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https://www.cnbc.com/id/23260564

ADI

Analog Devices

Analog Devices Profit Jumps as Sales Slow

Analog Devices' quarterly profit more than doubled, driven by the sale of a business, while revenue at the maker of chips used in cars and video game consoles declined 2 percent. Analog said Wednesday net income rose to $370.7 million, or $1.22 per share, for its first fiscal quarter ended Feb. 2, from $153.2 million, or 44 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue declined to $613.9 million from $656.6 million. Excluding gains from the sale of a divested business and discontinued operations, Analog Devices had a profit of 40 cents per share. In November, the Norwood, Massachusetts-based company said it expected a first-quarter profit, excluding the gains, of 38 cents per share to 42 cents per share, and revenue from continuing operations ranging from a 2 percent decline from the fourth-quarter level to a 2 percent increase.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/28/it-could-get-brutal-for-chips-after-apple-earnings-kevin-oleary.html

ADI

Analog Devices

It could get 'brutal' for the chips after Apple earnings, Kevin O'Leary says

Chips stocks are getting burned. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) sank more than 2 percent Monday after a sales warning from Nvidia inflamed fears of a downturn in demand for chipmakers. It could get much worse for the group this week, said Kevin O'Leary, co-founder of O'Leary Funds and co-host of 'Shark Tank.' "I do not want to own semis going into the Apple print," O'Leary said on CNBC's "ETF Edge" on Monday. "If units are no longer transparent and they're opaque and we get the sense from Apple's numbers as they've already pre-guided that we're going to be light on units, it's going to make grown men weep in the semi space because the multiplier effect is going to be brutal." Apple is set to report earnings before the bell Tuesday. The company warned of weaker results for its fiscal first quarter, largely tied to headwinds coming out of China. Though Apple no longer breaks out unit sales, any whiff of lagging demand will hit its suppliers hard, including Analog Devices and Broadcom . The SMH semiconductor ETF's vulnerability to volatility caused by its largest-weighted holdings also bothers O'Leary. "It blindly leads you into a very concentrated portfolio when the whole concept of ETF in the beginning is to provide diversification," O'Leary explained. "Many of the early stage early ETFs are market cap weighted where 10 stocks are 40 or 50 percent of the index. That is not the essence of diversification and so I'm against it." The SMH ETF holds 24 stocks, but its five largest holdings – Intel , Taiwan Semiconductor , Nvidia, ASML , Texas Instruments and Analog Devices – make up nearly half of the total weighting. There are some alternatives for investors looking for exposure to semiconductors at less risk than the SMH ETF, said Dave Nadig, managing director of ETF.com. "You can get these sort of greatest hits of smart beta approaches," Nadig said on "ETF Edge" on Monday. "FTXL is the fund we're talking about. It's liquidity, value, growth – these are core factors for people to look at and it brings down the exposure in stocks like [Nvidia]." The First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (FTXL) tracks the U.S. chipmaker companies with the highest liquidity, and holds Analog Devices, ON Semiconductor and AMD as some of its biggest names. It rose 13 percent over the past three months compared to the SMH's 6 percent advance.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/37873942

ANSS

Ansys

Halftime Pt.1: Horrible Housing, Sell Signal, Or Hold Your Breath & Buy?

Instant Insights with the Fast Money traders I don’t understand why investors are shocked by the housing data, says Steve Grasso. With the first time home credit expiring, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. But copper, oil and lumber are all down and they’re leading market indicators. We have a GDP number coming up and housing is about 40% of it. You can’t get great GDP growth with a terrible housing market. I'd be a seller of any rally. Copper got near $3 and stalled; the SPY got near its 200-day and stalled, and the financials also stalled, adds Pete Najarian. That’s telling. It suggests the market is challenged. However if you're playing homebuilders from the short side it may be time to think about covering, says widely followed investor Whitney Tilson. (He made huge profits betting against the housing market.) Some of the major homebuilder are now trading at just a slight premium to book value, Tilson explains, and generally I’m only interested in shorting a sector with terrible fundamentals, when they’re trading at 1.5 times book or higher. With the decline over the last month, major homebuilders are now trading around 1.1 times book and it’s time to start covering, Tilson says. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet because I think there’s another shoe to drop but I plan to start trimming my shorts. (Click here for our entire interview with Whitney Tilson) -------- FED TO MOVE MARKET? Looking ahead to afternoon action, the traders as well as the rest of Wall Street will be poring over the Fed statement due out at 2:15pm. Consensus is that the central bank will extend their pledge to hold overnight interest rates ultra low for "an extended period" to aid the still fragile economic recovery. What must you know? Since 2008 on days of Fed rate decisions, the S&P 500 has risen 79 percent of the time for an average gain of 1.2 percent, according to Birinyi Associates Inc. *Steve Grasso, Brian Kelly and Jared Levy are all sellers of any rally. --------- BP: ‘RECKLESS’? In the latest developments from the Gulf, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Wednesday he believes initial findings from investigations of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion indicate reckless behavior preceded the accident. My own view having taken a review of some of the preliminary investigations that have been done is that there was reckless conduct that was involved," Salazar told lawmakers at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. What should you make of it? There’s way too much risk in BP and Anadarko, adds Jared Levy. Unless you’re a professional investors I’d stay away. I’d also stay away from BP as well as Anadarko, counsels Brian Kelly. --------- TICK BY TICK: RIMM The traders are closely watching the action in RIM , which reports earnings on Thursday. The stock fell at the open, approached its Monday lows and then popped into positive territory. What should you make of it? I’m seeing a lot of call buying, says Pete Najarian – it could suggest a modest bullish bias. If you share that outlook, look at a call spread or go one month against another – sell the July to buy the August. If you’re long RIM stock going into earnings you might want to consider a collar, adds Jared Levy. Maybe buy downside July 55 put and sell the upside 66.5 call. --------- UNDER THE RADAR: ANSYS The traders are looking at a tech play that begins with the letter ‘A’ and no it’s not Apple. Ansys is the number one market share provider of engineering simulation software. The company's software is used to design everything from wind turbines to heart valves to the Chevy volt, and even smartphones. With shares are up over 40% in the last year can Ansys stay on top? Find out from the company's President and CEO James Cashman. Watch the video now!

https://www.cnbc.com/id/41865286

ANSS

Ansys

What's On: Big Retailers, Big Caps and Big Tobacco

Here's what's up on Wednesday's Squawk on the Street: --Big name retailers are set to report. We're talking about BJ's Wholesale, Costco and Staples. See how these guys did in the quarter that was... and see how the stocks will react. --It's also Widely Held Wednesday, a day we set aside each week to talk about the big cap stocks, stocks like Microsoft, Bank of America and Citigroup. --Also on our radar, tobacco stocks. Several of them are really burning it up these days, stocks like Philip Morris and British Tobacco. --We have the CEOs of two up and coming tech companies. Ansys makes engineering software. Qlick Technologies helps data communicate with other kinds of data. Both stocks have really been moving recently. --Also on the big show, do you think we really need corporate boards? What do they really do? We're debating it with two people with some real inside knowledge about what it's like to be on the board. This after former Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta is accused of insider trading. We want to hear from you on this one. Share your opinion. The fun starts live from the NYSE at 9am sharp, don't miss a minute of Squawk on the Street.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/32389767

