedule.

Wall Street Sees Big Upside as Shares Trail the Market The average analyst target of $235.80 implies about 69% upside. Targets are only estimates and offer no guarantee. Ratings break down this way:

Strong Buy: 7 Buy: 28 Hold: 7 Sell: 1 Over one year, Oracle is down 48.63%, while the S&P 500 gained 11.94%. Year to date, the stock is down 27.45% against an index gain of 12.84%. Shares trade at a trailing P/E of 20.

Oracle’s Backlog Is Starting to Turn Into Revenue Oracle trades at $139.56.

Investor Day confirmed what Q1 already showed: demand for AI capacity is running ahead of supply. The next few earnings reports will show whether the stock can keep climbing, as the $664 billion backlog becomes reported revenue and gross margins level off as management expects.

A forward multiple of 16 already prices in heavy doubt about the balance sheet. Customer-funded hardware and prepayments ease some of the capital burden.

This outlook falls apart if backlog conversion stalls, financing costs climb faster than revenue, or a major AI customer pulls back. Watch quarterly free cash flow and interest expense closely.

Oracle grew revenue 29.6% last quarter while trading at a discount, and whether that gap closes is the key question for investors.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Visa's latest dividend hike proves a low yield can outpace a fat one over time, and three other blue chips are quietly running the same playbook with even more room to grow.

Visa (NYSE:V | V Price Prediction) raised its quarterly dividend 16% to $0.780 per share this week, showing why dividend growth can beat a high yield. A high yield that never rises pays the same check in year 20 as in year one, and inflation shrinks what that check buys every year. A lower payout that keeps climbing works the other way: each raise lifts the yield on what you originally paid. The companies that can keep raising also tend to have the cash flow and balance sheets to protect the dividend when the economy turns. These four blue chips carry low yields, and all four pass a safety test first and then a growth test.

Microsoft: A Tiny Yield Backed by the Strongest Balance Sheet in the Group
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) yields just 0.6717%, so the income case depends on payout safety and growth. Safety is the easy part. Dividends per share of $3.64 against trailing EPS of $17.95 put the payout ratio at about 20.3%. Microsoft produced $66.99 billion in free cash flow in fiscal 2026 on $182.94 billion of operating cash flow. Debt-to-equity sits at 0.29, net debt to EBITDA at 0.56, and interest coverage at 50.9x. For an income investor, that means the dividend takes up only a small share of the company’s cash.

The growth record is steady. The quarterly payout went from $0.68 in 2023 to $0.75, then $0.83 and $0.91. The next payment of $0.98, payable December 10, is about a 7.7% raise. In 2005, the quarterly check was $0.08.

Bull case: The cloud business is speeding up. Azure grew 48%, and Microsoft holds a $677 billion commercial backlog that grew 73%. That contracted revenue supports future increases. In the latest quarter, Microsoft “returned $10.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases,” according to the chief financial officer. The stock trades at about 27 times forward earnings.

Risk: The AI buildout is absorbing cash. Quarterly free cash flow came in at $18.6 billion after $45.2 billion in capital spending. If those investments make less than expected, free cash flow could stall, and future increases could be lower.

Visa: Double-Digit Raises From a Business That Needs Little Capital
At the new $0.78 quarterly rate and a share price of $413.44, Visa’s annualized yield is about 0.75%. Coverage is wide. The annualized dividend uses only about 25.3% of trailing EPS of $12.32. In fiscal 2026, Visa produced $23.73 billion of operating cash flow and spent only $1.67 billion on capital expenditures, leaving roughly $22.06 billion in free cash flow. Visa runs a payment network and takes no credit risk on cardholder balances, so almost all of its operating profit becomes cash.

Visa raises its dividend every year, and the increases are large. The quarterly payout was $0.14 in 2016. It then rose from $0.375 to $0.45, $0.52, $0.59, $0.67 and now $0.78. The new rate is payable December 1.

Bull case: The business behind the dividend is accelerating. Fiscal 2026 revenue rose 14.76%, and net income rose 17.2%. The chief executive called it “record net revenue of $46 billion, up 15%, strongest growth in over 15 years.” Cross-border volume grew 14%, and Visa still has $24.4 billion left on its buyback authorization. Buybacks shrink the share count, which leaves fewer shares to split future dividends among.

Risk: Ongoing interchange litigation and regulatory pressure on payment fees worldwide could cut into the fees Visa collects on each transaction, which fund its dividend growth.

Costco: Membership Fees Back the Dividend, and Special Payouts Add to It
Costco (NASDAQ:COST) has the lowest yield of the group at 0.56%, but the dividend is very safe. Dividends per share of $5.54 equal about 26.3% of trailing EPS of $21.04. Fiscal 2026 free cash flow rose 19.8% to $9.39 billion, and cash grew 42.7% to $20.21 billion. Membership fees, which carry high margins, brought in $1.85 billion in the quarter, and the worldwide renewal rate held at 89.8%. That steady fee income pays for the dividend before Costco sells a single item.

The regular quarterly dividend has risen each year: $0.90, then $1.02, $1.16, $1.30 and now $1.47. The latest raise was about 13.1%. In 2018, the quarterly check was $0.57. Costco has also paid special dividends of $15.00 (late 2023), $10.00 (2020), $7.00 (2017), $5.00 (2015), and $7.00 (2012). Those one-time payments come on top of the regular income and are never guaranteed.

Bull case: Comparable sales rose 9.4%, digital comps rose 19.5%, and Costco plans about 28 net new warehouses in fiscal 2027. More warehouses bring more members, and more members mean more fee income behind each raise.

Risk: Investors pay a high price for this quality. Costco trades at about 47 times trailing earnings and 43 times forward earnings. At that valuation, the starting yield stays tiny, and your income banks almost entirely on future increases and special dividends.

Home Depot: The Highest Starting Yield, Held Steady Through the Last Housing Bust
Home Depot (NYSE:HD) pays the biggest check in this group, with a yield of 2.788%. Free cash flow covers it. The company’s free cash flow yield of 3.85% exceeds its dividend yield. In the second quarter, Home Depot paid approximately $2.3 billion in dividends against net income of $4.77 billion, about 48.2% of earnings. That is the highest payout ratio of the four. Interest coverage is 8.66x, and net debt to EBITDA is 2.56.

The dividend has a long history. Home Depot held its quarterly payout at $0.225 from 2007 through 2009, during the housing crash, and did not cut it. The payout reached $0.69 by 2016 and $2.25 by 2024. The most recent step, from $2.30 to $2.33, was a 1.3% raise.

Bull case: Home Depot is the cheapest stock here. It trades at about 20 times forward earnings, and its shares are down 10.49% over the past year. Meanwhile, the business keeps growing. Sales from contractors and other professional customers grew in the quarter, digital sales rose 11%, and management said the “teams took share in a difficult environment.” When housing turnover recovers, dividend growth can return faster.

Risk: High mortgage rates are keeping homeowners from moving, and comparable transactions fell 1.0%. The chief executive cited “housing affordability pressure.” With debt-to-equity at 5.10, Home Depot has less room than the other three to raise its dividend faster before housing recovers.

What These Four Payouts Have in Common
Each of these companies pays its dividend from free cash flow with plenty left over. That margin is why their increases keep coming. Visa and Costco are raising their payouts at double-digit rates, and Microsoft pairs a payout ratio near 20% with the strongest balance sheet of the four. Home Depot offers the most income today, and the pace of its increases hinges on a housing recovery. Investors can watch free cash flow coverage and the size of each annual raise to judge whether that pattern holds.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Key Takeaways Gilead's Q3 adjusted EPS of $2.55 beat estimates, while revenues rose 6.8% to $8.3 billion.HIV sales surged 18% to $6.25 billion, led by Biktarvy, Descovy and rising Yeztugo demand.Trodelvy sales jumped 42% and Livdelzi grew 93%, prompting Gilead to raise 2026 sales guidance.
Gilead Sciences (GILD - Free Report) reported third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.55 per share, up 3.2% year over year and beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.17. Adjusted earnings increased as higher product sales and lower acquisition-related research and development charges more than offset higher operating expenses and income taxes.

Revenues rose 6.8% to $8.3 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.82 billion. Product sales grew 13% to $8.29 billion, led by HIV drugs, Trodelvy and Livdelzi. Veklury sales fell 69% to $86 million as COVID-19 hospitalizations declined. Royalty, contract and other revenues dropped to $11 million from $424 million, as prior-year intellectual property revenues did not recur.

GILD's HIV Franchise Drives Q3 GrowthHIV product sales increased 18% to $6.25 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.83 billion and our model estimate of $5.79 billion. Higher realized prices, prevention demand and favorable inventory dynamics drove growth.

Biktarvy sales climbed 10% to $4.06 billion, beating the consensus of $3.95 billion and our estimate of $3.96 billion. Demand, pricing and inventory gains supported the flagship treatment, which achieved a record 53% U.S. treatment market share.

Descovy sales surged 49% to $1.05 billion, exceeding the consensus of $904 million and our estimate of $861 million, primarily driven by higher average realized price and favorable inventory dynamics. Yeztugo contributed $305 million as demand for the twice-yearly HIV prevention injection strengthened.

