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Troy Ruhanen to Retire; Andrew Robertson Appointed CEO of Omnicom Advertising

, /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom (NYSE: OMC), the world's leading marketing and sales company, today announced that Troy Ruhanen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Advertising, has decided to retire following a distinguished career spanning more than twenty years in leadership roles across Omnicom. Ruhanen's decision follows the successful integration of Omnicom Advertising after the combination of Omnicom and Interpublic, which established a strong foundation for the future.

"Troy has been an exceptional leader whose impact on Omnicom and our industry cannot be overstated. His leadership was instrumental in bringing together our combined organization while strengthening our ability to serve clients and create opportunities for our people. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him every success in retirement," said John Wren, Chairman and CEO of Omnicom.

Andrew Robertson, currently Chairman of BBDO Worldwide, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Advertising, effective immediately. Having spent more than two decades as a leader within Omnicom, Robertson brings valuable expertise, long-standing client relationships with marquee global brands, and a demonstrated track record of building high-performing teams. He will work closely with Ruhanen during the transition to ensure a seamless hand-off.

"Andrew is a proven leader with a deep understanding of Omnicom, our clients, and our industry. I look forward to working with him on the continued development of our advertising group, particularly his commitment to ensuring creativity remains at the core of what we do as we advance our AI and technology capabilities," added Wren.

Omnicom Advertising continues to set industry benchmarks, recently welcoming Subway, American Express, and BBVA as new clients while all three of its creative networks ranked in the top 10 at Cannes Lions this year. Its visionary client work has allowed Omnicom to be recognized as the World's Most Effective Holding Group in the Effie Index for three years in a row, and its agencies have consistently been recognized by Fast Company as among the Most Innovative Companies for the past eight years.

"It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work alongside some of the most talented people in our industry. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. With the integration complete, this is the right moment for me to retire. I have profound confidence in Andrew and our leadership team," said Ruhanen.

"Our plan is clear," said Robertson. "Secure a disproportionate share of the world's most exciting creative and strategic minds, equip them - through Omni - with the industry's most advanced AI enabled tools and data, to deliver exceptional results for a client list that is the envy of our competitors."

About Omnicom Advertising
Omnicom Advertising (OA), the creative agency services capability of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC), aligns leading creative networks; BBDO, McCann and TBWA with creative boutiques such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Deutsch, GSD&M and MARTIN, among others. By bringing these agency brands under one leadership, OA allows them to leverage their collective strength today and tomorrow, to deliver the best, most impactful, creative experiences in the industry. This new connected capability unites more than 20,000 creative minds around the globe on a mission to build distinction for almost two thirds of the world's biggest brands (Interbrand, Best Global Brands 2025). 

About Omnicom
Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) is the world's leading marketing and sales company, built for intelligent growth in the next era. Powered by Omni and its proprietary data and identity, Omnicom's Connected Capabilities unite the company's world‑class agency brands, exceptional talent, and deep domain expertise across media, commerce, consulting, precision marketing, advertising, production, health, public relations, branding, and experiential to address clients' most critical growth priorities. For more information, visit www.omc.com.

SOURCE Omnicom Group Inc.

Key Takeaways MGIC Investment expects new business and solid persistency to support its insurance-in-force portfolio. Declining claims can strengthen MTG's balance sheet and improve its financial profile. MTG repurchased 13.8 million shares for $369.2 million and paid $66.8 million in dividends. MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG - Free Report) hit a 52-week high of $31.89 on Sept. 8. Shares closed at $30.66, and the stock is trading above the 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages (SMAs) of $29.89 and $27.78, respectively, indicating solid upward momentum. The SMA is a widely used technical analysis tool for predicting future price trends by analyzing historical price data.

With a market capitalization of $6.28 billion, the average volume of shares traded in the last three months was 1.76 million.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Price Performance of MTGShares of MGIC Investment have risen 8% in the past year compared with the industry's growth of 9.1%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

MTG Shares Are AffordableMGIC Investment shares are trading at a price-to-book value of 1.25X, lower than the industry average of 2.7X, the Finance sector’s 4.55X and the Zacks S&P 500 Composite’s 7.23X. Its pricing, at a discount to the industry average, gives a better entry point to investors. The stock has a Value Score of B. This style score helps find the most attractive value stocks. 

Shares of Enact Holdings, Inc. (ACT - Free Report) , Assurant, Inc. (AIZ - Free Report) and Radian Group Inc. (RDN - Free Report) are also trading at a discount to the industry average.

MTG’s Favorable Return on CapitalThe return on invested capital (ROIC) has been increasing over the last few quarters, as the company has raised its capital investment during the same period. This reflects MTG’s efficiency in utilizing funds to generate income. ROIC was 10.2% in the trailing 12 months, better than the industry average of 1.9%.

MTG’s Growth Projection EncouragesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for MGIC Investment's 2026 earnings per share indicates a year-over-year increase of 3.2%. The consensus estimate for 2027 earnings per share and revenues indicates an increase of 5.9% and 3.1%, respectively, from the corresponding 2026 estimates.

Earnings have increased 13.1% in the past five years, better than the industry average of 10.7%.

Earnings Surprise HistoryMGIC Investment surpassed earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, the average being 9.93%.

Optimistic Analyst Sentiment on MTGEach of the four analysts covering the stock has raised estimates for 2026, and two analysts for 2027 over the past 60 days. Thus, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 and 2027 moved 6.2% and 4.9% north, respectively, in the last 60 days.

Factors Driving MTGNew business and solid annual persistency should drive the insurance-in-force portfolio. A higher level of new and existing home sales, an increased percentage of homes purchased for cash, and an improved level of refinance activity should help MGIC Investment grow.

MTG has been witnessing a declining pattern of claim filings. A decline in losses and claims will strengthen the balance sheet and improve this mortgage insurer’s financial profile.

Management expects the mortgage market to remain broadly similar to recent conditions because affordability remains stretched and refinancing activity is constrained by rates. This backdrop limits near-term portfolio growth, but sustained purchase demand should continue to provide MGIC with opportunities to replenish runoff and preserve its premium base.

MTG maintains substantial capacity above mortgage-insurance capital requirements. As of June 30, 2026, MGIC had $5.6 billion of PMIERs Available Assets and $2.7 billion of excess over Minimum Required Assets, equal to 194% net sufficiency.

MGIC Investment continues to return excess capital through repurchases and dividends when business growth does not require the full amount of capital generated. In the first half of 2026, the company repurchased 13.8 million shares for $369.2 million and paid $66.8 million of common dividends.

Management said it is broadly targeting repurchases near net income in the current environment, indicating that capital returns should remain an important use of excess capital while insurance-in-force growth remains limited.

Wrapping UpHigher premiums, higher levels of home sales and new business will continue to induce growth for MGIC Investment. As part of wealth distribution to shareholders, MTG also engages in share buybacks, reflecting capital strength, financial results, and share price levels that are expected to be attractive to generate long-term value for shareholders.

Coupled with solid growth projections, attractive valuations, and a favorable ROIC as well as optimistic analyst sentiment, the time appears right for potential investors to bet on this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) insurer. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Key Takeaways Hershey's salty snacks sales rose 22.9% in Q2, but supply constraints limited organic growth. Retail takeaway climbed 6.5%, led by Dot's, Reese's Filled Pretzels and variety multipacks.Automation is helping operations, with added capacity and a more optimized network expected in 2027. The Hershey Company (HSY - Free Report) is seeing solid demand across its North America Salty Snacks portfolio, but supply constraints limited its ability to fully convert that demand into sales in the second quarter of 2026. The pressure was most evident in multipacks and Dot’s pretzels, where strong consumer interest outpaced available supply.

U.S. salty snacks retail takeaway, excluding LesserEvil, increased 6.5% during the 12 weeks ended June 28, 2026, led by Dot’s, Reese’s Filled Pretzels and variety multipacks. However, organic constant-currency net sales jumped only 0.6% in the quarter, as supply limitations and the planned reduction in private-label sales caused sales growth to trail retail takeaway.

North America Salty Snacks net sales rose 22.9% year over year to $387.8 million in the second quarter. The LesserEvil acquisition contributed approximately 22 percentage points to the increase. Organic constant-currency volume grew about 4%, but came in below expectations as innovation and velocity gains were partly offset by execution challenges involving multipacks and Dot’s pretzels. Net price realization was an approximately 3-point headwind due to higher trade investment in new item launches.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Hershey has increased investment in automation and capacity to address these constraints. Automation is beginning to help operations, while additional capacity is expected to come online in 2027. The company indicated that the growing pains around Dot’s are largely behind it. Still, the supply chain is not fully optimized, and elevated freight and logistics costs are expected to persist as Hershey uses spot freight to maintain service.

The key issue now is how quickly supply execution improves against strong retail demand. Hershey expects modest margin improvement in Salty Snacks during the second half as it captures demand and optimizes the supply chain. A more fully optimized network is expected in 2027, making capacity ramp-up and logistics normalization key factors to watch as the segment works to better align shipments with consumer demand.

The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has dipped 1.9% over the past three months compared with the industry’s decline of 2.1%.

Stocks to ConsiderThe Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO - Free Report) , a leading beverage company that develops, markets and distributes coconut water and other plant-based beverages, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). COCO delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.9%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for The Vita Coco Company’s current fiscal-year sales and earnings per share (EPS) calls for growth of 31.6% and 64.7%, respectively, from the year-ago figures.

Darling Ingredients Inc. (DAR - Free Report) , a global developer and producer of sustainable natural ingredients derived from edible and inedible bio-nutrients, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Darling’s current fiscal-year sales suggests an 11.5% jump from the prior-year levels. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year EPS stands at $6.98, which implies a substantial improvement from the year-ago period. DAR delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 38.9%, on average.

Laird Superfood, Inc. (LSF - Free Report) is a consumer product company that develops, manufactures and markets plant-based, natural and functional food and beverage products. LSF currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Laird Superfood’s current fiscal-year sales and EPS suggests growth of 188.2% and 104 %, respectively, from the year-ago figures. LSF delivered an earnings surprise of 100% in the last reported quarter.

9.9.2026 17:52, BAAKOMB

Komerční banka uzavřela 3. září 2026 smlouvu se svou mateřskou společností Société Générale o poskytnutí podřízeného úvěru ve výši 200 mil. EUR s úrokovou sazbou EURIBOR 1M plus 1,61 %, který se stane součástí regulatorního kapitálu Tier 2. Úvěr byl poskytnut 8. září 2026 s desetiletou splatností, přičemž banka má možnost jej po pěti letech předčasně splatit (call opce). Podle vyjádření banky odpovídá zvýšení regulatorního kapitálu z titulu přijatého úvěru přibližně 0,78 % konsolidovaných rizikově vážených aktiv k 30. červnu 2026.

Akcie Komerční banky Akcie Komerční banky (BAAKOMB) na pražské burze dnes oslabily o 0,92 % na 1 075 Kč, na RM-SYSTÉMu pak na 1 077 Kč.

Zdroj: Komerční banka

Michal Bárta
Fio banka, a.s.
Prohlášení

Související odkazy Komerční banka: mBank zvyšuje cílovou cenu akcií na 1 218,76 Kč a doporučení na „Buy“ Komerční banka: UBS snižuje cílovou cenu na 1 120 Kč při novém doporučení „Neutral“ KB: Ipopema Securities zvyšuje cílovou cenu na 1 218 Kč při novém doporučení „Accumulate“ Komerční banka: Citi zvyšuje cílovou cenu na 1 062 Kč při zachování doporučení „neutral“ Komerční banka za 2Q 2026 reportovala čistý zisk 4,5 mld. Kč

Chewy Inc (NYSE:CHWY) reported second-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, even as shares fell 8.6% after the pet products retailer's free cash flow missed expectations.