ANSS

Ansys

Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies

Even amid the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, some companies just keep growing. And not only in the U.S. For the first time, Fortune opened its 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list to businesses around the world (if they trade on a U.S. exchange and file quarterly reports)—a change that landed Canada's Research in Motion in the No. 1 spot and two Chinese companies in the top 10. To compile the list, Fortune ranked companies based on three years of revenue and profit growth and total return, using data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Company Name & 2009 Rank / Market Cap (in Millions) 1. Research in Motion $40,264 2. Sigma Designs $427 3. Sohu.com $2,404 4. Ebix $319 5. DG Fastchannel $428 6. CF Industries $3,589 7. Shanda Interactive Entertainment $3,632 8. Arena Resources $1,217 9. Bruker $1,519 10. Potash $27,486 11. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters $2,221 12. IntercontinentalExchange $8,320 13. Darling International $543 14. Millicom International Cellular $6,093 15. Open Text $1,917 16. Vistaprint $1,803 17. Elbit Systems $2,607 18. ITC $2,257 19. Pegasystems $941 20. HMS $1,053 21. AZZ $418 22. Celgene $22,020 23. Natus Medical $323 24. Diana Shipping $1,085 25. Stifel Financial $1,317

https://www.cnbc.com/id/32441071

ANSS

Ansys

Safe Haven: Hide Out In Tech

It seems investors are nervous that consumers may be in worse shape than previously believed. And that’s led at least some traders to speculate the best bets are in technology. Huh? Their thesis is pretty straight forward; they think that when the market makes its move it will be tech that leads because technology ultimately makes companies more efficient and improves our lives, overall. Another way of saying that is, no matter what sets the bulls running, technology is the most likely of all the sectors to go along for the ride. Pip Coburn of Coburn Ventures can be counted among the tech bulls and suggests 4 ways to play. They follow: Coburn's Ways To Play Apple: Coburn is impressed by Apple’s exclusive deals with developers as well as the app store phenomenon. Ansys: He thinks Ansys is cutting edge with its proprietary technology to simulate real environments with computers. Adobe: Coburn likes Adobe ahead of a software launch next spring. Sybase: Coburn calls the firm a “turnaround story that's working” with margins that have room to expand. Although these 4 companies are quite different they share at least one common thread. At all these firms, “management is addicted to making money,” he says. And that alone makes them long-term buys.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/sap-ceo-bill-mcdermott-to-step-down.html

ANSS

Ansys

SAP CEO Bill McDermott stepping down after over nine years leading software giant

SAP said on Thursday that Bill McDermott is stepping down as CEO after more than nine years running the German software company. Board members Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein have been appointed co-CEOs effective immediately, SAP said in a statement. McDermott, 58, will stay on as an adviser until the end of the year. "For the past decade, McDermott has served as CEO and has overseen a period of dramatic growth for SAP, including expanding its portfolio and initiating a major shift to cloud computing," the statement said. "Under McDermott's leadership, key metrics including market value, revenue, profits, employee engagement and environmental sustainability have all strengthened substantially since 2010." The company's stock has climbed 21% this year. It's up 75% in the past five years, topping rival Oracle , which is up 46%, and the S&P 500's 54% gain. SAP, which develops database software and tools that companies use to manage their spending and day-to-day activities, also pre-announced third-quarter results, and beat expectations in part because of a cloud customer. The shares rose 5% in extended trading after the earnings release. SAP said that a "cloud deal with a major partner" accounted for 17 percentage points of new cloud bookings growth in the quarter. Overall, new cloud bookings jumped 38% in the quarter. SAP said it will start recognizing revenue from the three-year cloud deal in the fourth quarter. McDermott is being succeeded by two company veterans. Klein, a German, started at SAP in 1999, when he was still a student. He worked his way up to chief controlling officer in 2014 and operating chief two years later. Morgan joined in 2004, and in 2017, she became the first American woman on the company's executive board. She ran SAP's Cloud Business Group, which includes acquired assets like Concur and Qualtrics. The company was established in Germany, but Morgan and her colleagues see it as global entity, Morgan said on a conference call with journalists after the announcement.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/26165546

ANSS

Ansys

Small Cap Picks: Pipeline, Clinical Research

"They help pharmaceutical companies conduct clinical-research trials," he told CNBC. "All of the companies right now have an amazing tailwind...and currently, there is a pretty significant outsourcing trend that's occurring; pharmaceutical and biotech companies are trying to change their cost structure to be more flexible." Two of those CROs are Parexel and Icon . "Over the next three to six months, the stocks could need to consolidate a bit," he cautioned, but added, "Over the long-term period of time, I'm still optimistic about these stocks." Sustersic also likes Ansys . "Ansys makes (simulation) software used by engineers in product designs," he said. "They have a subscription model, so about 70 percent of their revenue base is recurring via subscription or licensing and maintenance." (Contd.) ____________________________________ CNBC Stock Intelligence: ____________________________________ He's also enthusiastic about Willbros Group , a producer of large-diameter pipeline for natural-gas and oil companies. "They recently got some big contract wins up in Canada," he noted. "They're probably sold out for the next year or so." Rounding out his list -- and maybe, saving the best for last -- is Deckers Outdoor , maker of the popular UGG brand boots. "Very controversial, very volatile stock," he said, "It still looks like fantastic visibility going forward." He said an informal survey of department-store buyers revealed that UGGs was the only apparel or shoe product that really sold well during the last holiday-shopping season. "If anything, they regretted not ordering more," he said. Disclosures : Disclosure information for Frank Sustersic was not immediately available. Disclaimer

