Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

According to official announcements, Ethena’s synthetic USD stablecoin USDe has been natively deployed on X Layer, and users can now hold and trade USDe within the X Layer ecosystem. This deployment will further enrich the application scenarios of stablecoin assets in the X Layer ecosystem, lay a foundation for the composability of future DeFi scenarios, and provide more asset options for on-chain transactions, liquidity, and yield applications. It is reported that OKX Wallet will later support USDe staking, add USDe to its existing cycle earning feature, and allow users to participate in related on-chain strategies with one click.

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22 companies including Wells Fargo and Arm oppose trading their tokenized stocks on the OKXICE platform.

A regulatory document seen by Reuters shows that six additional companies, including Wells Fargo, Arm Holdings, and Intuit, will not allow their stocks to be tokenized on a joint trading platform backed by crypto exchange OKX and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). These previously unreported objections highlight growing challenges facing stock tokenization. Stock tokenization refers to converting the equity representing a company’s shares into digital tokens, enabling them to be traded on blockchains like cryptocurrencies. While U.S. securities regulators have recently approved such innovative products, the pushback from these companies remains a drag on its development. The document shows that a total of 22 companies have raised objections so far. It outlines the rules for OKX and ICE’s joint project and lists the objecting firms, but does not specify the exact reasons for their objections.

12 minutes ago

Initia Co-founder: Vulnerability attack involves MoveVM, native token INIT unaffected.

Initia co-founder Zon said that based on current information, the security incident likely originates from a zero-day vulnerability in Initia’s Cosmos SDK-based MoveVM. The flaw allows attackers to mint additional tokens on Initia’s Layer 1 (L1) blockchain, but does not affect the native token INIT. Zon added that before the blockchain was suspended, the attacker had transferred out approximately $2.7 million worth of AUSD, ETH, and USDC by minting extra tokens and conducting cross-chain transfers. The team is still investigating the incident, and subsequent impacts and more details remain to be confirmed.

12 minutes ago

Extended will launch the XTEN token in November, with its tokenomics model set to be unveiled on October 31.

According to official announcements, on-chain perpetual futures trading platform Extended has announced its native token XTEN is scheduled to launch in November 2026, with the token’s economic model set to be unveiled on October 31. XTEN’s initial total supply stands at 1 billion tokens, of which 300 million (30% of the total) will be allocated to eligible participants of the Extended Points program. Qualified users will receive XTEN in their self-custodial Arc wallets at no cost. The XTEN whitepaper has been drafted in compliance with the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, submitted to relevant authorities for registration, and is expected to be released on October 31.

12 minutes ago

Netanyahu seeks to leverage blockchain to counter potential future financial sanctions against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that he has requested the development of a plan leveraging blockchain technology to help Israel address potential financial sanctions, while warning that U.S. military aid will eventually come to an end.

12 minutes ago

Initia suspends its L1 mainnet and Rollup operations due to a security incident.

Initia announced that as of 23:41:30 (UTC+8) on October 23, 2026, its L1 mainnet and Rollup have been suspended following a security incident. The project team is collaborating with security teams, validators, and exchanges to investigate and assess the specific impact scope of the incident. Initia stated that it will release verified information via official channels in the future, and reminded users to stay vigilant and treat unofficial links, messages, and related claims circulating during the event with caution.

12 minutes ago

Brent crude oil surged 3.00% intraday, now trading at $112.37 per barrel.

According to Bitget's market data, Brent crude oil surged 3.00% intraday, currently trading at $112.37 per barrel.

12 minutes ago

SummaryTempus AI is now a higher-conviction Buy after resolving prior concerns on MRD ownership and cash flow, with adjusted EBITDA turning positive.The Personalis acquisition secures MRD capabilities, integrating high-demand data and supporting pharma partnerships, while xT CDx FDA approval enables significant pricing uplift from 2027.The Data and Applications segment maintains robust ~28% growth, with a growing backlog and margins stabilizing despite headline deceleration and compute cost pressures.At ~6.5x 2027 EV/revenue, TEM offers a de-risked thesis, and the recent ~20% pullback presents an attractive accumulation opportunity ahead of Q3 free cash flow milestones. Rockaa/E+ via Getty Images

A Buy call issued in June as “accumulate on dips” on Tempus AI, Inc. (TEM) now looks like a higher-conviction Buy after running up by ~39% since then. In June, I had two things on

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

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

The XRP token has moved closer to a breakout above $1.40 as Ripple convened figures from BlackRock and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its Swell 2026 conference in New York. This high-profile event, which started on October 27, combines Ripple’s traditional keynote sessions with Apex, a specialized blockchain program for developers.

Institutional momentum and market impactThe presence of major global financial representatives at Swell 2026 coincided with a surge in regulated investments into the XRP ecosystem. Notably, clients of leading asset manager Franklin Templeton purchased $3.55 million worth of XRP ETF shares, contributing to a breakthrough from months-long price consolidation.

Recent trading activity has seen XRP stabilize within the $1.32 to $1.33 range, approaching a significant psychological resistance level. Market observers are watching for a breakout, with the token’s momentum supported by growing practical applications of the XRP Ledger (XRPL).

Recent inflows from institutional investors such as Franklin Templeton have helped push XRP out of its previous consolidation range, renewing attention on the token’s potential for a near-term breakout.

Market participants are now focusing on whether the XRPL, Ripple’s decentralized blockchain infrastructure, is positioned to become the primary standard for facilitating institutional capital flows. The participation of Wall Street leaders at the conference is expected to influence broader investor sentiment.

Strategic goals for BlackRock and the IMFBlackRock and the IMF are not seeking exposure to the XRP token itself. Their focus is on the integration of liquidity management and artificial intelligence solutions being developed through Ripple’s platform. These innovations could potentially form the backbone for advanced settlement hubs serving global finance.

Ripple’s XRPL, which supports multiple assets since its launch in 2012, features an auto-bridging mechanism. Developers see this as a potential foundation for a new era of payments automated by AI agents, further enhancing the network’s appeal to institutional participants.

Mini dictionary: Apex, a developer-focused blockchain summit that operates alongside Ripple’s Swell event, facilitates technical collaboration and showcases innovations within the XRP Ledger ecosystem.

This year’s conference also highlights Ripple’s stablecoin, RLUSD, and its scaling prospects within the On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) system. Binance, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, is attracting retail attention through a campaign to distribute 600,000 XRP among RLUSD holders until mid-November. Meanwhile, institutional investors are evaluating the long-term fundamentals of these assets.

EntityRecent ActionFocusFranklin TempletonBought $3.55 million XRP ETFInstitutional investmentBlackRockAttending Swell 2026Liquidity integration, AI paymentsIMFAttending Swell 2026Settlement hub innovationBinance600,000 XRP campaignRetail engagement in RLUSDRipple’s cross-border payment solutionsRipple is using the Swell conference to present its strategic partnership with Arf, a Swiss fintech firm specializing in cross-border financial infrastructure. This alliance aims to accelerate global settlements using RLUSD, with settlement times ranging from one to five days and prospects for extending credit lines in the future.

By hosting Swell 2026 in New York alongside key players like BlackRock and the IMF, Ripple intends to showcase the readiness of its technologies for real-world financial applications. The company positions these developments as crucial steps that could help XRP overcome its longstanding price resistance.

Ripple’s expansion into cross-border settlements and stablecoin scaling is drawing renewed interest from both retail and institutional investors, raising expectations for XRP’s performance in global markets.

Key Takeaways NuScale's 12-module plant could deliver 3 gigawatts of thermal energy as steam for industrial applications.A 2025 study found NuScale's proposed systems could potentially cut chemical plant CO2 emissions by 80%-90%.SMR is developing steam compression technology to expand its potential industrial applications.
NuScale Power Corporation (SMR - Free Report) is exploring industrial heat as a use for its small modular reactors. Factories need heat to refine crude oil, produce chemicals and manufacture fertilizers, with much of that energy coming from fossil fuels. According to a U.S. Department of Energy analysis cited by NuScale, process heating accounted for 51% of manufacturing energy use in 2018. NuScale says a plant with 12 Power Modules could supply 3 gigawatts of thermal energy as superheated steam. This could give industrial customers another way to meet their heat needs while reducing emissions.