Revenue rose 7.3% year-over-year to $3.33 billion, edging past the $3.32 billion analysts had forecast. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.36, up 9.1% from a year earlier.

Adjusted EBITDA climbed 23.7% to $226.7 million, topping estimates of $211 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 90 basis points to 6.8%, also ahead of forecasts.

Gross margin held steady at 30.4% year-over-year, and net margin improved 40 basis points to 2.4%. Free cash flow fell 15.5% to $89.5 million, well short of the $133 million analysts had expected.

Active customers grew 3.8% to 21.705 million.

Analysts at Jefferies said the company's base business, excluding acquisitions, is holding up, which they said should be viewed favorably given softer macroeconomic commentary in the prior quarter. However, they noted that one-time items and timing factors contributed to the profit beat, and that guidance pointing to stable core growth alongside heavy reinvestment means the results are not as strong as headline numbers suggest.

The analysts said Chewy's capital deployment toward expanding its addressable market in veterinary and equestrian categories is a sensible move, and that its artificial intelligence and membership initiatives show promise, though the timing of when those investments will generate higher returns remains uncertain.

FIN enables Splitit to integrate with SilverLake® core banking platform and Banno digital banking platform 

, /PRNewswire/ -- Splitit, the global leader in bank-linked installment payments, today announced its integration with Jack Henry's SilverLake® core banking platform and Banno Digital Platform™ through the Jack Henry® Fintech Integration Network (FIN). The Fintech Integration Network is designed to help ensure that Jack Henry's customers can easily deploy third-party products.

Splitit and Jack Henry Demonstration Video

Splitit CEO Nandan Sheth on Splitit/Jack Henry partnership

Splitit/Jack Henry FIN partnership screenshot

Splitit/Jack Henry FIN partnership screenshot 2 Splitit debit card installments integrate with SilverLake through jXchange™ services-based programming interfaces that enable third-party fintechs and financial institutions to securely access core data and business rules. These integrations maintain data integrity by managing access through a service layer that governs all interactions, ensuring consistent and secure data exchange across platforms.

Eligible banks and credit unions can now offer embedded installments to debit and demand accountholders, enabling them to generate new fee income and compete more effectively with BNPL providers – without building new technology, becoming the lender of record, or requiring users to adopt a third-party app.

Every time a customer chooses a third-party Buy Now, Pay Later app instead of their bank, the bank loses more than a loan. It loses transaction visibility, fee income, engagement and another opportunity to strengthen the primary banking relationship. Over time, payment innovation shifts away from the financial institution and into the hands of third parties.

Splitit was built to reverse that trend. Splitit's white-label platform, integrated with Jack Henry, enables banks and credit unions to bring payment innovation back inside the banking relationship. By unlocking installment capabilities for deposit accounts and debit cards, institutions can offer seamless payment flexibility at checkout and after purchase while retaining the accountholder relationship, transaction data and economics.

"Banks and credit unions shouldn't have to watch their most loyal customers leave the banking relationship every time they want more payment flexibility," said Ran Landau, CTO of Splitit. "Consumers increasingly expect their trusted financial institution to offer installment payments that are as seamless and embedded. Building and continuously evolving an AI-powered installment platform that keeps pace with changing expectations isn't something most financial institutions should have to do on their own. That's exactly why we built Splitit. Together with Jack Henry, we're giving banks and credit unions a faster path to innovation – one that strengthens relationships, creates new revenue opportunities and helps them remain at the center of the payment experience."

Accountholders benefit from a seamless experience before and after purchase. At checkout, eligible users can select installment payments in real time with participating merchants, marketplaces and wallets. After purchase, eligible transactions will be converted into personalized installment offers, through Splitit's AI-powered personalization engine, directly within the institution's digital banking experience. In both cases, accountholders remain within the trusted banking relationship they already know.

Jack Henry's FIN takes the accountholder out of the middle, providing fintechs with direct access to Jack Henry's technical resources and test systems. FIN inclusion is not an endorsement of the fintech's product.

About Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.®

Jack Henry® (Nasdaq: JKHY) is a well-rounded financial technology company that strengthens connections between financial institutions and the people and businesses they serve. We are an S&P 500 company that prioritizes openness, collaboration, and user centricity – offering banks and credit unions a vibrant ecosystem of internally developed modern capabilities as well as the ability to integrate with leading fintechs. For 50 years, Jack Henry has provided technology solutions to enable clients to innovate faster, strategically differentiate, and successfully compete while serving the evolving needs of their accountholders. We empower approximately 7,400 clients with people-inspired innovation, personal service, and insight-driven solutions that help reduce the barriers to financial health. Additional information is available at www.jackhenry.com.

About Splitit

Splitit is the only global installment payments platform built to work inside a bank's own digital experience, not around it. By turning existing credit relationships into flexible, card-linked installment plans, Splitit gives financial institutions a way to deepen customer engagement, strengthen deposit retention, and unlock new revenue, all without requiring customers to open a new account or download a third-party app. Banks and credit unions retain full control over eligibility, credit policy, and the customer relationship throughout. Trusted by financial institutions and leading brands across luxury retail, digital marketplaces, and technology, Splitit operates in more than 100 countries and powers embedded installment experiences — including inside Samsung Wallet — at scale. Learn more at Splitit.com.

The Harris Agency for Splitit
David Resnic or Chrissy Carney
[email protected]

SOURCE Splitit USA, Inc.

Signet (SIG - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.19 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.61 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +29.59%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this jewelry company would post earnings of $1.32 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.56, delivering a surprise of +18.18%.

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

Signet, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Jewelry industry, posted revenues of $1.53 billion for the quarter ended July 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.04%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.54 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Signet shares have lost about 0.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 12.1%.

What's Next for Signet?While Signet has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Signet was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.74 on $1.39 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $10.66 on $6.84 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Jewelry is currently in the top 14% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

One other stock from the broader Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector, 1-800-Flowers.com (FLWS - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on September 10.

This flower and gift retailer is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.79 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -14.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.7% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.

1-800-Flowers.com's revenues are expected to be $293.6 million, down 12.8% from the year-ago quarter.

Key Takeaways LHX secures its largest PAC-3 propulsion contract to date, covering key interceptor components.LHX is expanding PAC-3 MSE manufacturing capacity with two new Camden facilities expected in 2027.LHX's Missile Solutions revenues rose 14%, while its contractual backlog reached $10.5B. L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (LHX - Free Report) is expanding its position in missile defense propulsion following a new $4.7 billion contract from Lockheed Martin. Announced on Sept. 8, 2026, the seven-year undefinitized contract award covers propulsion systems for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (“MSE”) interceptor. The award is L3Harris’ largest PAC-3 propulsion contract to date and provides visibility into production activity.

The contract covers production of the PAC-3 MSE’s two-pulse solid rocket motor, Lethality Enhancer and Attitude Control Motors. These propulsion components support the interceptor and could sustain production as demand for missile-defense capabilities increases. The agreement builds on the procurement framework established among L3Harris, the Department of War and Lockheed Martin.

L3Harris is increasing its manufacturing capacity to support higher PAC-3 MSE volumes. The company broke ground in June on two new facilities at its Camden, AR, site, with both expected to become operational in 2027. The facilities are designed to increase production, improve throughput and modernize solid rocket motor manufacturing. These investments could help L3Harris accommodate higher demand.

The PAC-3 award adds to the momentum in L3Harris’ Missile Solutions business. Second-quarter revenues increased 14% year over year to $1.05 billion, driven by higher Propulsion Systems production and development volumes across missile and munitions programs. The segment ended the quarter with $10.5 billion in the contractual backlog, providing a base of future work. The new PAC-3 award could strengthen long-term revenue visibility as the company expands its production footprint.

Companies Expanding Missile Defense ProductionRising demand for missile-defense capabilities is encouraging defense contractors to increase production of interceptors, propulsion systems and related technologies. Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT - Free Report) and RTX Corporation (RTX - Free Report) are two major U.S. defense companies positioned across the missile-defense supply chain.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the PAC-3 MSE interceptor, directly benefiting from higher production of the system supported by L3Harris’ propulsion award. This creates growth opportunities across both the interceptor and propulsion supply chains.

RTX develops missile-defense systems and interceptors for the Patriot air-defense architecture. Its exposure to these programs provides an avenue to benefit from continued investment in expanding U.S. air- and missile-defense capabilities.

Earnings Estimates for LHXThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 and 2027 earnings per share suggests year-over-year growth of 9.79% and 14.44%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

LHX Stock Is Trading at a DiscountLHX is trading at a discount relative to the industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-sales of 1.93X compared with the industry average of 2.36X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

LHX Stock Price PerformanceOver the past year, LHX shares have fallen 7.2% compared with the industry’s 7.7% decline.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

Approximately $1.2 billion investment expected to create about 490 high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs in South Carolina’s UpstateBlacksburg facility will serve as a cornerstone of USA Rare Earth’s domestic magnet manufacturing footprint and advance the Company’s integrated mine-to-magnet value chainInvestment strengthens U.S. capacity to produce critical rare earth metals and magnets for defense, aerospace, semiconductors, energy and other advanced industries BLACKSBURG, S.C., Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USA Rare Earth, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAR) (“USA Rare Earth,” “USAR” or the “Company”), a rare earth, critical minerals and advanced materials company, today broke ground on its new rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Blacksburg, South Carolina, marking a major step in the Company’s effort to build a secure, integrated rare earth supply chain for the United States and its allies.

Located on a 124-acre site in Bailey Industrial Park in Cherokee County, the approximately 800,000-square-foot facility represents an approximately $1.2 billion investment and is expected to create roughly 490 high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs in South Carolina’s Upstate. Once online, the facility is targeting production capacity of 6,400 metric tons per annum (tpa) of sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets and 5,000 tpa of strip-cast metal and alloy, with commissioning targeted to begin in 2028.

“Breaking ground in Blacksburg is an important moment because it moves our vision from plans on paper to infrastructure taking shape,” said Barbara Humpton, Chief Executive Officer of USA Rare Earth. “We’re building the capabilities America needs to make critical rare earth materials and magnets at home, while making a long-term investment in the people and communities that will help us do it. We’re proud that the next chapter of USA Rare Earth’s growth is being built here in South Carolina.”

Investing in South Carolina and the Upstate

USA Rare Earth selected Blacksburg following a comprehensive evaluation of nearly 275 potential sites across the country. South Carolina stood out for its skilled advanced manufacturing workforce, reliable power, transportation infrastructure, proximity to customers and suppliers, and strong support from state and local partners. Located along the Interstate 85 corridor, the operation will add to an advanced manufacturing ecosystem that has made the Upstate an important center of American industrial production.

As part of its broader commitment to Cherokee County and the region’s growing manufacturing economy, USA Rare Earth today also announced a $250,000 contribution to Spartanburg Community College to support its new SPARK Center in Cherokee County. The new center will connect education, workforce development and economic development, providing resources to support businesses locating, launching and growing in the county while helping strengthen the local talent pipeline and broader business ecosystem.

“This Blacksburg community has the infrastructure, talent and manufacturing heritage to support what we’re building, but just as important has been the commitment we’ve seen from people across Blacksburg, Cherokee County and South Carolina,” said David Bushi, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing at USA Rare Earth. “We intend to build something here that creates opportunity locally and strengthens American manufacturing for decades to come.”

