Market Signal Briefing

NAARDEN, The Netherlands, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forbion, a leading life sciences venture capital firm with deep roots in Europe, today announces that GSK (NYSE: GSK) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Forbion Growth Fund III portfolio company RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAPT) in a transaction valued at $2.2 billion.

RAPT Therapeutics was a recent, undisclosed investment within Forbion Growth Fund III’s public value opportunities strategy and represents the fund’s second exit. The transaction follows the acquisition of Astria Therapeutics by BioCryst for $920 million in October 2025, further underscoring the fund’s strong momentum and execution capabilities.

The acquisition highlights significant strategic interest in RAPT’s lead therapeutic candidate, ozureprubart, a long-acting monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize IgE, a key driver of severe allergic disease. Ozureprubart has the potential to meaningfully transform the treatment landscape for allergies and other immunologic conditions, including chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The program is currently in late-stage clinical development, with a Phase 2b trial ongoing in food allergy and a Phase 3 trial in CSU expected to commence in 2026.

“Forbion Growth Fund III was established to back differentiated, late-stage assets with clear clinical value and strong strategic relevance,” said Mathias Vinther, PhD, Partner at Forbion. “Our investment in RAPT Therapeutics reflects this approach, combining deep scientific conviction with disciplined capital deployment in the public markets. The outcome announced today demonstrates the value of early engagement, active ownership and a long-term perspective in building positions in high-quality companies.”

This transaction reinforces Forbion’s growth strategy of backing differentiated, late-stage clinical assets in areas of high unmet medical need with clear strategic relevance to global pharmaceutical companies. It also serves as a strong example of the fund’s public markets sub-strategy, which focuses on identifying and capitalizing on attractive public value opportunities.

The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions. The official press release issued by GSK and RAPT Therapeutics can be found here.

About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep roots in Europe and offices in Naarden, the Netherlands, Munich, Germany, and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies covering all stages of (bio)pharmaceutical drug development. In addition to its human health focus, Forbion also invests in planetary health solutions through its BioEconomy strategy. The firm’s team of over 30 investment professionals has a strong track record, with more than 130 investments across 11 funds, resulting in numerous approved therapies and successful exits. Forbion is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and operates a joint venture with BGV for seed and early-stage investments in the Benelux and Germany regions.

For more information, please contact:

Forbion Communications
Email: [email protected]
Head of Marketing & Communications

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / January 20, 2026 / For those who may not have seen our prior announcement, Elektros Inc. is pleased to reaffirm and outline its strategic objectives moving forward. The Company remains focused on advancing its lithium operations in Sierra Leone to meet the accelerating global demand for critical battery materials essential to electric vehicles and energy storage solutions.

As noted by Benzinga, the strategic importance of lithium continues to grow globally: "As the backbone of modern batteries powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, lithium's importance to the world economy cannot be overstated." - Benzinga

Elektros Inc. (OTC PINK:ELEK) is strategically focused on the advancement and development of its hard‑rock lithium project in Sierra Leone, Africa.

The Company has executed a joint venture ground lease agreement for mineral rights within the Tinkoko Chiefdom of Bo District, maintaining a 75% controlling interest while ensuring full compliance with Sierra Leonean mining regulations.

As of September 2025, Elektros Inc. has obtained an artisanal mining license and has stockpiled approximately 54 metric tons of hard‑rock lithium ore, positioned for export to the United States upon securing shipping capital.

Near‑term objectives include establishing continuous extraction and export operations, executing regular container shipments, securing long‑term offtake agreements with U.S. lithium refineries, and attracting strategic investment partners.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward‑Looking Statements

This release contains forward‑looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. For additional information, please refer to the Company's filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov. Elektros Inc. undertakes no obligation to update forward‑looking statements.

Contact:

Elektros Inc.
IR and Media Inquiries
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.elektros.energy

SOURCE: Elektros, Inc.

HomeEarnings AnalysisFinancials 

SummaryPeoples Bancorp Inc. is a Buy for income, offering a 5.3% yield and consistent dividend growth.PEBO Q4 revenues rose 11.4% year-over-year to $117.3 million, with net income up sequentially despite a modest increase in credit loss provisions.Loan balances grew 2% annualized, while consumer deposits increased; net interest margin remains robust at 4.12%.PEBO asset quality is strong overall, with nonperforming assets down and return metrics improving, supporting a stable dividend payout ratio.Looking for more investing ideas like this one? Get them exclusively at BAD BEAT Investing. Learn More » Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images

We examine trends in regional banks every reporting season, which for our purposes is like a "pulse check" on the local economies in the United States. Taken in aggregate, it helps us determine if we are seeing growing weakness (or

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is the world’s second-largest investment bank by revenue and is ranked 55th on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue. The Wall Street white-glove giant offers financing, advisory services, risk distribution, and hedging for the firm’s institutional and corporate clients. In addition, they produce some of Wall Street’s most coveted research and serve as a bellwether for the financial industry. At 24/7 Wall St., we have followed the company’s research for 15 years to bring our readers its top stock ideas.

It is always a good sign when the Goldman Sachs team starts raising price targets on Buy-rated companies. Typically, when a stock has been performing well, and its target price is increased, it usually means that analysts are optimistic about what they see six to 12 months ahead. When we see significant price increases of 10% or more, it is time to share this with our readers. Recently, the firm raised price targets on three blue-chip giants, including one of the top-performing Magnificent 7 technology leaders. In an interesting side note, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns two of the stocks we are featuring.

Why we recommend Goldman Sachs stocks

Goldman Sachs is the acknowledged leader in the investment landscape on Wall Street and worldwide. The firm’s top-notch research department continues to provide clients with the best ideas across the investment spectrum and is likely to do so for years to come.

Ally Financial The bank with no buildings, formerly known as GMAC, offers a solid 2.75% dividend. Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a financial services company with the nation’s largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business. The company serves approximately 10 million customers with deposits, securities brokerage, investment advisory services, auto financing, and insurance offerings. The company also includes a corporate finance business that offers capital for middle-market companies.

The company’s segments include:

Automotive Finance operations Insurance operations Mortgage Finance operations Corporate Finance operations The Automotive Finance operations segment provides services such as:

Retail installment sales contracts Loans and operating leases Term loans to dealers Financing dealer floorplans Lines of credit to dealers and other services Insurance operations is a complementary automotive-focused business offering consumer finance protection, insurance products sold primarily through the automotive dealer channel, and commercial insurance products sold directly to dealers.

The Mortgage Finance operations segment includes its direct-to-consumer Ally Home mortgage offering and bulk purchases of jumbo and LMI mortgage loans from third parties. The Corporate Finance operations segment provides senior secured asset-based and leveraged cash flow loans.

The Goldman Sachs price target is lifted to $55 from $50.

Alphabet This technology giant was one of the few additions to Berkshire Hathaway over the past year and offers a small 0.31% dividend. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets.

The Google Services segment includes products and services such as:

Ads Android Chrome Devices Google Maps Google Play Search YouTube The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers.

Its Other Bets segment sells healthcare-related services and Internet services.

The Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as:

Cybersecurity Databases Analytics Artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Duet AI for Google Cloud Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, and more.

The Goldman Sachs price target is lifted to $375 from $330.

Applied Materials This company is the leader in the semiconductor capital equipment arena and pays a small 0.56% dividend. Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) provides equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries.

It operates in three segments:

Semiconductor Systems Applied Global Services (AGS) Display The Semiconductor systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sells a range of primarily 300 mm equipment used to fabricate semiconductor chips, also referred to as integrated circuits (ICs).

