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Key Takeaways General Mills' Q4 earnings and sales beat estimates, with EPS up 27% and net sales rising 1%.Organic sales were broadly flat, while adjusted gross margin rose 150 bps to 34.2% of sales.GIS expects fiscal 2027 organic sales to range from a 1.5% decline to 0.5% growth. General Mills, Inc. (GIS - Free Report) reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein both top and bottom lines beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year.
The company posted adjusted earnings of 95 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 82 cents. The bottom line also increased 27% year over year on a constant-currency (cc) basis, driven by elevated adjusted operating profit, a reduced adjusted effective tax rate and fewer shares outstanding, partially offset by higher net interest expense.
Net sales increased 1% to $4,609.6 million, benefiting from a 7-point contribution from the 53rd week and a 1-point benefit from foreign currency exchange, partially offset by a 7-point headwind from the net impact of divestitures and acquisitions. On an organic basis, sales were broadly unchanged, including a 1-point benefit from favorable trade expense timing. The top line also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4,604 million.
GIS’ Quarterly Margin PerformanceThe adjusted gross margin increased 150 basis points (bps), reaching 34.2% of net sales, supported by favorable pricing and mix, with higher input costs partially offsetting these gains. Favorable trade expense timing contributed a 60 bps benefit to adjusted gross margin. We expected an adjusted gross margin expansion of 50 bps.
General Mills’ adjusted operating profit increased 13% in constant currency to $705 million, driven by elevated adjusted gross profit dollars, including a 7-point benefit from favorable trade expense timing. Adjusted operating margin improved 160 bps to 15.3%. We expected an adjusted operating margin of 14.3% for the quarter.
Decoding GIS’ Segmental PerformanceNorth America Retail: Revenues in the segment were $2,466.6 million, down 4% year over year, including a 10-point headwind from the divestiture and a 7-point benefit from the 53rd week. Organic net sales were essentially unchanged from the prior year, while Nielsen-measured retail sales declined 4%. The difference was primarily cused by a previously anticipated 2-point benefit from trade expense timing and favorable changes in retailer inventory levels.
Segment operating profit of $506.4 million increased 7% for both reported and in constant currency. Growth was driven by favorable net price realization and product mix, along with lower selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses. These benefits were partially offset by lower volumes, including the impact of the U.S. yogurt divestiture, and higher input costs. Favorable trade expense timing contributed approximately 9 percentage points to quarterly operating profit growth.
North America Pet: Revenues rose 4% year over year to $702.4 million, benefiting by 7-points from the 53rd week. Sales grew at a double-digit rate in cat food, increased at a low-single-digit rate in dog food and declined slightly in pet treats. Organic net sales declined 3%, while all-channel retail sales fell approximately 1%. The difference was largely attributable to changes in retailer inventory levels.
Segment operating profit increased 14% to $160 million on both a reported and constant-currency basis. The improvement was driven primarily by favorable net price realization and mix, as well as lower input costs, partially offset by elevated SG&A expenses, including a double-digit increase in media investments.
North America Foodservice: Revenues were $574.6 million, which decreased 1%, including a 7-point headwind from the U.S. yogurt divestiture and a 6-point benefit from the 53rd week. Organic net sales were essentially flat, including a 2-point headwind from index pricing on bakery flour.
Segment operating profit gained 22% to $101.3 million, primarily due to Holistic Margin Management cost savings and favorable net price realization and mix, partially offset by input cost inflation.
International: Revenues in the segment were $858.4 million, up 16% year over year, benefiting from an 8-point contribution from the 53rd week and a 5-point benefit from foreign currency exchange. Organic net sales grew 3%, driven by strong performance in Brazil, Europe, India and China.
Segment operating profit increased to $61 million from $33.7 million a year ago, driven by favorable net price realization and mix, along with higher volumes, partially offset by higher input costs and increased SG&A expenses.
GIS’ Financial Health Snapshot & Other DevelopmentsGeneral Mills ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $453.8 million, long-term debt of $12,416 million and total stockholders’ equity (excluding noncontrolling interests) of $7,368.4 million.
The company generated $2,166.2 million in cash from operating activities in fiscal 2026. Capital investments amounted to $539.9 million during the same period. The company paid out dividends worth $1,315 million and bought shares for $500 million in the aforementioned period.
GIS declared a quarterly dividend of 61 cents per share, payable on Aug. 3, 2026, to its shareholders of record as of July 10.
What to Expect From GIS in Fiscal 2027?General Mills expects consumer demand to remain challenging in fiscal 2027 and plans to drive growth through product innovation focused on health, flavor, indulgence and pet humanization trends. The company aims to support profitability with at least $750 million in cost savings, although earnings will face headwinds from the absence of the prior year's 53rd week, higher incentive expenses and the impact of recent divestitures.
The company has provided its full-year fiscal 2027 outlook. Organic net sales are projected to range from a decline of 1.5% to growth of 0.5%. On a constant-currency basis, adjusted operating profit is expected to be down 8% to 13% from the fiscal 2026 base of $2.8 billion. Adjusted earnings per share are expected to be between $3.00 and $3.20, with an immaterial impact from foreign currency exchange. The company also expects free cash flow conversion to be approximately 95% of adjusted after-tax earnings.
This Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company’s shares have lost 7% in the past three months against the industry’s growth of 3.6%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stocks to ConsiderDarling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) develops, produces and sells sustainable natural ingredients from edible and inedible bio-nutrients. It currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Darling Ingredients’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 12.3% and 575.6%, respectively, from the prior-year reported levels. Darling Ingredients delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.8%, on average.
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI - Free Report) distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada. At present, United Natural carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). UNFI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.9%, on average.
The consensus estimate for United Natural’s current fiscal-year earnings implies growth of 254.9% from the year-ago figures.
Mama's Creations, Inc. (MAMA - Free Report) manufactures and markets fresh deli-prepared foods in the United States. At present, MAMA holds a Zacks Rank of 2. Mama's Creations delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 129.2%, on average.
The consensus estimate for Mama's Creations’ current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 30% and 73.3%, respectively, from the year-ago figures.
HomeIndustriesFood/Beverages/Tobacco‘Cat growth is on fire,’ one executive saysJuly 1, 2026, 2:39 p.m. ET
After making its products cheaper last year, General Mills is now trying to make them better as it seeks to win over increasingly price-conscious consumers and reverse a monthslong stock drop.
During its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, the packaged-food giant GIS — known for grocery brands like Cheerios and Annie’s and pet foods like Tiki Cat and Blue Buffalo — said it would lean harder into “innovation” within its high-end products this fiscal year, following the success of items like higher-protein Cheerios and bolder-flavor Chex Mix.
Sony said on Wednesday that it would stop releasing new video games for the PlayStation console on disc in January 2028 following a shift in consumer preferences.
“Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only,” the company said on its official PlayStation blog.
In practice, that means gamers will have to download directly from Sony’s PlayStation store or obtain a download code when purchasing a title from a retailer.
The announcement comes as the upcoming exclusively digital release of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is predicted to become one of the biggest-selling cultural products of all time, has caused some consternation among gamers.
There was grumbling on social media that the lack of a physical disc would eliminate any secondhand market for the title. Sony said the upcoming shift “has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format”.
Sony began its move towards digital downloads in 2020 with the release of the latest console, PlayStation 5, which had a version without a disk drive.
“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” the company said. “We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans.”
Piers Harding-Rolls at Ampere Analysis said: “The purchasing trends of gamers are clear.” In 2013, when the PS4 launched, only 13% of game sales were digital, but had risen to nearly 80% in 2025, he noted.
That didn’t stop gamers from complaining, however. “It’s a catastrophe,” said gamer and content creator Conkerax on YouTube.
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“Inevitably there will be concerns from PlayStation gamers around various aspects of this announcement including choice, accessing older physical games on new consoles, the ability to collect physical games and game preservation,” said Ampere’s Harding-Rolls.
He noted that the shift towards digital would have a negative impact on specialist games retailers, and would also hit the secondhand market.
The announcement renewed speculation about the next-generation PlayStation 6 console. Sony’s announcement “pretty much confirms PS6 will be digital only”, said Daniel Ahmad at Niko Partners, a video game market research firm.
Growth investors focus on stocks that are seeing above-average financial growth, as this feature helps these securities garner the market's attention and deliver solid returns. But finding a growth stock that can live up to its true potential can be a tough task.
In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth story is actually over or nearing its end.
However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects, makes it pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks.
Block (XYZ - Free Report) is one such stock that our proprietary system currently recommends. The company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank.
Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And for stocks that have a combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), returns are even better.
Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this mobile payments services provider a great growth pick right now.
Earnings GrowthArguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. For growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is highly preferable, as it is often perceived as an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration.
While the historical EPS growth rate for Block is 55%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 64.4% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 21.1%.
Impressive Asset Utilization RatioAsset utilization ratio -- also known as sales-to-total-assets (S/TA) ratio -- is often overlooked by investors, but it is an important indicator in growth investing. This metric exhibits how efficiently a firm is utilizing its assets to generate sales.
Right now, Block has an S/TA ratio of 0.63, which means that the company gets $0.63 in sales for each dollar in assets. Comparing this to the industry average of 0.61, it can be said that the company is more efficient.
While the level of efficiency in generating sales matters a lot, so does the sales growth of a company. And Block looks attractive from a sales growth perspective as well. The company's sales are expected to grow 8.1% this year versus the industry average of 7.7%.
Promising Earnings Estimate RevisionsSuperiority of a stock in terms of the metrics outlined above can be further validated by looking at the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is of course favorable here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
There have been upward revisions in current-year earnings estimates for Block. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 1% over the past month.
Bottom LineBlock has not only earned a Growth Score of A based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above, but it also carries a Zacks Rank #1 because of the positive earnings estimate revisions.
You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
This combination positions Block well for outperformance, so growth investors may want to bet on it.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Fistel, PLLP is investigating Hyliion Holdings Corp. (NYSE American: HYLN) on behalf of investors who suffered losses and whether those losses may be recoverable under federal securities laws.
What Should Hyliion Investors Do?
If you purchased Hyliion securities and suffered losses on your investment, you are encouraged to contact Johnson Fistel to learn more about the investigation.
To join the investigation click here.
For more information, contact Jim Baker at [email protected] or (619) 814-4471.
There is no cost or obligation to you.
Why Is Johnson Fistel Investigating Hyliion?
On June 23, 2026, Pelican Way Research published a short report concerning Hyliion titled "Hyliion: A Glorified Science Project Who Has Continuously Failed To Meet Expectations And Is Now Throwing Around A Meaningless Deal." The report stated that Hyliion's stock had risen significantly following the Company's announcement of a non-binding LOI with VFG Holdings for up to 250 KARNO Cores, representing approximately $133 million in potential revenue.
Pelican Way Research alleged that the VFG LOI accounted for roughly one-third of Hyliion's reported $400 million-plus pipeline and questioned whether the LOI provided meaningful commercial validation. The report further alleged that VFG, which Pelican Way identified as VFG Tech Holdings, LLC, was incorporated in January 2026, appeared to have only four LinkedIn employees, had a minimal website, and lacked evidence of funding or operating substance sufficient to support an order of that size.