“South Carolina’s greatest strength has always been our people and their ability to build things the world depends on,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. “USA Rare Earth’s decision to put down roots in Blacksburg is another tremendous vote of confidence in our workforce and in the manufacturing future of our state. Today, we celebrate the start of a project that will create new opportunities for families across Cherokee County and the Upstate while helping America rebuild a critical industry here at home.”

Building a Secure, Integrated Rare Earth Supply Chain

The groundbreaking also marks an important milestone in USA Rare Earth’s broader strategy to build and grow a secure, globally integrated rare earth value chain that reduces reliance on concentrated sources of supply. Rare earth metals and permanent magnets are essential inputs across defense, aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing, physical AI, mobility, energy, healthcare and other advanced industries. Yet the United States remains heavily dependent on foreign sources for many of these critical materials and manufacturing capabilities, with China dominating significant portions of the global rare earth supply chain.

USA Rare Earth is working to change that by building capabilities across the full value chain — from mining and processing to separation, metal- and alloy-making and permanent magnet manufacturing.

The Blacksburg facility will complement USA Rare Earth’s existing magnet manufacturing operation in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where the Company commissioned its first commercial production line earlier this year. Together, Blacksburg and the planned expansion at Stillwater are expected to provide USA Rare Earth with 10,000 tpa of domestic NdFeB magnet manufacturing capacity. The Company is also investing in and expanding capabilities across its broader global platform, supporting local production and economic development while connecting critical rare earth resources with advanced manufacturing markets globally.

“A secure rare earth supply chain isn’t built with a single mine or a single factory. It requires rebuilding every link,” said Gregory Bowman, Chief Global Policy Officer of USA Rare Earth. “Blacksburg adds critical manufacturing capacity to that broader platform and brings the United States closer to producing more of the materials and magnets our industries depend on outside of Chinese control. What starts with a groundbreaking here in South Carolina ultimately strengthens America’s industrial and national security.”

Partnership Turning Vision Into Reality

USA Rare Earth is working with a team of construction, development, engineering and technology partners to bring the Blacksburg facility online.

Clark Construction Group and Frampton Construction are serving as design-builder through the Clark/Frampton joint venture, with Trammell Crow Company serving as developer. McMillan Pazdan Smith is serving as project architect in collaboration with Bennett & Pless, Thomas & Hutton and Salas O’Brien. Chang Robotics is bringing expertise in advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics.

“Large-scale manufacturing investments succeed when ambition is matched by disciplined execution,” said Spencer Middleton, vice president with Clark Construction. “Our focus is on translating the significance of this project into a construction effort that is equally rigorous, bringing the right people, resources, and planning together to deliver for USA Rare Earth and South Carolina.”

“Projects of this scale demand a different level of alignment from the start,” said Dave Florence, chief strategy officer at Frampton Construction. “The decisions made early, the trust established across the team, and the ability to solve problems together all shape what happens in the field. We’re proud to help deliver an investment that will expand advanced manufacturing in South Carolina and strengthen domestic production for years to come.”

About USA Rare Earth

USA Rare Earth, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAR) is building a fully integrated rare earth and permanent magnet value chain across the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Through its ownership of Less Common Metals (LCM), one of the world’s leading producers of rare earth metals and alloys, its development of magnet manufacturing capacity in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the Pela Ema mine in Brazil and the Round Top deposit in Texas, USA Rare Earth operates across the entire value chain from mining to metal-making, alloy production and neodymium magnet manufacturing. USA Rare Earth is establishing a secure, Western-aligned supply of materials essential to the aerospace and defense, semiconductor, energy, data center, physical AI, mobility, healthcare and industrial sectors. For more information, visit www.usare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include those relating to the expected capital investment, job creation, production capacity and commissioning timeline of the planned rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Blacksburg, South Carolina, anticipated development of Spartanburg Community College’s new SPARK Center, the potential impact of the Blacksburg facility on domestic magnet manufacturing and the rare earth value chain and other statements regarding the Company’s expectations for future development, operations, strategies, transactions and financial performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “growth,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “propose,” “should,” “target,” “vision,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, including without limitation: risks associated with permitting, construction, workforce availability, the ability of our planned Blacksburg facility to commence commercial operations on the timing and with the production capacity anticipated or at all; risks that we may experience delays, unforeseen expenses, increased capital costs, and other complications while developing our projects; our ability to raise necessary capital on acceptable terms or at all; the availability of rare earth oxide, metal feedstock and other materials, utilities (including power and water) and equipment in quantities and prices that allow us to develop and commercially operate our Stillwater facility and other facilities; our ability to meet individual customer specifications and produce a consistently high quality product; potential supply chain, logistics or product delivery disruptions; any delays in obtaining or renewing permits and licenses; fluctuations in demand for and prices of neo magnets, rare earth elements and our other products, including without limitation as a result of dumping, predatory pricing and other tactics by our competitors or state actors or the overall competitive environment; risks that we may not realize the anticipated benefits of USA Rare Earth’s combination with Serra Verde or our proposed and prior acquisitions, including expected synergies, financial performance, estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and, in the case of Serra Verde, integration of operations, on the anticipated timeline or at all; potential delays in the optimization and commissioning program and the Phase II expansion at the Pela Ema facility; political, economic, regulatory, tax, currency and other risks associated with Serra Verde’s operations in Brazil and Switzerland; physical climate risks related to the Pela Ema mine; the assumption of substantial indebtedness under Serra Verde’s Retained Finance Agreement, which contains restrictive covenants and other requirements that could adversely affect the combined company’s financial flexibility and operations; risks that the Offtake Agreement is terminated or ceases to be in full force and effect or that the counterparty to the Offtake Agreement is insufficiently capitalized, including as a result of a failure to finalize definitive debt financing arrangements within the timeframes contemplated by the Offtake Agreement; risks that the proposed transaction with Carester SAS may not be consummated on its anticipated timeline or at all; the ability of our Stillwater magnet manufacturing facility to generate revenue; our limited operating history; our ability to commercially extract minerals from the Round Top deposit on our anticipated timeline or at all; differences between planned and actual recovery and yield rates; potential dilution to existing stockholders and adverse effect on our stock price if we issue additional common stock or equity-linked securities; the volatility of our stock price; any changes in royalty rates or the imposition of new royalties; risks associated with community relations; our ability to achieve positive cash flow or profitability or the ability to access cash flow within our corporate structure due to restrictions contained in our financing agreements; our ability to convert current commercial discussions and/or memorandums of understanding with customers for the sale of our neo magnets and other products into definitive orders; our dependence, in part, on the growth of existing and emerging uses for neo magnets; the risk that additional manufacturing, refining and mining competitors could result in a reduction in revenue; geopolitical developments or disruptions, such as changes in the political environment, export/import or environmental policy of the People’s Republic of China, the United States or other countries in which we operate or sell products or otherwise; our designation on an export control list by China which has had and is expected to continue to have an adverse impact on our ability to source key raw materials and supplies from China; war, terrorism, natural disasters or public health emergencies; our ability to retain or recruit key personnel; environmental, health and safety regulations; the receipt of funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce is subject to the achievement of milestones which may not be achieved on the expected timeline or at all; and our ability to comply with requirements for federal, state and local government incentives and financing.

Additional risks and detailed information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially has been and will be included in our filings with the SEC, including our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release (or such other date as is specified in such statements), and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Investor Relations Contact
J.B. Lowe, CFA
USA Rare Earth, Inc.
[email protected]

Media Relations Contact
Collected Strategies
Dan Moore / Scott Bisang
[email protected]

Key Takeaways Seagate's HAMR-based products reached about 40% of its nearline exabyte shipment run rate.Mozaic 4, supporting capacities up to 44TB, is ramping with two major cloud service providers.HAMR investments aim to drive mid-20% nearline exabyte growth while keeping unit output relatively stable. Seagate Technology Holdings plc’s (STX - Free Report) technology roadmap is key to its ability to capitalize on rising storage demand. STX’s expertise in materials science, precision manufacturing, photonics and wafer production has driven HAMR and the Mozaic platform, while vertical integration in laser manufacturing further strengthens its technology edge.

Seagate’s areal-density roadmap enables it to expand exabyte output without materially increasing hard-drive unit production. This improves capital efficiency and lowers customers’ cost and power consumption per terabyte. HAMR-based products accounted for approximately 40% of Seagate’s nearline exabyte shipment run rate at the end of fiscal 2026. Mozaic 3 products are qualified and operating across all major cloud customers, while the second-generation Mozaic 4 platform, capable of supporting capacities up to 44 terabytes, is ramping with the two largest global cloud service providers.

Seagate expects 50% of HAMR exabytes to come from Mozaic 4 by the end of calendar 2026. Mozaic 5 qualification shipments remain on track for late calendar 2027. Higher-capacity products should also benefit profitability. The transition from three-terabyte-per-disk to four-terabyte-per-disk products provides additional cost efficiencies, while tight industry supply is supporting favorable pricing on incremental exabyte availability.

Seagate delivered strong double-digit year-over-year growth in both revenue and exabyte shipments in the enterprise OEM market during the June quarter. The company is expanding HAMR across its portfolio, initially targeting cloud customers and gradually broader enterprise adoption. Investments in HAMR manufacturing tools should support higher-capacity drives while keeping unit output relatively stable, enabling mid-20% nearline exabyte growth over the next few years.

How STX Stacks Up Against Market Peers in the Storage CircleWestern Digital Corporation (WDC - Free Report) is developing and deploying higher-capacity ePMR, UltraSMR and HAMR drives, along with high-bandwidth drive technology for data-intensive workloads. Its product roadmap includes ePMR drives with capacities up to 40 TB, 44-TB HAMR products planned for the first half of calendar 2027 and 50-TB products planned for the second half of calendar 2027. WDC expects the 40-TB ePMR transition, wider UltraSMR adoption and subsequent HAMR introduction to expand the number of exabytes it can deliver without adding unit capacity. Management also cited increased enterprise OEM interest in hybrid storage systems and is working with those customers on UltraSMR, next-generation ePMR and HAMR adoption.

Micron Technology (MU - Free Report) is benefiting from AI-driven demand for memory and storage, tighter DRAM and NAND supply and a richer mix of HBM, data center SSD and high-capacity products. Micron’s technology roadmap is strengthening its exposure to high-value memory solutions used in AI, machine learning and data analytics. Its 1-gamma DRAM node and G9 NAND node are ramping up well and are on track to become the highest-volume nodes in Micron’s history. Development of next-generation DRAM and NAND nodes is set to begin volume production in the second half of calendar 2027. These advances deepen Micron’s role in data center, client, mobile and automotive platforms.

STX Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesIn the past year, STX shares have skyrocketed 368.5%, outperforming the Computer Integrated Systems industry’s growth of 201.3%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 22.61 forward earnings compared with 12.11 for the industry.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

STX is currently witnessing an uptrend in estimate revisions. Earnings estimates for fiscal 2027 have been revised up 28.7% to $36.09 over the past 60 days, while estimates for fiscal 2028 have risen 17.8% to $58.28.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

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

Brain-computer interfaces have largely been associated with Elon Musk‘s Neuralink and its implantable chips. But Apple Inc‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) quiet acquisition of startup Sonera suggests the iPhone maker is pursuing a similar long-term ambition through a very different route: bringing brain and muscle sensing to consumer wearables rather than the operating room.

