Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

If you purchased or acquired FS KKR Capital securities between May 8, 2024 and February 25, 2026 and would like to discuss your legal rights, contact Bragar Eagel & Squire partners Brandon Walker or Melissa Fortunato by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 355-4648.

Click here to participate in the action.

NEW YORK, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

What’s Happening?

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized stockholder rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against FS KKR Capital Corp. (“FS KKR Capital” or the “Company”) (NYSE:FSK) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on behalf of all persons and entities who purchased or otherwise acquired FS KKR Capital securities between May 8, 2024 and February 25, 2026, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”).Investors have until July 6, 2026 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. What are the Allegation Details?

According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) FS KKR Capital overstated the effectiveness of its portfolio restructuring efforts for its nonaccrual companies; (2) FS KKR Capital overstated the valuation of its portfolio investments and/or overstated the effectiveness of FS KKR Capital's portfolio valuation process; (3) FS KKR Capital overstated the durability of its quarterly distribution strategy; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about FS KKR Capital's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.  What are my Next Steps?

If you purchased or otherwise acquired FS KKR Capital shares and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker or Melissa Fortunato by email at [email protected], telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you. About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, South Carolina, and California. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in securities,
derivative, and commercial litigation as well as individuals in consumer protection and data privacy litigation. The firm has a nationwide practice and routinely handles cases in both federal and state courts. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com.  Attorney advertising.  Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn and Facebook, and keep up with other news by following Brandon Walker, Esq. on LinkedIn.

Contact Information:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
[email protected]
www.bespc.com

Resources Investor Relations Journalists Agencies Client Login Send a Release News Products Contact , /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating Element Solutions (NYSE: ESI) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its recently announced transaction with Solstice Advanced Materials.

Click here to learn how to join our investigation and obtain additional information or contact us at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

Element Solutions shareholders will receive $10.00 in cash and 0.500 shares of Solstice common stock, representing implied consideration of approximately $50.10 per Element share. Upon closing, Element shareholders are expected to own approximately 44% of the combined company.
Element Solutions insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing transactions for Element Solutions by imposing a significant penalty if Element Solutions accepts a competing bid. We are investigating the conduct of the Element Solutions board of directors, and whether they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP
Guri Ademi
Toll Free: (866) 264-3995
Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP

Also from this source

, /PRNewswire/ -- The DJS Law Group reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Badger Meter, Inc. ("Badger" or "the Company") (NYSE: BMI) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shareholders who purchased shares of BMI during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointments. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.

CLASS PERIOD: April 18, 2024 to April 16, 2026

DEADLINE: August 3, 2026

CASE DETAILS: According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Badger Meter claimed "secular growth drivers" and "solid operating execution" were fueling its financial performance. Despite its positive comments, the Company's performance was partially based on pulling customer orders forward. Based on these facts, Badger Meter's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, contact us to participate.

WHY DJS LAW GROUP? DJS Law Group's primary focus is to enhance investor return through balanced counseling and aggressive advocacy. We specialize in securities class actions, corporate governance litigation, and domestic/international M&A appraisals. Our clients are some of the largest and most sophisticated hedge funds and alternative asset managers in the world. The litigation claims of our clients are extraordinarily valuable assets that demand respect, focus, and results.

Join the case to recover your losses.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:
David J. Schwartz
DJS Law Group
274 White Plains Road, Suite 1
Eastchester, NY 10709
Phone: 914-206-9742
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE DJS Law Group LLP

Joby Aviation (JOBY +5.83%) stock is rising in Monday's trading. The company's share price was up 6.5% as of 2 p.m. ET. At the same point in the daily session, the S&P 500 was up 0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.9%. The stock had been up as much as 11.1% earlier in the session.

Bullish momentum for the broader market is helping to lift Joby stock today. The company's valuation is also getting a continued boost from the announcement of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) production partnership with Toyota.

Image source: Getty Images.

Joby is gaining amid bullish momentum for the market today The broader market is gaining today, and Joby is benefiting from the bullish momentum. While the gains for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are largely being led by a resurgence for artificial intelligence (AI) chip stocks after sell-offs last week, the positive valuation sentiment is extending to stocks in other categories with growth-dependent and highly speculative valuations.

Today's Change

(

3.33

%) $

5.82

Current Price

$

180.41

Joby stock is continuing to see gains connected to its Toyota partnership On June 30, Joby and Toyota announced that they had entered into a partnership for the manufacturing of eVTOL craft. Joby will own 49% of the Joby Toyota Aero Manufacturing Preparation Company, and Toyota will own 51%.

Toyota has long been a funding partner for Joby, but the auto giant is now stepping in to play a leading role in the buildout of manufacturing operations for Joby's aircraft. Having Toyota on board looks like a significant win for Joby and could help the eVTOL specialist get to a place where its crafts can actually generate profits.

Keith Noonan 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.

Key Takeaways CBOE's revenues grew about 25% in two years on strength across options, equities, futures and data.Cboe Global's options franchise is driven by SPX and VIX demand for hedging, income and volatility needs.CBOE raised its organic net revenue growth outlook to low double-digit to mid-teens growth. Cboe Global Markets' (CBOE - Free Report) revenue growth is being driven by structural market trends, product innovation and an increasingly diversified business model. The company’s revenues have risen by approximately 25% over the past two years, reflecting strength across multiple business lines. Unlike traditional exchanges that rely primarily on cash equity trading, Cboe generates revenues from options, equities, futures, foreign exchange, digital assets and market data.

Its options franchise remains the largest growth engine. Strong institutional demand for SPX and VIX index options for portfolio hedging, income generation and volatility management continues to drive transaction and clearing revenues, while periods of elevated market volatility provide an additional boost to trading activity.

Cboe Global is also expanding its base of recurring, non-transaction revenues through market data, connectivity and access services. These high-margin businesses benefit from growing demand from quantitative firms, algorithmic traders and institutional investors for proprietary market data, making revenues less dependent on trading volumes.

International expansion further strengthens the outlook. Acquisitions across Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan have broadened CBOE’s customer base and created cross-selling opportunities, while investments in foreign exchange and digital asset infrastructure position the company to capture emerging institutional demand.

Although trading activity is inherently cyclical, Cboe Global's increasingly diversified revenue mix provides greater resilience. Growth in recurring revenues, its international operations and continued product innovation reduce reliance on any single business segment. Reflecting these favorable trends, management has raised its outlook and now expects organic net revenue growth in the low double-digit to mid-teens range, compared with its previous guidance of mid-single-digit growth.

What About CBOE’s Peers?Nasdaq Inc. (NDAQ - Free Report) has strengthened its revenue growth profile by expanding beyond exchange trading into financial technology, market data, indexes, and anti-financial crime solutions, building a stable base of recurring subscription revenues. This diversification enables Nasdaq to generate consistent top-line growth despite fluctuations in trading activity and benefit from global demand for its technology platforms.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE - Free Report) has similarly diversified through energy and interest-rate derivatives, mortgage technology and data services. Intercontinental Exchange is steadily increasing recurring revenues from its technology businesses, enhancing revenue visibility. Thus, Intercontinental Exchange remains well-positioned for sustainable long-term revenue growth.