In light of these allegations, Johnson Fistel is investigating whether Hyliion Holdings complied with federal securities laws. If you suffered losses, or are a long-term holder of Hyliion stock, contact Johnson Fistel.
About Johnson Fistel, PLLP | Securities Fraud & Investor Rights
Johnson Fistel, PLLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York, Georgia, Idaho, and Colorado. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder litigation involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties, and other violations of state and federal law.
Johnson Fistel has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Plaintiff Law Firms by ISS Securities Class Action Services. In 2024, the firm recovered approximately $90,725,000 for investors.
Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. This press release may be considered a promotional communication. The attorney responsible for this communication is Frank J. Johnson.
Contact:
Johnson Fistel, PLLP
501 W. Broadway, Suite 800
San Diego, CA 92101
James Baker, Investor Relations – or – Frank J. Johnson, Esq.
(619) 814-4471
[email protected] | [email protected]
Are you looking for good future investment income? Most investors can find dividend stocks worth owning right now. Picking income stocks worth holding in the distant future, however, is a bit trickier.
But, while past performance is no guarantee of future results, past results are a pretty good indicator of what the future likely holds.
To this end, if you'd like to be pocketing $3,000 worth of annual dividend income in 2036, buy 156 shares of club-based retailer Costco Wholesale (COST 0.95%) today, at a total cost of around $146,000.
The present isn't anything like the likely future None of these numbers makes sense at first blush. Costco's current forward-looking yield is just a hair over 0.6%, and besides, $146,000 is a massive amount of money.
Image source: Getty Images.
The numbers make much more sense, however, when you know the rest of the story. That is, while Costco stock's current yield is tiny, the company's dramatically grown its quarterly per-share payout over the past decade, from $0.45 as of mid-2016 to $1.47 now. Assuming the retailer maintains this average annualized growth rate of more than 12%, come 2036, Costco's quarterly per-share payment could be around $4.80, or $19.20 per year.
Dividend stocks don't have to be just dividend holdings This still seems less than thrilling, given the total amount of money tied up in the meantime. Just understand that this dividend-paying stock has also logged some serious gains over the past 10 years, advancing from $155 then to $940 now, in step with the company's continued expansion that's still in place, and that's likely to persist. A repeat of this growth is certainly possible, making the sizable investment in Costco today worth it in the long run. Moreover, based on its growth track record to date, a $146,000 investment in Costco today could produce nearly $10,000 worth of annual dividend income in 20 years.
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Perhaps the more important takeaway, though, is acknowledging that some fantastic future income investments should be established now so they're ready to produce then.
BENSALEM, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Law Offices of Howard G. Smith reminds investors of the upcoming August 24, 2026 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the case filed on behalf of investors who purchased First Solar, Inc. (“First Solar” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FSLR) securities between February 26, 2025 and February 24, 2026, inclusive (the “Class Period”).
IF YOU ARE AN INVESTOR WHO SUFFERED A LOSS IN FIRST SOLAR, INC. (FSLR), CONTACT THE LAW OFFICES OF HOWARD G. SMITH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ONGOING SECURITIES FRAUD LAWSUIT.
Contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss your legal rights by email at [email protected], by telephone at (215) 638-4847 or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.
What Happened?
On January 7, 2026, Jefferies downgraded First Solar from Buy to Hold, stating that during 2025, the Company had lowered guidance, faced significant de-bookings, and experienced margin compression. Additionally, Jefferies claimed that “[international] facilities remain a pain point while tariffs exist” and “underutilization at [international] facilities remains a concern.”
On this news, First Solar’s stock price fell $27.67, or 10.3%, to close at $241.11 per share on January 7, 2026, thereby injuring investors.
Then, on February 24, 2026, First Solar released its fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results, revealing that earnings had significantly missed expectations. The Company also issued lower-than-expected revenue guidance for 2026 citing customer headwinds.
On this news, First Solar’s stock price fell $33.09, or 13.6%, to close at $210.12 per share on February 25, 2026, thereby injuring investors further.
What Is the Lawsuit About?
The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Defendants had overstated First Solar’s capacity to manage the impact of U.S. tariff policy on the Company’s business; (2) Defendants understated the extent to which its responses to U.S. tariff policy, including the intentional underutilization of production facilities in Malaysia and Vietnam, and attempted relocation of production to the U.S., were likely to negatively impact First Solar’s projected performance in the 2026 fiscal year; and (3) as a result, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
If you purchased or otherwise acquired First Solar securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than August 24, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements.
Contact Us to Participate or Learn More:
If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:
Law Offices of Howard G. Smith
3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112
Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020
Telephone: (215) 638-4847
Email: [email protected]
Visit our website at: www.howardsmithlaw.com.
To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Enbridge (ENB - Free Report) , which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas - Production and Pipelines industry, could be a great candidate to consider.
This oil and natural gas transportation and power transmission company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 3.95%.
For the last reported quarter, Enbridge came out with earnings of $0.71 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.69 per share, representing a surprise of 2.90%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.6 per share and it actually produced earnings of $0.63 per share, delivering a surprise of 5.00%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Enbridge lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Enbridge currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.27%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 31, 2026.
With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Key Takeaways Realty Income formed a joint venture to invest in stabilized hyperscale data centers with long-term leases.O plans up to $1.4B for the venture, with about $700M of initial funding in Q2 and Q3 2026.Realty Income will first acquire a 45% stake in a fully leased Northern Virginia hyperscale data center. Realty Income Corporation (O - Free Report) is expanding its presence in the data centers through a new joint venture with Cloud Capital, its affiliates, and a global institutional investor. The venture will target stabilized hyperscale assets leased to investment-grade tenants under long-term triple-net leases.
The first move is the planned acquisition of three data center assets in key markets. Realty Income will initially acquire a 45% stake in the first asset, a fully leased hyperscale data center in Northern Virginia’s “data center alley,” one of the most active data center markets in the United States.
The company expects to invest up to $1.4 billion in the venture over time, with about $700 million of initial funding planned for the second and third quarters of 2026. The structure gives Realty Income room to pursue additional qualifying data center developments and acquisitions in the United States and Europe.
The deal also fits Realty Income’s broader push beyond traditional retail real estate. Its investor presentation lists data centers as part of a roughly $14 trillion total addressable market across core and high-growth sectors, and notes existing exposure through a build-to-suit joint venture with Digital Realty.
Realty Income enters this expansion with scale behind it. As of March 31, 2026, the company owned 15,571 properties, served 1,786 clients across 92 industries, had a 98.9% occupancy rate and generated about $5.2 billion in annualized base rent, giving it a large platform for this newer asset class.
How Are Other Retail REITs Partnering?Simon Property Group (SPG - Free Report) is using partnerships to widen its retail ecosystem, combining ownership stakes, platform investments and brand alliances to drive traffic, redevelopment and mixed-use demand. Its ties with Catalyst, Rue Gilt Groupe and Jamestown support its retail, e-commerce and real estate capabilities. In first-quarter 2026, total portfolio NOI rose 6.7%.
Kimco Realty (KIM - Free Report) partnership approach centers on capital-light growth through joint ventures, institutional relationships and structured investments that expand its grocery-anchored, mixed-use platform without overburdening the balance sheet. These arrangements support residential densification, redevelopment and higher-yield financing opportunities across U.S. markets. In the first quarter of 2026, Kimco invested $76.4 million in structured investments.
O’s Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesShares of Realty Income have gained 8.5% in the past six months, underperforming the industry’s growth of 21%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, O trades at a forward 12-month price-to-FFO of 13.71, below the industry but ahead of its one-year median of 13.60. It carries a Value Score of C.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Over the past 30 days, estimates for O’s 2026 FFO per share have been revised upward to $4.45, while estimates for 2027 have been revised upward to $4.59.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Realty Income currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp recently appeared on CNBC to sharpen his critique of frontier AI labs, arguing that enterprises deploying models from OpenAI and Anthropic are “livid” about how much proprietary value flows to model providers. Karp framed the new Palantir partnership with NVIDIA as a direct response, positioning the two companies as the operational stack that lets enterprises control their own data, weights, and business logic.
Karp Says Enterprises Have A Trust Problem Karp claimed enterprises using frontier models feel they are “paying for tokens that create no value” while handing over proprietary IP and “alpha” to third parties. He described that dynamic as “stealing” business value and a “wealth tax” on companies using AI to generate operational returns.
That framing extends what Karp has previously called “commodity cognition,” the view that model quality is converging while operational leverage accrues to whoever owns the deployment layer. He positioned Palantir’s ontology and application layer, combined with NVIDIA infrastructure, as giving enterprises ownership of “the means of production” for AI, especially in critical-infrastructure settings where data control is non-negotiable. He asserted Palantir has more demand than it can supply and pointed to roughly $15-$18 billion in free cash flow two years out as validation of the model-plus-application-layer approach despite market skepticism.
Palantir’s Growth Story Backing CEO Karp’s Claims Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction) reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.63 billion, up 84.7% year over year, with adjusted EPS of $0.33 against a $0.28 estimate. U.S. commercial revenue reached $595 million, up 133% year over year, and the company closed 206 deals of at least $1 million, with a total contract value of $2.41 billion. Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $7.65 billion to $7.66 billion, implying 71% growth.
On the earnings call, Karp said, “Palantir’s Rule of 40 score has soared to 145%. We have shattered the metric, a feat matched only by other fellow AI infrastructure companies: NVIDIA, Micron and SK Hynix.”
PLTR trades at $126.87, down 34.36% year to date and 25.47% over the past month. On a five-year view, shares are still up 371.97%. The valuation remains stretched at a forward P/E near 74x, which explains why Karp keeps invoking demand and cash-flow projections as counterweights.
Don't wait: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just revealed his top 10 AI stocks. See the full list FREE now.
Why NVIDIA Is Central To The Strategy NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is the infrastructure half of Karp’s pitch. In Q1 fiscal 2027, NVIDIA reported revenue of $81.6 billion, up 85.2% year over year, with non-GAAP EPS of $1.87. Data Center revenue was $75.25 billion, up 92%, and the company guided Q2 revenue to $91.0 billion plus or minus 2%. CEO Jensen Huang said “Agentic AI has arrived, doing productive work, generating real value and scaling rapidly across companies and industries.”
NVDA trades at $196.24, up 7.42% year to date and 26.81% over the past year. The Palantir tie-up gives NVIDIA a direct route into regulated enterprise and government workloads where customers want to run models on their own ontology rather than through a third-party API.
What To Watch Next Karp’s criticism of OpenAI and Anthropic reflects his view of how enterprise AI should be deployed. For investors, the key metrics to watch are whether Palantir’s $4.92 billion U.S. commercial remaining deal value continues to grow, whether NVIDIA’s Data Center business can sustain growth near 90% as hyperscaler AI spending matures, and whether the companies’ joint AI platform begins driving meaningful customer wins.
If Karp’s vision of enterprises owning the AI “means of production” is resonating with commercial buyers, it will likely show up in commercial TCV, deal count, and customer adoption through 2026.
Don't wait: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just revealed his top 10 AI stocks. See the full list FREE now.
