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The company logo of Halliburton oilfield services corporate offices is seen in Houston, Texas April 6, 2012. REUTERS/Richard Carson (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS LOGO ENERGY) Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

July 21 (Reuters) - Halliburton (HAL.N), opens new tab posted a rise in second-quarter profit on Tuesday, ​as steady demand for its equipment in ‌Latin America, Europe and Africa offset declining activity in the Middle East due to the Iran ​war.

The Middle East conflict has dominated ​energy markets this year as repeated flare-ups keep ⁠a crucial oil-producing region on edge, even ​though crude oil prices have not skyrocketed as ​feared at the start of the war in February.

The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here.

Now in its fifth month, the conflict has taken a ​hit on industry bellwethers SLB (SLB.N), opens new tab, Halliburton ​and Baker Hughes (BKR.O), opens new tab, which reported the sharpest quarterly decline ‌in ⁠Middle East revenue in over a year in the first quarter.

But an increase in activity in regions such as Latin America helped ​weather weakness ​in the ⁠Middle East.

During the second quarter, Halliburton's total revenue was $5.71 billion, compared ​with $5.51 billion a year earlier.

The U.S. ​oilfield ⁠services provider said its net income came in at $534 million, or 64 cents per share, ⁠for ​the three months ended June ​30, compared with $472 million, or 55 cents per share, ​a year earlier.

Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

July 21, 2026 06:54 ET  | Source: Northrop Grumman Corporation

FALLS CHURCH, Va., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has released its second quarter 2026 financial results. A copy of the earnings release has been furnished in the company’s Form 8-K filing and is also available on the company's investor relations website at http://investor.northropgrumman.com.

Earnings Call Webcast

As previously announced, Northrop Grumman will webcast its earnings conference call at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time today. A live audio broadcast of the conference call will be available on http://investor.northropgrumman.com.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.

Media Contact

News Bureau
[email protected]

Adam Barr
[email protected]

Key Takeaways:

Parsons delivers integrated industrial base modernization and advanced manufacturing solutions that accelerate mission readiness across defense and infrastructure markets worldwide.Parsons’ enterprise-wide delivery model unites expertise across its Federal Solutions and Critical Infrastructure segments to deliver complete industrial ecosystems at speed and scale.With global execution and proven programs, Parsons supports urgent national security and economic priorities driven by rising demand and sustained government investment in industrial capacity. CHANTILLY, Va., July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) today highlighted its delivery of integrated industrial base modernization and advanced manufacturing solutions that are strengthening national security, enabling global infrastructure resilience, and accelerating delivery of mission-critical capabilities across defense and commercial markets.

As demand intensifies to modernize aging infrastructure and scale production of critical capabilities, Parsons delivers integrated, end-to-end solutions that transform how industrial capacity is built, modernized, and sustained. By combining deep engineering expertise, advanced technologies, and global program delivery, the company enables customers to expand production, strengthen supply chains, and deliver operational capability in real time.

“Industrial base modernization is no longer a future priority; it’s an immediate operational requirement,” said Martin Boson, president of Engineered Systems for Parsons. “We are helping redefine how the defense industrial base is modernized, integrating advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, and digital capabilities to rapidly scale production, improve readiness, and deliver mission-critical capacity for today’s and tomorrow’s threats.”

Parsons differentiates through a fully integrated delivery model that unifies planning, engineering, program and construction management, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and environmental solutions expertise into a single approach. This enables the company to deliver complete industrial ecosystems rather than standalone facilities, accelerating timelines, reducing risk, and ensuring mission success. By leveraging capabilities across both its Federal Solutions and Critical Infrastructure segments, Parsons bridges traditionally siloed markets and delivers mission-aligned solutions at scale.

“Industrial base modernization requires more than expanding production; it demands the infrastructure, energy, and systems that sustain it,” said Mark Fialkowski, president of Infrastructure North America for Parsons. “We are delivering integrated solutions across critical infrastructure, from data centers and energy systems to industrial development, to help our customers strengthen resilience, enable economic growth, and build the industrial ecosystems needed to support both national security and commercial demands.”

Parsons’ capabilities span the full spectrum of defense industrial base modernization priorities, from modernizing Army munitions and ammunition facilities to upgrading legacy infrastructure across depots, arsenals, and manufacturing plants. This is demonstrated by the company’s growing role in the U.S. Army’s Organic Industrial Base, including a $169.5 million design-build contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deliver a new Ammonium Nitrate Solution Tank Farm at Holston Army Ammunition Plant. The company also supports expanded production capacity through work on Nammo’s new rocket motor production facility in Perry, Florida, strengthening production scale, supply chain resilience, and operational readiness.

The company also delivers complex energetics and specialized facilities, as demonstrated by the Blue Grass Chemical Weapons Stockpile Destruction Project, where Parsons played a central role in the design, construction, operation, and closure of the facility that safely eliminated the nation’s remaining chemical weapons stockpile in support of critical national security objectives. This legacy chemical demilitarization expertise reflects Parsons’ ability to execute highly complex, high-consequence industrial programs requiring advanced safety, regulatory, environmental, and operational expertise.

Beyond the United States, Parsons is executing large-scale industrial and infrastructure programs globally. In the Middle East, the company is advancing economic diversification and industrial growth through initiatives such as the Al Karaana Special Economic Zone in Qatar. Our long record of developing large industrial cities and special economic zones in Saudi Arabia, dating back to the 1970s, such as Jazan and Yanbu Industrial Cities, enables integrated development and long-term resilience. Parsons also delivers mission-critical data center infrastructure across the region to support AI, digital transformation, and secure operations, while strengthening supply chains tied to critical minerals and advanced manufacturing.

In parallel, Parsons is advancing high-tech manufacturing ecosystems, including semiconductor-related infrastructure that strengthens domestic and allied production capacity and enables more resilient supply chains through critical minerals sourcing, processing, and distribution.

The company further integrates digital engineering, environmental remediation, and critical infrastructure protection to modernize legacy industrial sites and enable next-generation manufacturing. By combining lifecycle optimization, regulatory alignment, and mission-critical cybersecurity and physical protection, the company delivers resilient, high-performance facilities designed for sustained operations in complex and contested environments. Its program advisory expertise, including long-standing support to the Department of Energy and the Department of War, helps translate evolving mission requirements into executable infrastructure investments that strengthen the full industrial ecosystem from production through distribution.

Parsons also delivers the critical infrastructure that powers and sustains industrial capacity, including energy and microgrid solutions and industrial water and wastewater systems. In addition, the company is also advancing nuclear energy solutions critical to powering next-generation industrial capacity and strengthening energy resilience. The integrated energy capabilities are delivered across the full lifecycle, supporting both national security missions and commercial energy infrastructure, including energy-intensive industries such as advanced manufacturing and data centers.

These capabilities extend across North America, the Middle East, and other key markets, including Canada, where Parsons supports infrastructure and industrial development aligned with national growth and resource priorities. This global reach, combined with deep technical expertise, positions Parsons to deliver consistent, high-impact outcomes across diverse operational environments.

Demand for industrial base modernization continues to accelerate, driven by geopolitical competition, supply chain vulnerabilities, and significant government investment in munitions production, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. Parsons is directly aligned with these priorities, helping customers respond to urgent operational needs while building long-term resilience.

With decades of experience delivering complex industrial and infrastructure programs, Parsons continues to enable the next generation of scalable, resilient, and secure industrial capacity, delivering capability at the speed and scale today’s missions demand.