Apple’s Brain Tech BetApple acquired California-based startup Sonera in May, according to newly disclosed European Union filings. The startup developed compact magnetic sensors capable of detecting tiny magnetic fields generated by the brain and muscles without requiring skin contact or implanted devices.

Founded by UC Berkeley researchers Nishita Deka and Dominic Labanowski, Sonera initially focused on muscle monitoring before expanding into technology that could eventually enable everyday brain sensing. The company’s website has since gone offline following the acquisition.

Apple has not publicly disclosed how it plans to use the technology, but the acquisition aligns with the company’s broader push into digital health, accessibility and more natural ways for users to interact with its devices.

Read Next

Neuralink’s Different PathThe comparison with Neuralink is inevitable, but the two companies appear to be solving different parts of the same problem.

Neuralink is developing implantable brain-computer interfaces designed to capture high-fidelity neural signals, with an initial focus on helping people with severe neurological conditions regain communication and physical control.

Apple’s approach, by contrast, appears to prioritize accessibility and scale. If non-invasive sensors become sufficiently accurate, they could eventually be integrated into products such as the Apple Watch, Vision Pro or other wearable devices, enabling new forms of gesture recognition, health monitoring or hands-free interaction without surgery.

That distinction reflects a broader trade-off in brain-computer interfaces: implanted devices can capture richer neural data, while wearable sensors have the potential to reach hundreds of millions of consumers if the technology matures.

What Investors Should WatchApple’s acquisition of Sonera does not mean brain-controlled consumer devices are around the corner. Non-invasive sensing remains an emerging technology, and the company has yet to reveal any commercial roadmap.

The bigger takeaway is strategic. Apple has consistently expanded its ecosystem by bringing advanced health technologies—from heart rhythm monitoring to hearing health—into everyday consumer devices.

If brain and muscle sensing follows a similar path, the acquisition could represent an early investment in what may become the next generation of human-device interaction, even if Apple’s route looks very different from Musk’s Neuralink.

Read Next

Photo by Andrey Bayda via Shutterstock

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

As Apple prepares to unveil its most ambitious iPhone in years, veteran tech analyst Paul Meeks is raising a quiet alarm about a supplier oligopoly that could turn a blockbuster launch into a margin nightmare.

Just before Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL | AAPL Price Prediction) takes the stage for what Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman calls “the most exciting iPhone launch in a decade”, others are less convinced. Veteran tech analyst Paul Meeks of Freedom Capital Markets used a CNBC appearance to push back on the celebration. His message: the memory oligopoly is quietly winning this cycle, and Apple’s gross margins will pay for it.

Meeks warned viewers not to get swept up in the hype around the debut of the first foldable iPhone, codenamed V68, expected to start near $2,000 and unveiled by incoming CEO John Ternus. “I’m afraid…that you might be overselling it,” he said, flagging Apple’s lagging AI position as a structural concern.

Meeks’s Memory Warning, In His Own Words Meeks identified the mechanism squeezing Apple: an entrenched supplier oligopoly. He called out the “big three oligopolies in memory,” Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung, controling roughly 90% of market share, adding:

“A company with the heft of an Apple has to pay more. Cost of goods sold goes up, gross margins go down. And it’s a real problem.”

Former CEO Tim Cook confirmed the pressure on Apple’s Q3 FY26 call. He described the environment as “a 100-year flood on the memory pricing with exponential increases in memory prices” and said Apple “reluctantly raised prices.” CFO Kevan Parekh added that “more than 100% of that can be explained by the memory cost change” when explaining sequential margin compression.

Fundamentals Still Look Strong The warning lands against a genuinely powerful backdrop. Apple posted June-quarter revenue of $109.42 billion, up 16.4% YoY, with EPS of $2.02 beating consensus by 6.80%, the ninth straight upside surprise. iPhone revenue reached $54.25 billion and Services hit $30.74 billion. The stock trades at $315.49, up 34.62% over one year, with a market cap of $4.61 trillion and a trailing P/E near 37.

But Cook flagged that “for September, we expect to pay even higher memory costs.” He further warned supply constraints will affect iPhone, Mac, and iPad. September-quarter gross margin guidance sits at between 47% and 48%, with roughly a point of that from tariff refunds.

Where the Money Went Meeks’s data point is Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), the U.S. memory maker riding the same wave that is pinching Apple. Micron shares trade at $1,0001, up 640.4% over one year and 250.8% year to date. Fiscal Q3 revenue reached $41.46 billion, up 345.7% YoY, with gross margin of 84.6%. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said record results “reflect the strategic value of memory in the AI era.”

Meeks expects the squeeze to persist, forecasting no relief in memory pricing for years. He points capital toward AI data-center names including CoreWeave, Applied Digital, and NVIDIA (we profiled seven suppliers powering that same buildout, from power to cooling, in a free AI infrastructure report). Investors watching today’s launch should keep an eye on the stock, but also on Apple’s next margin commentary.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Uber has invested $10 million in Indian fleet management startup Carrum Mobility in a Series B round as the ride-hailing giant increases its reliance on large fleet operators to supply vehicles and drivers in the South Asian nation.

The new investment values Carrum at ₹16 billion (about $168 million) post-money, founder and CEO Karan Jain told TechCrunch, up from a post-money valuation of ₹6 billion (around $63 million) after Uber invested $7 million in the firm in January. Jain said Uber now owns a stake in the “mid-teens” in Carrum.

A former McKinsey consultant who previously founded car-rental startup Revv, Jain started Carrum in 2024 after Indian automotive marketplace CarDekho acquired his earlier company in 2023. CarDekho was also Carrum’s first investor and remains a backer.

Carrum now owns about 5,100 vehicles across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata, and has onboarded more than 18,000 drivers. The startup is currently generating annualized revenue of about ₹4.3 billion (around $45 million), Jain said.

The startup supplies vehicles to Uber in India for its entry-level Uber Go, Premier, and the premium Black tiers. About 70% of its fleet are hatchbacks used for Uber Go, around 10% are sedans for the Premier tier, and about 20% are SUVs, largely deployed on Uber Black. Carrum is Uber’s largest fleet partner for Black in India, Jain added.

Unlike individual drivers who typically own or finance their vehicles, operators such as Carrum can put thousands of cars on Uber while recruiting and training drivers.

The business model may be growing important for premium offerings. Jain said Uber Black in India operates exclusively through fleet partners, as the service requires tighter control over vehicles, drivers, and service standards. He also said Uber’s preference for fleet operators has become part of its supply strategy in other markets.

Uber’s relationship with Carrum goes beyond a typical commercial arrangement, Jain said. The two companies are working on new product launches and planning how much vehicle supply to add to the ride-hail giant’s platform.

Carrum is not exclusive to Uber, but Jain said his startup currently has no intention of supplying vehicles to rival ride-hailing platforms.

The startup generated revenue of about ₹2.33 billion (around $24.5 million) in the year ended March 2026, up from around ₹620 million (about $6.5 million) a year ago, and net profit rose to about ₹70 million (around $736,000) from ₹35 million (about $368,000), Jain said.

Carrum typically finances its vehicles with debt while funding about 10% to 15% of their purchase price upfront, Jain said. The firm’s borrowing costs, he stated, have fallen about 40% over the past year, which he attributed to its stronger balance sheet, profitability and Uber’s backing.

Over the next 12 months, Carrum plans to more than double its fleet to about 11,000 vehicles, Jain said. The startup also plans to use the new capital to expand into more cities, strengthen its technology platform, and hire as it scales.

Ultimately, Carrum’s ambitions extend beyond India, Jain said, noting that the startup wants to eventually become a global fleet partner for Uber. He declined to say whether the two companies have specifically discussed expanding their partnership outside India.

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

Jagmeet covers startups, tech policy-related updates, and all other major tech-centric developments from India for TechCrunch. He previously worked as a principal correspondent at NDTV.

You can contact or verify outreach from Jagmeet by emailing [email protected].

Bellars Harris Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,495 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,600,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MilWealth Group LLC boosted its position in Amazon.com by 79.0% during the 4th quarter. MilWealth Group LLC now owns 179 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in Amazon.com during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position in Amazon.com by 900.0% during the fourth quarter. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership now owns 200 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Fairway Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 95.6% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 221 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. now owns 229 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AMZN shares. Pivotal Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $333.00 price objective (up from $320.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective (up from $335.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Telsey Advisory Group set a $335.00 price objective on Amazon.com and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifty-six have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.26.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on AMZN Amazon.com Stock Down 0.6% AMZN stock opened at $256.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.00 and a 1-year high of $287.20. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $254.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.41.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The e-commerce giant reported $5.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $3.93. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 17.44%.The company had revenue of $200.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $197.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.68 earnings per share. Amazon.com’s revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Amazon.com In related news, CFO Brian Olsavsky sold 6,172 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.31, for a total value of $1,606,633.32. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 109,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,427,674.17. This trade represents a 5.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Douglas Herrington sold 6,362 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.01, for a total transaction of $1,647,821.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 476,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $123,465,145.81. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 71,589 shares of company stock valued at $18,568,785 over the last quarter. 8.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Amazon.com News Here are the key news stories impacting Amazon.com this week:

Positive Sentiment: AWS expands its custom-chip strategy. Amazon and Qualcomm announced a multi-generation collaboration to develop customized AI data-center silicon, initially focused on AWS inference, along with optical-connectivity solutions of up to 1.6T. The agreement diversifies Amazon’s supply chain beyond Nvidia, Broadcom and its internally developed Trainium chips, while supporting AWS’s long-term AI infrastructure buildout. Qualcomm Announces Multi-Generational Product Collaboration with Amazon Positive Sentiment: Profitability remains a key investment argument. Commentary highlighted AWS’s roughly 39% operating margin and recent acceleration in cloud growth as reasons investors may view Amazon’s valuation as attractive, particularly with the stock trading near its 50-day moving average and below its recent high. Amazon’s AWS Operating Margin Neutral Sentiment: Amazon is preparing a sterling bond offering. The company has hired banks for its first sterling-denominated bond sale, apparently seeking additional funding sources for major AI and infrastructure investments. The move may improve financing flexibility, but it also underscores the scale of Amazon’s capital requirements. Amazon Hires Banks for First Sterling Bond Sale Negative Sentiment: Fatal Prime Air crash increases operational and reputational risk. Federal investigators are examining why a contractor-operated Boeing 767 cargo jet overshot the Miami runway by about 1,300 feet, killing five people. The investigation could bring additional scrutiny to Amazon Air’s contractor oversight, logistics practices and potential liability. Investigators Probe Amazon Cargo Plane Crash Negative Sentiment: Employment lawsuit adds legal and regulatory uncertainty. Four former warehouse workers allege Amazon discriminated against pregnant employees by penalizing medically necessary breaks and absences. The class-action complaint could create litigation costs and renewed scrutiny of warehouse labor policies. Amazon Sued for Allegedly Discriminating Against Pregnant Workers Amazon.com Company Profile (Free Report)

Amazon.com, Inc is a global technology and e-commerce company that operates online marketplaces and provides a broad range of consumer products and services. Its retail business sells merchandise directly to customers and enables third-party sellers to offer products through Amazon’s websites and applications. The company also operates physical stores and provides services such as digital content, subscriptions, and consumer devices, including Kindle and Echo products.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides cloud computing, storage, database, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other technology services to businesses, governments, and organizations.