Key Takeaways PLTR's U.S. commercial revenues surged 133% as AI platform adoption accelerated across enterprises.Palantir expanded its adjusted operating margin to 60% and lifted its Rule of 40 score to 145%.PLTR surpassed 1,000 customers while larger contracts strengthened future revenue visibility. Palantir Technologies (PLTR - Free Report) shares have declined 14% over the past year compared with the industry’s 22% fall. While the stock has faced valuation concerns and broader volatility across the artificial intelligence sector, the company's operating performance continues to strengthen. From accelerating commercial adoption to expanding profitability and industry-leading software metrics, Palantir is demonstrating that its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) is becoming a powerful long-term growth engine.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
AIP Continues Driving Commercial ExpansionPalantir's AIP is delivering exceptional momentum across its U.S. commercial business. The clearest evidence is reflected in revenue growth, with U.S. commercial revenues surging 133% year over year and 18% sequentially. The performance suggests that enterprises are moving beyond AI experimentation and increasingly deploying Palantir's AI-powered software in mission-critical production environments.
Customer expansion remains equally encouraging. U.S. commercial customer count increased 42% year over year and 8% sequentially, highlighting the company's ability to win new clients while deepening relationships with existing customers. A growing installed base not only expands recurring revenue opportunities but also creates favorable conditions for higher-value platform adoption over time.
Compared with many enterprise software providers, including ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) and C3.ai (AI - Free Report) , Palantir appears to be translating AI demand into measurable commercial execution, supported by growing customer adoption and larger enterprise deployments.
Larger Deals Reinforce Future Revenue VisibilityDemand strength is also evident in Palantir's expanding deal pipeline. The number of U.S. commercial contracts valued at $1 million or more increased 1.6 times from the prior year. Deals worth at least $5 million also grew at the same pace, indicating that customers are committing to increasingly larger AI deployments as confidence in the platform continues to rise.
Meanwhile, remaining deal value climbed 112% year over year, while total contract value reached $1.18 billion, representing a 45% increase from the prior-year period. These metrics provide stronger visibility into future revenue opportunities and reinforce the durability of Palantir's commercial momentum.
While ServiceNow continues benefiting from enterprise workflow automation demand and C3.ai remains focused on enterprise AI applications, Palantir's growing contract values highlight its ability to secure large-scale, long-duration AI engagements across multiple industries.
Profitability Continues Reaching New HeightsPalantir's first-quarter 2026 results also showcased remarkable operational discipline. Adjusted operating income climbed to $984 million, representing an impressive 60% operating margin. Over the past year, adjusted operating income has increased dramatically from $391 million in the first quarter of 2025 to nearly $1 billion. Operating margins have expanded consistently, improving from 44% in the first quarter of 2025 to 46% in the second quarter, 51% in the third quarter, 57% in the fourth quarter, and ultimately 60% in the first quarter of 2026.
These results demonstrate meaningful operating leverage, with revenue growth increasingly flowing through to profits instead of being offset by higher operating expenses. Unlike many AI software companies that sacrifice profitability to sustain growth, Palantir continues to strengthen both simultaneously.
Rule of 40 Highlights Elite Software QualityOne metric particularly underscores Palantir's execution: the Rule of 40, widely regarded as one of the software industry's most important measures of business quality. While a score above 40% is generally considered strong, PLTR has moved into an entirely different league.
Its Rule of 40 improved from 64% in the second quarter of 2024 to an extraordinary 145% by the first quarter of 2026. During the same period, revenue growth accelerated from 27% to 85%, while adjusted operating margins expanded from 37% to 60%.
This rare combination of accelerating growth and expanding profitability distinguishes Palantir from many software peers. Even as C3.ai continues investing aggressively to expand its AI offerings and ServiceNow scales its enterprise software platform, Palantir's balanced execution demonstrates exceptional operational efficiency.
Customer Growth Supports Long-Term OpportunityPalantir continues expanding its customer ecosystem at an impressive pace. Total customers have now surpassed the 1,000-customer milestone, while commercial customer growth remains strong across both U.S. and international markets.
Importantly, customer expansion often serves as an early indicator of long-term revenue durability, as larger installed bases create additional opportunities for upselling, platform expansion and increased customer spending. The continued rise in commercial customers also reflects growing enterprise confidence in deploying AI-powered operational systems across mission-critical business functions.
Although valuation concerns and broader AI-sector volatility remain risks, Palantir's expanding customer ecosystem, accelerating commercial momentum, rising profitability and exceptional Rule of 40 performance reinforce the company's long-term investment narrative. As enterprises continue to accelerate AI adoption, Palantir appears well-positioned to capitalize on expanding demand, larger contracts, and durable recurring revenue growth.
Analyst Sentiment Remains Highly FavorableConsensus estimates continue to support Palantir’s growth trajectory. Earnings are projected to increase 84.5% in 2026 and 40% in 2027, while revenue growth expectations remain robust at 72% in 2026 and 42% in 2027, as commercial AI adoption accelerates.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Analyst sentiment has also improved considerably. Over the past 60 days, analysts issued 11 upward earnings estimate revisions for 2026, with no downward revisions. Forecasts for 2027 also moved higher with 10 upward revisions against none downward, reflecting growing confidence in Palantir’s execution capabilities and expanding AI opportunity.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
PLTR Stock Looks Like a Compelling BuyPalantir continues to distinguish itself through rapid commercial adoption, expanding customer relationships, improving profitability and disciplined execution. The company's Artificial Intelligence Platform is gaining traction across enterprises, while larger contracts and a growing customer base provide visibility into sustained long-term growth. At the same time, exceptional operating efficiency demonstrates that Palantir is scaling its business without compromising profitability. With analyst sentiment becoming increasingly optimistic and enterprise AI adoption still in its early stages, the recent share-price weakness appears to present a compelling opportunity for long-term investors. Despite near-term valuation concerns, Palantir's strengthening fundamentals support a Buy recommendation for investors seeking exposure to one of the software industry's leading AI growth stories.
PLTR currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Landon Swan from @LikeFolio discusses whether Palantir's (PLTR) business could become commoditized as AI continues to grow its commercial customer base. He examines the difference between consumer sentiment and investor sentiment surrounding Palantir as the company's software becomes more embedded in customer operations.
Momentum for leading artificial intelligence (AI) chip stocks has been incredibly bullish over the last year, and Micron Technology (MU 9.76%) has been one of the best-performing names in the category. Soaring demand for its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips and other solutions has translated into stellar growth in unit sales that has pushed revenue higher, and increased pricing power has also lifted sales and driven big gains in profit margins.
Thanks to big gains in sales and earnings, Micron stock has been one of the market's biggest overall winners over the last year -- and it now has a market capitalization of roughly $1.29 trillion, ranking it as the world's 13th-largest publicly traded company. Read on for a look at what a $1,500 investment in the stock made one year ago would be worth at today's prices.
Image source: Getty Images.
Buying Micron stock a year ago would have been a great move As of this writing, Micron stock is up 820% over the last year of trading. That means that if you had invested $1,500 in the stock one year ago today and held on to your position, it would now be worth more than $13,800.
AI-related demand for memory chips has transformed the company's business, and the need for these chips was actually so strong that it caused the company to move out of providing memory solutions for the consumer market so that it could focus more of its design and production capacity on the far more profitable high-end, enterprise artificial intelligence market. The move has been paying off for the company in a big way, and it's possible that the supply-constrained environment for memory chips will allow the business to continue posting stellar sales and earnings growth, translating into more big wins for shareholders.
Keith Noonan has positions in Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
President Trump said that the U.S. chipmaker would make a significant donation to a new type of investment account for children created by the administration.
Halfway through the year, Woods is making a change to his top two picks.
• What’s going on with NVDA stock?
In an interview with Benzinga at the halfway point of 2026, Woods is ready to make a change to his favorite Magnificent Seven stocks for the second half of the year and into 2027.
"I still love the story in Alphabet," Woods tells Benzinga. "I like what they’re doing."
On the technical side for Alphabet, Woods said he’d like to see the stock stay above the $350 level.
Woods says Alphabet being added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average could be a good thing or a bad thing, but he much prefers the stock over Verizon, the name Alphabet replaced in the index.
"I think it’s a great thing."
After naming Tesla a "story to watch in 2026" and picking the stock as one of his top picks for 2026, Woods is making a change.
"Tesla, I’m a little weary of it. Looked for Tesla technically and once that broke $420 I was out."
While there could be speculation of a merger between Tesla and SpaceX, Woods said he’s going to avoid the stock.
"I think Nvidia has now given us an opportunity to get it on the cheap here. The recent weakness in the stock should bode well for investors who’ve been waiting for an opportunity to get in."
Woods said Nvidia’s revenue growth is outpacing others and they’re not spending as much other hyperscalers.
"Their fundamental story hasn’t changed."
Woods said Nvidia stock looks "inviting" for the next six months if not longer.
"I think these are the two that will have the longevity."
Woods calls Alphabet a core holding and tells Benzinga he puts his money where his mouth is, as he’s owned the stock for more than 15 years.
Just missing out on the top two was Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), which Woods said is a great company, but might be more of a long-term growth story.
Is Magnificent Seven Still Magnificent?"I think it will be a top index because those seven stocks’ market caps are now in the top 10. And thot’s how you want to look at it," Woods tells Benzinga.
Woods said it’s natural for some other stocks to come and take market cap away.
"But when you look at the story that shaped us in this bull run, this secular bull run, those were the seven stocks that started it."
Image via Shutterstock
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Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU | MU Price Prediction) just delivered one of the most remarkable nine-month runs in mega-cap history, and the memory cycle bulls are convinced this is only the second inning. Our model takes a more cautious view.
After running the numbers through our proprietary framework, the 24/7 Wall St. price target for Micron is $996.22, which implies a 12.02% downside from the current price.
24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary Metric Value Current Price $1,132.33 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $996.22 Upside/Downside -12.02% Recommendation HOLD Confidence Level 90% Why We Could Be Wrong Before going deeper, I want to be fair to the bulls. Micron is one of the most divisive stocks in the market right now, and real upside could come from sustained HBM4 pricing power into calendar 2027 or the activation of the 16 long-term supply deals secured through 2030.
Our 24/7 Wall St. price target is one datapoint among many. A detailed bull case appears below outlining why Micron could outrun our model.
An 11x Run Meets a Blowout Quarter The setup here is extreme. Micron is up 296.92% year to date and 800.86% over the past year, trading 9% off the $1,255 52-week high.
Q3 FY2026, filed June 24, 2026, was a blowout: revenue of $41.46B beat by 17.6%, non-GAAP EPS of $25.11 beat by 23.79%, and GAAP gross margin reached 84.6%. Management guided Q4 to $50B in revenue with non-GAAP EPS of $31. Yet shares fell 6.69% the day after the report, hinting that expectations had run ahead of the fundamentals.
The Bull Case Above the Target The bull case rests on AI memory becoming a structurally scarce asset. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra called out “multi-year Strategic Customer Agreements” enhancing predictability, and HBM4 is ramping in high volume with HBM4E targeted for calendar 2027.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Micron Technology didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Sell-side analysts are loudly bullish: Deutsche Bank lifted its target to $1,550, Morgan Stanley moved to $1,200, and DA Davidson went to $2,000 arguing the memory cycle is “not yet over.” The consensus target is $1,365.08. If HBM4 pricing holds and Q4 guidance proves conservative, shares could realistically test $1,500.