The AGS segment provides services, spares, and factory automation software to customer fabrication plants globally. The AGS segment also manufactures and sells 200 mm and other equipment.

The Display segment comprises primarily products for manufacturing liquid crystal displays (LCDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and other display technologies for televisions, monitors, laptops, personal computers (PCs), tablets, smartphones, and other consumer-oriented devices.

Goldman Sachs raised its $250 target price to $310.

Four Strong Buy Passive Income Dividend Stocks Goldman Sachs Loves in January

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By PYMNTS  |  January 20, 2026

 | 

Amazon’s CEO says White House tariffs have begun showing up in the price of some goods.

The tech giant and many of its third-party sellers bought products ahead of time to fend off tariff-related price hikes, though most of that inventory has since run out, Andy Jassy told CNBC in an interview at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday (Jan. 20).

“So you start to see some of the tariffs creep into some of the prices, some of the items, and you see some sellers are deciding that they’re passing on those higher costs to consumers in the form of higher prices, some are deciding that they’ll absorb it to drive demand and some are doing something in between,” Jassy said. “I think you’re starting to see more of that impact.”

CNBC notes that these comments are a notable shift from last year, when Jassy said the company hadn’t seen “prices appreciably go up” a few months after President Donald Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs.

Last April, the chief executive also predicted that some merchants could be forced to pass the added cost of the tariffs on to consumers as some sellers “don’t have 50% extra margin that you can play with.”

Jassy told CNBC Amazon is now trying to “keep prices as low as possible” but said there are some cases where it won’t be able to avoid price increases. He added that consumers remain “pretty resilient” and are still spending despite the tariffs, though some are trading down or holding back from larger discretionary purchases.

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Jassy’s comments come amid a new round of tariff threats, and at a time when, as PYMNTS wrote Tuesday, millions of American households are already dealing with financial margins, limited savings and greater sensitivity to price changes.

“For families living paycheck to paycheck (about two-thirds of consumers), even modest cost increases can ripple quickly through household budgets,” that report said.

“That backdrop helps explain why tariffs were already on consumers’ radar as the new year began, and ahead of the latest uncertainty that arrived this week. Rather than viewing tariffs as abstract geopolitical tools, many households appear to be weighing their potential effects in personal terms.”

New PYMNTS Intelligence data show this concern is not confined to any one segment of the paycheck-to-paycheck population. Tariff-related anxiety is widely felt, reflecting how exposed household finances remain after inflation, uneven wage growth and ongoing cost pressures.

Advanced Micro Devices Today

AMD

Advanced Micro Devices

$231.41 -0.42 (-0.18%)

As of 02:40 PM Eastern

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

52-Week Range$76.48▼

$267.08P/E Ratio114.37

Price Target$276.16

Advanced Micro Devices' NASDAQ: AMD late 2025 sell-off hit and confirmed its bottom in early 2026, indicating a robust rebound could lie ahead.

The 15% gain posted in the second week of 2026 is only the beginning of a significant movement that will be driven by an upcoming catalyst—the launch of its MI450 products later this year. 

The launch will push Advanced Micro Devices into direct competition with NVIDIA NASDAQ: NVDA for the hyperscale GPU business, which is worth hundreds of billions in revenue.

Get Advanced Micro Devices alerts:

Analysts and market participants are still unsure how to price in this catalyst, but it's possible that it could accelerate AMD's growth into the triple-digit range and sustain it for several quarters. 

As it stands, AMD's revenue growth forecasts in early 2026 look too low. Analysts forecast AMD to sustain only a 30% growth rate in fiscal 2026, then mildly accelerate in fiscal 2027. If this forecast is indeed too low, the stock is positioned for a persistently bullish revision cycle.

This revision cycle may already be underway—after a late-2025 reset, forecasts started rising in early 2026. On this view, AMD trades at about 60x its 2025 forecast but only 10x its 2030 consensus, implying roughly 100% upside to match the average S&P 500 valuation and 200%+ to match blue-chip tech peers.

Analyst Sentiment Trends Support AMD’s Robust Upside Outlook  While analyst price target trends moderated in late 2025, the trend is very bullish and points to significant upside in this market. The early January activity includes two initiations, resulting in a combined Moderate Buy rating and a $260 price target, which extend the trends in place.

Advanced Micro Devices Stock Forecast Today12-Month Stock Price Forecast:
$276.16
16.30% Upside

Moderate Buy
Based on 44 Analyst Ratings

Current Price$237.45High Forecast$380.00Average Forecast$276.16Low Forecast$140.00Advanced Micro Devices Stock Forecast Details

The critical takeaways are that coverage continues to swell (up more than 40% year-over-year (YOY) in early January), and the consensus Moderate Buy rating is firming. Buy-side bias is 73%, and there is 20% upside at the midpoint of analyst price targets, with approximately 65% at the high end. 

Catalysts to drive sentiment and price trends include the Q4 earnings release scheduled for early February, and the launch of MI450 later in 2026. The forecasts for Q4 2025 look conservative, with recent revision activity mixed, and YOY growth is expected to slow to the mid-20% range.

The likely outcome is that results will outperform the consensus and be compounded by solid guidance. Regarding MI450, reports suggest a release in the first half of 2026, followed by a quick deployment ramp.

Deals with OpenAI and Oracle NYSE: ORCL could amount to billions in revenue, with initial realization beginning as soon as Q3 2026, then ramping over the subsequent quarters as production ramps and follow-on deals are announced. 

Forecasts for GPU demand vary but have only gotten stronger over the past few months. RBC’s mid-January update suggests the GPU market could more than double over the next 2.5 years to $550 billion, with growing backlogs pointing to improved long-term visibility. The push toward model deployment and memory-intensive inference is behind the move, with HBM4 (used prominently in AMD’s MI450 lineup) being a critical component. HBM4 provides the superior capacity and performance required for the most advanced workloads: AMD’s MI450 design and high-density rack configuration are expected to deliver 1.5 times the memory and bandwidth of competing GPUs. 

Advanced Micro Devices Positioned to Retest All-Time Highs AMD’s January price action has it set up to advance 15% and retest its all-time highs, with trends and outlook suggesting a new all-time high could be reached.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) Price Chart for Tuesday, January, 20, 2026

In the event AMD remains range-bound, more potent catalysts are still ahead, so the long-term outlook will remain intact. Assuming the market sets a new high in early 2026, a move into the high end of the analyst target range is likely, potentially as high as $320, based on technical projections. 

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

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Advanced Micro Devices wasn't on the list.

While Advanced Micro Devices currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Wealthfront Corporation (NASDAQ: WLTH) resulting from allegations that Wealthfront may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Wealthfront securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Kuehn Law, PLLC, a shareholder litigation law firm, is investigating whether certain officers and directors of Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS) breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders. 

According to a federal securities lawsuit, Insiders at Synopsys caused the company to misrepresent or fail to disclose that: (1) the Company's growing focus on AI customers who require more customization, was weakening its Design IP business; (2) as a result, certain of the Company's plans were not likely to achieve their intended outcomes; and (3) these issues were materially harming the Company's financial performance. 

If you currently own SNPS and purchased prior to March 14, 2024 please contact Justin Kuehn, Esq. by email at [email protected] or call (833) 672-0814. Kuehn Law pays all case costs and does not charge its investor clients. Shareholders should contact the firm immediately as there may be limited time to enforce your rights. 

