Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

, /PRNewswire/ -- Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ: WIX) faces a securities class action in the wake of mid-May's massive 27% drop in the price of the company's shares after Wix announced its Q1 2026 financial results. Among the disappointments, operating expenses unexpectedly spiked 46% year-over-year leading to questions about the company's ability to defend its core business.

The case is Yappi v. Wix.com Ltd., et al., No. 26-cv-08852 (N.D. Ill.).

The lawsuit seeks to represent investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Wix securities between February 19, 2025 and May 12, 2026.

National shareholders rights firm Hagens Berman continues its investigation into claims that Wix violated the federal securities laws and urges Wix investors who suffered significant losses to contact the firm now to discuss their rights. 

Class Period: Feb. 19, 2025 – May 12, 2026
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Sept. 22, 2026
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/cases/wixcom-ltd-wix-securities-class-action 

Wix.com Ltd. (WIX) Securities Class Action:

Global web development platform company Wix faces increasing competitive challenges posed by vibe coding, a software development trend where a person builds apps or websites by giving plain-language instructions to an AI rather than writing code line-by-line.

To confront this challenge, Wix positioned AI initiatives, Base44 and Harmony, as its two-pillar response to the vibe coding trend threatening the company's core business.

The company has provided numerous assurances to investors, including that "[w]e expect innovation-driven growth to be accompanied by high impact but disciplined investments to fully unlock the market opportunity ahead for both Wix and Base44." In addition, Wix has emphasized "[e]arly Wix Harmony performance is better than expected, with improved conversion and monetization[,]" and "[t]ogether, Wix Harmony and Base44 open up the world of what's possible on Wix[.]"

The complaint alleges that Wix made false and misleading statements while failing to disclose that, with respect to its AI product offerings, Wix overstated their competitiveness and performance, understated the costs associated with developing and promoting them and, accordingly, overstated their commercial and financial benefits.

Investors began to learn the truth on May 21, 2025, when Wix provided 2025 revenue guidance falling short of analyst expectation and fueling concerns about the company's competitiveness. Then, on November 19, 2025, Wix reported its Q3 2025 results indicating rising post-Base44-acquisition costs (AI compute and marketing) were having a material negative impact on its financial results. Each of these triggered sharp selloffs in the price of the stock and triggered analyst downgrades on concerns over core business growth deceleration, increasing costs, and competitive positioning.

Finally, on May 13, 2026, Wix revealed aggressive and front-loaded AI compute expenses for Harmony and Base44. More specifically, the rapid expansion of Base44 and Harmony rollout radically altered Wix's cost structure primarily through front-loading sales and marketing ("S&M") expenses. Collectively, the initiatives drove non-GAAP S&M expenses to $190.7 million, a year-over-year 88% increase that caused the company's non-GAAP operating margin to collapse from 21% during the prior year period to just 5% while sending its quarterly operating expenses up 46% from the prior year period.

During the earnings call that day, management acknowledged that professional development customers were using competing AI tools, the Harmony platform had "holes" and "missing capabilities," and there had been delays in delivering product updates and innovation to professional developer customers resulting in Wix falling behind their workflows and needs.

The market swiftly reacted that day, scalping over $1.1 billion from Wix's market capitalization and prompting analysts' surprise over the magnitude of the margin miss.

"We're investigating whether Wix may have intentionally understated the adverse effects of its AI initiatives on its operating results," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation.

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

If you'd like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Wix case and the firm's investigation, read more »

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Wix should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC.

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

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

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP

A congressional disclosure just turned one fuel cell stock into the morning's biggest mover, but the filer's cost basis tells a very different story than today's price tag.

Shares of Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) are up 5% to $214.98 in early Tuesday trading, and FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL) stock is up 4% to $19.45. The Global X Hydrogen ETF (NASDAQ:HYDR) sits unchanged at $42.34 while two of its largest U.S. components rally.

That’s the framing contrast that matters this morning. Yesterday the same fund traded roughly flat because its components moved in different directions, and today it’s flat again while Bloom Energy stock and FuelCell Energy stock move the same way. Either way, the fund reports almost nothing about what’s happening underneath it.

Through Monday’s close, Bloom Energy stock was up 135% year to date, FuelCell Energy stock was up 157%, and the Global X Hydrogen ETF was up 34%. This morning’s move sits on top of an already extended year for the two rallying names, which matters for how a reader should size a fresh position.

Congressional Disclosure Turns Bloom Into the Trade A congressional financial disclosure filed Monday, August 24 revealed a new Bloom Energy position in Nancy Pelosi’s household. The primary filing shows 15,000 Bloom Energy Class A common shares acquired in two transactions dated July 24 and July 28, plus 200 call options carrying a $100 strike and a June 17, 2027 expiration. Under congressional disclosure value ranges, the combined transactions were reported as roughly $4.25 million to $14.5 million. The filing marks these purchases with the “SP” owner code, indicating they belong to Pelosi’s spouse rather than to her personally. Some outlets reported 100 Bloom Energy call options, while the primary filing indicates 200, and that primary filing is the source used here.

The buying itself is dated to late July, so Monday’s filing is what’s new, not the trades. That distinction matters because Bloom Energy stock trades meaningfully higher today than on those late-July purchase dates, so a reader buying on the disclosure isn’t entering at the filer’s cost basis.

Why the Same News Moves Bloom More Than the Rest Bloom Energy is the name in this cluster with an already-established data center power business, and a large new position read as confirmation of a thesis the market was already trading. Bloom Energy sells solid oxide fuel cell systems that supply onsite power to data centers and other large commercial customers, which is why AI power demand has become the central pillar of its investment case.

Bloom Energy’s Q2 2026 revenue reached a record $1.07 billion, up 166% year over year and above $1 billion for the first time, with non-GAAP gross margin of 34.3%. Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $3.9 billion to $4.2 billion, which builds on backlog conversion and reserved manufacturing capacity.

The read-through goes beyond Bloom Energy itself, since the same data center buildout has to be powered, cooled, and networked by somebody (we profiled seven of those suppliers in a free report here: 7 Stocks Powering the AI Boom (That Aren’t Chipmakers)).

The same disclosure also included Intel (NASDAQ:INTC | INTC Price Prediction) shares and Intel call options. Intel is an established Bloom Energy customer for data center power systems, which is what links the two positions in a single filing: one bet on the chips running AI workloads, the other on the electricity those workloads consume.

FuelCell Energy carries its own data center pipeline narrative, yet doesn’t have a dedicated catalyst of its own today, so FuelCell Energy stock is riding sympathy rather than a name-specific event. Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) belongs to the same hydrogen and fuel-cell cluster and only got a 2% lift to $2.22, which is part of why the sector ETF isn’t moving strongly in a single direction.

Position Sizing and What Comes Next A disclosure isn’t a thesis, and congressional trades are reported weeks after they happen. A reader buying Bloom Energy stock on this news is buying at a price the filer didn’t pay, and Bloom Energy stock has run hard enough that a large amount of AI power adoption is embedded in the current multiple.

That argues for a smaller position size than the headline enthusiasm suggests. FuelCell Energy stock carries the additional risk of moving purely on sympathy, which tends to reverse when the catalyst name cools, so any exposure taken today should size for a possible round trip.

Traders can watch for whether Bloom Energy stock holds its early gain into the regular session and whether FuelCell Energy stock follows through once the initial headline is fully digested. The Global X Hydrogen ETF is a comparatively blunt instrument here, since its international basket dilutes the U.S. names driving today’s move.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Shares of Kartoon Studios, Inc. (TOON - Free Report) have declined 0.6% since reporting results for the second quarter of 2026. This compares with the S&P 500 index’s 1.6% fall over the same time frame. Over the past month, the stock has risen 11.8% compared with the S&P 500’s 4.8% return.

Kartoon Studios reported second-quarter revenues of $5.82 million, down 43% from $10.28 million a year earlier. Net income attributable to the company was $26.99 million, reversing a $6.16-million loss. Second-quarter 2026 earnings were 38 cents versus a 13-cent loss in the prior-year quarter. However, the profit was driven by a non-recurring litigation gain rather than operating improvement. The operating loss widened to $3.41 million from $3.22 million.

Revenue Streams WeakenProduction services revenues fell 53% to $3.46 million from $7.36 million in the prior-year quarter and remained the largest revenue source. Content distribution revenues declined 7% year over year to $1.85 million, licensing and royalties dropped 29% to $61,000, and media advisory and advertising services decreased 47% to $448,000.

Mainframe Studios’ production revenues were hurt by the timing of deliveries, as several projects shifted into later 2026 periods and a smaller proportion of project costs was recognized. Content distribution reflected a $0.7-million decline in Frederator’s YouTube creator-network revenues amid lower viewership. That pressure was partly offset by $0.4 million of additional Mainframe distribution revenues and a $0.2-million increase from Ameba and Kartoon Channel sales.

Cost Reductions Limit Operating PressureTotal operating expenses declined 32% to $9.23 million. Direct operating costs fell 35% to $4.63 million, largely because production-services salaries declined $2.2 million amid lower headcount and Frederator Networks costs dropped $0.6 million. General and administrative expenses decreased 28% to $4.46 million, reflecting lower personnel, consulting and administrative costs.

These reductions kept the increase in the operating loss to $0.2 million despite the $4.46-million revenue decline. Other income, net, was $31.11 million against expenses of $2.89 million. The change primarily reflected a $39.2-million non-operating litigation-settlement gain, partly offset by a $4-million standstill-agreement charge and other items.

Liquidity Improves on Settlement ProceedsCash and marketable securities totaled $40.5 million as of June 30, 2026, up from $6.9 million as of Dec. 31, 2025. Working capital rose to $31.4 million from $2.3 million, and the company reported no long-term debt, although production facilities totaled $12.9 million.

Operating activities provided $31.4 million during the first half compared with a $6.3-million use a year earlier, but that improvement largely reflected the litigation proceeds and should not be read as recurring operating cash generation. Three customers represented 74.2% of quarterly revenues, indicating meaningful customer concentration.

Management Shifts Focus to Owned FranchisesCEO Andy Heyward described the strategy as a transformation from producing content for others toward owning, building and monetizing intellectual property across streaming, publishing, gaming, licensing and consumer products. Management plans to prioritize Hundred Acre Wood and the Stan Lee Universe while simplifying operations and improving capital efficiency. Brooke Bacon, formerly an Activision licensing executive, was appointed to lead consumer-products and licensing monetization.

Launch Schedule Replaces Financial GuidanceManagement did not provide numerical revenue or earnings guidance. It said that preliminary activities for the “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026, with the main launch expected in the first quarter of 2027. An Amazon Prime debut is set for Feb. 18, 2027, with promotional support and Shop the Show merchandising participation. Kartoon Studios expects significant production spending and plans to use cash, marketable securities, production facilities and potential licensing or distribution advances.

Other DevelopmentsAfter quarter-end, Kartoon Studios sold Frederator Networks to Project Robot LLC on July 8 for a base price of $0.5 million, subject to adjustments. It expects a preliminary pre-tax disposal loss of $0.3 million in the third quarter. The company retained Frederator Studios properties including Castlevania, Bee and PuppyCat, Bravest Warriors and Catbug. Under a three-year distribution agreement, it will receive a declining share of net YouTube receipts from certain channels, falling from 85% in year one to 5% by year three.

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for JetBlue Airways (JBLU - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 12.8% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.

But investors have to be wondering, will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is JetBlue due for a breakout? Well, first let's take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for JetBlue Airways Corporation before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.