Shares of GILD have gained 38.2% year to date compared with the industry’s growth of 7.3%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Gilead's Liver Disease Sales Gain MomentumLiver Disease sales increased 13% to $927 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $854 million and our model estimate of $804 million.

Livdelzi sales jumped 93% to $203 million on stronger U.S. and European demand. Higher realized prices for hepatitis B and C therapies also helped, partly offset by lower hepatitis C demand.

GILD's Cell Therapy Sales Remain Under PressureCell Therapy revenues declined 18% to $355 million, missing the consensus estimate of $375 million and our estimate of $385 million amid continued competitive headwinds.

Yescarta sales fell to $294 million from $349 million a year earlier, while Tecartus declined to $60 million from $83 million. Management expects full-year Cell Therapy sales to decline by a mid-teens percentage.

Trodelvy Lifts Gilead's Oncology FranchiseTrodelvy revenues jumped 42% to $506 million, exceeding the consensus of $455 million and our estimate of $432 million.

Growth reflected increased demand in metastatic triple-negative and HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. Recent first-line approvals in the United States and Europe have broadened treatment opportunities, supporting an annualized sales run rate of roughly $2 billion.

GILD's Costs Rise, Adjusted Gross Margin ExpandsAdjusted product gross margin improved to 88.1% in the third quarter from 86.5% a year earlier, primarily due to the expiration of a royalty obligation.

Adjusted research and development expenses rose 19% to $1.59 billion, reflecting higher employee-related and clinical materials costs. Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses grew 14% to $1.54 billion due to HIV promotion, legal expenses and employee costs. Acquired IPR&D expenses fell to $18 million from $170 million.

Gilead Raises Its 2026 Product Sales GuidanceGilead lifted its 2026 product sales outlook to $31-$31.3 billion from $30.1-$30.4 billion. Sales excluding Veklury are now projected at $30.7-$31 billion, up from $29.8-$30.1 billion.

Management now expects HIV sales to grow approximately 12% and continues to anticipate about $1 billion in Yeztugo sales. However, its adjusted loss forecast widened to 85 cents-$1.20 per share from 30-65 cents, reflecting additional acquisition-related IPR&D charges.

Key Pipeline and Regulatory Updates From GILDThe FDA approved Bixlenvo, a once-daily bictegravir/lenacapavir combination for virologically suppressed adults with HIV, in August. Gilead also plans to file a U.S. regulatory application this year for once-weekly oral islatravir/lenacapavir for the treatment of HIV in virologically suppressed adults. Once-weekly oral lenacapavir for HIV prevention faces a February 2027 FDA decision.

The European Commission approved Trodelvy in combination with Keytruda for first-line PD-L1-positive metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Separately, positive phase II emvistegrast results in ulcerative colitis support a planned phase III study in 2027.

GILD also agreed to acquire PepStar's oral IL-23 receptor inhibitor program. Anito-cel, its investigational cell therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, faces a Dec. 23, 2026, FDA action date.

Our Take on Gilead's Q3 PerformanceGilead delivered an impressive third quarter, with strong growth across its HIV franchise and improving contributions from Trodelvy and Livdelzi. Biktarvy continues to dominate the HIV treatment market, while the rapid uptake of Yeztugo is strengthening GILD's position in the expanding HIV prevention market. However, favorable pricing and inventory dynamics also drove the quarter's strong performance, and management expects inventory trends to normalize in the fourth quarter.

The robust performance prompted Gilead to raise its full-year product sales guidance again, reflecting confidence in its underlying business. Trodelvy's growing adoption in earlier lines of breast cancer treatment and Livdelzi's expanding market presence are positive developments as GILD seeks to diversify beyond HIV. The recent approval of Bixlenvo and the potential approval of anito-cel in December could provide additional growth opportunities. However, competitive pressures in Cell Therapy remain a concern.

On the profitability front, the expiration of a royalty-related obligation boosted adjusted product gross margin, although higher operating expenses and acquisition-related charges continue to weigh on Gilead's earnings outlook. Moreover, the company expects an approximately $1.5 billion net revenue headwind for Biktarvy in 2028 from Medicare pricing changes and their effects on other U.S. reimbursement channels. Sustained growth in HIV prevention and newer oncology products will be crucial to offsetting these pressures.

GILD’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderGilead currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are TG Therapeutics (TGTX - Free Report) , currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX - Free Report) and Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOVA - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Over the past 30 days, earnings per share estimates for TG Therapeutics have risen from 92 cents to 94 cents for 2026. Over the same period, estimates for 2027 earnings per share have increased from $2.65 to $2.66. TGTX’s shares have risen 96.4% year to date.

TG Therapeutics’ earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and beat in the remaining one, with the average surprise being 184.65%.

Over the past 30 days, earnings per share estimates for Amneal Pharmaceuticals have increased from $1.03 to $1.04 for 2026. Over the same period, estimates for 2027 earnings per share have risen from $1.16 to $1.19. AMRX’s shares have surged 69.3% year to date.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals’ earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 32.82%.

Over the past 30 days, loss per share estimates for Iovance Biotherapeutics have narrowed from 49 cents to 45 cents for 2026. Over the same period, estimates for loss per share have also improved from 29 cents to 22 cents for 2027. IOVA shares have skyrocketed 243.9% year to date.

Iovance Biotherapeutics beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met in the remaining one, with the average surprise being 16.82%.

Investors interested in Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines stocks are likely familiar with Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (UGP) and Enbridge (ENB).

Realty Income Corporation O, a leader in the net lease sector, is slated to release third-quarter 2026 results on Nov. 2, after market close. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter's adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) and revenues is pegged at $1.11 per share and $1.58 billion, respectively.

Key Takeaways AbbVie beats Q3 earnings and revenue estimates, reporting adjusted EPS of $3.82 and sales of $17.4 billion.Immunology and neuroscience growth, led by Skyrizi and newer drugs, offsets Humira and Imbruvica declines.AbbVie raises 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $13.95-$13.99 and increases its quarterly dividend by 5.2%. AbbVie Inc. (ABBV - Free Report) reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.82 for the third quarter of 2026, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.74. The reported metric even surpassed management’s guidance of $3.73-$3.77.

Earnings surged 105.4% year over year, with the prior-year period burdened by a substantially larger acquired research and development (R&D) charge.

Revenues of $17.4 billion topped the consensus mark of $17.37 billion, rising 10.3% year over year on a reported basis and 10.5% at constant exchange rates (CER). Like EPS, the top-line metric also exceeded the guidance of $17.2 billion, driven by robust sales growth of key immunology and neuroscience drugs.

All sales growth rates mentioned below are on a year-on-year basis and at CER.

ABBV's Immunology Sales Lead GrowthImmunology revenues rose 16.6% to $9.17 billion.

Skyrizi sales were up 22.9% to $5.78 billion, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.72 billion. The drug remained a major contributor to the portfolio's expansion.

Rinvoq sales increased 24.3% operationally to $2.71 billion but missed the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. Its growth helped support immunology performance despite continued erosion in sales of older products.

Humira revenues fell 30.6% to $683 million, below the consensus estimate of $695 million. This substantial decline in Humira sales was due to the drug’s loss of exclusivity in the United States since January 2023. The drug lost its exclusivity in ex-U.S. territories in 2018.

AbbVie's Neuroscience Franchise OutperformsNeuroscience revenues grew 19.5% to $3.39 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.29 billion. Vraylar contributed $1.07 billion, up 14.3%, although sales fell short of the $1.08 billion consensus estimate.

Botox Therapeutic revenues advanced 9.8% to $1.08 billion. Migraine treatments were another source of growth: Ubrelvy generated $449 million, rising 26.9%, while Qulipta brought in $398 million, up 38.5%.

Vyalev recorded sales of $286 million, slightly ahead of the $283 million consensus estimate. The company also secured FDA approval for Juvmo, a once-daily Parkinson's disease treatment, adding to its neuroscience portfolio.

ABBV's Oncology Sales Edge Past EstimatesOncology revenues reached $1.70 billion, up 0.9% and marginally ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.68 billion. Roche (RHHBY - Free Report) -partnered Venclexta brought in $803 million, rising 10.7% and topping the $793 million consensus estimate.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) -partnered Imbruvica remained under pressure, with revenues falling 26.1% to $522 million, below the $530 million consensus estimate. The drug’s sales were impacted, likely due to rising competition from novel oral treatments as well as the IRA-driven pricing changes that came into effect at the start of 2026.

Elahere revenues rose 31.2% operationally to $224 million, while Epkinly generated $108 million, up 60.8%.

AbbVie's Aesthetics Portfolio Misses EstimatesAesthetics revenues totaled $1.18 billion, down 1.8% and below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20 billion. Botox Cosmetic sales increased 4.1% to $669 million, but Juvederm revenues declined 11.8% to $222 million.

Among other marketed products, Linzess revenues grew 4.2% to $339 million. Mavyret sales fell 13.9% to $265 million, while Creon declined 2.2% to $361 million, reflecting mixed performance beyond the four principal franchises.

