Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

DigitalOcean Holdings shares are climbing with conviction. What’s behind DOCN gains? Revenue Outlook Raises Questions About the Sustainability of Recent GrowthThe headline figure is a 29% year-over-year revenue increase expected for the second-quarter period, a dramatic step up from the 14% expansion the business delivered in the second quarter of 2025. Alongside the top-line beat the company said profitability metrics are also tracking ahead of plan with adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP net income per share both on pace to finish at or beyond the upper boundary of guidance issued earlier this year.

DigitalOcean’s AI Customer Momentum Is AcceleratingCEO Paddy Srinivasan said customers are gravitating toward the platform because of its purpose-built architecture for inference and agentic applications and the cost advantages it offers over providers that simply rent out GPU hardware without the surrounding software layer.

DigitalOcean Expands Data Center Capacity to Meet DemandOn the infrastructure side the company locked in an additional 20 megawatts of data center space scheduled to become operational across late 2027 and early 2028 lifting its total secured capacity to around 155 megawatts. Management said conversations about securing further capacity beyond that are ongoing.

The stronger business trajectory is also expected to push the company’s full year revenue exit rate above what it had previously projected with specifics to be shared when formal quarterly results are released.

DOCN Shares Are JumpingDOCN Price Action: DigitalOcean shares were up 7.85% at $141.69 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Key Takeaways Sterling shares surged 215.9% in a year, far outpacing the industry, sector and S&P 500.STRL's first-quarter revenues jumped 92%, adjusted EPS rose 120%, and full-year guidance increased.Sterling's record backlog and E-Infrastructure growth support visibility into future project demand. Sterling Infrastructure (STRL - Free Report) has been one of the top-performing infrastructure stocks over the past year, with its shares soaring 215.9%. The rally has far outpaced the Zacks Engineering - R&D Services industry's 36.8% gain, the Zacks Construction sector's 18.9% increase and the S&P 500's 23.9% return. Investors have rewarded the company for delivering outstanding financial performance while successfully positioning itself at the center of several long-term infrastructure trends, including AI-driven data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and mission-critical construction.

STRL Price Performance (1 Year)

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The sharp rise in the stock, however, has pushed Sterling's valuation above the industry average. The stock currently trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 31.76X compared with the industry average of 29.8X. While the premium is not excessive, it raises an important question for investors: Does Sterling's business outlook justify paying more for the stock, or has most of its future growth already been reflected in the current share price?

STRL Valuation vs Industry - P/E (F12M)

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Sterling's latest operating performance suggests the premium may still be supported. The company continues to report record earnings, rapidly expanding backlog and improving guidance, while analysts remain overwhelmingly bullish on its long-term prospects.

Sterling's Growth Story Remains StrongSterling's investment case continues to be supported by powerful earnings momentum and growing exposure to some of the fastest-growing infrastructure markets.

The company's first-quarter 2026 performance demonstrated that demand remains exceptionally strong. Revenues surged 92% year over year, while adjusted earnings per share jumped 120%. Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled, supported by expanding margins and strong execution across large infrastructure projects. Following these results, management raised its full-year guidance, expecting revenues between $3.7 billion and $3.8 billion and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $18.40-$19.05.

Analysts have become increasingly optimistic as well. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings has increased to $19.12 per share from $13.65, reflecting expected growth of 75.7% from 2025. Revenues are projected to climb 59.2% in 2026, followed by another 29.1% increase in 2027, while EPS is expected to grow another 35.1%.

STRL EPS Estimate Revision Trend
 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Wall Street also remains highly positive on the stock. Sterling carries an Average Brokerage Recommendation (ABR) of 1.00, with all nine covering analysts rating the shares a Strong Buy. The average price target of $945.71 suggests roughly 32% upside from current levels.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Data Centers & Semiconductors Drive Long-Term OpportunityThe biggest driver of Sterling's future growth continues to be its rapidly expanding E-Infrastructure business.

First-quarter E-Infrastructure revenues increased 174%, while adjusted operating income climbed 177%, benefiting from continued investment in data centers and other mission-critical projects. Management noted that more than 90% of the segment's backlog now comes from mission-critical projects, including data centers, advanced manufacturing and semiconductor facilities.

The company also secured the initial phase of a large semiconductor fabrication campus during the quarter. Management believes this award represents only the beginning of a much larger semiconductor opportunity expected to accelerate later this decade. Sterling also continues expanding into new geographic markets as hyperscale customers increase investments across Texas, the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest.

Another important advantage is Sterling's growing ability to provide both site development and electrical services through the CEC acquisition. Management said that cross-selling opportunities are materializing much faster than originally expected, allowing the company to secure integrated contracts that improve productivity while supporting future margin expansion.

STRL’s Backlog and Acquisitions Provide Better VisibilitySterling's record backlog provides another reason for investor confidence. Signed backlog reached $3.8 billion at the end of the first quarter, up 78% year over year, while combined backlog climbed 131% to $5.15 billion. Including unsigned awards and future project phases, Sterling now has visibility into nearly $6.5 billion of future work. Management believes increasing project size, complexity and duration continues to strengthen long-term earnings visibility.

The company is also using acquisitions to expand both its capabilities and geographic reach. After successfully integrating CEC, Sterling recently acquired Stone Ridge Contracting, strengthening its site development operations across the Pacific Northwest and Texas. Stone Ridge is expected to generate between $180 million and $200 million of revenues during 2026 while further expanding Sterling's presence in high-growth data center and industrial markets.

Strong cash generation and a healthy balance sheet provide additional flexibility to pursue further acquisitions while continuing share repurchases.

Premium Valuation Leaves Less Room for ErrorAlthough Sterling's long-term outlook remains attractive, investors should recognize that expectations have become much higher following the stock's remarkable rally.

At 31.76X forward earnings, Sterling trades above the industry average. Such a valuation requires the company to continue delivering exceptional execution, sustained earnings growth and steady margin expansion.

The Building Solutions segment also remains under pressure. While first-quarter revenues improved modestly, management continues to expect residential construction markets to remain challenging throughout 2026 because of affordability pressures.

In addition, Sterling's growth increasingly depends on continued investment in AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers and semiconductor manufacturing. Any slowdown in these capital spending trends, project delays or weaker customer investment could reduce future growth expectations. Likewise, integrating acquisitions while maintaining industry-leading margins across rapidly expanding operations remains an ongoing execution challenge.

Sterling vs. Its CompetitorsSterling competes with EMCOR Group (EME - Free Report) , MasTec (MTZ - Free Report) and Granite Construction (GVA - Free Report) across data centers, utilities, transportation and other large infrastructure projects.

Sterling has significantly outperformed all three competitors over the past year, with its 215.9% gain comfortably exceeding MasTec's 126.3% increase, Granite Construction's 60.2% rise and EMCOR's 45.5% advance. The superior stock performance reflects Sterling's faster earnings growth and increasing exposure to AI-related infrastructure spending.

Valuation tells a balanced story. Sterling's forward P/E multiple of 31.76X sits above EMCOR's 25.27X but below MasTec's 36.18X, while Granite Construction trades at a lower valuation than Sterling. EMCOR offers investors a less expensive alternative with strong execution, MasTec commands the richest valuation because of its own infrastructure growth prospects, while Granite Construction provides steadier exposure to traditional public infrastructure markets. Sterling appears reasonably valued relative to its expected growth and sits between the lower-risk EMCOR and the higher-valued MasTec.