To learn more about Parsons’ industrial base modernization capabilities, visit parsons.com/industrial-base-modernization/ and parsons.com/manufacturing/.

About Parsons 

Parsons (NYSE: PSN) is a leading disruptive technology provider in the national security and global infrastructure markets, with capabilities across cyber and electronic warfare, space and missile defense, transportation, water and environment, urban development, and critical infrastructure protection. Please visit Parsons.com and follow us on LinkedIn to learn how we’re making an impact. 

Forward-Looking Statements 

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs and assumptions, and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks, changes in circumstances, trends and factors that are difficult to predict, many of which are outside of our control. Accordingly, actual performance, results and events may vary materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, and you should not rely on the forward-looking statements as predictions of future performance, results or events. Numerous factors could cause actual future performance, results and events to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: any issue that compromises our relationships with the U.S. federal government or its agencies or other state, local or foreign governments or agencies; any issues that damage our professional reputation; changes in governmental priorities that shift expenditures away from agencies or programs that we support; our dependence on long-term government contracts, which are subject to the government’s budgetary approval process; the size of our addressable markets and the amount of government spending on private contractors; failure by us or our employees to obtain and maintain necessary security clearances or certifications; failure to comply with numerous laws and regulations; changes in government procurement, contract or other practices or the adoption by governments of new laws, rules, regulations and programs in a manner adverse to us; the termination or nonrenewal of our government contracts, particularly our contracts with the U.S. federal government; our ability to compete effectively in the competitive bidding process and delays, contract terminations or cancellations caused by competitors’ protests of major contract awards received by us; our ability to generate revenue under certain of our contracts; any inability to attract, train or retain employees with the requisite skills, experience and security clearances; the loss of members of senior management or failure to develop new leaders; misconduct or other improper activities from our employees or subcontractors; our ability to realize the full value of our backlog and the timing of our receipt of revenue under contracts included in backlog; changes in the mix of our contracts and our ability to accurately estimate or otherwise recover expenses, time and resources for our contracts; changes in estimates used in recognizing revenue; internal system or service failures and security breaches; and inherent uncertainties and potential adverse developments in legal proceedings, including litigation, audits, reviews and investigations, which may result in materially adverse judgments, settlements or other unfavorable outcomes. These factors are not exhaustive and additional factors could adversely affect our business and financial performance. For a discussion of additional factors that could materially adversely affect our business and financial performance, see the factors included under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and speak only as of the date on which they are made. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release that becomes untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise, except to the extent we are required to do so by law. 

Media Contact:
Bernadette Miller
+1 980.253.9781
[email protected]

Investor Relations Contact:
Dave Spille
+1 703.775.6191
[email protected]

515 Million NIGHT Tokens Drained in Bridge AttackWanchain's bridge connecting Cardano to BNB Chain was exploited on July 21, 2026, with approximately 515.2 million $NIGHT tokens drained from the bridge treasury. The stolen tokens were worth roughly $13 million at pre-exploit prices. CoinGecko data showed the token trading near $0.0186 after the incident, placing the value of 515 million NIGHT closer to $9 million to $10 million at prevailing prices.

The incident unfolded in just four rapid transactions over an eight-minute window. BlockSec Phalcon traced the attacker's redeemer back to a legitimate BSC transaction that authorized only around 3,110 NIGHT, with the same signature then reused on Cardano to extract more than 203 million NIGHT through field-boundary ambiguity in the raw-concatenated hash. The attacker funneled stolen tokens into a primary wallet on Cardano before aggressively liquidating roughly 90% of the haul through DEX swaps and DeFi protocols.

Validator Flaw at the Root of the ExploitBlockSec's monitoring revealed that the attack exploited a vulnerability in the TreasuryCheck validator's signature message encoding. The issue arose from the raw concatenation of 14 variable-length redemption fields without delimiters, allowing different field combinations to produce identical byte strings and reuse the same hash and signature. BlockSec confirmed the vulnerability by analyzing on-chain Plutus V2 bytecode and decoding the attack transaction's redemption data, noting that use of Sha3_256(SerialiseData(...)) could have prevented this by providing clear CBOR-encoded field boundaries.

Wanchain confirmed it was aware of an incident affecting the Cardano BNB Chain bridge, resulting in the withdrawal of NIGHT tokens from the bridge contract on Cardano, and said the bridge was taken offline while the team investigates. Midnight said its core network remained secure, describing the incident as isolated to bridge infrastructure.

NIGHT is Midnight's native governance token and also generates DUST, the network resource used for transactions and smart contract execution. Midnight operates as a privacy-focused Cardano partner chain with a dual-token economic model, and launched its mainnet in March 2026. NIGHT sold off sharply as reports of the bridge incident spread, falling more than 30% within 24 hours to a record low near $0.016.

Wanchain originally launched cross-chain support for NIGHT between Cardano and BNB Chain in December 2025. The latest bridge incident has brought renewed attention to the risks created when native assets move through third-party infrastructure.

Sources:
Crypto.news: Wanchain Cardano bridge exploit drains 515M NIGHT
CryptoTimes: Wanchain Cardano Bridge Exploited
Phemex News: Wanchain Cardano Bridge Hacked

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI – Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,325,256 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock after buying an additional 148,067 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.34% of Levi Strauss & Co. worth $25,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LEVI. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Levi Strauss & Co. by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,320,747 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $193,312,000 after purchasing an additional 342,009 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 462.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,839,861 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $89,489,000 after buying an additional 3,979,223 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,243,680 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $88,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,296,474 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Levi Strauss & Co. by 9.3% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,457,702 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock valued at $80,564,000 after acquiring an additional 294,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Levi Strauss & Co. by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,219,599 shares of the blue-jean maker’s stock worth $46,034,000 after acquiring an additional 531,963 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Levi Strauss & Co. In other news, major shareholder Margaret E. Haas sold 47,721 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $1,145,781.21. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, major shareholder E. Haas Jr. Family Fund Peter sold 145,662 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total transaction of $3,497,344.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 145,662 shares in the company, valued at $3,497,344.62. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 1,236,803 shares of company stock worth $28,742,192 in the last three months. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Levi Strauss & Co. Price Performance Shares of LEVI opened at $23.98 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.78. Levi Strauss & Co. has a 1-year low of $17.72 and a 1-year high of $25.58.

Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The blue-jean maker reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.52 billion. Levi Strauss & Co. had a return on equity of 25.79% and a net margin of 9.66%.The company’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. Levi Strauss & Co. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.460-1.520 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Levi Strauss & Co. will post 1.54 EPS for the current year.

Levi Strauss & Co. Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from Levi Strauss & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. Levi Strauss & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth LEVI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Levi Strauss & Co. from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Levi Strauss & Co. from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Levi Strauss & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Levi Strauss & Co. in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Levi Strauss & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.46.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Levi Strauss & Co.

About Levi Strauss & Co. (Free Report)

Levi Strauss & Co is a global apparel company best known for its denim jeans and casual wear. Founded in 1853 in San Francisco by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, the company pioneered the modern blue jean with the introduction of rivet-reinforced work pants. Over its more than 160-year history, Levi Strauss has evolved into a lifestyle brand, offering a broad portfolio that includes denim for men, women and children, as well as tops, outerwear, footwear and accessories.

The company’s flagship label, Levi’s®, is recognized worldwide for its iconic styles such as the 501® Original Fit Jeans, while additional brands, including Dockers®, Target core metric, and Denizen® by Levi’s, cater to diverse price points and consumer segments.