What Could Go Wrong The risks are mostly cyclical. Weekly RSI sits at 81.98, deeply overbought for the eighth straight week. Historically, Micron has pulled back after earnings beats: the average one-week change post-earnings across eight quarters is -1.13%. Capex of $7.83B in a single quarter plus a $325M loss on debt prepayments show the cost of staying ahead.
Morningstar flagged “yellow flags for memory stocks”, and insider activity skews toward selling. Bulls would counter that the heavy capex funds HBM4E capacity that pays off through 2030. A bear scenario lands near $725.
Hold for Now My verdict is hold with 90% confidence. The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $996.22 reflects a stock that has priced in a perfect cycle. A more constructive setup would require Q4 revenue above $51B with margins above 86%.
The picture weakens if RSI stays above 80 and hyperscaler capex commentary softens. The factor that tips the scale: the model values forward EPS at a sober multiple, and current pricing demands the cycle keeps accelerating.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $996 2030 $972 These projections assume Micron continues executing on HBM4 and HBM4E with disciplined capex. A sharper memory downcycle in 2029 or 2030 could pull shares toward the bear path near $624.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Micron Technology didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Micron (MU 9.85%) stock is seeing a substantial pullback in Wednesday's trading, with shares down 9.6% as of 2:10 p.m. ET. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% at the same point in the day's trading, and the Nasdaq Composite was off 0.2%.
While moves for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite look relatively muted today, many leading chip stocks are getting hit with big sell-offs. Meanwhile, investors appear to be moving into artificial intelligence (AI) software stocks. On the other hand, there was actually some good news for Micron today.
Image source: Getty Images.
Micron loses ground as investors shift into AI software stocks Top AI chip stocks have been massive winners this year, and few names in the space have been bigger winners than Micron. Even with some recent volatility, the company's share price is up roughly 267% year to date. But while the AI chip trade has been hot in 2026, bullish momentum has wavered recently.
While there hasn't been any negative news for Micron recently, the company's share price has faced some pressure as investors take profits on AI chip stocks. At the same time, investment dollars appear to be rotating back into artificial intelligence software stocks.
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Micron lands new partnership deal Micron stock is moving lower today, but there has actually been some good news for shareholders. The company announced that it had entered into a new partnership with General Motors. Through the contract, Micron will provide memory chips and storage platforms to support GM's vehicle production and deliveries. Long-term contracts securing high profit margins have been a major source of bullish momentum for Micron over the last year, and it looks like the company is poised to continue recording wins along those lines.
Keith Noonan has positions in Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Micron Technology. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
HomeIndustriesComputers/ElectronicsTech StocksTech StocksMost of Sandisk’s annual revenue could eventually come from its new business model contracts that provide better visibility, BofA saysJuly 1, 2026, 2:17 p.m. ET
Shares of Sandisk were falling Wednesday as investors moved out of the broader chip sector following a strong run in the first half of the year. But with supply shortages of NAND expected to persist through next year, one analyst sees more room for Sandisk’s stock to run.
A possible factor dragging on the chip sector Wednesday is a Bloomberg report that Meta Platforms META is considering selling its excess cloud capacity, D.A. Davidson managing director Gil Luria told MarketWatch.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 1, 2026) - Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized investor-rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) and certain of its officers.
This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Zillow securities between February 11, 2025 and May 7, 2026, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/Z.
Zillow Case Details
The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:
Zillow's agreement with Redfin Corporation was not a "partnership," but rather an acquisition of Redfin's business; as a result of the Redfin Agreement, Zillow faced a materially heightened risk of regulatory scrutiny and liability under federal antitrust laws; upon the filing of an antitrust lawsuit, Zillow continued to downplay its legal exposure; and as a result, defendants' statements about Zillow's business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.What's Next for Zillow Investors?
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/Z, or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you suffered a loss in Zillow you have until August 10, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.
No Cost to Zillow Investors
We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.
Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for Zillow Securities Class Action?
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com
"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/301087
Source: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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BENSALEM, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces an investigation on behalf of MercadoLibre, Inc. (“MercadoLibre” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: MELI) investors concerning the Company’s possible violations of federal securities laws.
IF YOU ARE AN INVESTOR WHO SUFFERED A LOSS IN MERCADOLIBRE, INC. (MELI), CONTACT THE LAW OFFICES OF HOWARD G. SMITH ABOUT POTENTIALLY PURSUING CLAIMS TO RECOVER YOUR LOSS.
Contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss your legal rights by email at [email protected], by telephone at (215) 638-4847 or visit our website at www.howardsmithlaw.com.
What Happened?
On May 7, 2026, MercadoLibra released its first quarter 2026 financial results and disclosed that loans which were “typically on average of 5 months” had now “moved to 8 months” and that the Company is “taking provisions in Brazil... related on the one hand, to extending the average term of our loans.”
On this news, MercadoLibre’s stock price fell $237.49, or 12.7%, to close at $1,632.52 per share on May 8, 2026, thereby injuring investors.
Contact Us To Participate or Learn More:
If you purchased MercadoLibre securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact us:
Law Offices of Howard G. Smith,
3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112,
Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020,
Telephone: (215) 638-4847
Email: [email protected],
Visit our website at: www.howardsmithlaw.com.
This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Innovent Biologics, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) on Tuesday entered into a distribution and promotion agreement for Eli Lilly’s breast cancer therapy Verzenios (abemaciclib) in mainland China.
• Eli Lilly stock is facing resistance. Why is LLY stock retreating?
Under the deal, Innovent will oversee the product’s importation, marketing, distribution and promotion, while Lilly will continue to manufacture, supply, and develop the medicine.
The collaboration gives Innovent exclusive commercialization rights for Verzenios in mainland China, with Lilly remaining the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) for the therapy.
Verzenios Approved Across Multiple Breast Cancer IndicationsVerzenios, a CDK4 & 6 inhibitor developed by Lilly, has received approval in China for several breast cancer indications.
Doctors use the therapy with endocrine therapy, including tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, as adjuvant treatment for adults with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer that carries a high risk of recurrence.
Doctors also use it to treat hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
They can administer the treatment with an aromatase inhibitor as an initial endocrine-based therapy for postmenopausal women or combine it with fulvestrant for patients whose disease has progressed after prior endocrine therapy.
In addition, doctors use Verzenios in combination with imlunestrant to treat adults with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative, ESR1-mutated locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have previously received endocrine therapy.
Partnership Seeks to Expand Patient AccessVerzenios became the first CDK4 & 6 inhibitor included in China’s National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) Class B in 2021.
In 2025, its listing was renewed, extending reimbursement coverage across both early and advanced breast cancer indications.
Photo via Shutterstock
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Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY | LLY Price Prediction) is $1,349.37, pointing to 12.5% upside from a recent price of $1,199.43. We rate LLY a buy with a 90% confidence score. The GLP-1 franchise is compounding faster than the market appreciated last spring, and Foundayo just opened a scalable oral channel to more than 1 billion people globally.
Metric Value Current Price $1,199.43 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $1,349.37 Upside 12.5% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Recovery Rally Built on Foundayo and a Q1 Blowout Lilly has been one of 2026’s cleanest turnaround stories. Shares are up 8.34% in the past week, 8.55% over the past month, and 11.99% year-to-date, after climbing off an August 2025 low near $701. The stock now sits about 1% from its 52-week high of $1,238.
Q1 2026 lit the fuse. Revenue of $19.799 billion grew 55.5% year over year, and non-GAAP EPS of $8.55 beat consensus by 25.88%. Mounjaro delivered $8.662 billion (125% growth), Zepbound added $4.160 billion, and management raised full-year revenue guidance to $82 billion to $85 billion with EPS of $35.50 to $37.
The Case for $1,400+: Why Bulls See a Breakout Ahead Our bull case target is $1,409.34, a 17.5% return. The engine is the incretin franchise. Combined Mounjaro and Zepbound revenue hit $12.8 billion in Q1, and international volume grew 81%.
Foundayo, the first oral GLP-1 with no food or water restrictions, is already tracking with 80% of prescriptions going to new-to-class patients, expanding the market rather than cannibalizing injectables.
Retatrutide’s Phase III diabetes readout showed 11.1 to 16.6 kilograms of weight loss, and the pipeline runs 42 active Phase III programs. Wall Street’s consensus target sits at $1,222.62, with 24 Buy ratings.
The Risks Worth Watching Our bear case is $1,111.80, a 7.31% pullback. Realized prices fell 13% in Q1 as rebates, Zepbound cash-pay cuts, and China’s NRDL inclusion took bites out of net revenue.
Bulls will counter that volume grew 65% and gross margin still landed at 82.6%, so unit economics remain excellent. Insider activity leaned toward selling with 15 recent transactions, though heavy investment in four acquisitions and $584 million in IPR&D charges are cash going into future growth, not fundamental deterioration. Novo Nordisk competition and potential pharmaceutical tariffs remain overhangs.
The Bottom Line: A BUY Rating on Lilly My 24/7 Wall St. price target is $1,349.37, a buy with 90% confidence. The tipping factor is the guidance raise: management moved both revenue and EPS ranges higher after just one quarter, and Foundayo contribution is barely in the numbers yet.
The setup strengthens if Foundayo’s Q3 DTC launch drives another guidance hike. The thesis weakens if pharmaceutical tariffs materialize or Q2 price erosion accelerates beyond the low-to-mid teens management has guided.
Looking further ahead, here is where our model projects Lilly could trade if current growth and margin trajectories hold.
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 (year-end) $1,263.70 2027 $1,349.37 2030 $1,798 These projections assume Lilly sustains GLP-1 leadership, executes the Foundayo global rollout, and its 42 Phase III programs deliver meaningful pipeline conversion. Significant upside could come from retatrutide approval; downside risk stems from patent-cliff exposure and accelerating biosimilar competition later in the decade.
Key Takeaways ServiceNow partnered with Accenture to modernize enterprise security with AI-powered managed services.NOW added Armis and Veza to expand asset visibility, identity governance and automated threat response.NOW expects Armis to add about 125 basis points to fiscal 2026 subscription revenue growth. ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) is expanding its security business as enterprises adopt AI across their operations. Deployment of AI agents is driving the need for tools to manage cyber risks, protect identities, monitor connected assets and automate security operations. This is creating a larger opportunity for ServiceNow to increase its presence in enterprise security.
To capture this opportunity, ServiceNow recently partnered with Accenture to help enterprises modernize their security operations. The new offering combines managed security services on the ServiceNow AI Platform with an AI-powered solution that helps customers migrate from legacy cybersecurity platforms. The solution also includes integrated risk management, third-party risk management, operational technology risk management and AI-powered compliance automation. These capabilities should help customers identify risks faster, automate routine security tasks and improve response times.
ServiceNow's recently completed Armis acquisition adds real-time visibility across IT, OT, IoT and medical devices, while Veza adds identity governance capabilities. Together with ServiceNow's AI Control Tower and Configuration Management Database, these solutions help customers discover assets, manage user and AI agent access, detect threats and automate remediation from a single platform.
Further, Armis is expected to contribute about 125 basis points to fiscal 2026 subscription revenue growth. As enterprises increase spending on AI-driven security and risk management, ServiceNow's expanding security portfolio, strategic partnerships and platform capabilities are likely to support higher customer adoption and create another long-term growth driver for the company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ServiceNow's 2026 and 2027 revenues indicates year-over-year growth of 21.9% and 18.2%, respectively.