Why Your Participation Matters:

As a shareholder your voice matters, and by getting involved, you contribute to the integrity and fairness of the financial markets. Your investment. Your voice. Your future.™

For additional information, please visit Shareholder Derivative Litigation - Kuehn Law.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts:
Kuehn Law, PLLC
Justin Kuehn, Esq.
53 Hill Street, Suite 605
Southampton, NY 11968
[email protected]
(833) 672-0814

SOURCE Kuehn Law, PLLC

, /PRNewswire/ -- Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde with Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. The firm is headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and is investigating RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAPT) related to its sale to GSK plc. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, RAPT shareholders are expected to receive $58.00 in cash for each share of RAPT common stock. Is it a fair deal?

Click here for more info https://monteverdelaw.com/case/rapt-therapeutics-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE EQUAL. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

Do you file class actions and go to Court? When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders? What cases did you recover money in and how much? About Monteverde & Associates PC

Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholders…and we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. 

No one is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:
Juan Monteverde, Esq.
MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740
New York, NY 10118
United States of America
[email protected]
Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2026 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP) resulting from allegations that Simulations Plus may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Simulations Plus securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=42476 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On July 15, 2025, during market hours, Benzinga published an article entitled “Simulations Plus Sees Weaker Demand Persist, Outlook Softens.” The article stated that Simulations Plus shares had declined “following the release of [Simulations Plus’] third-quarter 2025 earnings report. The article stated that Simulations Plus had reported sales of $20.4 million, representing a 10% year-over-year increase, but this fell short of the consensus estimate of $20.9 million.” Further, “[t]his miss followed preliminary third-quarter sales figures released in June, which were already lower than expectations at $19 million to $20 million, compared to a consensus of $22.78 million.”

On this news, Simulations Plus’ stock fell 25.75% on July 15, 2025.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

        Laurence Rosen, Esq.
        Phillip Kim, Esq.
        The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
        275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
        New York, NY 10016
        Tel: (212) 686-1060
        Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
        Fax: (212) 202-3827
        [email protected]
        www.rosenlegal.com

Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) shares are up on Tuesday following news that the company has secured reimbursement for its FDA-approved TruSight Oncology Comprehensive test.

CMS Reimbursement to Boost ILMN AdoptionThe reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow the TruSight Oncology Comprehensive test to be reimbursed at a rate of $2,989.55 per test, effective January 1.

The decision is expected to enhance the adoption of comprehensive genomic profiling in the U.S. healthcare system, enabling more laboratories to deliver clinically actionable results.

The test assesses over 500 genes to inform treatment decisions, promoting broader access to precision oncology diagnostics across various healthcare settings. The move is anticipated to drive growth, as approximately 60% of Illumina’s sequencing consumables revenue was attributed to clinical customers last year.

ILMN Shows Positive Trend Above Moving AverageIllumina’s stock is currently trading 2.65% above its 12-month moving average, reflecting a positive trend over the past year. Shares have increased 2.9% over the past 12 months and are currently positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows.

The RSI is currently neutral, indicating that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold. Meanwhile, MACD is below its signal line, suggesting bearish pressure on the stock.

The combination of neutral RSI and bearish MACD suggests mixed momentum.

Key Resistance: $151.50 Key Support: $130.50 ILMN Earnings Forecast and Analyst RatingsInvestors are looking ahead to the next earnings report on February 5, 2026.

EPS Estimate: $1.22 (Up from $0.95 YoY) Revenue Estimate: $1.10 billion (Down from $1.10 billion YoY) Valuation: P/E of 31.8x (Indicates premium valuation) Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions:

The stock carries a Neutral Rating with an average price target of $130.24. Recent analyst moves include:

TD Cowen: Hold (Raised Target to $140.00) (January 7) Guggenheim: Buy (Raised Target to $144.00) (January 5) Canaccord Genuity: Hold (Raised Target to $130.00) (December 22, 2025) Valuation Insight: While the stock trades at a premium P/E multiple, the consensus and 28% expected earnings growth suggest analysts view this growth as justification for the current valuation.

ILMN Scores High on Benzinga Edge RankingsBelow is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for Illumina, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market:

Momentum: Bullish (Score: 86.32/100) — Stock is outperforming the broader market. Quality: Weak (Score: 4.59/100) — Balance sheet may raise concerns. Value: Risk (Score: 18.92/100) — Trading at a steep premium relative to peers. Growth: Strong (Score: 82.49/100) — Indicates potential for future expansion. The Verdict: Illumina’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a classic ‘High-Flyer’ setup. While the Momentum score indicates strong short-term performance, the low Value score warns that the stock is priced for perfection—investors should proceed with caution.

ILMN’s Impact on Top ETFs Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF (NYSE:XMHQ): 3.84% Weight ROBO Global Robotics and Automation Index ETF (NYSE:ROBO): 1.72% Weight First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund (NYSE:FBT): 4.39% Weight ILMN Price Action: Illumina shares were up 2.52% at $145.22 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Image: Shutterstock

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (“Apogee” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: APOG). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at [email protected] or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Apogee and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On January 7, 2025, Apogee reported its financial results for the third quarter of its 2026 fiscal year. Among other items, Apogee reported $355.3 million in sales, missing the consensus estimate of $348.6 million. Apogee’s Chief Executive Officer said that “higher aluminum, restructuring and health insurance costs” all weighed on the Company’s results.

On this news, Apogee’s stock price fell $5.18 per share, or 13.89%, to close at $32.11 per share on January 7, 2026.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:
Danielle Peyton
Pomerantz LLP

[email protected] ext. 7980

Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of KSS either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 18: A Walmart sign is displayed outside a Supercenter on November 18, 2024 in Miami, Florida. Walmart is set to report its third-quarter results on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Over the past ten years, Walmart (WMT) stock has provided a remarkable $132 Bil back to its investors in the form of cash through dividends and buybacks. Let’s examine some figures to see how this payout capability compares with the largest capital-return companies in the market.

Interestingly, WMT stock has delivered the 13th highest amount to shareholders in history. Unlike many companies that rely on cyclical earnings spikes or aggressive leverage to fund shareholder payouts, Walmart has generated this return while steadily expanding revenue, investing heavily in e-commerce, automation, and logistics, and maintaining a conservative balance sheet.

metrics

Trefis

Why should this matter to you? Because dividends and share repurchases signify direct, tangible returns of capital to shareholders. They also reflect management's confidence in the company’s financial stability and ability to produce sustainable cash flows. Additionally, there are more stocks that fit this description. Here is a list of the top 10 companies ranked by total capital returned to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks.

Top 10 Stocks by Total Shareholder Return

shareholder returns

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For the complete ranking, visit Buybacks & Dividends Ranking

What stands out here? The total capital returned to shareholders as a percentage of the current market cap seems inversely related to growth potential for re-investments. Companies such as Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) are experiencing significantly faster, and more consistent growth compared to others, yet they have returned a smaller portion of their market cap to shareholders.

This is the inverse aspect of high capital returns. While they are appealing, it leads to the question: Am I compromising growth and robust fundamentals? Bearing that in mind, let’s review some figures for WMT. (see Buy or Sell Walmart Stock for further information)

Walmart Fundamentals

Revenue Growth: 4.3% LTM and a 5.4% average over the last 3 years.Cash Generation: Approximately 2.2% free cash flow margin and 4.1% operating margin LTM.Recent Revenue Shocks: The minimum annual revenue growth in the past 3 years for WMT was at 4.3%.Valuation: Walmart's stock trades at a P/E ratio of 41.7other metrics

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*LTM: Last Twelve Months

The table provides a good summary of what you can expect from WMT stock, but what about the associated risks?