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

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All-Boeing freighter operator will add five 777-8 Freighters to its 777 Freighter fleet MSC Air Cargo seeks to capitalize on resilient air cargo demand with newest generation widebody freighters , /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and MSC Air Cargo today announced that the fast-growing air cargo operator has purchased five 777-8 Freighters.

The previously unidentified order is MSC Air Cargo's first for the 777-8 Freighter. The 777-8 Freighter will be the industry's most capable twin-engine freighter, incorporating advanced technologies as a member of the 777X family and customer-preferred features from the current generation 777 Freighter.

Boeing and MSC Air Cargo announced that the fast-growing air cargo operator has purchased five 777-8 Freighters. The previously unidentified order is MSC Air Cargo’s first for the 777-8 Freighter. "With this order, we are investing in the long-term future of MSC Air Cargo and in the customers we serve," said Jannie Davel, CEO of MSC Air Cargo. "The 777-8 Freighter gives us the efficiency, range and capacity to serve our customers reliably for years to come, while advancing our commitment to more sustainable operations. It is the right aircraft for the next stage of our growth."

The 777-8 Freighter offers the highest payload and the lowest fuel use, emissions and operating cost per tonne of any large freighter. Widebody freighters fly approximately 75 percent of global air cargo capacity. The air freight sector is expected to play a crucial role in the decades ahead as e-commerce continues to grow.

"MSC Air Cargo is investing in its future with this order for large widebody freighter aircraft that will further enhance the capability and reach of its global air network," said Brad McMullen, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. "The 777-8 Freighter will be the most efficient aircraft in its class and will connect MSC Air Cargo's hubs to key international markets."

Boeing has booked more than 80 orders for the 777-8 Freighter and MSC Air Cargo is the third Europe-based air cargo operator to order the airplane.

About MSC Air Cargo
MSC Air Cargo is a subsidiary of MSC Group, a global leader in transportation and logistics. Committed to delivering innovative and tailored airfreight solutions, MSC Air Cargo operates a modern fleet of Boeing 777-200 Freighters, serving key markets and destinations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. With a focus on customer satisfaction and operational excellence, MSC Air Cargo is dedicated to shaping the future of air cargo logistics. For more information, visit mscaircargo.com

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

Contact 
Boeing Media Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing

Also from this source

Moonshot AI's launch of its latest artificial intelligence model, Kimi K3, has shaken global technology markets, reviving memories of the DeepSeek shock earlier this year.

While the model has intensified concerns over the dominance of US AI leaders such as OpenAI and Anthropic, analysts say the broader implications for the AI ecosystem are more nuanced, with several hardware and infrastructure companies potentially emerging as long-term winners.

The Chinese startup claims Kimi K3 rivals some of the world's most advanced AI models despite relying on fewer cutting-edge AI chips, raising fresh questions about the future economics of AI development and spending.

The announcement triggered renewed selling across semiconductor stocks on Friday as investors weighed the possibility that advances in AI efficiency could reduce future demand for expensive computing hardware.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 4% during the session.

"Whatever gap existed between American and Chinese frontier AI just got a lot smaller, and it happened on the exact morning Wall Street was busy convincing itself AI economics don't add up," Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, wrote following the market reaction on Friday.

Despite concerns surrounding AI chip demand, several investors believe memory manufacturers remain among the strongest positioned companies as AI models continue becoming larger and more capable.

According to Bloomberg, Kimi K3 features 2.8 trillion parameters and supports a one-million-token context window, specifications that require substantially higher memory capacity than previous generations of AI models.

Stanley Tang, senior portfolio manager at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, told Bloomberg that memory suppliers should remain among the biggest beneficiaries because the market continues to be dominated by only a handful of companies, including SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.

Tang added that growing adoption of models such as Kimi K3 is unlikely to reduce overall computing demand.

Instead, broader deployment of agentic AI systems could accelerate hardware consumption over time.

That view is shared by Gary Tan, portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments.

He told Bloomberg that "the biggest winners will remain the AI infrastructure layer," adding that China's push toward open-source AI would require greater computing resources and continue driving demand for networking equipment and memory chips.

However, whether Nvidia and AMD can maintain the scarcity premium that has driven their valuations is less certain.

While semiconductor shares broadly came under pressure, Mizuho believes concerns surrounding electronic design automation software companies have been overstated.

The brokerage said Kimi K3 strengthens rather than weakens its long-term investment thesis for Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems.

Both companies fell between 8% and 10% last week as investors worried that increasingly capable open-source AI models from China could eventually replace portions of the semiconductor design process.

Mizuho's TMT sector specialist Jordan Klein said those fears were misplaced.

The firm said it "believes this risk is way overblown" and maintained its positive stance on both companies, Investing.com reported.

According to Klein, Kimi K3 functions as a general-purpose AI agent using existing open-source EDA tools such as OpenRoad rather than replacing the underlying software platforms.

He argued that foundation AI models cannot substitute for the deterministic and physically accurate engineering tools required for semiconductor design.

Instead, autonomous AI agents are expected to increase usage of existing EDA software by helping engineers work more efficiently.

Mizuho believes this trend supports its broader "agentic AI engineer" thesis, under which AI helps address the semiconductor industry's engineering talent shortage while expanding monetization opportunities for EDA companies beyond software licensing into engineering productivity, potentially tripling the industry's addressable market over time.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR +2.06%) and Sandisk (SNDK +2.67%) are two incredibly popular artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. However, Wall Street is looking at them differently right now.

Palantir was a poster child stock for AI for years, and it gained 1,800% from 2019 through 2025. Sandisk wasn't publicly traded as a separate company during most of the AI era, until February 2025, when it was spun off from Western Digital. Since then, it has gained an astounding 3,800%.

Both of these companies are reporting incredible growth, but while Sandisk stock soared after its latest earnings report, Palantir stock dropped. Here's why.

Image source: Sandisk.

Why Palantir stock dropped Palantir has many qualities that have made it an outstanding company and a fantastic stock to own over the past few years. It has a proprietary AI platform that unifies information from disparate silos for government and commercial clients, providing data analysis and insights, and helping leaders make informed, data-driven decisions.

There are several ways Palantir goes beyond being another AI platform. It sends in trained specialists to work with clients, and helps them embed the platform throughout their organizations. Between its long-term contracts with clients and its success at deeply integrating itself within their operations, it has erected a high barrier to entry for potential rivals. 

Today's Change

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It attracts new business all the time from clients eager to get the most out of their own data, and it continues to demonstrate robust growth. In the first quarter, Palantir's revenue increased 85% year over year, with a 104% increase in U.S. commercial businesses. Total contract value increased 61%, and adjusted operating margin was 60%.

However, Palantir has been one of the most visible victims of the market's revolt against software-as-a-service (SaaS) stocks.

The chief concern is that AI agents can be built to perform many of the tasks SaaS companies handle. This technology is poised to become widely used, and as a result, investors are worried that Palantir's moat isn't quite as durable as it once appeared.

Palantir is also priced for perfection, making a share price drop almost inevitable. Its P/E ratio topped 600 last year; it's nearly impossible for any stock to sustain that kind of valuation for an extended period of time.

Why Sandisk stock is flying Sandisk, on the other hand, operates in a different part of the AI space. It's one of the only companies that makes NAND flash memory, which is critical for data centers, and it has been able to raise the prices it charges because the entire memory market is in the midst of a period of high demand and short supply.

"NAND flash is emerging as the only economically viable solution to deliver the capacity, performance, and efficiency required to keep models accessible for real-time inference at scale," said CEO David Goeckeler.

It also recently changed its business model, locking large clients into long-term contracts. That move will help add stability and steadiness to what has historically been a highly cyclical, boom-and-bust business. 