CBOE’s Price PerformanceShares of Cboe Global have lost 0.8% year to date, outperforming the industry, but underperforming sector and S&P 500.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

CBOE’s Expensive ValuationCBOE is currently trading at a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 18.05, lower than the industry average of 18.16.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Estimate Movement for CBOEThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for CBOE’s second and third-quarter 2026 earnings per share (EPS) witnessed no movement in the last seven days. The consensus estimate for 2026 and 2027 earnings has moved 1 cent north each, respectively, in the last seven days.
 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Takeaways Clean Harbors sees 25-35% PFAS management growth, backed by EPA and DoD guidelines.AI and robotic automation are aiding operations and have helped margins rise for 16 straight quarters.CLH's liquidity is strong, but rising expenses, no dividend and fierce competition remain risks. Shares of Clean Harbors (CLH - Free Report) have risen 24.4% over the past year, outperforming the industry’s 7.3% decline and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite's 24% rally.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 revenues is 6.3 billion, hinting at 4.2% year-over-year growth. The same is expected to move up 4.7% in 2027. For EPS, the consensus mark for 2026 and 2027 is pinned at $8.5 and $9.4, respectively, suggesting year-over-year growth of 16.8% for 2026 and 10.6% for 2027.

Factors That Augur Well for CLH’s SuccessPFAS Sales Pipeline Momentum: Clean Harbors’ management, in its first-quarter 2026 earnings call, stated accelerated growth of 25-35% for PFAS management, validated by EPA and DoD guidelines, supporting incineration and landfill disposal. CLH, being the only player providing a scalable, single-source end-to-end solution, dictates the pricing power. An advantage as such reads into solid revenue growth, high margins and lofty 34% growth in landfill volumes, providing investors grounds to protect themselves from macroeconomic setbacks.

AI-Backed Automation Raises Operational Prowess: The company incorporated AI and robotic process automation into varied operations, including waste classification, invoice auditing, ready-to-bill automation, field support tools and document processing. Embedding AI into the company’s activities supports revenue scalability while controlling costs. Interestingly, Michael Battles, the Co-CEO, during the first-quarter 2026 earnings call, stated that AI is partly a reason behind the company’s margins rising in 16 straight quarters. Investors can rely on tech-backed enhancements in operations, boosting profitability in the years to come.

Strong Liquidity: As of the end of the first quarter of 2026, Clean Harbors held $669 million in its cash chest against a $13-million current debt. While it signals a robust liquidity position, it is further solidified by the company’s current ratio of 2.34, significantly higher than its industry average of 1.08. The company holds a hefty sum of $2.8 billion as long-term debt, which appears risky. However, CLH’s times interest earned multiple is at 4.8X, suggesting effective interest payment that secures the company’s liquidity position. 

                                                               Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Optimistic Shareholder-Friendly Policies: CLH had share repurchases worth $51.1 million, $55.2 million and $250 million in 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively. Such actions underscore the company’s confidence in business and help boost investors’ confidence in the stock by positively impacting earnings per share.

Risks Faced by Clean HarborsOperational Cost Pressure: The proportion of selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues moved up to 14.2% during the first quarter of 2026 from the year-ago quarter’s 7.8%. This jump can be attributed to higher incentive compensation and insurance costs. Management expects, the midpoint of its outlook, negative adjusted EBITDA to gain 3-6% from that reported in 2025. Despite strong pricing power, rising expenses can affect margins.

No Dividend Discourages Investors: CLH does not offer dividends; therefore, the only way investors can gain is through share price appreciation, which is not guaranteed. For income-seeking investors, the inability to obtain dividends is a major red flag.

Fierce Competition: Clean Harbors faces competition from both large national players and smaller regional firms. While CLH holds a significant position in the industry, intense competition lowers pricing power, heightens operational expenses and potentially reduces market share.

CLH’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderThe company has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present.

Some better-ranked stocks from the broader Zacks Business Services sector are Coherent Corp. (COHR - Free Report) and Veralto Corporation (VLTO - Free Report) , currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), respectively. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Coherent has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 46.8%. COHR delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.2%, on average.

Veralto has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 8.4%. VLTO delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.9%, on average.

Key Takeaways PGY uses AI-driven underwriting and forward flow agreements to scale lending with limited balance-sheet risk.PGY posted five straight quarters of GAAP profits after years of losses.LendingTree is expanding beyond mortgages, with adjusted EBITDA expected to be $152-$162 million in 2026. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming consumer lending by improving credit underwriting and loan origination. Among the fintech companies benefiting from this trend are Pagaya Technologies (PGY - Free Report) and LendingTree (TREE - Free Report) , though they employ markedly different business models.

Pagaya uses proprietary AI and machine learning to help financial institutions originate and fund loans more efficiently, while LendingTree operates a leading online marketplace that connects borrowers with lenders across multiple loan products.

These distinct strategies create different growth drivers and risk profiles. Pagaya’s performance hinges on the adoption of its AI-powered underwriting platform, whereas LendingTree’s results depend largely on borrower demand, lender marketing spend and interest rate trends.

While both companies are positioned to benefit as digital lending continues to recover, the question arises: which stock offers the better investment opportunity now? Comparing PGY and TREE across financial performance, valuation, growth prospects and profitability can help investors identify the stronger fintech play in today’s market.

The Case for PGYPagaya operates a capital-light, AI-powered lending platform that partners with financial institutions to improve credit underwriting and loan origination. While the company initially focused on personal loans, it has expanded into auto lending and point-of-sale financing, diversifying its asset mix and reducing reliance on any single lending category.

Its funding model is equally resilient, supported by relationships with more than 135 institutional investors and forward-flow agreements that provide predictable capital for future loan purchases.

The company’s key competitive advantage lies in its proprietary AI technology and product suite. Its pre-screen solution enables lenders to extend pre-approved loan offers to existing customers without requiring formal applications, helping partners increase customer engagement while lowering acquisition costs.

Combined with its asset-light model, wherein loans are quickly transferred through asset-backed securities transactions or forward-flow agreements, Pagaya maintains limited balance-sheet exposure, and minimizes credit and market risk.

Pagaya’s strategy translated into a sharp financial turnaround in 2025. The company delivered positive GAAP net income in all four quarters, reporting a record net income of $81.4 million during the year versus a net loss of $401.4 million in 2024. The momentum continued in the first quarter of 2026, with GAAP net income of $24.7 million. Improved loan performance, lower credit impairments and stronger AI-driven underwriting accuracy have strengthened the company’s profitability and operating outlook.

The Case for TREELendingTree is a leading digital lending marketplace that connects consumers with financial service providers across mortgages, personal loans, auto loans, small business loans, credit cards and insurance. In recent years, the company has shifted its strategy toward expanding higher-growth, non-mortgage businesses to diversify revenue streams and reduce reliance on the cyclical housing market.

This strategy is delivering results. In the first quarter of 2026, the Consumer segment’s revenues rose 18% year over year, led by a 49% jump in small business revenues. LendingTree has strengthened its ecosystem through initiatives such as SPRING (formerly MyLendingTree), TreeQual and the launch of its WinCard credit card in partnership with Upgrade, enhancing customer engagement and cross-selling opportunities.

Additionally, the acquisition of EarnUp has expanded the company’s technology capabilities in consumer payments and financial wellness.

Insurance has emerged as another key growth engine. Segment revenues saw a 13.4% CAGR between 2021 and 2025, with strong momentum continuing in the first quarter of 2026, supported by higher carrier demand and improved marketing efficiency.