ServiceNow Faces Stiff CompetitionServiceNow is facing stiff competition from the likes of Salesforce (CRM - Free Report) and Atlassian (TEAM - Free Report) .
Salesforce competes with ServiceNow through its offerings such as Agentforce, Data Cloud and Slack, through which it creates a unified ecosystem and connects customer data with integrated AI across systems, apps and devices. In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Agentforce’s annual recurring revenues (ARR) surpassed $1 billion, up in triple digits year over year. Salesforce expects this momentum to continue in fiscal 2027, on the back of robust customer demand for its agentic offerings.
Atlassian competes with ServiceNow through its suite of cloud-based software solutions, such as Jira, Rovo and Teamwork Graph, which help organizations collaborate and manage their workforce. In the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Atlassian continued to add millions of monthly active users to Rovo, while strong customer engagement across Jira helped the company's cloud business grow 29% on a year-over-year basis.
NOW’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesServiceNow shares have plunged 51% year to date compared with the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry’s decline of 36%.
NOW’s YTD Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ServiceNow stock is overvalued, with a forward 12-month price/earnings (P/E) of 21.76X compared with the industry’s 16.59X. NOW has a Value Score of D.
NOW Forward 12 Months (P/E) Valuation Chart
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ServiceNow’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $2.34 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The figure indicates a 19.3% increase year over year.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ServiceNow stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? ServiceNow (NOW - Free Report) , which belongs to the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry, could be a great candidate to consider.
When looking at the last two reports, this maker of software that automates companies' technology operations has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 3.93%, on average, in the last two quarters.
For the most recent quarter, ServiceNow was expected to post earnings of $0.95 per share, but it reported $0.97 per share instead, representing a surprise of 2.11%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.87 per share, while it actually produced $0.92 per share, a surprise of 5.75%.
Price and EPS Surprise
For ServiceNow, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
ServiceNow currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.59%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner.
When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
ServiceNow rides enterprise AI demand with new security offerings, strategic partnerships, and strong workflow adoption, but risks still cloud the outlook.
Honda this week began production of batteries destined for energy storage systems, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. The milestone makes Honda the latest car company to dive into the red-hot energy market.
The automaker’s shift toward energy storage comes three months after Honda canceled its EV programs in the U.S. Batteries for the EVs were slated to be made at a factory in Ohio, which Honda operates under a joint venture with LG Energy Solution. Now, those cells are headed to data centers instead of driveways.
Honda’s pivot comes as demand for EVs in the U.S. remains soft following the GOP’s cancellation of tax credits, which were intended to spur EV and battery production in the U.S. Sales of new EVs remain down year-over-year, in part because consumers pulled forward their purchases to take advantage of the tax credits, which disappeared last September.
That uncertainty led Honda to dramatically shift gears, canceling three EVs that were destined for the U.S. market. The automaker wrote down $15.7 billion last fiscal year, in part to restructure its EV strategy. Its weakening China business, where EVs have soared, also contributed to the write-down.
But despite the restructuring, Honda didn’t dissolve its joint venture with LG Energy. And like seemingly every other automaker, including Tesla, Ford, and GM, Honda decided that batteries are a big business on their own.
The market for stationary storage has been booming, growing 32% year-over-year, according to a report from SEIA and Benchmark Minerals. In the first quarter of this year, 9.7 gigawatt-hours of energy storage systems were installed. That’s enough batteries to build roughly 120,000 EVs.
The breakneck growth is expected to continue. By the end of the decade, the report estimates that 110 gigawatt-hours of energy storage will be installed every year, nearly tripling the size of the market.
It’s been a profitable market, too. Tesla, which has claimed the majority of sales so far, rakes in 30% gross profits on its Megapacks and Powerwalls, about twice its margin on vehicles.
Many stationary batteries have been installed at data centers, but a large chunk of them end up connected to the grid. As battery prices have fallen, they’ve carved out a sizable niche stabilizing the grid while also augmenting wind and solar installations, making them more predictable generating sources.
Honda may not be sure how to approach the EV market in the U.S., but it’s clear it wants in on the energy transition in one form or another.
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Tim De Chant is a senior climate reporter at TechCrunch. He has written for a wide range of publications, including Wired magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ars Technica, The Wire China, and NOVA Next, where he was founding editor.
De Chant is also a lecturer in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing, and he was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT in 2018, during which time he studied climate technologies and explored new business models for journalism. He received his PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA degree in environmental studies, English, and biology from St. Olaf College.
You can contact or verify outreach from Tim by emailing [email protected].
Key Takeaways Air Products will not proceed with the LCEC project due to expected returns missing its stringent criteria.APD expects pre-tax charges of up to $2.9B, mainly from asset write-downs and LCEC commitments.Air Products is finalizing a Yara deal to sell renewable ammonia from the NEOM project worldwide. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) has announced its decision not to move forward with the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex (LCEC) project, as expected financial returns fail to meet the company's required return criteria. Additionally, the company is also finalizing a marketing and distribution agreement for renewable ammonia from the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia, with Yara International ASA. The decisions are independent of each other.
With regard to such portfolio actions, the company is expecting to record pre-tax charges not exceeding $2.9 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. The charges are primarily tied to asset write-downs and the termination of contractual commitments related to the LCEC project.
Air Products will also discontinue its planned zero-carbon liquid hydrogen facility in Casa Grande, AZ, as well as several small-scale clean energy distribution projects. The decisions were driven by difficult market conditions, project-specific economic challenges, and slower-than-expected development in hydrogen for the mobility sector.
Air Products reiterated its commitment to grow in Louisiana, where it operates 18 industrial gas facilities and the world's largest hydrogen pipeline network, serving refinery customers across the U.S. Gulf Coast. Under its agreement with Yara, the company will leverage Yara’s global supply chain to sell and distribute renewable ammonia worldwide.
APD shares have gained 1% over the past year against the industry’s 6.8% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
APD’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksAPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , Dow Inc. (DOW - Free Report) and Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM - Free Report) .
While ALB and DOW sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each at present, ASM carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s 2026 earnings is pinned at $12.98 per share, indicating a 1,743.04% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed one, with an average surprise of 74.5%. ALB’s shares have jumped 98.6% over the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DOW’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $2.61 per share, indicating a rise of 377.66% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASM’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at 34 cents per share, indicating a 17.24% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 125%. DOW’sshares have gained 88.2% over the past year.
@Theotrade 's Don Kaufman takes us through today's Big 3 and offers example trades for his picks. He first highlights CVS Health (CVS), saying the company's upside-driving potential is worth hoping on the train.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider CVS Health (CVS - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Medical Services industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
When looking at the last two reports, this drugstore chain and pharmacy benefits manager has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 13.20%, on average, in the last two quarters.
For the last reported quarter, CVS Health came out with earnings of $2.57 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 per share, representing a surprise of 16.29%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.99 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1.09 per share, delivering a surprise of 10.10%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for CVS Health lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
CVS Health currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.36%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner.
Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction) stock is up 9% to $127.31 in midday trading on Wednesday, leading a broad AI-software rally after the company unveiled a sovereign-AI partnership with NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA). Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW) stock is riding the risk-on tape higher, up 4% to $355.40.
The move for Palantir stock caps a sharp reversal for a name that had been under pressure. Palantir shares remain down 28.5% year to date even after today’s pop, and the stock trades at a P/E ratio of 130x. Palantir’s market cap now sits at roughly $304.6 billion.
NVIDIA Sovereign-AI Deal Ignites Palantir Stock Palantir announced a partnership with NVIDIA this week to deliver secure “sovereign AI” for U.S. government agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and allies. Palantir is integrating NVIDIA’s Nemotron open AI models into its intelligent engine, enabling agencies to deploy frontier-level AI in secure, air-gapped environments while keeping sensitive data off public networks.
Customers can customize the models with their own data and retain ownership of the resulting model weights. Palantir’s Sovereign AI Operating System is built on its AIP, Foundry, Ontology, and Apollo products, aligning directly with its existing federal footprint.
CEO Alex Karp touted the deal on CNBC on Wednesday, arguing that frontier labs such as OpenAI and Anthropic lack sufficient customer IP protection, and that Palantir’s customers want control over their compute, models, and data. NVIDIA stock, notably, is slightly lower on the day, showing the reaction is Palantir-specific rather than a chip-cycle catalyst.
Bull and Bear Cases on the Valuation The valuation debate around Palantir stock has intensified into today’s rally. On June 16, Wolfe Research initiated Palantir stock at Peer Perform, calling its enterprise AI product portfolio best-in-class but citing premium valuation as a roadblock. Analyst Alex Zukin flagged net revenue retention of 150%, 85% year-over-year revenue growth.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Palo Alto Networks didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
Zukin also modeled a base-case revenue CAGR of 39% from 2026 to 2029 against a total addressable market over $385 billion. Palantir’s most recent Q1 2026 report showed revenue of $1.63 billion, up 85% year over year, and management raised full-year guidance. The bear case is straightforward: Palantir remains a high-multiple, richly valued name where any growth stumble can trigger a sharp derating.
Cybersecurity Peers Ride the Tape Palo Alto Networks stock and CrowdStrike stock are participating in the broader AI-software bid rather than sharing Palantir’s specific catalyst. CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) shares are up 2% to $776.09, a smaller move as traders position ahead of the company’s 4-for-1 stock split, with split-adjusted trading beginning July 2.
Palo Alto Networks stock has been on a tear, up 93% year to date heading into today. Analyst sentiment is stacked bullish, with 44 Buy, 9 Hold, and 1 Sell ratings, though PANW stock now trades well above the analyst target price of $314.48 at a P/E ratio of 294x. The cybersecurity lane is related to Palantir’s government software niche, but distinct.
What to Watch A key question now is whether this week’s NVIDIA partnership translates into signed federal contracts for Palantir rather than headlines alone. The sovereign-AI push aligns with Palantir’s existing government footprint, yet the company’s premium multiple leaves little room for disappointment if deal flow proves slow to materialize. Any renewed cooling in the broad AI-software rally could also pressure high-multiple stocks such as Palantir, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike in tandem.
Investors can watch for whether Palantir stock holds its gains into the close, along with any follow-up commentary from federal customers on the NVIDIA integration. These are volatile, high-multiple names, and a single session doesn’t reset the long-term thesis for any of them.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Palo Alto Networks didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 1, 2026) - Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, a nationally recognized investor-rights law firm, announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX) and certain of its officers.
This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Roblox securities between October 30, 2025 and April 30, 2026, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/RBLX.
Roblox Case Details
The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that:
(1) Defendants overstated Roblox's organic growth potential and the Company's ability to sustain "tremendous organic growth" following the rollout of its age verification features;
(2) Defendants downplayed and failed to adequately disclose the severity and certainty of headwinds associated with the age verification rollout, including a slowdown in user enrollment, reduced on-platform communication, and associated negative impacts on app store ratings;
(3) as a result of these undisclosed trends, Roblox's growth rates were expected to decline more sharply than represented; and
(4) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
What's Next for Roblox Investors?
A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/RBLX or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Client Relations Manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 917-590-0911. If you suffered a loss in Roblox you have until August 7, 2026, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff.
No Cost to Roblox Investors
We, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman LLC, represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.
Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC for Roblox Securities Class Action?
Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide. More at www.bgandg.com
"Our practice centers on restoring investor capital and ensuring corporate accountability, which serves to uphold the essential integrity of the marketplace," said Peretz Bronstein, Founding Partner of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/300890
Source: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.
San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - July 1, 2026) - Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX) faces a securities class action lawsuit after its April 30, 2026 Q1 2026 report indicating a surprisingly large sequential decline in daily active users ("DAUs") tempered by its age-check rollout. The news drove the price of Roblox shares down $10.13 (-18%) the next trading day and erased over $6.7 billion from the company's market capitalization.
The lawsuit seeks to represent investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Roblox common stock between October 30, 2025 and April 30, 2026.
National shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman is investigating the legal claims that Roblox and its co-defendants violated the federal securities laws. The firm encourages Roblox investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX) Securities Class Action:
The primary focus of the litigation is on the propriety of Roblox's disclosures about the impact on its business and prospects of the age-check verification rollout aimed at increasing safety within certain social features on its platform. The rollout began in November 2025.
Throughout the Class Period, Roblox has characterized its rollout as the "gold standard" intended to be implemented with "no friction." The company has also touted its high year-over-year DAU growth and related revenue and bookings growth.
As recently as February 5, 2026, during Roblox's Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO David Baszucki responded to an analyst's question about additional detail about the age-check rollout, assuring investors that "[w]e're very excited and proud of the way our age verification rollout has gone" and "we found so many other opportunities for optimization that I'm very pleased and happy about the way the rollout has gone."
The complaint alleges that Roblox made false and misleading statements while failing to disclose important information to investors about the true state of the company's growth potential. More specifically, the complaint alleges that Roblox would see significant growth slowdown as enrollments in its age-check rollout would quickly taper, compounding the resulting slowdown in on-line platform communication and resulting in app store rating reductions and a swift reduction in organic growth.
The truth entered the market on April 30, 2026. That day, Roblox reported its Q1 2026 financial results, revealed a steep deceleration in year-over-year and sequential DAU growth, slashed its 2026 revenue guidance (reflecting ongoing shrinkage in DAU growth), and severely cut its 2026 bookings growth midpoint from 24% to just 10%.
The company blamed its adverse situation on just 51% of Roblox global DAUs having age checked and further revealed that "as a result of age check […] we have seen a reduction in app store ratings, and we believe this may be contributing to a reduction in organic sign-ups that typically flow from app stores." Roblox also said its lowered prospects are the result of "continued friction" resulting from the age-check rollout.
"We're focused on when Roblox and its management knew of the adverse consequences of the age-check rollout and whether they intentionally misled investors it," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation.
If you invested in Roblox and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that will assist the firm's investigation, submit your losses now.
If you'd like more information and answers to other frequently asked questions about the Roblox case and the firm's investigation, read more.
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Roblox should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected] .
# # #
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/303622
Source: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
Ready to Announce with Confidence? Send us a message and a member of our TMX Newsfile team will contact you to discuss your needs.
Wall Street is having a split personality on the first trading day of July. As of 11:29 a.m. ET, the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.05%) gained 0.1% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI +0.09%) added 0.2%. At the same time, the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 0.47%) was down by 0.2%.
None of these moves were big or dramatic, but plenty was going on underneath the composite stillness of the major index moves.
^DJI data by YCharts
Cloud wars heat up as chip investors cash out Meta Platforms (META +9.92%) surged 11.3%, adding $179 billion in market capitalization. Bloomberg reported the company is building a cloud business to sell excess AI computing capacity, kind of like when Amazon (AMZN +2.35%) started selling access to its oversized data centers 20 years ago. Is Meta building the Amazon Web Services (AWS) of the next era?
The gain made Meta the largest contributor to both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite, single-handedly offsetting significant losses elsewhere in the tech sector. The direct losers in Meta's AI resale scenario are the neocloud companies that specialize in this exact kind of service. CoreWeave (CRWV 12.79%) dropped 14% on the news that a company with Meta's resources might be coming for its lunch.
Image source: Getty Images.
The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX 6.13%) dropped 4.7%, with Micron Technology (MU 9.85%) leading the retreat at an 8.2% price drop. After more than tripling in Q2 2026, Micron investors apparently decided to lock in some profits at the start of Q3.
Caterpillar (CAT 7.39%) dragged on the Dow, falling 5.1% and subtracting 323 points from the index. The industrial giant gave back much of Tuesday's gains amid broader uncertainty over Middle East tensions and global growth concerns. Honeywell International (HON 0.96%) continued its post-spinoff slide, down 8.1% and costing the Dow another 118 points.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh spoke in Portugal and stuck to his new playbook of not telling anyone what the Fed plans to do. He mentioned that "prices are too high," which sent Treasury yields higher.
And I can't skip the Strait of Hormuz, where the vessel backlog eased slightly to 385 ships from 485 on Tuesday. Only five transits occurred in the past 24 hours, though. Others are going back in dock to unload their goods and wait for calmer political waters before trying again.
Today's Change
(
0.09
%) $
47.07
Current Price
$
52366.27
The Week Ahead The second half of 2026 is off to a bumpy start, which shouldn't surprise anyone after the first half's volatility. The Dow gained 8.9%, the S&P 500 rose 9.6%, and the Nasdaq climbed 12.8% through June, all experiencing painful drawdowns along the way.
Meta's cloud ambitions add a new wrinkle to the AI infrastructure story. Big tech companies have collectively spent over $700 billion on AI this year, and now they're looking for ways to monetize that investment beyond their core businesses. Selling spare computing power is one answer.
Economic data releases will drive market sentiment at the end of another shortened market week. Thursday brings the June unemployment report, which traders will scrutinize for clues about Fed policy. Wednesday's independent jobs report from Automatic Data Processing (ADP +5.17%) came in light at 98,000 private payroll additions versus 110,000 expected, suggesting the labor market may be cooling.
Anders Bylund has positions in Amazon and Micron Technology. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Caterpillar, Honeywell Technologies, Meta Platforms, Micron Technology, and iShares Semiconductor ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Key Takeaways CB is expanding through premium growth, specialty insurance demand and strategic acquisitions.Premiums are supported by growth across P&C, Overseas General, Consumer and Life Insurance.Chubb continues returning capital through dividend increases while investing in AI and distribution. Shares of Chubb Limited (CB - Free Report) have gained 17.6% in the past year, outperforming the industry’s growth of 1.6%. Its share price closed at $340.74 on Tuesday, near its 52-week high of $345.67, reflecting strong investor confidence.
Chubb's strong underwriting performance, growing investment income and disciplined capital management position the stock for further price appreciation. While its premium valuation may limit multiple expansion, its solid fundamentals should continue to support long-term gains. CB has surpassed earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, the average being 12.4%.
Shares of some of its peers, like The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV - Free Report) , have gained 23.6%, whereas W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB - Free Report) and Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. (KNSL - Free Report) have lost 3.2% and 31.2%, respectively, in the past year.
1- Year Price Performance: CB, TRV, WRB, KNSL & Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CB’s Premium ValuationShares of Chubb Limited are trading at a premium compared with the industry. Its trailing 12-month price-to-book value of 1.65X is higher than the industry average of 1.44X, reflecting investor confidence. However, it currently carries a Value Score of B.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Shares of other insurers like TRV, WRB, and KNSL are trading at a multiple higher than the industry average.
CB’s Growth Projection EncouragesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for Chubb Limited’s 2026 EPS indicates a year-over-year increase of 8.1%. The consensus estimate for revenues is pegged at $64.40 billion, implying a year-over-year improvement of 7.4%.
The consensus estimate for 2027 earnings per share and revenues indicates an increase of 7.7% and 4.9%, respectively, from the corresponding 2026 estimates.
Optimist Analyst Sentiment on CBThree analysts covering the stock have raised estimates for 2026 and 2027, with no downward revisions over the past 60 days. Thus, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 and 2027 earnings have moved up 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively, in the same time frame.
CB’s Favorable Return on CapitalReturn on equity in the trailing 12 months was 12%, better than the industry average of 6%. Return on equity, a profitability measure, reflects how effectively a company is utilizing its shareholders’ equity.
Return on Invested Capital in the trailing 12 months was 9.5%, better than the industry average of 5.7%, which reflects CB’s efficiency in utilizing funds to generate income
Factors Benefiting CB StockChubb remains focused on capitalizing on the potential of middle-market businesses (both domestic and international), while maintaining disciplined underwriting. The company prioritizes profitability over premium growth by exiting inadequately priced business, particularly in large-account property insurance. Continued investments in AI, digital capabilities, and distribution, along with strong broker relationships, drive new business growth and improve renewal rates.
Chubb continues to benefit from broad-based premium growth across its businesses. In the first quarter of 2026, total net premiums written increased 10.7%, driven by solid growth in P&C insurance, Overseas General and Consumer Insurance. Strong momentum across Europe, Asia and Latin America, along with continued expansion in Worksite Benefits and Life Insurance, and growing demand for specialty and cyber insurance, supports premium growth and strengthens Chubb's long-term growth profile.
CB pursues strategic mergers and acquisitions to diversify its portfolio, add capabilities and synergies, and expand its geographic footprint. The company acquired Liberty Mutual's insurance business in Thailand in April 2025 and is expected to complete the acquisition of Liberty Mutual Vietnam in early 2026. These acquisitions have strengthened Chubb's presence in Southeast Asia and contributed to premium revenue growth.
Higher investment income remains a key earnings driver for Chubb, supported by a growing invested asset base, higher portfolio yields and favorable private equity returns. Chubb Limited expects adjusted net investment income to be between $1.825 billion and $1.85 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
Chubb has a strong capital position and sufficient cash-generation capabilities, with an operating cash flow of $3.9 billion as of March 31, 2026, which supports wealth distribution to shareholders and growth initiatives. The company recently increased its dividend by 5.2%, marking its 33rd consecutive annual increase. The dividend yield of 1.2%, higher than the industry average of 0.3%, Chubb remains an attractive choice for income-focused investors.
Risks for CBBeing a P&C insurer, CB is exposed to catastrophe events, which induce volatility in underwriting profitability and affect the combined ratio. Given the uncertainty surrounding the magnitude of cat loss, higher losses could drain earnings.
Softening commercial insurance pricing remains a headwind for Chubb, as continued rate declines could weigh on premium growth and profitability.
ConclusionChubb Limited’s market-leading position, disciplined underwriting, broad-based premium growth, higher investment income, strong capital position and capital returns pave the way for long-term growth. Favorable estimates, optimistic analyst sentiment and higher ROE are other positives. A VGM Score of B instills confidence.
However, given its premium valuation, catastrophe losses and softer commercial pricing remain risks. We prefer to stay cautious on this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Kroger is set to acquire Pennsylvania-based grocery chain Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion.
The deal, announced Wednesday (July 1), expands Kroger’s footprint in the western part of Giant Eagle’s home state as well as in Indiana, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia.
“Giant Eagle is a well-run, high-quality regional grocer with a strong reputation for fresh products, pharmacy, private label and customer loyalty,” Kroger CEO Greg Foran said in a news release.
“We evaluated the opportunity carefully, and the strategic fit is clear. Giant Eagle expands our reach into attractive adjacent markets, allowing us to do what we do best: Run outstanding stores, deliver fresh foods and convenient meal solutions at affordable prices, and take care of our customers and associates every single day.”