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In Sandisk's fiscal 2026 third quarter (which ended April 3), revenue increased 251% year over year, and 97% sequentially. While the company is reporting growth in all of its segments, those fantastic results were driven primarily by the data center segment, where revenue increased 233% sequentially.

Sandisk is also highly profitable, and it has become more so as the memory shortage becomes more intense and its products grow more expensive. Operating income increased from just $2 million in the prior-year period to $4.2 billion in the fiscal third quarter.

Although Sandisk stock soared after its May 7 earnings report, it also started to drop in late June after it reached a lofty valuation of around 80 times earnings. It has since fallen back to a P/E ratio of about 47, and given back the lion's share of that post-earnings surge.

That means it's well-positioned to jump again if the company continues to report unceasing demand when it releases its fiscal fourth-quarter results on Aug. 5. By contrast, Palantir still has a lot to prove, trading at 149 times trailing-12-month earnings.

Vet argues that reserve requirements serve as an important defense against spam attacks and excessive network resource usage.

An XRPL validator has said that he will not vote for another reduction in its account reserves, sparking a community debate over whether lower costs would help adoption or weaken network protections.

The dispute has split community members between those who see lower reserves as necessary for easier onboarding and those who argue that it could strip out a security buffer that the network still needs.

XRPL Reserve Debate Revisits Network Costs and Spam Protection In a July 20 post on X, Hussein Zangana, the XRP Ledger Foundation’s director of community, told his nearly 57,000 followers that the network’s account reserves have already fallen significantly since the network launched.

In 2012, activating an account required 1,000 XRP in base reserves, with Jed McCaleb later reducing the requirement to 200 XRP. From there, reserves came down gradually through validator votes rather than formal amendments, landing at today’s figures: a 1 XRP base reserve to activate an account, plus a 0.2 XRP owner reserve for each token held, including RLUSD or USDC, or for each of up to 32 NFTs.

He said that he’d backed earlier reductions himself, and at the time, the cuts had made sense given XRP’s rising price and XRPL’s beefier server capacity. However, as things stand, he’s drawing a different line.

“We have to be very careful in arbitrarily lowering reserves,” Vet wrote. “There’s a clear reason for its existence and security comes first. The debate should start there.”

According to him, reserves were designed to protect network resources, including storage and memory, by making it more expensive to create a large number of accounts that could be used for spam or DDoS attacks.

The dUNL validator added that he would only vote to lower reserves if the lower requirements could provide the same level of protection the current one does. He further confirmed that he would definitely not vote for higher transaction fees, which he claimed many community members had been using “as an argument to compensate for lower reserves.”

You may also like: XRP Has Stayed in Crypto’s Top 10 for 13 Straight Years – No Other Altcoin Has Done This Binance XRP Reserves at Lowest Since February as Ripple Price Defends Key Support Ripple, Coinbase, Circle Join Linux x402 Foundation to Help Shape AI Payments Where the Rest of the Community Landed Vet did face some pushback, especially from community member Daniel Keller, who argued that lower reserves could help the project attract more users who are unfamiliar with crypto.

According to him, the focus should be on onboarding people outside the existing crypto audience, where sponsors might want to activate accounts on their behalf while keeping down acquisition costs.

Keller also questioned whether Vet’s concerns about spam were overstated and pointed out that the ledger had handled periods of high activity in the past without lower reserves causing any issues.

Meanwhile, another community member, Chris Thompson, raised a different worry: that lowering reserves could make it easier to create more easily disposable wallets, which could increase the surface area for possible exploitation.

Recent XRPL updates have also seen uneven adoption, with only 43% of nodes moving to its v3.2.0 upgrade. The update introduced changes such as reduced memory usage for nodes of between 30% and 40%, as well as improvements tied to network operations.

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Allium Labs has launched a real-time data tracking platform dedicated to Stellar Lumens (XLM), providing open access to live on-chain statistics. Users can now monitor smart contract activity, transaction fees, and active address counts for the Stellar network.

RWA Adoption on Stellar Reaches New MilestonesA major focus of Allium Labs’ platform is its deep analysis of Real World Assets (RWAs) on Stellar. Current data shows that the number of RWA holders has surpassed 12,538, while the total market capitalization for tokenized real assets on the network has climbed to $3.10 billion. This marks a dual milestone for Stellar, which has registered a 300% increase in RWA market value this year.

Spiko, a key player in the ecosystem, leads custody handling with $1.2 billion under management. This figure includes substantial holdings of government debt and Euro-denominated Treasury bills. The majority of Spiko’s portfolio consists of tokenized near-term European government securities and a fund tracking short-term Euro rates.

Franklin Templeton, an American asset management firm, and the German company Bitbond Finance GmbH are also active in Stellar’s RWA segment, with growing participation. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has reportedly announced plans to integrate part of its $114 trillion traditional securities market into the Stellar network by the first quarter of 2027.

Mini dictionary: The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is a leading US financial market infrastructure provider that handles settlement and clearance of securities worth trillions of dollars annually, playing a vital role in global capital markets.

EntityRoleAssets on StellarSpikoCustody handler$1.2 billionFranklin TempletonAsset managementGrowing presenceBitbond Finance GmbHFinance/TokenizationGrowing presenceDTCCSecurities infrastructureTo be deployed in 2027Trading Metrics Reflect Cautious MomentumInstitutional interest in Stellar is rising, leading some long-term investors to hope for an upward breakout in XLM’s price. Such moves are often accompanied by price consolidation after a drop and visible support from high-volume traders, commonly referred to as crypto whales. On the 4-hour chart, Stellar’s price appears to be gaining strength, with the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) currently at 0.12.

In contrast, the one-hour price chart for XLM recently signaled a short-term sell-off, while the daily chart remains flat, with the CMF indicator showing a neutral reading of zero. Market analysts have connected this uncertainty to broader geopolitical tensions and the general sideways movement in commodity assets such as gas and gold.

Still, further growth in Stellar’s RWA sector could set XLM apart from the broader market, where caution persists even as Bitcoin (BTC) has returned above $65,600. Over the past two months, BTC has shown a tendency to fall back to $60,000 after brief rallies.

AssetRecent PeakKey SupportBTC$65,600$60,000XLM$0.19 (barrier)$0.19Stellar’s Role in On-Chain FinanceStellar’s network has gained attention for transforming traditional assets, such as money market funds and Treasury bills, into digital tokens that can be traded around the clock. Spiko’s $1.2 billion contribution has positioned the network among the top platforms for tokenized real assets, especially in Europe-focused funds.

Real-world yield products, including European treasury exposure and overnight funds, are now available as digital tokens with low fees and high accessibility. Increased adoption of on-chain assets boosts network activity and demand for XLM, which serves as Stellar’s native token and main transaction bridge.

These developments suggest strong fundamental momentum, but a broader rally for XLM remains dependent on sustained volume and overall market support.

Stellar’s RWA market cap hit $3.10 billion, with over 12,500 holders—a 300% increase this year, fueled by major players like Spiko and incoming participants such as the DTCC.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.

https://www.investopedia.com/solana-5210472

Tokenized assets on the Solana blockchain have reached a new pinnacle, totaling $5.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026. This figure marks a 114% increase from the previous quarter, continuing a trend of six consecutive quarterly all-time highs. The surge is largely driven by tokenized stocks, which accounted for roughly $4.8 billion of the network’s total tokenized equity activity. Solana’s dominance in institutional real-world asset settlement is further cemented, as it manages over 96% of all tokenized stock trades on blockchain networks. This growth occurs despite a decline in broader decentralized exchange (DEX) spot volume.