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Everett Harris & Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,021,200 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock, valued at approximately $243,393,000. Amazon.com comprises approximately 3.0% of Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Amazon.com by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 832,274,556 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $158,348,557,000 after purchasing an additional 8,913,959 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Amazon.com by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 388,653,121 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $89,708,913,000 after buying an additional 6,971,680 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Amazon.com by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 225,120,994 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $51,753,622,000 after acquiring an additional 2,479,324 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Amazon.com in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,868,735,000. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in Amazon.com by 27,376.7% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 98,448,885 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $2,272,397,000 after acquiring an additional 98,090,585 shares during the last quarter. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages have recently commented on AMZN. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price target (up from $340.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $330.00) on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Rosenblatt Securities assumed coverage on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $335.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Amazon.com in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Amazon.com from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifty-six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.26.

Read Our Latest Analysis on AMZN Amazon.com Stock Down 0.6% Amazon.com stock opened at $256.97 on Wednesday. Amazon.com, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.00 and a twelve month high of $287.20. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The e-commerce giant reported $5.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $3.93. The firm had revenue of $200.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $197.03 billion. Amazon.com had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 17.44%.Amazon.com’s revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 8.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Amazon.com News Roundup Here are the key news stories impacting Amazon.com this week:

Positive Sentiment: AWS expands its custom-chip strategy. Amazon and Qualcomm announced a multi-generation collaboration to develop customized AI data-center silicon, initially focused on AWS inference, along with optical-connectivity solutions of up to 1.6T. The agreement diversifies Amazon’s supply chain beyond Nvidia, Broadcom and its internally developed Trainium chips, while supporting AWS’s long-term AI infrastructure buildout. Qualcomm Announces Multi-Generational Product Collaboration with Amazon Positive Sentiment: Profitability remains a key investment argument. Commentary highlighted AWS’s roughly 39% operating margin and recent acceleration in cloud growth as reasons investors may view Amazon’s valuation as attractive, particularly with the stock trading near its 50-day moving average and below its recent high. Amazon’s AWS Operating Margin Neutral Sentiment: Amazon is preparing a sterling bond offering. The company has hired banks for its first sterling-denominated bond sale, apparently seeking additional funding sources for major AI and infrastructure investments. The move may improve financing flexibility, but it also underscores the scale of Amazon’s capital requirements. Amazon Hires Banks for First Sterling Bond Sale Negative Sentiment: Fatal Prime Air crash increases operational and reputational risk. Federal investigators are examining why a contractor-operated Boeing 767 cargo jet overshot the Miami runway by about 1,300 feet, killing five people. The investigation could bring additional scrutiny to Amazon Air’s contractor oversight, logistics practices and potential liability. Investigators Probe Amazon Cargo Plane Crash Negative Sentiment: Employment lawsuit adds legal and regulatory uncertainty. Four former warehouse workers allege Amazon discriminated against pregnant employees by penalizing medically necessary breaks and absences. The class-action complaint could create litigation costs and renewed scrutiny of warehouse labor policies. Amazon Sued for Allegedly Discriminating Against Pregnant Workers Insider Activity In other Amazon.com news, CEO Matthew Garman sold 14,541 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.06, for a total value of $3,766,991.46. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,609,713.64. This represents a 44.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Andrew R. Jassy sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.01, for a total transaction of $5,180,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,235,766 shares in the company, valued at $579,085,751.66. The trade was a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,589 shares of company stock valued at $18,568,785. 8.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Amazon.com Profile (Free Report)

Amazon.com, Inc is a global technology and e-commerce company that operates online marketplaces and provides a broad range of consumer products and services. Its retail business sells merchandise directly to customers and enables third-party sellers to offer products through Amazon’s websites and applications. The company also operates physical stores and provides services such as digital content, subscriptions, and consumer devices, including Kindle and Echo products.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides cloud computing, storage, database, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other technology services to businesses, governments, and organizations.

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3 Stocks to Buy and Hold for Higher Interest RatesExxonMobil NYSE: XOM Chief Financial Officer Neil Hansen said the company is relying on technology, project execution and operational performance to support long-term shareholder returns as energy markets navigate supply disruptions and higher refining margins.

Speaking at the Barclays Energy-Power Conference, Hansen said the company’s strategy is designed to operate across commodity-price cycles and changing energy systems. He cited ExxonMobil’s ability to execute major projects at lower cost and faster speed than competitors, as well as its efforts to centralize operating organizations across the enterprise.

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Striking Oil: How the U.S. Play for Venezuela Fuels Supermajors“We want to be defined by what we do well, not necessarily by the products that we produce,” Hansen said.

Supply disruption shifts pressure toward refining Addressing the Middle East supply disruption and conditions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Hansen said the situation underscored the importance of affordable and reliable energy. He said market mechanisms have largely responded as expected, including releases from commercial and strategic inventories, higher supply from countries including the United States and Brazil, and demand destruction in chemicals and refining.

The 2026 Blueprint: 6 Stocks for a Brand New PortfolioFor the most part, oil prices have settled into a relatively range-bound environment, he said. However, ExxonMobil sees refining as the current pinch point in the energy system.

Hansen attributed higher refining margins partly to products not leaving the Middle East and reduced availability of crude needed by Asian refineries. He also cited developments involving Ukraine and Russia, as well as lower Chinese product exports.

He said ExxonMobil’s integrated model helps the company capture value as it moves among stages of the value chain. The company has organized itself around value chains spanning feedstocks, manufacturing, logistics and end consumers, while centralizing functions including supply chain, trading, technology, operations and project execution.

Hansen pointed to the company’s ability to qualify alternative crude supplies for Asian refining and chemical facilities during disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz as an example of how those capabilities can support operations.

Permian synergies exceed initial expectations Hansen said ExxonMobil’s acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources has performed better than anticipated. The company initially expected to generate about $2 billion annually in synergies from the transaction, but has doubled that amount, according to Hansen.

He described the integration as a “best of both” approach, combining ExxonMobil’s technology and operating capabilities with practices it adopted from Pioneer. The company remains focused on raising recovery rates in the Permian Basin, where Hansen said only a relatively small portion of the resource in the ground is currently recovered.

ExxonMobil is advancing 40 complementary technologies intended to improve primary and secondary recovery and enhance capital efficiency, he said. Some of the technologies could produce equivalent volumes with fewer wells. Hansen reiterated the company’s objective of doubling recovery in the Permian and said its outlook for the asset remains optimistic.

On future acquisitions, Hansen said ExxonMobil can remain selective. The company will seek transactions where it can apply its capabilities to create substantially more value than the current owner, rather than pursuing deals simply to add volumes or assets.

LNG growth and Guyana cash flow Hansen said ExxonMobil continues to view the long-term fundamentals for liquefied natural gas as sound. While the company had expected near-term market length entering the year, he said Middle East developments have pushed that expectation out.

The company’s priority in LNG is to bring on advantaged, low-cost supply that can generate high returns, rather than to pursue geographic diversification for its own sake, he said. ExxonMobil’s portfolio includes operations and projects in the Middle East, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique and the U.S. Gulf Coast through Golden Pass.

Hansen also said ExxonMobil recently announced plans with Total in Papua New Guinea under which ExxonMobil will take operatorship and increase its equity interest.

In Guyana, Hansen said the company reached the “desaturation” of its cost bank faster than expected—about two years earlier, even after accounting for oil-price effects. He said the milestone reflects project execution and the performance of existing floating production, storage and offloading vessels.

ExxonMobil has recovered approximately $55 billion of costs in Guyana, Hansen said. While the development is expected to result in slightly lower entitled volumes—estimated at about 100,000 barrels per day beginning in the third quarter—he said it is expected to double free cash flow between 2025 and 2030.

The company’s fifth Guyana FPSO is already in the water, and ExxonMobil is working to advance a ninth vessel, he said. Hansen added that quicker cost recovery will increase receipts for the Guyanese government.

Focus extends beyond 2030 Hansen said ExxonMobil has growing confidence in its plan to add $25 billion in earnings and $35 billion in cash flow through 2030, with earnings growth moving closer to $30 billion. He said the company is also pursuing opportunities beyond that period, including LNG projects, frontier exploration, undeveloped discovered resources, Proxxima resins and graphite for batteries.

In Proxxima, Hansen said the company has demonstrated value in uses such as lighter rebar and coatings requiring fewer applications. ExxonMobil has made a final investment decision on a blend plant intended to produce up to 120,000 KTA of resins, he said. In graphite, the company is working with original equipment manufacturers to demonstrate faster battery charging, more capacity and longer duration.

Hansen said future structural savings are expected to come increasingly from ExxonMobil’s centralized organizational model and a new enterprise-wide system, rather than primarily from divestments.

About ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM)Exxon Mobil Corporation, doing business as ExxonMobil, is an integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. Its upstream operations support oil and natural gas production in multiple regions worldwide, while its downstream businesses refine crude oil into fuels and other petroleum products for commercial, industrial and consumer markets.

Through its product solutions businesses, ExxonMobil manufactures and markets lubricants, specialty fluids, petroleum-derived products and chemical products, including commodity and performance chemicals used in packaging, automotive components, construction materials and other industrial applications.

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Pepsi's stock has barely moved in five years while Coca-Cola surged over 80%, yet Jim Cramer says that very underperformance makes one of them the smarter buy right now.

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PepsiCo kicked off its 26th NFL season campaign, “Tailgating Deserves Pepsi,” featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis as the “Pepsi gameday ref” alongside Justin Jefferson, complete with a free Pepsi Zero Sugar 12-pack offer running September 9 through September 14, or until 5,000 redemptions are reached. The gameday marketing machine is humming. The stock, less so.

Cramer’s Accidentally High Yield Thesis PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP | PEP Price Prediction) trades at $138.44, down 0.6% year to date and up just 4.51% over five years. Over that same five-year stretch, Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) is up 83.42%, with a 28.09% year-to-date gain and a 34.77% one-year advance to $88.40.

Jim Cramer’s pitch for Pepsi rests on the very math that underperformance creates. On a July episode of Mad Money, he noted that “PepsiCo dropped nearly a buck sinking to a level where it sports a dividend yield north of 4%.” He has since framed the setup around a lower valuation, cheaper oil, and that accidental income. When Cramer earlier compared the two names, he reminded viewers that “the share price tells you nothing about a stock’s valuation vis a vis another stock. To make any kind of apples to apples comparison, you take a step back.”

Dividend Machine Keeps Grinding Pepsi raised its quarterly payout to $1.48 per share, up from $1.4225, with the latest ex-dividend date September 4 and payment date September 30. That marks the 54th consecutive annual increase, backed by a $10 billion buyback authorization through February 28, 2030. The yield sits at 4.04%, versus 2.32% at Coca-Cola.

Two Different Growth Stories Pepsi’s Q2 2026 revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $24.181B, with core EPS of $2.20. CEO Ramon Laguarta told analysts that “a category that was negative in volume now is positive in volume. We were losing share in volume. Now we’re gaining share in volume.” Still, the company signaled results could land at the low end of its EPS range, hampered by softer U.S. impulse channels.

Coca-Cola, by contrast, is compounding. Q2 delivered adjusted EPS of $0.97 and revenue of $13.380B, up 6.74% YoY, with 5% unit case volume growth and raised full-year guidance calling for comparable EPS growth of 9 to 10%. CEO Henrique Braun said, “We delivered a strong quarter with broad-based momentum across our business.”