https://www.cnbc.com/id/22184368

ANSS

Ansys

Playing the Earnings-Expectations Game

Some companies beat earnings estimates so consistently they bring better-than-expected quarterly reports to an art form, Cramer said during Monday's Mad Money. Take Teledyne, for instance. Over the past two years, this company has beat by an average of 15% every quarter. Cramer attributed the success to a smart acquisition strategy and Teledyne's connection to aerospace and defense and oil, two raging bull markets. Teledyne accelerates its growth by identifying smart, bolt-on acquisitions that give the company more products to offer in the businesses where it already operates -- electronics and communications, systems engineering solutions, aerospace engines and components, and energy systems. It's a terrific strategy, Cramer said, that should get easier to pull off because there are fewer buyers in this tough financial environment. That means Teledyne will pay less for these already-profitable companies. The stock's cheap, too. Trading at 18 times forward earnings, Teledyne has a 16% long-term growth rate. (Remember Cramer's definition of cheap: when the price-to-earnings ratio is equal or close to the long-term growth rate.) Still, Cramer said he thinks buyers will get TDY even cheaper if they wait for another pullback. Ansys might be even better, though. This engineering-software company has either met or beat consensus estimates for every quarter over the past 10 years. In fact, Ansys has only missed the quarter once since it came public. The fourth and first quarters traditionally have been strong, so Cramer said he doesn't see the trend stopping any time soon. Ansys should stay afloat without much trouble if the U.S. economy continues to lag since 65% of the company's business comes from overseas. And 68% of Ansys' revenue is recurring, which gives the stock great earnings visibility over the long term. Unlike Teledyne, though, ANSS is not cheap. It trades at 29 times earnings with a 19% growth rate. But Ansys is cheaper than competitors like MSC Systems and Dassault , and because this is a growth business, Cramer said he thinks ANSS deserves a higher multiple. Teledyne and Ansys have delivered earnings beats so regularly, it'd be shocking to see them do anything else, Cramer said. And even if they didn't have such great track records, these two stocks would still be worth owning. Questions for Cramer? madmoney@cnbc.com Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website? madcap@cnbc.com

https://www.cnbc.com/id/37786398

ANSS

Ansys

All-Star Guests On Halftime: Week Of June 21st

We know this market moves fast - and we've put together another all-star guest line-up next week to keep you one step ahead. Just take a look Monday June 21 - Jet Blue CEO Dave Barger Tuesday June 22nd - Akamai CEO Paul Sagan Wednesday June 23rd - Ansys CEO Jim Cashman Thursday June 24th - Office Depot CEO Steve Odland Friday June 25th - Hovnanian CEO Ara Hovnanian And don't worry if you happen to miss the broadcast. Immediately after the show you'll find a written Recap as well as video clips right here on our website. ______________________________________________________ Got something to to say? Send us an e-mail at fastmoney-web@cnbc.com and your comment might be posted on the Rapid Recap. If you'd prefer to make a comment but not have it published on our website send those e-mails to fastmoney@cnbc.com. CNBC.com with wires

https://www.cnbc.com/id/31526246

ANSS

Ansys

Where to Invest Now: Bull vs. Bear

“We’re facing a lot of strong headwinds than we have before,” De Groote told CNBC. “The increase in cost of capital and personal savings rate will adversely affect corporate earnings—and earnings are going to drive the stock market. Having a lot of money on the sideline helps stock prices in the short term, but not in the long term.” In the meantime, Picard said she feels bullish about the market, saying she expects the S&P to reach 1,100 by the end of the year. She said the technology sector looks especially attractive. “[Technology companies] didn’t see the same type of overspending that we saw in the last cycle,” said Picard. "When you look at the sector, it’s trading at a discount to the overall S&P valuation so right now, these tech names look attractive on a valuation basis. I also think there’s some pent-up demand yet to come. A lot of companies were saying they are pushing back spending on technology. So I think we’ll see additional spending in the second half of the year.” De Groote and Picard recommended the following stocks and sectors to investors: De Groote Likes: Technology Health Care Energy Basic Materials Picard Likes: Technology Health Care Ansys Stericycle Disclosure : No immediate information was available for Groote or Picard. ______________________________ ______________________________ Disclaimer

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/07/senators-take-up-looming-insurance-crisis-as-issuers-leave-risky-areas.html

AON

Aon

Senators take up looming insurance crisis as policy issuers flee Florida and California

View of a damaged property after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Aug. 31, 2023. WASHINGTON — Low-income policyholders will be hit hardest by rising insurance premiums as the frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change increases and insurers pull out of some coverage areas, witnesses argued before a Senate panel on Thursday. "We have seen our property and casualty insurance costs (increase) 400% in six years," said Michelle Norris, executive vice president of external affairs and strategic initiatives for National Church Residences, a nationwide affordable senior housing organization. "Even developers and owners with very large portfolios, like ours, have little bargaining power in today's industry," Norris added in her testimony before the Senate Banking Committee. Some insurers have stopped adding new policies in states like Florida, California and others that have been heavily affected by climate-related events, making disaster recovery harder for people in those regions and reinsurance more difficult to attain, according to experts. Persistent weather events have led to rate increases and reductions in coverage offered, often overburdening low-income residents. The average cost of property insurance has soared in recent years, according to an analysis by credit rating firm S&P Global Ratings. "Without insurance, millions of families will be at greater risk for climate crises," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a member of the committee, said during the hearing. "And as whole communities lose access to insurance, the impact is going to be felt all the way through our economy."

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/05/new-york-authorities-subpoena-trump-organizations-insurer.html

AON

Aon

New York authorities subpoena Trump Organization's insurer as part of big probe into business practices

The public entrance to Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York. New York state regulators have issued a subpoena to the insurance brokerage Aon for President Donald Trump's company as part of a large probe into the Trump Organization's business practices. The nine-page subpoena to Aon was issued by the New York Department of Financial Services late Monday evening, according to a source familiar with the case, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity. The demand for documents came five days after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Trump himself had inflated company assets for insurance purposes. "We can confirm that we received a subpoena from the New York State Department of Financial Services and, as is our policy, we intend to cooperate with all regulatory bodies," Aon said in a statement. "We do not comment on specific client matters." The DFS probe is a civil investigation. However, any evidence of criminal activity discovered by the department can be referred to state prosecutors.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/04/3q-is-a-key-time-for-extreme-weather-these-stocks-are-exposed.html

AON

Aon

Third quarter is a key time for extreme weather events. Here's what to expect for exposed stocks