Cost DiscussionAdjusted SG&A expenses rose 8.1% year over year to $3.69 billion. Adjusted R&D expenses increased 7.5% to $2.43 billion.

The adjusted operating margin stood at 48.7%.

AbbVie Raises 2026 EPS GuidanceAbbVie lifted its full-year 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $13.95-$13.99 per share from $13.76-$13.96. The revised outlook includes a $0.69-per-share adverse impact from acquired R&D and milestone expenses incurred through the third quarter.

The forecast excludes similar expenses that may arise after September, as their timing and size cannot be reliably forecast. Management cited portfolio momentum and a strong outlook alongside the decision to raise guidance.

The board also increased the quarterly dividend by 5.2% to $1.82 per share from $1.73. The new rate begins with the dividend payable Feb. 16, 2027.

Our Take on ABBV’s ResultsAbbVie's third-quarter results beat earnings and revenue expectations, prompting management to raise its full-year earnings guidance. Shares of the company were trading higher during Friday's regular trading session, likely driven by the encouraging guidance revision and continued strength in its immunology and neuroscience franchises.

Year to date, the stock has gained over 27% compared with the industry’s nearly 23% growth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

However, the quarterly performance was not without weaknesses. Key drugs like Rinvoq and Vraylar missed their respective sales estimates despite recording double-digit year-over-year growth. The aesthetics franchise also fell short of expectations, weighed down by declining Juvederm sales. Nevertheless, robust demand for Skyrizi and continued growth across several newer products helped offset these shortcomings.

AbbVie continues to strengthen its long-term growth platform through acquisitions and internal innovation. The recent acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics, coupled with recent regulatory approvals for Decnupaz and Juvmo, could support future growth as legacy products like Humira and Imbruvica continue to face sales pressure.

ABBV’s Zacks RankThe stock currently has Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

3 Stocks With Yields Big Enough to Make Election Volatility Easier to StomachAbbVie NYSE: ABBV reported third-quarter 2026 results above its guidance midpoint and raised its full-year revenue and adjusted earnings outlook, citing continued growth from its immunology and neuroscience portfolios.

The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.82, $0.07 above the midpoint of its prior guidance. Net revenue totaled $17.4 billion, up 10.5% operationally, excluding foreign exchange, and exceeded AbbVie’s expectations by $200 million, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rob Michael said on the company’s earnings call.

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3 Income Stocks Under $30 That Yield More Than the 10-Year Treasury NoteAbbVie raised its 2026 revenue forecast by $200 million to approximately $67.8 billion and lifted adjusted EPS guidance by $0.11 at the midpoint to a range of $13.95 to $13.99. The company expects fourth-quarter revenue of about $18.4 billion and adjusted EPS of $3.83 to $3.87.

AbbVie also announced a 5.2% increase in its quarterly cash dividend to $1.82 per share, beginning with the dividend payable in February 2027.

Immunology Products Drive Growth
3 Healthcare Dividend Stocks Offering More Than Just IncomeImmunology revenue approached $9.2 billion during the quarter, representing 16.6% operational growth. SKYRIZI generated nearly $5.8 billion in sales, up 22.9% operationally, while RINVOQ sales rose 24.3% operationally to $2.7 billion.

Michael said SKYRIZI and RINVOQ together are expected to deliver approximately $6 billion in combined growth during 2026 despite increased competition. AbbVie raised its full-year immunology sales forecast to $34.9 billion, including $21.8 billion for SKYRIZI and $10.3 billion for RINVOQ.

SKYRIZI received U.S. approval for subcutaneous induction treatment in Crohn’s disease, a new dosing option based on the Phase III AFFIRM study. Chief Scientific Officer Roopal Thakkar said results in patients who had not previously received advanced therapy included a 60% endoscopic response rate, 43% endoscopic remission rate and 74% clinical remission rate after 16 weeks.

Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Stewart said the new administration option should strengthen SKYRIZI’s competitive position in Crohn’s disease. He said AbbVie expects access to ramp over roughly 60 days or longer and anticipates faster share gains during the first part of 2027 and into the second quarter.

AbbVie is also evaluating combinations of SKYRIZI with ABBV-382, an anti-alpha-4 beta-7 antibody, and ABBV-701, an anti-TL1A antibody, in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Thakkar said the company could potentially begin Phase III testing of the ABBV-382 combination by the end of 2027, depending on interim data and dose-selection work.

Humira sales were $683 million, declining 30.6% operationally as biosimilar competition continued.

Neuroscience Momentum and Parkinson’s Launch
Neuroscience revenue was nearly $3.4 billion, up 19.5% operationally. AbbVie increased its full-year neuroscience revenue outlook by $300 million to $13 billion, including expected sales of $4.2 billion each for VRAYLAR and BOTOX Therapeutic, as well as $3.1 billion in oral CGRP migraine treatments.

VRAYLAR sales reached nearly $1.1 billion, up 14.3% operationally. BOTOX Therapeutic generated about $1.1 billion, up 9.8%, while UBRELVY revenue increased 26.9% to $449 million and Qulipta revenue climbed more than 38% to $398 million.

The FDA approved JUVMO for Parkinson’s disease during the quarter. AbbVie said the treatment selectively targets D1/D5 dopamine receptors and can be used as either monotherapy or alongside standard care. The company expects its Parkinson’s disease therapies, including JUVMO, VYALEV and DUOPA, to eventually generate more than $5 billion in peak sales collectively.

Stewart said JUVMO’s sales ramp is expected to be gradual because broader Medicare coverage is not expected until 2028. Still, he said early physician and patient interest has exceeded AbbVie’s initial expectations.

Oncology Pipeline Advances
Oncology revenue totaled $1.7 billion, up 0.9% operationally. VENCLEXTA sales rose 10.7% to $803 million, while IMBRUVICA sales declined 26.1% due to Inflation Reduction Act pricing and competitive pressure.

AbbVie raised its full-year oncology forecast to $6.6 billion, now expecting $3.1 billion in VENCLEXTA revenue and $2.1 billion from IMBRUVICA.

The company recently submitted a U.S. regulatory application for etentamig in heavily pretreated, triple-class exposed multiple myeloma following positive Phase III CERVINO data. Thakkar said the company expects an approval decision next year. AbbVie also started two additional Phase III studies for etentamig, including a combination study in second-line-plus multiple myeloma and a monotherapy study in light-chain amyloidosis.

In lymphoma, AbbVie reported positive Phase III data for Epkinly plus R-CHOP in first-line diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The regimen reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% versus R-CHOP alone at an interim analysis, according to Thakkar. Regulatory submissions are expected early next year.

Capital Allocation, Aesthetics and Outlook
AbbVie generated approximately $14 billion in free cash flow in the first nine months of 2026 and ended September with $10.8 billion in cash. The company said it remains on track to reduce its net leverage ratio to 2x over the next two to three years following its Apogee Therapeutics acquisition.

Michael said future business-development activity is likely to focus on bolt-on additions in immunology, neuroscience, oncology and obesity rather than a large transformational transaction.

Aesthetics sales were nearly $1.2 billion, down 1.8% operationally. BOTOX Cosmetic sales rose 4.1% operationally to $669 million, while JUVÉDERM sales fell 11.8% to $222 million. AbbVie maintained its full-year aesthetics outlook of $5 billion.

Regarding Boey, the company said it expects to resubmit its U.S. application before year-end after addressing chemistry, manufacturing and controls matters cited in a complete response letter. Thakkar said AbbVie anticipates a six-month review and a potential U.S. decision in mid-2027.

Michael also said a federal district court ruled in AbbVie’s favor on whether BOTOX should be eligible for Medicare drug-price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act. The ruling may be appealed by the government, and AbbVie said it would not expect a negotiated price to be published while the matter remains unresolved.

About AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV)AbbVie Inc NYSE: ABBV is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines and other healthcare products. Its portfolio focuses on immunology, oncology, neuroscience, aesthetics and eye care, serving patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world.

The company's key products include immunology medicines such as Skyrizi and Rinvoq; neuroscience treatments including Vraylar, Ubrelvy and Qulipta; and oncology products such as Imbruvica and Venclexta.

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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Investors with an interest in Industrial Services stocks have likely encountered both Global Industrial (GIC) and W.W. Grainger (GWW).

Kraft Heinz: Flat Revenue Trends Persist Over TimeKraft Heinz Co. (KHC +2.62%) primarily generates revenue by manufacturing, marketing, and distributing a broad global portfolio of popular condiments, dairy items, prepared meals, packaged meats, and snack foods to national grocery chains, wholesale distribution providers, mass retail merchandisers, convenience store networks, and large institutional foodservice clients worldwide.

It transferred its corporate common stock listing from the Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange in September 2026, declared a regular quarterly cash dividend, and introduced several packaged noodle and ready-to-eat soup options to retail consumers.