JBLU Q2 Loss Beat EstimateJetBlue Airways Corporation reported a second-quarter 2026 loss of 66 cents per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 70 cents. The result marked a 5.7% earnings surprise, though the loss widened from a year ago.

Operating revenues of $2.7 billion beat the consensus estimate by 0.1% and rose 14.5% year over year. Strong demand and commercial execution lifted revenue per available seat mile, or RASM, 10.9%.

JBLU's Traffic and Pricing Metrics ImprovePassenger revenues increased 14.1% year over year to $2.49 billion, just ahead of our estimate of $2.47 billion. Other revenues climbed 18.6% to $210 million, surpassing our estimate of $188 million. Revenue passengers rose 5.1% and revenue passenger miles advanced 4.1%.

Capacity, measured in available seat miles, increased 3.2%. Load factor (% of seats filled by passengers) improved 0.8 percentage points to 82.7%, matching our estimate, while the average fare rose 8.6% to $237.38. Yield per passenger mile increased 9.6% to 17.53 cents.

JetBlue's Costs Rise on Fuel PressureTotal operating expenses increased 20.8% year over year to $2.84 billion. Aircraft fuel expense surged 80.7% to $911 million as the average fuel cost per gallon climbed 76.3% to $4.23. Salaries, wages and benefits rose 2.7% to $875 million.

Operating expense per available seat mile increased 17% to 16.53 cents. Excluding fuel and other non-airline expenses, unit costs rose 2.4% to 11.12 cents. JBLU posted an operating loss of $141 million, compared with operating income of $6 million a year ago, while operating margin contracted 5.5 percentage points to negative 5.2%.

JBLU Builds Momentum Across Commercial InitiativesPremium RASM increased about 13%, while Main Cabin RASM grew 11%. Loyalty revenues rose 13%, supported by record co-brand account engagement, nearly 40% growth in new premium card acquisitions and a 21% increase in loyalty cash remuneration.

JetBlue also highlighted progress in Fort Lauderdale, where RASM rose 11% despite nearly 40% capacity growth. The carrier is restructuring schedules to improve connectivity and expects to operate more than 150 daily departures from the airport this winter.

JetBlue Advances JetForward ExecutionJetForward generated $470 million of cumulative incremental EBIT through June 2026. The company remains on track to deliver an annual incremental EBIT benefit of $850-$950 million by year-end 2027.

Operational initiatives also produced gains. On-time arrival performance within 14 minutes improved about 1 point, while Net Promoter Score increased 5 points year over year. JetBlue is using digital tools, predictive analytics and improved routing to raise productivity, fuel efficiency and disruption management.

JBLU Maintains Liquidity Amid Heavy ObligationsCash and cash equivalents totaled $1.66 billion at June 30, 2026, down from $1.95 billion at Dec. 31, 2025. Investment securities stood at $512 million. Total debt was $8.48 billion, while stockholders’ equity declined to $1.59 billion from $2.12 billion.

Second-quarter capital expenditures, including predelivery deposits, were $234 million. For the first six months of 2026, capital expenditures and predelivery deposits totaled $375 million, compared with $496 million in the prior-year period.

JetBlue Reestablishes 2026 OutlookFor the third quarter of 2026, JBLU expects capacity growth of 3-6% and RASM growth of 12.5-16.5%. CASM, excluding fuel, is projected to increase 2.5-4.5%, while fuel price per gallon is estimated at $3.49. Capital expenditures are forecasted at about $300 million.

For 2026, capacity is expected to rise 1.5-3.5%, with RASM growth of 10-12.5% and CASM ex-fuel rise of 2-4%. Adjusted operating margin is projected between negative 2% and negative 5%. Interest expense is expected to be about $590 million, with capital expenditures of roughly $850 million.

JBLU Sets a 2028 Earnings TargetJetBlue introduced a target of at least $1 in earnings per share for 2028. The goal assumes continued demand strength and an average jet fuel price of $3 per gallon.

The target is supported by expectations for JetForward to deliver about $1.2 billion in annual incremental EBIT in 2028. BlueFirst, the airline’s new domestic first-class product, is expected to begin sales in fall 2026, with most retrofit work scheduled for completion by year-end 2027.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?Since the earnings release, investors have witnessed a flat trend in estimates revision.

VGM ScoresAt this time, JetBlue has a poor Growth Score of F, a score with the same score on the momentum front. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock was allocated a score of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for value investors.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

Outlook JetBlue has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

State-of-the-art, Silicon Forest facility to support collaborative innovation with chip makers; first milestone in more than $3B planned expansion of global lab network

, /PRNewswire/ -- In a ceremony today at its world-class research and development (R&D) center in Tualatin, Oregon, Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX) commemorated the start of construction on its new, state-of-the-art Oregon lab, part of a more than $3 billion planned investment in its global lab network over the next five years to accelerate breakthroughs for the creation of advanced AI chips. Located in the Silicon Forest, in close proximity to key customers, the new 120,000-square-foot facility is expected to increase cleanroom lab space at the Lam Tualatin R&D center by more than 50% when completed, enabling expanded experimentation and accelerated solution development. Lam plans to make the new facility one of its most advanced labs in the world, increasing capacity and capabilities for side-by-side innovation with customers and compressing product development cycles across its global lab network.

Lam Research President and CEO Tim Archer, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, senior leaders from Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, and other distinguished government, community and nonprofit leaders join together to break ground on Lam’s new Oregon lab in a ceremony today. President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Archer and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sesha Varadarajan of Lam Research were joined at the groundbreaking event by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon; U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon; Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read; senior leaders from Intel Corporation and Micron Technology; and other distinguished government, community and nonprofit leaders.

"Delivering next-generation semiconductors at the speed of AI requires relentless innovation and a strategic focus on the technology breakthroughs that matter most to our customers. Our new advanced Oregon lab is expected to deepen our specialized capabilities and add tens of thousands of square feet of valuable cleanroom space, enabling even closer collaboration with customers while strengthening the expertise and reach of our global lab network," said Varadarajan. "This expansion reflects our continuing commitment to advancing the Silicon Forest as a leader in U.S. semiconductor innovation. We thank the State of Oregon, Washington County, and the City of Tualatin for their long-standing partnership and look forward to continuing our work together to advance economic opportunities in a community we've been proud to be part of for more than 30 years."

Expanding the Power of Lam's Global Lab Network
The new Oregon lab will build on Lam's strengths as a leader in atomic-scale semiconductor manufacturing, adding specialized capabilities to support advanced deposition and etch process development, materials science, and hardware validation. Just like in Lam's existing labs, customers can work closely on-site in the new facility with Lam engineers through each phase of product development, from idea to deployment in their fabs. The lab will also join Lam's integrated network of specialized labs around the world, which operate together to drive innovation 24/7, in parallel and at scale.

Advancing Lam's Leadership in the Silicon Forest
Projected to open in 2028, the new state-of-the-art Oregon lab is part of a planned multi-building expansion at Lam's Tualatin campus. According to a third-party assessment*, over the three-year construction period, the expansion project is expected to create approximately 900 jobs and $500 million in economic output **.

Once completed, the expansion is expected to represent the company's biggest investment in Oregon to date, with a projected economic impact* that includes creating more than 400 new Lam jobs and bolstering the number of jobs that Lam supports statewide to more than 11,000*. In addition, the completed expansion is projected to increase Lam's annual economic contribution in Oregon to more than $1.8 billion.*

Additional speakers at today's ceremony included Katheryn Harrington, chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, Valerie Pratt, President of the Tualatin City Council and Jayathi Murthy, president of Oregon State University. Photos and other digital assets from the event can be found later today here: https://newsroom.lamresearch.com/Oregon-Lab-Expansion.

QUOTES

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon: "I support investing in Oregon's economy and workers, and Lam Research's Tualatin Expansion project does both. This expansion will provide hundreds of good-paying, high-tech jobs and further position Oregon's Silicon Forest as a leader in semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing. The work that happens here will enable advances in all of the latest cutting-edge industries, including vital technologies like AI and robotics." U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon: "Innovation, research, and development fuel Oregon's international semiconductor leadership. Congratulations to Lam Research on the groundbreaking of their new R&D building and thank you for investing in our region and the local workforce." Oregon Governor Tina Kotek: "This state-of-the-art expansion builds on more than 30 years of Lam's innovation leadership in the Silicon Forest. This is a powerful investment towards Oregon's economic future that will create more high-quality jobs, strengthen the state's world-class research and development ecosystem, and help ensure Oregon and the United States continue to lead in semiconductor innovation for decades to come." Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read: "Lam Research's continued investment in Oregon is a testament to the strength of our state's semiconductor ecosystem and the talented workforce that powers it. This groundbreaking represents more than a new facility. It represents hundreds of new jobs, accelerated innovation, and a long-term commitment to Oregon. I'm proud to celebrate this important milestone and Lam's ongoing growth as a leader in the Silicon Forest." Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry: "Intel has enjoyed close collaboration with Lam in Oregon and around the world for decades. With this new lab facility, we look forward to working even more closely together to accelerate process development at chip scale, quickly evaluate new technologies, and deliver the breakthroughs required for the next generation of AI-driven computing." Manish Bhatia, executive vice president of Global Operations at Micron Technology: "AI marks a historic inflection point for the semiconductor industry, driving exceptional demand for memory and increasing the need for greater speed, scale and manufacturing capacity. We congratulate Lam Research on today's groundbreaking and look forward to deepening our longstanding collaboration to equip Micron for significant manufacturing expansion to keep pace with the AI era." About Lam Research
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Lam's equipment and services allow customers to build smaller and better performing devices. In fact, today, nearly every advanced chip is built with Lam technology. We combine superior systems engineering, technology leadership, and a strong values-based culture, with an unwavering commitment to our customers. Lam Research is a FORTUNE 500® company headquartered in Fremont, California, with operations around the globe. Learn more at www.lamresearch.com.

* Source: Results generated by IMPLAN®, 2026 Model Year, using inputs provided by Lam and IMPLAN Group LLC, IMPLAN System data and software.
** $500 million projected impact from construction project; limited to three-year construction period only. Result generated by IMPLAN*.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made in this press release that are not of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "accelerate," "advance," "can," "commit," "continue," "drive," "expect," "expand," "focus," "grow," "look forward," "long-term," "ongoing," "opportunity," "plan," "project," "require," "strategy," "will," or variations of these words or other similar expressions.  Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our planned investment in our global lab network to accelerate breakthroughs; the development timeline and expected benefits of the new Oregon lab, including increasing cleanroom lab space and innovation capabilities, accelerating development cycles, and the third-party assessment projections; and industry trends related to AI-driven demand. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause our actual results or outcomes, or the timing of our results or outcomes, to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include: our ability to successfully execute the planned expansion of our global lab network or the development of the new Oregon lab; our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of our investments in R&D infrastructure, including the new Oregon lab; the development timing and anticipated benefits of the new Oregon lab may differ from our expectations; business, economic, political and/or regulatory conditions in the consumer electronics industry, including wafer fabrication equipment spending, the semiconductor industry and the overall economy may deteriorate or change; the actions, performance, or investment levels of our customers and competitors may be inconsistent with our expectations; customer and product mix, including across market segments and geographical regions, may change; we may be unable to effectively manage and implement pricing actions, realize the value of our products and technology, successfully commercialize new products and technologies, or execute on perceived opportunities; we may be unable to achieve anticipated operational, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and scale efficiencies; customer technology transitions, capacity expansions, and fab construction projects may have different timing or be less successful than we expect; we may be unable to manage operating expenses effectively while continuing to invest in R&D, product innovation, customer support, and future growth opportunities; trade regulations, export controls, tariffs, trade disputes, and other geopolitical developments may inhibit our ability to sell our products; supply chain cost increases, tariffs, and other inflationary pressures have impacted and may continue to impact our profitability; supply chain disruptions or manufacturing capacity constraints may limit our ability to manufacture and sell our products; natural and human-caused disasters, disease outbreaks, war, terrorism, political or governmental unrest or instability, or other events beyond our control may impact our operations and revenue in affected areas; as well as the other risks and uncertainties that are described in the documents filed or furnished by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including specifically the Risk Factors described in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of these risks, uncertainties, and other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and are based on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions about future events. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update the information or statements made in this press release.