The release touted the benefits of Giant Eagle’s established store base, loyalty program, pharmacy business and its portfolio of private label products, coupled with Kroger’s eCommerce solutions, data and personalization capabilities and operating discipline,
Together, these factors present a “significant opportunity to accelerate growth both in-store and online, enhance the customer experience and create long-term value for shareholders,” the release added.
In an announcement on its website, Giant Eagle notes that its stores will retain their name. Giant Eagle operates 197 stores and 11 standalone pharmacies, taking in around $9 billion in annual sales, per the news release.
The deal comes as Kroger is facing increased competition from German grocery chain Aldi, which is spending $9 billion on an expansion plan aimed at giving it more locations than Kroger.
“We don’t know what the ceiling is,” Scott Patton, Aldi USA’s chief commercial officer, said in an interview with the Financial Times last month. “We’re trying to take market share from anyone who sells groceries.”
Kroger last month reported a slight uptick in sales — 1% for the quarter, compared to 3.2% for the same quarter in 2025 — as consumers grow more cautious.
“The customer is under pressure,” Foran said during an earnings call. “High gas prices and reduced SNAP benefits are squeezing budgets. Customers are managing spend carefully and shopping with real intent. That pressure is showing up in the market.”
The selective behavior Kroger reported from its customers is in keeping with PYMNTS Intelligence research, which has shown that financially stressed consumers across generations routinely point to grocery costs as a hardship.
Kroger announced Wednesday it will acquire regional supermarket chain Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal, marking the grocery giant's first major acquisition since regulators blocked its proposed $25 billion merger with Albertsons nearly two years ago.
The acquisition will strengthen Kroger's presence across several Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic markets as traditional grocery chains compete with Walmart and Amazon while consumers continue searching for lower prices after years of elevated inflation.
"We evaluated the opportunity carefully, and the strategic fit is clear," Kroger CEO Greg Foran said in a statement. "Giant Eagle expands our reach into attractive adjacent markets."
SEPHORA JOINS WALMART, TARGET WITH NEW ‘QUIET HOURS’ SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Kroger announced Wednesday it will acquire regional supermarket chain Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Giant Eagle operates about 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. Kroger currently operates roughly 2,700 supermarkets and multi-department stores, along with about 2,200 pharmacies, across 35 states.
The transaction includes $1.25 billion in cash and the assumption of approximately $400 million in Giant Eagle's outstanding liabilities.
Giant Eagle operates about 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. (Allison Farrand/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The acquisition follows the collapse of Kroger's proposed merger with Albertsons in late 2024, when courts blocked the deal over antitrust concerns, prompting the nation's largest traditional supermarket operator to pursue other avenues for growth.
The grocery industry remains fiercely competitive as retailers battle for market share amid persistent pressure on household budgets. Kroger has sought to keep prices competitive as shoppers remain price-conscious, while Walmart has continued to gain grocery market share and Amazon has expanded its online grocery offerings.
Kroger said it expects the Giant Eagle acquisition to increase adjusted earnings beginning in the second full year after the transaction closes, which is expected in 2027.
A Kroger grocery store in Covington, Kentucky, on June 2, 2024. (Jeffrey Dean/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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The deal also reflects a broader wave of consolidation across the consumer sector, with companies pursuing acquisitions to gain scale and navigate inflationary pressures, changing consumer preferences and heightened competition.
Enforcing continuous in-session protection across any browser on managed and unmanaged devices establishes Falcon Secure Access as the new standard for browser security
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) today announced it has been named Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Global Enabling Technology Leader in Zero Trust Browser Security.
The browser has become the operating environment for modern work, where employees access email, SaaS applications, collaboration tools, customer data, and AI services. All this activity makes the browser a high-value target for attackers – sitting between users, identities, applications, and sensitive enterprise data. Existing security models either force users into ‘walled garden’ enterprise browsers or rely on high-latency network routing.
Powered by technology from CrowdStrike's acquisition of Seraphic, Falcon Secure Access defines a new model for secure access, enforcing protection directly within any browser runtime. This allows users to work in their browser of choice while eliminating the latency of network routing – turning any browser into a secure enterprise browser without forcing change or slowing productivity.
“This disruptive model redefines browser security, and positions CrowdStrike as a catalyst for change in the global Zero Trust Browser Security market,” the report stated.
"Forcing users into a dedicated browser or routing traffic through a proxy is not a security strategy; it's a tax on productivity," said Elia Zaitsev, chief technology officer, CrowdStrike. "By enforcing protection directly within any browser runtime, Falcon Secure Access delivers the flexibility the workforce demands and the security the business requires. This is browser security built for the modern enterprise."
Combined with technology from CrowdStrike's acquisition of SGNL, Falcon Secure Access advances CrowdStrike's Next-Gen Identity Security strategy, creating a seamless security fabric that protects every interaction from the endpoint, through the browser session, and into the cloud.
Key report findings include:
Making Any Browser a Secure Enterprise Browser
“CrowdStrike delivers unparalleled visibility and control across all browser types, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and emerging AI browsers.”
A New Model for Security and Productivity
“The cybersecurity industry has long grappled with the challenge of securing browser-based activity without degrading performance or user experience. Falcon Secure Access addresses this challenge through a groundbreaking innovation: a JavaScript runtime security module injected at the engine level, rather than relying on traditional browser extensions.”
Securing Enterprise AI
CrowdStrike secures how GenAI applications and agents are accessed through the browser, preventing shadow AI from scraping or exfiltrating sensitive data. Frost noted how the “ability to secure AI browsers and Electron apps (e.g., VS Code GPT integration) at the engine level addresses blind spots in traditional SASE/CASB models.”
Security Wherever the Workforce Works
CrowdStrike provides protection for contractors and third parties, and everywhere employees work: “Falcon Secure Access secures both managed and unmanaged devices, and supports mobile and desktop environments.”
Unified Architecture
CrowdStrike closes the gaps fragmented security stacks create: “Falcon Secure Access and the Falcon platform deliver on the company’s vision of stopping breaches by integrating with its Zero Trust Score, malware scanning, SaaS Security (SSPM), identity security, and SIEM telemetry.”
To learn more about CrowdStrike’s recognition as Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Global Enabling Technology Leader in Zero Trust Browser Security, visit here.
About CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD), a global cybersecurity leader, has redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced cloud-native platform for protecting critical areas of enterprise risk – endpoints and cloud workloads, identity and data.
Powered by the CrowdStrike Security Cloud and world-class AI, the CrowdStrike Falcon® platform leverages real-time indicators of attack, threat intelligence, evolving adversary tradecraft, and enriched telemetry from across the enterprise to deliver hyper-accurate detections, automated protection and remediation, elite threat hunting, and prioritized observability of vulnerabilities.
Purpose-built in the cloud with a single lightweight-agent architecture, the Falcon platform delivers rapid and scalable deployment, superior protection and performance, reduced complexity, and immediate time-to-value.
CrowdStrike: We stop breaches.
Learn more: https://www.crowdstrike.com/
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Key Takeaways CNI signed a conditional long-term lease for PlasCred's proposed Neos recycling facility in Alberta.CNI's Scotford Yard offers rail access to move plastic waste and refined condensate more efficiently.Neos aims to process 100 tons of plastics daily into about 500 barrels of condensate for new products Canadian National Railway (CNI - Free Report) strengthened its role in supporting sustainable industrial development by entering into a conditional long-term lease agreement with PlasCred Circular Innovations for the proposed Neos advanced recycling facility at its Scotford Yard in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The agreement provides PlasCred with an initial 15-year lease, with options to extend site control for up to 30 years. By making available an existing 35,000-square-foot industrial building and a 200-car rail siding, CNI enables the project to leverage established infrastructure while reducing development costs and timelines.
The Scotford Yard location offers significant logistical advantages through direct access to CNI's extensive North American rail network. The rail connectivity streamlines the transportation of inbound mixed plastic waste and outbound refined hydrocarbon condensate, improving supply chain efficiency and lowering transportation costs. These advantages also position the facility for future expansion without requiring substantial new logistics infrastructure.
Once operational, the Neos facility is expected to process up to 100 tons of hard-to-recycle plastics per day and convert them into approximately 500 barrels of refined hydrocarbon condensate daily. The output will serve as feedstock for manufacturing new plastics and other industrial applications, supporting the circular economy initiatives by diverting difficult-to-recycle plastic waste from landfills and giving it a new commercial use.
Although the lease remains conditional on certain requirements being satisfied before its effective date, the agreement represents a meaningful step forward for both PlasCred and CNI. For Canadian National, the partnership highlights the strategic value of its rail infrastructure in supporting emerging clean technology projects while expanding freight opportunities. As PlasCred advances engineering work, regulatory approvals and construction planning, the project has the potential to create long-term transportation demand and reinforce CNI's position as a key logistics partner for Canada's growing sustainability-focused industries.
CNI’s Share Price PerformanceCNI’s shares have gained 20.6% over the past year compared with the Transportation - Rail industry’s 15.9% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
CNI’s Zacks RankCNI currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Stocks to ConsiderInvestors interested in the Zacks Transportation sector may consider Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. (EXPD - Free Report) and Teekay Tankers Ltd (TNK - Free Report) .
EXPD currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Expeditors has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.9% for 2026. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 13.96%.
Teekay Tankers Ltd currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.
TNK has an expected earnings growth rate of 98% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 10.2%.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Allstate (ALL - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Insurance - Property and Casualty industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
When looking at the last two reports, this insurer has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 44.53%, on average, in the last two quarters.
For the most recent quarter, Allstate was expected to post earnings of $7.43 per share, but it reported $10.65 per share instead, representing a surprise of 43.34%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $9.82 per share, while it actually produced $14.31 per share, a surprise of 45.72%.
Price and EPS Surprise
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Allstate lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Allstate has an Earnings ESP of +42.65% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner.
Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Cloudflare has just issued the AI industry a new deadline to separate the web crawlers used for traditional search purposes, like Google Search, from those used for AI agents and training. Starting on September 15, 2026, Cloudflare’s default settings will block “mixed-use” crawlers from any pages that host ads, the company announced on Wednesday.
That means that the crawlers that blend search, agent use, and training will be blocked from crawling these sites by default, unless the site owner adjusts the settings otherwise. These changes to the defaults will apply to new Cloudflare customers, new sites set up by existing customers, and all existing free customers, the company says.
The move could impact how AI model providers are able to access web content for training purposes and to help power their agentic services.
Cloudflare points out that most website owners want their content to be discoverable via search and often through AI services as well, but they want protections against having their intellectual property given away for free.
Cloudflare specifically calls out the “world’s largest search engine” (clearly a Google reference!) as having access to about “2x more information” than other AI companies because the search giant makes it difficult for customers to remain discoverable without being used for AI.
Google has pushed back against this generalization in the past, noting that it provides a bot called Google Extended that lets site owners opt out of having their content used for training and AI products and services like Gemini Apps and Vertex API. Its use doesn’t impact a site’s inclusion in Google Search. However, the tech giant’s flagship Googlebot crawls for Search, including AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode.
“Now that the majority of traffic on the Internet is non-human, we must go further and act faster so that a sustainable ecosystem can emerge,” said Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince in his announcement of the news, referring to the recent milestone where bots surpassed human traffic online for the first time. That shift was not expected to occur until next year.