WMT Historical Risk

Walmart is not resistant to significant sell-offs. Its stock dropped around 38% during the Dot-Com Bubble and fell 26% amid the Global Financial Crisis. The 2018 Correction erased nearly 24%, while COVID led to a smaller yet significant 13% decline. Recently, the Inflation Shock resulted in a 26% drop. Strong fundamentals are important, but when the market shifts, even stable giants like Walmart can suffer.

The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, consisting of 30 stocks, boasts a history of consistently outperforming its benchmark that covers the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000 indices. Why does this happen? Collectively, HQ Portfolio stocks have generated superior returns with less risk compared to the benchmark index; providing a smoother experience as demonstrated in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.

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Strategy (NASDAQ:MSTR) pioneered the Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) treasury company strategy that once drove mutual gains. The company bought Bitcoin, which often boosted the cryptocurrency’s price and, in turn, lifted Strategy’s stock. Similarly, any unrelated jump in Bitcoin’s price would also lead to Strategy share gains.

However, this dynamic has weakened. Bitcoin’s price has declined 27% from its October 2025 peak of over $126,000, but Strategy’s shares have fared worse, dropping more than 64% from their peak. Recent purchases illustrate the shift: Strategy revealed this morning it had bought 22,305 Bitcoin for $2.13 billion, yet its stock is falling nearly 7% in midday trading, reflecting the market’s diminished enthusiasm for the strategy.

Bitcoin has encountered significant headwinds and is trading around $90,200 today, down from recent highs. Proponents argue it serves as a store of value — it is called “digital gold” — offering protection against inflation and economic uncertainty. However, market behavior is increasingly challenging this view. Gold prices have risen sharply over increased geopolitical tensions, while Bitcoin has declined.

The Widening Bitcoin-Gold Divide Billionaire Frank Giustra citing the U.S.’s push to acquire Greenland as an example of why “Bitcoin is not gold.” Saying the latter was truly a safe haven asset and the crypto is a risk-on one, he declared “The facts on this are clear & indisputable.” 

Gold has surged to record highs, in part due to  concerns over U.S. ambitions in Greenland, while Bitcoin dropped. He also makes the case that Bitcoin can be more easily confiscated than gold, pointing to the government’s Bitcoin reserve, which consists solely of confiscated Bitcoin.

Dilution Weighs Heavily on Strategy Investors Strategy’s latest Bitcoin acquisition was funded through $1.83 billion in common stock sales and $294.3 million from its perpetual preferred equity Stretch (STRC), leading to ongoing shareholder dilution. 

Since adopting its Bitcoin treasury strategy, the company has issued shares repeatedly to finance purchases, increasing outstanding shares and reducing existing investors’ ownership stakes. A year ago, shareholders approved what many thought was an “infinite money glitch” by authorizing Class A shares to grow from 330 million to 10.33 billion and preferred shares from 5 million to 1.005 billion, enabling further dilution for Bitcoin buys. Each acquisition now amplifies this effect, as seen in the stock’s decline despite the latest purchase.

The company’s aggressive capital raises, including at-the-market (ATM) offerings of common and preferred stock, have supported massive Bitcoin accumulation — now totaling 709,715 bitcoin acquired for about $53.92 billion, or an average price of $75,979 per coin. 

But this has come at the cost of significant dilution. Shares outstanding have increased substantially through repeated equity issuances, eroding Strategy’s “Bitcoin Yield.” Analysts note that as the bitcoin stack grows larger, generating incremental yield becomes harder, and ongoing equity sales directly dilute common shareholders’ claims on the treasury. 

The premium at which Strategy stock trades relative to its net asset value (mNAV) has compressed sharply, recently hovering near 1.0x or slightly above, limiting the arbitrage that once fueled the flywheel.

Compounding those concerns, Strategy’s software business only generates modest revenue — around $460 million to $500 million annually — insufficient to cover rising obligations like preferred stock dividends, that are projected to cost around $775 million annually for years. This reliance on equity raises to fund both Bitcoin buys and dividends heightens the dilution pressure during periods of crypto weakness.

Key Takeaway Although investors voted for the dilution plan, market reactions suggest they are suffering from buyers’ remorse, with Strategy stock falling regardless of Bitcoin’s direction. Considering executive chairman Michael Saylor has recently acknowledged circumstances where the company might sell Bitcoin — a reversal from prior statements that he would never sell — the market seems to be rejecting further dilution for Bitcoin acquisitions. 

That means the question investors face is a critical one: will Bitcoin’s price grow sufficiently to restart Strategy’s flywheel before the stock implodes?

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Jason Gewirtz is vice president of news at CNBC.  What follows is a personal account of his experience with a scammer.

Last week my cell phone rang. It was about 1:30 p.m., and the iPhone ID showed the 650 area code, which I recognized as the San Francisco Bay Area. The caller ID listed the number as unknown but labeled it as coming from San Francisco.

Given San Francisco's position in the heart of global innovation and technology and that it's the location of one of CNBC's key bureaus, I picked up despite not knowing who was calling, something people rarely do anymore.

The voice on the other end introduced himself as Brian Miller from Coinbase's security office. He quickly told me there was "suspicious activity" on my account and wanted to know if I was trying to log in from Frankfurt, Germany, on an iPhone. I told him, "No, I haven't been in Germany in 20 years, and I never use my cell phone to log into my Coinbase account." 

He told me someone with an address of "[email protected]" was in my Coinbase account and had tried to make a transfer. The man claiming to be Miller then said, "I haven't seen this one before. He's saying he lost his phone on a conveyor belt at the airport in Frankfurt and needs access." Miller stopped for a second and then said, "He's trying to make another transfer right now."

He continued, "I'm trying to figure out how he got access, he has your Social Security number, your phone and your email address. He also gave us a photo that matches your Coinbase face scan. Have you given anyone access to your information lately or have you noticed anything else suspicious on other accounts?"

"No," I said.

Looking back it's pretty clear, even to me, the attempted scam used classic pressure tactics to get me to feel like I was in danger, so I'd make a fast decision, rather than a smart one.

"They try to make you scared by making you feel like you're the victim, and they're calling to help," said Rick Wash, professor of information science at the University of Wisconsin, in a phone interview. Wash is a computer scientist who researched the possibility of electronic breaches two decades ago. He then began mixing his vast technical knowledge to focus on the personal side of the scam. 

"I began to realize the human factor was often the most critical factor of computer scams," Wash said.

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While something always seemed out of place, my suspicions grew when Miller mentioned my photo.

"I never gave Coinbase my photo," I told him. 

He said, "In order to get an account you would have had to. You might not remember doing it but we have to have it due to know-your-customer rules." Miller then told me, "He's trying to make another transfer, but I have it on hold so he can't."

I asked him to please send me an email so I know that he's really calling from Coinbase. He said, "I just sent you a case number about 10 seconds ago, you should have it." Then he asked if I had something to write with, and he read me a six-digit number. I told him that the email didn't arrive. 

"Let me send another one," he said. "This will have a new case number."

He read a second number and then said, "I'll wait until you get the email. You might not get it in your inbox because he's trying to change your email address. Check your spam." 

Both messages were in the spam folder from what appeared to be a Coinbase email. 