Company Contacts

Laura Bakken
Public Relations
(510) 572-9021
[email protected]

Ram Ganesh
Investor Relations
(510) 572-1615
[email protected]

SOURCE Lam Research Corporation

Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,878 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,680,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Lam Research in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $10,035,000. Rokos Capital Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Lam Research by 42.0% during the 1st quarter. Rokos Capital Management LLP now owns 259,921 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $55,532,000 after acquiring an additional 76,840 shares during the period. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new position in shares of Lam Research during the 1st quarter worth approximately $59,973,000. Krilogy Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lam Research by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 28,111 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,006,000 after acquiring an additional 4,584 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Lam Research during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,489,000. 84.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lam Research Stock Down 0.6% Shares of LRCX opened at $312.88 on Thursday. Lam Research Corporation has a 12 month low of $94.11 and a 12 month high of $438.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $333.58 and its 200-day moving average is $288.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $391.51 billion, a PE ratio of 54.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The semiconductor company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.69 by $0.13. Lam Research had a return on equity of 67.60% and a net margin of 31.27%.The business had revenue of $6.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Lam Research has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.000-2.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lam Research Corporation will post 9.32 EPS for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth LRCX has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America raised their price target on Lam Research from $330.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $404.00 to $367.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $335.00 price objective on Lam Research and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. B. Riley Financial decreased their target price on Lam Research from $385.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Lam Research in a research note on Monday, May 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lam Research currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.31.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on LRCX

Insider Activity In related news, Director Eric Brandt sold 54,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.80, for a total transaction of $19,118,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 199,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,881,114. This represents a 21.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Neil J. Fernandes sold 7,659 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.60, for a total transaction of $2,371,226.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 58,470 shares in the company, valued at $18,102,312. The trade was a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 80,441 shares of company stock worth $27,614,296. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lam Research News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Lam Research this week:

Positive Sentiment: AI-focused R&D expansion: Lam Research broke ground on a 120,000-square-foot laboratory in Tualatin, Oregon, as part of a planned investment of more than $3 billion in its global lab network over the next five years. The facility is intended to support collaboration with chipmakers and accelerate equipment innovations for advanced AI semiconductors. Lam Research Oregon lab announcement Positive Sentiment: Strong AI demand outlook: CEO Tim Archer said increasingly complex AI models require more computing power, bandwidth and storage, creating demand for semiconductor innovation. The investment reinforces Lam’s positioning as a supplier to the AI infrastructure buildout. Lam Research AI investment video Positive Sentiment: Favorable analyst and fundamentals commentary: Zacks highlighted AI-driven growth, recurring services revenue, earnings momentum and Lam’s balance sheet, while Mizuho maintained an “outperform” rating despite trimming its price target to $365 from $370. Lam’s latest reported quarter also showed 30% year-over-year revenue growth and an earnings beat. Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach scheduled: CFO Doug Bettinger will participate in upcoming investor conferences. The events could provide updates on demand, AI exposure and the Oregon investment, but no new financial guidance was announced. Lam Research conference announcement Negative Sentiment: Investment and valuation concerns: The multibillion-dollar R&D expansion will raise near-term capital and operating costs, while the stock’s high earnings multiple leaves less room for disappointment. The modest analyst price-target reduction may also have limited enthusiasm. About Lam Research (Free Report)

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a global supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Founded in 1980 by David K. Lam and headquartered in Fremont, California, the company develops and manufactures systems used in multiple stages of semiconductor device production, including thin film deposition, plasma etch, wafer cleaning and related process modules and automation.

Lam’s product portfolio covers core process technologies employed by logic and memory manufacturers, with equipment designed to support advanced-node patterning, 3D NAND and other emerging device architectures.

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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Lam Research (LRCX - Free Report) . Shares have added about 7% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Lam Research due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.

LRCX Q4 Earnings Beat on NAND and Customer Support StrengthLam Research delivered fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $1.82 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.69%. Non-GAAP earnings per share jumped nearly 37% year over year and 24% sequentially, primarily driven by strong pricing, scale efficiencies and better product mix.

Lam Research’s fourth-quarter revenues increased 30% year over year and 15% sequentially to $6.72 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate by 0.73%. NAND revenues more than doubled sequentially, while the Customer Support Business Group delivered its third consecutive quarter of record revenues.

LRCX Revenue Mix Tilts Toward MemorySystems revenues totaled $4.25 billion, up 23.6% from the year-ago quarter. Memory accounted for 46% of systems revenues, up from 39% in the preceding quarter.

Non-volatile memory accounted for 23% of systems revenues, up from 12% in the previous quarter, as customers invested in conversions to 256-layer-and-above devices for enterprise solid-state drives. DRAM contributed 23%, with spending focused on wafer additions and upgrades across 1-alpha, 1-beta and 1-gamma nodes.

Lam Research's Foundry Business Stays ResilientFoundry accounted for 44% of systems revenues compared with 54% in the March quarter. Leading-edge investments in 2-nanometer and 3-nanometer capabilities and advanced packaging largely offset lower mature-node spending in China.

Taiwan generated 27% of total revenues and reached a record dollar level. China contributed 26%, down from 34% sequentially, while Korea represented 20%. Japan and the United States accounted for 9% each.

LRCX Support Revenues Hit New RecordCustomer support-related revenues and other revenues climbed 42.6% year over year to $2.47 billion. The business benefited primarily from record upgrade revenues, with additional growth in Reliant systems and services.

Management expects upgrades to remain strong due to NAND investment, while high industry utilization should support spares and service demand. Equipment Intelligence and Dextro maintenance automation solutions are also expanding from NAND into DRAM, creating additional service opportunities.

Lam Research Expands ProfitabilityNon-GAAP gross margin reached 52%, up 210 basis points sequentially. Pricing actions, operational and scale efficiencies, and favorable product mix drove the improvement.

Non-GAAP operating expenses rose to $916 million from $866 million in the prior quarter. Higher headcount and variable compensation increased spending, while research and development represented 67% of operating expenses. Despite the increase, non-GAAP operating margin expanded 340 basis points to 38.4%.

LRCX Raises WFE View on AI DemandManagement now expects calendar 2026 wafer fabrication equipment spending in the low-$150-billion range, up from its prior $140-billion outlook with an upside bias. Lam Research expects 2026 to mark a third consecutive year of relative outperformance versus industry spending.

AI-driven requirements are increasing demand for flash storage, advanced DRAM, leading-edge foundry architectures and larger chip packages. Lam Research is moving faster toward its target of a high-30% served available market share of WFE, supported by rising etch and deposition intensity.

LRCX Builds Cash While Funding ExpansionCash, cash equivalents and restricted cash increased to $5.60 billion from $4.77 billion in the previous quarter. Operating cash flow was $1.46 billion, while capital expenditures totaled $189 million as Lam Research invested in U.S. laboratories and global manufacturing capacity. In fiscal 2026, the company generated operating cash flow of $5.86 billion.

Inventories rose to $4.28 billion from $4.00 billion in the previous quarter as the company prepared for stronger customer demand, though inventory turns improved to 3.0 from 2.9. Lam Research repurchased $246 million of shares and paid $325 million in dividends during the quarter. In fiscal 2026, it repurchased shares worth $3.85 billion and paid $1.27 billion in dividends.

Lam Research Issues Strong September GuidanceFor the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Lam Research projects revenues of $8.10 billion, plus or minus $400 million. The midpoint implies growth of more than 20% from the June quarter.

The company expects non-GAAP gross margin of 52%, plus or minus one percentage point, and operating margin of 39.5%, plus or minus one point. Non-GAAP earnings are expected to be $2.15 per share, plus or minus 15 cents, based on 1.255 billion diluted shares.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a upward trend in estimates revision.

The consensus estimate has shifted 17.75% due to these changes.

VGM ScoresCurrently, Lam Research has a subpar Growth Score of D, a grade with the same score on the momentum front. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock has a grade of F on the value side, putting it in the fifth quintile for value investors.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of F. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

OutlookEstimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. It comes with little surprise Lam Research has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). We expect an above average return from the stock in the next few months.

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. decreased its position in shares of Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX – Free Report) by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 87,973 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 2,013 shares during the period. Lam Research accounts for about 1.3% of Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Lam Research were worth $38,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LRCX. Bayban bought a new stake in shares of Lam Research in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Lam Research during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lam Research by 242.9% during the first quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 120 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lam Research in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Lam Research in the third quarter worth about $27,000. 84.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have recently weighed in on LRCX. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lam Research from $330.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $500.00 target price on shares of Lam Research and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Lam Research from $325.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial set a $425.00 target price on shares of Lam Research in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 price target (up from $310.00) on shares of Lam Research in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.31.

Get Our Latest Research Report on LRCX Key Headlines Impacting Lam Research Here are the key news stories impacting Lam Research this week:

Positive Sentiment: Lam Research broke ground on a 120,000-square-foot Oregon semiconductor laboratory as part of a planned investment of more than $3 billion in its global lab network over five years. The project is intended to accelerate process innovations for advanced AI chips and improve collaboration with customers, supporting the company’s long-term growth prospects. Lam Research breaks ground on AI semiconductor lab in Oregon Positive Sentiment: The board approved a 27% increase in the quarterly dividend, from $0.26 to $0.33 per share. The payout is scheduled for October 14, 2026, for shareholders of record on September 23, providing a modest shareholder-return signal. Lam Research Corporation Announces a 27% Increase in Quarterly Dividend Neutral Sentiment: Lam’s latest earnings exceeded consensus expectations, with quarterly earnings per share of $1.82 versus the $1.69 estimate and revenue of $6.72 billion. Revenue increased 30% year over year, while management issued fiscal first-quarter 2027 EPS guidance of $2.00 to $2.30. Analysts’ median price target remains substantially above recent trading levels, although Mizuho recently lowered its target to $365. Neutral Sentiment: Two long-serving directors, Michael R. Cannon and Sohail U. Ahmed, plan to retire from the board on November 2, 2026. The transition could refresh governance but introduces some near-term uncertainty regarding board composition. Lam Research Announces Retirement of Michael R. Cannon and Sohail U. Ahmed from Board of Directors Negative Sentiment: Investors appear increasingly concerned about tariffs, export restrictions and other U.S.-China trade measures. China was Lam’s largest geographic market in fiscal 2026, making the company particularly sensitive to policy changes that could reduce demand, hurt margins or disrupt its supply chain. These macro concerns have overshadowed the dividend increase and Oregon expansion. Lam Research Slides as China Trade Risk Appears to Outweigh Dividend Hike Negative Sentiment: Reported insider activity shows selling rather than buying by executives and directors over the past six months, which may reinforce caution among investors, though such transactions can reflect personal financial planning rather than a view on company fundamentals. Insider Buying and Selling at Lam Research In other Lam Research news, Director Abhijit Y. Talwalkar sold 18,282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.00, for a total value of $6,124,470.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 87,142 shares in the company, valued at $29,192,570. This represents a 17.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Neil J. Fernandes sold 7,659 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.60, for a total transaction of $2,371,226.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 58,470 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,102,312. This represents a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 80,441 shares of company stock worth $27,614,296. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lam Research Stock Performance Shares of LRCX opened at $301.90 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $330.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $289.14. The stock has a market cap of $377.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.41, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.91. Lam Research Corporation has a one year low of $94.11 and a one year high of $438.50.