Overall, the company’s improving operating performance was reflected in first-quarter GAAP net income of $17.3 million against a net loss of $12.4 million a year earlier. Backed by these trends, management projects 2026 adjusted EBITDA of $152-$162 million.

PGY & TREE: Price Performance, Valuation & Other ComparisonsIn the past year, shares of Pagaya have lost 20.6%, while the TREE stock has jumped 17.6%. Hence, in terms of investor sentiments, TREE has the edge.

1-Year Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation perspective, Pagaya is currently trading at a 12-month trailing price-to-book (P/B) of 2.46X, which is above TREE’s trailing 12-month P/B of 2.06X.

Thus, currently, the PGY stock is more expensive than LendingTree.

P/B TTM
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Pagaya’s return on equity (ROE) of 53.68% is above LendingTree’s 27.19%. This reflects that PGY is more efficiently using shareholder funds to generate profits compared with TREE.

ROE
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Pagaya & LendingTree’s Earnings & Sales ProspectsThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for PGY’s 2026 and 2027 revenues is pegged at $1.48 billion and $1.68 billion, respectively, implying year-over-year growth rates of 13.7% and 13.5%.

The consensus estimate for PGY’s earnings for 2026 indicates a year-over-year decline of 2.4%, while the 2027 estimate suggests year-over-year growth of 15.2%.

PGY’s Earnings Growth Expectation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

On the contrary, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for TREE’s 2026 and 2027 revenues is pegged at $1.32 billion and $1.41 billion, implying year-over-year growth rates of 18.5% and 6.4%, respectively.

Also, the consensus estimate for LendingTree’s earnings indicates a 71% year-over-year surge for 2026 and 21.4% growth for 2027.

TREE’s Earnings Growth Expectation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

PGY or TREE: Which Is a Better Investment Option Now?Both PGY and TREE have executed successful turnaround strategies and are benefiting from stronger consumer lending demand outside the traditional mortgage market.

However, despite LendingTree’s stronger near-term earnings growth outlook, Pagaya appears to be the better investment choice at the current levels as it combines an AI-first underwriting platform with a capital-light business model that enables it to scale loan originations while limiting balance-sheet risk. PGY’s return to GAAP profitability, a higher ROE than TREE and diversified funding base underscore the durability of its business model.

Although PGY trades at a modest valuation premium, that premium reflects its stronger profitability profile and differentiated AI capabilities.

Currently, PGY sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while LendingTree has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

On June 30, a coalition of more than 140 financial, tech, and retail giants -- including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, Coinbase (COIN +2.28%), Alphabet's Google, and Shopify -- backed a new stablecoin called Open USD (OUSD).

Shares of Circle (CRCL +5.45%), the fintech company that mints the USD Coin (USDC +0.01%) stablecoin, immediately plummeted after the announcement. Let's see why Circle's stock dropped, and whether that pullback is a buying opportunity for patient investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

Why is OUSD an existential threat to USDC? Circle backs the USD Coin with its own cash and U.S. Treasury holdings. Most of its revenue comes from the interest earned on those assets. OUSD aims to disrupt that business model by sharing that reserve income with its ecosystem partners that distribute and use its coins. Therefore, companies now have a major reason to use OUSD instead of USDC.

Unlike USDC, which is only managed by Circle, OUSD is managed by an independent board of partners. That decentralized governance democratizes the control of the stablecoin, making it much more appealing to companies that don't want Circle calling all the shots.

Today's Change

(

5.45

%) $

3.52

Current Price

$

68.14

OUSD also aims to provide zero-cost minting and redemptions with no volume limits. Those perks could undermine Circle's fee structures and reduce the operational friction that institutional investors often experience when moving their capital across Circle's platform.

Lastly, Coinbase's decision to sign on as a partner for OUSD is a bright red flag, since it was also a founding partner of USDC. Coinbase currently retains all interest income on USDC held on its platform and pays half of its residual reserve income to Circle. The crucial revenue-sharing partnership will expire on Aug. 18. If Coinbase refuses to renew that deal and goes all-in on OUSD instead, Circle's stock could drop even further.

Is it the right time to buy Circle's stock? OUSD will launch by the end of 2026, and its pending arrival could generate unpredictable headwinds for Circle over the next few years.

From 2025 to 2028, analysts expect Circle's revenue to nearly double and its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to more than double. If those estimates are accurate, then its stock is still a bargain at three times next year's sales and 14 times its adjusted EBITDA. But if OUSD's arrival forces those analysts to hastily reduce their estimates, Circle could actually be overvalued relative to its growth potential.

It's still too early to assume that OUSD will pull companies away from USDC, but that existential threat makes Circle a lot less appealing. Investors should wait to see how Circle responds -- and if Coinbase renews its revenue-sharing agreement -- before buying the stock.

Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, BlackRock, Mastercard, Shopify, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Number Leaked Anthropic documents reportedly point to a 1.4 gigawatt Australian capacity push worth roughly $22 billion, and IREN (NASDAQ:IREN) sits among a short list of operators with announced gigawatt-scale Australian ambitions to bid for it. The figure reflects a reported market opportunity drawn from third-party documents, sitting outside company guidance and signed backlog. IREN’s positioning centers on its 800MW Bundey campus, where a connection agreement is already secured alongside a state government partnership.

What It Means For IREN, Australia slots into a broader pivot from Bitcoin mining to AI cloud infrastructure. The company reports $3.10 billion of annualized recurring revenue under contract and a $3.70 billion ARR target by year-end 2026. Its 5GW secured power portfolio spans North America, Spain, and Australia, giving it the raw grid capacity hyperscalers and AI labs are chasing. Even a fractional share of the reported Anthropic buildout would re-rate the ARR trajectory.

The world is structurally short on compute, and this former Bitcoin miner just secured the $22 billion key to the bottleneck. © 24/7 Wall St. Market Reaction IREN shares climbed 15.42% intraday on July 6, 2026, moving from $38.82 to $44.81. That single-day pop follows a rough stretch. Shares are down 41.71% over the past month and 18.68% over the past week. Over 12 months, the stock is up 147.89%, reflecting the rerating tied to the Microsoft and NVIDIA contracts.

Strategic Outlook The reported Anthropic plan frames Australia as the next front in the global race for AI power. IREN already anchors its US buildout with a $9.7 billion Microsoft contract and a $3.4 billion five-year NVIDIA AI Cloud contract for Blackwell GPU deployments. NVIDIA also holds the right to purchase up to 30 million IREN shares at $70.00 per share under the broader strategic partnership. Capital intensity is the binding constraint. Q3 FY26 capital expenditures hit $1.36 billion, funded off $2.21 billion in cash and $3.7 billion in convertible notes outstanding. Bidding into a $22 billion Australian tranche would demand more of the same. CEO Daniel Roberts has framed the moment plainly: “The world is structurally short compute, and the bottleneck is delivered data center and GPU capacity.”

Bottom Line The $22 billion figure reflects a reported opportunity well ahead of any booked revenue. IREN’s 800MW Bundey campus with a secured connection agreement places it on a short list of qualified bidders. With an analyst target price of $80.93 against a current level near $44.81, the market is pricing optionality rather than certainty. The near-term catalyst is any formal disclosure tying IREN to the reported Anthropic build, alongside continued ramp of AI Cloud revenue, which nearly doubled sequentially to $33.60 million in Q3 FY26.