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Key Takeaways The record-setting $5.8 billion in tokenized assets on Solana suggests robust institutional demand and strengthens its competitive position as a leading blockchain for tokenized stocks. The market pricing for Solana reaching $90 in July reflects an increase in confidence, with YES outcomes rising from 6% to 9% over the past 24 hours. The continuous quarterly growth in tokenized assets on Solana is consistent with scenarios where increased adoption and confidence in Solana’s capabilities could drive further interest and value. What to Watch Watch for any further increases in tokenized asset volumes on Solana, as these could indicate sustained institutional interest. Key developments to monitor include potential regulatory changes or new financial product approvals that could impact Solana’s market positioning. Additionally, movements in Solana’s price, especially if it approaches the $90 mark, could suggest shifts in market confidence and demand dynamics.

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Term Structure

Contract Odds Δ since publish Volume 24h August 1 2026 9% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.2% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.9% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.7% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.5% — — View market → August 1 2026 1.8% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.5% — — View market → August 1 2026 2.7% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.9% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 23% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market → August 1 2026 0.1% — — View market →

The EUR/USD pair is seen consolidating during the Asian session on Tuesday and trading just above the 1.1400 mark, or a four-day low touched the previous day. Market participants seem hesitant and keenly await the highly-anticipated European Central Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday before positioning for the next leg of a directional move.

In the meantime, energy-driven inflation fears bolster US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike bets and support the US Dollar (USD) amid escalating US-Iran tensions. This could act as a headwind for the EUR/USD pair, warranting caution before confirming that the recent pullback from a four-week high, touched last Wednesday, has run its course.

Spot prices keep a bearish tone following last week's failure near the 1.1480-1.1485 region, which coincides with the 200-period Simple Moving Average (SMA). Moreover, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator remains below zero with a negative reading, while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 40.95 stays under the midline.

Momentum indicators together suggest waning bullish momentum and reinforce the downside bias while the EUR/USD pair remains capped beneath the 200-period SMA. This, in turn, backs the case for an eventual break below the 1.1400 round figure and a further decline towards retesting the year-to-date low, around the 1.1325 region, touched on June 24.

On the topside, initial resistance is located at the 200-period SMA around 1.1480. A sustained move above this level is needed to ease the current bearish pressure and open the way for a more constructive outlook. Nevertheless, the sub-50 RSI and negative MACD suggest that the path of least resistance for the EUR/USD pair remains to the downside.

(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)

EUR/USD 4-hour chart

Economic Indicator ECB Press Conference Following the European Central Bank’s (ECB) economic policy decision, the ECB President gives a press conference regarding monetary policy. The president’s comments may influence the volatility of the Euro (EUR) and determine a short-term positive or negative trend. If the president adopts a hawkish tone it is considered bullish for the EUR, whereas if the tone is dovish the result is usually bearish for the Euro.

Read more.

Next release: Thu Jul 23, 2026 12:45

Frequency: Irregular

Consensus: -

Previous: -

Source: European Central Bank

Trump’s latest trade offensive has placed North America’s best-known manufacturers and consumer brands under scrutiny, with integrated US-Canadian supply chains facing a cost shock.

The White House imposed additional 50% duties on specified Canadian imports under three proclamations responding to disputes over motor vehicles, alcoholic beverages and dairy.

The covered tariff lines include products such as wine, cement and hockey sticks.

The duties apply to listed goods regardless of whether they qualify for preferential treatment under the USMCA and are scheduled to take effect 30 days after the July 20 announcement.

Energy, potash, products already subject to Section 232 tariffs and certain other goods, including some critical minerals, are excluded.

The question is which companies can shift production or pass on costs before margins weaken.

General Motors carries the highest-profile exposure because its manufacturing system spans both countries.

The company has invested C$3.3 billion in Canada since 2020, including C$1.5 billion in Oshawa, where it builds trucks and stamped components.

That footprint creates pressure points. Canadian-made vehicles or parts could become more expensive in the US, while components that cross the border during assembly may face disruption.

RBC Capital maintained an Outperform rating on July 13 and trimmed its price target to $94 from $95.

The call preceded the tariff announcement and implied substantial upside from Monday’s $75.80 close.

GM’s results will test whether truck pricing, cost controls and production flexibility can absorb the Canada-related shock without forcing weaker guidance.

Magna International may be the clearest supply-chain casualty because it supplies body structures, powertrains, electronics, seating and systems to multiple automakers.

A slowdown at several customers could hurt volumes.

Scotiabank maintained Sector Outperform on Monday and lifted its target to $74 from $72, according to MarketBeat.

RBC set a $66 target with a Sector Perform rating, while UBS carried a Neutral rating and $64 target.

The tariffs challenge that optimism. Magna may seek reimbursement from customers, but automakers could pressure suppliers to absorb some cost.

Lower production would create another hit through lower utilisation.

The issue is whether Magna has contractual protection and bargaining power to defend margins across its cross-border network.

Molson Coors has consumer exposure on both sides of the border, leaving it vulnerable to duties on Canadian-made beverages entering the US and retaliation against American alcohol sold in Canada.

The White House said all but two Canadian provinces and territories had halted sales of US alcoholic drinks.

Canadian imports of US alcohol fell about 81% in the year to February 2026.

UBS cut its Molson Coors target to $40 from $46 on July 16 while maintaining Neutral. Citi reduced its target to $42 from $47. Both calls came before the escalation.

With the shares pressured by weak beer demand, retaliation could turn a consumption slowdown into a deeper earnings squeeze.

Saputo presents a nuanced case as tariffs could make Canadian dairy products less competitive in the US, yet its manufacturing presence in both countries may allow production to shift domestically.

CIBC analyst Mark Petrie raised his target to C$49 from C$47 and retained an Outperformer rating after Saputo’s June results.

The consensus target stood near C$47.63 against Monday’s C$41.66 close.

Saputo’s US plants could provide an advantage over rivals dependent on Canadian exports, although shifting volume takes time and may involve added costs.

The tariffs create a 30-day negotiation and repricing window before companies report their next quarterly results.

GM and Magna face the clearest manufacturing shock, Molson Coors carries the greatest retaliation risk, and Saputo has the best operational hedge.

The decisive evidence will come from guidance and post-announcement analyst revisions, not pre-tariff ratings alone.

The latest US tariffs on Canadian goods may be relatively modest in size, but the market reaction suggests investors are focusing on something bigger than the immediate trade impact. USD/CAD advanced after US President Donald Trump signed three proclamations imposing 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian exports, including alcohol, dairy products, motor vehicles, cement, hockey equipment and electrical machinery. The measures will take effect in roughly 30 days and, notably, apply regardless of compliance with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, known as CUSMA in Canada), while exempting energy, potash, critical minerals and products already subject to Section 232 duties.

The significance lies less in the sectors affected than in what the latest move says about US trade policy. Since early 2025, Washington has repeatedly expanded tariffs on Canadian goods using different legal authorities rather than relying on the framework established by USMCA. Each new measure reinforces the perception that the agreement is providing less practical protection against unilateral trade actions. As a result, markets are increasingly treating US-Canada trade friction as a structural issue rather than a series of isolated disputes, adding another headwind to Canada’s economic outlook just as uncertainty surrounding the formal USMCA review continues to build.