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The semiconductor company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $6.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Lam Research had a net margin of 31.27% and a return on equity of 67.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 30.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. Lam Research has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.000-2.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lam Research Corporation will post 9.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Lam Research Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 23rd. This is a boost from Lam Research’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Lam Research’s payout ratio is presently 18.06%.

Lam Research Company Profile (Free Report)

Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) is a global supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. Founded in 1980 by David K. Lam and headquartered in Fremont, California, the company develops and manufactures systems used in multiple stages of semiconductor device production, including thin film deposition, plasma etch, wafer cleaning and related process modules and automation.

Lam’s product portfolio covers core process technologies employed by logic and memory manufacturers, with equipment designed to support advanced-node patterning, 3D NAND and other emerging device architectures.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Lam Research From SaaS-pocalypse to Perfect Storm: Workday’s AI Growth Story Strengthens These 3 GARP Stocks Show Why Growth and Value Do Not Have to Clash Venture Into High-Volatility Corners of the Market With These 3 ETFs 3 Retail Stocks to Watch After a Big Consumer Earnings Week Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LRCX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX – Free Report).

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Workday (WDAY - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.75 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.62 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.21 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +4.96%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of human resources software would post earnings of $2.49 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.66, delivering a surprise of +6.83%.

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

Workday, which belongs to the Zacks Internet - Software industry, posted revenues of $2.65 billion for the quarter ended July 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.57%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.35 billion. 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.

Workday shares have lost about 11.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 12.1%.

What's Next for Workday?While Workday 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 Workday 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 $2.65 on $2.69 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $10.81 on $10.66 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, Internet - Software is currently in the top 35% 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.

One other stock from the same industry, UiPath (PATH - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended July 2026. The results are expected to be released on September 3.

This enterprise automation software developer is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.15 per share in its upcoming report, which represents no change from the year-ago quarter. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

UiPath's revenues are expected to be $397.59 million, up 9.9% from the year-ago quarter.

Workday Inc (NASDAQ:WDAY) on Thursday reported upbeat financial results for the second quarter, but lowered its FY27 sales guidance.

Workday reported quarterly earnings of $2.75 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.61 per share. The company reported quarterly sales of $2.649 billion which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.636 billion.

Workday cut its FY2027 sales guidance from $10.635 billion-$10.660 billion to $9.940 billion-$9.950 billion.

“We had a strong Q2, with AI driving more than 25% of our new ACV and more than 5,500 customers now using at least one of our organic agents,” said Aneel Bhusri, co-founder, CEO, and chair, Workday. “Because of Workday’s deterministic rails, customers can trust our agents with the work that matters, and you’re seeing that in the numbers.”

Workday shares rose 0.1% to $193.75 in pre-market trading

These analysts made changes to their price targets on Workday following earnings announcement.

Piper Sandler analyst Billy Fitzsimmons maintained the stock with a Neutral and raised the price target from $145 to $190. Needham analyst Scott Berg maintained the stock with a Buy and raised the price target from $180 to $230. Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss maintained the stock with an Underweight rating and raised the price target from $145 to $180. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Matthew Vanvliet maintained the stock with an Overweight rating and lowered the price target from $220 to $205. Trending

Considering buying WDAY stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) is positioning agentic artificial intelligence as a shift not only in enterprise infrastructure, but also in how companies organize work, manage costs and secure autonomous systems.

At The Six Five Summit’s AI infrastructure track, John Roese, Dell’s global chief technology officer and chief AI officer, said enterprises are moving beyond earlier generative AI efforts centered on making proprietary data available through chatbots and assistants. Agentic AI, he said, is distinct because it is designed to perform work autonomously rather than simply help employees access information.

“You’re not just unlocking data,” Roese said. “What you are doing is digitizing work. You are literally shifting work from a human being to a machine.” From AI pilots to production systems Roese said Dell has developed agents over the past two years and moved them into production during the last year. The company is using agents in areas including CRM data cleanup, software development and special pricing, he said.

He cautioned, however, that the market is experiencing substantial “agent washing,” with chatbots, digital assistants and autonomous agents frequently grouped together despite having different capabilities. Dell views the distinction as important because autonomous agents require different infrastructure, technology stacks and governance models than earlier generative AI deployments, Roese said.

According to Roese, targeted uses of AI assistants can generate productivity gains of 20% to 40% around a task. Agentic systems, by contrast, can produce larger changes by taking on categories of work and allowing employees to focus on higher-value responsibilities.

Matt Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Marvell Technology, said the infrastructure requirements of production agentic AI differ substantially from AI training workloads. While training emphasizes compute and interconnects, agentic inference increasingly makes memory capacity and bandwidth critical, he said.

Agents retain state through long workflows, repeated calls and interactions with other agents, Murphy said. As a result, larger context windows and workflows involving 20 to 30 turns can exhaust memory capacity and bandwidth before compute capacity is fully used.

Murphy also said CPUs will play a larger role in agentic environments by orchestrating branching logic, tool calls, retrieval, sandboxed code execution and coordination among agents. He added that latency becomes a major challenge at scale because production deployments may involve hundreds or thousands of coordinated agents, creating tail-latency issues that cannot simply be solved by adding more nodes.

Jobs change as work is automated, Roese says Roese argued that autonomous agents should not be viewed as “digital humans” or as direct replacements for entire jobs. Instead, he described jobs as containers comprising multiple kinds of work, including productivity, hygiene, coordination, expert and human-element work.

Agents can take over portions of that work, he said, causing jobs to evolve rather than disappear. For example, he said coding assistants initially reduced lower-level productivity work for engineers, such as code annotations and comments. More advanced, spec-driven agentic development can also automate coding and elements of CI/CD coordination, leaving engineers to focus more heavily on architecture, requirements and customer interaction.

“They do not take your job, they change your job,” Roese said.

Dell analyzed 6,800 jobs as part of its work on the impact of agents, Roese said. He said the company’s conclusion is that every job will change because each includes some work that agents can extract, while employees will increasingly focus on expert and human-facing activities.

Governance, hybrid infrastructure and token economics Roese said organizational change must be deliberate and directed from the top of the company. Dell initially identified 900 AI projects, canceled them and focused on about 13, he said. Those projects, according to Roese, helped the company decouple revenue growth from its cost structure.

As agentic technologies spread into jobs and processes, companies must avoid treating them as isolated task-automation projects, he said. Instead, they need to identify outcome-oriented work, establish governance and target deployments where organizations can manage the associated operational changes.

Roese also said businesses will need a diverse approach to AI infrastructure and token consumption. The economics of an agent that supports executive decision-making can differ materially from those of an agent handling low-value CRM data-cleansing work, he said.

Dell uses several sources of AI intelligence, Roese said, including open models run on-premises, frontier models in Dell data centers, frontier models in controlled virtual private clouds, APIs and models operating on devices. The mix provides choices across economics, performance, compliance and functionality, he said.

“You cannot do that with a monoculture,” Roese said, arguing that hybrid architectures are necessary because enterprise work is diverse.

Security model must evolve for autonomous agents On security, Roese said post-quantum cryptography is a manageable but real concern, particularly for data moving across public interfaces using weak encryption or key-management protocols. He said the industry has developed post-quantum algorithms and has time to deploy them, though organizations should account for “capture now, harvest later” risks.

He said the broader security challenge involves agents themselves. Dell now requires autonomous agents that access its data—whether internal or external—to carry a Dell-issued digital identity. That identity supports fine-grained authorization and gives Dell the ability to revoke an agent’s access if needed, Roese said.

Roese said this identity-based approach effectively provides a kill switch for agents, including those operating on third-party platforms. He also highlighted the security challenges posed by “headless agents,” which operate independently rather than directly on behalf of an individual employee.

Companies cannot assume existing IT and security practices are sufficient for agentic AI, Roese said. They must adapt their infrastructure, governance, identity systems and organizational structures as autonomous systems take on more enterprise work.

About Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) Dell Technologies Inc is a multinational technology company that designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of information technology products, solutions and services. Its offerings span client computing devices (consumer and commercial laptops and desktops), enterprise infrastructure (servers, storage systems and networking equipment), software and cloud infrastructure, and a variety of professional services such as IT consulting, deployment, managed services and financing solutions. The company serves organizations of all sizes as well as individual consumers, with products and services aimed at enabling digital transformation and modern IT environments.

Founded by Michael Dell in 1984, the company grew from a direct-to-consumer PC business into a diversified IT provider through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

The upcoming report from Dell Technologies (DELL - Free Report) is expected to reveal quarterly earnings of $4.95 per share, indicating an increase of 113.4% compared to the year-ago period. Analysts forecast revenues of $45.25 billion, representing an increase of 52% year over year.

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has undergone an upward revision of 5.9% in the past 30 days, bringing it to its present level. This represents how the covering analysts, as a whole, have reassessed their initial estimates during this timeframe.

Before a company announces its earnings, it is essential to take into account any changes made to earnings estimates. This is a valuable factor in predicting the potential reactions of investors toward the stock. Empirical research has consistently shown a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and the short-term price performance of a stock.

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

That said, let's delve into the average estimates of some Dell Technologies metrics that Wall Street analysts commonly model and monitor.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Net Revenue- Infrastructure Solutions Group' should come in at $28.06 billion. The estimate points to a change of +67% from the year-ago quarter.

Analysts expect 'Net Revenue- Client Solutions Group' to come in at $14.56 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +16.4% year over year.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Net Revenue- Infrastructure Solutions Group- Storage' at $4.26 billion. The estimate points to a change of +10.5% from the year-ago quarter.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Net Revenue- Client Solutions Group- Consumer' of $1.93 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +11.9% year over year.

Analysts predict that the 'Net Revenue- Client Solutions Group- Commercial' will reach $13.17 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +22.2%.

Analysts forecast 'Net Revenue- Infrastructure Solutions Group- Servers and networking' to reach $25.76 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +99% year over year.

It is projected by analysts that the 'Net Revenue- Corporate and Other' will reach $177.16 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of -62.6%.

Analysts' assessment points toward 'Net Revenue- Products' reaching $36.73 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +53.4% year over year.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Net Revenue- Services' should arrive at $7.99 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +36.8%.

The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Operating Income- Client Solutions Group' will likely reach $988.72 million. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of $803.00 million.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Operating Income- Infrastructure Solutions Group' will reach $3.38 billion. Compared to the present estimate, the company reported $1.47 billion in the same quarter last year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Dell Technologies here>>>

Over the past month, shares of Dell Technologies have returned +25.5% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.7% change. Currently, DELL carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), suggesting that it may outperform. the overall market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Key Takeaways
Dell’s next earnings report is set to be released after markets close Tuesday, with the server maker’s stock seen nearing its recent highs after the results.Sales and profits are expected to have surged in Dell’s second quarter amid growing demand for the company’s servers to be used in AI data centers.