The messages had the same confirmation codes as the ones he gave me on the phone. There were no typos, there was a Coinbase logo and a text box with all the key information. The email address appeared to have come from Coinbase, but I thought it was odd it didn't have Miller's name on it. Then I spotted another sign that something wasn't right: The two emails came from slightly different addresses. One said "[email protected] via sportuel.com," and the other said "[email protected] via live-coinbase.com."

He asked, "When was your last Coinbase transaction?" I thought for a few seconds and then remembered buying a very small amount of "Monad" which I'd never heard of before a guest mentioned it on "Squawk Box" last month. 

Read more CNBC reporting on AIThis Meta alum has spent 10 months leading OpenAI's nationwide hunt for its Stargate data centersAI Sam Altman and the Sora copyright gamble: 'I hope Nintendo doesn't sue us'Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its latest AI model that's 'more of a colleague'Sam Altman on worries about OpenAI’s $850 billion in planned buildouts: ‘I totally get that’When he followed by asking, "What are your total assets?" I responded, "Shouldn't you know that?" 

He said, "Due to confidentiality, I can't say."

So, I gave him a wide range, being embarrassed about how little money I had, and starting to realize that something wasn't right.

Miller then told me I really needed a "Coinbase Hard Wallet" and asked if I was familiar with that. I said I was not. He offered to help me set it up. 

I asked, "First should I change my Gmail password?" 

"Probably a good idea," he said.

Then I asked, "Shouldn't I change my Coinbase password?"

At that point, he hesitated and said, "We don't recommend that. Right now I have your account on hold. If you change your password, it will freeze it for up to two weeks." 

I told Miller that I had a meeting in five minutes and asked how long it would take to get the Coinbase Hard Wallet. He told me 20 minutes. I said I had to go, but I asked if we could talk again at 3 p.m. He promised to call me back.

Close callWhen I hung up, I tried to figure out what to do next. It didn't seem right but several details lined up. I checked my account. Nothing seemed out of order.

Then I took the email addresses he had sent. I copied them and asked Claude, Anthropic's AI chatbot, if they were legitimate. The response came back, "This is almost certainly a PHISHING scam."

Several red flags popped up, including that the messages were coming from the wrong domain.

"The real Coinbase sends emails from @coinbase.com, not @live-coinbase.com. That hyphenated domain is a classic phishing tactic," according to the AI program's notes. Claude also flagged the suspicious "via" address: "Legitimate companies don't route emails through third-party domains like this," according to the AI program.

I said to myself, "Thanks, Claude," while also thinking, "That was close." 

I called an old contact in Coinbase's public relations department who told me, "I don't work there anymore, but that's probably a scam. Coinbase doesn't call people." 

She promised to send details on my situation to the current team at Coinbase who texted and called within a few minutes confirming it was a scam.

The caller ID lit up on phone, "Coinbase" and because I expected the call, I was willing to trust it despite being a little nervous at first. I told the Coinbase representative I'd write up the whole 15-minute call for her so they could hopefully use it to warn others… then decided, maybe this would be a good article for CNBC.com. 

Coinbase agreed. A spokesperson who often deals with security issues said the company has ways to prevent people from being scammed, even when the victim falls for it, including watching for large transfers or sudden sales from accounts that don't often transfer or sell crypto. 

"We invest heavily in prevention, detection, and rapid response," the spokesperson said in an email. The rep added that Coinbase would never tell a customer to transfer crypto into a safe wallet. "If someone tells you to move funds to protect them, it's a scam," the spokesperson said.

Coinbase also acknowledged that artificial intelligence was a multiplying factor in scam attempts and the quality of scams. 

"Attackers use a variety of bots and AI automations to make their workflows easier" the company said, noting that AI voice agents are being used "to create more believable automated calls."

According to ZeroShadow, a firm that tries to return stolen crypto assets back to their rightful owners, their systems have seen a 1,400% increase in "impersonation scams" in the last year. 

"The attacks come from inside and outside of the U.S., but the people behind the scams often try to hire young men or teenagers, people who have less inhibition, and train them," said Casey G., ZeroShadow's CEO, who asked that his full last name be withheld because of security threats. "They sell them scripts and sometimes voice modulation devices."

The CEO said his firm has recovered about $200 million for victims over the last four years, but he admits it's a difficult process.

"Once the crypto is out of your account, we can trace it, but getting it back isn't so easy," he said. "We need help from local authorities. Crypto has less protection than the traditional banking system in the U.S." Casey G. also said AI is being used by scam chiefs to multiply their workforce.

One of the most successful techniques the scammer used was creating a sense of urgency. By telling me there was an ongoing attempt while we were on the phone, I was almost tricked into taking action or giving up information. I felt my pulse racing and had an instinct to stop whatever was happening. 

Anti-scam experts say that's a common tactic that's getting more sophisticated as bad actors buy and sell successful "scam scripts" on the dark web. Coinbase said it advises people to "slow down, take a beat, verify things independently and don't act under pressure."

Be careful out there.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Instil Bio, Inc. (“Instil” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: TIL).  Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at [email protected] or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Instil and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. 

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On January 6, 2026, Instil issued a press release announcing that Axion Bio, Inc. (“Axion”), an Instil subsidiary, “has decided to discontinue clinical development of AXN-2510 and that Axion and ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) Inc. . . . have entered into an agreement terminating their license and collaboration agreement for AXN-2510 and AXN-27M (‘Termination Agreement’).” 

On this news, Instil’s stock price fell $5.63 per share, or 45.81%, to close at $6.66 per share on January 6, 2026.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:
Danielle Peyton
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]
646-581-9980 ext. 7980  

Key Takeaways PG is using productivity initiatives to offset inflation pressures and support margins and EPS growth.PG is driving savings through manufacturing optimization and structural cost reductions.Management says productivity funds reinvestment, but EPS still depends on volume recovery and innovation. With inflationary pressures lingering across raw materials, logistics and labor, The Procter & Gamble Company (PG - Free Report) is increasingly relying on productivity as a core earnings growth lever. Rather than depending solely on pricing, the company has ramped up cost savings, supply-chain efficiencies and organizational simplification to protect profitability. This productivity-driven approach is designed not only to offset inflation but also to create headroom for reinvestment in innovation and brand support, key pillars of PG’s long-term growth strategy.

Procter & Gamble’s productivity drive spans manufacturing optimization, procurement efficiencies and structural cost reductions, including its multi-year cost savings program. These initiatives have helped stabilize operating margins and support EPS growth even as input costs remain elevated. By simplifying product portfolios, improving demand forecasting and leveraging scale across its global supply chain, PG is converting efficiency gains directly into earnings resilience. Management has emphasized that these savings are largely structural, suggesting it can provide ongoing EPS support rather than one-time relief.

The critical test, however, is sustainability. Productivity can buffer inflation and support EPS in the near term, but long-term earnings growth still depends on volume recovery and successful innovation. If PG continues to translate efficiency gains into targeted reinvestment while avoiding cuts that impair execution, its productivity engine could remain a durable EPS driver. In an environment where pricing power is normalizing, Procter & Gamble’s ability to self-fund growth through productivity may prove decisive in sustaining earnings momentum amid persistent cost pressures.

How CHD & CL Use Productivity to Defend EPS Amid InflationAs inflation, currency volatility and input cost pressures persist, Church & Dwight (CHD - Free Report) and Colgate-Palmolive (CL - Free Report) are also increasingly relying on productivity-driven efficiency gains to protect earnings and sustain EPS growth.