Coca-Cola: Expanding Its Baseline Revenue Over TimeThe Coca-Cola Company (KO +1.77%) primarily earns its revenue by producing and selling a wide variety of sparkling soft drinks, bottled water, sports beverages, value-added dairy products, and specialized flavor concentrates to independent regional bottling partners, international wholesale distributors, local retail stores, and multinational restaurant chains globally.

While managing legal investigations regarding a previous ransomware cybersecurity breach that exposed sensitive personal data at its dairy subsidiary, it secured a large national beverage supplier contract for thousands of restaurant locations starting in 2027.

Why Revenue Matters for InvestorsRevenue here refers to the data provider's standardized income-statement revenue line item, which helps investors track consumer demand and sales volume before deducting operating expenses.

Kraft Heinz vs. Coca-Cola Revenue over the last 8 quarters.

Quarterly Revenue Trends for Kraft Heinz and Coca-ColaCalendar quarterKraft Heinz RevenueCoca-Cola RevenueQ3 2024$6.4 billion (quarter ended Sept. 28, 2024)$11.9 billion (quarter ended Sept. 27, 2024)Q4 2024$6.6 billion (quarter ended Dec. 28, 2024)$11.5 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2024)Q1 2025$6.0 billion (quarter ended March 29, 2025)$11.1 billion (quarter ended March 28, 2025)Q2 2025$6.4 billion (quarter ended June 28, 2025)$12.5 billion (quarter ended June 27, 2025)Q3 2025$6.2 billion (quarter ended Sept. 27, 2025)$12.5 billion (quarter ended Sept. 26, 2025)Q4 2025$6.4 billion (quarter ended Dec. 27, 2025)$11.8 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025)Q1 2026$6.0 billion (quarter ended March 28, 2026)$12.5 billion (quarter ended April 3, 2026)Q2 2026$6.3 billion (quarter ended June 27, 2026)$13.4 billion (quarter ended July 3, 2026)Foolish TakeNormally, the first thing to note when examining a company's revenue trend is seasonality: some times of the year have stronger buying patterns than others. For most stocks, compare revenue year over year, by quarter. In normal times, seasonality holds true for consumer staples stocks like these as well, given that most products from both companies aren't staples in the true sense--people will buy more soda and snacks, such as Kraft Heinz' Jell-O, at different times of the year.

That said, this chart shows two diverging trends. Coca-Cola is growing revenue over time. There is some year-over-year seasonality, but also sequential growth, indicating the business is doing well.

By comparison, Kraft Heinz is showing a lack of sales momentum. Compare the most recent bar for the company in the chart, for Q1 2026, to Q1 2025--revenue is level. That's stagnation.

Revenue is perhaps the simplest metric investors have to judge a business by. As the chart shows, look for rising revenue, especially over similar periods of each year, and take comparable-quarter stagnation, or worse, declines, as a red flag.

Data source: Financial Modeling Prep. Data as of Oct. 22, 2026.

Memory maker Micron Technology (MU -6.97%) now ranks among the biggest companies in the stock market. At the end of September, it was the ninth-largest holding in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -2.07%), making up 1.82% of the fund.

This put it above Tesla, at 1.52%.

Funds made to track the S&P 500 (^GSPC -2.10%) hold the same stocks at around the same weights, so Micron's place shows up in all of them. The whole Vanguard fund, which has about $1.7 trillion in the ETF and its other share classes, owned about 29.7 million Micron shares on Sept. 30, or around 2.6% of the company.

The rise has been quick. Micron's market value passed $1 trillion for the first time on May 26, and the stock has more than quadrupled in the last year. But shares are also down about 8% since Sept. 30, to roughly $983 as I write. I think the weight itself matters less for the stock than it may seem.

Image source: Getty Images.

The weight follows the priceThe S&P 500 is weighted by float-adjusted market value. That means S&P Dow Jones Indices counts the market value of each company's shares that are available to public investors, and a stock's weight is its share of that total.

Put another way, Micron's spot in the top 10 came from its stock price, which climbed much faster than the rest of the market.

That also explains how Micron passed Tesla. At the end of September, Tesla's shares were worth around $1.4 trillion all told, more than Micron's $1.2 trillion or so.

But Micron had the higher weight, because a far larger chunk of Tesla's stock falls outside what the index counts as available to the public.

The weight moves both ways, too. With Micron's shares down since Sept. 30, its weight in the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust was 1.54% on Oct. 26. That was below Tesla's 1.67%, and it put Micron just outside the top 10 that day.

Does the top 10 draw in more buyers?Not on its own. After all, an index fund already holds every stock in proportion to its weight, so when Micron's price rises, the fund's stake gains value without the fund buying more shares.

Nothing new happens the day a stock moves from 11th place to ninth.

What does change is where new money goes. At a weight of around 1.6%, every $1,000 investors put into an S&P 500 fund now sends about $16 into Micron, much more than a year ago.

Of course, it works the other way, too. When money leaves these funds, their Micron holdings shrink in the same proportion. Index ownership hasn't kept the stock from sharp swings. Micron fell 6% on Oct. 22 alone, and it's about 19% under its record close, $1,213.56 on June 25.

Memory prices still matter mostMicron's stock, and its weight with it, climbed mostly because its earnings did, with demand from AI projects boosting its memory sales.

A year ago, the memory maker's quarterly revenue was $11.3 billion. Micron's fiscal 2026 ended on Sept. 3, and revenue in that year's last quarter reached $54.2 billion, up 379% year over year and 31% above the fiscal third quarter's $41.5 billion.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, management expects around $61.5 billion. Yes, that'd set another record. But it implies sequential growth of around 13%, a slowdown from the 31% rate of the last quarter.

Earnings per share for fiscal 2026 came to $74.33, up around 880% from $7.59 in fiscal 2025.

MU Micron Technology$869.13-$65.14 (-6.97%)

NASDAQ · As of 2:13 PM ET 10/30/26

At around $983, the stock trades at about 13 times earnings, about half the 24.7 times earnings Vanguard listed for its S&P 500 fund at the end of September. Investors are paying much less for every dollar of Micron's profit than for the index overall, probably because memory prices have long moved in cycles.

For anyone who holds an S&P 500 fund, the top-10 spot mainly means Micron's swings show up more. A 10% fall in Micron would knock around 0.16% off the fund.

Does the top-10 spot change anything for the stock, then? Not much by itself. The index just gives Micron more weight when the stock beats the market and less when it trails. What moves the price is still memory demand.

And the company is still growing. At about 13 times earnings, I'd consider buying the shares. But anyone who holds an S&P 500 fund already has some Micron, and a fall in memory prices could hurt both.

Amylyx Stock: Why the Full Pipeline Story MattersRegeneron Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: REGN reported third-quarter 2026 revenue growth of 36% year over year to $5.1 billion, while non-GAAP diluted earnings per share rose 70% to $20.07. The company attributed the performance to increased Sanofi collaboration revenue and continued growth from DUPIXENT, EYLEA HD and LIBTAYO.

“This marks our third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth on both the top and bottom lines,” Chief Executive Officer Leonard Schleifer said during the company’s earnings call.

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Commercial brands reach quarterly records Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, or Zepbound? This ETF Holds Them AllDUPIXENT, which Regeneron markets through its collaboration with Sanofi, recorded worldwide net sales of more than $6.5 billion in the quarter, up 35% at constant currency, according to Sanofi-reported figures. U.S. sales increased 40% to $5.1 billion, supported by demand across its approved indications and favorable gross-to-net adjustments.

Marion McCourt, Regeneron’s executive vice president of commercial, said more than 1.5 million patients worldwide are currently being treated with DUPIXENT. The medicine is approved across nine type 2 inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis, asthma, nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, COPD and chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Pfizer Adds to Its Big Bet on Weight Loss DrugsRegeneron’s U.S. retinal franchise, combining EYLEA HD and EYLEA, generated $1.1 billion in net sales, down 1% from a year earlier. EYLEA HD sales climbed 62% to $699 million and accounted for nearly two-thirds of the franchise’s sales. Physician unit demand for EYLEA HD increased 20% sequentially.

EYLEA U.S. net sales declined 41% to $400 million amid competition from aflibercept 2 mg biosimilars. For the fourth quarter, Regeneron expects EYLEA HD physician demand to grow by about 10% sequentially, while EYLEA demand is expected to decline by a low- to mid-teens percentage. The company continues to expect more than 50% full-year EYLEA HD sales growth versus 2025.

LIBTAYO worldwide net sales rose 51% at constant currency to $550 million, including U.S. sales of $396 million, up 81%. Schleifer said LIBTAYO is now on an annual run rate of about $2.2 billion. The company said it remains the leading immunotherapy in U.S. non-melanoma skin cancers and the second most prescribed immunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Pipeline milestones include C5, MASH and oncology programs Regeneron expects an FDA decision in November for cemdisiran, its C5 siRNA candidate for generalized myasthenia gravis. If approved, the company said cemdisiran would be the first siRNA therapy for the condition and would offer quarterly subcutaneous dosing. McCourt said the company’s neurology commercial team is launch-ready, though she did not provide further details on launch strategy.