The third quarter is a key time for extreme weather events. And there's a bevy of stocks across the utilities and insurance spectrum that could be impacted by what Mother Nature has in store. An El Niño weather pattern is widely expected for 2023. It means that sea surface temperatures will be periodically warmer in the east and central area of the Pacific Ocean, which has a knock-on effect on the Pacific jet stream. This typically means Canada and the northern U.S. are more dry and warm, while the Gulf Coast and greater southeastern U.S. often will see more rain, putting the region at a higher risk of floods, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. La Niña, on the other hand, refers to when stronger trade winds make the sea surface cooler and in many ways has the opposite effect. It's a period typically associated with more extreme winter weather. It's usually warmer than usual in the South and colder in the North. The southern U.S. is more likely to see a drought, while the Pacific Northwest and Canada have higher flood risk. La Niña can also prompt a more severe hurricane season. And this year's El Niño — which, like La Niña, typically lasts anywhere from nine to 12 months — is expected to be a strong one, according to KeyBanc analyst Sophie Karp, whose firm consulted with a climate expert. That has implications for stocks. "Following three years of La Niña, climate scientists expect 2023 to have El Niño conditions with near-100% certainty given current signals," Karp said in a note to clients last month. "Unlike in some prior cycles, which had weaker El Niños, 2023 is expected to feature a historically strong El Niño, perhaps comparable to the conditions experienced in 1982/1983 and 2016." Impacted industries As a whole, she said those expectations don't bode well for utility stocks, while noting the companies based in California and the Northwest could be in a "relatively brighter spot." More specifically, she said it's bad for Michigan-focused CMS Energy and DTE Energy , as well as for WEC Energy , which operates in a handful of states in the Midwest. Read more in CNBC Pro's Quarterly Investment Guide The options for weight loss treatment are about to explode. The stocks investors need to know A.I. enthusiasm drove up stocks this year. Here's how investors can catch the next opportunity Recession worries are likely to carry over into the second half of 2023 Wall Street analysts reveal their top ideas for the second half, including this red-hot solar name The AI-powered rally to start the year could broaden out in the third quarter A challenging macro backdrop could dampen bitcoin's upside in the third quarter WEC also has more risk because of the possibility of surprise wildfires, Karp said. That puts it in a group of stocks that could be hurt by wildfire that also includes Xcel Energy , Avista and Portland General Electric , which also service the American West. On the other hand, California utility stocks Edison International and Sempra could benefit if there is a relatively muted fire season compared with recent history, she said. On the opposite side of the country, she said a severe storm event in the Gulf of Mexico could hurt Southeastern utility stocks Entergy , CenterPoint Energy , Southern Company , Duke Energy and Nextera Energy . Energy and utilities stocks have struggled across the board this year after some were able to avoid 2022's downturn amid rising oil costs. In the S & P 500 , the utilities and energy sectors have been the two worst performers since 2023 began. Insurers are also among the stocks to typically move in relation to extreme weather events. Morgan Stanley analyst Andrei Stadnik said last month that an El Niño year typically leads to 40% less catastrophe expenses than a La Niña year, though the best environment for expenses is a neutral year. Insurance Australia Group and Suncorp , which both have U.S.-listed shares, could see one-time profit boosts, Stadnik said. But the analyst predicts the companies will need to increase their catastrophe budgets in the long term amid rising climate and reinsurance retention risks. IAUGF SNMCY YTD mountain The two Australian insurers' U.S. shares over 2023 A 2023 hurricane trade? This year should be a fairly typical one for hurricanes, as El Niño is typically linked to a less severe season. On the market front, JMP analyst Matthew Carletti doesn't see a clear trade like there has been historically. The trade normally goes something like this: Around mid-February, reinsurance stocks with catastrophe exposure take a dip in valuation as investors ready for the season. Then, as the period with the biggest threat period moves into the rearview, usually around September, they start to recover. But that may not be in the case this year, as he said there hasn't been any pre-season valuation compression, which he said is likely due to a strong pricing environment. And though the historical trade is well known, he said there hasn't been a consistent pattern of valuation moves in relation to the season in several years. Jefferies analyst Yaron Kinar, meanwhile, sees some specific stocks that could be plays. He said a handful of brokerages and reinsurers with exposure to Bermuda could outperform in the short term after a hurricane landfall. For insurers, Kinar pointed to Arch Capital Group , Everest Re Group and Renaissancere . His brokerage ideas were Brown & Brown , Arthur J. Gallagher and Aon . Extreme weather and Wall Street To be sure, the forecast for El Niño is part of broader expectations for the climate as concerns surrounding the health of the environment become increasingly paramount. Those short- and long-term forecasts have implications for the business and finance world, too. Generac 's shares shot up last week after Bloomberg reported that CEO Aaron Jagdfeld said that the company had seen a "dramatic increase" in demand for generator and battery backup systems during the Texas heat wave. And when explaining El Niño's potential impacts on stocks to clients, many analysts noted increasing uncertainty around forecasts as climate change makes extreme weather more common and hard to predict. Morgan Stanley analyst Bob Huang said that elevated losses and unrelenting catastrophic risks, in addition to lingering inflationary pressures, can push up pricing for U.S. insurers. And that's especially true, he said, in an environment where limited reinsurance capital and high losses from catastrophe are "disrupting the supply/demand equilibrium." He said property and casualty stocks have outperformed the S & P 500 in "hard" market periods with price increases over recent history — and this hard market should be no different in terms of share returns. But he isn't bullish on the whole group. After initiating coverage on the sector and 14 names within it, he's overweight on just two: Arch Capital and Everest Re Group. — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report

https://www.cnbc.com/select/travel-insurance-guide/

AON

Aon

Is travel insurance worth it?