Is STRL Stock Still a Buy?Sterling is no longer a bargain after more than tripling over the past year, but its premium valuation appears supported by equally impressive business momentum.

The company continues benefiting from favorable long-term trends in AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and advanced industrial construction. Record backlog, rising analyst estimates, expanding margins, disciplined capital allocation and strategic acquisitions further strengthen its growth outlook.

While investors should expect occasional volatility after such a strong rally, Sterling's improving fundamentals suggest its growth story remains intact. Backed by a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), the stock still appears capable of delivering further upside for long-term investors, even while trading at a modest premium to the industry. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Takeaways HST shares gained 18.8% in three months, supported by demand in key U.S. and Sunbelt markets.HST raised 2026 comparable hotel RevPAR and total RevPAR growth guidance after a strong first quarter.Host Hotels backs growth with capital recycling, strong liquidity and ongoing dividends and share repurchases. Shares of Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (HST - Free Report) have gained 18.8% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 2.3%.

Host Hotels, which has a portfolio of luxury and upper-upscale hotels in top U.S. markets and the Sunbelt region, is poised to benefit from the strong demand drivers in these markets.

Strong leisure demand and improving group business are expected to support the RevPAR growth through healthy occupancy trends. Also, a strategic capital-recycling program and a healthy balance sheet augur well.

Analysts seem positive on this lodging REIT, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2026 FFO per share has been revised 2 cents northward to $2.13 over the past month.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Factors Behind HST’s Share Price RiseHost Hotels has a strong Sunbelt exposure and a presence in the top 21 U.S. markets. Its properties are strategically located in central business districts, near major airports and resort and conference destinations, which support both leisure and business travel demand.

In the first quarter of 2026, comparable hotel RevPAR rose 4.4% year over year, while comparable hotel total RevPAR increased 4.6%. Reflecting solid demand trends, management raised full-year 2026 comparable hotel RevPAR growth guidance to 3-4.5% and total RevPAR growth guidance to 3.5-5%. The outlook is supported by continued leisure and group travel demand, as well as incremental demand expected from major events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With supply growth in its markets and chain scales remaining low, this backdrop should support continued RevPAR growth.

Host Hotels continues to sell non-strategic assets and redeploy the proceeds into higher-quality hotels and portfolio reinvestment. Per the company’s May 2026 Investor Presentation, from 2021 to 2026, it completed $2.9 billion of dispositions at a 16.2x EBITDA multiple. Its acquisitions during this period totaled $3.3 billion at a 13.3x EBITDA multiple. With the hotel transaction activity remaining relatively muted, the company’s scale and investment-grade balance sheet provide the flexibility to pursue acquisitions and continue capital recycling when valuations are favorable.

Host Hotels maintains a strong balance sheet that provides flexibility to reinvest in its portfolio. As of March 31, 2026, the company had approximately $3.4 billion of total available liquidity. Total debt was approximately $5.1 billion, with a weighted average maturity of 4.9 years and a weighted average interest rate of 4.8%. The company had no significant debt maturities in 2026. Net leverage was 2.5x on a credit facility basis, while 99% of the consolidated portfolio was unencumbered, underscoring its financial flexibility. This strong liquidity position should help Host Hotels fund its 2026 capital program while preserving financial flexibility for acquisitions and shareholder returns, including dividends and share repurchases.

Host Hotels continues to emphasize shareholder returns through dividends and repurchases. The board authorized a regular quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share and a special dividend of 72-cent per share, payable in mid-July to stockholders of record at the end of June. During the first quarter, the company repurchased 4.0 million shares for $75 million at an average price of $18.97, and it had $405 million of remaining authorization at quarter end. This supports continued capital returns to shareholders.

With the factors mentioned above, the positive trend in the stock is expected to continue in the near term.

Risks Likely to Affect HST’s Positive TrendMacroeconomic uncertainty and a cautious approach by many businesses are likely to hurt demand for its properties in the near term. The competitive landscape and elevated interest expenses are other concerns.

Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are Cousins Properties (CUZ - Free Report) and Welltower (WELL - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CUZ’s 2026 FFO per share is pegged at $2.95, which indicates year-over-year growth of 3.87%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WELL’s full-year FFO per share is pinned at $6.32, which calls for an increase of 19.47% from the year-ago period’s level.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

Key Takeaways PacBio gains from product development and a Q1 earnings beat despite funding challenges.PACB's SPRQ-Nx chemistry boosts yields and targets sub-$300 genome sequencing at scale.PacBio sees research funding uncertainty weighing on Revio and Vega demand through 2026. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (PACB - Free Report) , popularly known as PacBio, has been gaining from its continued product development. The optimism, led by strong first-quarter results, is expected to contribute further. However, concerns about funding headwinds persist.

In the year-to-date period, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s shares have lost 11.2% compared with the 12.4% decline of the industry. The S&P 500 Composite has improved 9.4% in the said time frame.

The renowned global provider of sequencing systems has a market capitalization of $521.8 million. The company projects 22.6% growth for 2026 and expects to maintain its strong performance in the future. PacBio’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 29.8%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Factors Favoring PACB’s GrowthSequencing Technologies Strengthen Market Leadership: PacBio differentiates itself in the genomics industry through its proprietary HiFi long-read sequencing, based on Single-Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) technology. This technology enables the high-accuracy, real-time detection of complex genomic structures, such as structural variations, haplotypes and epigenetic modifications.

Per a report by Data Bridge Market Research, the global SMRT market size was valued at $2.88 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $4.36 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 5.3%. Additionally, PacBio has expanded its offerings by integrating Sequencing by Binding chemistry with the launch of its Onso system in 2022, a short-read platform delivering ≥90% of bases at Q40+ accuracy, 15 times more precise than traditional sequencing methods. By providing both long-read and short-read technologies, PacBio uniquely serves diverse research and clinical applications while driving down costs and enhancing variant detection.

Robust Product Portfolio Driving Growth: PacBio continues to strengthen its competitive position through innovation in its HiFi sequencing platform. The company's SPRQ-Nx chemistry is gaining traction, delivering higher sequencing yields and enabling human whole-genome sequencing costs below $300 at scale through reusable SMRT Cells. Management plans to extend the technology to the Vega platform later this year, enhancing throughput and workflow efficiency.

PacBio is also advancing its next-generation ultra-high-throughput sequencing platform to target large-scale clinical and population genomics opportunities. Additionally, its collaboration with Basecamp Research to sequence roughly 100,000 metagenomic samples highlights the expanding role of HiFi sequencing in AI-driven biological research and underscores the technology's growing adoption across emerging applications.

Strong Q1 Results: PacBio exited the first quarter of 2026 with mixed results, wherein earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate while revenues missed the same. Stable top-line performance, despite softer instrument sales, reflected continued strength in consumables demand and improving utilization trends across the installed base.

Growth in consumables revenues, expansion across the EMEA region and disciplined expense management were encouraging. The company also reported a significantly narrower operating loss year over year, supported by lower operating expenses and continued restructuring benefits.