Canada’s response has so far stopped short of matching Washington’s escalation. Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated his preference for negotiations and emphasized strengthening Canada’s domestic economy, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Ottawa to retaliate “tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar.” Whether the federal government adopts a more confrontational stance will likely determine how far trade tensions escalate. For now, the new tariffs represent another obstacle for the Canadian Dollar, particularly if investors begin pricing a more prolonged drag on growth.

Technically, USD/CAD is also sending a constructive signal for Dollar bulls. The rebound from 1.4002 followed successful tests of both 55 D EMA (now at 1.4002) and 1.3965 cluster support (38.2% retracement of 1.3480 to 1.4247 at 1.3954), suggesting the decline from 1.4247 was corrective rather than the start of a broader reversal. Firm break above 1.4115 minor resistance would strengthen the case that the broader uptrend from the 2026 low at 1.3480 is resuming, bringing another challenge of the 1.4247 high into view.

ActionForex

ActionForex.com was set up back in 2004 with the aim to provide insightful analysis to forex traders, serving the trading community for two decades. We started providing only a daily and a mid-day report, now known as Action Insights. Gradually, we added a lot more in-house contents to the site. Technical Outlook section was expanded to cover more pairs. In addition to that, Top Movers, Heat Map, Pivot Point Charts and Pivot Meters, Action Bias and Volatility Charts, are tools used by traders from all over the world.

Chief Financial Officer Mokari Atabak reported the sale of 40,000 shares of Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (CORT +1.25%) on July 15, 2026, according to an SEC Form 4 filing.

Transaction summaryMetricValueTransaction value$3.5 millionShares sold40,000 sharesPost-transaction shares (directly held)16,130 sharesPost-transaction value$1.44 millionTransaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average sale price ($87.71); post-transaction value based on July 15, 2026 market close ($89.57).

Key questionsHow was the transaction structured and executed?
Mokari Atabak performed a "cashless" exercise of 40,000 stock options. All resulting shares were sold on the same day at a weighted average price of $87.71, allowing the executive to realize gains without an initial cash outlay for the exercise.What is the executive's remaining financial exposure to the company?
Following this transaction, the Chief Financial Officer retains direct ownership of 16,130 shares of common stock. However, his total economic exposure remains substantial through the holding of close to 180,000 derivative securities (options), which represent a larger equity position than his direct common stock holdings.How has the stock performed leading up to this execution?
The transaction occurred after a period of positive momentum for the pharmaceutical company, with shares delivering a 25% return over the 12 months ending on the July 15, 2026 transaction date. As of the July 16, 2026 market close, the stock was priced at $89.72 per share.Does the timing of this sale suggest a discretionary decision?
No, the timing and volume of this sale were predetermined by a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan established in December 2025. Such plans are designed to allow insiders to sell shares at set intervals or price targets to avoid concerns regarding the use of non-public information.Company OverviewMetricValueShare Price (as of market close 2026-07-16)$89.72Market Capitalization$9.6 billionRevenue (TTM)$769.1 millionNet Income (TTM)$47.3 millionCompany SnapshotCorcept Therapeutics develops and commercializes pharmaceutical treatments for serious metabolic, oncological, and neuropsychiatric disorders, with Korlym (mifepristone) tablets serving as its primary commercial product for treating endogenous Cushing's syndrome in adult patients.The company generates revenue through the direct commercialization of its proprietary pharmaceutical products in the United States market, leveraging its specialized expertise in addressing rare and serious medical conditions.Corcept targets healthcare providers and patients within specialty care settings, focusing on individuals diagnosed with serious endocrine and metabolic disorders who require targeted pharmaceutical interventions.Corcept Therapeutics is a specialized pharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of $9.6 billion, generating TTM revenues of $769.1 million and demonstrating profitability with net income of $47.9 million. The company maintains a focused commercial strategy centered on its lead therapeutic asset, Korlym, which addresses a significant unmet medical need in the treatment of endogenous Cushing's syndrome. With operations headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Corcept has established itself as a key player in the specialty pharmaceutical sector, delivering sustainable growth as evidenced by its 25% one-year stock price appreciation.

What this transaction means for investorsThe plan behind this sale was adopted in early December 2025, the same month (and just weeks before) Corcept's stock lost half its value in a single session. Setting a selling schedule near the wreckage of a 50% crash, then watching it execute at $87.71 after the shares more than doubled, is an important reminder that these plans are pre-arranged and don’t reflect discretionary decision-making on a sale-by-sale basis. It’s also important to note he has 16,130 shares held outright against nearly 180,000 options. That's a finance chief whose upside is overwhelmingly leveraged, which cuts both ways in a stock this volatile.

The recovery he sold into came from the FDA approving relacorilant for ovarian cancer, where it now sells as Lifyorli, months after rejecting the same drug for Cushing's syndrome. First-quarter revenue reached $164.9 million, and management raised full-year guidance to as much as $1.05 billion. For long-term investors, that options-heavy position is the thing to sit with. It means the executive closest to the numbers is paid on the stock climbing, not on it holding steady.

Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Corcept Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Coca-Cola (KO +0.69%) disclosed Thursday that a ransomware attack forced it to temporarily suspend U.S. production at Fairlife, its fast-growing dairy business, and the stock fell about 4% on Friday. For dividend investors, this looks like an operational headache -- not a threat to the payout.

Here's what happened. Fairlife identified unauthorized third-party access to portions of its systems, including production-related systems. The company halted U.S. production while it investigates with outside cybersecurity experts, though its Canadian operations continue unaffected. "Product quality and safety have not been impacted," Coca-Cola said in its press release about the incident. The full scope of the attack, the company acknowledged, is not yet known.

Image source: Getty Images.

How big is the hole? Fairlife matters more than a dairy brand might suggest. Its ultra-filtered milk and Core Power protein shakes have grown into a business that generated about $4 billion in retail sales in 2024, making it one of Coca-Cola's biggest growth stories of the past decade.

But scale is the key context here. Coca-Cola generated $12.5 billion of revenue in the first quarter alone. Even if U.S. Fairlife production stays offline for several weeks, the direct hit to Coca-Cola would be a small fraction of one quarter's revenue.

The dividend, meanwhile, rests on a much wider base. Coca-Cola raised its payout for a 64th consecutive year in February, lifting the quarterly dividend about 4% to $0.53 per share, and it paid shareholders $8.8 billion in dividends in 2025. At the current share price, the dividend stock yields about 2.6%. And the company generates the cash to back the payout -- management expects about $12.2 billion of free cash flow this year.

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The business also entered this mess with momentum. First-quarter organic revenue grew 10% year over year, and comparable earnings per share climbed 18% to $0.86.

The real checkpoint comes soon. Coca-Cola reports second-quarter results before the market opens on Tuesday, July 28. Expect management to address the attack directly -- how long production could stay down, what recovery will cost, and any change to the full-year outlook. That last item matters most.

Of course, ransomware is a legitimate operational risk, and shutdowns like this one can drag on longer than companies first expect. A prolonged outage would likely hand market share to rival dairy brands and take some shine off one of Coca-Cola's best growers.

But a six-decade dividend streak doesn't hinge on one brand's production line. Unless the July 28 report reveals damage far beyond what the company has described, the income case for Coca-Cola looks intact -- cyberattack and all.

TV specialist Netflix (NFLX 1.99%) reported its second-quarter results on Thursday, and the report itself was uneventful. Revenue rose 13% year over year to $12.6 billion, matching management's forecast, and operating margin came in slightly ahead of plan.

Shares still fell about 7% on Friday, to $68.95 -- within a few dollars of their 52-week low.

The drop extends a miserable stretch. Netflix stock has lost more than 40% of its value over the past year, and it's down about 46% from its 52-week high of $126.71.