How do I get travel insurance? There are many options in the travel insurance marketplace: Aggregator site Squaremouth lets you get price quotes from different carriers and, because it receives a commission from the insurance companies on its site, users aren't charged any additional fees. Allianz has both single-trip and annual plans, with a Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) policy that reimburses up to 80% of prepaid, non-refundable expenses — more than most similar plans on the market. In addition to trip cancellation, Allianz's popular OneTrip Prime plan includes travel interruption, emergency medical care and emergency transportation. Children 17 and under are covered for free when traveling with a parent or grandparent. AIG's Travel Guard® plans are great if you need to customize your coverage: The mid-range Travel Guard Preferred plan pays out 100% for trip cancellation and 150% for trip interruption, with up to $50,000 in coverage for medical expenses and up to $500,000 for emergency evacuation. There's even a payout of up to $1,000 if you miss your connection. Travel Guard® Travel Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote Policy highlights Travel Guard offers a variety of plans to suit travel ranging from road trips to long cruises. For air travelers, Travel Guard can help assist with tracking baggage or covering lost or delayed baggage. 24/7 assistance available Yes If you're booking a trip with an aggregator site like Expedia, review the details of any travel policy that's offered. Plans are usually based on the elements of the trip (hotel, flight, rental car, etc.) and can differ every time you book. How much does travel insurance cost? Travel insurance typically costs between 4 and 10% of the overall price tag for your trip. The cost can vary: Plans with higher limits and more optional coverage cost more. A plan with a CFAR benefit can cost up to 40% more. Older travelers typically pay more because there's more of a likelihood of a claim being filed. Whichever plan you choose, read the fine print so you understand what you're paying for. What does travel insurance cover? Travel insurance generally covers your expenses, your belongings and your well-being. When shopping for a policy, look for these benefits: Trip cancellation If your trip is canceled for a covered reason, a policy will often reimburse airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, tours, cruises and other prepaid, non-refundable expenses. Covered situations can include illness or injury, the death of a family member or traveling companion, job loss, military deployment and even unplanned jury duty, according to Allianz's Daniel Durazo. Cancellations can also be covered if a natural disaster, severe weather or airline strike prevents your carrier from getting you to your destination for at least 24 hours. Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) plans provide a lot more flexibility and typically reimburse 50% to 75% of your expenses. But they can bump up the cost by about 40%, said Durazo, and policyholders are still usually required to cancel no later than 48 hours before their scheduled departure. Trip delay Should you experience a hiccup in your plans, your policy can provide some relief: Food, lodging and local transportation are usually covered if a delay is due to severe weather, airline maintenance or civil unrest. "For a traveler to be eligible, they must be delayed for the minimum amount of time listed on their policy," Squaremouth spokesperson Megan Moncrief said. "Some policies are very lenient and provide benefits for any length delay, while others list a length requirement — usually somewhere between three to 12 hours." Daily payout limits range from $150 to $250 per traveler, Moncrief said, while the total policy limit can be anywhere from $500 to $2,000. Save any receipts to submit with your reimbursement claim. Don't miss: The best credit cards with trip delay insurance Trip interruption Should you need to cut your trip short due to illness or injury, or if there's a family emergency back home, your policy may reimburse non-refundable expenses you forfeited. It may also cover the cost of a one-way economy airline ticket home. Baggage loss Airlines are required to compensate passengers luggage lost in transit, but a travel insurance policy may have a higher benefit limit, and cover you if your bags, passport or other possessions are lost, damaged or stolen once you've gotten to your destination., The Platinum plan from AXA Assistance USA has a $3,000 benefit limit for lost luggage, well beyond the $1,700 that airlines are required to cover on international flights. AXA has offices in more than 50 countries, with multilingual operators available 24 hours a day to help reschedule flights, book hotels and make other arrangements. AXA Assistance USA Travel Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote Policy highlights AXA Assistance USA offers several travel insurance policies that include travel interruption, trip cancellation, and the option of cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage. 24/7 assistance available Yes Travel insurance doesn't cover every loss: Cash is not reimbursable and many policies won't reimburse for expensive jewelry or heirloom items. Read your policy carefully to see what is included. Medical expenses and emergency evacuation If you travel within the U.S., your health insurance should cover any illness or injury you sustain. If you're traveling abroad, though, your plan may provide little or no coverage. The right travel insurance should cover doctors' fees and hospital bills, Durazo said. The provider can also help coordinate care and ensure you're at a medical facility that's up to U.S. standards. An emergency medical evacuation can be a major expense, costing anywhere from $15,000 to over $200,000, Durazo added. Is travel insurance worth it? If you've spent money on nonrefundable airline tickets, tours and hotels, you could be at a loss if something goes awry. Travel insurance covers numerous scenarios, from a medical emergency to a tropical storm. It could be particularly useful if: You've spent a lot on prepaid, non-refundable expenses You're traveling internationally where your health insurance won't apply You're traveling to a remote area Your flight involves multiple connections or destinations "When deciding if travel insurance is right for you, ask yourself how much you could stand to lose if you had to cancel at the last minute," said Godlin. If you're not as concerned about risk, your credit card may offer built-in travel protection if you book with that card: Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Card and the *American Express® Gold Card all come with trip cancellation and interruption coverage, among other benefits. *Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Chase Sapphire Reserve® Learn More On Chase’s secure site Rewards Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025 Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. Annual fee $550 Intro APR None Regular APR 22.49% - 29.49% variable Balance transfer fee 5%, minimum $5 Foreign transaction fee None Credit needed Excellent Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review. Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare; 2X points on internet, cable and phone services; select streaming. 1X points on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Annual fee $69 Intro APR None Regular APR 21.49% - 28.49% variable Balance transfer fee 5%, minimum $5 Foreign transaction fees 3% Credit needed Excellent/Good Terms apply. American Express® Gold Card Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards 4X Membership Rewards® points at Restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, 1X points on all other purchases Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Annual fee $250 Intro APR Not applicable Regular APR See Pay Over Time APR Balance transfer fee N/A Foreign transaction fee None Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply. Read our American Express® Gold Card review. Research your card's travel benefits before making any purchases related to your trip. FAQs What does travel insurance cover? Policies vary, but most comprehensive travel insurance plans cover travel cancellation and interruption, baggage loss, medical care and emergency transportation. How much does travel insurance cost? While the price for coverage varies, most policies cost between 4% and 10% of the trip's prepaid, non-refundable expenses. When should I get travel insurance? It's best to take out a policy within days of making your reservations. Does travel insurance cover COVID-19? If you contract COVID-19 before or on your trip, it may be covered by your policy's trip cancellation/interruption benefit. You'll likely have to confirm your test results with a diagnosis from a healthcare provider. Bottom line Travel can be a wonderful experience, but it involves a lot of time, planning and money. Missing a single connection can have a cascade effect that impacts your flight, hotel room, dinner reservations and more. A good travel insurance policy can provide peace of mind so you can focus on your vacation. Compare and find the best life insurance Subscribe to the CNBC Select newsletter! Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here. Meet our experts At CNBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority. For this story, we interviewed Beth Godlin, president of Aon, which provides custom travel insurance for tour operators, cruise lines, travel websites and others. We also spoke with former Squaremouth Megan Moncrief and Allianz communications director Daniel Durazo. Why trust CNBC Select? At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every insurance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date. For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, click here. Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/05/apple-supplier-foxconn-posts-9percent-fall-in-first-quarter-revenue.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Apple supplier Foxconn posts 9% fall in first-quarter revenue, sees growth ahead

Pictured here is a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou city on Sept. 4, 2021. Apple iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on Friday posted a dip of 9.6% in revenue for the first quarter of 2024, compared with the same period last year. The company, which trades as Hon Hai Precision Industry in Taiwan, recorded first-quarter revenue of 1.32 trillion New Taiwan dollars ($41.2 billion), which was also 28.58% lower compared with the fourth quarter of last year. It was also below economists' expectations in a poll by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv. The company still expects revenue to grow in the second quarter, despite noting that it "remains a traditional off-peak season." Foxconn shares were down 1.4% by the market close in Taiwan on Friday, before the release of the company's figures at 15:30 p.m. local Taiwan time.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/05/buy-rated-stocks-on-friday-in-clude-apple-netflix.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Netflix, Marvell, Ollie's, Snowflake, Eli Lilly, Krispy Kreme & more

Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Friday: Pivotal reiterates Netflix as buy Pivotal raised its price target on the stock to a Street high of $765 per share from $700. "We are raising our YE'24 NFLX target price $65 to a street-high $765 driven primarily by a combo of higher '24 and beyond subscriber/ARPU forecasts." Bank of America reiterates Marvell as buy Bank of America said it's bullish heading into the AI company's chip event next week. "We expect MRVL to showcase its broad-range of computing, electro-optics, networking and custom-chip design assets at its Accelerated Infrastructure For The AI Era Event" scheduled for 10-12am ET in NY on April-11." Bernstein reiterates Apple as market perform Bernstein said in a note on Friday that it wonders whether consumers will spend on the iPhone 16. "We are more constructive on Apple given its recent underperformance (~21% YTD), our belief that the iPhone 16 could be cyclically stronger, and that Apple's long-term growth story remains intact." Loop upgrading Ollie's to buy from hold Loop said shares of the discount retailer are cheap. "We are upgrading Ollie's Bargain Outlet to a Buy from a Hold rating while raising our price target to $90 from $80, implying 26% upside from current levels." Bernstein upgrades Natera to outperform from market perform Bernstein said in its upgrade of Natera that the genetic testing company has margin upside. "We believe the company's gross margin trajectory is underappreciated." Mizuho reiterates Amazon as a top pick Mizuho said it's bullish on Amazon's cloud services division, Amazon Web Services. "As a result, we are incrementally confident about AWS revenue acceleration into FY24, and we maintain AMZN as our Top Pick with a $230 PT." RBC upgrades Eaton to outperform from sector perform RBC said the electrical equipment company is well positioned. "Although we missed its sizeable run in 2023, we believe ETN shares are still well positioned in the array of multi-year secular tailwinds driving the ongoing electrical super-cycle." Wells Fargo double upgrades Cinemark to overweight from underweight Wells said in its upgrade of the movie theater company that "movies are back!" "We're double upgrading CNK to OW on better tentpole performance, the de-risking of '24 and growing conviction on '25." Piper Sandler upgrades Krispy Kreme to overweight from neutral Piper upgraded the stock following the company's announcement that its donuts would be sold in McDonald's. "Following last week's announcement of a national partnership with MCD, we are upgrading shares of DNUT to Overweight, up from our previous rating of Neutral." JPMorgan reiterates Eli Lilly as overweight JPMorgan said it's bullish heading into earnings on April 30. "More broadly on the story, LLY remains one of our favorite names in the group as we see further upside to Street estimates as Mounjaro continues to ramp and Zepbound fully launches as well as a number of additional incretin datapoints ahead." Stifel upgrades Agilent Technologies to buy from hold Stifel said the lab tech company is attractive. "Responses from our biopharma survey suggest some good 2H acceleration in instrument demand, which — along with a few less-than-bullish data points on consumables side — has increased A's relative attractiveness." Wells Fargo downgrades Altice USA to underweight from equal weight Wells downgraded the cable company due to concerns about M & A. "We think Cable trends remain difficult. ATUS is in the cross-hairs while M & A is less likely than what's priced in. We cut our price target from $2 to $1, still giving ATUS the highest multiple in Cable as optionality. We downgrade to Underweight." Pivotal reiterates Spotify as buy Pivotal raised its price target on Spotify to a Street high of $390 per share from $330. "We are raising our already Street High $330 YE'24 target price $60 to $390 driven primarily by higher premium and to a lesser extent ad supported ARPU forecasts." BMO upgrades Royal Bank to outperform from market perform BMO said it's bullish on shares of the Canadian bank. "With an increase in our target forward P/E valuation multiple for the Canadian bank index we are at the same time increasing our target price on RY from $140 to $150 and upgrading our investment recommendation on the name to Outperform from Market Perform." Rosenblatt upgrades Snowflake to buy from neutral Rosenblatt said in its upgrade of the stock that "consumer interest remains high." "We recently attended a customer event in Toronto, along with several hundred regional customers, partners, and prospects who are considering moving to Snowflake." Jefferies adds Pepsi to the franchise picks list Jefferies said it sees opportunity internationally for Pepsi and raised its price target to $209 per share from $199. "The potential abroad is not fully priced in given the unwavering focus on the Frito slowdown — creating an enhanced buying opportunity. Adding to Franchise Picks list and raising PT to $209." KBW upgrades SoFI to market perform from underperform KBW said the risk/reward is improving for SoFi shares. "Shares have declined 24% YTD, coming down near our updated price target, and while we continue to have questions about the sustainability of earnings/capital over the long-term, we believe the share price decline and recent capital raise remove much of the risk of negative catalysts to investors over the near-term." Daiwa reiterates Tesla as neutral Daiwa lowered its price target on the stock to $180 per share from $195 following first-quarter delivery numbers. " Tesla reported 1Q:24 deliveries of 386,810 and production of 433,371 units. The delivery numbers were significantly below our estimates of around 425,000 units." KBW upgrades First Horizon to outperform from market perform KBW said the regional bank is a "stock to own in a higher-for-longer [rate] environment." "An asset-sensitive balance sheet and promotional deposit rates that are now repricing lower make FHN a stock to own in a higher-for-longer environment — KBW's view for some time and one that the market is now coming around to." Seaport upgrades Fox to buy from neutral Seaport said in its upgrade of the stock that it sees "ratings momentum." "Reasons for the upgrade: cyclically strong (and possibly new record) Presidential election ad spending is coming soon; certain Fox News ratings and direct-response advertising challenges are behind it; sports programming continues solid ratings momentum." Wells Fargo upgrades Public Storage to overweight from equal weight Wells said the storage company is "best positioned" in its group. "We upgrade PSA to Overweight (from Equal Weight) as our top idea in storage, based on our view that it's best-positioned to navigate an uncertain housing and demand environment, with industry-leading growth metrics likely to sustain through 2024." Rosenblatt upgrades Western Digital to buy from neutral Rosenblatt said in its upgrade of the stock that it sees memory prices increasing. "We are upgrading WDC from Neutral to Buy based on strengthening NAND Flash prices." Citi downgrades Enphase to neutral from buy and Plug Power to sell from neutral Citi downgraded Enphase due to weakening solar trends. The firm also downgraded Plug Power, seeing "limited corporate liquidity." "We are downgrading ENPH to Neutral/High Risk and PLUG to Sell/High Risk. In residential solar, our app data indicates trends are weaker sequentially in the U.S., but better in EU where we have increased confidence in channel normalization." Monness Crespi Hardt upgrades American Express to buy from neutral Monness said investors should buy the dip in shares of American Express. "We like the setup after the sell-off yesterday and going into 1Q24 print @ 16.5x our C24 P/E and potential for positive revisions to medium term guidance during its Investor Day on April 30th." Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Krispy Kreme.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/why-the-government-wants-to-rearrange-your-apple-wallet.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Why the government wants to rearrange your Apple Wallet