A Factor That May Offset PACB’s GainsFunding Headwinds Continue to Weigh on Instrument Demand: PacBio continues to face funding-related headwinds that are weighing on instrument demand, particularly across academic and government research markets. Uncertainty around grant funding and cautious capital spending have pressured purchases of both Revio and Vega systems, with Vega being more exposed to academic budget constraints.

While the company is seeing growing interest from clinical and commercial customers, management does not anticipate a meaningful recovery in research funding through 2026 and recently lowered the high end of its annual revenue outlook due in part to weaker instrument demand. Although the upcoming commercial launch of SPRQ-Nx chemistry could improve the attractiveness of PacBio’s sequencing platforms by lowering costs and boosting throughput, near-term instrument growth is expected to remain dependent on expanding clinical adoption rather than a broad recovery in research spending.

Estimate TrendPacBio has been witnessing a stable estimate revision trend for 2026. Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its adjusted loss per share has remained stable at 41 cents.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 revenues is pegged at $165.8 million, indicating a 3.6% increase from the year-ago reported numbers.

Other Key PicksSome other top-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Globus Medical (GMED - Free Report) , West Pharmaceutical (WST - Free Report) and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Free Report) .

Globus Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, reported a first-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.12 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 22.1%. Revenues of $759.9 million beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.0%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

GMED has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 10.2% compared with the industry’s 12.6% growth. The company’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 26.3%.

West Pharmaceutical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, reported first-quarter 2026 EPS of $2.13, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 26.8%. Revenues of $844.9 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.5%. 

WST has an estimated long-term earnings growth rate of 13.9% compared with the industry’s 9.5% growth. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 19.4%.

Intuitive Surgical, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, reported first-quarter 2026 adjusted EPS of $2.50, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 20.2%. Revenues of $2.77 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.2%.

ISRG has a long-term estimated growth rate of 14.6% compared with the industry’s 12.6% growth. The company’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 16.8%.

Key Takeaways Reddit is expanding AI safety with bot verification, spam detection and privacy-focused human checks. RDDT aims to protect authentic conversations through stronger moderation, transparency and safety tools. Reddit targets 100 million daily U.S. users through product, onboarding and community improvements. Reddit (RDDT - Free Report) is benefiting from its accelerated focus on AI safety and user trust, which has become a cornerstone of its growth strategy in 2026. The company’s leadership recognizes that authentic human conversation is a scarce and increasingly valuable asset in the digital age.

With more than 25 billion posts and comments and nearly 500 million weekly users, Reddit’s platform is uniquely positioned to provide real human perspectives, an essential resource for both AI model training and genuine user engagement. To protect the integrity of this large collection of human-generated content, Reddit has increased its AI safety efforts by advancing bot verification, increasing transparency around automated accounts, and adopting secure authentication technologies such as Passkeys.

Further expanding its AI safety initiatives, Reddit has outlined new measures to preserve authentic human conversations as AI-generated content becomes more common online. The company is expanding AI-powered detection systems to identify spam, fake engagement, and coordinated manipulation while strengthening human oversight and moderator tools.

Reddit is also introducing privacy-focused human verification methods to distinguish real users from bots without compromising anonymity. RDDT will continue investing in safety technologies, transparency, and community-driven moderation to ensure discussions remain trustworthy. These efforts are designed to protect Reddit’s unique value as a platform built on genuine human experiences and conversations in the AI era.

Reddit’s commitment to AI safety and user trust is expected to be a key driver of both user growth and monetization. The company’s goal to reach 100 million daily U.S. users is underpinned by ongoing improvements in product quality, onboarding and community support.

RDDT Faces Stiff CompetitionRDDT is facing stiff competition from competitors like Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) and Snap (SNAP - Free Report) . Both Meta Platforms and Snap are also expanding their footprint in the AI space.

Meta Platform is benefiting from its accelerating growth into artificial intelligence (AI), which is driving significant top-line growth. Meta Platform’s release of the Muse family of models and the upgraded Meta AI assistant has positioned the company as a leader in personal superintelligence, with billions of users now accessing these AI-powered features. This surge in AI-driven engagement is translating directly into top-line growth, as evidenced by a 33% year-over-year increase in total revenues to $56.3 billion for the quarter.

Snap has introduced a suite of AI-powered advertising tools to help brands create, optimize and personalize campaigns on Snapchat. New features include AI-assisted campaign setup, image-to-video generation, creative enhancement, conversational AI Sponsored Snaps and creator marketplace automation, aimed at improving engagement, commerce and advertising performance across its platform.

RDDT’s Share Price Performance, Valuation, and EstimatesRDDT shares have plunged 12.6% year to date, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s 14.7% increase and the Internet - Software industry’s 11.2% decline.

RDDT Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

RDDT shares are overvalued, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 10.19X compared with the Computer & Technology sector’s 6.88X. RDDT has a Value Score of F.

RDDT's Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $4.83 per share, which has been unchanged over the past 30 days. This suggests 84.35% year-over-year growth.

Reddit currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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

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CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV) has been one of the most punished AI infrastructure names of the summer, and I think that has created an opportunity. The stock closed at $81.75 on July 2, 2026, down 31.46% over the past month and 46.14% over the past year.

Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for CoreWeave is $167.48, implying 104.88% upside, and I rate the stock a buy with medium (roughly 50%) confidence.

24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $81.75 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $167.48 Upside 104.88% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 50% How CoreWeave Got Cut in Half The collapse from $151.77 one year ago to today has been driven by three overlapping narratives. A securities fraud class action alleges CoreWeave concealed data center construction delays and understated reliance on a single third-party data center supplier.

Debt has surged from $2 billion in 2023 to $35 billion, and insiders have been unloading, including CEO Michael Intrator, who sold roughly $37.7 million in shares on June 30, 2026. That backdrop overshadowed a strong Q1 2026: revenue of $2.08 billion, up 111.7% year over year, with a revenue backlog that reached nearly $100 billion after Meta added a $21 billion commitment.

Why Bulls See a Breakout Ahead The bull case rests on scarcity. CoreWeave has surpassed 1 GW of active power, has contracted more than 3.5 GW, and is targeting 8 GW by 2030. Backlog visibility has gone from $30.1 billion in Q2 2025 to $99.4 billion in Q1 2026. NVIDIA closed a $2 billion Class A stock investment and named CoreWeave its Exemplar Cloud for inference on GB200 NVL72.

Cantor Fitzgerald carries a Buy rating with a $167 target, and Jim Cramer suggested the real backlog may be materially larger than reported. In our upside scenario, CoreWeave reaches $175.62 over 12 months.

What Could Go Wrong The bear case is real. Q1 2026 free cash flow was -$4.71 billion, capex hit $7.70 billion in a single quarter, and interest expense doubled to $536 million. Total liabilities reached $50.81 billion against $4.76 billion in shareholders’ equity.

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It should be noted that bulls would argue the capex spike reflects fulfilling the Meta and OpenAI commitments, and operating cash flow of $2.98 billion plus a $8.5 billion non-recourse investment-grade term loan gives management runway. Still, coordinated insider selling and the securities lawsuit weigh on sentiment. Our bear scenario lands at $134.46 over 12 months.