“Cloudflare’s new tools and partnerships give website owners increased visibility and commercial opportunities and benefit AI companies that have bots with clear and transparent intent. We hope that our proposed default changes encourage mixed-use crawlers to separate out search from agent use and training,” Prince said.
While Cloudflare offers a number of products to help users launch their own AI systems, the company has also released a range of tools to give publishers more control over their content in the AI era. In recent years, Cloudflare launched tools to combat AI bots, including a marketplace that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping, dubbed Pay Per Crawl.
The latter is now also evolving into “Pay Per Use,” the company said, which will allow publishers to charge AI companies when their content creates value, not just when it’s fetched.
The change could also help conserve publishers’ bandwidth and compute resources for AI model providers, as Cloudflare’s data suggested that over 50% of crawl traffic from AI crawlers is spent re-fetching unchanged pages.
To put this into action, Cloudflare is initially working with two partners, Ceramic.ai and You.com. When a publisher opts in, they’re paid when their content appears in Ceramic’s AI search results or when You.com accesses a piece of their premium content.
Other AI companies can customize this model for how they work, Cloudflare says.
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Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.
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CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) today announced that it will release fiscal year 2026 fourth quarter and full year results on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The Company will conduct a conference call to address the financial results. A live webcast of the call will be available to individual investors and the public beginning at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The webcast will be available at www.Cintas.com. Click on the webcast icon and then follow instructions. For those unable to listen to the live webcast, a replay will be available on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours after the completion of the live call and will remain available for two weeks.
About Cintas Corporation
Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready™ to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe, and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, towels, restroom supplies, workplace water services, first aid and safety products, eye-wash stations, safety training, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and alarm service, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and, of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Headquartered in Dallas, Atmos Energy (ATO - Free Report) is a Utilities stock that has seen a price change of 2.77% so far this year. Currently paying a dividend of $1.00 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.32%. In comparison, the Utility - Gas Distribution industry's yield is 3.36%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.41%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $4.00 is up 14.9% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Atmos Energy has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 8.75%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Atmos's current payout ratio is 49%, meaning it paid out 49% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Looking at this fiscal year, ATO expects solid earnings growth. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $8.39 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 12.47%.
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers its shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. During periods of rising interest rates, income investors must be mindful that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle. With that in mind, ATO is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
AirJoule NASDAQ: AIRJ revealed a major milestone with the unveiling of its Prime system. The system, a commercial-scale device, is now locked into its initial design, cementing the company’s shift to commercialization. No longer a design-and-dreams company, AirJoule’s revenue timeline is clearer. The first launches are expected by year’s end, with acceleration expected in 2027.
AirJoule Technologies Today
AIRJ
AirJoule Technologies
$5.24 -0.31 (-5.51%)
As of 02:49 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.
52-Week Range$2.22▼
$6.75Price Target$8.25
The next major milestone is deployment. The 1st Prime system is heading to the EU for deployment at the Net Zero Innovation Hub, where it will be used in a pilot/demonstration project for data center operators. The likely outcome is an influx of orders, as AirJoule technology is a win-win for the data center and other industries. The product not only uses excess heat, a bottleneck for data centers and AI, but also generates clean water for drinking or to fill liquid-cooled GPU cooling systems.
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The revenue roadmap includes three primary triggers, the first of which is the initial deployment of commercial Prime systems and scaling of Prime production. The second is the launch of AirJoule Core technology. The Core system is a smaller unit that comes in two configurations. The first is targeted specifically at water generation for defense, industrial, and community applications, while the second is optimized for humidity control. Humidity control is a critical element for numerous industries, including data centers, and AirJoule does it at a lower cost.
Prime Unveiling Strengthens Analysts' SentimentAnalysts responded well to the news, highlighting the shift from concept to working model as a critical element in the company’s strategy, derisking the commercialization timeline. While no revisions were issued immediately following the release, the news and response helped to strengthen the otherwise bullish outlook.
As it stands, MarketBeat tracks five analysts who rate the stock as a consensus of Moderate Buy with an 80% Buy-side bias. They see it trading above $8 at consensus, representing approximately a 50% upside from the critical resistance level. The critical resistance point is the top of a long-term trading range; when broken, the technical targets are derived from the range’s magnitude and place this market above $8.50.
Institutional support was strong ahead of the news and will likely strengthen in its wake. With more than 65% of the stock owned by institutions, this reflects high confidence in the technology. The risk is that the group starts taking profits as share prices rise, but this is unlikely to happen soon. Given the expectations for commercialization, years of hypergrowth, and profits by the decade's end, the likely outcome is that institutions will underpin market support for years to come.
Short Sellers Are a Risk in July 2026Short sellers are a risk for this stock. They are focused on the lack of revenue, execution hurdles, and dilution threat. The company’s recent capital raise underscores its vulnerability and may keep the bears interested for the foreseeable future. The risks for them are corporate milestones, improving market sentiment, and institutional activity, which sets them up for a squeeze. In this scenario, a move to new highs could trigger a massive influx of capital, lifting AIRJ shares into the target range within days.
Among factors for investors to consider is AirJoule’s 50/50 joint venture with GE Vernova NYSE: GEV. It dramatically derisks the outlook, positioning AirJoule as a corporate-backed hardware provider rather than an emerging tech start-up, and putting it on track to reach milestones with relative ease. Among the benefits are access to GE’s established manufacturing lines, eliminating costs, time-to-scale, and execution risks. Long-term, the deal opens the door to enterprise customers as well as the integration of AIRJ technology into GE product lines.
The company’s biggest risk is execution delays. While it is well-capitalized for 2026, delays, specifically with the UL certification of Core technology, will be reflected in the stock’s price. Delays raise the risk of dilution, as capital needs will quickly exceed current liquidity if spending isn’t offset by revenue. Additionally, bears suggest unit economics will be a hurdle to adoption as traditional desalination costs significantly less.
What the bears get wrong about AIRJ is that it is not a traditional water producer but an AI enabler. Without heat and humidity control, and water for the cooling systems, datacenters and AI are dead in the water. Achieving UL certification is likely to trigger institutional flows and short-covering, as it will instantly clear the path to commercialization and enable industrial-scale orders. Likewise, UL certification will enable partners such as GE Vernova and Carrier Global NYSE: CARR to incorporate AIRJ technology into their product lines.
Should You Invest $1,000 in AirJoule Technologies Right Now?Before you consider AirJoule Technologies, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and AirJoule Technologies wasn't on the list.
While AirJoule Technologies currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
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Robotics and automation are rapidly becoming essential infrastructure across healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and many other industries.
"Physical AI" is coming to the United States, and there are four ways that investors can gain exposure to this new robotics revolution. Plus, learn which seven companies are most positioned to benefit as intelligent robots enter the workforce.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Lam Research (LRCX - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This semiconductor equipment maker has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 8.32%.
For the most recent quarter, Lam Research was expected to post earnings of $1.36 per share, but it reported $1.47 per share instead, representing a surprise of 8.09%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $1.17 per share, while it actually produced $1.27 per share, a surprise of 8.55%.
Price and EPS Surprise
With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Lam Research. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Lam Research currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.05%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner.
Investors should note, however, that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss, but a negative value does reduce the predictive power of this metric.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Nancy Pelosi’s husband is a venture capitalist who has been highly successful in the stock market for nearly four decades, and all his trades (attributed to Pelosi due to their marriage) have performed incredibly well for investors. Copying their portfolio would’ve let you trounce the broader market’s gains again and again.
But what if I told you there might be another politician portfolio worth tracking?
Representative Cleo Fields from Louisiana’s 6th congressional district has a very large portfolio (we’ll get into this later), and he is serving on the House Financial Services Committee.
Why you should pay more attention to Fields’ picks Pelosi’s total portfolio remains huge, but Fields is a new AI-heavy surprise since his portfolio is at $42 million. Nancy Pelosi’s portfolio is three times bigger, but there are very few congressmen/women who have a portfolio even above just $1 million. A portfolio of that size with a huge outperformance is worth giving more attention to.
On top of that, Fields’ portfolio is not spouse-owned in the way Pelosi’s is. Instead, he buys and sells himself.
He said, “I’ve been trading stocks for a while, and it didn’t start when I was in Congress. And I don’t intend to stop while I’m at Congress.”
Late last year, Fields bought Oracle (NYSE:ORCL | ORCL Price Prediction) just before the TikTok acquisition. He’s one of the more controversial names since he’s been actively “under fire” from watchdogs that track potential insider trading.
A very active, AI-heavy portfolio Unlike Nancy Pelosi’s portfolio, you have a lot more action to work with when you look at Fields’ portfolio. His most recent trade was buying Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on June 15, 2026. His estimated holding value here is $1.1 million.
Four days before that, on June 11, he bought Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). His estimated MSFT holding value is also above $1 million.
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A week before that, he bought Quantinuum (NASDAQ:QNT). It is a rather under-the-radar data science and artificial intelligence stock that went public the day of the purchase. His purchase value was between $1-15k. QNT stock is up ~30% within a month.
There are several more meaty tech buys that include Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), AMD (NASDAQ:AMD), Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX), and Micron (NASDAQ:MU).
All you need to know is that he is very active and seems all-in on the AI rally.
Why he could overtake Nancy Pelosi Even though Pelosi’s husband is an experienced trader, he hasn’t been as prolific recently, especially with AI. Most of the Pelosi trades are deep in-the-money call options, along with some long-term outright buys. On the other hand, Cleo Fields is adding more and more to some of the best-performing stocks.
And if this AI rally keeps continuing, he’ll be able to one-up Nancy Pelosi on yearly performance. Of course, Fields is not surpassing the Pelosis when it comes to portfolio value anytime soon, but the gains are quickly adding up.
You should follow his portfolio If it isn’t obvious already, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on his AI portfolio. Fields continues to be a stock market high roller, and he’s not sorry about heavily trading stock.
Considering the committee he’s serving, the portfolio size, plus the gains, the portfolio is still quite under the radar.
I will still avoid copying him 1:1. The stocks he is buying are the same stocks every other retail AI investor holds. Even a triple-digit annual gain isn’t hugely surprising if you look at an AI bull’s portfolio who is willing to risk tens of millions. Most of us don’t have that much financial firepower to deploy.
Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Apple didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.
EU regulators set a July 22 deadline after Paramount offered commitments to address antitrust concerns. Summary
The deal still faces potential UK media ownership scrutiny.
Paramount Skydance PSKY has formally offered commitments to the European Union as it looks to secure approval for its $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD. The European Commission disclosed the move in a Wednesday filing but did not provide details of the proposed remedy.
The regulator has now set July 22 as the new deadline to decide whether to clear the transaction or open a deeper investigation. Paramount said it is confident the remedy directly and comprehensively addresses concerns raised in the Commission's preliminary assessment, which could support a path toward timely clearance.
The EU review follows concerns over Paramount's possible power in European film distribution, particularly around ensuring producers and filmmakers still have alternatives for bringing content to theaters and homes across the bloc. The deal also faces potential scrutiny in the UK, where Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she is “minded to intervene” on public-interest grounds tied to media ownership diversity.
Disclosures I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and have no plans to buy any new positions in the stocks mentioned within the next 72 hours.