Dell Technologies is set to release its latest quarterly earnings after the closing bell Tuesday, with the computer and server maker’s stock seen nearing its recent highs.1

Current options pricing suggests traders expect Dell (DELL) shares could swing up to 10% in either direction by the end of the week following the results. A move of that size from Friday afternoon’s level around $460 could see the stock rally as high as $506, approaching a record high of $514 reached earlier this month. The low end of that range would be $413, giving back some of the stock’s gains this year.

Dell’s stock has soared some 260% in 2026 so far, making it one of the biggest gainers in the S&P 500 this year amid growing demand for the company’s servers in AI data centers. Back in May Dell topped estimates with its quarterly results and lifted its full-year forecast, sending shares up more than 30% in a single session.

Why This Matters to Investors
Dell’s earnings come after a volatile stretch for the AI trade, as worries around the sustainability of spending on hardware have rattled confidence in the sector.

Morgan Stanley analysts wrote ahead of the results that Dell and other hardware makers face elevated expectations, with Wall Street looking for a big bump in Dell’s full-year profit forecasts as prices have surged in recent months.2

Analysts are looking for Dell to report second-quarter revenue of $45.19 billion, up more than 50% year-over-year. Adjusted earnings per share are seen coming in at $4.91, more than double what Dell reported the same time a year ago, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha.

Wall Street analysts are largely bullish on Dell, with the six analysts tracked by Visible Alpha split between five “buy” and one neutral rating. Their average price target of $505 would suggest around 10% upside from the stock’s recent level.

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Key Takeaways Cigna's Smart Coverage may provide eligible members up to $7,000 for covered health events.Simple File Sync Plus automatically matches qualifying medical claims with supplemental benefits.Smart Coverage launches Jan. 1, 2027, for U.S. clients with 500 to 2,999 employees. The Cigna Group’s (CI - Free Report) health benefits arm, Cigna Healthcare, is linking medical and supplemental health benefits through a new connected experience designed to make cash support easier to access for costly health events. Its Medical with Smart Coverage option can be added to qualifying high-deductible health plans and may provide eligible members up to $7,000 for covered injuries, illnesses or hospitalizations.

Cigna is also rolling out Simple File Sync Plus, which automatically matches qualifying medical claims with eligible supplemental benefits, reducing paperwork and missed claims. Smart Coverage launches Jan. 1, 2027, for U.S. clients with 500 to 2,999 employees at launch, with broader availability planned for 2028.

The move targets a clear affordability gap in employer health coverage. Cigna and Ipsos found nearly 60% of Americans are not financially prepared for a health event, while 44% have spent at least $1,000 out of pocket after a diagnosis, injury or hospitalization. Fewer than one-third understand that supplemental benefits can also cover everyday costs including groceries, housing or child care.

Meanwhile, half of workers with employer-sponsored medical coverage were offered a high-deductible plan in 2024, versus 38% in 2015. Cigna says employees are more than 2.5 times likelier to enroll when supplemental benefits are available alongside them today.

The launch could strengthen Cigna’s employer offering by making high-deductible plans easier to sell and supplemental coverage easier to use. That may support client retention, new account wins and higher participation in supplemental products, creating incremental premium and fee opportunities over time.

How Are Peers Placed?UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH - Free Report) and Elevance Health, Inc. (ELV - Free Report) offer solutions that are similar to the connected-benefits approach. UnitedHealthcare’s Benefit Ally combines medical coverage with accident, critical-illness and hospital-indemnity benefits. For qualifying medical events, the system can automatically identify eligibility and trigger supplemental payouts, reducing or eliminating the need for employees to file separate claims. UnitedHealth also has Benefit Assist, which uses integrated medical-claims data to initiate supplemental claims. Elevance is doing something similar through Anthem. Its Whole Health Connection links Anthem medical coverage with accident, critical-illness and hospital-indemnity plans. When medical claims indicate that a member may qualify for a supplemental benefit, Anthem automatically alerts the member.

CI’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of Cigna have gained 2% year to date, underperforming the broader industry’s growth of 22.1%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, Cigna trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67X, down from the industry average of 16.13X. CI carries a Value Score of A.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cigna’s 2026 earnings implies 2.3% growth year over year, followed by a 9.5% improvement next year.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 14,831 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,723,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Harborfront Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Materials during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in Applied Materials in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Applied Materials by 34.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 93 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Applied Materials in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets In other Applied Materials news, SVP Timothy M. Deane sold 8,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $590.76, for a total transaction of $5,092,941.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 134,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,534,609.56. This trade represents a 6.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Prabu G. Raja sold 10,000 shares of Applied Materials stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.53, for a total transaction of $6,335,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 346,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,608,106.26. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 276,692 shares of company stock valued at $169,030,834. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $650.00 target price on shares of Applied Materials in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $520.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $550.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $715.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $645.00 price objective on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $657.76. Get Our Latest Stock Report on AMAT

Key Headlines Impacting Applied Materials Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Materials this week:

Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reportedly named Applied Materials a “top pick,” citing the company’s exposure to the continued buildout of AI infrastructure and chip-manufacturing capacity. Applied Materials Stock Is Named a Top Pick at Goldman Sachs Positive Sentiment: Analysts see significant upside after the stock’s decline from its high, with AI-driven semiconductor investment and record quarterly revenue supporting bullish price targets. One report cited an average target near $641, implying roughly 32% potential appreciation from recent levels. Wall Street Sees Rally Despite Decline From Peak Positive Sentiment: Applied Materials is viewed as a key beneficiary of AI infrastructure spending because its equipment and engineering solutions are essential to advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Why Investors Should Buy the Dip in AMAT Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its Applied Materials price target from $650 to $590 but retained an “outperform” rating. The reduced target reflects more cautious expectations, while the rating still indicates confidence in the company’s longer-term prospects. Benzinga Neutral Sentiment: The reported August short-interest figures show zero shares and a mathematically invalid change, making the data unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal. Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor stocks broadly declined as investors reduced risk ahead of NVIDIA’s results, weighing on Applied Materials alongside other chipmakers. Semiconductor Stocks Slide Ahead of NVIDIA Earnings Applied Materials Stock Down 0.9% Shares of NASDAQ:AMAT opened at $480.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $380.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.79 and a current ratio of 2.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $558.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $454.37. Applied Materials, Inc. has a 52-week low of $154.46 and a 52-week high of $739.67.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $3.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.40 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $9.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 38.02% and a net margin of 30.05%.The firm’s revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.48 earnings per share. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.820-4.220 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 12.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Applied Materials’s payout ratio is presently 18.28%.

Applied Materials Profile (Free Report)

Applied Materials, Inc is a U.S.-based supplier of equipment, services and software used to manufacture semiconductor chips, flat panel displays and other advanced materials. Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company designs and sells capital equipment and related technologies that enable production of integrated circuits, display panels and materials used across the electronics supply chain.

Applied Materials’ offerings include process equipment and factory software that support critical steps in device fabrication, such as deposition, etch, implantation, inspection and metrology, as well as systems for packaging and advanced heterogeneous integration.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Applied Materials Pathward’s Credit Scare Tests Its Comeback Story Wiring the AI Boom: Rumble’s $13.7B Pivot StoneX: Too Far Too Fast? DICK’s Sporting Goods Faces Pain Now for a Bigger Prize Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT – Free Report).

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China just unveiled domestic immersion DUV lithography systems, and semiconductor equipment stocks sold off hard, but the companies actually in the crosshairs may not be the ones investors are panicking about.

China has directed semiconductor manufacturers to use at least 50% domestically produced equipment when adding new capacity, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the policy. Fab projects that fail to meet that threshold are generally denied regulatory approval, although flexibility remains where no suitable Chinese tool is available. The requirement favors domestic equipment suppliers such as Naura Technology and AMEC over foreign companies and provides the context needed to understand China’s newly announced immersion deep-ultraviolet lithography systems.

Reports that Shanghai Aishengna Electronic Technology Group has begun producing immersion DUV systems sent shares of ASML Holding (ASML | ASML Price Prediction) down sharply and contributed to weakness across semiconductor equipment stocks, including Applied Materials (AMAT). The initial reaction treated the development as evidence that China could begin replacing Western equipment across its semiconductor industry. That conclusion is directionally understandable, but the immediate effect on Applied Materials is being overstated.

Applied Materials does not manufacture lithography systems. A Chinese immersion DUV machine competes directly with ASML, not with Applied Materials’ deposition, etch, thermal-processing, metrology, inspection and advanced-packaging systems. The greater risk is indirect and longer term: if domestic lithography becomes commercially usable, it fills one of the largest remaining holes in China’s equipment supply chain and allows Chinese fabs to build production lines containing a higher percentage of domestic deposition, etch, cleaning and chemical mechanical planarization equipment.

For investors, the distinction matters. Five unproven Chinese DUV systems will not materially change Applied Materials’ earnings in 2026. But the combination of China’s 50% domestic-equipment requirement, rapidly growing local equipment companies, and expanding fabs at CXMT, SMIC and Hua Hong could reduce Applied Materials’ addressable market in China over several years.

Applied Materials Remains Heavily Exposed to China Applied Materials generated $2.095 billion from China during its fiscal first quarter of 2026, representing 29.9% of total company revenue. China remained the company’s largest individual geographic market even though revenue declined 6.6% from $2.243 billion one year earlier.

China exposure held close to that level in fiscal Q2: reported China revenue was $2.087 billion, or 26.4% of the quarter’s $7.910 billion total. Across the first half of fiscal 2026, China generated $4.182 billion of Applied Materials’ $14.922 billion in revenue — 28.0% of the total (Table 1).

These figures do not mean that all $2.087 billion of quarterly China revenue is threatened by CXMT or Chinese DUV. U.S. controls already restrict exports of specified semiconductor manufacturing equipment used to produce advanced chips in China. The thresholds include logic at 16/14nm or below, DRAM at 18nm calculated half-pitch or below, and advanced NAND.

Applied Materials’ remaining China revenue therefore includes portions of the market it can still legally serve: qualifying mature-node fabs, specialty devices, packaging, display-related manufacturing, services and unrestricted customers. Its current China business should not be confused with the advanced memory and logic opportunities from which the company has already been partially excluded — exclusions that carry a real, quantified cost. Applied Materials has guided to roughly a $600 million revenue headwind in fiscal 2026 from expanded U.S. export restrictions, including $110 million in the fiscal fourth quarter alone.

China’s domestic-equipment policy layers a second risk on top of that sanctions-driven one. Chinese fabs are being encouraged to buy local equipment even in markets where foreign tools remain legally available, putting Applied Materials’ permitted China business under competitive pressure while it is simultaneously locked out of the country’s most advanced capacity additions.

Chinese Equipment Suppliers Are Already Gaining Share China’s domestic equipment industry is no longer a collection of small development programs. Naura supplies deposition, etch, furnaces, rapid thermal processing and other systems. AMEC competes in etch and deposition. Piotech participates in deposition, while Hwatsing Technology supplies CMP equipment. ACM Research (ACMR), through its large Chinese operating presence, supplies wet cleaning, plating, furnace and packaging systems, although its U.S. headquarters and dual corporate structure distinguish it from purely domestic companies such as Naura and AMEC.

Combined sales from six major Chinese semiconductor equipment suppliers increased from $748 million in 2020 to $7.608 billion in 2025 — more than a tenfold increase in five years. Their adjusted worldwide WFE share rose from 1.2% to 6.5% over the same period. These companies collectively grew sales 29.9% in 2025, led by Piotech, AMEC and Hwatsing (Table 2).