The Setup: Backlog Quality vs. Balance Sheet Strain I’m at buy with a 24/7 Wall St. price target of $167.48 and 50% confidence. The factor that tips the scale is backlog quality: $99.4 billion in backlog from customers like Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic represents committed, contracted demand.

The thesis strengthens if margin expansion accelerates and the securities suit gets contained. The thesis weakens if Q2 2026 shows another double-digit EPS miss or if free cash flow deterioration worsens beyond the current trajectory.

Looking further ahead, here is where our model projects CoreWeave could trade, assuming current growth trajectories and market conditions hold.

Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $110.45 2027 $167.48 2028 $228.59 2029 $312.01 2030 $425.86 These projections assume CoreWeave continues converting its backlog into revenue and progressing toward 8 GW of contracted power. Significant upside or downside could result from AI capex reversal, litigation outcomes, or NVIDIA supply dynamics.

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Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

In Brief

Posted:

11:37 AM PDT · July 7, 2026

Image Credits:Figma Figma is trying to become more than a design platform by adding more AI and bringing the coding and prototyping layer closer to its canvas. Toward that end, it has acquired the team behind the vibe-coding and AI agent platform Bud (formerly Orchids).

“Figma is one of, if not the, defining product companies of our time to capitalize on this. It’s where ideas start, iterate, and come to life, and a natural home for this exciting new era of work,” Bud’s CEO Kevin Lu posted on X.

The Y Combinator-backed startup began as a vibe-coding platform letting users spin up apps for mobile, web, Slack, browser, and more. It later rebranded as Bud, an agent platform that can access various services, browse the web, and write code to automate tasks.

Under the deal, the startup will shut down both Bud and Orchids by July 18, requiring users to migrate their projects by then.

Earlier this year, citing a security researcher, the BBC reported that apps created on Orchids were susceptible to cyberattacks.

Figma didn’t specify how it aims to use this team, but recent product launches hint that the public company wants to give teams more tools for building and prototyping apps, not just ideating over static concepts. Last year, it released Figma Make for creating web apps. This year, it integrated with tools like Codex and Claude Code, and rolled out its own agents.

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In a July 6, 2026 SEC filing, TTRF Capital Ltd reported establishing a new position in IREN Limited (IREN 7.45%).

What happenedAccording to an SEC filing on July 6, 2026, TTRF Capital Ltd initiated a new position in IREN Limited during the quarter. The acquisition of 66,817 shares represents a 2.0% allocation of the firm's reportable equity assets. The net position value for the stake was $3.1 million at the period's end. Separately, the firm's total reported 13F assets were $151.7 million.

What else to knowThe firm's top five holdings as of the July 6, 2026 filing include:Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS): $89.2 million (58.8% of AUM)Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR): $20.0 million (13.2% of AUM)AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS): $7.8 million (5.1% of AUM)SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI): $7.7 million (5.1% of AUM)Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META): $7.5 million (4.9% of AUM)The company outperformed the S&P 500 by 141.0 percentage points over the past year.Based in Sydney, Australia, the company operates vertically integrated data centers used for Bitcoin mining and other high-performance computing tasks.Company OverviewMetricValueShare Price (as of market close 2026-07-06)$43.91Market Capitalization$14.97 billionOne Year Price Change161.1%Employees257Company SnapshotIREN Limited operates a vertically integrated data center business with proprietary computing infrastructure spanning Australia and Canada, generating revenue through Bitcoin mining operations and data center services.The company's business model centers on owning and managing all essential infrastructure components—including computing hardware, electrical systems, and physical data center facilities—to conduct Bitcoin mining on a decentralized peer-to-peer network.IREN serves institutional and retail investors seeking exposure to digital asset mining through its publicly traded equity, while also providing data center infrastructure services to enterprise clients requiring high-performance computing capacity.IREN Limited, established in 2018 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, operates as a specialized digital asset infrastructure company with a focused business model centered on Bitcoin mining and data center operations. The company maintains vertical integration across its entire operational stack, controlling computing hardware, electrical infrastructure, and physical facilities to optimize operational efficiency and margin capture. With a market capitalization of $14.97 billion and significant year-over-year appreciation, IREN has positioned itself as a material player in the cryptocurrency mining sector with geographic diversification across Australia and Canada.

What investors should knowTTRF’s purchase of the neocloud company Iren is notable for its lack of diversification. Although Iren makes up only 2% of its portfolio, the company has already invested nearly 59% of its total stock assets in Iren’s neocloud competitor, Nebius.

In a sense, this is a vote of confidence in the neocloud industry, as these companies have reported massive revenue growth in recent quarters amid strong demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure.

However, with most investors prioritizing diversification, purchasing one of Nebius’s competitors may seem counterintuitive. Indeed, the fund holds only 13 stocks, and, like Iren, they are all tech stocks with higher revenue growth rates, showing the fund’s considerable appetite for risk.

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Moreover, Iren continues to report considerable operating losses, which further adds to its risks. If the market experiences a considerable growth slowdown in AI, this fund will take a huge hit because of its Nebius position, and the new Iren holding will add to the pain.

Admittedly, buying Iren could pay off for the investors who follow TTRF into the stock. Nonetheless, most investors should not consider such a move if they have already invested heavily in the neocloud industry.

For years, big banks have railed against legal regulations that cap how much they can charge for debit-card fees – and now some industry leaders are reportedly eyeing a potential deal that could help them skirt around those limits.

In recent months, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC Financial Services Group have held tentative talks about a deal to acquire a network owned by fintech company Fiserv, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Under the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, known as the Durbin amendment, banks face caps on how much they can collect from merchants on debit-card transactions routed through an external network – but they are exempt from the rule if they also own the network.

Banks have railed against the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, which placed a cap on debit-card fees. Phushutter – stock.adobe.com There is no guarantee a deal will happen, and some of the banks that looked at the Fiserv network have already decided they are unlikely to move forward – while others are concerned about political backlash from regulators and merchants, sources told the Journal.

But the talks are a sign of how keen big banks are to hike transaction fees, especially after Capital One Financial completed its $50.6 billion acquisition of Discover Financial last year – securing its own network and allowing it to negotiate directly with merchants.

Wells Fargo, PNC and Fiserv declined to comment. JPMorgan and Bank of America did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

Each time a customer swipes their debit or credit card at a register, the business needs to pay a small percentage of the total check to that customer’s bank in what is known as an interchange, or “swipe,” fee.

The Durbin amendment, which was signed into law by former President Barack Obama, gave the Federal Reserve the power to set limits on these fees for banks with $10 billion or more in assets – and Wall Street has been lambasting the cap ever since.

JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and PNC were reportedly involved in talks, according to the Wall Street Journal. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post Last year, US banks collected nearly $66 billion in credit- and debit-card interchange fees, accounting for roughly 11% of their noninterest income, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

But banks have argued that caps have unfairly limited the amount of interchange-fee revenue they can collect, restricting their ability to cover costs for free checking accounts and debit-card rewards programs, which have grown rare since the legislation was passed.

Merchants, however, have argued the law helps keep prices down, and that savings from lower interchange fees are ultimately passed along to the consumer.