In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Nurphoto | Getty Images The Department of Justice's landmark antitrust case against Apple could affect how consumers pay for everything from coffee to clothes. In their nearly 90-page suit filed last week, state and federal prosecutors say that Apple's alleged monopoly over the smartphone market extends to its handling of digital payments. As more people tap their phone screens at retail registers and pay for e-commerce purchases through wallet apps, the iPhone's features for consumers and policies toward developers create an unfair advantage for Apple, the DOJ claims. The tech giant rejects that view and has vowed to contest the government's allegations in court — a process that will likely entail years of legal wrangling. But with the nature of smartphone transactions in play, here's what could eventually change if prosecutors get everything they want. More wallet apps Antitrust enforcers want to give smartphone users more options and control over how they pay with their devices. Apple currently restricts outside developers from creating their own digital wallets. The Justice Department argues that the policy limits users' payment options and traps them within the Apple Wallet, the iPhone app that lets users load their debit and credit cards onto their devices. Authorities want to allow developers and banks to create wallet apps of their own that could operate on both Apple's iOS platform and rival ones like Android. That would let users transition more seamlessly to non-Apple devices, the suit says, because users could take their digital wallets and financial data with them — potentially spurring greater competition to develop better consumer financial apps and features. The lawsuit also challenges Apple's practice of charging banks up to 15% for credit card transactions on Apple Pay, its digital payments platform, arguing that the fees cut into lenders' ability to invest in improving the mobile banking experience. More from NBC News: Federal watchdog to examine DOJ law enforcement task forces after NBC News report Jamaica pulls U.S. boys from troubled teen school after allegations they were abused Guns found at Sean 'Diddy' Combs' L.A. and Miami properties during federal searches, sources say In digital payments and elsewhere, Apple has argued its successes were won fair and square, attested by its huge, loyal customer base. A spokesperson pointed to the statement the company released following the DOJ lawsuit, highlighting Apple's product design that it said emphasizes privacy, security and seamlessness. The antitrust suit "threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets," the company said. "If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect." Tap-to-pay in more places The battle over Apple's digital payments has also put a spotlight on contactless transactions, the method of paying at restaurants and retailers that has become a fixture of consumers' brick-and-mortar spending. As part of its restrictions on third parties, Apple limits developers' access to the iPhone's near-field communication (NFC) capabilities, the technology that enables the frictionless experience users enjoy with Apple Pay. The DOJ wants Apple to release its hold on NFC, which the agency says would result in a "proliferation of other payment apps" to compete with Apple Pay. "It's increasingly an important way that we transact," said Matt Platkins, the attorney general of New Jersey, one of 15 states and Washington, D.C., that joined the DOJ's case and the state where authorities filed the suit. "And yet Apple has decided to prohibit you from using it, except on their specific wallet, which is only available on an iPhone." "All of that is hurting consumers," Platkin said, "and limiting their choices in ways that we think violates the law." Some of the changes U.S. prosecutors are seeking have already been won in the European Union, where regulators successfully pushed Apple to allow third-party developers direct access to the iPhone's NFC functionality. That was the only E.U. case mentioned in the DOJ's sprawling suit. "It is not an accident that iPhone users can only use one type of digital wallet to tap to pay," said Adam Rust, director of financial services at the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group. "Apple did not invent the near-field-communication technology that powers tap-to-pay, but they are trying to use its iPhone platform to be the exclusive provider for it in digital wallets inside its ecosystem." Despite its concessions on NFC access in other parts of the world, Apple has said it remains concerned about users' security under that approach. Stiffer competition for other digital banking products

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/08/buy-stocks-on-monday-like-nvidia.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Amazon, Take-Two, BJ's, Dell, Disney, Broadcom, Apple & more

Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Monday: Morgan Stanley reiterates Amazon as a top pick Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock to $215 per share from $200. "New 'cost to serve' model highlights material upside to retail profit and gives us increased confidence in AMZN's ability to deliver $100bn+ of '26 EBIT and $10-11 of '26 FCF/share." Jefferies initiates Norfolk Southern as buy Jefferies said it sees margin upside for the railroad company. "We like CP and NSC for idiosyncratic growth (CP) and margin (NSC) stories." Piper Sandler upgrades Fastly to overweight from neutral Piper said investors should buy the dip in shares of the cloud-computing company. "Following a 30% YTD pullback, we are upgrading shares of FSLY from Neutral to OW with a $16 PT based on 3.5x CY25E Sales." JPMorgan upgrades GE Vernova to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said investors should buy the dip in the stock. "We are upgrading GEV to Overweight from Neutral. The stock has pulled back 14% since the April 2 spin, we believe largely owing to technical/flowback selling, and is now trading at a discount to our YE24 price target of $141 introduced in our recent initiation." Loop upgrades Ulta to buy from hold Loop said investors should buy the dip in shares of the stock. "We believe last week's selloff was well overdone, particularly given the extremely difficult comparison Ulta Beauty is facing in F1Q 2024." Goldman Sachs upgrades BJ's to buy from neutral Goldman said it sees earnings upside for the warehouse retailer. "We are upgrading BJ to Buy from Neutral with an updated 12-month price target of $87, as we see earnings upside driven by a better top-line outlook with the return of volume growth in grocery and solid inflation support along with greater customer engagement likely in general merchandise categories amid an improving consumer backdrop and the company's assortment refresh." Deutsche Bank reinstates Broadcom as buy Deutsche said it sees a slew of positive catalysts for the stock. "We are reinstating coverage of AVGO with a buy rating and a new price target of $1,500." Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said a Tesla Model 2 won't be as big a boon to the company as investors think. "The upshot is that the Model 2 will invariably be a huge boost to Tesla - but perhaps not as big as investors believe." Wolfe downgrades Eaton to underperform from peer perform Wolfe downgraded the electrical company mainly on valuation. " ETN continues to outperform. Perhaps not quite a tulip mania, but the valuation is becoming ever more de-coupled from fundamentals." Citi upgrades Take-Two to buy from neutral Citi said it sees an attractive risk/reward for the video game company. "We are upgrading Take-Two from Neutral to Buy and raising our target price from $170 to $200." Needham initiates D-Wave Quantum Needham said it's bullish on shares of the quantum-computing company. "We are initiating D-Wave Quantum with a Buy rating and have established a $2.50 price target. D-Wave is a pure-play quantum computing company that targets commercial applications with a unique quantum annealing technology. " JPMorgan reiterates Netflix as overweight JPMorgan raised its price target on the stock to $650 per share from $610 heading into earnings on April 18. " Netflix shares have significantly outperformed YTD — up +31% vs. the SPX +9% — and are 8% from the all-time highs of November 2021." KeyBanc reiterates Nvidia as overweight Key raised its price target on the stock to $1,200 per share from $1,100. "We view implications for our latest cloud tracker as moderately positive for NVDA and neutral for AMD, ARM, and INTC." Oppenheimer reiterates Meta as outperform Oppenheimer said it sees AI upside for Meta shares. "Increasing estimates and target to $585 (from $525) as AI driving revenue upside." Oppenheimer reiterates Alphabet as outperform Oppenheimer raised its price target on the stock to $185 per share from $172. "Following our ~1K person survey on Search/AI user behavior, we think GOOG shares remain attractive ahead of 1Q results and potential Gemini update at May Google I/O event given derisked model, discount to NASDAQ, and mixed/bearish investor sentiment." Citi reiterates Chipotle as buy Citi raised its price target on the stock to $3,358 per share from $3,016 ahead of earnings later this month. "We expect a top-line beat and encouraging commentary regarding momentum through the quarter, which, combined with a ramping benefit from thruput initiatives as CMG moves into its busier season..." JPMorgan adds PVH to the focus list JPMorgan added the stock to its focus list following a series of meetings with PVH management. "We hosted CEO Stefan Larsson, EVP & CFO Zac Coughlin, and SVP of Investor Relations Sheryl Freeman for group meetings." Evercore ISI reiterates Disney as outperform Evercore said it's sticking with its outperform rating on Disney shares. "We are increasing our price target from $115 to $130 to reflect an 18% premium to the S & P 500 on calendar 2024E EPS of $5.11 (+5% ahead of consensus)." Susquehanna upgrades Transocean to positive from neutral Susquehanna said it's getting bullish on shares of the oil field services company. "We also upgraded RIG to Positive as the offshore, ultra-deepwater market has rising demand, supply constraints, and pricing momentum." Cantor Fitzgerald upgrades Applied Materials to overweight from neutral Cantor said in its upgrade of the semiconductor company that it has a "clear path to share gains." "Adding AMAT (OW, PT $260) to Top Picks." Cantor Fitzgerald names Nvidia a top pick Cantor said Nvidia continues to be an AI winner. "AI momentum remains strong and should drive another solid beat and raise." Bank of America upgrades Huntington Bancshares to buy from neutral Bank of America says the regional bank is "well positioned." "Upgrade rating on Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) to Buy from Neutral. We view HBAN as well positioned to navigate multiple macro-economic outcomes." BTIG initiates Outset Medical as buy BTIG said the dialysis company is well positioned. " Outset Medical (OM) markets a pioneering dialysis system, Tablo, that can be used in both acute and home dialysis settings to address an $11.4B U.S. TAM [total addressable market]." Truist upgrades Sealed Air to buy from neutral Truist said in its upgrade of the stock that it has a compelling valuation. "We upgrade SEE to Buy from Hold and increase our price target to $44 from $39 given the company's growth potential once transitory headwinds abate, and ongoing portfolio rightsizing and cost savings initiatives, forthcoming operational improvements, and attractive valuation." Citi resumes SoFi as buy Citi resumed coverage of SoFi with a buy and said it sees "business diversification." "We resume coverage after a period of Rating Suspended with a Buy/High Risk (1H) rating and target price of $11." Melius reiterates Dell as buy Melius says Dell is "gaining ground" in the AI wars. "Still a Buy on AI - Dell is Gaining Ground." KeyBanc reiterates Apple as sector weight Key said its survey checks show iPhone demand remains "soft" for Apple shares. "Results from our iPhone carrier survey and Key First Look Data results reflect soft iPhone demand."