The company also expects pivotal results by year-end for its cemdisiran and pozelimab combination in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. George Yancopoulos, Regeneron’s chief scientific officer, said lead-in cohort findings from the Phase III program suggested the combination could provide strong control of intravascular hemolysis.

In metabolic disease, Regeneron plans to present initial first-in-human data for its CIDEB-targeting siRNA at The Liver Meeting in November. In 40 participants, a single dose was well tolerated and reduced liver fat by approximately 70% on average from baseline after 12 weeks, according to Yancopoulos. The effect lasted through 24 weeks of follow-up and was accompanied by improvements in liver enzymes.

The company said it is advancing the CIDEB program toward registrational studies for MASH. Yancopoulos characterized the target as genetically validated through the company’s Regeneron Genetics Center research, which linked loss-of-function CIDEB variants to reduced risk of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.

Regeneron also plans to begin a potentially registrational study of baloncibart for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory feedback. The company said Phase II results showed sustained improvements in tachycardia and orthostatic symptoms over four weeks after a single high dose.

In oncology, Regeneron reported that ubamatamab, a MUC16xCD3 bispecific antibody, showed an approximately 70% objective response rate in advanced low-grade serous ovarian cancer. The company is enrolling a potentially registrational cohort and plans to begin a confirmatory Phase III study in mid-2027.

Sanofi alliance and investment outlook Third-quarter Sanofi collaboration revenue reached $2.7 billion, including $2.6 billion from Regeneron’s share of collaboration profits. Profit-sharing revenue increased 77% from the prior year, aided by DUPIXENT growth and completion of repayment of the Sanofi development balance in the second quarter.

Under an expanded alliance, Regeneron and Sanofi will share development and commercialization costs equally for four next-generation long-acting antibodies aimed at type 2 inflammation. Global profits from those candidates will also be shared equally. Regeneron expects to recognize a $1 billion upfront payment from Sanofi as collaboration revenue in the fourth quarter.

The company generated $2.9 billion in free cash flow during the first nine months of 2026 and ended the quarter with $16.2 billion in cash and marketable securities, net of debt. It deployed nearly $3 billion during the period across share repurchases, business development and dividends, including $2.3 billion to repurchase 3.2 million shares.

Chief Financial Officer Chris Fenimore said Regeneron expects full-year share repurchases of approximately $3 billion. Looking to 2027, the company expects research and development expense to rise by a mid-teens percentage as it advances registrational programs in myeloma, anticoagulation, obesity, POTS and MASH. Regeneron said it is on pace to initiate more than 15 Phase III trials in 2026.

About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN)Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious medical conditions. The company uses genetic and antibody-based research technologies to develop treatments in areas including eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory conditions, cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and rare disorders.

Its marketed products include Eylea and Eylea HD for retinal diseases, Dupixent for several inflammatory and allergic conditions, Libtayo for certain cancers, Praluent for cardiovascular disease, Kevzara for rheumatoid arthritis, and other medicines such as Inmazeb, Evkeeza, Veopoz and Arcalyst.

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

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

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AI budgets face real pressure heading into 2027, but three chipmakers controlling very different choke points in the supply chain may not feel the pain equally. Here is what separates the most resilient semiconductor plays from the one with the…

Each of these three chipmakers controls a different constraint in the AI expansion. NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) designs the accelerators. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) supplies the high-bandwidth memory that feeds them. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) makes the leading-edge silicon.

Year to date, NVIDIA shares are up 16.58%, Micron is up 240.82% and TSMC is up 45.35%.

Investors are now asking whether AI budgets can keep growing in 2027. Below, I lay out how each stock could still reach a bold target: $350 for NVIDIA, $1,800 for Micron and $600 for TSMC.

Wall Street Already Sees Big Upside in All Three
The consensus price targets are $328.95 for NVIDIA, $1,561.91 for Micron and $584.39 for TSMC. From current prices, that works out to upside of about 52%, 61% and 33%. Estimates are still going up. Analysts now expect NVIDIA to earn $15.9146 per share in fiscal 2028, up from $12.8148 90 days ago.

All three exceeded their most recent EPS estimates. NVIDIA’s $2.22 was its fifth consecutive beat, and Micron’s $33.42 was its eighth. TSMC earned $4.60 per ADR versus $4.46 expected. Beat streaks like these suggest actual results could again come in above forecasts.

Here’s What It Takes to Reach Each Target
NVIDIA, at $216.92, trades at about 14x fiscal 2028 estimates. At $350, the multiple would be roughly 22x, in line with the S&P 500’s 21x to 23x. That’s modest for a company expecting revenue growth of approximately 70% next year.

At 5x forward earnings, a $1,800 price would put Micron near 10x. TSMC’s 19x forward P/E would rise to about 26x at $600.

How could these stocks reach their targets?

Demand exceeds supply. NVIDIA’s chief executive said, “Even though our demand is much greater than 70%, our supply allows us to confidently deliver 70%.”
Memory demand is locked in. Micron has more than 75% of fiscal 2027 shipments committed. It also has 26 strategic customer agreements covering supply through 2030, which gives it the strongest protection against a slowdown.
Foundry demand is broad. TSMC served 534 customers in 2025. CEO C.C. Wei said of AI accelerators, “We did not see any sign of a slowdown.” TSMC also expects N2 capacity to more than double in 2027.
Hyperscaler budgets keep growing. Capex from the top five hyperscalers is expected to reach $1.3 trillion in 2027.

There are hurdles. TSMC says it is “being prudent in our business planning going into 2027,” and NVIDIA carries $279B in supply commitments.

Past Returns Show These Gains Are Within Reach
To hit these targets, NVIDIA would need to gain 61%, Micron 85% and TSMC 37%. All three have done far more over five years: NVIDIA returned 773.55%, Micron 1330.97% and TSMC 309.21%. Micron gained 342.12% in the past 12 months alone.

At market caps of $5.23 trillion, $1.10 trillion and $2.27 trillion, matching that pace gets harder. Still, these stocks have shown how quickly they get re-rated when earnings beat expectations.

Which Chip Stock Holds Up Best? Here’s My Take
If AI spending cools in 2027, I expect TSMC and Micron to hold up best. TSMC has the broadest customer base, and Micron has committed shipments plus tight clean-room supply. NVIDIA has the most upside if demand stays strong, since it trades at a market-level multiple while guiding to approximately 70% growth.

All three targets would be harder to reach if the market weakens or hyperscaler spending pauses. While such gains shouldn’t be expected every year, this is how NVIDIA, Micron and TSMC could see outsized returns in 2027.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Key Takeaways AB InBev's Q3 EPS rose 22.4% y/y to $1.21, while revenues grew 9.1% to $16.51B, both beating estimates.BUD's organic revenues rose 4.9%, aided by premiumization, strong megabrands and 19% Beyond Beer growth.BUD reaffirmed its 2026 organic EBITDA growth outlook of 4-8% despite commodity costs and margin pressure. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD - Free Report) , aka AB InBev, reported third-quarter 2026 results, wherein earnings and revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Both top and bottom lines increased year over year, supported by premiumization, disciplined revenue management and strong performance across key markets.

BUD reported underlying earnings of $1.21 per share, up 22.4% year over year. The figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.14. Underlying earnings per share (EPS) increased 13.9% year over year on a constant-currency basis in the third quarter of 2026.

Revenues increased 9.1% year over year to $16.51 billion, surpassing the consensus mark of $16.24 billion.

Shares of the Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have lost 8.1% in the past three months compared with the industry’s 4.7% decline.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BUD's Organic Growth Reflects Strong Brand MomentumOn an organic basis, revenues increased 4.9% in the quarter. Revenues per hectoliter rose 4.2%, reflecting disciplined revenue management, and a favorable mix from premiumization and Beyond Beer products.

Total volumes grew 0.4% organically. Beer volumes declined 0.1%, while non-beer volumes increased 4%. The company recorded its highest-ever third-quarter volumes in 15 markets, including Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, the Dominican Republic and India.

Combined revenues from AB InBev's megabrands increased 7.7%, led by Corona. Revenues for the Corona brand grew 20% outside its home market, while Stella Artois and Michelob Ultra advanced 19% and 50%, respectively, outside their domestic markets.

The above-core beer portfolio generated 8.6% revenue growth. Corona delivered double-digit volume growth in 37 markets, while Michelob Ultra continued expanding across Latin America. About 60% of Michelob Ultra's volume growth came from markets outside the United States.

AB InBev Sees Mixed Regional PerformanceNorth America revenues declined 0.9% organically, while volumes fell 2.5%. In the United States, revenues decreased 1.2%, with sales-to-retailers declining 3.1%. However, Michelob Ultra and Busch Light remained the industry's leading volume share gainers.

Middle Americas revenues advanced 12.1%, supported by 7.3% volume growth. Mexico recorded high-single-digit revenue growth, while Colombia delivered mid-teens growth. South America revenues increased 9.1%, aided by Brazil's 5.3% revenue growth and 1.4% volume improvement.

EMEA revenues rose 4%, supported by premiumization and growth in key African markets. However, Asia Pacific revenues declined 9.5%, reflecting weakness in China, where volumes and revenues fell 16.8% amid challenging industry conditions and inventory management.