Scoreboard Investors Actually Watch Pepsi trades at a P/E of 23 against Coke at 29, and Cramer’s view is that the discount plus the 4% yield offers protection. But the yield is elevated because the shares have stalled.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Schedules December Investor Days to Highlight GPC and Motion Growth and Value Creation Initiatives

Separation Remains on Track for Completion in First Quarter 2027

, /PRNewswire/ -- Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC), a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, today announced future leadership teams and Board leadership for its Automotive and Industrial businesses as it advances its planned separation into two independent, publicly traded companies.

Upon completion of the separation, the company's Automotive business will operate as Genuine Parts Company ("GPC"), and its Industrial business will operate as Motion.

Court Carruthers, a current GPC Board member, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer-elect of GPC, effective immediately, and will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer upon completion of the separation, which is targeted for the first quarter of 2027. Jean-Jacques Lafont, a current GPC Board member and Co-founder of GPC's European operations, has been appointed Non-Executive Chairman of GPC upon completion of the separation, bringing deep automotive aftermarket and independent-owner experience, global business expertise and a proven track record of organic and inorganic growth. Will Stengel, current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GPC, will join Motion as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer upon completion of the separation. "The Board undertook a thoughtful and deliberate process to identify the right leaders for GPC and Motion's next chapters," said Russ Hardin, Lead Director of Genuine Parts Company. "We have great confidence in Will Stengel and Court Carruthers and believe their leadership and relevant expertise, supported by strong management teams and Board leadership, positions both companies to pursue their distinct strategies, accelerate growth and create long-term shareholder value."

Court Carruthers Appointed Chief Executive Officer-elect of Genuine Parts Company 
Carruthers is a current member of the GPC Board of Directors and brings extensive operating and executive leadership experience in business-to-business distribution.

Most recently, Carruthers served as Chief Executive Officer of TricorBraun, a global packaging distribution leader with 110 locations across North America, Europe and Australasia. During his tenure, revenue and EBITDA tripled while the company significantly expanded its global footprint. Previously, he spent 13 years at W.W. Grainger in various global leadership roles, most recently as Group President, Americas, where he led a $9 billion distribution business across North and South America. Over his career, Carruthers has completed more than 100 acquisitions and brings deep experience in commercial growth, supply chain optimization, digital transformation and international expansion.

Carruthers also brings earlier experience in the automotive aftermarket and independent-owner model through Grainger's former automotive joint venture in Canada. He has significant M&A, capital markets and public company governance expertise, including board service with US Foods, Ryerson Holding Corp., Foundation Building Materials and Dollarama. Carruthers holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Pepperdine University and is a CPA (Canada).

GPC Leadership Team and Board of Directors
The company also announced that Bert Nappier, currently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Operating Officer of GPC, effective immediately.

The GPC leadership team, upon the separation, will include the following individuals:

Court Carruthers, Chief Executive Officer-elect Bert Nappier, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jenn Hulett, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Chris Galla, Senior Vice President and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Alain Masse, President, North America Automotive Franck Baduel, CEO European Automotive Rob Cameron, Managing Director and Group CEO, Australasia Upon the separation, the GPC Board leadership will include:

Jean-Jacques Lafont, Co-founder of GPC's European business, as Non-Executive Chairman Court Carruthers, Chief Executive Officer Will Stengel Appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Motion
Stengel currently serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genuine Parts Company and will join Motion as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer as it establishes itself as a standalone public company. He has served as a member of the GPC Board of Directors and as the company's Chief Executive Officer since June 2024.

Stengel joined GPC in 2019 as Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer, bringing nearly two decades of leadership and business-to-business distribution experience. He previously served as President of GPC from 2021 to 2023 and as President and Chief Operating Officer beginning in 2023. Prior to joining GPC, Stengel held numerous executive leadership roles at HD Supply, a diversified industrial distributor, including during its transition from a private to public company. Stengel also held strategy and M&A roles at The Home Depot and in investment banking.

James Howe Appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Motion
Howe will continue to lead Motion's day-to-day operations and strategy in an elevated role as President and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Prior to being named President of Motion in 2024, Howe served as Motion's Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Technology Officer. He has more than 30 years of experience at Motion, having held numerous field leadership roles before moving to the corporate office in 2019.

Howard Yu Appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Motion
Yu will join Motion as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, bringing extensive finance, capital markets and public company experience as Motion prepares to launch as an independent public company.

Yu most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ball Corporation. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Envista Holdings, a publicly traded global company and spin-off from Danaher Corporation, and helped lead its separation and initial public offering in 2019. Over his 22-year career with Danaher and Envista, Yu served as Chief Financial Officer for multiple global divisions across Asia, Europe and Latin America and led successful M&A, allocated capital and built operational finance processes to enable shareholder value creation.

Yu began his career as a Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche and later held finance leadership roles at Hewlett-Packard, Conexant and Beckman Coulter.

Motion Leadership Team and Board of Directors
Kevin Stone, currently Senior Vice President, IT and Procurement, will serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, and Billy Hamilton, currently Senior Vice President, People, will serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of Motion, effective immediately.

The Motion leadership team will include the following individuals:

Will Stengel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer James Howe, President and Chief Operating Officer Howard Yu, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Stone, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Billy Hamilton, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer The GPC Board is in active discussions with Motion director candidates that will bring relevant and complementary experience and will be announced at the appropriate time, effective upon the separation.

Investor Days
GPC and Motion will host separate investor days in New York City, with GPC's Investor Day scheduled for December 8, 2026, and Motion's Investor Day scheduled for December 9, 2026.

Members of each company's leadership team will provide details on their respective businesses and outline their go-forward strategies for growth, focused investment and long-term value creation initiatives. Additional information, including webcast and registration details, will be provided in the coming weeks.

Advancing Toward Separation
As previously announced, the separation is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary conditions, including final approval by GPC's Board of Directors and the effectiveness of a Form 10 registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Genuine Parts Company
Established in 1928, Genuine Parts Company is a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions. Our Automotive Parts Group operates across North America, Europe and Australasia, while our Industrial Parts Group serves customers across North America and Australasia. We keep the world moving with a vast network of over 10,800 locations spanning 17 countries supported by more than 65,000 teammates. Learn more at genpt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "would," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "target," "project," "continue," "positioned," "forecast," "outlook," and other similar expressions. While the Company believes expectations for the future are reasonable in view of currently available information, these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include factors such as (a) uncertainties as to the timing of the separation and whether it will be completed; (b) the possibility that various closing conditions for the separation may not be satisfied; (c) failure of the separation to qualify for the expected tax treatment; (d) the risk that GPC and Motion will not be separated successfully or such separation may be more difficult, time-consuming and/or costly than expected; (e) the possibility that the strategic, operational and financial opportunities from the separation may not be achieved; and (f) the other risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under "Risk Factors" discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and from time to time in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release that are "forward-looking" include, without limitation, statements regarding the planned separation of GPC's Global Automotive and Global Industrial businesses, including the expected timing and anticipated benefits of the separation, the planned leadership teams, management appointments and boards of directors of GPC and Motion following the separation, the expected appointment of additional directors to the boards of GPC and Motion, the planned investor days for GPC and Motion and the go-forward strategies and future performance of GPC and Motion if the separation is completed. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures on related subjects in the Company's subsequent Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Genuine Parts Company

GameStop’s $2 Billion Buyback Sends a Confusing Signal to InvestorseBay NASDAQ: EBAY outlined its strategy for expanding growth in collectibles, consumer-to-consumer selling, recommerce, live commerce and vehicles during a conference fireside chat featuring Chief Executive Officer Jamie Iannone and Chief Financial Officer Peggy Alford.

Iannone said the company has sharpened its focus around categories and marketplace activities where it sees the strongest momentum. He said approximately 70% of eBay’s business is tied to focus categories, consumer-to-consumer, or C2C, activity, and recommerce. Collectively, those areas grew 20% in the second quarter, according to Iannone.

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Recession Indicator: eBay's Stock Is Up More Than 50% Over the Past YearThe CEO also pointed to investments in artificial intelligence, trust tools and shipping capabilities as foundational components of the company’s strategy. He said newer businesses including eBay Live and vehicles are adding growth opportunities, with the vehicles business reaching “hundreds of millions of dollars of run rate.”

Consumer trends and marketplace differentiation Alford said the company continues to see greater consumer resilience in the United States than in international markets. However, she said eBay’s platform can appeal both to enthusiasts making discretionary purchases and to value-oriented shoppers seeking deals through recommerce.

GameStop's eBay Gamble: Bold Move or Balance Sheet Disaster?“We tend to thrive in environments when the economy's doing really well, as well as in times when it's tougher,” Alford said, citing the diversity of the company’s marketplace.

Iannone said eBay’s competitive position is supported by its scale, including 2.6 billion listings, 136 million buyers and 30 years of marketplace data. He said 90% of the company’s listings are “non-new in-season” goods, creating inventory that may not be readily available elsewhere online.

He also highlighted the company’s authentication, vehicle fitment and transaction-support services. These include Authenticity Guarantee in categories such as watches, sneakers and handbags, eBay Guaranteed Fit for motors parts and accessories, and vehicle-related services such as financing, delivery and title transfer.

Collectibles, live commerce and C2C growth Alford said growth in eBay’s focus categories has been broad-based, with particular strength in collectibles. Trading cards have performed especially well, she said, alongside toys and coins. eBay has developed trust and friction-reduction tools for trading cards, acquired TCGplayer and partnered with PSA, according to Alford.

eBay Live, the company’s live-selling format, grew eightfold year over year in the second quarter, Iannone said. He described the format as combining content, commerce, community and entertainment.

According to Iannone, 90% of sellers that begin using eBay Live remain active on the format, and those sellers have growth rates three times higher than comparable sellers not using it. Buyers in collectibles who begin watching eBay Live purchase 70% more than comparable buyers, he said, with a significant share of that activity occurring in eBay’s core marketplace.

The company has also emphasized converting buyers into sellers. Iannone said buyers who become sellers are two to 2.5 times more valuable as buyers on the platform. These C2C sellers can also bring unique goods to the marketplace that may not be offered by traditional businesses.

Iannone said eBay’s AI-powered Magical Listing feature has simplified the selling process. In the U.S., the company has seen 50% more listings per lister using the technology, he said. The company has also expanded shipping tools, including eBay International Shipping, to help sellers access demand outside their home markets.

AI, younger shoppers and advertising Iannone characterized AI as a structural tailwind for the company. Beyond listing tools, he cited natural-language search, card-scanning technology and marketing applications. The company’s card-scanning tool has generated more than 80 million scans, with roughly 500,000 scans per day, he said.

He also said eBay is seeing new buyers through agentic commerce experiences, and that about half of those buyers later return directly to eBay for another purchase. Trust and enablement features become increasingly important in an AI-driven commerce environment, he added.

The company also discussed its acquisition of Depop, which Iannone said strengthens eBay’s reach with Gen Z and millennial consumers. He called those groups eBay’s fastest-growing demographic and said Depop’s mobile, social-focused marketplace is aligned with younger shoppers’ interest in pre-owned goods and sustainability.

On advertising, Alford said eBay had reached 2.8% penetration toward a near-term target of 3%. She said the company does not view that target as a ceiling and sees further opportunity through greater seller adoption of Promoted Listings, new offsite advertising offerings and Promoted Stores.

Capital allocation and priorities Alford said eBay plans to maintain a balanced capital-allocation approach, investing in growth areas while returning capital to shareholders. The company’s framework calls for returning 90% to 100% of organic free cash flow through dividends and share repurchases, she said.

Looking ahead, Iannone said the company is focused on sustaining growth in focus categories, scaling newer businesses such as vehicles and eBay Live, expanding AI applications, and continuing to invest in trust, authentication and shipping capabilities.

About eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY)eBay Inc NASDAQ: EBAY operates a global commerce platform that connects millions of buyers and sellers. Its marketplace enables individuals, businesses and brands to buy and sell new, used and collectible merchandise across categories including electronics, fashion, automotive parts and accessories, home goods, collectibles and business equipment.

The company provides tools and services that support online commerce, including product listings, search and discovery features, payments, seller advertising, shipping solutions and authentication services for selected categories.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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Medtronic (MDT +0.83%) has raised its dividend payouts annually for 49 consecutive years. In other words, the medical device company is just one more year and one more hike away from becoming one of just a few dozen Dividend Kings -- publicly traded companies with at least 50 consecutive years of dividend growth.

However, this status alone may not necessarily indicate that it's a strong buy for income investors. Let's take a look at other factors to assess whether this dividend growth stock can produce the type of steady, solid total returns associated with such kingly status.

Image source: Getty Images

Dividend Kings status is well within reach for Medtronic If Medtronic raises its dividend again in June 2027, the company will officially attain Dividend King status. Based on the details, hitting this appears well within reach, if not a near certainty. For one, based on estimated earnings for the current fiscal year, Medtronic has a payout ratio of just 45%.

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True, in March, Medtronic spun off its diabetes products business as a new public company, MiniMed Group (MMED -2.08%). For now, Medtronic holds around a 90% stake in MiniMed, but Medtronic CEO Geoff Martha says the company plans to eventually reduce that position to zero. However, don't assume this will severely affect Medtronic's dividend growth bandwidth once it happens.

It's still unclear whether Medtronic plans to complete the sale of that stock by the end of 2026, as it continues to include MiniMed's results in its full-year forecasts. Also note that MiniMed reported negative cash flow during the fiscal year that ended in April 2026. If Medtronic completes its divestiture of MiniMed while it remains unprofitable, it could increase Medtronic's overall cash flow, enabling a further dividend increase.

Not only that, on top of recent improving growth, forecasts call for a further growth resurgence. Finally, given that Medtronic has slowed the pace of its dividend growth in recent years, with the latest increase just 1.4%, it could easily implement another modest dividend increase next June without overextending itself, thereby clinching Dividend King status.

While Medtronic doesn't face any significant hurdles to becoming a Dividend King, it's unclear whether it is a strong choice for investors seeking portfolio income over price appreciation. If the company's anticipated growth resurgence pans out, it may lead to faster dividend growth in the coming years.

However, in the meantime, Medtronic may have to maintain its policy of low dividend growth to fund its main growth drivers, such as robotic surgery and cardiac products. Medtronic has also been making acquisitions, particularly of cardiac products companies, to boost growth. This, too, could limit how much Medtronic can devote to growing its quarterly cash payouts.

That said, for investors seeking both portfolio income and capital growth, it could be a solid opportunity in the coming years. For now, investors can collect a payout that yields about 3.1% at the current share price. In the years ahead, if earnings growth accelerates, shares could surge in line with earnings.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the market rerating the stock higher, but keep in mind that with Medtronic trading at around 15.5 times estimated earnings for the fiscal year ending April 2027, in line with other medical device stocks such as Boston Scientific and GE Healthcare, I wouldn't assume too much potential for multiple expansion.

Signet Jewelers just posted its sixth straight earnings beat and sent its stock soaring, but the company held its full-year sales guidance flat, leaving investors to decide whether the profit story alone justifies chasing a stock already up big on…

Shares of Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG | SIG Price Prediction) are surging Wednesday morning after the specialty jewelry retailer raised its full-year profit outlook and posted a sixth consecutive earnings beat, even as it held top-line guidance steady. The market is paying up for Signet’s margin and earnings power today.

Signet Jewelers stock is up 14% to $94.50 in early Wednesday trading, on pace for its best single session in more than a year and a clear sign that investors are rewarding profit leverage over sales momentum. Meanwhile, Tapestry (NYSE:TPR) stock is unchanged at $117.58, a useful counterpoint that frames today’s action as company-specific.

The SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA:XRT) is down 0.4% to $85.38, weighed by weakness across a broadly equal-weighted retail basket that Signet’s outsized single-name move can’t rescue. At the same time, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA:XLY) is down 0.75% to $113.16, providing another cue that sector flows aren’t powering today’s action in Signet Jewelers stock.

Earnings Beat and Raised Profit Outlook Signet Jewelers reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.19, well above the $1.74 consensus. Revenue of $1.53 billion arrived in line with estimates, and Signet Jewelers said same-store sales grew 2.2% with positive comparable performance across every fine jewelry brand, including Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared and Blue Nile.

Notably, Signet Jewelers raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $10.45 to $12.15, up from a prior band of $9.20 to $11, and lifted adjusted operating income guidance to $535 million to $605 million. The company maintained full-year sales guidance at $6.7 billion to $6.9 billion, while narrowing the same-store sales outlook to flat to up 2.5% year over year (YoY).

Signet’s gross margin expanded 80 basis points to 39.4%, helped by $15 million in tariff refunds that ran $13 million above internal expectations. Signet Jewelers also announced a $125 million accelerated share repurchase and expanded its total buyback authorization by $385 million to $700 million, per its 8-K filing.

A Company-Specific Setup Tapestry, the parent of Coach and Kate Spade, sits flat after guiding fiscal 2027 revenue to $8.4 billion to $8.5 billion and adjusted EPS to $7.80 to $7.90. Tapestry stock was down 7% year to date (YTD) through Tuesday’s close, reflecting a market that treats its steady outlook as durable but unexciting rather than a fresh catalyst.

Jewelry-adjacent peers are quiet on the session, as well. Brilliant Earth (NASDAQ:BRLT) remains a small-cap comparable trading well off its highs, while Movado Group (NYSE:MOV) has been the standout watch-and-jewelry name of the year, with Movado Group stock up 71% year to date through Tuesday’s close.

CEO J.K. Symancyk said Signet Jewelers “delivered another quarter of comp sales growth with a positive comp performance in all fine jewelry brands,” adding that the results included “high single-digit unit growth at higher price points.” The comment underscores where the margin story is coming from, since higher-ticket jewelry carries better mix economics than lower-price fashion pieces.

What to Watch Now The raised profit range leans on a holiday season still ahead of Signet Jewelers, so fourth-quarter execution across Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared and Blue Nile carries particular weight. Investors can watch for whether merchandise-margin gains hold as gold prices and tariff dynamics continue to shift into the back half of the fiscal year, and whether the expanded buyback converts into meaningful per-share leverage.

Today’s move caps a strong recent stretch for Signet Jewelers stock, which was up 14% year to date through Tuesday’s close, so paying up here chases performance. The bull case rests on margin durability, a renewed Bread Financial consumer credit agreement through December 2035 and buyback support, while the bear case flags the maintained sales outlook and the fact that a large single-session move often front-runs the holiday quarter it depends on.

Investors weighing their SIG stock exposure should calibrate their holdings carefully given today’s gap against a maintained top-line guide. Share positions should reflect that a fresh entry at these levels is a bet on execution that Signet Jewelers still has to prove.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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RKLB rebound

Buy Rocket Lab (RKLB). The stock is down 56% from its peak, RSI has turned up to ~40, and a double-bottom is forming with a neckline around $86.6. Fundamentals back the chart: Q2 revenue +62%, backlog $2.36B, and guidance for Q3 revenue $250–$265M with gross margin 29–31%. Thesis: the market is over-discounting near-term execution risk and will re-rate once the $86.6 level breaks, opening a path toward ~$100.

Key Risk: A guidance miss or margin compression that proves the backlog growth isn’t translating into profitable revenue.

Iridium acquisition leverage

Buy RKLB more aggressively on any dip. The $8B Iridium deal is the catalyst: spectrum (L-band) expands Rocket Lab’s addressable services and creates a credible platform for higher-margin, recurring revenue beyond launches. Second-order setup: as spectrum monetization becomes clearer, analysts will lift long-term revenue and multiple, not just near-term sales—supporting a sustained move above the $86.6 neckline rather than a quick technical bounce.

Key Risk: Regulatory/technical delays or deal economics that make spectrum monetization slower or more expensive than expected.

Rocket Lab stock has slumped in recent months despite the company hitting several major milestones. Shares peaked at $150 in May before tumbling 56% to the current $65. This pullback could be a good buying opportunity, as a double-bottom pattern appears to be forming.

RKLB, one of the top players in the space industry, is doing well as demand for its services continues rising. It has made some major contract announcements recently with organizations like the Space Force, Viasat, and MDA. 

Rocket Lab also announced the release of Inverted Metamorphic (IMM) Apex, which is the latest iteration of its next-generation solar cell designed to deliver efficiency and reliability for space applications. Brad Clevenger, the company’s president, said: 

“With IMM Apex, customers gain access to a high-efficiency, lightweight, germanium-free product that combines proven reliability with faster production times.

The company also announced strong financial results, which showed that its business continues to grow. Its revenue jumped by 62% in the second quarter to over $234 million. 

The revenue surge happened as its backlog soared to over $2.36 billion and management expects the surge to continue in the foreseeable future. For example, it expects its third-quarter revenue to come in between $250 million and $265 million, with its gross margin between 29% and 31%.

READ MORE: Cathie Wood buys $31.6M of Rocket Lab stock: is she betting the selloff went too far?

Analysts also expect that its revenues will come out stronger. The average estimate is that its annual revenue growth will be 59% to $958 million, followed by $1.36 billion next year. This revenue growth will be a 42% annual increase.

Rocket Lab has also delivered on other major milestones, including its $8 billion deal to acquire Iridium. The acquisition will give it highly sought-after spectrum and help unlock new markets. Specifically, Rocket Lab will gain access to the L-band spectrum, which could support additional services, potentially even a Starlink competitor.

Analysts are largely bullish on Rocket Lab shares. Berenberg initiated the coverage with a buy rating and a target of $83, much higher than where it is today. Bank of America’s Ronald Epstein has a target of $110, while Citizens’ Trevor Walsh has a target of $130. Some of the other top analysts with a bullish outlook on the company are from Cantor Fitzgerald, Citigroup, and Craig Hallum. 

RKLB stock chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that the RKLB stock has retreated from a high of $150 in May this year to the current $65.87. It has dropped below the strong pivot/reverse level of the Murrey Math Lines tool at $75. 

The stock has slumped below 50-day and 100-day moving averages, a sign that bears are in control for now. On the positive side, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has reversed and moved to 40, its highest level since August 24. 

The stock is also slowly forming a double-bottom pattern whose neckline is at $86.6, its highest point on August 10. A double-bottom pattern is a common reversal sign in technical analysis. 

Therefore, the stock will likely bounce back in the near term, with the next key target being the neckline at $86. A move above that level will point to more gains towards $100.

Photo: U.S. Navy https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4575192/us-allies-partners-executed-pacific-dragon-2026-exercise/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fbcb4b4c-7855-4d5e-a594-3a8e193cab9b

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in defense, national security, and global markets, today announced the successful mission of its Aegis Readiness Assessment Vehicle Type B (ARAV-B) ballistic missile target from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. The vehicle was fired on August 6 during Pacific Dragon 2026, a premier multinational ballistic missile defense (BMD) exercise led by the U.S. 3rd Fleet.