Church & Dwight is using productivity as a key device to protect earnings and support EPS growth amid ongoing inflation and tariff pressure. Manufacturing efficiencies, supply-chain optimization and disciplined cost control have enabled the company to expand adjusted gross margin while continuing to invest in its brands. These productivity gains help offset higher input costs and fund marketing and innovation across core franchises such as ARM & HAMMER, THERABREATH and HERO. As pricing normalizes, CHD’s ability to self-fund growth through efficiency remains central to sustaining EPS momentum.

Colgate heavily depends on productivity programs like Funding-the-Growth to offset inflation and currency headwinds while supporting EPS stability. Cost savings from procurement, supply-chain efficiencies and organizational simplification are helping absorb pressure from higher raw material costs and softer volumes. Management is reinvesting these efficiencies into brand building and premium innovation to support longer-term growth. While productivity is cushioning near-term earnings, the durability of EPS gains will depend on CL’s success in translating efficiency into renewed volume growth.

PG’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesProcter & Gamble’s shares have lost around 6.7% in the past six months compared with the industry’s 8.4% decline.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, PG trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17X compared with the industry’s average of 18.19X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PG’s fiscal 2026 and 2027 EPS indicates year-over-year growth of 2.1% and 5%, respectively. The company’s EPS estimates for fiscal 2026 and 2027 have moved southward in the past seven days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Takeaways Boston Beer's third-quarter gross margin rises to 50.8%, up 450 bps, its highest since 2018.Boston Beer's revenues drop 11.2% amid shipment declines of nearly 14% and 3% lower depletions.SAM's mix shift to "Beyond Beer" products and 90% in-house production boosts margins and efficiency. The Boston Beer Company (SAM - Free Report) is navigating a complex inflection point where operating execution is improving even as consumer demand remains uneven. In a challenging macro backdrop marked by pressured discretionary spending and shifting alcohol preferences, the company has seen volume softness across several core brands. Yet, rather than relying solely on top-line growth, management has leaned heavily into margin expansion, cost discipline and portfolio mix improvement. This raises a key investor question: Can stronger profitability and efficiency gains meaningfully offset weaker shipment and depletion trends?

In the third quarter of 2025, Boston Beer delivered a gross margin of 50.8%, up 450 basis points (bps) year over year, its highest level since 2018. For the first nine months of 2025, gross margin reached 49.7%, while EPS rose to $11.82. Volumes remain under pressure, with depletions down 3% and shipments down nearly 14% in the third quarter. However, margin gains driven by procurement savings, brewery efficiencies, pricing actions and favorable mix are clearly cushioning earnings.

Boston Beer’s ability to protect profitability reflects years of investment in operational flexibility and a deliberate pivot toward higher-margin categories. The company now produces about 90% of its domestic volume internally, up sharply from last year, improving scale efficiency and cost absorption. At the same time, its portfolio tilt toward “Beyond Beer” products, such as Twisted Tea, Sun Cruiser and Truly, supports richer margins than traditional craft beer. While some brands are facing near-term demand headwinds, newer offerings like Sun Cruiser are contributing positively to the mix and reinforcing the company’s margin profile.

That said, margin strength alone is not a permanent substitute for volume growth. While Boston Beer has shown it can expand earnings in a softer demand environment, sustained top-line declines would eventually limit operating leverage. The company’s strategy of reinvesting some margin upside into advertising, innovation and local market activation suggests management recognizes this balance. If category conditions stabilize and brand investments translate into improved velocity, Boston Beer’s margin gains could prove to be not just a defensive buffer but a platform for renewed earnings growth.

SAM’s Zacks Rank & Share Price PerformanceShares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 6.5% in the past six months, outperforming the Zacks Beverages - Alcohol industry’s decline of 2.8% and the broader Consumer Staples sector’s fall of 3.2%.

SAM Stock's Six-Month Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Is SAM Stock a Value Play?Boston Beer’s shares are currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 18.11X, which represents a meaningful premium to the industry average of 14.89X, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s margin expansion, brand portfolio strength and long-term growth potential despite near-term volume pressures.

SAM P/E Ratio (Forward 12 Months)
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stocks to ConsiderUnited Natural Foods (UNFI - Free Report) is a key distributor of natural, organic and specialty food and non-food products. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for United Natural Foods' current financial-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 1.4% and 197.2%, respectively, from the prior-year levels. UNFI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 52.1%, on average.

The Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO - Free Report) develops, markets and distributes coconut water products under the Vita Coco brand name in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. COCO currently flaunts a Zacks Rank of 1.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vita Coco's current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 18% and 15%, respectively, from the year-ago reported figures. Vita Coco delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.4%, on average.

McCormick & Company (MKC - Free Report) is a key manufacturer and distributor of spices, seasonings, specialty foods and flavors and has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. MKC delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 2.2%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MKC’s current financial-year sales and EPS implies growth of 1.6% and 2.4%, respectively, from the year-ago numbers.

Key Takeaways Teradyne is seeing AI-driven growth as demand rises for testing high-performance chips used in AI systems. KLAC benefits from strong AI investment through its leadership in process control and advanced packaging. KLAC's faster-growing packaging business and earnings momentum give it an edge over Teradyne. Teradyne (TER - Free Report) and KLA Corporation (KLAC - Free Report) are major players in the AI Infrastructure market. While Teradyne focuses on automated test equipment essential for validating high-performance AI chips, KLA provides advanced process control and inspection solutions that enable manufacturers to produce increasingly complex semiconductors used in AI data centers and applications.

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), spending on AI infrastructure is expected to surpass $758 billion by 2029, with 94.3% of the spending allocated to servers equipped with embedded accelerators. IDC expects momentum in AI investment to continue in 2026, driven by strong spending from hyperscalers and cloud service providers. According to Gartner, global AI spending is expected to exceed $2 trillion in 2026 compared with an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2025. Both Teradyne and KLA are expected to benefit from this rapid growth pace.

So, TER or KLAC — Which of these AI Infrastructure stocks has the greater upside potential? Let’s find out.

The Case for TER StockTeradyne is benefiting from the growing demand for AI infrastructure, which has been a major growth driver of its success. It is benefiting from strong AI-related demand that is driving significant investments in cloud AI build-out as customers accelerate the production of a wide range of AI accelerators, networking, memory and power devices.

The company’s UltraFLEXplus system is specifically designed for high-performance processors and networking devices, which are critical for AI applications. This has proven to be a key driver in boosting the Semiconductor Test business. In the third quarter of 2025, Semiconductor Test revenues rose 7% year over year and 23% sequentially, accounting for 78.8% of sales in the reported quarter.

Teradyne is integrating AI features into its robotics products, such as UR cobots and AMRs, to enhance performance in AI-driven work cell applications. In the third quarter of 2025, 8% of robotics sales were for AI-related products, up from 6% in the previous quarter.

TER anticipates AI-related demand to remain the primary engine of growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 and beyond. For the fourth quarter of 2025, Teradyne expects revenues between $920 million and $1 billion.

The Case for KLAC StockKLA is benefiting from the growing demand for AI infrastructure through its leadership in process control and its ability to address growth markets in wafer fab equipment (WFE), including high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced packaging.

The company has seen significant growth in its advanced packaging portfolio, which is essential for heterogeneous device integration in AI applications. KLAC’s advanced packaging systems revenue is expected to exceed $925 million in calendar year 2025, marking a 70% year-over-year increase.

Strong investments in WFE and advanced packaging represent a strong growth opportunity for the company. Growth of advanced packaging supporting heterogeneous chip integration has become a new market for KLAC, currently worth $11 billion and growing faster than the core WFE.