BUD Expands Its Growth PlatformsNo-alcohol beer revenues increased 35%, supporting growth in the company's broader Balanced Choices portfolio. Revenues from low-carb, low-calorie, sugar-free, gluten-free and no-alcohol beer brands collectively rose 19%.

Beyond Beer revenues grew 19%, led by Cutwater in the United States and Flying Fish's continued international expansion. Cutwater delivered revenue growth in the high-thirties, while the mainstream beer portfolio recorded 2.1% revenue growth.

AB InBev's Digital Ecosystem Maintains MomentumDigitization remained a notable growth driver. BEES operated in 30 markets at September-end, with 73% of revenues captured through B2B digital platforms. The platform processed $15.9 billion in gross merchandise value in the quarter, up 12% year over year.

BEES Marketplace gross merchandise value climbed 45% to $1.4 billion from third-party products. The company's direct-to-consumer platforms served 13 million active consumers and generated $158 million in revenues, representing 9% growth.

BUD's Margins Face Cost PressuresGross profit increased 5.3% organically to $9.30 billion, while the reported gross margin declined to 56.3% from 56.4% a year earlier. On an organic basis, the gross margin expanded 20 basis points (bps).

Normalized EBIT increased 6% organically to $4.54 billion, with the normalized EBIT margin expanding 27 bps organically to 27.5%.

Normalized EBITDA rose 3.9% organically to $5.96 billion. The normalized EBITDA margin contracted 34 bps organically to 36.1%, reflecting increased sales and marketing investments and commodity cost pressures, partly offset by disciplined overhead management.

Our model had anticipated a rise of 7.5% in normalized EBIT and 4.1% in normalized EBITDA for the third quarter.

AB InBev Boosts Shareholder Returns, Reaffirms OutlookBUD approved an interim dividend of €0.40 per share for 2026 compared with €0.15 for 2025. The company completed $2.6 billion of its $6-billion share repurchase program as of Oct. 26, 2026.

Management expects organic EBITDA growth of 4-8% in 2026, consistent with its medium-term outlook. The projection reflects its assessment of inflation and broader macroeconomic conditions.

The company anticipates a normalized effective tax rate of 26-28% and net capital expenditure of $3.5-$4 billion. Net pension interest and accretion expenses are projected at $190-$220 million per quarter, while the average gross debt coupon is expected to be 4%.

Three Stocks Looking GoodWe have highlighted three better-ranked stocks from the Consumer Staples sector, namely Diageo plc (DEO - Free Report) , The Boston Beer Company Inc. (SAM - Free Report) and The J. M. Smucker Co. (SJM - Free Report) .

Diageo is a global beverage alcohol company operating in approximately 180 countries. The company currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Diageo’s current financial-year sales suggests a decline of 3.4%, while the earnings estimate implies a rise of 2.7% from the year-ago reported figures.

Boston Beer is one of the largest craft brewers in the United States. Boston Beer produces beer, malt beverages and cider products at company-owned breweries and under contract. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Boston Beer’s 2026 sales and EPS indicates declines of 3.8% and 3.9%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. SAM delivered an average negative earnings surprise of 6.1% in the trailing four quarters.

J. M. Smucker is a leading manufacturer and marketer of branded food, beverage, pet food and pet snack products in North America. SJM currently has a Zacks Rank #2.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for J. M. Smucker’s 2026 EPS implies growth of 17.1% from the previous year’s reported number. SJM delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 13.8%.

 | Source: BLDG Orchard LLC

Residential milestone underscores strong demand for the 70-story Long Island City tower, with more than 750 units leased since January amid New York City’s competitive rental market

Three inaugural tenants lease more than 7,468 square feet, bringing a robust mix of beauty, food and beverage, financial services and everyday conveniences to the neighborhood

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

NEW YORK, Oct. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BLDG Management Co., Inc., a full-service, vertically-integrated real estate investment, management and development firm, today announced that The Orchard, Queens’ tallest tower, has surpassed 90% leased across its 824 residences just nine months after launching residential leasing. The milestone comes as the 70-story Long Island City development recently signed its first three retail tenants: K-beauty brand Tokimo, Japanese tea and beverage brand Mollytea and financial technology platform Intuit.

Together, the three tenants have leased more than 7,468 square feet, with limited retail space remaining. All of the tenants will make their Long Island City debut and are expected to open in 2027, further expanding The Orchard’s resident experience and its connection to the surrounding community.

“The Orchard was designed to be more than a place to live, with residences, amenities and services that give people opportunities to live, work and connect right at home,” said Lloyd Goldman, President of BLDG Management. “BLDG has been part of the Long Island City community for more than 60 years, and we wanted The Orchard to build on that legacy by creating a place that serves both residents and the broader neighborhood. Surpassing 90% leased in just nine months reflects the demand for what we’ve created, while the addition of Tokimo, Mollytea, and Intuit will make The Orchard an even more dynamic destination for residents and the LIC community.”

Beauty, Financial Services and F&B Brands Join The Orchard as First Retail Tenants
Located along the North side of Jackson Avenue, The Orchard features approximately 14,000 square feet of retail space designed to serve both residents and the broader neighborhood.

Tokimo’s new 2,251-square-foot location will bring its distinctive K-beauty experience to Long Island City, offering a curated selection of sought-after skincare products and premium brands. Expected to open by Spring 2027, the store will build on the success of Tokimo’s Flushing and East Rutherford, New Jersey locations and mark the brand’s third outpost.

“As demand for K-beauty continues to grow, opening our third store at Queens’ tallest tower felt like a natural fit,” said Kai Zhang, CEO at Tokimo. “Long Island City is home to a young and diverse community that is increasingly interested in K-beauty and premium skincare, and we’re excited to bring a new Tokimo experience to the neighborhood with the products and brands our customers already love.”

Intuit, the global financial technology platform behind brands including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mailchimp, leased 3,546 square feet and is expected to open in December 2026.

Additional retailers include Mollytea, the global tea and beverage brand originating in Shenzhen, which is expanding from its Mott Street location with a new 1,671-square-foot lease and is expected to open in Q2 2027.

Residential Leasing Momentum at Queens’ Newest Skyline Icon
The arrival of The Orchard’s first retail tenants builds on its strong residential momentum, with the development surpassing the 90% leasing milestone just nine months after launching residential leasing. Of the 824 residences, comprising 576 market-rate and 248 affordable homes, limited availability remains, including spacious one-, two- and three-bedroom residences designed to accommodate today’s flexible lifestyles, with room for working from home, entertaining, wellness and everyday living. Residences are offered across four collections: The Residences, The Terrace Collection, The Premier and Penthouse Collection and The Sky Collection, with select homes featuring private outdoor spaces.

Demand has been particularly strong for The Orchard’s premium residences, with its 70th-floor Sky Collection now fully leased. Among the remaining offerings, the Terrace Collection features oversized private terraces that deliver an indoor-outdoor living experience rarely found at this scale in New York City rentals, while the Premier and Penthouse Collection offers elevated finishes, ceilings up to 11 feet and expansive layouts with sweeping skyline views.

"Today’s renters are prioritizing a lifestyle that offers both value and convenience, and they are increasingly expanding their search beyond Manhattan to find it," said Jodi Stasse, Executive Vice President of New Developments at The Corcoran Group, the exclusive marketing and leasing agent for The Orchard. "The Orchard delivers an exceptional residential experience with thoughtfully designed homes, robust amenities, and seamless access to Manhattan. Its strong leasing momentum underscores both the property's appeal and Long Island City’s continued growth as one of New York City’s most dynamic residential neighborhoods."

The Orchard offers more than 100,000 square feet of amenities, anchored by New York City’s largest private backyard, a 60,000-square-foot landscaped retreat with an apple orchard, resort-style pool and three pickleball courts. Additional highlights include an indoor basketball court developed in collaboration with NBA skills trainer Chris Brickley, an aquatic center, fitness and coworking spaces and a 70th-floor Sky Lounge overlooking the New York City skyline.

Minutes from Midtown Manhattan, The Orchard is surrounded by Long Island City’s cafés, shops, destination dining, green spaces and cultural institutions, including MoMA PS1 and The Noguchi Museum. Nearby access to eight subway lines, LIRR, Citi Bike and the NYC Ferry connects residents to Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and beyond.

Limited availability remains across The Orchard, with monthly rents starting at $5,360 for one-bedrooms, $7,510 for two-bedrooms and $12,255 for three-bedrooms. For more information, including availability or to schedule an appointment with Corcoran New Development, please visit theorchardlic.com or call 718-252-2222.

About BLDG Management Co., Inc.
BLDG Management Co., Inc. is a full-service, vertically-integrated real estate investment, management and development firm founded over 60 years ago. Headquartered in New York City, the firm manages a diversified portfolio of 300+ assets across the United States in all sectors, including residential, office, retail, industrial and hospitality. BLDG Management's approach emphasizes management and development of high-quality assets and destinations that serve as catalysts for enduring economic vitality and community growth. The Firm invests throughout the real estate capital stack in equity and debt, in all strategies, including core, value-add and ground-up development.