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

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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

A stock that traded at $45 a year ago now changes hands near $1,729. That is a 3,718% gain in twelve months for SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK | SNDK Price Prediction), and Axios rounded the headline to roughly 3,700%. Then in the last five sessions before July 2, the stock gave back 17%. Long-term holders have to decide whether that is a breather or the first tell of a cycle top.

The number behind the mania The SanDisk chart rewires how you think about a boring category. NAND flash was a commodity business the market wanted nothing to do with a year ago.

Now the company carries a market cap of about $256 billion, up from a share price of $41.55 at its Q4 FY25 filing in August. Between then and the Q3 FY26 filing on April 30, 2026, the price ran to $1,095. It kept going after that, printing a 52-week high of $2,354.39 before the recent slide.

The fundamentals came, and then some Give the bulls their due. Q3 FY26 delivered revenue of $5.95 billion, up 251% year over year, beating consensus by 25.68%. Non-GAAP EPS came in at $23.41 against a $14.66 estimate. Gross margin swung from 22.5% a year earlier to 78.4%. The datacenter segment alone posted $1.47 billion in revenue, up 645% year over year, as AI hyperscalers bid up NAND supply.

Management retired $650 million in debt and now runs a zero long-term-debt balance sheet. Free cash flow hit $2.99 billion in the quarter. CEO David Goeckeler called it “a fundamental inflection point for Sandisk where our technology leadership is enabling a deliberate shift in our mix toward the highest-value end markets, led by Datacenter.” Forward guidance for Q4 FY26 calls for revenue of $7.75 billion to $8.25 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $30.00 to $33.00, plus five signed New Business Model agreements anchoring the datacenter mix.

Why the cycle looks late Still, memory is memory. When gross margin runs from the low twenties to the high seventies in twelve months, you are late in a boom. The stock proves it. One-year return of ~3,700%, year-to-date 529%, and then a –17% week ending July 2 as buyers ran out.

In late June, r/wallstreetbets threads titled “$SNDK puts for tomorrow” gained traction while another user posted realized gains on 0DTE $2,175 puts. Meanwhile the top r/stocks post going into July asked “Bought SanDisk (SNDK) at $2,330. Did I mess up buying the top or is this just a healthy pullback?” That divergence, professional hedgers reaching for downside protection while retail chases, is the classic late-cycle setup.

Valuation adds weight to the bear case. Trailing P/E sits at 60x, forward P/E at 27x, price-to-sales at 20x, and price-to-book at 19x on a company whose consumer segment already declined 10% sequentially in Q3. Reliance on the Kioxia joint venture, tariff exposure, and NAND pricing volatility are all disclosed risks. Prediction-market fundamentals peg fair value at $1,604.57, implying -11.34% downside, even as sell-side consensus reaches for $1,930.50.

SoFi Active Invest is offering a limited-time promotion. Open an account, fund it with $50 or more, and you could receive up to $1,000 in complimentary stock for Active Invest accounts. See for yourself by clicking here now.

Market reaction Shares closed at $1,745 on July 2 and traded at $1,807.05 intraday on July 6, 2026, a 3.56% bounce off the recent low.

Over the past month the stock is up just 5%, a stall after months of vertical gains. The 50-day moving average of $1,610.45 now sits well above the 200-day at $703.36, a spread that historically compresses either through time or through price coming down.

Bear case A one-year run that explosive in a cyclical commodity business demands a reckoning at some point. Memory boom-and-bust is a decades-old rhythm, and the same operating leverage that pushed gross margin to 78.4% works in reverse when NAND prices soften.

Consumer already turned sequentially. Insider transaction data is empty in the reporting window, so the exit signal shows up in options flow and price action rather than filings. A 17% five-day drawdown off a market cap of roughly $156 billion is a warning that the marginal buyer may have left the room.

Bottom line The next test arrives with Q4 FY26 results, where management guided to revenue of $7.75 billion to $8.25 billion and EPS of $30.00 to $33.00. Anything short of a clean beat, and the multiple has nowhere to hide.

For retirement-focused holders who watched SanDisk turn a flash-memory business into a $268.02 billion AI proxy, the case for trimming into strength is stronger than the case for adding at 60x earnings after a 37-bagger. Cycles end. This one looks tired.

Want Up To $1,000? SoFi Is Giving New Active Invest Users Free StockLooking to grow your money but unsure where to begin? SoFi Active Invest is offering a limited-time promotion—open an account, fund it with $50 or more, and you could receive up to $1,000 in complimentary stock for Active Invest accounts.

From $0 commission trading to fractional shares and automated investing, this app is designed to simplify investing for everyone, whether you’re just starting or already experienced. Its easy to sign up and secure your bonus. 

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Solstice Advanced Materials (Nasdaq: SOLS) shares fell nearly 15% on Monday after the company announced a $14.5 billion cash-and-stock agreement to acquire Element Solutions (NYSE: ESI), in a deal aimed at expanding its footprint in advanced materials for electronics and AI infrastructure.

The transaction, which includes the assumption of net debt, will see Solstice acquire Element in a combination of $10.00 in cash and 0.500 shares of Solstice common stock for each Element share. The offer implies a value of approximately $50.10 per Element share and represents a premium of about 15% to Element’s closing price on July 2, 2026. Upon completion, Element shareholders are expected to own roughly 44% of the combined company.

The companies said the deal would accelerate Solstice’s strategy of building a scaled advanced materials platform with greater exposure to high-growth end markets including electronics, AI infrastructure, thermal management and data center applications.

On a combined basis, Solstice and Element are projected to generate approximately $6.8 billion in full-year 2025 net sales, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 26% including expected synergies. Solstice said the deal would broaden its electronics capabilities, adding Element’s formulation expertise, technical services and customer relationships to its existing chemistry and materials portfolio.

“Overall, we believe the combined company will be very well-positioned to benefit from generational tailwinds in high-growth end markets,” said Solstice President and CEO David Sewell. He added that Element’s technical service model and customer relationships would expand Solstice’s ability to support clients from early-stage development through high-volume manufacturing.

Element Solutions CEO Ben Gliklich said the transaction brings together two complementary businesses with strong market positions and technical expertise, adding that the combined company would be better positioned to address emerging requirements in advanced electronics and related markets.

Strategically, Solstice said the acquisition would enhance its exposure to AI infrastructure by linking electronics and packaging capabilities with data center cooling and refrigerant application solutions. The company also highlighted its continued involvement in specialty markets, including nuclear fuel cycle-related uranium conversion services.

Financially, Solstice expects the combined company to deliver mid-to-high single-digit annual revenue growth and high single-digit to low double-digit adjusted EBITDA growth over the medium term, along with approximately $180 million in net synergies by the third year following closing. The company also anticipates around 75% cash conversion.

The deal is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first year after closing. Solstice projects net leverage of approximately 3.5x at completion, with a target of reducing leverage below 3x within 18 months. The company reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a sub-investment grade credit profile and continuing dividend growth over time.

The transaction has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards and is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and shareholder votes.

Solstice has secured a $4.7 billion bridge financing commitment from Goldman Sachs and plans to replace it with permanent debt financing, alongside cash on hand, to fund the cash portion of the deal.

Shares of Element Solutions were down almost 3% on the news.

Terawulf Inc (NASDAQ:WULF) is up 7.5% to trade at $22.74 this afternoon, set to snap a seven-day losing streak, thanks to its newly penned deal with Anthropic. The AI infrastructure concern has agreed to build a $19 billion dollar data center just outside Louisville, KY. The lease will span 20 years.