Industrial facilities need steam at specific temperatures and pressures, making it difficult to replace conventional boilers. NuScale has been studying how its reactors could meet those requirements. In a 2025 assessment published with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, several proposed systems were found capable of serving a large chemical facility while potentially cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 80% to 90%. NuScale is also working with Ebara Elliott Energy on a high-temperature steam compressor. The planned system would use equipment to raise reactor-supplied steam to 500°C or more, making it suitable for additional industrial uses.

These projects could open another market for NuScale, although commercial adoption remains uncertain. Its reactor design supports an emergency planning zone at the plant boundary, allowing installations closer to factories and reducing heat lost during transport. The company has studied ways to supply electricity and steam for hydrogen and ammonia production. However, these studies do not amount to industrial sales. NuScale must demonstrate its systems at commercial scale, secure customers and arrange financing before process heat can become a revenue source. Successful projects could improve the business outlook for SMR stock.

NuScale is not alone in exploring nuclear energy for industrial heat applications. Other advanced nuclear developers are also working on smaller reactor designs that could supply both electricity and heat to industrial facilities. As industries look for ways to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, demand for such technologies could increase, creating new business opportunities while intensifying competition in the nuclear energy market.

Other Nuclear Developers Target Heat and Power ApplicationsNANO Nuclear Energy (NNE - Free Report) is targeting applications where reliable, high-temperature energy can support power-intensive industrial operations. NANO Nuclear Energy says its KRONOS MMR uses high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology and is designed for deployment across data centers, industrial and defense-related customers. Its compact, modular architecture and use of TRISO fuel could support co-located or off-grid applications. NANO Nuclear Energy is also building partnerships to support future commercial deployment.

Meanwhile, Oklo Inc. (OKLO - Free Report) is taking a similar approach by designing its Aurora powerhouses to provide both electricity and usable heat. OKLO sees this combination as part of a broader integrated nuclear platform spanning power, fuel and isotopes. OKLO is already developing an Aurora application at Eielson Air Force Base that is intended to supply electricity and heat, demonstrating how advanced reactors could serve facilities with simultaneous thermal and power requirements. OKLO also plans to own and operate these assets.

The Zacks Rundown on NuScale PowerShares of SMR have lost some 55% over the past six months.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

NuScale Power currently has an average brokerage recommendation of 2.79 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 19 brokerage firms. 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SMR’s earnings has been revised over the past 90 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

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

Rigetti Computing, Inc. (RGTI - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.

Over the past month, shares of this company have returned -30.4%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.2% change. During this period, the Zacks Internet - Software industry, which Rigetti Computing falls in, has lost 5.8%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?

Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.

Earnings Estimate RevisionsRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.

We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

For the current quarter, Rigetti Computing is expected to post a loss of $0.05 per share, indicating a change of -66.7% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of -$0.19 points to a change of +70.3% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $0.19 indicates a change of +2.1% from what Rigetti Computing is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged.

Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Rigetti Computing is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Projected Revenue GrowthEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.

For Rigetti Computing, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $3.89 million indicates a year-over-year change of +99.6%. For the current and next fiscal years, $24.55 million and $71.21 million estimates indicate +246.4% and +190% changes, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryRigetti Computing reported revenues of $5.14 million in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +185.6%. EPS of -$0.05 for the same period compares with -$0.05 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.91 million, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +4.58%. The EPS surprise was -66.67%.

Over the last four quarters, Rigetti Computing surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates two times over this period.

ValuationNo investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance.

While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.

As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Rigetti Computing is graded F on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Rigetti Computing. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

The market expects Capri Holdings (CPRI - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on lower revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended September 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 30, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus EstimateThis luxury retailer is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +800%.

Revenues are expected to be $781.27 million, down 8.7% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. Our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) -- has this insight at its core.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. 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.

Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Capri Holdings?For Capri Holdings, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +4.76%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.

So, this combination indicates that Capri Holdings will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Capri Holdings would post earnings of $0.4 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.67, delivering a surprise of +67.50%.

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

Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Capri Holdings appears a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.

An Industry Player's Expected ResultsBoot Barn (BOOT - Free Report) , another stock in the Zacks Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $1.63 for the quarter ended September 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of +19%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $581.15 million, up 15% from the year-ago quarter.

The consensus EPS estimate for Boot Barn has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. However, a higher Most Accurate Estimate has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.49%.

When combined with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), this Earnings ESP indicates that Boot Barn will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. Over the last four quarters, the company surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Bitcoin is navigating a challenging economic environment as Brent crude oil maintains levels above $100 per barrel, raising concerns about persistent inflation and the availability of fresh liquidity in global markets. CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost highlighted that strong oil prices historically coincide with slower Bitcoin price momentum, though he emphasized that this pattern does not represent a confirmed causation.

Brent crude’s influence on Bitcoin and market liquidityAccording to Darkfost, ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region and intensified Ukrainian operations targeting Russian refineries have pushed energy prices higher. Elevated fuel costs can impact a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, transportation and services, contributing to rising prices across the economy.

“Over the long term, periods when Brent oil trends strongly above its annual average have typically seen Bitcoin’s upward momentum slow, though distinct causal links remain unproven,” stated Darkfost of CryptoQuant.

Brent crude recently hovered near $104, compared to an average range of $60 to $70 earlier in 2026. The commodity’s 365-day moving average is now rising following an extended downtrend.

Available data since 2014 shows that when Brent trades significantly above its yearly average, Bitcoin often underperforms. Several such episodes—such as in 2018, parts of 2021 and 2022, and periods throughout 2026—demonstrate this market relationship. However, not every increase in oil prices led to a drop in Bitcoin, underscoring the complex interplay between the two markets.

Darkfost argued that broader economic conditions, rather than oil prices alone, ultimately drive investor behavior. In an inflationary environment, access to capital and appetite for higher-risk assets like cryptocurrencies can diminish. Persistently high energy prices further complicate decisions for the Federal Reserve, as officials navigate balancing inflation risks with the goal of supporting economic growth.

If inflation does not subside, the Federal Reserve may be less inclined to loosen monetary policy, creating a less favorable backdrop for new investment in digital assets. Sustained high borrowing costs and elevated yields could make allocating capital to Bitcoin less attractive for some investors.

Nevertheless, the analyst noted that Bitcoin responded positively during brief intervals of reduced macroeconomic strain, as seen in July. Oil prices subsequently rebounded, but Darkfost did not rule out the potential for further gains, cautioning instead that persistent high energy costs may limit the flow of new liquidity into cryptocurrencies.

Mini dictionary: CryptoQuant is an on-chain analytics platform specializing in blockchain data and market intelligence for digital assets.

Whale activity: over $770 million in BTC withdrawnWhile macroeconomic pressure persists, large Bitcoin holders are increasingly moving considerable sums of cryptocurrency. Blockchain analytics provider Lookonchain reported that since October 1, forty newly-created wallets have withdrawn a combined 9,458 BTC—valued at approximately $771.5 million—through Wintermute, a leading digital asset trading firm known for providing market liquidity and institutional solutions.

Mini dictionary: Wintermute is a prominent global algorithmic trading firm providing liquidity and facilitating large-scale transactions in the digital asset markets.

These large-scale withdrawals suggest some whales are accumulating Bitcoin even amid sluggish overall momentum. However, transfers from exchanges or trading firms to private wallets do not confirm whether these represent new purchases, nor do they reveal the identities of the wallet holders. It also remains unclear if the recipients are distinct institutional investors or addresses controlled by a single entity.

Lookonchain’s observation highlights ongoing interest in Bitcoin by large market participants, but the data cannot confirm broader buying activity across the market. Moving coins between wallets is not equivalent to net buying pressure, and cannot guarantee immediate impact on price direction.

MetricValueBTC Withdrawn9,458 BTCUSD Value$771.5 millionNumber of wallets40PeriodSince October 1Main partyWintermuteEven as large withdrawals signal ongoing accumulation by whales, these movements alone do not demonstrate a market-wide trend toward new investments or establish a firm timeline for Bitcoin’s potential recovery.

Both the oil market analysis and whale activity measure distinct aspects of the current environment: energy prices frame the macroeconomic backdrop and potential liquidity constraints, while wallet movements illustrate how major Bitcoin holders position themselves under these conditions.