About Corcoran New Development
Corcoran New Development is the new development consulting and marketing division of The Corcoran Group, one of the world's leading real estate brokerages. Utilizing The Corcoran Group's extensive marketplace presence, industry-leading research, and award-winning branding and marketing resources, the division serves a diverse range of high-profile projects, from boutique luxury condominiums to large-scale multi-family rental developments. With a robust marketing portfolio spanning all five boroughs, Westchester County, and New Jersey, Corcoran New Development consistently ranks among the most prominent New Development Marketing Firms in the Metropolitan Area. The Corcoran Group is a subsidiary of Anywhere Real Estate Inc. (NYSE: HOUS).

CONTACT: Antenna Group
[email protected]

, /PRNewswire/ -- On September 8, 2026, investors in Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) saw the price of their shares fall $26.70 (-8.8%) after the company's CFO revealed that a previously-thought resolved manufacturing issue persists. The move lower wiped out over $10 billion of Stryker's market capitalization.

The developments have prompted national shareholders rights firm Hagens Berman to open an investigation into whether Stryker was sufficiently transparent about the issue and, if not, whether the company may have violated the federal securities laws.

The firm encourages Stryker investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now. Persons with knowledge who may be able to assist the investigation are invited to contact the firm's attorneys.

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/syk
Direct Contact Email: [email protected]
Firm Telephone: 844-916-0895

Stryker Corporation (SYK) Investigation:

The investigation is focused on the propriety of Stryker's disclosures about its Inari Medical operations and growth prospects. Stryker acquired Inari in February 2025 to supplement Stryker's Peripheral Vascular reporting unit.

On July 30, 2026, Stryker reported its Q2 2026 results and said, without providing details, that it faced supply disruptions in the Peripheral Vascular unit and that the disruption resulted in "a meaningful backorder situation with lost sales in the quarter." Nonetheless, management assured investors that "[w]e have addressed the issue and backorder should reach a manageable level by the end of Q3."

During the related earnings call that day, an analyst asked for some color on the disruption and what exactly happened. CEO Kevin Lobo said, "I'm not going to get into the details of what it was, but let's just say it did cause a significant backorder specific to one plant in the Inari business," and "[t]he backorder is pretty elevated right now."

In response, the market sent the price of Stryker shares down $22.34 (-6.4%) the next day.

Then, during the September 8, 2026 Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference, CFO Preston Wells further described the manufacturing issue as "not allowing us to reach a full supply of inventory at all of our customers[]" and "quite frankly, not allowing us to go out and really win new business."

Most concerning was his revelation that, in contrast to previous assurances, the problem "is continuing into the third quarter and will certainly continue – we expect it to continue a little bit into the fourth quarter as well."

The market negatively reacted again, sending the price of Stryker shares sharply lower that day.

"We're focused on when Stryker knew its Peripheral Vascular manufacturing problem hadn't been resolved and would persist beyond Q3," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation.

If you invested in Stryker and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now »

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Stryker should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw. 

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

Key Takeaways Republic Services beat Q3 earnings and revenue estimates, with core price on total revenues rising 5.3%.RSG's adjusted EBITDA increased 4.8%, although the adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 100 basis points.RSG raised its 2026 revenues, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow guidance.
Republic Services (RSG - Free Report) reported better-than-expected third-quarter 2026 results.

RSG's adjusted earnings of $1.94 per share increased 2.1% year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.92 by 1%. Revenues rose 8.2% to $4.56 billion and beat the consensus mark of $4.41 billion by 3.4%.

Pricing strength and improved Environmental Solutions performance supported growth. Core price on total revenues increased 5.3%, while adjusted EBITDA rose to $1.45 billion. However, the adjusted EBITDA margin contracted 100 basis points to 31.8%.

RSG Maintains Pricing Strength Amid Volume PressureAverage yield on total revenues increased 2.9% in the quarter, while fuel recovery fees contributed 1.8% to revenue growth. Total volume reduced revenues by 0.6% compared with a 0.3% decline in the prior-year quarter. Acquisitions contributed 1.3% to revenue growth.

On related business revenues, core price increased 6.3%, comprising 7.6% growth in open-market pricing and 4.1% in restricted pricing. Average yield improved 3.5%, while volume declined 0.7%.

Underlying landfill trends were mixed. Municipal solid waste volume increased 0.6%, whereas special waste volume rose 6.4%. Construction and demolition waste volume declined 38.2% compared with 45.2% growth a year earlier.

Republic Posts Growth Across Collection LinesCollection revenues increased to $3.04 billion from $2.84 billion a year earlier. Small-container revenues rose to $1.38 billion from $1.27 billion, while large-container revenues advanced to $859 million from $797 million. Residential revenues increased to $782 million from $754 million.

Landfill revenues, net of intercompany activity, remained unchanged at $516 million. Transfer revenues, net, increased to $242 million from $224 million.

Environmental Solutions revenues, net, climbed to $529 million from $433 million, while recycling processing and commodity sales increased to $122 million from $107 million. Average recycled commodity prices rose $16 year over year to $142 per ton.

RSG's Environmental Solutions Margin ImprovesAdjusted EBITDA increased to $1.45 billion from $1.38 billion a year earlier. Recycling & Waste adjusted EBITDA rose to $1.32 billion from $1.29 billion, although the segment's margin declined to 32.6% from 34.2%.

Environmental Solutions adjusted EBITDA increased year over year to $134 million from $91 million. The segment's adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 440 basis points to 25.4%, reflecting improved profitability despite softer consolidated margins.

Operating costs increased year over year to $2.66 billion from $2.46 billion but declined to 58.4% of revenues from 58.5%. Fuel costs climbed to $180 million from $120 million, while transportation and subcontract costs increased to $363 million from $302 million.

Selling, general and administrative expenses rose year over year to $447 million from $422 million. However, these expenses declined to 9.8% of revenues from 10%.

Republic Generates Strong Cash Flow & Returns CapitalCash provided by operating activities increased to $3.52 billion in the first nine months of 2026 from $3.32 billion a year earlier. The adjusted free cash flow rose to $2.28 billion from $2.19 billion.

Republic invested $1.12 billion in acquisitions during the first nine months and returned $1.43 billion to shareholders, including $848 million in share repurchases and $577 million in dividends.

The company also authorized a $5-billion share repurchase program covering 2027 through 2029. Additionally, its board declared a quarterly dividend of 67 cents per share, payable Jan. 15, 2027.

RSG Strengthens Financial PositionRepublic reported third-quarter net income of $592 million, up from $550 million a year earlier. GAAP earnings increased 9.7% to $1.93 per share from $1.76.

Operating income increased to $921 million from $836 million, while interest expenses rose to $157 million from $143 million.

Republic ended September with $92 million in cash and cash equivalents compared with $76 million at the end of 2025. Long-term debt, excluding current maturities, stood at $14.01 billion compared with $12.99 billion at the end of 2025.

RSG Raises 2026 Financial GuidanceRepublic increased its 2026 revenue outlook to $17.43-$17.48 billion from the previous quarter’s view of $17.2-$17.3 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pinned at $17.29 billion.

Adjusted EBITDA is projected at $5.55-$5.58 billion, reflecting management's confidence in business performance.

The company also raised its adjusted free cash flow guidance to $2.57-$2.59 billion. Operating cash flow is anticipated between $4.51 billion and $4.57 billion.

Management highlighted disciplined pricing, effective cost management and strategic investments as key priorities. The updated outlook assumes current economic conditions without significant changes in the broader economy during the remainder of 2026.

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

Earnings SnapshotADP (ADP - Free Report) reported impressive first-quarter fiscal 2027 results.

ADP’s adjusted earnings of $2.83 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.78 by 1.8%. The figure increased 14% from the year-ago quarter’s actual.

Revenues of $5.49 billion surpassed the consensus mark of $5.47 billion by 0.4% and rose 6% year over year.

Waste Management (WM - Free Report) posted mixed third-quarter 2026 results.

Adjusted earnings of $2.15 per share lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.18 by 1.4%. The reported figure increased 8.6% from the year-ago quarter's $1.98.

Revenues rose 6.3% year over year to $6.85 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $6.8 billion by 0.7%.

Key Takeaways ADM leverages varied operations and oilseed capacity expansion, while INGR focuses on specialty ingredients.ADM's Q2 revenues rose 7.2%, with operating profit up 75%, while INGR saw 1% sales growth and margin pressure.ADM trades at a forward P/E of 13.71X versus INGR's 8.35X, reflecting differing earnings outlooks. The global agricultural processing and food ingredients industry is witnessing intensifying competition as companies seek to strengthen their market positions through scale, innovation, diversified product portfolios and higher-value offerings. Two prominent players, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM - Free Report) and Ingredion Incorporated (INGR - Free Report) , compete across key segments of the agricultural processing and ingredients market, albeit with distinct business models and competitive advantages.