Despite last week's drawdown, WULF has outperformed over the past 12 months, up 330%. The ascending 80-day moving average captured Thursday's selloff, marking the last session of what became Terawulf stock's longest losing streak since April 2024.

This bounce may have been on the way already, considering the stock's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 28, well into "oversold" territory.

Put traders have been circling, too, leaving ample room for bulls to move in, should this bearish attention begin to unwind. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), Terawulf's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.02 ranks in the highest annual percentile. 

Today the skew tilts toward call traders. At last look, over 170,000 calls have changed hands today, volume that's 1.9 times the average intraday amount and nearly triple the number of puts exchanged. The weekly 7/10 10-strike call is the most popular, while July 25 call is seeing notable attention as well.

Investors looking for stocks in the Financial - Miscellaneous Services sector might want to consider either Bread Financial Holdings (BFH) or Futu Holdings Limited Sponsored ADR (FUTU). But which of these two stocks presents investors with the better value opportunity right now?

New York, New York and New Orleans, Louisiana--(Newsfile Corp. - July 6, 2026) - Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have until August 25, 2026 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Futu Holdings Limited ("Futu" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: FUTU), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between May 24, 2023 and May 27, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Cannot view this video? Visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmjc32xVGrk

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Futu as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgm-futu/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by August 25, 2026.

>>>CLICK HERE for more information

About the Lawsuit

Futu and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

The alleged false and misleading statements and omissions include, but are not limited to, that: (i) the Company was not in compliance with the requirements of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, including because it continued to conduct securities business, public fund sales business and futures business in mainland China without obtaining the requisite licenses or approval; (ii) as a result, the Company was reasonably likely to face regulatory penalties, including the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and other penalties; (iii) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's financial results were overstated; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

The case is Tang v. Futu Holdings Limited, et al, 26-cv-05453.

>>>To Learn More, Click HERE

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.

TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action Services

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

>>>For More Information about the case, Click HERE

CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedIn

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/304102

Source: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.

Contact Us

, /PRNewswire/ -- The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, reminds investors of a class action lawsuit against Futu Holdings Limited ("Futu" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: FUTU) for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities between May 24, 2023 and May 27, 2026, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm before August 25, 2026.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Futu failed to maintain compliance with the China Securities Regulatory Commission ("CSRC"). The Company was likely to face regulatory action in China due to its failure to comply with CSRC regulations. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Futu, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm
Brian Schall, Esq.,
www.schallfirm.com
Office: 310-301-3335
[email protected]

SOURCE The Schall Law Firm

Predicting any company's next three years is an impossible task, but doing so for Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX 3.70%) is perhaps especially so.

SpaceX's rocket launches, Starlink satellite internet service, and artificial intelligence (AI) data center business are distinct businesses that could define the company in the coming years. And all will take an immense amount of resources to continue growing.

Still, it's worth considering how each might look three years from now. Here's where SpaceX could be.

Image source: Getty Images.

Increased emphasis on SpaceX's data center business SpaceX is quickly morphing into an artificial intelligence company, most recently through its $60 billion acquisition of Anysphere, the parent company of AI software and coding specialist Cursor, to better compete with Anthropic's Claude Code. And it's already inking huge deals as it builds out a growing neocloud business.

Neocloud companies sell their data center capacity to other tech companies, and SpaceX has already made some large deals. For example, Alphabet's Google signed a three-year deal with SpaceX to supply some of its data center capacity for its Gemini AI model, generating about $30 billion for SpaceX by 2029. And Anthropic is already paying SpaceX about $15 billion annually over the next three years to rent out all of its Colossus 1 data center capacity.

What this means for SpaceX is that over the next three years or so, it could become a very important player in AI data centers. Gartner estimates neocloud players could capture 20% of the AI cloud market by 2030. With its current moves, SpaceX is already in a very strong position to take a leading role in space.

Starlink will continue expanding Starlink is arguably SpaceX's most important business right now, accounting for about 61% of the company's total sales. It's also SpaceX's only profitable business.

Starlink has an impressive 12 million subscribers already, brought in $11.4 billion in sales in 2025, and had $4.4 billion in operating income last year. And SpaceX aims to expand Starlink in the coming years. It's already in the midst of getting ready for a 1,200 satellite launch in mid-2027 using its Starship rocket.

Today's Change

(

-3.70

%) $

-6.00

Current Price

$

156.00

What's more, a handful of analysts believe SpaceX might bid to acquire a mobile carrier in the next few years to expand its internet business. Most recently, a TD Cowen analyst suggested T-Mobile would be a likely acquisition target.

While that's just speculation right now, even conservative estimates for Starlink's global total addressable market (TAM) are large. Morningstar estimates Starlink already has a $129 billion TAM. And some analysts estimate Starlink's U.S.-based subscribers will reach 15 million by 2030 -- up from just 3 million currently.

The Starship rockets reach mass efficiency Last but not least, SpaceX's rocket business is expected to expand significantly in the coming years. Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that SpaceX's core rocket launches could bring in $8.3 billion in revenue by 2030 -- up from $4.1 billion in 2025.

More importantly, SpaceX's Starship rockets are expected to reach an operational efficiency over the next few years that could be unmatched by SpaceX's competitors. If it lowers its marginal cost of launching payloads into orbit by 90%, which it's expected to do with future Starship launches compared to its Falcon rockets, it could achieve a competitive moat that other rocket companies would have a very hard time overcoming.

There's still a lot of uncertainty with SpaceX, and even if the company executes on its goals, there's no guarantee of success in the coming years. Investors are likely better off waiting to see how SpaceX delivers on some of its ambitions over the next year or so before considering buying the stock.

Shares of Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX), doing business as SpaceX, were last seen down 0.5% at $161.13. Over its last few weeks as a publicly traded stock, SPCX opened at $150, hit a June 16 peak of $225.64, and tumbled to a June 23 low of $147.11.

The stock is becoming increasingly popular amongst options traders, landing on Schaeffer's Quantitative Analyst Rocky White's list of stocks sporting the most active options over the past two weeks. This marks our first coverage of SpaceX since it made its way onto the list, with the stock seeing over 5.4 million calls and more than 3.9 million puts exchanged during this time frame. The most activity during the past 10 days were at the weekly 6/26 150-strike put and weekly 6/26 160-strike call.

Analysts are split on SPCX, with five carrying a "strong buy" rating, five a "hold," and one "sell." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus price target of $239.25 is a 48.1% premium to current levels. 

© 2022 Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Shares of space stocks are selling off across the board midday Monday, with the group’s leaders giving back a chunk of last week’s sharp gains. Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB | RKLB Price Prediction) stock is leading the pullback, down 7% to $93.28.

AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ:ASTS) shares are down 5% to $80.61, while SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) stock is off 3% to $157.43. Meanwhile, Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) shares are also 3% lower at $18.93.

There’s no confirmed stock-specific catalyst behind today’s selloff. The move looks like broad profit-taking after a torrid stretch for the sector, and it lands squarely on the highest-beta names.

Profit-Taking After a Blistering Week Rocket Lab stock had climbed 25% in the week ending July 2, and AST SpaceMobile shares had surged 30% over the same stretch. When names run that hot, a reset is normal, especially without a fresh headline to justify holding through the volatility.