Businesses typically pay an average of 34 cents, or 0.73% of the transaction total, in interchange fees, according to the Federal Reserve.

They also have to pay several other fees associated with debit- and credit-card transactions, including assessment charges to card companies and processing fees. 

Processing fees are charged by networks like STAR and Accel, which are owned by Fiserv.

Two accomplished and trailblazing leaders join the board as the company enters a new phase of growth globally

, /PRNewswire/ -- The Only Agency (TOA), the premier talent agency representing the world's most influential stylists, taste makers, culture influencers and creative directors, today announced the appointment of Nate Yohannes and Christy Haubegger to its Board of Directors. The appointments mark a significant milestone as the company enters a new chapter of strategic expansion, deepening its presence across fashion, media & entertainment, music, sports, beauty, the creator economy and international markets.

Mrs. Haubegger and Mr. Yohannes have exceptional experience in media & entertainment, marketing, cutting-edge technology, social media and management at the highest levels of some of the most influential companies in the world. Their contributions will be central to TOA's vision for the future of talent representation, media and cultural influence.

"We are continuing to build on our company's world class services and reach since I founded it in 2014. Our partnership with and the investment from Presidio Investors in late 2024 has enabled the current chapter of our evolution. Nate and Christy are the kinds of leaders who don't just understand this moment; they will help us define it. We couldn't be more excited to welcome them to the TOA family."
— Kent Belden, Founder & CEO, The Only Agency

The new additions are indicative of TOA's broader strategic ambitions. The agency—already home to industry-defining creatives including Law Roach, Dani Michelle, Frederic Aspiras, Nikki Nelms, Etienne Ortega, etc. —is actively expanding across sports, entertainment, bridal, and international markets, including a targeted push into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and Saudi Arabia's rapidly growing creative economy.

The strengthened board will provide governance, strategic counsel, and global connectivity as TOA scales its operations, builds new brand partnerships, and deepens its integration with the media and technology sectors that are reshaping the talent, marketing and media & entertainment industries.

"The world is changing at an unprecedented rate and scale, and the work we do is as ambitious as the 300 billion + culture-making impressions we help shape for the brightest stars in the world. Christy and Nate are remarkable leaders that will provide us with sage counsel. On behalf of the company and investors, I welcome them and thank the outgoing directors for their contributions."
— Javier Saade, Chairman of the Board, The Only Agency

About Christy Haubegger

Christy Haubegger is a trusted strategic advisor for a range of talent including Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, and Shakira. Previously, she was EVP of Communications for WarnerMedia and oversaw corporate communications and marketing for WarnerMedia and all of its properties including Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, CNN, TBS, and TNT. Before joining WarnerMedia, Haubegger spent 15 years as a leader and agent at leading entertainment and sports agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Before CAA, she was a motion picture producer for Fox's film "Chasing Papi" and Oscar-winner James L. Brooks' "Spanglish," starring Adam Sandler and Paz Vega, from Columbia Pictures. Prior to that, Haubegger founded and served as CEO of Latina magazine and quickly became the leading media platform for U.S. Hispanic women. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD from Stanford Law School where she served as class president. Haubegger served on the board of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine until its sale to Blackstone in 2021, and previously served on the boards of Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) and Liberty Trip Advisor Holdings (NASDAQ: LTRPA).

 "The Only Agency lives up to its name; the artists and creative professionals they represent uniquely shape culture, how the world looks and expresses itself. The vision for this company is bold, the talent is incredible, and I'm proud to support the next phase of the company's growth."
— Christy Haubegger, Board Director, The Only Agency

About Nate Yohannes

Nate Yohannes is the President of AI & Data Innovation at Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA), the world's leading AI marketing cloud. Before joining Zeta, Nate led a cutting-edge generative AI product at Meta, transforming the company's core advertising recommendation system to drive revenue growth as the product leader of AdsLLaMA. He previously served as Senior AI Product Manager for Creators at Instagram, where he integrated advanced AI technologies to empower content creators. Earlier, as Group Product Manager at Meta AI, he played a key role on the central AI team, focusing on large language models (LLMs) for Reels recommendations on Facebook and Instagram. Prior to Meta, Nate was Director of AI Product & Strategy in Microsoft's Office of the Chief Technology Officer where he spearheaded initiatives in autonomous systems and AI/ML. His earlier Microsoft roles included Director of Corporate Business Development, commercializing AI and IoT technologies. Before Microsoft President Obama appointed Nate to serve as Senior Advisor to the Chief Investment and Innovation Officer at the U.S. Small Business Administration. He led strategy and program management for a $36 billion private equity fund-of-funds and a $4 billion innovation seed fund, and served on the inaugural White House Economic Leadership Fellowship, White House Broadband Opportunity Council, and the White House Business Council. Prior to his government service, Nate was Associate General Counsel at the Money Management Institute, representing the securities industry during the regulatory overhaul following the Great Recession and the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act. Nate is also a senior advisor to 137 Ventures, a $16 billion investment fund spun out of Founders Fund and an early investor in SpaceX, Anduril, Uber, Palantir, and Airbnb. He holds an MSc in Technology Leadership at Brown University and a JD from University at Buffalo School of Law.

"The Only Agency sits at a rare intersection of culture, commerce, and creativity. I'm honored to join its board at this pivotal moment and look forward to helping the team harness the power of technology to amplify the extraordinary ecosystem in which they play."
— Nate Yohannes, Board Director, The Only Agency

About The Only Agency

The Only Agency is one of the world's most elite creative management firms, serving as the powerhouse behind the biggest 'trendsetters' in fashion, beauty, sports and entertainment. We represent a curated roster of the industry's most sought-after creative talent - from leading fashion & wardrobe stylists, to beauty experts and visual artists. Our talent are visionaries who curate the iconic looks seen on red carpets, in global editorial spreads, and on worldwide stages - working with the world's biggest brands and the largest, most influential culture makers at events like the Oscars, Olympics, New York & Paris Fashion Weeks, Met Gala, Grammys, Golden Globes, and hundreds of other red carpets, music videos, movie premieres, rock concerts, award ceremonies, championship games, art exhibitions, and commerce shoots in between. We work with up-and-coming brands, Fortune 1000 companies, A-list celebrities, style makers and cutting-edge media influencers. We recently acquired Daily Front Row, continue to grow our presence in the Middle East, and launched a sports division, a bridal division and an interior design & architecture division.

MEDIA CONTACT
The Only Agency
[email protected]
www.theonly.agency

SOURCE The Only Agency

If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Seagate (STX - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Computer - Integrated Systems industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.

This electronic storage maker has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 13.52%.

For the last reported quarter, Seagate came out with earnings of $4.1 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.5 per share, representing a surprise of 17.14%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $2.83 per share and it actually produced earnings of $3.11 per share, delivering a surprise of 9.89%.

Price and EPS Surprise

With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Seagate. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Seagate currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.75%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner.

With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

CBRS faces pressure from margin declines and execution risks, even as AI demand, cloud growth and OpenAI and AWS partnerships support prospects.

Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 5.65%) was added to the Nasdaq-100 index before the market opened today, so investors might be surprised to see SpaceX shares fall. When a company's stock is added to an index, it can rise due to passive buying by mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are required to hold the entire index.