Chinese equipment companies do not need to replace Applied Materials worldwide to affect its financial performance — they only need to gain share inside China, where Applied Materials still produces more than a quarter of its revenue. The 50% domestic-equipment requirement gives them a protected qualification environment, while U.S. export controls limit the foreign competition they face at advanced Chinese fabs.

Domestic DUV can accelerate this process even if the scanners initially perform far below ASML’s systems. Lithography has remained one of the largest weaknesses in China’s equipment ecosystem. Progress there makes it easier to assemble a complete Chinese production line rather than pairing Chinese deposition and etch systems with imported ASML scanners.

Five Chinese DUV Systems Do Not Constitute Mass Production Shanghai Aishengna is reportedly targeting approximately five immersion DUV systems in 2026 and 20 in 2027. Initial deliveries are expected to go to SMIC, Hua Hong and CXMT. By comparison, ASML shipped 131 immersion DUV systems in 2025.

The Chinese systems reportedly use mostly domestic components, though selected critical parts still come from Japan. They also trail ASML’s scanners in performance, reliability and build quality and could require months of testing before entering production. China’s domestic EUV initiative remains at the prototype stage and is likely years from supporting commercial chip output.

Aishengna’s 2027 production target would equal only about 15.3% of ASML’s 2025 immersion DUV shipments (Table 3). The near-term numbers are small, but the planned customers are strategically important: China’s leading foundry, a major mature-node producer and its principal DRAM manufacturer.

“Mass production” therefore overstates the immediate commercial threat. Five systems are closer to a qualification fleet than a volume-production program. The investment significance is not that Aishengna is about to displace ASML across China, but that the scanners will be installed at the fabs most important to China’s semiconductor self-sufficiency strategy — where they can be tested alongside Chinese deposition, etch, cleaning, CMP and process-control equipment. If the resulting production line hits acceptable throughput and yield, later capacity expansions can carry a progressively higher share of domestic tools.

CXMT Demonstrates the Longer-Term Risk CXMT is the clearest example of how this equipment ecosystem could develop. The company is now the world’s fourth-largest DRAM producer, behind SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology (MU). Its G4 16Gb DDR5 process has an approximately 16nm feature size, placing it within the U.S. advanced-DRAM threshold covering production at 18nm calculated half-pitch or below.

Consequently, Applied Materials cannot freely compete for much of the equipment required for CXMT’s newest DRAM production. CXMT is not simply choosing Naura over Applied Materials in an unrestricted competitive bid. U.S. rules have already limited Applied Materials’ ability to supply and service controlled tools at advanced Chinese memory facilities.

The impact is no longer only theoretical. Industry trackers estimate that domestic equipment now accounts for roughly 40% to 50% of the tools installed on CXMT’s production lines, a share expected to rise as new expansion phases begin. In core processes such as etch, domestic penetration reportedly exceeds 60% at some facilities, although I have not independently been able to verify these figures. Naura, AMEC and other Chinese suppliers, not Applied Materials, are already capturing much of the equipment spending tied to China’s fastest-growing DRAM producer.

This means CXMT’s expansion represents foregone growth as much as direct displacement of Applied Materials’ currently reported China revenue, and the foregone share is already substantial. CXMT’s capacity reached approximately 290,000 wafer starts per month in Q1 2026 and could approach 350,000 by year-end. New fabs under construction in Shanghai and Hefei could eventually lift CXMT’s capacity above 600,000 wafers per month and allow it to overtake Micron in physical wafer capacity by 2030.

CXMT will still trail Micron technologically. Its older process produces fewer bits per wafer, while Micron receives additional revenue from leading-edge DRAM and HBM. However, CXMT’s lower manufacturing efficiency may require greater wafer capacity and equipment intensity to produce a given number of bits. That would normally create an opportunity for deposition and etch suppliers. China’s domestic-equipment policy, and CXMT’s own sourcing pattern, instead directs much of that opportunity toward local companies.

China’s DUV program reinforces this outcome. CXMT has already relied on imported ASML DUV systems and multi-patterning to produce advanced DRAM without EUV. A domestic DUV platform would not immediately give CXMT the same technology as Micron, Samsung or SK hynix, but it could allow the company to add future lithography capacity without depending entirely on additional ASML shipments or foreign servicing.

Applied Materials’ AI Opportunity Remains Intact The China risk should not obscure Applied Materials’ growth opportunities elsewhere. AI is increasing demand for advanced logic, gate-all-around transistors, HBM, high-performance interconnects, 3D architectures and advanced packaging. These transitions increase materials-engineering intensity and support demand for Applied Materials’ deposition, etch and packaging systems.

The company’s June 2026 product introductions for 2nm and advanced 3D architectures — including its Viva nanosheet engineering platform and new ALD and etch systems — target precisely these AI-related manufacturing transitions. Spending by TSMC, Samsung, Intel, Micron and SK hynix can offset some of the equipment opportunities Applied Materials cannot pursue in China.

China’s five initial DUV systems therefore do not invalidate the Applied Materials investment story; they are too few, too immature and too far behind ASML to produce an immediate earnings shock. The larger issue is whether domestic DUV lets China qualify a complete equipment ecosystem that eventually reaches beyond restricted advanced fabs and begins displacing Applied Materials in the mature-node and specialty markets where it can still sell.

Investor Takeaway The market reaction to China’s domestic DUV announcement exaggerated the near-term threat to Applied Materials. Aishengna does not compete directly with Applied Materials, and five planned systems will not materially reduce its 2026 revenue. Applied Materials’ most important AI-related growth opportunities remain tied to advanced manufacturing outside China, where its deposition, etch, gate-all-around and packaging technologies retain strong competitive positions.

The longer-term China risk is nevertheless real, and CXMT shows it is no longer only longer-term. Applied Materials generated 29.9% of fiscal Q1 2026 revenue from China, while six major Chinese equipment companies increased combined sales more than tenfold between 2020 and 2025. China’s 50% domestic-equipment requirement gives those suppliers a structural advantage, and CXMT—one of the first planned recipients of China’s domestic DUV systems—already sources an estimated 40%–50% of its production-line equipment domestically.

For investors, the correct interpretation is not that Chinese DUV immediately threatens Applied Materials’ earnings. It is that China has turned its fastest-growing advanced fab into a protected qualification market for domestic processing equipment, and CXMT’s rising localization rate is the clearest evidence of how far that substitution has already progressed. Applied Materials can continue growing through AI-driven investment elsewhere, but a progressively self-sufficient Chinese equipment industry will limit how much of China’s semiconductor expansion the company can capture.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

There's often a catch with "high-yield" dividend stocks: a payout that looks tempting, yet is unsustainable. Case in point: The highest-yielding dividend stock right now is Gmex Robotics Corporation, with a forward yield of 9,514.19%. But yield alone doesn't make a stock worth owning.

Now contrast that with Black Hills Corp. (BKH -0.84%). Investors looking for a company with a long history of dividend growth can still find its yield meaningfully attractive, especially if they're prioritizing safety along with income.

Image source: Getty Images.

This unassuming utility provider operates in the Great Plains and Mountain West regions. It sits right in the middle of the biggest market boom in 50 years, delivering impressive returns while paying attractive yields. It's also the highest-yielding dividend stock with a consensus "Strong Buy" rating from Wall Street analysts.

But that begs the question: Is this stock worth owning?

Black Hills' Q2 2026 earnings show steady growth and improving efficiency Like any good stock story, it starts with the numbers.

In second-quarter fiscal year 2026, revenue rose 3% to $452.8 million. That's modest by most accounts, but considering that GAAP diluted earnings per share jumped from $0.38 a year earlier to $0.50 (+31%), the picture becomes more interesting. It suggests that Black Hills grew earnings far faster than revenue, indicating the company became more efficient and squeezed more profit out of each dollar of sales.

Does the company still have headroom to grow revenue even further? Apparently, yes.

Wyoming's data center demand could extend Black Hills' growth runway Management has flagged Wyoming as an area of interest because of data center demand. In fact, the state has projected 3 gigawatts of demand, with 600 megawatts already in the company's plans through 2030.

Who's driving that 600-megawatt demand? Microsoft and Meta Platforms, two of the world's biggest artificial intelligence hyperscalers.

That's not to say that all the benefits from Wyoming's demand will happen sometime in the future. According to Black Hills President and CEO Linden R. Evans, the company has "recorded and reliably served 20 consecutive years of increasing peak system loads [in the state], a remarkable 183% increase since we acquired the utility in 2005."

In other words, Black Hills already has a strong foundation for rising electricity demand, and data centers could drive it even higher. That growth has already shown up in the price, which is up 25% in the last year.

At around $72, the stock is trading just 9% below its 52-week high and only 18% below its all-time high, set in 2020.

What Wall Street sees in Black Hills' valuation

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72.80

Those kinds of numbers tend to spook more conservative investors, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Right now, Black Hills is trading at a P/E around 18x, compared to the sector median of 19x. P/E, or price-to-earnings, is a valuation metric that compares the stock price to the company's earnings per share. The lower the number, the better. That means Black Hills is a little cheaper than many of its peers in the Utility sector.

Furthermore, Wall Street is rather optimistic about the company, with its rating jumping from Moderate to Strong Buy in the last three months, and the high target price suggests a 21% potential upside in the next 12 months.

Together, we have a strong picture of Black Hills being a good growth investment. But that doesn't necessarily make it a good dividend stock.

The dividend looks attractive, and the payout metrics look manageable What makes Black Hills a dividend stock worth considering is its 3.8% forward yield and its "Dividend King" status, with more than 50 consecutive years of dividend increases. It also has a reasonable 66% dividend payout ratio, meaning the company pays just over half of its earnings back to shareholders. Those two numbers tell me Black Hills is quite generous, but not so much that it deprives itself of cash to reinvest in the business.

Final take: A safer high-yield dividend stock with a growth narrative Black Hills Corp shows that safe, high-yield dividend stocks don't always have to be household names to deliver. In this case, earnings are growing faster than revenue, and data centers driving up demand in their key areas point to a long runway ahead.

Sure, the stock price has gone up significantly for a utility company, but it still trades cheaper than its peers, and Wall Street's improving rating is just another sign that the market's starting to take notice.

The partnership combines Wiz's production-grade cloud and AI security platform with EPAM's AI-native engineering and modernization capabilities to help organizations move from risk visibility to remediation across complex multi-cloud environments.

, /PRNewswire/ -- EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) today announced a collaboration with Wiz, a cloud and AI security leader that is now part of Google Cloud. EPAM joined the Wiz Partner Alliance to help organizations turn cloud risk intelligence into continuous, AI-powered and engineering-led remediation across complex multi-cloud environments.

Learn more about EPAM's AI-Native Cyber Resilience Program

EPAM Partners with Wiz to Help Enterprises Reduce Cloud Risk and Strengthen Cyber Resilience. The partnership brings together Wiz's AI Application Protection Platform (AI-APP) with EPAM's AI-native engineering and cloud modernization capabilities. Together, Wiz's context-based risk intelligence and EPAM's engineering expertise will help organizations identify, prioritize and address critical risks across applications, infrastructure and operating environments, moving beyond risk detection to address root causes at enterprise scale.