Reddit chatter reflects the mood shift. Retail engagement on Rocket Lab cooled sharply after a WallStreetBets post titled “RKLB 2900->29k” celebrated gains on July 2, a classic exit signal. Polymarket’s daily direction market currently prices a 95% probability that Rocket Lab stock closes down today.

These are largely pre-profit, speculative names with no meaningful trailing earnings multiples to anchor valuation. Their prices trade on backlog, sentiment, and news flow, which cuts both ways.

The Long-Term Space Story Is Still Intact The bull case has not changed. The commercial-space backlog recently crossed $500 billion, and SpaceX’s NASDAQ debut on June 29 gave public investors direct access to the sector’s dominant player.

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

Government demand is the other pillar. The U.S. FY2027 space budget totals $59.7 billion and funds 31 launches, a step-change from prior years. Rocket Lab’s $2.2 billion backlog and Intuitive Machines’ 2026 revenue guide of $900 million to $1 billion both lean on that spending trajectory.

AST SpaceMobile has reaffirmed $150 million to $200 million in 2026 revenue and is targeting roughly 45 BlueBird satellites in orbit by year-end. Execution on constellation cadence remains the swing factor for the AST SpaceMobile story.

UFO Offers Diversified Sector Exposure For readers who want space exposure without single-name risk, the Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO) is a pure revenue-weighted vehicle for space stocks. Top holdings include Planet Labs at 6% as well as Rocket Lab at 5%.

The fund’s diversified basket smooths some of the single-stock volatility, but the ETF and its constituents remain high-beta plays. Position sizing in space names should stay modest given the group’s tendency to swing sharply in both directions.

What to Watch The key near-term question is whether today’s losses hold into the close. Polymarket’s week-of-July-6 market clusters at $88 to $92 for Rocket Lab stock, suggesting the crowd expects stabilization rather than a deeper flush.

Traders can watch for updates on Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket debut, AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird launch cadence, and NASA CLPS award decisions for Intuitive Machines. A single volatile session doesn’t change the long-term thesis, but it’s a fresh reminder that space stocks remain high-volatility positions.

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

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Meta remains a Strong Buy as I increase my stake, despite recent legal and regulatory headwinds. META's aggressive CapEx, including a $145B program and AI compute buildout, is offset by monetization strategies like Meta Compute and strategic fintech investments. Valuation remains compelling: META trades at a 19.06 P/E and 0.86 PEG, with robust revenue and net income CAGRs outpacing peers while funding growth from operating cash flow.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) has spent the year getting punished for the exact strategy that may end up minting money.

Meta runs the largest advertising machine outside of Google, powered by Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Messenger, and has quietly become one of the most aggressive infrastructure builders on the planet. Full-year 2025 capex hit $69.7 billion, up from $37.3 billion in 2024, and the 2026 range was pushed to $125 billion to $145 billion. That is Manhattan Project money for GPUs, custom silicon, and data center capacity.

Shares are down 8.7% year to date and 17.4% over the past year, badly lagging the broader market’s advance in 2026. What changed the conversation was a leaked plan showing Meta intends to sell compute externally. That raises the SpaceX comparison bulls have been waiting for.

The SpaceX playbook comes to Menlo Park SpaceX solved its capex overhang by turning excess capacity into rentable compute. Anthropic agreed to pay $1.25 billion per month for roughly 300 megawatts, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) signed a $920 million per month deal for about 110,000 GPUs stretching into mid-2029. That is a $26 billion annual run rate arriving before the S-1 was even dry.

Meta has the same ingredients. It owns the buildout, has already signed $107 billion in new contractual commitments this quarter for multiyear cloud deals and infrastructure purchase agreements, and it is deploying more than one gigawatt of custom silicon developed with Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), alongside a fresh $6.5 billion Samsung foundry deal for its third-generation MTIA accelerator. The core ad engine funds the whole thing. Q1 revenue rose 33% to $56.3 billion at a 41% operating margin, with ad impressions up 19% and price per ad up 12%. Volume and price rising together is rare.

The bear case that keeps working The bear argument is that this remains a capex black hole. Meta burned 60.2% of its operating cash flow on capex in 2025, Reality Labs is still losing roughly $4 billion per quarter, and the Q1 headline EPS of $10.44 was flattered by an $8.03 billion tax benefit. A single Zuckerberg comment on infrastructure spending sent Applied Optoelectronics down 17% in one session. The market is nervous about ROI slippage.

A depreciation cliff looms. D&A of $18.6 billion trails capex of $69.7 billion by a wide margin. Future earnings absorb a rising drag. Regulatory overhangs in the EU and pending US youth-litigation trials add tail risk that valuation multiples do not always price.

Where patience makes a case Nobody actually knows if compute-as-a-service materializes into signed contracts this year. Muse Spark is the first model out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, business AI conversations grew from 1 million to 10 million weekly in a single quarter, and yet monetization is still “currently free for most businesses.”

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.

Investors could reasonably wait one or two more prints to see whether third-party revenue arrives before paying up.

What the valuation and ratings show Meta trades at roughly 21x times trailing earnings and 19x times forward, cheaper than the broader software complex despite 30%-plus revenue growth. The Street consensus target sits at $828.17, or roughly 39.8% upside, on 57 Buy, 6 Hold, and 0 Sell ratings. The ratings distribution is unusually one-sided.

Prediction markets are catching up too. Polymarket assigns 74.5% probability that Meta ends 2026 with a higher valuation than OpenAI, and Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley recently flipped their view of Meta’s AI spend from “cash-burning black hole” to “monetization engine.” Meanwhile the stock underperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin over the past twelve months, which is the setup value investors typically want.

Why $593 is the right entry At $593, Meta Platforms is a Buy.

The path to price appreciation is bifurcated, and either fork works. If the compute-as-a-service pivot lands even one anchor tenant, Meta reprices as a hyperscaler rather than an ad platform, a multiple expansion story on top of an already-growing earnings base. If it does not, the ad business alone generated $200.97 billion in 2025 revenue at a 41.4% operating margin and continues to compound double digits, which supports the current price without any AI revenue at all.

The entry point matters. Shares sit meaningfully below both the 50-day ($605) and 200-day ($646) moving averages, and the multiple has compressed while earnings have expanded. That is the definition of a re-rating candidate, not an expensive one. The thesis breaks if Reality Labs losses widen materially, if Q2 revenue misses the $58 billion to $61 billion guide, or if promised third-party compute deals fail to materialize by year-end. Those are watchable, not fatal.

The clearest reason to own Meta at this price is that you are getting the ad business at a discount and the AI infrastructure optionality for free.

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.

An old-economy sector fund is quietly beating the market darlings this year, and it holds zero shares of the electric-vehicle giant everyone loves to argue about. The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSEARCA:ITA) has climbed 13.74% year to date and 32.48% over the trailing year, all while owning none of the Magnificent Seven, including Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction). Over the same year-to-date stretch, Tesla shares have fallen 12.51%.

What ITA Actually Owns ITA is BlackRock’s iShares fund tracking large- and small-cap U.S. companies in the aerospace and defense industry. As of March 31, 2026, the fund managed $13.49 billion in net assets spread across 47 holdings. The portfolio is heavily concentrated at the top: the ten largest positions represent roughly 64% of assets.

The top three names alone drive the fund. GE Aerospace sits at 19.03%, RTX at 16.55%, and Boeing at 8.91%. Behind them: General Dynamics at 4.77%, L3Harris at 4.66%, Lockheed Martin at 4.58%, Northrop Grumman at 4.58%, TransDigm at 4.53%, and Howmet at 4.50%.