For now, no clear correlation guarantees either immediate price gains or losses for Bitcoin. Darkfost pointed to Brent’s performance above its annual average as the metric to monitor—should oil recede below $100 and fall under its yearly benchmark, pressure on Bitcoin could ease and create room for new market momentum.

Parker Lewis, author of “Gradually, Then Suddenly,” has argued that Bitcoin is poised to eventually settle all global payments. In a recent interview, Lewis pointed to the increasing burdens on the credit system, citing $107 trillion in global debt, and outlined how these factors could accelerate Bitcoin adoption for payment settlement.

Bank Failures and the Payment RevolutionLewis explained that major bank closures in 2023 convinced him the payments infrastructure is Bitcoin’s most vital role, rather than custody or reserve functions. He noted that the banking instability showcased vulnerabilities in traditional finance and made decentralized alternatives more attractive to individuals and businesses alike.

Discussing merchant adoption, Lewis highlighted that businesses can bypass traditional card networks by accepting Bitcoin directly. He emphasized these advantages by stating that merchants avoid the typical 3% card processing fees and eliminate risks related to chargebacks.

Parker Lewis described the shift in payments as essential, stating that merchant adoption of Bitcoin means, “Fewer fees, no chargebacks, and a more direct payment system.”

This focus on direct payments, according to Lewis, could drive Bitcoin’s real-world usage beyond its perception as just an asset or reserve currency.

Debt, Macro Strain, and Dollar RelevanceLewis also addressed the strain in the global credit system, citing over $107 trillion in worldwide debt—up starkly from $52 trillion in 2007. He said escalating interest rates, with mortgages above 7% and corporate refinancing costs at nearly 10%, signal deeper systemic stress.

He added that traditional tools of the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury are losing efficacy, leaving large-scale money creation as one of the only remaining responses to rising financial pressures.

According to Lewis, in such an environment, the dollar price of Bitcoin gradually becomes irrelevant as the system transitions to more direct digital settlements and away from depending on fiat currency denominations.

He claimed that “over time, as more payments are made through Bitcoin, the importance of its price in dollars will diminish.”

Lewis further critiqued the alignment issues between Bitcoin treasury companies and their investors, asserting that simply holding Bitcoin does not automatically drive long-term value or innovation.

Payments Infrastructure and Technical DebatesDebating the technical side, Lewis argued that Bitcoin’s real innovation comes through closing the value transfer loop and using payment networks, such as the Lightning Network, to provide scalable, instant settlements.

He also discussed the constraints of on-chain transaction capacity versus off-chain solutions like Lightning, suggesting that the payments architecture will need to evolve dramatically to reach the projected scale.

Mini dictionary: Lightning Network, a second-layer payment protocol for Bitcoin, enables faster and lower-cost transactions by creating off-chain channels that eventually settle on the main blockchain. It is seen as a critical tool for scaling Bitcoin to handle global payment volumes.

Lewis’s viewpoint has sparked further debate about Bitcoin’s long-term utility and the future of global payment settlements.

Privacy on Bitcoin has always come with a surcharge. A new prototype called PISA is trying to lower the bill.

Developers demonstrated PISA on October 23, 2026, during the Plan ₿ Week and Forum events in Lugano, Switzerland. The project combines Payjoin with Cross-Input Signature Aggregation, better known as CISA, to make collaborative Bitcoin transactions smaller and cheaper.

What PISA actually does
Start with the two ingredients. Payjoin, defined in BIP77 and BIP78, is a method for collaborative transactions with built-in privacy features.

Collaborative transactions pull in inputs from more than one source. That makes them harder for outside observers to read, which is the privacy benefit.

The catch is size. Every input in a Bitcoin transaction normally carries its own signature, and every signature takes up space.

CISA attacks that problem directly. It lets multiple signatures across different inputs be aggregated together, rather than each one sitting in the transaction separately.

PISA stitches these two ideas into a single working prototype. The goal is to keep Payjoin’s privacy while using CISA to trim the transaction’s footprint.

The numbers and the people behind them
The savings are not trivial. CISA proposals could cut transaction size and fees by approximately 7–26%, depending on the type of transaction.

The biggest wins should land on multi-input payments. Those are exactly the transactions common in tools like CoinJoin and Payjoin.

Fabian Jahr and Dan Gould are the primary developers on PISA. Both emphasized the potential for meaningful fee savings in cooperative transactions.

The project is a collaborative effort involving the Payjoin Dev Kit and Brink. Cypher Tank supported the Lugano demonstration.

The team did not keep the work behind a curtain. Developers showcased the code and specifications during the event and made them publicly available through a dedicated project website at pisa.payjoin.org.

Discussion on social media following the demo focused on user experience improvements.

Still a draft, not a deployment
Now for the fine print. The CISA proposals behind PISA remain in the research and specification phase.

The relevant draft Bitcoin Improvement Proposals, BIP 458 and BIP 459, have not been activated on the Bitcoin network. Until they are, the savings PISA demonstrates live in a prototype, not in your wallet.

Work on improving collaborative transactions has continued since the Taproot activation in 2021, with developers looking for ways to boost privacy while reducing the costs of using these newer transaction methods.

PISA is one of the more concrete outputs of that effort. It turns a set of specifications into something people can actually run and inspect.

What this means for Bitcoin users and builders
For wallet developers and infrastructure teams, PISA offers a reference point. Public code and specifications give builders something tangible to evaluate ahead of any protocol change.

For investors, the near-term picture is more modest. PISA is protocol research, and its direct impact depends on whether BIP 458 and BIP 459 move from draft to activation.

Progress on BIP 458 and BIP 459, developer feedback on the published PISA code, and any wallet teams experimenting with the prototype will signal whether this demo becomes a building block or stays a conference highlight.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, is fluctuating within a narrow range of $80,000-$84,000, with the anticipated major surge failing to materialize. In its latest report, CoinShares analyzed the factors limiting the rise in BTC.

According to CoinShares, Bitcoin is showing resilience to declines thanks to a recovery in spot buying and an improvement in market sentiment, while high inflation and interest rate hike expectations in the US are limiting the upside potential in the cryptocurrency market.

Spot Buying Supports Bitcoin, Suppresses Inflation and Interest Rates! According to CoinShares’ latest assessment, Bitcoin is exhibiting a relatively strong performance despite volatility in risky assets. The recovery in spot market buying, improved sentiment in equity markets, and the closing of short positions are among the key factors supporting the Bitcoin price.

In contrast, inflation data released in the US continues to be a significant risk for the cryptocurrency market. The consumer price index (CPI) exceeded expectations in September, raising concerns about inflation and interest rates.

Higher-than-expected inflation is also making it more difficult for the Fed to ease monetary policy and is reducing expectations of interest rate cuts. The possibility of interest rates remaining high for a longer period or a new increase could increase pressure on non-yielding assets like Bitcoin.

At this point, the market is also closely watching the possibility of another interest rate hike in December. The probability of rates remaining unchanged in October is priced at 90.6%, while the probability of an interest rate hike in December is priced at 68.8%.

Uncertainty Continues for Bitcoin! CoinShares concludes its assessment by stating that in the short term, spot demand, as well as inflation, interest rate expectations, and liquidity conditions, could be decisive factors in Bitcoin’s trajectory. While spot purchases support the price, concerns about tight monetary policy pose an obstacle to a sustained rise.

Therefore, the direction of Bitcoin is expected to be shaped by upcoming economic data and policy signals from the Fed.

*This is not investment advice.

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Franklin Templeton has taken the last regulatory step before launching two exchange-traded funds that convert stock dividends into bitcoin. 

On October 22, Franklin Templeton filed a Form 8-A with the Securities and Exchange Commission to register shares of the Franklin US Equity Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF and the Franklin US Innovation Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF for trading on the Nasdaq. A prospectus filed the same day lists an effective date of October 27.

The filings for both funds arrived in June without tickers or fees. Four months later, the details are in.

How the funds work The Equity fund, ticker FBEQ, tracks the VettaFi US Large-Cap 500 Bitcoin DRIP Index. The index holds the 500 largest U.S. companies by market capitalization, weighted by float-adjusted market cap. 

As of September 30, it held 499 stocks ranging from $10.2 billion to $5.5 trillion in size, with a concentration in information technology.