Looking ahead to 2026, KLAC expects continued growth in AI-related investments, with a broader spending profile across WFE and advanced packaging.  The company anticipates accelerating growth in the second half of 2026, driven by increased investments in leading-edge logic, HBM, and advanced packaging. For fiscal second-quarter 2026, revenues are expected to be $3.225 billion, plus/minus $150 million.

Price Performance and Valuation of TER and KLACIn the trailing 12-month period, shares of Teradyne and KLAC  have appreciated 72.5% and 104.4%, respectively. The outperformance of KLAC stock can be attributed to its dominant process control market share, strong AI infrastructure investment and strong momentum in advanced packaging.

Despite Teradyne’s expanding AI portfolio, the company is suffering from weak demand in the mobile and auto industrial segments, which is impacting overall business performance. Continued investments in factory expansion across multiple geographies to meet AI-related demand may lead to further pressure on gross margins in the near term. Stiff competition also remains a concern.

TER and KLAC Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Valuation-wise, Teradyne and KLA shares are currently overvalued, as suggested by a Value Score of D and F, respectively.

In terms of forward 12-month Price/Sales, TER shares are trading at 9.52X, lower than KLA’s 14.63X.

TER and KLAC Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

How Do Earnings Estimates Compare for TER & KLAC?The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TER’s 2025 earnings is pegged at $3.54 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. This indicates a 9.94% increase year over year.

The Zacks’ Consensus Estimate for KLAC’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $35.61 per share, which has increased 0.53% over the past 30 days. This indicates a 7% increase year over year.

ConclusionWhile both Teradyne and KLA stand to benefit from the booming AI Infrastructure market, KLAC offers a greater upside potential due to its strong leadership in process control, faster-growing advanced packaging business and stronger earnings momentum.

Teradyne’s robust and diversified portfolio to meet the rising demand for AI-driven technologies is contributing to its growth prospects continuously, driving top-line growth. However, sluggishness in mobile, auto, and industrial end-markets, margin pressure, and intensifying competition remain a headwind.

Currently, KLA sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), making the stock a stronger pick than Teradyne, which has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Takeaways STRL is benefiting from mission-critical E-Infrastructure growth driven by large data center and projects.STRL posted a $2.6B Q3 backlog, up 64% year over year, providing multi-year project visibility through 2026.MTZ reported a record $16.78B backlog as power, clean energy and communications demand offset timing issues. Ongoing public and private investment continues to underpin demand across the U.S. infrastructure construction landscape, with activity spanning transportation networks, utility systems, energy infrastructure, and mission-critical development tied to data centers and industrial expansion. Within this backdrop, Sterling Infrastructure (STRL - Free Report) and MasTec, Inc. (MTZ - Free Report) have emerged as two well-positioned contractors, each highlighting strong project activity, healthy customer demand, and a focus on disciplined execution across their respective platforms.

While both companies are benefiting from long-term infrastructure spending trends, their operating focus differs. Sterling is more concentrated on higher-margin site development and mission-critical projects, while MasTec offers broader exposure across communications, power delivery, energy and pipeline infrastructure. Furthermore, easing financial conditions following recent monetary policy shifts could provide an additional tailwind for infrastructure investment and project financing activity.

Let’s dive deep and closely compare the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which one looks stronger now.

The Case for STRL StockThis Texas-based infrastructure services provider is seeing continued strength across its core operations as large-scale project activity remains elevated. Demand tied to mission-critical site development is supporting growth in E-Infrastructure, led primarily by data center and industrial work. Sterling continues to benefit from customer investment in complex, long-duration projects that require disciplined execution and integrated site development capabilities.

The company’s E-Infrastructure business remains the primary growth driver, supported by rising demand for large and complex mission-critical projects. Data centers continue to anchor activity within this segment, with revenues from this market rising more than 125% year over year in the third quarter of 2025. The company’s focus on data centers, e-commerce distribution and manufacturing facilities positions it well within higher-growth infrastructure markets, where project scale and execution reliability are increasingly critical.

Despite these favorable trends, some near-term headwinds persist. Residential-related activity remains pressured as affordability challenges continue to weigh on housing demand. In addition, elevated project complexity and permitting timelines across certain large developments can introduce variability in project timing, creating short-term noise even as underlying demand remains intact.

Looking ahead, the company expects its backlog and project pipeline to support multi-year visibility through 2026. Sterling reported a $2.6 billion backlog in the third quarter, representing a 64% year-over-year increase, and highlighted additional visibility from negotiated awards and future phases of ongoing megaprojects. With E-Infrastructure accounting for the majority of this pipeline and mission-critical demand expected to remain solid, the company believes it is well-positioned to sustain growth as large projects advance into later construction phases.

The Case for MTZ StockThis Florida-based infrastructure construction company continues to benefit from broad-based demand across communications, clean energy, power delivery, and pipeline infrastructure markets. MasTec reported strong operating momentum through the third quarter of 2025, supported by higher activity levels across multiple end markets and solid execution on large, complex projects. The company emphasized that diversified exposure and scale are helping support consistent project flow amid ongoing infrastructure investment trends.

Strength was particularly evident across the company’s non-pipeline segments. During the third quarter of 2025, communications, clean energy, and power delivery all delivered solid growth, driven by rising wireless and wireline deployments, renewable energy construction, and grid modernization work. For the first nine months of 2025, Power Delivery segment revenues increased 16.8% year over year, reflecting continued investment in transmission and distribution upgrades as electricity demand rises and utilities modernize aging infrastructure. Segment backlog also expanded, reinforcing visibility tied to long-duration utility projects.

However, the company continues to face some near-term challenges. Project timing and permitting issues have contributed to variability in certain large programs, particularly within Power Delivery. In addition, shifts in customer capital spending and project mix have weighed on near-term margin progression, even as underlying demand across energy and communications markets remains supportive.

Looking ahead, MTZ expects backlog strength to support multi-year growth visibility. As of Sept. 30, 2025, the total 18-month backlog reached a record $16.78 billion, representing a 21.1% year-over-year increase. With ongoing grid investment, expanding communications infrastructure and improving pipeline visibility, the company believes it is well-positioned to benefit from sustained infrastructure spending as projects advance into future construction phases.

Stock Performance & ValuationAs witnessed from the chart below, in the past six months, Sterling’s share price performance stands above MasTec and the Zacks Construction sector.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Considering valuation, Sterling is currently trading at a discount compared with MasTec on a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio basis.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Comparing EPS Estimate Trends of STRL & MTZSTRL’s earnings estimates for 2026 have remained unchanged in the past 60 days at $11.95 per share. This indicates expected earnings growth of 14.6% year over year on projected revenue growth of 19.1%.

STRL's EPS Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

MTZ’s earnings estimates for 2026 have remained unchanged in the past 60 days at $8.2 per share. This indicates expected earnings growth of 28.3% year over year on projected revenue growth of 8.4%.

MTZ’s EPS Trend
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Which Construction Stock Looks More Compelling Now?Sterling and MasTec both stand to benefit from sustained U.S. infrastructure spending, but their fundamentals suggest different near-term investment profiles. Sterling is gaining momentum from its growing exposure to mission-critical projects, an improving mix toward higher-margin E-Infrastructure work, and stronger earnings visibility tied to data centers and industrial development. MasTec offers broader diversification across communications, power delivery, energy, and pipeline infrastructure, supported by a record backlog, but faces greater variability tied to project timing, permitting, and margin progression on large-scale work.