Why the Fund Is Running Defense primes have benefited from a step-change in federal budget authority. The FY 2027 President’s Budget request for the Department of the Air Force alone reaches $391.1 billion, and procurement lines for major weapons systems are expanding, with the F-35 program alone jumping to a $21.4 billion request for FY 2027. Commercial aerospace has added its own tailwind through Boeing’s production ramp and record engine-services demand at GE Aerospace and RTX.

Growth-oriented names inside the fund have amplified the move. Axon Enterprise sits at 2.83%, Rocket Lab at 2.55%, and Kratos Defense at 1.10%. Goldman Sachs flagged economic security as a prominent 2026 theme, and this fund is a direct expression of it.

The Tesla Question Tesla is not in the fund’s 47 holdings as of the most recent NPORT filing. The reason is methodology, not opinion. ITA tracks a sector-focused index limited to aerospace and defense classifications. Tesla, at a $1.48 trillion market cap, is categorized under consumer discretionary and automotive. Its rockets are at SpaceX, a separate private company. The index simply has no lane for it.

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

That exclusion has helped this year. Tesla trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 421, and the stock is down 12.51% year to date despite a 14.14% Q1 earnings beat on $22.39 billion in revenue. Broad tech-adjacent volatility that has dragged Magnificent Seven names lower has bypassed ITA entirely.

What the Absence Means for Risk Funds that hold Tesla, including most total-market and consumer discretionary ETFs, have carried the drag from its year-to-date decline. ITA has skipped that hit but taken on a different concentration risk: three companies (GE Aerospace, RTX, Boeing) account for roughly 44.5% of the portfolio. A production stumble at Boeing or a Pentagon continuing-resolution fight could reverse the trend quickly.

The fund also skews cyclical. Over five years, ITA has returned 130.85%, and over ten years, 330.57%. Those numbers include long stretches when defense budgets were less generous and aerospace was grounded during the pandemic.

The Takeaway For retirement-focused investors weighing a sector allocation, ITA offers direct exposure to a policy-driven earnings cycle without wagering on high-multiple consumer tech. That is the trade-off: no Tesla upside if the stock rebounds, but no Tesla drawdown either. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, and this article is not investment advice. Anyone considering a position should weigh the fund’s concentration in a handful of prime contractors against the defense-spending backdrop that has powered its 6.14% trailing-month and double-digit year-to-date gains.

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

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Key Takeaways Coca-Cola posted 3% global unit case volume growth, with every operating segment growing volumes.North America volume rose 4% as Trademark Coca-Cola, Fanta, BODYARMOR and other brands grew.International trends were mixed, with soft Mexico, Argentina, Eurasia, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. The Coca-Cola Company (KO - Free Report) delivered 3% global unit case volume growth in the first quarter of 2026, with every operating segment posting positive volume growth despite an uneven consumer and macroeconomic backdrop. However, the regional performance revealed a notable contrast. North America emerged as one of the strongest contributors, while some international markets continued to face localized pressures, raising the question of whether the company’s domestic momentum can sufficiently offset global softness.

North America reported 4% volume growth, benefiting partly from an easier year-over-year comparison but also from broad-based demand across the beverage portfolio. Trademark Coca-Cola, Fanta, FRESCA, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Dasani, smartwater and Minute Maid all recorded volume growth. Innovation also supported demand through products such as Coca-Cola Cherry Float, Diet Coke Cherry, POWERADE Power Water and the expansion of mini cans into convenience stores. The company gained both volume and value share while growing revenues and profit in the region, underscoring healthy execution beyond favorable comparisons.

Outside North America, the picture was more mixed. Latin America benefited from strong performances in Brazil and Central America, which offset declines in Mexico and Argentina. EMEA delivered overall volume growth, although volumes in Eurasia and the Middle East weakened in March following the onset of regional conflict. The Asia Pacific also posted volume growth across all operating units despite difficult comparisons, but profitability was pressured by commodity inflation in tea and coffee, and inventory cost timing.

Management remains focused on maintaining balanced global growth through affordability initiatives, consumer-centric innovation and localized execution rather than relying on any single geography. North America has provided an important source of strength, but sustained global momentum will likely depend on improving conditions across international markets while preserving the company’s broad-based volume gains.

KO vs. PEP & MNST: How is North America Business Performing?Like Coca-Cola, North America remains one of the most closely watched markets for PepsiCo Inc. (PEP - Free Report) and Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST - Free Report) , with volume trends offering valuable insight into their competitive positioning.

PepsiCo’s North America business showed encouraging improvement in the first quarter of 2026, but it was not enough to fully offset softer trends across parts of its global portfolio. PepsiCo Foods North America returned to volume growth through affordability investments and innovation, while PepsiCo Beverages North America benefited from acquisitions despite a decline in organic beverage volume. Meanwhile, international markets continued to provide the company’s most consistent growth, extending a long streak of resilient organic revenue gains.

Monster Beverage's North America business delivered a strong start to 2026, with U.S. and Canada net sales rising 15.6% on healthy category demand, innovation and disciplined execution. However, unlike many global peers, Monster Beverage did not face broad international weakness. Instead, every geographic region posted double-digit sales growth, suggesting that North America's momentum complemented rather than offset the company's robust global expansion.

Zacks Rundown for Coca-ColaKO shares have gained 20.3% in the year-to-date period compared with the industry’s growth of 15.3%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, Coca-Cola is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92X, higher than the industry’s 19.72X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KO’s 2026 and 2027 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 8.7% and 6.9%, respectively. Earnings estimates for both 2026 and 2027 have been unchanged in the past 30 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

If you’re looking for an e-reader that allows you to buy expensive bestsellers from your local independent bookshops, your research will inevitably point you to Rakuten’s Kobo eReader. But, as it turns out, this reputation is largely based on outdated methods for buying Kobo books, involving signing up for a Kobo account from bookshops’ websites.

While there are a handful of indie bookshops nationwide still supporting Kobo through this website method, most of that kind of support ended years ago. I’ve found it impossible to buy e-books for my recently purchased Kobo from any of my local, beloved bookshops.

I want to support these bookshops, and I don’t want to own a physical copy of every book I read. I also want to use an e-reader rather than an Android or iOS app on a phone or tablet because e-readers offer long battery life, digital ink, and low-glare screens. These allow me to read comfortably for hours, even outdoors, similar to a physical book.

One solution for Kobo owners, originally promised for 2025, was a partnership with Bookshop.org, an Amazon competitor that supports local bookshops with every order. Bookshop.org currently offers e-books through its mobile app for iOS and Android.

That partnership was at first promised for 2025 and then delayed to 2026, and for a brief time earlier this year, looked like it would be delayed indefinitely.

After Bookshop.org changed the wording on its webpage referencing Kobo support, removing “2026” and replacing it with “sometime in the future,” I reached out to get a status update.

Bookshop.org’s founder and CEO, Andy Hunter, told me in an emailed reply that progress with Kobo has now been made. The webpage has been updated, saying once again that support is expected to roll out “later this year.”

“The Kobo integration is something both Kobo and Bookshop.org want to make happen,” Hunter said.

The hold-up has been both on the business side and engineering to ensure it is “done in such a way that respects publisher requirements for digital rights management. It took us some time to hammer out the business terms and allocate the necessary engineering resources,” he explained.