At inception, the index allocates 95% to those stocks and 5% to bitcoin. Each dividend the companies pay, regular or special, is reinvested into bitcoin at the market open on the day after the ex-date. The bitcoin share of the portfolio grows with each payment.

A traditional dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, buys more shares of the company that paid the dividend. Franklin’s version routes that cash into bitcoin. 

For a holder, the dividend stream from the largest companies in America becomes a recurring bitcoin purchase, with no exchange account, no wallet and no custody decisions.

The bitcoin position has limits. At each quarterly rebalance, an allocation above 5% is trimmed to 4.5%. If bitcoin exceeds 20% of the index between rebalances, it is cut back to 4.5% within two business days, and the proceeds return to stocks. The result is a stock fund with a bitcoin sleeve, not a bitcoin fund.

The ETF does not hold bitcoin on-chain. It gains exposure through bitcoin exchange-traded products, including Franklin’s own spot fund, through bitcoin futures and options, or through depositary receipts, in some cases via a Cayman Islands subsidiary.

FBEQ carries a 0.09% expense ratio with no 12b-1 fee. Franklin Advisory Services manages the fund, with Franklin Templeton Institutional as sub-advisor. Dina Ting, Hailey Harris, Joe Diederich and Basit Amin serve as portfolio managers.

The Innovation fund follows the same mechanic on the VettaFi US Innovation 100 Bitcoin DRIP Index, which draws from the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq.

A deeper bet on bitcoin Franklin Templeton filed for a spot bitcoin ETF in September 2023 and launched it as EZBC in January 2024. In April, the firm acquired 250 Digital and formed Franklin Crypto, an institutional digital asset division. Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson has argued that blockchains threaten Wall Street’s fee structure more than its technology.

The DRIP funds extend that strategy to investors who may never buy bitcoin on their own. A retiree holding an S&P 500-style fund in a brokerage account can, through FBEQ, let dividends from the companies she already owns build a bitcoin position over years.

The prospectus warns that investors can lose money, and that bitcoin’s price swings may affect the fund’s net asset value. Whether that trade-off appeals to the audience Franklin Templeton is targeting will become clear after October 27.

Micah Zimmerman

Micah first discovered Bitcoin in 2018 but remained a skeptic on the sidelines for too long. Since 2021, he has covered crypto and business and now works as a news reporter for Bitcoin Magazine, based in North Carolina.

Although the demand for XRP ETFs has slowed substantially in recent days following the recent crypto market volatility, they have remained persistent even in small quantities.

Amid the slow but steady demand for the XRP investment product, the latest onchain data shows that Franklin Templeton has just bought XRP, even as its price remains unstable.

$3.5 million of XRP scoopedAs of October 23, data from SosoValue shows that Franklin Templeton's XRP ETF has recorded up to $3.55 million in net inflows during its last daily trading session on Thursday.

HOT Stories

With the Franklin XRP ETF attracting up to 2.71 million XRP worth about $3.55 million in net inflows at a time like this, the fund has taken dominance for the day as other XRP ETFs saw zero capital flows for the day.

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Notably, the inflow recorded by the fund provides a bullish outlook for XRP as it signals sustained demand from investors seeking exposure to the asset without directly holding it.

However, XRP's price movement at the time of the purchase remains concerning to market participants as the broad market momentum continues to fade.

Can This Trigger an XRP Rally?It is important to note that while Franklin Templeton's latest XRP purchase provides a positive signal for demand for its XRP investment product, it does not guarantee an immediate price recovery for the asset.

XRP's current price movement remains subject to broader market sentiment, which is currently bearish as other major crypto assets are also witnessing a price correction.

Nonetheless, market analysts predict that sustained demand for the XRP ETF could drive bullish momentum for the price.

Shares of Strive (ASST +1.83%) soared 20.5% this week, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock's jump came as the company completed a $630 million preferred stock offering to fund its Bitcoin acquisition strategy.

Strive stock closed at $29.03 on Thursday, Oct. 22, up 20.5% from Friday, Oct. 16's close. Across those sessions, the S&P 500 was roughly flat at 0%.

ASST Strive$29.56+$0.53 (+1.83%)

NASDAQ · As of 12:04 PM ET 10/23/26

Funding an expansion in Bitcoin holdingsStrive closed an initial public offering of 7 million shares of its 15% Series A Perpetual SATS Preferred Stock at $90 per share on Tuesday, generating $630 million in gross proceeds. The proceeds will fund general corporate purposes and additional Bitcoin purchases.

In a filing with regulators, the company disclosed it bought 4,045 Bitcoins between Oct. 12 and Oct. 16 at an average price of $82,803 per coin, raising its total treasury holdings to 36,818 Bitcoins worth roughly $3 billion.

Strive is an asset manager operating as a Bitcoin treasury company, raising capital through stock offerings to buy and hold Bitcoin as its core reserve asset. Beyond its investment management subsidiary, the firm issues specialized preferred equity to retail and institutional investors, using the proceeds to continuously buy more Bitcoin.

By selling perpetual preferred stock with fixed dividend yields, management aims to amplify per-share Bitcoin exposure for common equity holders without diluting ownership through direct sales of common stock alone.

However, funding asset purchases with fixed-yield preferred obligations adds leverage to the capital structure, leaving common shareholders exposed if coin prices drop. This week's upsized preferred offering resolves near-term funding questions by providing more cash to accelerate Strive's Bitcoin accumulation strategy.

What's next for StriveInvestors should watch the company's upcoming earnings report in November, as well as the start of daily SATS dividends on Nov. 9. Because the firm relies on issuing high-yield preferred equity to purchase non-yielding digital assets, permanent capital loss remains a key risk for common shareholders if Bitcoin experiences a deep downturn and preferred dividend obligations strain liquidity.

Peer treasury companies like Strategy face similar crypto exposure, but Strive's unique daily distribution schedule imposes tighter operational requirements.

Is Strive stock a buy?Buying Bitcoin directly, or a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), looks like a better deal than paying a premium for Strive stock right now. Counting its preferred stock, Strive is valued at about 1.4 times its Bitcoin, cash, and other treasury assets. That means investors are paying roughly 40% more than those assets are currently worth.

A sound strategy is to invest in treasury companies like Strive when their market caps are trading closer to the value of the Bitcoin and other treasury assets they hold. At near 1x net asset value (NAV), investors get the benefit of leveraged upside on the long-term appreciation of Bitcoin without overpaying. When the premium to NAV goes up, it's better to buy Bitcoin directly.

The main risk investors have to account for with treasury companies is the volatility. Bitcoin itself is highly volatile, but a treasury company like Strive is even more so. You're also betting on management's execution, which is another risk. With spot Bitcoin, there is no execution risk -- just the volatility of the asset itself.

For most Bitcoin investors, buying an ETF is the simpler option.

SRH, a US-based investment adviser with $3 billion in AUM, has reported holding 27,301 shares of Franklin Templeton’s Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ). 

The firm disclosed the XRP ETF investment, worth about $441K, in a quarterly Form 13F filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Notably, institutional investment managers with more than $100 million in assets under management must file these reports every quarter to disclose their long positions in US equities. 

SRH’s investment adds to the expanding number of US financial firms gaining exposure to XRP through regulated exchange-traded products. However, Form 13F filings only show an institution’s holdings at the end of a quarter, so SRH’s current position may be different from the amount it reported.

US wealth manager SRH reveals investment in Franklin XRP ETF The Franklin XRP ETF Franklin Templeton launched the Franklin XRP ETF on NYSE Arca in November 2024. Trading under the ticker XRPZ, the fund operates as a passively managed grantor trust that holds XRP directly and tracks the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate. 

Importantly, it charges a net expense ratio of 0.19%, which makes it one of the lower-cost regulated XRP investment products available to US investors. Over the past 52 weeks, the fund’s share price has ranged from $10.77 to $26.09.

On Oct. 22, XRPZ recorded $3.5464 million in net inflows in a single day, bringing its cumulative net inflows since launch to $519 million. 

Across all spot XRP ETFs, total net assets stood at $1.488 billion, while cumulative net inflows reached $1.804 billion. During the third quarter of 2026, XRPZ attracted $90.64 million in net inflows.