So why were SpaceX shares down by 5.2% at 12:45 p.m. ET today?

Image source: The Motley Fool.

It's the math The Nasdaq-100 tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market exchange. But even the funds and ETFs that buy SpaceX stock once it's on the exchange aren't really buying a large quantity of the company. Consider this:

SpaceX raised about $86 billion from its public share offering. But the company was valued at $1.8 trillion at the IPO price. That's less than 5% of the company available to the public. Elon Musk owns much of the balance, maintaining about 46% ownership. Other early investors, institutions, and employees own the rest.

Today's Change

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151.35

The company is using a phased lockup schedule to allow those early investors to sell their shares. The first batch of shares will be available for sale after SpaceX reports its second-quarter results, either late this month or in August. Notably, Musk won't be able to sell his shares until June 2027, but there could still be downward pressure on SpaceX shares in the near future from other sellers.

The relatively small amount being bought due to index inclusion, combined with fears that the coming initial lockup expiration will drive the stock lower, has shareholders pressuring the stock today.

Howard Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Cue the confetti: Wall Street is throwing SpaceX a parade.

Even though it's only been public since June 12, Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 5.65%), or SpaceX, has already traded in a wide range in less than a month, from a high of $225.64 to a low of $147.11.

With its inclusion in the Nasdaq-100, however, history shows that, on average, companies can expect their stock prices to move in a certain direction. This is what history suggests about whether the next move in SpaceX's stock price is higher or lower.

Image source: Getty Images.

The short-term results of Nasdaq-100 inclusion When a stock is included in the Nasdaq-100, it creates buying activity, as investment vehicles like exchange-traded funds that track that index must own it. But history says that being added to the index is not an immediate, game-changing moment for the company.

According to Barron's, over the last two years, of the 21 companies added to the Nasdaq-100, only six had their stock prices climb in the first week they were added. The average loss for a stock a week after inclusion in the index has been 3.8%.

Looking out a bit further, the good news for shareholders is that the data looks more promising. Stocks averaged a gain of 3.6% one month after being in the Nasdaq-100 and climbed 6.3% after three months.

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$

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The bigger picture for SpaceX SpaceX shareholders will appreciate any type of stock price gain. But as history has shown, inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 won't be a meaningful needle mover right out of the gate.

Instead, it's important to focus on the long-term potential and risks of building out artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in space. SpaceX is going after what it believes is a $26.5 trillion total addressable market (TAM) in AI. If it executes on capturing as much of that TAM as possible, that is what can lead to the gains current shareholders are hoping for.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

SpaceX is benefiting from a shift towards AI, with broker calls coming out as the company gets included to the Nasdaq 100. This is setting a price floor for a stock that could be headed for the stars, says Joel Shulman, Founder & CIO of ERShares, whose ETF XOVR holds approximately $246 million in SpaceX exposure.

CUMMING, Ga., July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL), the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes, today announced the opening of two new townhome collections at Toll Brothers at The Crossing at Coal Mountain in Cumming, Georgia. Home shoppers are invited to explore the new Cottonwood and Haven Collections of stylish townhomes in a vibrant mixed-use master-planned community with resort-style amenities. The two new collections are now open for sale at 4280 Waylon Drive in Cumming.

The Cottonwood Collection showcases thoughtfully designed three-story townhomes with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and 2-car garages priced from the upper $400,000s. The Haven Collection features elegant two-story townhomes designed for modern living. Priced from the low $500,000s, these homes offer 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 2-car garages, with floor plans providing bright, open-concept living spaces. Both collections include opportunities for personalization to fit a range of lifestyles.

“Our new townhome collections at The Crossing at Coal Mountain offer home shoppers the luxury lifestyle for which Toll Brothers is known,” said Eric White, Division President of Toll Brothers in Georgia. “With resort-style amenities and a location close to top-rated schools, future shopping and dining, and everyday conveniences, The Crossing at Coal Mountain is poised to become one of the most desirable addresses in Forsyth County.”

Toll Brothers customers will experience one-stop shopping at the Toll Brothers Design Studio. The state-of-the-art Design Studio allows home shoppers to choose from a wide array of selections to personalize their dream home with the assistance of Toll Brothers professional Design Consultants.

The Crossing at Coal Mountain is centrally located near highly regarded Forsyth County Schools, including Coal Mountain Elementary and North Forsyth Middle and High Schools. Residents will also enjoy future on-site amenities, including a clubhouse, pool, pickleball courts, walking trails, and an event lawn. The community will also be walkable to future dining, retail, and entertainment. The community is just minutes from the new Exit 18 on GA-400, providing easy access to local shops, dining, and entertainment at the Cumming City Center, The Collection at Forsyth, and Vickery Village.

Two additional collections of single-family homes, the Heartland and Magnolia Collections, are also currently available at Toll Brothers at The Crossing at Coal Mountain, with home designs ranging up to 3,600+ square feet.

For more information about Toll Brothers at The Crossing at Coal Mountain, or to schedule an appointment, call 888-686-5542 or visit TollBrothers.com/GA.

About Toll Brothers

Toll Brothers, Inc., a Fortune 500 Company, is the nation’s leading builder of luxury homes. The Company was founded in 1967 and became a public company in 1986 with common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOL.” Toll Brothers builds new homes and communities in over 60 markets across the United States, serving first-time, move-up, active-adult, and second-home buyers. The Company also operates its own architectural, engineering, mortgage, title, land development, smart home technology, landscape, and building components manufacturing businesses.

Toll Brothers was named the #1 Most Admired Home Builder in Fortune magazine’s 2026 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies®, the ninth year the Company has achieved this honor. Toll Brothers has also been named Builder of the Year by Builder magazine and is the first two-time recipient of Builder of the Year from Professional Builder magazine. For more information visit TollBrothers.com.

From Fortune, ©2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Contact: Andrea Meck | Toll Brothers, Senior Director, Public Relations & Social Media | 215-938-8169 | [email protected]

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/971386c8-dd72-4973-a075-f301ba8381c7

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/413a02a5-cdc4-4d25-85ab-e2944bf4c1d5

Sent by Toll Brothers via Regional Globe Newswire (TOLL-REG)

I keep hitting the buy button on Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction), and the July 30 earnings report is not slowing me down. Every payday, I add a few more shares. The reasons are boring, repeatable, and they stack in my favor over years, which is the profile I want in a core holding heading into retirement. Here is what keeps pulling me back.

A cash machine that pays me to wait Apple generated $111.48 billion in operating cash flow in FY25 and returned $90.71 billion to shareholders through buybacks that same year. In April, the board authorized another $100 billion repurchase program and raised the quarterly dividend 4% to $0.27. Total capital returned since the program began now exceeds $1 trillion. The 0.34% yield looks small in isolation, but paired with ROE of 171.4% and ROIC of 53.3%, I am fine with management compounding capital inside the business instead of mailing it out.