Hunter, whose company also competes with Amazon by selling physical books, says his engineers have been focused on improving the mobile device app, which launched about 15 months ago.

Their attention is now being returned to Kobo support, albeit the timing remains vague. “We have recently settled on business terms with Kobo, and we are confident the collaboration is going to happen, but can’t promise a specific launch date until the engineering work is further along,” Hunter said.

Obviously, whether or not Bookshop.org ever figures out Kobo support, Kobo users don’t have to buy all their books from Japanese-based e-commerce giant Rakuten. Kobo users can read a large selection of digital rights management (DRM)-free books on their readers, and a large selection (though not all) of library books offered through Overdrive. Independent e-book store Books.com also delivers DRM-protected books in a format that Kobo supports, it says.

Another solution, should your goal be to support local bookshops with e-book purchases, is to use a different e-reader. An Android reader like Boox or Meebook that supports the Google Play app store should be able to download Bookshop.org’s app, the bookseller says.

Still, like countless other Kobo owners, I’m rooting for the Bookshop.org integration to materialize. Supporting local independent bookstores was my main motivation for buying this particular e-reader, misled as I was by my online research (and the confident advice of ChatGPT).

Now that I own a Kobo Libra Colour, I really do love its reading screen, fast response, and long battery life. I also continue to hold onto my six-year-old Kindle for the same reasons.

But I also love the local, small-business bookstores with their personalized recommendations, support of local authors, and sheer love of books. Here’s hoping that the top e-commerce site that supports local shops, Bookshop.org, will soon actually support the popular Kobo device, which claims 12 million users in 190 countries.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Microsoft is axing 4,800 employees, most of them from its Xbox division, as it and the rest of the tech industry seek to adapt to the AI era.

The cuts come as the software giant has heavily invested in artificial intelligence after years of pouring cash into gaming.

“Our business is changing because the world around it is changing. The way technology is built, deployed, and used is transforming faster than at any point in my time here,” Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s chief people officer, wrote in a Monday memo to employees.

Xbox Chief Executive Asha Sharma said the sagging video game maker must shed workers amid an overhaul. Bloomberg via Getty Images The layoffs included 1,600 Xbox employees who were immediately let go, with another 1,600 set to be axed over the rest of Microsoft’s fiscal year, according to Xbox Chief Executive Asha Sharma.

“Our business today is not healthy,” she wrote employees, going on to list challenges like slow growth.

“We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses,” Sharma added. “We must reset Xbox.”

Microsoft – which became a dominant force in the video game arena with the landmark launch of the Xbox in 2001 – is also selling or spinning off four game development studios and weighing strategic options for a fifth, according to Sharma.

The cuts account for 2.1% of Microsoft’s global workforce — and one-fifth of Xbox staffers.

AI has been blamed for layoffs throughout the tech sector, which saw its worst start to the year in terms of employment since 2023. The first three months of 2026 brought 52,050 tech layoffs — a 40% jump from the same period last year, according to executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas – with AI increasingly being blamed for the cuts.

The soon-to-be axed Microsoft employees won’t actually be replaced by AI, Coleman said.

Microsoft became a dominant force in the video game business with the landmark launch of the Xbox in 2001. “At the same time, what is true is that AI is changing how work gets done. Some of the tasks we do every day can now be automated, and that means we all need to keep learning, keep building new skills, and keep adapting as the work evolves,” she said.

Microsoft stock was down about 1.5% as of midday Monday.

Microsoft – along with rivals Sony and Nintendo – has jacked up prices for its Xbox consoles amid a global memory chip shortage caused by seemingly bottomless demand for powerful chips from the AI sector.

The video game industry has faced waves of layoffs over the past two years after companies including Microsoft ramped up hiring during the COVID pandemic. That growth slowed once pandemic restrictions ended.

Microsoft bought game makers such as Activision Blizzard to strengthen Game Pass, its Netflix-style subscription service. Sharma acknowledged in the memo that Game Pass “did not grow at the pace we expected.”

Xbox revenue fell 5% in the quarter ended in March compared with a year earlier. The division’s profit margin for the fiscal year ended in June was 3%, down from the previous year.

Satya Nadella’s Microsoft has poured ever-more resources into AI. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tapped Sharma, the former chief operating officer of Instacart, to helm Xbox in February despite her lack of experience in the video game industry. Since taking over, she has hustled to reshape the business.

Sharma is reducing the number of games Microsoft publishes while putting more resources behind its biggest franchises, including Minecraft, Candy Crush and Fallout. She also lowered the price of Game Pass after the service lost subscribers following a price increase last year, and stopped adding new “Call of Duty” titles to the subscription service, requiring players to purchase them separately.

Beyond gaming hardware and subscriptions, Xbox operates Microsoft’s digital game store for Windows PCs. As the company scales back its own game development, Sharma is working to make Microsoft a more attractive distribution platform for the growing number of independent game developers.

LOS ANGELES, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP reminds investors of the upcoming August 11, 2026 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: MSFT) common stock between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”).

IF YOU SUFFERED A LOSS ON YOUR MICROSOFT INVESTMENTS, CLICK HERE TO INQUIRE ABOUT POTENTIALLY PURSUING CLAIMS TO RECOVER YOUR LOSS UNDER THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS.

What Happened?
On January 28, 2026, Microsoft announced disappointing results for its second quarter of fiscal 2026, revealing that growth of its cloud computing platform, Azure, had slowed suddenly and fallen below analyst expectations due primarily to computational capacity constraints, as the Company had diverted central processing unit and graphics processing unit capacity to applications for its generative AI chatbot, Copilot, and AI-related research and development. The Company also revealed that its capital expenditures had increased to $37.5 billion during the quarter, causing the Company’s capital expenditures for the first six months of fiscal 2026 to expand to $72.4 billion compared to $88.2 billion for the entirety of fiscal 2025, largely due to AI-related research and development and Copilot development and capacity buildout costs. Additionally, Microsoft disclosed that the amount of paying users of Copilot was well below analyst estimates.

On this news, Microsoft’s stock price fell $48.13, or 9.99%, to close at $433.50 per share on January 29, 2026, thereby injuring investors.

What Is The Lawsuit About?
The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that Microsoft’s Copilot family of products had experienced significant brand positioning, user experience, usage, data siloing, computational capacity, organizational, and interoperability problems; (2) that Microsoft’s flagship proprietary AI model ranked well below competitors on a number of benchmark tests; (3) that Microsoft needed to increase by billions of dollars its capital expenditures and divert GPU and CPU capacity away from fulfilling demand for its profitable Azure services in order to improve the competitive positioning of its critical Copilot family of products and increase its AI-related R&D; (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Microsoft had failed to convert a significant percentage of its commercial Microsoft 365 users to paid Copilot subscriptions and the Company’s Copilot offerings had lost market share to rival products, a trend that was increasing; and (5) as a result, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired Microsoft common stock during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than August 11, 2026 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit.

Contact Us To Participate or Learn More:
If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:
Charles Linehan, Esq.,
Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP,
1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100,
Los Angeles California 90067
Email:  [email protected]
Telephone: 310-201-9150,
Toll-Free: 888-773-9224
Visit our website at www.glancylaw.com.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you inquire by email, please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

Contact Us:
Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter LLP,
1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Charles Linehan
Email:  [email protected]
Telephone: 310-201-9150
Toll-Free: 888-773-9224
Visit our website at: www.glancylaw.com.