Wall Street’s Expanding XRP ETF Footprint SRH’s disclosure follows a series of institutional filings showing that more traditional financial firms are investing in XRP ETFs. 

Goldman Sachs reported $86.5 million in XRP ETF holdings as of June 30, 2026, in its SEC Form 13F filing. The investment covered five spot XRP ETFs, including approximately $25.76 million in the Bitwise XRP ETF and $25.41 million in Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ. 

Bloomberg Intelligence’s review of second-quarter 2026 filings ranked Goldman Sachs as the largest institutional holder of spot XRP ETFs, ahead of Jane Street Group and Millennium Management.

Morgan Stanley also reported holdings across several XRP investment products in its latest Form 13F filing. The firm held 6,715 shares of Franklin’s XRP ETF, 255 shares of the REX-Osprey XRP ETF, and 67 shares of the Bitwise XRP ETF. 

AdvisorNet Financial disclosed 12,380 shares of Franklin’s XRP ETF, worth approximately $177,800, in its third-quarter 2026 filing. 

Meanwhile, UMB Private Wealth Management reported an XRPZ position valued at $100,316 as of Sept. 30, 2026. In addition, Vista Finance disclosed 129,958 shares of the Franklin XRP Trust ETF worth approximately $11.45 million.

XRP ETF Market Performance Spot XRP ETFs have continued to perform impressively this year. The products attracted $307.87 million in net inflows during the third quarter of 2026. July accounted for $27.29 million, August brought in $159.18 million, and September added $121.40 million. 

Over the same period, XRP’s price rose by more than 45%, climbing from $1.04 to $1.51. The Bitwise XRP ETF led the market with $177.94 million in third-quarter inflows, bringing its total assets to $618.81 million.

However, the market saw some withdrawals in October. During the week ending Oct. 16, 2026, US spot XRP ETFs recorded approximately $1.84 million in net outflows, ending a 13-week streak of consecutive inflows. 

Despite this setback, cumulative net inflows approached $1.8 billion, while ETF assets remained around $1.47 billion. On October 22, XRPZ helped restore positive momentum by accounting for the entire $3.5464 million in daily inflows.

Cardano showed a modest recovery on Friday, with ADA rising almost 2% to trade near $0.2156 after suffering a 6% decline in the prior session. Despite this limited rebound, ADA remains below its key moving averages and the previous rising support trendline, highlighting persistent technical pressures on the cryptocurrency.

Large investors show mixed positioningData from on-chain analytics platform Santiment revealed that wallets holding between 10 million and 100 million ADA controlled 37.93% of the circulating supply on Friday, a decrease from 38.27% reported on October 10. This reduction suggests that some sizable investors trimmed their ADA holdings in recent days, although reclassification of wallet categories could have contributed to these shifts.

Meanwhile, the largest investors—wallets with more than 100 million ADA—took the opposite approach. Their share of the ADA supply increased from 15.92% to 16.04% over the same period, indicating selective accumulation among top holders even as other whales reduced exposure.

The divergence in holdings reveals an uneven approach among large investors, rather than blanket selling across the board.

Holder GroupOctober 10October 1810M – 100M ADA38.27%37.93%>100M ADA15.92%16.04%Santiment is a blockchain analytics provider that tracks on-chain metrics, including investor behavior, whale activity, and token distribution.

Mini dictionary: Santiment is an on-chain data analytics platform that monitors cryptocurrency wallet distributions, investor activity, and other blockchain metrics to help investors assess market sentiment and asset flows.

The share of ADA supply in profit also slid notably, dropping from 30.78% to 17.8%. This shift means significantly fewer Cardano tokens now trade above their acquisition cost, reflecting both price declines and potential unrealized losses.

Mixed whale activity and falling supply in profit show that Cardano’s rebound is accompanied by pressure from large holders and weak sentiment among investors.

Derivatives market reflects reduced risk appetiteDerivatives data from CoinGlass indicated that open interest in ADA futures declined 3.3% to $467.97 million over the past 24 hours. Falling open interest alongside the recent price drop is typically linked to traders closing positions and reducing leverage exposure.

Because open interest is denominated in dollars, declines can also result from lower ADA prices. Liquidations over the same period totaled about $1.08 million, with $1.02 million coming from long positions—a sign that bullish traders bore the brunt of forced closures as prices fell.

Despite these liquidations, the funding rate in ADA perpetual futures remains positive at 0.0038%, highlighting that traders are still paying a premium to maintain long positions. This suggests ongoing bullish positioning, although signals appear divided across investor categories.

Technical levels cap Cardano’s recoveryOn the technical front, ADA continues to trade below significant resistance zones. The daily chart shows Cardano below the 50-day Exponential Moving Average at $0.2274 and the recently broken rising trendline near $0.2282. The 200-day EMA at $0.2322 presents an additional resistance barrier further overhead.

The Relative Strength Index, currently near 41, reflects subdued momentum, as values below 50 typically indicate weakness. The MACD has drifted further into negative territory, supporting a cautious short-term outlook for ADA.

On the downside, immediate support centers on the $0.20 mark, a key psychological and technical level. If sellers push ADA below this threshold, the price could test the August 30 low around $0.1894.

Unless ADA regains and closes above the $0.2322 region, the current move is likely a brief bounce within a broader corrective phase rather than a sustained reversal.

For any lasting recovery, analysts point to the need for ADA to reclaim the $0.2274–$0.2282 resistance zone, followed by a daily close above the 200-day EMA. Until then, Cardano is viewed as remaining in a corrective trend despite Friday’s modest advance.

Centrus Energy (LEU) recently acquired Westerman Holdings, securing a crucial manufacturing supplier as nuclear fuel demand accelerates. Westerman produces specialized equipment across several sectors, including nuclear-grade items like UF6 cylinders, engineered industrial systems, and production technologies for upstream and midstream oil and gas. The Centrus Energy Westerman acquisition points to a broader trend of nuclear companies using targeted M&A deals to secure heavy manufacturing capabilities and expand capacity.

Key Takeaways

Centrus purchased 100% of Westerman Holdings for roughly $116 million using a mix of cash on hand and common stock.
The transaction adds about 400 manufacturing employees and four production facilities across Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.
Westerman brings active revenue streams from non-nuclear industrial markets, matching a key trait seen across several Range Nuclear Renaissance ETF (NUKZ) holdings.

Strategic Supply Chain Impact of Centrus Energy Westerman Acquisition
Centrus acquired 100% of Westerman’s outstanding membership interests for approximately $116 million, according to a statement from the firm. Centrus funded the purchase price through $95 million in cash on hand alongside $21 million in Centrus Class A common stock. As part of the closing structure, Centrus repaid Westerman’s $12.7 million term loan and fully satisfied $31.5 million in subordinated notes. Centrus expects the transaction to be accretive to its adjusted earnings per share in the first full year.

Operationally, the deal adds roughly 400 employees and four manufacturing facilities located in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to Centrus’ footprint. Westerman already acts as a primary supplier producing centrifuge casings and key components for Centrus. Bringing this capacity in-house mirrors the industrywide reliance on specialized EPC and manufacturing firms to execute infrastructure buildouts.

Revenue Diversification Fits NUKZ Portfolio Profile
In addition to nuclear transportation cylinders, Westerman maintains an established customer base in oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. That existing non-nuclear business gives Centrus immediate revenue streams outside core enrichment services.

This hybrid structure mirrors several other holdings inside the Range Nuclear Renaissance ETF (NUKZ). Many holdings in the fund maintain strong industrial, energy, or defense businesses, allowing them to generate consistent cash flow while retaining upside to long-term nuclear deployment. 

NUKZ offers exposure to the entire nuclear value chain, including reactor design, construction, utilities, and fuel supply chains.

Looking for nuclear insights in your inbox? Subscribe here to keep a pulse on nuclear investing through our weekly research.

For more news, information, and analysis, visit the Nuclear Energy Content Hub.

vettafi.com is owned by VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”). VettaFi is the index provider for NUKZ, for which it receives an index licensing fee. However, NUKZ is not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi. VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of NUKZ.

Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,397 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,772 shares during the quarter. Apple accounts for approximately 1.0% of Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Financial Futures Ltd Liability Co.’s holdings in Apple were worth $2,797,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AAPL. Avenir Tech Ltd bought a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. ABS Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $376,168,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $118,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apple during the 2nd quarter worth $161,000. 67.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Phillip Securities raised their price target on Apple from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $400.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Moffett Nathanson set a $283.00 price target on Apple and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on Apple in a report on Monday, August 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apple currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

Check Out Our Latest Report on AAPL Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO John Ternus sold 25,412 shares of Apple stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $332.94, for a total value of $8,460,671.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 59,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,832,236.98. The trade was a 29.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total value of $15,467,020.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This trade represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Apple Price Performance AAPL stock opened at $348.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $328.91 and its 200 day moving average is $309.07. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.42 and a 52 week high of $348.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a net margin of 27.62% and a return on equity of 135.46%. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.39%.

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside. Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns. Apple Company Profile (Free Report)

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).

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Davis Rea LTD. raised its position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report) by 166.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 69,832 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after buying an additional 43,618 shares during the period. Apple accounts for 6.7% of Davis Rea LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Davis Rea LTD.’s holdings in Apple were worth $23,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospect Hill Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apple in the 2nd quarter worth about $146,370,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $168,646,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $482,388,000. Satovsky Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Apple during the second quarter worth about $16,064,000. Finally, Gouws Capital LLC raised its position in Apple by 136.9% in the third quarter. Gouws Capital LLC now owns 37,504 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $12,490,000 after acquiring an additional 21,676 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong iPhone Duo demand is the main catalyst. Preorders for the $1,999 foldable reportedly sold out quickly, with delivery dates extending into 2027. DigiTimes reported that Apple raised its 12-month shipment target by 44% to 14 million units, up from an initial 9.7 million. iPhone Duo preorder surge prompts Apple to raise shipment targets Positive Sentiment: The foldable launches Friday with supply constrained. Limited store inventory, combined with online backorders, could support near-term pricing power and signal meaningful demand for a new premium product category. Apple bets iPhone Duo can remake foldable market Positive Sentiment: Apple is increasingly viewed as an AI “safe haven.” Investors are favoring the company’s substantial cash generation and device-focused AI strategy over rivals committing enormous sums to centralized data centers. Berkshire Hathaway’s continued large Apple holding also reinforces the stock’s defensive appeal. Apple’s Cash Flow Machine Makes It Investors’ Favorite AI Hedge Positive Sentiment: Additional growth opportunities are emerging. Apple is expanding its smart-home ecosystem with Schneider Electric and has another product event scheduled for October 28, potentially providing further catalysts. Schneider Electric teams up with Apple on smart-home products Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains the key debate. Apple’s approximately 40 times earnings multiple and $5 trillion valuation leave investors dependent on strong holiday sales, expanding margins and sustained product growth. Analysts remain divided, with some projecting another major growth phase while others see limited upside. Negative Sentiment: Loop Capital downgraded AAPL to Hold over valuation and concerns about iPhone shipment prospects, creating a counterweight to the upbeat foldable-phone reports. Apple slips as Loop Capital downgrades on iPhone shipment concerns Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and ETF outflows add modest pressure. SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares worth about $815,000, while reports also cited net ETF selling and additional insider transactions. These trades are relatively small compared with Apple’s size but may reinforce valuation concerns. Apple Trading Up 1.2% Shares of AAPL opened at $348.22 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $328.91 and a 200 day moving average of $309.07. Apple Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.42 and a fifty-two week high of $348.36. The firm has a market cap of $5.08 trillion, a P/E ratio of 39.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.00. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $109.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $109.04 billion. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.75 EPS for the current year.

Apple Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Apple’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apple In related news, SVP Deirdre O’brien sold 46,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.42, for a total transaction of $15,467,020.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 136,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,615,190.20. This represents a 25.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 2,399 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $336.18, for a total transaction of $806,495.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,116,870.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 286,853 shares of company stock worth $95,477,342 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have weighed in on AAPL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. CICC Research increased their target price on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on shares of Apple from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Apple in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Apple in a research note on Monday, August 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.12.

View Our Latest Analysis on Apple

Apple Profile (Free Report)

Apple Inc designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and digital services. Its best-known products include the iPhone smartphone, Mac personal computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watch, AirPods and other accessories. The company also develops operating systems and applications that support its hardware ecosystem.

Apple’s services business includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, iCloud, Apple Pay and other subscription, payment and digital-content offerings.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Apple Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AAPL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL – Free Report).

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Meta Platforms (META.O) will delay the implementation ​of updated commercial terms to November 20 from October ‌30 so it can address concerns from publishers and digital advertisers, the US tech company said on Friday, in a move that could ​stave off potential regulatory action.

Meta's move followed complaints by publishers ​and digital advertisers to EU and UK antitrust authorities ⁠about its new commercial terms, which they said would ​give the company an unlimited right to use their content for ​its AI services. Meta has rejected the claims.

"We are extending the effective date of our updated Commercial Terms and Self-Serve Ad Terms to 20 ​November to allow more time for us to explain ​to our partners and stakeholders what's changing and what's not," a Meta spokesperson ‌said ⁠in an email.

The company will explain how Meta uses web crawlers, and the fact that content owners will still be able to use robots.txt to signal preferences, the spokesperson said.

The ​EU antitrust watchdog ​said it ⁠welcomed the delay amid discussions with the company on the proposed commercial terms.

It said it had ​sent requests for information to companies that ​have not ⁠published summaries about the data used to train their models.

Publishers worldwide are ramping up their fight with AI companies that use ⁠their ​content without permission to train large ​language models, underscoring the clash between copyright owners and those citing fair-use arguments.

In its upcoming report, Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) is predicted by Wall Street analysts to post quarterly earnings of $2.94 per share, reflecting an increase of 2.4% compared to the same period last year. Revenues are forecasted to be $111.64 billion, representing a year-over-year increase of 27.6%.

The current level reflects an upward revision of 1.4% in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter over the past 30 days. This demonstrates how the analysts covering the stock have collectively reappraised their initial projections over this period.

Prior to a company's earnings announcement, it is crucial to consider revisions to earnings estimates. This serves as a significant indicator for predicting potential investor actions regarding the stock. Empirical research has consistently demonstrated a robust correlation between trends in earnings estimate revision and the short-term price performance of a stock.

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

Given this perspective, it's time to examine the average forecasts of specific Alphabet metrics that are routinely monitored and predicted by Wall Street analysts.

It is projected by analysts that the 'Revenues- Google advertising' will reach $83.52 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +12.6%.

Based on the collective assessment of analysts, 'Revenues- YouTube ads' should arrive at $11.34 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +10.6% from the prior-year quarter.

Analysts forecast 'Revenues- Google Cloud' to reach $29.16 billion. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +92.4%.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Revenues- Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices' should come in at $14.85 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +15.4% from the prior-year quarter.

The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Revenues- Google Search & other' will likely reach $64.99 billion. The estimate points to a change of +14.9% from the year-ago quarter.

The consensus among analysts is that 'Revenues- Google Services total' will reach $98.42 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +13.1% year over year.

The consensus estimate for 'Revenues- EMEA' stands at $34.62 billion. The estimate points to a change of +15.7% from the year-ago quarter.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Revenues- United States' at $64.36 billion. The estimate suggests a change of +32% year over year.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Revenues- Other Americas (Canada and Latin America)' of $7.15 billion. The estimate indicates a change of +17.9% from the prior-year quarter.

Analysts' assessment points toward 'Revenues- APAC' reaching $22.01 billion. The estimate points to a change of +23.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Analysts expect 'Total TAC (traffic acquisition costs)' to come in at $16.53 billion. The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of $14.88 billion.

Analysts predict that the 'Headcount (Number of employees)' will reach 200,611 . The estimate is in contrast to the year-ago figure of 190,167 .

View all Key Company Metrics for Alphabet here>>>

Over the past month, shares of Alphabet have returned -5.3% versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.2% change. Currently, GOOGL carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), suggesting that it may outperform. the overall market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

AWS just posted its fastest growth in 18 quarters, yet Amazon shares still sit well below their 52-week high. The path to $500 by 2030 exists, but it hinges on one part of the business clearing a very high bar.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction | AMZN Price Prediction) runs the world’s biggest cloud platform, and that cloud is speeding up again. AWS revenue reached $42.23B in Q2 FY26, up 37% YoY. That was its fastest growth in 18 quarters.