The Services engine keeps widening the moat Q2 FY26 revenue reached $111.18 billion, up 16.6% year over year, with iPhone at $56.99 billion and Services at an all-time record $30.98 billion. Services gross margin ran at 76.7% on a base of over 2.5 billion active devices. That is a high-margin annuity riding on hardware customers already own. Tim Cook described Apple Intelligence as “woven into the core of our platforms”, and MacBook Neo demand is running so hot he flagged the company was “supply constrained”. Greater China grew 28% in the March quarter. Management guided June-quarter revenue growth of 14% to 17% with gross margin of 47.5% to 48.5%. That is what the July 30 report will confirm.

An earnings track record I trust Apple has delivered nine consecutive beats, with the last quarter posting an EPS of $2.01 against a $1.94 estimate. In the 30 days after that May report, shares rose 10.75%, outpacing SPY by 6.09 percentage points. Over the past year the stock is up 45.86%, and over ten years it is up 1,313.91% on a split-adjusted basis. That is the kind of compounding I plan around.

The risk I actually respect China exposure and the supply chain keep me disciplined. Greater China revenue was $20.50 billion last quarter, and Cook warned that “significantly higher memory costs” will pressure the June quarter. Add the CEO handoff to John Ternus effective September 1, 2026 and the execution bar is real. My response: those memory costs are already baked into the 47.5% to 48.5% margin guide, and Ternus is a 25-year Apple veteran inheriting a roadmap Cook publicly called “incredible”.

Why the buy button stays active At a P/E of 40 on a business printing 26.9% net margins at a $4.53 trillion market cap, Apple looks pricey on the screen and reasonable on the cash it will send my account over the next decade. I plan to keep buying through July 30, and the quarter after that, and the one after that.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Apple didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares are edging slightly lower Tuesday as big-cap technology names face a difficult session with the Nasdaq and the broader S&P 500 down. Here’s what you should know.

Apple stock is among today’s notable decliners. Why is AAPL stock down today? Tech Weakness Deepens as Sector Rotation Pulls Leadership Toward EnergyTechnology is one of the weakest sectors on the session dropping 1.78% while leadership has shifted toward Energy and Real Estate. Apple is holding up better than most of its large-cap peers but the weight of the broader tech selloff is enough to keep the stock in the red.

Market breadth is only mildly positive with an advance/decline ratio of 1.2 offering little in the way of a tailwind for growth names.

Apple’s Foldable iPhone DelayKuo drew a parallel to the iPhone X rollout in 2017 suggesting Apple could unveil the foldable alongside its other new models but hold back preorders and retail availability by several weeks due to manufacturing constraints.

Apple’s Key Moving Averages and TrendsFrom a technical standpoint Apple remains in a well-defined uptrend sitting approximately 5.8% above both its 20-day and 50-day moving averages, 12.5% above its 100-day and 15% above its 200-day. The golden cross established in September 2025 when the 50-day crossed above the 200-day continues to provide a longer-term constructive backdrop.

MACD is currently above its signal line with a positive histogram suggesting buyers are gradually reasserting themselves after the recent pullback. The bigger question heading into the near term is whether the stock can clear supply near its highs or needs to consolidate first following June’s swing high and an overbought RSI reading.

Key resistance sits near $317.50 in the 52-week high zone while $287.50 represents the next meaningful support level below current prices.

AAPL Shares Are DroppingAAPL Price Action: Apple shares were down 0.16% at $312.18 at the time of publication on Tuesday. The stock is trading near its 52-week high of $317.39, according to Benzinga Pro.

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The question for anyone parking retirement dollars in the AI infrastructure trade is simple: Should you own Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) or Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS) right now? Both now feed the same neocloud thesis after Meta said it would potentially monetize its own compute capacity, but they sit at opposite ends of the risk spectrum. One is a cash-gushing mega-cap; the other is a hyper-growth infrastructure builder still bleeding operating cash. Here is the head-to-head on the three dimensions that matter for a retirement portfolio.

Valuation: Meta Wins Decisively Meta trades at a trailing P/E of 22 and a forward P/E of roughly 19, backed by $43.59 billion in full-year 2025 free cash flow and a 33.08% YoY revenue jump in Q1 2026 to $56.31 billion. That is a reasonable price for a company compounding at that pace.

Nebius carries a forward P/E of 68 and a price-to-sales ratio of 62, and its GAAP profits are essentially an accounting artifact: Q1 2026 EPS of $2.11 was driven by a $780.60 million non-cash ClickHouse revaluation gain, while the adjusted net loss actually widened 20% year over year to $100.30 million. Morningstar pegs fair value at $120, well below the current $200.43. Advantage Meta.

Volatility and Balance Sheet: Meta Wins Again Meta is a $1.52 trillion franchise with $115.80 billion in 2025 operating cash flow, interest coverage of 71x, and roughly 3.56 billion daily active people across its Family of Apps. Its beta is 1.246, and the stock is down 8.9% year to date, hardly a trauma event.

Nebius, at a $54.7 billion market cap, is carrying $10.04 billion in convertible debt principal and $9.9 billion in future data center lease obligations. The share price traveled from $88.62 in February 2026 to $197.78 by May, then dropped 18.43% in the past week alone on news that Meta is building its own cloud. A 52-week range of $43.89 to $299.86 speaks for itself. Retirees do not need that.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Meta didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Growth Trajectory: Nebius Wins the Raw Numbers This one goes to Nebius, and it is not close on a percentage basis. AI Cloud revenue rose 841% year over year in Q1 2026, with adjusted EBITDA margins at 45%. Guidance calls for $7 to $9 billion in ARR exiting 2026 against a $1.25 billion year-end 2025 run rate, backed by $27 billion committed from Meta and $17 billion from Microsoft. Remaining performance obligations sit at $33.59 billion.

Meta’s 33% top-line growth off a $200 billion base is remarkable, but it will not 7x in a year. That said, Meta has its own neocloud optionality. Morgan Stanley estimates that if Meta leases out just 250 MW of contracted capacity to third parties at $40 per watt, it generates roughly $3 in EPS upside in 2028, about an 8% boost. Scale that to 1,000 MW and it is nearly $12 in additional EPS. Meta’s $125 to $145 billion 2026 capex guide is building a business line that does not yet exist. Nebius still wins the growth column, but Meta could quickly close the strategic gap.

The Verdict For a retirement-focused investor, Meta screens as the more defensible position, and it is not a close call. You get real earnings, a 0.36% dividend, roughly $26.25 billion of 2025 buybacks, a fortress balance sheet, and free optionality on a leased-out neocloud business Wall Street has yet to price in. Prediction markets assign a 69% probability Meta out-values OpenAI by year-end 2026, a useful proxy for institutional conviction.

Nebius belongs in a different bucket entirely: aggressive, long-horizon growth accounts that can tolerate 50% drawdowns without flinching. The Meta cloud announcement validates the infrastructure thesis rather than killing it, but customer concentration, dilution risk, and GAAP losses make it inappropriate for anyone drawing down capital within a decade. Meta fits retirement-style portfolios. Nebius fits speculative, high-risk allocations.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Meta didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

The gains came amid improving analyst sentiment and growing investor optimism over Meta’s long-term artificial intelligence monetization strategy.

Erste Group upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold, while BNP Paribas reiterated its Outperform rating ahead of second-quarter earnings.

BNP Paribas said Meta remains well-positioned to sustain revenue growth despite rising AI infrastructure spending and sees a potential future cloud offering as an additional long-term growth opportunity.