"Cloud security does not end with identifying risk, as organizations need the engineering capability to act on that intelligence across complex applications and infrastructure," said Alexandros Katsioulis, Head of Alphabet Business and Google Global Business Group, EPAM. "By combining Wiz's contextual risk intelligence with EPAM's engineering and modernization expertise, we help clients address root causes, strengthen operational resilience and move forward with cloud and AI transformation more confidently."

Powered by the Wiz Security Graph, Wiz AI-APP provides a contextualized view of cloud assets, configurations, relationships and attack paths across code, cloud, runtime, AI applications, SaaS and custom-hosted environments. EPAM applies that intelligence within broader cloud modernization and security programs to help organizations operationalize a full cloud security loop across Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure and other cloud environments.

The collaboration formalizes work already underway in the market, with EPAM delivering Wiz implementation programs for enterprise organizations across a range of industry verticals, including media and entertainment, transportation and logistics, life sciences and healthcare, financial services, automotive and retail and consumer goods. The expanded relationship as part of the Wiz Partner Alliance will bring that delivery experience across to a broader set of cloud transformation and security initiatives.

"With cloud and AI driving the next wave of enterprise innovation, Wiz is dedicated to helping organizations build fast without compromising security," said Nick Ross, VP of EMEA & LATAM Channels & Alliances at Wiz. "EPAM brings valuable expertise to the Wiz Partner Alliance, and together, we'll help ensure our customers can scale securely in the cloud."

As part of this approach, EPAM will leverage findings from the Wiz platform to inform application modernization, cloud architecture and remediation work. White Hat, an EPAM company, will add an offensive-security layer with defensive, offensive and incident response experts to assess whether identified weaknesses can be exploited, helping clients distinguish potential exposure from actual risks that require immediate engineering action.

"Security should not be measured by the number of vulnerabilities found. It should be measured by the reduction of exploitable risk," said Eugene Dzihanau, Head of Cybersecurity Practice, EPAM. "Wiz provides the system of record for security risk and EPAM provides the operating model that continuously drives that risk down. Together, we help clients move from visibility to remediation and from remediation to sustained cyber resilience."

Additionally, Wiz's AI agents extend the platform's established cloud security capabilities with an automated workflow layer that helps organizations accelerate key stages of the security lifecycle:

Red Agent helps validate potentially exploitable paths across the external attack surface. Green Agent supports root-cause remediation. Blue Agent helps investigate runtime threats and assess potential impact. Alongside implementing Wiz internally, EPAM will integrate these capabilities into broader engineering and modernization programs, helping organizations move more efficiently from risk evidence to corrective action.

"Identifying a vulnerability is not the same as proving that it can be exploited or containing an attack once someone has already exploited the vulnerability," said Aviv Srour, Head of Cyber Innovation, EPAM. "Wiz Red Agent brings an attacker's view of the external attack surface, while EPAM and White Hat bring the red team and incident response depth to validate it against real adversary tactics, techniques and procedures and strengthen cyber resilience for clients."

Learn more about EPAM's AI-Native Cyber Resilience Program and how to develop a cyber strategy for your organization today.

About EPAM Systems, Inc.
EPAM (NYSE:EPAM) is a global leader in AI transformation engineering and integrated consulting, serving Forbes Global 2000 companies and ambitious startups. With over thirty years of expertise in custom software, product and platform engineering, EPAM empowers organizations to become AI-Native enterprises, driving measurable value from innovation and digital investments. Recognized by industry benchmarks and leading analysts as a leader in AI, EPAM delivers globally while engaging locally, making the future real for clients, partners, and employees.

We are proud to be recognized by Forbes, Glassdoor, Newsweek, Time Magazine, Great Place to Work and kununu as a Most Loved Workplace around the world.

Learn more at www.epam.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes estimates and statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our business and operations. These statements may include words such as "may," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. Those future events and trends may relate to, among other things, developments relating to the war in Ukraine and escalation of the war in the surrounding region, political and civil unrest or military action in the geographies where we conduct business and operate, difficult conditions in global capital markets, foreign exchange markets, global trade, and the broader economy, the adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence technologies by EPAM and its clients, and the effect that these events may have on client demand and our revenues, operations, access to capital, and profitability. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions, the risk factors discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the factors discussed in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, particularly under the headings "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made based on information currently available to us. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

SOURCE EPAM Systems, Inc.

Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,875 shares of the data storage provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,030,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Western Digital during the 4th quarter valued at $788,729,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Western Digital by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,805,463 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $456,884,000 after acquiring an additional 384,103 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its position in Western Digital by 1,926.3% during the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 3,061,134 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $195,882,000 after acquiring an additional 2,910,062 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Western Digital by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,972,703 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $512,107,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Western Digital by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,809,409 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $483,977,000 after purchasing an additional 159,167 shares during the period. 92.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Western Digital from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup cut their price target on Western Digital from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Melius Research set a $1,050.00 price objective on Western Digital and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Western Digital from $530.00 to $650.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Western Digital from $660.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $534.56.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Western Digital Western Digital Stock Down 1.5% Shares of NASDAQ WDC opened at $462.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $159.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08 and a beta of 2.14. Western Digital Corporation has a twelve month low of $77.90 and a twelve month high of $799.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $532.72 and a 200 day moving average of $439.49.

Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The data storage provider reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.31 by $0.25. Western Digital had a return on equity of 48.15% and a net margin of 72.95%.The business had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 43.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 3.850-4.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Western Digital Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Western Digital Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.1%. Western Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 2.48%.

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

Positive Sentiment: Western Digital’s AI- and cloud-storage growth thesis remains intact. Industry momentum from AI infrastructure, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and automotive applications is supporting expectations for continued demand. 3 Storage Devices Stocks to Buy as the Industry Gains Momentum Positive Sentiment: A recent exchange of approximately $191 million of 3% convertible notes due 2028 is viewed as constructive liability management because it can reduce debt, although issuing shares may create some dilution. What’s Going on With Western Digital Stock on Wednesday? Positive Sentiment: Western Digital recently reported revenue growth of 44% year over year to $3.75 billion and earnings of $3.56 per share, exceeding estimates. Its next-quarter earnings guidance of $3.85 to $4.15 per share also supports the bullish fundamental case. Positive Sentiment: Technical and analyst indicators remain favorable: a recent hammer chart pattern suggested potential support, while upward earnings-estimate revisions and a bullish Wall Street consensus point to possible longer-term recovery. Western Digital May Find a Bottom Soon Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Cynthia L. Tregillis sold 1,007 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $478.36, for a total value of $481,708.52. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 112,155 shares in the company, valued at $53,650,465.80. This trade represents a 0.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Irving Tan sold 20,000 shares of Western Digital stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $444.97, for a total value of $8,899,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 575,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,287,591.02. The trade was a 3.36% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,117 shares of company stock valued at $12,053,353. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Western Digital Company Profile (Free Report)

Western Digital Corporation is a global data storage company that designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of storage devices and systems for personal, enterprise and cloud applications. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company develops hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), NAND flash components and finished storage products used in PCs, external storage, servers, network-attached storage (NAS) and embedded systems.

Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial markets, including internal and external HDDs and SSDs, removable flash memory products and storage platforms for data center and enterprise environments.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Western Digital Nutanix’s Rally Has a Bigger Story Than Earnings as AMD’s AI Bet Takes Shape SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus A Bearish-Dollar Options Surge Raises the Stakes for Warsh at Jackson Hole Five Below’s Turnaround Is Working—But Has the Stock Run Too Far?

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Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in shares of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $601,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower View Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Oshkosh during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oshkosh in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Oshkosh by 284.9% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 408 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Basepoint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Oshkosh during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Oshkosh by 33.7% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 373 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 92.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Oshkosh Price Performance Shares of NYSE OSK opened at $156.93 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Oshkosh Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $116.77 and a fifty-two week high of $180.49.

Oshkosh (NYSE:OSK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.24. Oshkosh had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 5.24%.The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.41 EPS. Oshkosh’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Oshkosh has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.000-11.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Oshkosh Corporation will post 10.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Oshkosh Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 13th. Oshkosh’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently issued reports on OSK. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Oshkosh from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Oshkosh from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Oshkosh from $176.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Oshkosh from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Oshkosh from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.71.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Oshkosh

Oshkosh Profile (Free Report)

Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty trucks, military vehicles and access equipment. The company’s offerings span critical end markets, including defense, fire and emergency services, commercial construction and industrial sectors. By combining engineering expertise with advanced technologies, Oshkosh delivers solutions that enhance mobility, safety and productivity for its customers.

Founded in 1917 and headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the company has evolved from producing heavy-duty dump trucks to a diversified portfolio of products and services.

Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Oshkosh Nutanix’s Rally Has a Bigger Story Than Earnings as AMD’s AI Bet Takes Shape SEC Probe Puts Wall Street Leverage Risk Back in Focus A Bearish-Dollar Options Surge Raises the Stakes for Warsh at Jackson Hole Five Below’s Turnaround Is Working—But Has the Stock Run Too Far?

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Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.75 per share of common stock. The quarterly cash dividend will be distributed September 18, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 9, 2026.

Yum! Brands, Inc., and its subsidiaries franchise or operate more than 58,000 restaurants in 155 countries and territories under its iconic brands — KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill. KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are global leaders in the chicken, Mexican-inspired food and pizza categories, respectively. Habit is a fast-casual concept known for fresh, cooked-to-order food.

Fueled by Yum!’s Recipe for Good Growth, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut led Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500 rankings and its Top Global Franchises 2025 list. In 2026, Yum!’s unrivaled culture and talent led it to be named one of TIME magazine’s list of Best Companies for Future Leaders for the third consecutive year.

Category: Financial

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260828086246/en/

Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.

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Toyota Motor (7203.T) said on Friday its global vehicle sales and production ​fell in July, weighed by declines ‌in China, the United States and the Middle East, which offset a stronger performance ​in Japan.

Global sales fell 4.8% from ​a year earlier to 856,125 vehicles, ⁠while production dropped 2.1%.

A 24.3% plunge ​in China dragged sales down, marking a ​sixth successive month of decline, as higher petrol prices weighed on demand for hybrid and traditional ​combustion engine vehicles, Toyota said.

Sales in ​the United States, Toyota's largest market, slipped 0.8%, ‌while ⁠those in the Middle East dropped 44.5%, offsetting an 11.0% rise in Japan.

A sharp 32.7% drop in China and a ​4.0% decrease ​in ⁠the United States pulled production down, despite a 12.4% rise ​in Japan.

Exports from Japan rose 10.2% ​from ⁠a year earlier to just over 196,000 vehicles, increasing for the third consecutive ⁠month ​and marking the highest ​level since October.

Toyota's figures include its luxury Lexus brand.

U.S. President Donald Trump ​is targeting Ottawa with a proposed 50% tariff on Canadian car imports — but Japan's Toyota (7203.T) and Honda (7267.T) may end up footing the bill.

The two ‌Japanese automakers account for more than three-quarters of all cars made in Canada. They could be forced to shutter some production lines if the tariffs go into effect on January 1 as proposed, analysts said.

While a deal could still be reached, the timing of the U.S. tariffs couldn't be worse, as Japanese automakers are being stung by competition from low-cost Chinese EVs in markets such as ​Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America.

The United States remains Toyota and Honda's biggest market and, crucially, one where Chinese rivals like BYD (002594.SZ) aren't allowed in.

Canadian-built ​cars accounted for almost a quarter of Honda's U.S. sales and 17% of Toyota's last year, the most among major automakers, ⁠according to Barclays analysts. As a result, the two face the biggest potential hit from Trump's plan to double the levies from the current 25%.