As both Sterling and MasTec currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), Sterling’s stronger recent share price performance and discounted valuation make it the comparatively better construction stock at this time. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Key Takeaways RGTI says chiplet architecture is delivering results, supporting a 1,000-plus qubit system target by 2027.Rigetti is advancing from 9- to 36-qubit chiplets, with ~99.5% fidelity, enabling scale toward 150 qubits.RGTI's modular chiplets are built and tested independently which lowers execution risk. Rigetti Computing’s (RGTI - Free Report) confidence in reaching a 1,000-plus qubit system by 2027 is increasingly anchored in its chiplet-based architecture rather than incremental lab optimism. Management made it clear on the third quarter earnings call that chiplets are no longer a theoretical scaling path, they are already delivering measurable results.

The company is progressing from 9-qubit chiplets today to 36-qubit chiplets as the foundational building block for large systems, allowing Rigetti to scale qubit counts without the yield and complexity risks that come with monolithic chips. Importantly, this approach is already producing strong data, with current 36-qubit chiplet systems demonstrating nearly 99.5% two-qubit gate fidelity, giving management confidence that tiling these units can support rapid expansion toward 150 qubits in 2026 and beyond.

Rigetti is leveraging repeatable, modular units that can be manufactured, tested, and improved independently. This modularity lowers execution risk while preserving flexibility as the company pushes fidelity higher. As a result, the path to 1,000 qubits looks less like a speculative leap and more like a series of controlled steps, making Rigetti’s timeline feel increasingly achievable rather than aspirational.

Peers UpdatesIonQ (IONQ - Free Report) recently broadened its strategic collaboration with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, outlining plans to deploy a next-generation 100-qubit IonQ Tempo quantum system in support of South Korea’s National Quantum Computing Center of Excellence. The system will be integrated into KISTI’s flagship KISTI-6 supercomputing platform, establishing the country’s first on-site hybrid quantum–classical computing environment.

From an investor standpoint, the agreement highlights IonQ’s increasing momentum with national research bodies and its capability to integrate quantum hardware directly within large-scale HPC ecosystems. This expands practical use cases while reinforcing IonQ’s positioning as a long-term infrastructure partner in the evolving global quantum landscape.

D-Wave Quantum (QBTS - Free Report) recently announced a key technical milestone with the successful demonstration of scalable on-chip cryogenic control for gate-model quantum computers. This industry-first achievement addresses one of the biggest barriers to large-scale quantum systems. By dramatically reducing the amount of wiring needed to control qubits, without sacrificing fidelity, the breakthrough improves the practicality and scalability of gate-model architectures. Notably, D-Wave validated that the same cryogenic control technology already used in its commercial annealing systems can be applied to gate-model QPUs, reinforcing the company’s ability to leverage existing engineering strengths across platforms.

Rigetti’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of RGTI have gained 59.3% in the last six-month period against the industry’s decline of 13.8%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, Rigetti trades at a price-to-book ratio of 22.74, above the industry average. RGTI carries a Value Score of F.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Rigetti’s 2025 earnings implies a significant 88.9% decline from the year-ago period.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

ORIC Pharmaceuticals is advancing two best-in-class small molecule inhibitors targeting resistance mechanisms in prostate and lung cancer. ORIC's $413 million cash position, bolstered by a 2025 equity raise, secures operations and Phase 3 trial funding into the second half of 2028. Rinzimetostat and enozertinib have shown promising efficacy and safety in early trials, with both candidates entering registrational Phase 3 studies by 2026.

HBAR price continued its strong downward trend and hit a crucial support level as the crypto market retreat gained steam.

Summary

HBAR price has formed a descending triangle pattern on the daily timeframe chart. The total value locked of all assets in Hedera has plunged to $61.5 million. The stablecoin supply dropped by 16% in the last seven days to $49 million. Hedera (HBAR) token dropped to a crucial support level at $0.1037, erasing all gains made earlier this year. It has dropped by 65% from its highest point in July last year.

HBAR crashed even as Hedera’s team traveled to Davos, Switzerland, where it is sponsoring the US House alongside other companies such as Microsoft, Pfizer, C3.ai, Qualcomm, and HPE.

The team, including Mance Harmon, the Chairman and co-founder of Hedera, and Eric Piscine, are attending and participating in key events at the event, which brings together some of the biggest companies and policymakers in the world. 

HBAR price also retreated as key network metrics continued to deteriorate. Data compiled by DeFi Llama shows that the total value locked in the DeFi ecosystem dropped by 7.65% in the last 30 days to $61 million, down from the all-time high of over $205 million. It has dropped to the lowest level since November 2024.

Hedera’s network has a lower TVL than other blockchains like Sui, Base, Solana, and Hyperliquid. Also, the stablecoin market fell 17% over the last seven days to $49 million. Its stablecoin supply is also much lower than that of other smaller chains, such as Sui, Sei, and Aptos.

The falling stablecoin supply is notable given that the industry is still growing, with the market capitalization of all stablecoins in circulation exceeding $300 billion.  Also, the decline is important because the network launched Stablecoin Studio, which provides companies with all the tools to launch and operate their stablecoins.

Additionally, the Canary HBAR ETF has struggled to gain momentum, with cumulative inflows rising to over $85 million while net assets stand at $57 million.

HBAR price technical analysis  Hedera price chart | Source: crypto.news  The daily timeframe chart shows that the HBAR price has been in a strong downward trend in the past few months, moving from a high of $0.3045 in July to the current $0.1085.

It has formed a descending triangle pattern, which is made up of a horizontal support and a descending trendline that connects the highest swings since September last year.

The token remains below the 50-day and 100-day Exponential Moving Averages and the Supertrend indicator. Therefore, the token will likely continue falling, potentially to the key support level at $0.08500.

Quick Take “We want to be the best regulatory regime for digital assets and creativity to spark innovation,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a press conference at Davos on Tuesday.  Bessent also reiterated the goal of the strategic bitcoin reserve.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s commitment to positioning the United States as a global leader in cryptocurrency innovation and continuing plans for a strategic bitcoin reserve during the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"We want to be the best regulatory regime for digital assets and creativity to spark innovation," Bessent said during a press conference in Davos on Tuesday when asked by journalist Christine Lee for an update on the U.S.'s bitcoin strategic reserve. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to retain the U.S. government's bitcoin holdings as a strategic asset and to look for "budget-neutral" strategies to expand this reserve. 

Bessent declined to respond to a question about the $6 million worth of bitcoin forfeited by Samourai Wallet developers Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill as part of their guilty plea, which Bitcoin Magazine reported earlier this month may have been sold by the U.S. Marshall Service. Last week, top White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt said those bitcoins have not been liquidated, and therefore did not go against Trump's strategic bitcoin reserve executive order. 

Trump signed the executive order in March 2025 for a strategic bitcoin reserve. It said that bitcoin in the reserve will initially come from funds forfeited as part of a criminal or civil asset forfeiture, and that bitcoin deposited into the reserve cannot be sold.

"The policy of this government is to add seized bitcoin to our digital asset reserve after the damages are done," he said. "So the bitcoin reserve, our view, was first you have to stop selling, which we have done, and then we can add the assets and asset forfeitures." 

Bessent also referenced work being done in Washington D.C. to pass legislation that would regulate the crypto industry as a whole and said that Trump wants to bring "digital assets and innovation onshore to the U.S." Progress on passing crypto market structure legislation hit a roadbump last week after the Senate Banking Committee postponed its hearing to amend and vote on its version of the bill following disagreements over how to treat stablecoin rewards and after Coinbase withdrew its support. 

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