Analyst Outlook Ahead Of EarningsBNP Paribas reiterated its Outperform rating and $955 price forecast on Meta ahead of the company’s expected earnings release in the last week of July.

Senior analyst Nick Jones said investors are likely to focus on Meta’s capital spending plans, AI product development, a potential cloud offering and subscription adoption trends.

The analyst expects second-quarter revenue growth to slow from prior quarters because of temporary factors but believes the company can maintain long-term top-line momentum.

Revenue And Earnings ExpectationsBNP Paribas said Meta’s valuation suggests investors remain cautious about earnings growth, the scale of AI investments, returns on those investments, competition in artificial intelligence and the broader macroeconomic environment.

Jones said investors are expecting second-quarter revenue growth of 27% to 29% year over year, compared with the consensus estimate of 27%. He also expects GAAP diluted earnings per share above $7.40, versus the Street consensus of $7.19.

For the third quarter, BNP Paribas believes investors are looking for revenue guidance of $62 billion to $64 billion, compared with the consensus estimate of $63.2 billion.

AI Spending Remains In FocusThe analyst also expects Meta to raise its 2026 capital expenditure outlook by at least $10 billion from its current $125 billion to $145 billion range as higher component costs continue to inflate AI infrastructure spending.

Despite slowing user growth as Meta’s platforms approach saturation, BNP Paribas said engagement remains a key strength. The firm estimates Meta accounts for more than 40% of time spent across major social media platforms, nearly double that of its next-largest competitor. That, it said, should support continued growth in revenue per daily active person.

BNP Paribas expects Meta to fund its elevated AI investments through stronger monetization of AI features, advertising market share gains, subscription revenue and the optionality of a future cloud offering.

Meta Platforms Technical AnalysisMeta is trading about 5.4% above its 20-day simple moving average and slightly above its 50-day moving average. However, the stock remains below both its 100-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting the longer-term trend has yet to turn positive.

Momentum indicators have improved. The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) remains above its signal line, indicating selling pressure has eased.

Even so, the broader trend remains cautious. The 20-day moving average is still below the 50-day average, while the 50-day average remains below the 200-day average following a death cross that formed in December 2025.

Technical analysts are watching resistance near $643, close to the 200-day moving average. Initial support sits around $595 near the 50-day moving average.

Earnings Remain The Next Major CatalystAttention is now shifting to Meta’s expected second-quarter earnings report, estimated for July 29, 2026, which could shape the stock’s next move.

Wall Street expects earnings per share of $7.18, up from $7.14 a year earlier. Revenue is projected to increase to $60.22 billion from $47.52 billion.

The stock trades at roughly 21.8 times earnings and carries a consensus Buy rating. The average analyst price forecast stands at $826.88. Recent analyst actions include:

Erste Group upgraded the stock to Buy on Tuesday. Wells Fargo maintained an Overweight rating and raised its price forecast to $767 on July 2. RBC Capital Markets reiterated its Outperform rating with an $810 price forecast on June 1. Meta Platforms Price ActionMETA Stock Price Activity: Meta Platforms shares were up 1.42% at $608.83 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it is rolling out Muse Image, its first image-generation model from ​Meta Superintelligence Labs, as the Facebook owner ‌expands generative AI tools across its apps.

HomeIndustriesAerospace/DefenseSome on Wall Street see an increasing likelihood that Elon Musk’s two biggest companies will combineJuly 7, 2026, 1:28 p.m. ET

Wall Street is increasingly entertaining the possibility of a merger between Elon Musk’s biggest companies, even if it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to pull off.

Tesla TSLA and SpaceX SPCX have been working together for years, although their relationship has deepened recently. In March, Musk announced that Tesla would work with SpaceX on a project aimed at developing a factory capable of making one terawatt per year of compute hardware.

Amazon (AMZN +0.72%) has seen much better months than the one it had in June. It finished the month down nearly 12%, reversing a run that saw it reach an all-time high in early May. The only "Magnificent Seven" stock to have a worse month was Microsoft, down 17%.

Despite the slump and underperformance so far this year (through the market close on July 2), Amazon is a no-brainer buy for long-term investors. It may be a rocky ride, but I trust its trajectory.

Image source: Getty Images.

Amazon's spending isn't sitting well with investors The main critique of Amazon right now by many investors is its spending plans for the year. It plans to have $200 billion in capital expenditures (capex) this year, which is by far the most of any Mag 7 company and likely more than any company in the world. Amazon generates more revenue than any public company in the world, but $200 billion is still massive.

Amazon has long been a premier cash cow, and it will continue to be, but its free cash flow -- the money it uses for things like paying off debt and buying back shares -- will take a hit under its spending plan.

Most of the spending is going toward building out data centers and other AI infrastructure, so it's a means to an end. But when you can't concretely say when you'll see a return on investment, you're bound to turn some investors off.

AMZN Capital Expenditures (Annual) data by YCharts

A means to an end Yes, Amazon's spending plan is staggering by most standards, and it will take a while before it translates into profits. However, I have no doubt that it will.

Amazon already operates the world's largest cloud platform, Amazon Web Services (AWS). At the end of last quarter, AWS's backlog had reached $364 billion. It has way more demand than it can reasonably onboard right now. Ideally, Amazon could monetize that demand immediately, but this isn't the worst problem to have.

Adding computing capacity is a great thing for Amazon, and with the way the AI arms race is going, it's better to overspend to have infrastructure in place than to play it too conservatively and risk falling behind. What's the use in being the biggest moneymaker in the world if you can't flex your muscles a bit?

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You get what you paid for At the time of writing, Amazon is trading at just under 28 times its projected earnings over the next year. I wouldn't consider that cheap by any means, but it's lower than its average over the past three years.

That's not a bad price to pay for a company with a dominant e-commerce business, the premier cloud computing platform, a fast-growing advertising business, and plenty of other projects that Amazon has its hands in.

I would expect more of the same volatility to finish the year, but Amazon's long-term prospects remain strong.

Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task.

In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth story is actually over or nearing its end.

However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects, makes it pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks.

Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) is one such stock that our proprietary system currently recommends. The company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank.

Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And for stocks that have a combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), returns are even better.

While there are numerous reasons why the stock of this online retailer is a great growth pick right now, we have highlighted three of the most important factors below:

Earnings GrowthArguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. And for growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is definitely preferable, and often an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration.

While the historical EPS growth rate for Amazon is 37.2%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 23.6% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 22.8%.

Cash Flow GrowthWhile cash is the lifeblood of any business, higher-than-average cash flow growth is more important and beneficial for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, growth in cash flow enables these companies to expand their businesses without depending on expensive outside funds.

Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for Amazon is 28%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of -5.4%.

While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 25.3% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 13.4%.

Promising Earnings Estimate RevisionsSuperiority of a stock in terms of the metrics outlined above can be further validated by looking at the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is of course favorable here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

The current-year earnings estimates for Amazon have been revising upward. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 0.4% over the past month.

Bottom LineAmazon has not only earned a Growth Score of B based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above, but it also carries a Zacks Rank #2 because of the positive earnings estimate revisions.

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

This combination positions Amazon well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it.