The sell-off has also produced a valuation that would have seemed unthinkable a year ago. The streaming giant trades at about 22 times earnings.

So, is the beaten-down growth stock finally a bargain?

Image source: Netflix.

A solid quarter by almost every measure There wasn't much to criticize in the report. Second-quarter revenue growth was driven primarily by membership growth, pricing, and increased ad revenue, and the company delivered double-digit gains in every region. Operating income rose 11% year over year to $4.2 billion, though the company's operating margin of 33.4% narrowed slightly from 34.1% in the second quarter of 2025. And earnings per share climbed 11% year over year to $0.80.

The full-year outlook is intact, too. Management narrowed its 2026 revenue forecast to a range of $51.0 billion to $51.4 billion, representing 13% to 14% growth, and it kept its operating margin target of 31.5%, up from 29.5% in 2025.

That forecast implies operating income growth of more than 20% this year. Netflix also still expects a rough doubling of its advertising revenue in 2026, to about $3 billion.

And the company is notably returning cash to shareholders at a record pace. Netflix repurchased $4.7 billion of its stock in the second quarter (its largest quarter of buybacks ever), and it still has $27.1 billion of repurchase capacity after its board added $25 billion to the program in April.

Clearly, the business itself is doing fine.

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The problem is the trend The problem is Netflix's growth trajectory. In the fourth quarter of 2025, revenue grew 17.6% year over year. Growth slowed to 16.2% in the first quarter of this year, then to 13.4% in the second. And management's third-quarter forecast calls for growth of about 12%.

Each step down is small. But that's three straight quarters of deceleration, with no floor yet in sight -- and some of it, I suspect, is simply the arithmetic of size catching up with the company.

Investors paid a premium for Netflix stock for years because its growth rate kept defying its size. As the growth rate has come down, the market has been repricing the stock from a premium growth story to something closer to a maturing one.

There is a caveat to the 22-times-earnings figure, however. Netflix's trailing profits include a one-time $2.8 billion termination fee the company collected in the first quarter after its deal for Warner Bros. Discovery's studio assets fell apart, and that windfall flatters the multiple.

Shares trade at about 20 times forward earnings. For a company forecasting operating income growth of more than 20% this year, that's arguably a fair price -- maybe even a modest one. But a multiple like this only stays fair if growth stabilizes somewhere near management's forecast. Valuations built on decelerating growth can keep compressing.

Of course, there are also reasons to wonder whether it stabilizes. Members watched more than 97 billion hours on the service in the first half of 2026, up 2% year over year. That's healthy engagement, but pricing is still one of the main drivers of revenue growth these days. The company also describes the entertainment industry as "dynamic and competitive," and it's fighting for viewing time against deep-pocketed rivals.

So, with shares a few dollars off their low and the froth mostly gone, is it finally time to buy? Not for me. The valuation is the most reasonable it has been in years, but the one thing that would make me comfortable paying even 20 times forward earnings (evidence that the growth step-down is leveling off) isn't in the numbers yet. After all, management's own forecast says the slowdown continues at least through the third quarter.

I'll keep watching for that floor. If revenue growth stabilizes in the low double digits while the operating margin keeps expanding, today's price could look cheap in hindsight. But until the trend turns, I'm staying on the sidelines.

Wintrust Financial (WTFC - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $3.3 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.15 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.78 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +4.76%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this bank holding company would post earnings of $2.96 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.22, delivering a surprise of +8.78%.

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

Wintrust, which belongs to the Zacks Banks - Midwest industry, posted revenues of $741.38 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.57%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $670.78 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.

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

Wintrust shares have added about 17.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.9%.

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

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

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

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

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $3.29 on $756.33 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $13.03 on $2.97 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Banks - Midwest is currently in the top 32% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, 1st Source (SRCE - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 23.

This holding company for 1st Source Bank is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.71 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +13.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

1st Source's revenues are expected to be $115.2 million, up 6.4% from the year-ago quarter.

In the latest close session, Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH - Free Report) was down 1.06% at $64.52. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.19% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.59%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.05%.

Heading into today, shares of the defense contractor had lost 1.73% over the past month, lagging the Business Services sector's gain of 4.14% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.55%.

The upcoming earnings release of Booz Allen Hamilton will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on July 24, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Booz Allen Hamilton to post earnings of $1.49 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 0.68%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $2.8 billion, showing a 4.24% drop compared to the year-ago quarter.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $6.27 per share and revenue of $11.41 billion. These totals would mark changes of -3.69% and +1.74%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Booz Allen Hamilton. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.58% higher. Right now, Booz Allen Hamilton possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Booz Allen Hamilton has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.4 right now. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 13.18 for its industry.

Meanwhile, BAH's PEG ratio is currently 3.7. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As the market closed yesterday, the Consulting Services industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.08.

The Consulting Services industry is part of the Business Services sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 165, this industry ranks in the bottom 33% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

Apple’s federal trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI centers on allegations that the AI company stole confidential files. But on an episode of Earn Your Leisure, co-host Rashaad Bilal argued the lawsuit could reveal something bigger about Apple’s competitive strategy.

Bilal’s take was that: “Apple suing them about trade secrets tells me a few things. It tells me they know something or they’ve seen something that they want to get ahead of.“ His framing suggests Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) could be looking to defend its consumer hardware business as OpenAI develops its own consumer devices.

Apple Accuses OpenAI of a “Pattern of Theft” Apple filed suit in federal court in Northern California on July 10, 2026, naming OpenAI, its hardware chief Tang Tan, and former Apple engineer Chang Liu. Apple accuses them of a “pattern of theft” of confidential product development information, alleging OpenAI recruiters encouraged prospective hires to bring “actual parts” from Apple for “show and tell.”

Bilal zeroed in on a specific defendant, former employee Cheng Lu, who allegedly used an authentication bug on an unreturned Apple laptop to download “dozens of highly confidential hardware files including technical specifications for unreleased products,” and left mocking messages for Apple. OpenAI is publicly maintaining its device timeline, telling reporters it plans to announce its first consumer device by the end of 2026 and ship it in 2027.

Is OpenAI’s First Consumer Device Just 3 Months Away? The Earn Your Leisure segment ties the suit to OpenAI’s delayed IPO and a hardware effort Bilal referred to on air as “Project Sweet Pea,” which he urged listeners to look up. Per the panel, OpenAI is expected to release a smart glass, a digital voice recorder, and a wearable pin in the second half of 2026, with Bilal predicting a hardware product from OpenAI within 3 months. Those claims are speculation, but they align with reporting that Apple’s suit targets OpenAI’s device push.

Jony Ive’s Exit Was a “Declaration of War” It was discussed that OpenAI may have poached roughly 550 Apple employees, more than the reported 400, citing a contact inside Apple. Bilal flagged Jony Ive’s move from Apple to OpenAI as the signal that matters: “the fact that Jony Ive left tells you that… Apple from an innovation standpoint may be lacking, but OpenAI may be where the future is.”

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The discussion then turned to Ive’s exit, which was described as a “declaration of war.” The speakers also suggested Elon Musk repositioned SpaceX as an AI company to attack Sam Altman’s market share, teeing up a possible Apple-SpaceX counter-alliance. Bilal argued SpaceX could position itself as a compute monopoly every major player must route through.

Apple Has 2.5 Billion Devices and $100 Billion to Fight Back Apple can afford to litigate and build. In its Q2 FY2026 report filed April 30, 2026, Apple posted revenue of $111.184 billion, up 16.6% year over year, with diluted EPS of $2.01, its 8th consecutive quarter beating consensus. Services revenue set an all-time record at $30.976 billion, and the board authorized a $100 billion buyback and a 4% dividend increase.