The stock is up 13.97% this year, which still trails what the business is doing. CEO Andy Jassy now says AWS could become “a trillion-dollar annual revenue business for us in time.” So can Amazon reach $500 per share by 2030?

Spending Fears Are Holding Amazon Back Right Now
Capex is the concern. Amazon raised its 2026 cash capex estimate to roughly $220 billion, up from about $200 billion, and cited higher memory costs. Free cash flow turned negative at -$7.6B TTM. Q3 guidance calls for only 9-12% sales growth, partly because Prime Day moved into Q2.

CNBC this week called it a “stumbling stock” that needs a path back to record highs. Shares sit at $262.59, below the 52-week high of $287.20. The past week (+1.74%) and month (+3.69%) show only a small rebound. With a beta of 1.456, the stock tends to amplify market moves.

Analysts Are Bullish, but Their Targets Stop Too Soon
Wall Street’s consensus target is $331.46. The ratings include 16 Strong Buys, 43 Buys, 2 Holds, along with 0 Sells. The model puts shares at $334.91, a 27.54% gain. The bear case sits at $287.36, while the bull case reaches $386.57. Confidence in the model is 0.7, which is fairly high.

The consensus looks too short-sighted. Sentiment is 97% bullish, yet earnings growth adds only 0.03 to the factor after a mega-cap drag. One-year targets also leave out the AWS backlog. Our five-year base case puts shares at $489.98 by October 2030.

Here’s What It Takes for Amazon to Reach $500
Getting from today’s price of $262.59 to $500 would take a gain of 90.4%.

Consensus FY2027 EPS is $10.5519. At $500, that is a forward P/E of 47x. The $334.91 estimate works out to 32x on the same EPS, so the bold target needs roughly 16x of additional multiple expansion.

That gap closes if earnings compound through 2030. The highest FY2027 estimate is $15.0435, and at that level $500 is only 33x. The model’s 1.102 adjustment factor reflects “strong earnings acceleration.”

AWS backlog stands at $496 billion and is growing triple digits. The AI and chips businesses each run above $25 billion annualized. Anthropic and OpenAI have signed multi-year, multi-gigawatt Trainium commitments. Jassy added: “We will still not have enough capacity to meet all the demand we have in 2026.”

A key risk is that capex keeps climbing faster than AWS revenue and delays the free cash flow recovery past 2030.

Where Amazon Trades Today vs Its Earnings Power
Amazon trades at about 25x FY2027 EPS, versus a trailing P/E of 36x. For a company whose largest profit engine is growing 37% with a 39.4% operating margin, that multiple looks reasonable.

Shares sit inside a 52-week range of $196 to $287.20. The 10-year return is 542.43%. Today’s valuation gives earnings growth room to carry most of the load toward $500.

$500 Is a Stretch, but Here’s Why It’s Possible
A $500 price needs a 90.4% gain. My conclusion is that this is ambitious yet credible. Three things have to go right. AWS has to keep growing above 30%.

AI margins have to follow the core cloud path, which Jassy says is happening “a little ahead” of schedule. And revenue growth has to outpace capex so free cash flow turns positive again. A recession that hits enterprise cloud budgets would knock this off course.

Such returns shouldn’t be expected every year, but we’ve outlined the plan for how Amazon could reach $500 in 2030.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Concorde Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,698 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,379,000. Microsoft makes up 0.8% of Concorde Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MSFT. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Microsoft in the second quarter worth approximately $27,338,370,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Microsoft during the second quarter valued at approximately $18,306,443,000. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 30.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 41,675,076 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $15,426,862,000 after acquiring an additional 9,814,598 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 10.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 29,323,744 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $10,852,884,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 64.3% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 24,264,779 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,982,083,000 after purchasing an additional 9,493,778 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

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

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Microsoft Trading Down 2.2% Shares of Microsoft stock opened at $521.08 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $507.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $445.62. Microsoft Corporation has a 12-month low of $349.20 and a 12-month high of $553.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. Microsoft had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 40.31%. The business’s revenue was up 17.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is currently 20.27%.

Insider Activity In other news, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. The trade was a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total value of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Microsoft from $575.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Microsoft from $500.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Monday, September 21st. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Microsoft from an “overweight” rating to a “negative” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Microsoft from $510.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Microsoft

Microsoft Company Profile (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check

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Fox Hill Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 44,074 shares of the software giant’s stock, valued at approximately $16,440,000. Microsoft accounts for about 6.6% of Fox Hill Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MSFT. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in Microsoft by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $85,604,000 after buying an additional 8,773 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new stake in Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Microsoft during the 2nd quarter worth about $75,641,000. Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 537,630 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $199,014,000 after buying an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Microsoft by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 6,921,677 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $2,562,197,000 after buying an additional 537,634 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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

Positive Sentiment: Microsoft’s AI diagnostic system reportedly diagnosed complex medical cases more than twice as often as generalist physicians in a simulation published in Science. The result supports the company’s ambitions in healthcare and “medical superintelligence.” Microsoft AI medical diagnostic study Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted strong underlying cloud momentum: Azure annual revenue has surpassed $100 billion, cloud-services growth reached 43%, and Microsoft’s commercial backlog rose to approximately $678 billion. These trends could support the investment case if the company demonstrates continued acceleration in its upcoming earnings report. Microsoft cloud demand and backlog Positive Sentiment: CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft is reorganizing around AI agents, broader model choice and lower-cost computing. The strategy could expand Copilot and Azure adoption across business workflows. Microsoft AI agent strategy Positive Sentiment: A strategic collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim will pursue AI-backed clinical development and digital patient twins, providing another potential application for Microsoft’s cloud and AI platforms. Microsoft and Boehringer Ingelheim partnership Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on next week’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. Analysts expect double-digit earnings growth, but the market increasingly wants evidence that Azure growth can keep pace with rivals and justify Microsoft’s substantial AI infrastructure investments. Microsoft earnings preview Negative Sentiment: Microsoft’s large AI capital expenditures remain a key valuation risk. While spending may create a long-term competitive moat, investors are concerned that data-center and infrastructure costs could pressure near-term returns, especially amid higher interest rates and market volatility. Microsoft AI spending and investment risk Negative Sentiment: Xbox announced pricing for cloud streaming of games users already own, prompting concerns about consumer reaction and pressure on Microsoft’s gaming business. Xbox cloud gaming pricing Negative Sentiment: Former CEO Bill Gates warned that AI could bring roughly two decades of disruption, reinforcing investor concerns about an AI investment bubble and the potential for expensive projects to produce uncertain returns. Bill Gates AI disruption comments Insiders Place Their Bets In other Microsoft news, CEO Judson Althoff sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.89, for a total transaction of $4,878,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 100,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,007,086.83. The trade was a 9.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Takeshi Numoto sold 4,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $496.48, for a total value of $2,388,068.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,677 shares in the company, valued at $21,188,276.96. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 150,314 shares of company stock worth $75,404,992 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MSFT. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Microsoft in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Mizuho upped their target price on Microsoft from $510.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Forty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.15.

Get Our Latest Research Report on MSFT

Microsoft Stock Performance Shares of MSFT opened at $521.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.87 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $507.93 and a 200-day moving average of $445.62. Microsoft Corporation has a one year low of $349.20 and a one year high of $553.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The software giant reported $4.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.50. Microsoft had a net margin of 40.31% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $90.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $87.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.65 EPS. Microsoft’s quarterly revenue was up 17.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 20.27%.

About Microsoft (Free Report)

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Microsoft Is Texas Instruments Setting Up for Its Next Big Breakout? Pegasystems’ Q3 Miss Exposed the Problem Standing Between AI and Cash Flow Lam Research’s Earnings Beat Wasn’t the Real Story—Its 2027 Outlook Was Tesla’s Flying-Car Hype Hits an Earnings Reality Check

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AMD has surged 156% this year as AI contracts rolled in, but one unproven product cycle could either justify a run past $689 or expose just how much faith is already baked into the stock.

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD | AMD Price Prediction) shares are trading at $549.35 this morning. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for AMD is $546.06 over the next 12 months. That implies 0.6% downside, so our model rates the stock a hold. Confidence is high, at 90%.