Photo: U.S. Navy https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9880612/arav-b-launch-during-pacific-dragon-2026

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2c17ce8-d415-4f9b-95a6-a9f92ed3f8b7

The biennial exercise, which took place in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands from August 6-15, was designed to improve the ability of allied and partner forces to track and intercept ballistic missiles together. The multi-mission event combined coordinated missile defense operations with tactical data-link information sharing across forces from the United States, Australia, Chile, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Spain, in conjunction with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.

Kratos’ ARAV-B is part of the broader ARAV family of configurable short- and medium-range ballistic missile targets that can accurately emulate diverse and evolving threats. The ARAV Type B is a two-stage, spin-stabilized target featuring Kratos’ commercial Oriole rocket motor as the upper stage. The ARAV-B has now flown 43 successful target missions supporting the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, White Sands Detachment and the Missile Defense Agency. Kratos’ commercially developed Oriole rocket motor, along with the larger Zeus family of rockets and the Erinyes hypersonic testbed vehicle demonstrate Kratos’ continuing commitment to investing in technologies and capabilities to serve the warfighter today.

Dave Carter, President of the Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services (DRSS) Division, said, "Kratos is proud to support the U.S. 3rd Fleet and our allied partners in this critical demonstration of integrated air and missile defense capabilities. The successful launch of our ARAV-B target during Pacific Dragon 2026 highlights our team's ability to rapidly develop and field affordable, threat-representative systems. By providing highly reliable target solutions, we ensure that advanced combat systems, such as the Baseline 10 and AN/SPY-6 radar on the USS Jack H. Lucas, are tested against the most realistic and demanding scenarios possible."

The Kratos Ballistic Missile Defense target family includes multiple configurations beyond the Type B, such as the two-stage Type C vehicle and the three-stage Type TTO (Terrier-Terrier-Oriole). With their built-in modularity, these flight-proven Kratos systems can be rapidly reconfigured to support a range of missions including low-apogee, long duration hypersonic testing at speeds exceeding Mach 10.

Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos, said, "At Kratos, we are focused on delivering real, mission-relevant products and systems to our customers, not PowerPoints or concepts. We fundamentally believe that affordability is a technology, and we utilize our internal investments to bring national security relevant hardware to the field faster. By integrating existing assets and proven technologies, Kratos is first to market with cost-effective solutions that save our government customers and the U.S. taxpayer significant time and money. Our successful participation in Pacific Dragon 2026 is another testament to Kratos’ ability to execute on our strategy and deliver mission-critical solutions for global security."

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers’ mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we seek to utilize proven, leading-edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos’ approach designed to reduce cost, schedule and risk, enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. We believe that Kratos is known as an innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low-cost future manufacturing which is a value-add competitive differentiator for our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos intends to pursue program and contract opportunities as the prime or lead contractor when we believe that our probability of win (PWin) is high and any investment required by Kratos is within our capital resource comfort level. We intend to partner and team with a large, traditional system integrator when our assessment of PWin is greater or required investment is beyond Kratos’ comfort level. Kratos’ primary business areas include virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter. For more information, visit www.KratosDefense.com and follow Kratos on LinkedIn and X.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 29, 2025, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.

Press Contact: 
Claire Cantrell
[email protected]

Investor Relations: 
877-934-4687
[email protected]

Solution couples recovery speed with recovery cleanliness, helping organizations maintain access to critical systems when identity infrastructure is compromised

, /PRNewswire/ -- Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT), a leader in unified resilience at enterprise scale, today announced Commvault Active Directory Pre Recover. This new solution, which utilizes existing Commvault technologies – including Commvault Cleanroom and Threat Scan, can reduce the time it takes to cleanly recover Active Directory ("AD") from hours to minutes.

Active Directory Pre Recover creates a clean, standby copy of AD in an isolated, air-gapped Cleanroom environment. When disaster or disruption strikes, rather than waiting for a full forest recovery, or relying on complicated identity synchronization, organizations can fail over in minutes to this clean copy and keep the business running. Commvault also utilizes Threat Scan to continuously scan AD backups so the standby copy is free of malicious content.

This innovation comes as identity systems have become a primary target for attackers and organizations are facing increased pressure to restore rapidly and without risk of re-infection.

"Identity is foundational to every enterprise application, user, and business process," said Rajiv Kottomtharayil, Chief Products Officer, Commvault. "Commvault has already made significant progress reducing identity recovery times from weeks to hours, and now we are extending that progress toward near-real-time availability. The result is faster access to critical business systems and greater confidence during cyber recovery."

Additional Benefits of Commvault Active Directory Pre Recover:

Keep critical operations running during a cyber incident: With the AD standby copy stored in Cleanroom, organizations can have peace of mind that, in the event production identity services are unavailable, trusted access to critical systems can continue. Minimize application and infrastructure disruption: Applications can continue authenticating against trusted identity services without requiring complicated replication of accounts in alternate Identity and Access Management Systems or waiting for a full forest restore to complete. Availability
Commvault Active Directory Pre Recover will be available for early access in the coming months, delivered as part of Commvault's Identity Resilience portfolio. All enterprise AD customers will receive Active Directory Pre Recover as part of their existing license, including a lite version of Cleanroom. This offering will be available globally through Commvault's partner ecosystem.

About Commvault
Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT) is a leader in unified resilience at enterprise scale. In a constantly evolving threat landscape, Commvault keeps customers ready by unifying data security, identity resilience, and cyber recovery, on one cloud-native, AI-enabled platform. Customers trust Commvault to conduct the fastest, most complete recoveries – not just their data, but their entire business. Purpose-built for the agentic enterprise, Commvault also enables organizations to safely embrace AI while protecting against AI-driven threats.

SOURCE COMMVAULT

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitcoin Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: BCBC) (“Bitcoin Bancorp” or the “Company”), a diversified digital asset infrastructure and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) development company and holder of foundational U.S. patents related to Bitcoin ATMs, today announced that it has been designated as a successful bidder for certain key assets of Bitcoin Depot Inc. and its affiliated debtors in Chapter 11 proceedings pending before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Under multiple agreements with Bitcoin Depot, Bitcoin Bancorp is acquiring assets that include approximately 2,446 Bitcoin ATM kiosks, associated floorspace agreements, parts inventory, intellectual property, trademarks, patents, the BitcoinDepot.com domain name and other related digital assets. The transactions were approved by the Bankruptcy Court pursuant to Section 363 of the U. S. Bankruptcy Code, under which the court-approved sales provide for acquired assets to be transferred free and clear of interests in such property, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable Sale Order(s).

Certain portions of the transactions have already closed, and Bitcoin Bancorp is in the process of taking possession of acquired assets pursuant to the Court’s Sale Orders. Final closings remain subject to customary closing conditions. The Company currently expects the remaining closings to be completed during the upcoming quarter and expects the acquired assets to be reflected in future Company reports.

Bitcoin Depot, founded in 2016, developed into one of North America’s largest Bitcoin ATM operators and among the largest globally. According to Bitcoin Depot Inc.’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, Bitcoin Depot operated approximately 9,700 owned and leased kiosks across 48 U.S. states, 10 Canadian provinces and six Australian states, in addition to its BDCheckout product at approximately 16,300 retail locations. From its inception in July 2016 through December 31, 2025, Bitcoin Depot reported completing more than 4.0 million user transactions representing approximately $3.4 billion in total transaction value.

Bitcoin Bancorp believes the acquired assets could accelerate the expansion of its Bitcoin ATM infrastructure while adding technology, intellectual property and digital brand assets that complement its existing portfolio. The acquired intellectual property is expected to complement Bitcoin Bancorp’s subsidiary’s existing U.S. patents, identified as US9135787B1 and US10332205B1, while the BitcoinDepot.com domain and related digital properties would expand the Company’s online presence and customer reach.

The addition of 2,446 kiosks and related agreements could also provide Bitcoin Bancorp with a more capital-efficient path to expanding its physical infrastructure than deploying an equivalent footprint entirely through organic development. The Company believes this approach could shorten the time required to expand its network while reducing the capital and operational resources that would otherwise be required to build comparable infrastructure from the ground up.

“These transactions represent an important inflection point for Bitcoin Bancorp,” said Eric Noveshen, Executive Vice-President of Bitcoin Bancorp. “Acquiring established Bitcoin ATM infrastructure, intellectual property and digital assets through the bankruptcy process could materially accelerate our business strategy compared with building an equivalent platform entirely through organic expansion. We believe this provides Bitcoin Bancorp with an opportunity to shorten the company’s developmental timeline, the ability to deploy capital more efficiently and strengthen both the scale of the physical network and digital presence as we integrate these assets.”

Bitcoin Bancorp expects the acquired assets, once integrated, to support broader geographic access to Bitcoin ATM services, additional infrastructure for cash-to-Bitcoin transactions, technology and operational improvements, and longer-term product development connecting physical retail infrastructure with digital asset services. The Company intends to maintain its focus on compliant, transparent and user-friendly access to Bitcoin and other digital assets.

While the broader Bitcoin ATM and cryptocurrency industry continues to evolve amid increasing regulatory oversight and industry consolidation, Bitcoin Bancorp continues to believe that those conditions may create opportunities for operators with infrastructure, intellectual property, compliance capabilities and efficient cost structures. The Company intends to continue evaluating opportunities that support scalable Bitcoin ATM infrastructure and complimentary business opportunities while maintaining its focus on regulatory adherence and shareholder value.

About Bitcoin Bancorp, Inc.

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bitcoin Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: BCBC) is a diversified digital asset infrastructure and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) company focused on expanding secure retail access to cryptocurrency and next-generation financial services through licensed Bitcoin ATM networks, blockchain technologies, and Web 3.0–enabled platforms. As previously announced, Bitcoin Bancorp, through its wholly owned subsidiary First Bitcoin Capital LLC, owns and exclusively licenses foundational intellectual property related to Bitcoin ATMs, including U.S. Patent Nos. US9135787B1 and US10332205B1. Bitcoin Bancorp owns Bitcoin ATMs that are operated by licensed third-party operators within the jurisdictions in which they reside, forming a growing network of compliant retail access points for digital assets across convenience-store and retail environments. Bitcoin Bancorp is committed to advancing blockchain-enabled financial infrastructure through secure technology platforms, strategic retail partnerships, and responsible operating standards. Bitcoin Bancorp is not licensed as a bank in the United States and does not provide custody or banking services.

Shareholders, potential investors, and others should note that we announce material events and material financial information to our shareholders and the public using our website and the social media addresses listed below, as well as in our OTC Markets’ disclosures, press releases, public conference calls, and webcasts. We also use social media to communicate with our email subscribers and the public about Bitcoin Bancorp, services, and other related information. It is possible that the information we post on social media could be deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage shareholders, the media, and others interested in Bitcoin Bancorp to review the information we post on Bitcoin Bancorp’s social media channels listed below. This list may be updated from time to time.

For investor and general information, please email  [email protected]

Join our newsletter and view our Blog at: https://bitcoinbancorp.com/blog/

Follow us at: Website:https://www.BitcoinBancorp.com/X (f/k/a Twitter):@BCBC_stockReddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/BULT/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BulletBlockchainInc/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bitcoin_bancorp/#LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bitcoin-bancorp-inc/Medium:https://medium.com/@bitcoinbancorp   Find investor and general information at: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BCBC/overview

Forward-Looking Statements: 
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors, including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release, and these views could change at some point in the future. However, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “anticipate,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “belief,” “envision,” “expects,” “expect,” “intend,” “plans,” “plan,” to be uncertain and forward-looking. 

Contact us: [email protected]

SOURCE: Bitcoin Bancorp, Inc. f/k/a Bullet Blockchain, Inc.