The distribution advantage is where Apple’s AI story gets interesting. The installed base surpassed 2.5 billion active devices in Q1 FY26, giving Apple Intelligence a delivery channel no rival can replicate overnight. The company’s market cap sits near $4.9 trillion, and the stock is up 22.99% year to date, with Apple briefly overtaking NVIDIA as the world’s most valuable company last week.

What to Watch Next There are three upcoming events to watch. First, whether OpenAI holds its end-of-2026 device announcement or slips the timeline under legal pressure. Second, whether Apple pairs the lawsuit with a splashy AI acquisition, since Morgan Stanley reiterated its Overweight rating with a $360 price target while flagging that Apple is reportedly hunting chip deals. Third, whether the Apple-SpaceX alignment the panel described shows up in a real commercial announcement. If an alignment materializes, the lawsuit could end up looking more like the opening move as Bilal already thinks it is.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Moderna (MRNA 3.77%) soared onto the scene in early pandemic days with its messenger RNA technology and delivered a coronavirus vaccine in a matter of months. As the vaccine brought in blockbuster revenue, Moderna's stock price roared higher. In fact, from the start of 2020 through early August 2021, it climbed more than 2,000%.

In recent years, as demand for the coronavirus vaccine declined, the biotech company also saw its profits shrink and even turn into losses. And though the pipeline remained robust, investors had difficulty seeing Moderna as more than a coronavirus vaccine player. All of this led to declines in the stock price, with it sliding more than 80% from its peak.

But Moderna has made significant progress advancing pipeline programs and cost-cutting efforts, and this year, investors have been sitting up and taking notice. The stock has skyrocketed, climbing 109%. Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money calls it "finally investable again." Is Moderna a no-brainer buy on its recent pullback? Let's find out.

Image source: Getty Images.

Moderna's disappointments As mentioned, Moderna struggled in recent years as it took time to transition from a coronavirus vaccine company to a player that investors could see as a multi-product company across treatment areas. Moderna faced its share of disappointments along the path, too, with its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine delivering sales that fell short of expectations during its first season on the market and its cytomegalovirus (CMV) candidate failing in late-stage trials.

These sorts of setbacks aren't uncommon for biotech and pharma companies, but following the decline in coronavirus vaccine sales, they added to Moderna's difficulties. But the biotech company progressed in its efforts to realign costs with its opportunities and advance promising programs.

In the latest quarterly update, Moderna reiterated its goal of generating as much as 10% revenue growth this year. And in the quarter, the company delivered a 26% reduction in adjusted cash costs.

Moderna currently has three approved products in the U.S. -- two coronavirus vaccines and its RSV vaccine -- and it may be on the way to launching a fourth. Regulators currently are reviewing the company's flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010, and a decision is expected on or before Aug. 5. The company also recently won approval in Europe for its combined coronavirus/flu vaccine -- the world's first.

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Future growth drivers Moderna's late-stage candidates and commercialized medicine focus areas are infectious disease vaccines, rare diseases, and oncology. And here, late-stage candidates may drive significant growth in the coming years. For example, intismeran autogene, a personalized cancer therapy, is being studied in several phase 3 trials, and the company's propionic acidemia study is fully enrolled, with data expected later this year. This study may support a regulatory submission.

"Moderna's got a plethora of thoughtful, new products and clear roadmap to profitability for the first time in such a long time," said CNBC's Jim Cramer.

Meanwhile, Moderna stock, though it's soared more than 100% this year, has declined 24% from a peak on July 6. Is the stock a no-brainer buy after this pullback? Moderna is a buy, but investors shouldn't rush to get in on the stock immediately. At today's level, it's reasonable to pick up the shares, but I wouldn't expect them to soar overnight to an out-of-reach price.

Your decision may depend on your investing strategy. Cautious investors might wait a bit longer as Moderna's late-stage candidates progress and then consider picking up a few shares. Aggressive investors, however, may aim to start building a position today, on the dip, and potentially add to this position over time.

Even if Moderna's performance in the second half of the year isn't as spectacular as it was in the first half, that's OK -- the company clearly has reached a key transition point on its path to becoming a multi-product player addressing numerous treatment areas. And that makes it a fantastic stock to buy now or in the coming quarters and hold onto for the long term.

In the latest trading session, Pan American Silver (PAAS - Free Report) closed at $42.19, marking a +1.01% move from the previous day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.19% for the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.59%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.05%.

The stock of silver mining company has fallen by 14.76% in the past month, lagging the Basic Materials sector's loss of 9.42% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.55%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Pan American Silver in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on August 12, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $0.93, signifying a 116.28% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $1.21 billion, reflecting a 48.47% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.02 per share and revenue of $4.92 billion. These totals would mark changes of +58.27% and +36.09%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Pan American Silver should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 13.47% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Pan American Silver is carrying a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell).

In the context of valuation, Pan American Silver is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 10.39. This indicates no noticeable deviation in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 10.39.

It is also worth noting that PAAS currently has a PEG ratio of 3.89. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The Mining - Silver industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 3.89 as of yesterday's close.

The Mining - Silver industry is part of the Basic Materials sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 102, placing it within the top 42% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

AGNC Investment (AGNC - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.4 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.38 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.38 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +5.26%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this real estate investment trust would post earnings of $0.36 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.42, delivering a surprise of +16.67%.

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

AGNC Investment, which belongs to the Zacks REIT and Equity Trust industry, posted revenues of $305 million for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 16.31%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $162 million. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters.

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

AGNC Investment shares have added about 4.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.9%.

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

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

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

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

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.39 on $385.84 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.57 on $1.47 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, REIT and Equity Trust is currently in the bottom 19% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, Armour Residential REIT (ARR - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026.

This real estate investment trust is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.69 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -10.4%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Armour Residential REIT's revenues are expected to be $59.2 million, up 78.9% from the year-ago quarter.

In the latest trading session, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG - Free Report) closed at $33.13, marking a -3.8% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.19%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.59%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.05%.

Shares of the Mexican food chain witnessed a gain of 6% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Retail-Wholesale sector with its gain of 2.41%, and the S&P 500's gain of 0.55%.

The upcoming earnings release of Chipotle Mexican Grill will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on July 29, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.32, marking a 3.03% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $3.32 billion, indicating a 8.33% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $1.13 per share and a revenue of $12.92 billion, indicating changes of -3.42% and +8.34%, respectively, from the former year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Chipotle Mexican Grill should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.22% decrease. Chipotle Mexican Grill is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Chipotle Mexican Grill currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 30.51. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 20.71.

It is also worth noting that CMG currently has a PEG ratio of 2.23. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. CMG's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2 as of yesterday's close.

The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 192, finds itself in the bottom 22% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.

W.R. Berkley (WRB - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.27 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.09 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.05 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +16.51%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this insurance company would post earnings of $1.13 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.3, delivering a surprise of +15.04%.

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

W.R. Berkley, which belongs to the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, posted revenues of $3.77 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.87%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $3.64 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters.

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

W.R. Berkley shares have added about 2.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.9%.

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

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

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

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for W.R. Berkley was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.11 on $3.79 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $4.66 on $14.98 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Insurance - Property and Casualty is currently in the top 42% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Selective Insurance (SIGI - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 23.

This insurance holding company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.72 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +31.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Selective Insurance's revenues are expected to be $1.36 billion, up 3% from the year-ago quarter.