24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $549.35 Price Target from 24/7 Wall St. $546.06 Upside/Downside -0.6% Recommendation HOLD Confidence Level 90% The stock is up 156.51% year to date as the AI accelerator story moved from plans to signed contracts. Our model says most of that good news is already in the price.

One growth opportunity, the Helios rack-scale AI ramp, is the swing factor that could push shares well past our target.

Why We Could Be Wrong The 24/7 Wall St. price target sits just below where AMD trades today. Real upside could come from Helios shipments ramping faster than planned, or from server CPU demand that management says is exceeding supply.

Consider our target one datapoint among many. A detailed bull case appears below.

A 9% Pullback Interrupts a 156% Rally AMD fell 9.28% over the past week and 1.87% over the past month. Shares now sit 16.6% below the 52-week high of $658.52, though still far above the $188.22 low.

Fundamentals support much of the run. Second-quarter revenue rose 50.1% to $11.54 billion, beating the $11.31 billion consensus, and non-GAAP EPS of $1.66 exceeded the $1.61 estimate. Data Center revenue jumped 107% to $6.72 billion. Third-quarter guidance calls for about $13 billion, plus or minus $300 million.

Helios Could Drive a Run to $689 AMD holds gigawatt-scale commitments from OpenAI (6 gigawatts), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) (up to 6 GW) and Anthropic (up to 2 gigawatts of MI450 GPUs, starting in the first half of 2027). Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) plans Helios at scale on Azure.

CEO Lisa Su said in August that “customer pull for Helios is very strong and tracking ahead of our initial forecast,” with revenue per gigawatt in the “double-digit billions.”

Management expects Data Center revenue to more than double in 2027 and projects the AI accelerator market reaching about $1.4 trillion by 2030. Analysts agree: 45 rate AMD a buy or strong buy, none rate it a sell, and the consensus target is $627.65. Our bull scenario reaches $689.35.

Valuation Leaves Little Margin for Stumbles At 137x trailing earnings, AMD needs clean execution. Management noted supply limits on wafers, packaging and HBM, plus early Helios yields. Gaming revenue fell 31%, and Q2 free cash flow slipped 9.89% as capex jumped 186.52%. Export controls already cost an $800M MI308 charge.

Counterpoint: that capex funds the Helios ramp, and the 40x forward P/E looks far more reasonable. Our bear scenario lands at $433.06.

How AMD Compares to NVIDIA and Broadcom NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is AMD’s direct AI accelerator rival. Its latest quarterly revenue rose 105.85% to $96.22 billion, yet it trades at just 44x earnings. Faster growth at a lower multiple caps how much premium AMD deserves.

Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) competes for the same hyperscaler budgets with custom accelerators. AI semiconductor revenue grew 221% to $16.7 billion, showing how the market rewards proven AI scale.

Company Trailing P/E Latest Quarter Revenue Growth AMD 137x 50.1% NVIDIA 44x 105.85% Broadcom n/a 85.5% Against this group, our target looks reasonable.

Our HOLD Rating Stands, With Helios as the Trigger The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $546.06 and hold rating carry 90% confidence. Valuation tips the scale.

I would turn more positive if Q3 results confirm the Helios step-up and guidance tops $13 billion. I would stay cautious if supply or yield problems push the ramp further into 2027. Today, AMD is fairly valued.

Year Price Target (Base) from 24/7 Wall St. Bull Case 2026 $557.08 $565.62 2027 $546.06 $689.35 2028 $580.42 $768.63 2029 $601.18 $833.38 2030 $606.62 $889.79 The projections rest on AMD continuing to execute on its current AI strategy. A faster MI500 ramp would move results toward the bull column, while tighter export controls or HBM shortages could pull them lower.

The accelerator story also keeps pulling in the companies that power and cool the racks, which is why we put together a report on seven AI infrastructure suppliers that aren’t chipmakers.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Corient Private Wealth LP lessened its stake in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA – Free Report) by 17.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,069,030 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock after selling 1,907,428 shares during the quarter. NVIDIA makes up 2.5% of Corient Private Wealth LP’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Corient Private Wealth LP’s holdings in NVIDIA were worth $1,795,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Formuepleje A S lifted its holdings in NVIDIA by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Formuepleje A S now owns 460,938 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock valued at $92,229,000 after purchasing an additional 3,410 shares during the last quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NVIDIA by 2.8% in the second quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 108,000 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock valued at $21,610,000 after purchasing an additional 2,930 shares during the last quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of NVIDIA by 5.6% in the second quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 57,377 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock valued at $11,480,000 after purchasing an additional 3,018 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Grp LLC increased its holdings in shares of NVIDIA by 8.7% in the second quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 29,558 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock valued at $5,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of NVIDIA by 21.3% in the second quarter. Brown Financial Advisors now owns 42,229 shares of the computer hardware maker’s stock valued at $8,450,000 after purchasing an additional 7,404 shares during the period. 65.27% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NVDA. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price objective on shares of NVIDIA in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of NVIDIA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on NVIDIA from $307.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Mizuho set a $315.00 target price on NVIDIA and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of NVIDIA in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.47.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on NVIDIA Key Headlines Impacting NVIDIA Here are the key news stories impacting NVIDIA this week:

Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure demand remains robust. CEO Jensen Huang said neocloud demand is “off the charts,” while Super Micro’s significantly higher revenue outlook and SpaceX’s plans to add substantial computing capacity provided evidence that customers continue expanding AI infrastructure. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says neocloud demand is off the charts but capital is scarce Positive Sentiment: GTC Berlin expanded NVIDIA’s addressable market. The company introduced DSX POD modular Vera Rubin AI factories, designed to reduce deployment timelines from roughly six months to as little as 14 days. Its DSX platform also targets up to 30% lower power consumption and near-zero cooling-water usage, potentially easing customers’ power and permitting constraints. NVIDIA introduces DSX POD AI factories Positive Sentiment: Platform expansion supports the long-term bull case. New partnerships involving AI-agent security, robotics, autonomous vehicles, telecom networks, quantum-computing interfaces and industrial AI reinforce NVIDIA’s strategy of selling a broader full-stack computing ecosystem rather than only GPUs. Neutral Sentiment: Quantum news is strategically relevant but not yet a material earnings driver. Quantum X Labs reported improved error-correction results using NVIDIA CUDA-Q, illustrating ecosystem adoption, although the announcement does not provide meaningful near-term revenue information for NVIDIA. Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning AI-spending sustainability and financing. Concerns that hyperscalers, neoclouds and other customers may struggle to fund massive data-center buildouts are weighing on the entire AI trade. Rising-rate risk adds pressure to high-growth technology valuations. Negative Sentiment: Semiconductor-sector pressure compounded the decline. Chip stocks weakened after Lam Research cited supply-chain constraints, while broader technology indexes also fell. NVIDIA’s high valuation and upcoming earnings raise the risk of a “sell-the-news” reaction even if results exceed expectations. Insider Activity In related news, CFO Colette Kress sold 34,918 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.05, for a total value of $7,648,787.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 765,103 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,595,812.15. The trade was a 4.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Timothy Teter sold 30,460 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.80, for a total value of $6,786,488.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,687,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $598,810,648. This trade represents a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,766,118 shares of company stock worth $399,450,353. Corporate insiders own 3.94% of the company’s stock.

NVIDIA Price Performance NASDAQ:NVDA opened at $212.21 on Friday. NVIDIA Corporation has a 52 week low of $164.27 and a 52 week high of $243.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a current ratio of 4.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $222.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $212.57. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 2.22.

NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The computer hardware maker reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $96.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.27 billion. NVIDIA had a net margin of 63.66% and a return on equity of 96.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 105.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.05 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that NVIDIA Corporation will post 9.30 earnings per share for the current year.

NVIDIA Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. NVIDIA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.64%.

NVIDIA declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, September 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $150.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the computer hardware maker to reacquire up to 2.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

NVIDIA Company Profile (Free Report)

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) is a technology company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs), accelerated computing platforms, networking products and related software. Its technologies support artificial intelligence, machine learning, scientific computing, data analytics, professional visualization and computer graphics.

The company’s products include GeForce GPUs for gaming and personal computing, data center GPUs and systems for AI and high-performance computing, and networking solutions used to connect and manage large-scale computing infrastructure.

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