ADM commands a broader presence across the global agricultural value chain, leveraging its extensive grain origination, commodity trading, oilseed processing and logistics network, alongside its carbohydrate solutions and nutrition businesses. In contrast, Ingredion maintains a more specialized position in starches, sweeteners and value-added ingredient solutions, serving food, beverage and industrial customers worldwide.

While ADM's scale and vertically integrated operations provide significant competitive reach, Ingredion's focus on specialty ingredients, product innovation and customer-specific formulations supports its market differentiation.

With both companies pursuing growth opportunities in an evolving industry, which is better-positioned to strengthen market share and deliver sustainable long-term growth?

The Case for ADMArcher Daniels holds a formidable position in the global agricultural processing and food ingredients industry, supported by its extensive origination, trading, processing and distribution network. Its diversified portfolio spans Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions and Nutrition, serving food manufacturers, beverage producers, livestock operators and renewable fuel customers.

ADM's growth strategy emphasizes expanding processing capacity, optimizing its asset footprint and accelerating higher-margin ingredient innovation. Global oilseed processing volumes increased nearly 5% in second-quarter 2026. Management identified four U.S. crushing facilities for initial capacity expansion, targeting capital-efficient growth.

Meanwhile, Nutrition is capitalizing on clean-label trends, natural colors and precision fermentation. Flavors revenues in the Asia-Pacific are growing approximately 20%, supported by local customer demand. Digitalization, automation and supply-chain efficiencies further strengthen operational competitiveness.

Financial performance underscores ADM's improving earnings momentum. Second-quarter 2026 revenues increased 7.2% year over year to $22.68 billion, while adjusted earnings reached $1.84 per share. Total segment operating profit surged 75% to $1.45 billion, driven by stronger crushing margins, ethanol profitability and Nutrition recovery. Management raised its 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $5.15-$5.60 per share, reinforcing confidence in sustained operational improvement.

The Case for INGRIngredion maintains a competitive position in the global specialty ingredients industry, focusing on starches, sweeteners, texturants and health-focused solutions. Its portfolio serves food and beverage manufacturers, private-label producers, emerging brands and industrial customers. Ingredion's specialized capabilities support its positioning in clean-label ingredients, sugar reduction and protein fortification. However, its narrower agricultural processing exposure and recent operational challenges constrain its competitive standing relative to diversified industry leaders.

Ingredion's growth strategy prioritizes higher-margin Texture & Healthful Solutions, which recorded 7% volume growth in second-quarter 2026. Its AI-powered Ask Ingredion platform supports customer formulation and product innovation. Meanwhile, the proposed Tate & Lyle acquisition could strengthen its global ingredients position, adding $2.7 billion in revenues. However, elevated tapioca costs, exceeding 40% since January, and softer food and beverage demand present near-term challenges.

Financial performance reflects these pressures. Second-quarter 2026 revenues increased just 1% to $1.85 billion, while adjusted operating income declined 5% to $258 million. Operational disruptions at Argo and currency-related pressures in Mexico further weighed on profitability. Management expects 2026 adjusted earnings of $10.30-$10.90 per share, suggesting limited near-term earnings momentum despite ongoing portfolio transformation.

How Do Estimates Compare for ADM & INGR?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Archer Daniels’ 2026 and 2027 EPS suggests year-over-year growth of 62.1% and 0.5%, respectively. The consensus estimate for 2026 and 2027 EPS has moved up 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively, in the past seven days.

ADM’s Estimate Revision Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ingredion's 2026 EPS suggests a year-over-year decline of 4.6%, while the estimate for 2027 EPS indicates growth of 9.5%. The consensus estimate for 2026 and 2027 EPS has edged down 1.3% and 0.7%, respectively, in the past seven days.

INGR’s Estimate Revision Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance & Valuation of ADM & INGROver the past year, Archer Daniels Midland has significantly outperformed Ingredion in terms of stock price performance, delivering a robust return of 26.3%, in stark contrast to INGR’s 17.1% decline.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The divergence highlights stronger investor confidence in ADM’s diversified business model and improving earnings outlook, while Ingredion’s operational challenges and margin pressures appear to have weighed on market sentiment.

From a valuation standpoint, ADM trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 13.71X, notably higher than INGR’s 8.35X. This valuation premium suggests investors are willing to pay more for ADM’s earnings prospects, while Ingredion’s relatively discounted valuation reflects a more cautious market assessment of its growth potential and near-term operational challenges.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ADM or INGR: Which Stock Offers Better Value for Investors?Archer Daniels appears to be the stronger investment choice, supported by superior stock price performance, improving growth prospects and favorable earnings estimate revisions. Its diversified operations, expanding oilseed processing capacity and growing Nutrition business provide multiple avenues for sustained earnings growth. Stronger biofuel margins and disciplined operational execution further reinforce its competitive advantage.

Upward revisions to ADM's earnings estimates signal improving analyst confidence, contrasting with downward revisions for Ingredion. Although INGR's specialty ingredients portfolio and proposed Tate & Lyle acquisition offer long-term opportunities, operational disruptions, cost inflation and near-term profitability pressures remain concerning.

While ADM trades at a higher forward earnings multiple, the premium appears justified by its stronger earnings momentum, improving fundamentals and investor confidence. Consequently, ADM emerges as the more compelling investment option at present. ADM currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while INGR has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

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

Roblox's earnings just triggered a sell-off that rippled far beyond shareholders of the stock itself, and the investors feeling it most may not even know they own a single share.

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Shares of Roblox (NYSE:RBLX | RBLX Price Prediction) fell 15.48% in Friday’s session and traded at $44.34 as of 9:45 AM ET on Oct. 30, 2026. The drop continues a 17.83% one-week decline and leaves the stock down 45.28% year to date. If you own Roblox through ETFs, how much this hurts depends on which funds you hold and how heavily they weight the stock.

Earnings Report Set Off the Sell-Off
The selling followed Roblox’s third-quarter earnings report, released after the close on Oct. 29, 2026. Barron’s linked the decline directly to the results after earnings. GAAP EPS of -$0.32 beat the -$0.4229 consensus. Revenue of $1.572 billion missed expectations of $1.62 billion, even though it grew 15.62% year over year.

The operating metrics did more damage. Bookings of $1.697 billion fell 12% from a year earlier. Daily active users dropped 9%, hours engaged fell 15% and monthly unique payers declined 16%. On the call, CFO Naveen Chopra said, “As expected, monetization headwinds did continue in the quarter, particularly with younger cohorts in the US.”

The outlook added pressure. Management guided fourth-quarter bookings to $1.89 billion to $2.00 billion, which would be a decline of 10% to 15% year over year. It also expects free cash flow of $(190) million to $(105) million, since $380 million of capital spending lands in the fourth quarter. The company built in a modest drag from the GTA release, and Chopra noted that “there really is not a lot of data or analogous releases by which to try to estimate the impact.”

Funds With the Biggest Roblox Exposure
The table below lists the most recent reported weights. It estimates each fund’s loss from today’s move as the reported weight multiplied by the stock’s same-session decline. Weights change as prices move and managers trade, so treat these figures as approximations.

ETF
RBLX Weight
As Of
Est. Loss From Today’s Move

VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF (NASDAQ:ESPO)
7.01%
June 30, 2026
About 1.09 percentage points

ARK Innovation ETF (NYSEARCA:ARKK)
2.39%
July 31, 2026
About 0.37 percentage points

The VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF feels the most direct hit. Roblox was one of its largest positions, worth $16.74 million out of roughly $238.75 million in net assets. It sat beside Tencent at 7.09% and Nintendo at 6.38%. When a single holding makes up about one-fourteenth of a fund, a double-digit drop in that stock moves the fund’s share price on its own.

The ARK Innovation ETF held 3,737,558 shares, valued at $133.06 million against $5.56 billion in net assets. ARK Investment Management increased its total position by about 9.7% in the June quarter, to 6,465,890 shares.

Large-cap growth funds have much less exposure. Roblox did not appear among the top disclosed holdings of the Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:VUG) as of June 5, 2026. That fund’s single largest position was 13.3% of net assets. With a market value of about $29.7 billion, Roblox is likely a small fraction of a cap-weighted total-market index, so a core index fund would feel far less of today’s drop.

Overlap Risk Retirement Savers Can Miss
Trouble starts when funds are stacked. Someone holding a broad core fund, a growth fund, a gaming ETF and an innovation fund owns Roblox four times, and the combined exposure never appears on a single statement. Fund prospectuses describe the danger for concentrated products: “changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in Share price than would occur in a diversified fund.”

Several risks could keep Roblox volatile. They include legal settlement expenses linked to youth-safety matters ($140 million year to date), a total stockholders’ deficit of $(27) million and continued regulatory scrutiny in Australia and Indonesia.

Key Dates Ahead for Roblox Holders
Management plans a broader U.S. release of its Build creation tool in December. The first phase of Roblox Everywhere is targeted for the first half of 2027. With about $2.4 billion left on its buyback authorization, the company has room to support the stock. ETF holders should keep an eye on the stock and on the next round of fund holdings disclosures, which will show whether gaming and innovation managers cut their stakes after the earnings report.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.