"If you really wanted ​to destroy the Canadian auto industry, you could with these tariffs," said Julie Boote, autos analyst at Pelham Smithers Associates in London.

Both companies would likely have to close some ​of their Canadian assembly lines, she said.

Toyota and Honda declined to comment.

SCRAMBLING TO ADAPT
Canada's auto industry produces around 1.2 million cars a year and indirectly supports some 427,000 jobs. Toyota's exports from Canada to the United States include the RAV4, while Honda exports the CR-V. Both cars are among the best-selling SUVs in the United States.

The proposed tariffs are the latest example of Trump trade ​policies that have left the global auto industry scrambling to adapt. For years, U.S., European, Japanese and South Korean car companies and their suppliers built production chains ​across North America, taking advantage of cross-border trade deals and, especially in Mexico, lower labour costs.

But cost dynamics have now changed drastically. U.S. tariffs cost Toyota some 1.4 trillion yen ($8.8 billion) in ‌the last ⁠financial year.

Toyota is now doubling down on U.S. production. The world's largest automaker last year said it aims to invest up to $10 billion over five years to expand its U.S. operations. That will include a new $3.6 billion auto plant in Texas, where it intends to move production of the Tacoma pick-up truck from its Baja California plant in Mexico.

For Honda, which is struggling to turn around its money-losing car business, tariffs have only added to the strain.

A senior executive recently told reporters that it might not ​build an eighth assembly plant in North ​America unless USMCA free trade talks ⁠among the United States, Canada and Mexico are extended. USMCA is the revised version of the 1994 NAFTA trade pact and has been in place for six years. Trump opted on July 1 not to renew it, subjecting it to annual reviews, although ​talks have continued.

Last year, South Korea's Hyundai (005380.KS) said uncertainty about USMCA was delaying its investment decisions.

'MAJOR SHIFT'
If the tariffs take ​effect, Toyota and Honda ⁠would likely try to redirect Canadian-built vehicles to other markets and then try to find ways to make up supply for the all-important U.S. market — hardly an easy task, analysts said. U.S.-bound vehicles are often tailored to the market's needs and regulations, while factories elsewhere may already be operating near capacity.

"It would represent a major shift from the past," said ⁠Seiji Sugiura, ​a senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

Two Japanese suppliers said they were unsure what would happen ​next and it remained, at least for now, impossible to plan given that it still remained uncertain whether the tariffs would go into effect.

"We're trying not to overreact," one of the supplier executives said.

($1 = 160.0800 ​yen)

, /PRNewswire/ -- Ovintiv Inc. (NYSE: OVV) (TSX: OVV) today provided an update on its 2026 ground game acquisition program. On a year-to-date basis, the Company has entered into over 60 transactions, which will result in the addition of approximately 41,000 net acres of land across its Montney and Permian assets for a total acquisition cost of approximately $460 million. The transactions will add 240 net 10,000-foot equivalent well locations to Ovintiv's drilling inventory (190 base locations and 50 upside locations). The assets are being acquired at an attractive valuation of approximately $11,000 per net acre, and approximately $1.3 million to $1.7 million per well location, when adjusted for minimal production volumes from the assets.

Ovintiv Announces Permian and Montney Inventory Additions In the Permian, Ovintiv is acquiring approximately 21,000 net acres of land and 120 total well locations (80 base locations and 40 upside locations) in the Midland basin for approximately $230 million.

In the Montney, Ovintiv is acquiring approximately 20,000 net acres of land and 120 total well locations (110 base locations and 10 upside locations) in the liquids-rich Alberta oil window for approximately $230 million.

Following these transactions, the Company will have added approximately 500 net 10,000-foot equivalent well locations year-to-date, with the inclusion of 260 locations from organic inventory enhancement.

Ovintiv expects the remaining transactions to close before the end of the year.

Important information
Ovintiv reports in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted. Production estimates are reported on an after-royalties basis, unless otherwise noted. Unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, references to "Ovintiv," "our" or to "the Company" includes reference to subsidiaries of and partnership interests held by Ovintiv Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Please visit Ovintiv's website and the Investor Relations page at www.ovintiv.com and investor.ovintiv.com, where Ovintiv often discloses important information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.

ADVISORY REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS – This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, except for statements of historical fact, that relate to the anticipated future activities, plans, inventory additions, strategies, objectives or expectations of the Company are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the use of words and phrases such as "anticipates," "acquiring", "believes," "continue," "could," "estimates," "expects," "focused on," "forecast," "guidance," "intends," "maintain," "may," "opportunities," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "strategy," "targets," "will," "would" and other similar terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words or phrases. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, forward-looking statements contained in this news release include: expectations that the acquisition program will support the achievement of Ovintiv's expected inventory additions; the expected closing of the various transactions; and the expected timing of such closings.

The forward-looking statements provided in this news release are based upon a number of material factors and assumptions that Ovintiv has made in respect thereof as of the date of this news release, including, without limitation: future commodity prices and basis differentials; the Company's ability to consummate any pending acquisitions (including the transactions described herein); the ability of the Company to access credit facilities and capital markets; the availability of attractive commodity or financial hedges and the enforceability of risk management programs; the Company's ability to capture and maintain gains in productivity and efficiency; the ability for the Company to generate cash returns; expectations of plans, strategies and objectives of the Company, including anticipated production volumes and capital investment; the Company's ability to manage cost inflation and expected cost structures, including expected operating, transportation, processing and labor expenses; the outlook of the oil and natural gas industry generally, including impacts from changes to the geopolitical environment; and projections made in light of, and generally consistent with, the Company's historical experience and its perception of historical industry trends; and the other assumptions contained herein. Although the Company believes the expectations represented by its forward-looking statements are reasonable based on the information available to it as of the date such statements are made, forward-looking statements are only predictions and statements of our current beliefs and there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this news release, and all subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to the Company, whether written or oral, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

The reader should carefully read the risk factors described in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and in other filings with the SEC or Canadian securities regulators, for a description of certain risks that could, among other things, cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements. Other unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this new release could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements.

Further information on Ovintiv Inc. is available on the Company's website, www.ovintiv.com, or by contacting:

SOURCE Ovintiv Canada ULC

Key Takeaways NetApp expects Q1 FY2027 sales of $1.75B-$1.90B, with an extra week adding about $65M of revenue.AI demand remains strong, with about 500 wins in Q4 and more than 1,100 for fiscal 2026.Cloud storage grew 30% in fiscal 2026, while Keystone benefits from the shift to consumption-based models. NetApp, Inc. (NTAP - Free Report) is slated to release first-quarter fiscal 2027 earnings on Sept. 2, after the closing bell.

The company expects non-GAAP earnings per share to be between $2.05 and $2.15 for the quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently pegged at $2.12 per share, indicating 36.8% growth from the year-ago level.

Net sales are anticipated to be in the range between $1.750 billion and $1.900 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.84 billion, implying an 18.2% increase from the prior-year reported number.

NTAP’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 4.65%.

Key Factors to Note for NTAP’s Q1 EarningsNetApp is likely to have benefited from momentum across cloud, flash, AI and Keystone in first-quarter fiscal 2027, supported by a strong enterprise IT spending environment and increasing AI activity. In the last reported quarter, management anticipated IT spending to rise as enterprises prepared for AI, with demand across cloud, flash, AI and Keystone. The company is also likely to have benefited from broad-based demand as customers prioritized data infrastructure for AI. The first quarter included an extra week, which was expected to contribute about $65 million of revenue, mainly from Support and Cloud, while adding $21 million of operating expenses. Management anticipates first-quarter non-GAAP gross margin of 69.1-70.1% and operating margin of 28.4-29.4%.

AI remains a key growth driver for NetApp. The company reported approximately 500 AI wins in the fourth quarter and more than 1,100 for fiscal 2026 compared with roughly 400 for the entire prior fiscal year. These wins included enterprise and neocloud customers and covered data preparation, large-scale analytics, training, fine-tuning and inferencing. All elements of the flash portfolio performed strongly in enterprise AI configurations, while hybrid flash gained traction in less demanding AI environments. On the last earnings call, management highlighted AI strength to remain broad-based across segments, verticals and geographies.

All-flash storage is also benefiting from AI demand, with management noting particularly strong growth in AI use cases. NetApp’s installed-base penetration increased another 1% to 48%. The company raised prices during the fourth quarter, with pricing actions expected to increasingly flow through over the next one to two quarters. Management expects product gross margin to reach a trough in the July quarter and gradually improve as pricing actions offset higher component costs.

Public Cloud and Keystone are additional growth contributors. First-party and marketplace cloud storage services grew 30% year over year in fiscal 2026, while AI use cases are beginning to emerge in the cloud. Keystone continues to benefit from the shift toward consumption-based storage models and is expected to grow faster than the traditional business.

NetApp is also seeing opportunities from AFX, AI Data Engine, neo cloud and sovereign cloud customers. Meanwhile, the company continues to manage higher NAND and component costs through pricing actions, supplier diversification and supply-chain measures. On the last earnings call, management stated that it believed it could source adequate supply to meet its fiscal 2027 outlook, which might have benefited NTAP in the to-be-reported quarter.

However, the company is facing stiff competition, while changes in customer purchase timing could lead to volatility despite the healthy overall demand environment.

Recent DevelopmentsOn Aug. 6, 2026, NetApp acquired JetStream Software, which specializes in VMware disaster recovery and migration. The acquisition will aid NetApp in helping enterprises safeguard applications, speed up cloud migration and modernize infrastructure while ensuring cyber resilience.

On July 22, 2026, NetApp acquired DataPelago, a startup specializing in AI data infrastructure.  The deal expands NetApp's intelligent data infrastructure portfolio by bringing GPU-accelerated data processing directly to the storage layer, allowing organizations to process data where it resides instead of copying it to separate AI infrastructure. The acquisition is likely to strengthen NetApp's competitive position in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.

On June 23, 2026, NetApp launched StorageGRID 12.1 to improve distributed data management, helping customers scale AI workloads, data lakes and modern object-based applications more efficiently.

On June 3, 2026, NetApp and Cisco expanded their FlexPod platform with new validated AI solutions designed to simplify enterprise AI deployments, inferencing, RAG workflows and edge computing while enhancing security and scalability. The collaboration integrates technologies from NVIDIA to help organizations accelerate AI adoption with pre-tested, enterprise-grade infrastructure.

On the same day, NetApp and Splunk expanded their collaboration with a new SOAR playbook designed to help customers contain ransomware attacks, reduce data loss and strengthen cyber resilience. The solution combines NetApp’s Intelligent Data Infrastructure with Splunk’s analytics and observability capabilities to improve threat response and recovery efficiency.

What Our Model Says About NTAPOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for NTAP this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy), or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is the case here.

NTAP has an Earnings ESP of +3.77% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Other Stocks With Favorable CombinationHere are a few other companies worth considering, as our model indicates that they possess the right combination to exceed earnings expectations in their upcoming releases:

Ciena Corporation (CIEN - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.58% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues and earnings is pegged at $1.64 billion and $1.73 per share, respectively. CIEN is slated to report third-quarter 2026 results on Sept. 3.

Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +6.20% and a Zacks Rank #1 at present.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues and earnings is pegged at $45.3 billion and $4.95 per share, respectively. DELL is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Sept. 1.

lululemon athletica inc. (LULU - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.70% and a Zacks Rank #3.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues and earnings is pegged at $2.47 billion and $1.79 per share, respectively. LULU is scheduled to report second-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Sept. 3.