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/28/apples-bad-quarter-and-what-history-says-will-happen-next.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Apple's bad quarter and what history says will happen next

Apple is wrapping up a rough quarter, but history and Wall Street analysis show there is reason to expect a bounce ahead. The technology giant has dropped more than 4% in March alone, bringing its first-quarter loss to nearly 10%. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has climbed almost 2% in March and above 9% during the three-month period. But that underperformance could come to an end. Apple shares have typically risen following a quarter that ends down at least 10%, according to CNBC Pro data. Wall Street consensus forecasts imply the stock could be in for a bounce. The stock has struggled after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the company last week. In what is expected to be a landmark antitrust case, regulators said Apple has created a monopoly within the smartphone market. AAPL 3M mountain Apple over the last three months That added to investor jitters seen earlier in the quarter after iPhone demand was called into question as the Chinese economy struggles. In fact, Counterpoint Research found iPhone sales there dropped 24% in the first six weeks of 2024. Concerns about long-term demand for the Vision Pro have heightened worries around interest for products. Elsewhere, the stock appears to have missed much of the hype given to competitors for their artificial intelligence plans. Now, market participants appear to be waiting for clues or announcements on the topic, with many expecting news during Apple's developers conference in June. 'Best bought on weakness' Despite the tough period, Wall Street sees reason for optimism ahead. Nearly 2 out of every 5 analysts rate the stock a buy, with the average price target implying a bounce of more than 15%, according to FactSet. Mahoney Asset Management CEO Ken Mahoney acknowledged that Apple was a "controversial" pick given its recent challenges. But Mahoney said the stock could once again test all-time highs — which would require a gain of about 18% — if it can enter the AI space and find ways to monetize. A sell-off should actually be viewed as a good entry point, he added. Apple "is a stock best bought on weakness in general as they probably have the best, or one of the best management teams in the world," Mahoney said. "It is not a trade for the faint of heart and needs a longer time horizon, but certainly, this is not a company that is going away any time soon." Melius Research analyst Ben Reitzes is even more bullish, expecting the stock to rally almost 27% and notch a new record at $220. That target is based on a multiple of 30 times the firm's per-share earnings estimate of $7.35 for the full 2026 year. Similar to Mahoney, Reitzes said his outlook depends in part on the company's ability to meaningfully break into the AI space, something he is hoping to see information on at the developers conference . "This target multiple places Apple at a modest premium to elite consumer products companies, who lack Apple's installed base, recurring revenue and AI upside long-term," Reitzes wrote to clients Monday. "Apple needs to do a lot to get there — like stabilize China and get through the challenges to growth overall in C1H24. However, if it can deliver a new narrative in AI, we still think it can more than make up for many obstacles." Until the June conference, he said Apple leaders "deserve the benefit of the doubt." Others anticipate a more muted gain. Following the Justice Department news, HSBC analyst Nicolas Cote-Colisson kept his hold rating and target price of $180, which implies an upside of just under 4%. Good historical indicators History can also provide justification for bullishness on the stock. After quarters over the past 20 years when Apple dropped at least 10%, the stock gained around 10% on average in the following three-month period. Apple was positive in nine of the 14 quarters analyzed by CNBC Pro. In the median quarter following the losing one, shares jumped more than 14%. These quarters show a wide range of potential outcomes. After the stock lost more than 11% in the second quarter of 2025, shares came roaring back to life with a rally of more than 45%. On the other hand, the final quarter of 2008 brought a sell-off of nearly 25%, only adding to the dive of more than 32% seen during the preceding three-month period. — CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/25/eu-launches-probe-into-meta-apple-and-alphabet-under-sweeping-new-tech-law.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

EU launches probe into Meta, Apple and Alphabet under sweeping new tech law

In this article META GOOGL AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now The European Union on Monday began an investigation into Apple , Alphabet and Meta , in its first probe under the sweeping new Digital Markets Act tech legislation. "Today, the Commission has opened non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into Alphabet's rules on steering in Google Play and self-preferencing on Google Search, Apple's rules on steering in the App Store and the choice screen for Safari and Meta's 'pay or consent model,'" the European Commission said in a statement. The first two probes focus on Alphabet and Apple and relate to so-called anti-steering rules. Under the DMA, tech firms are not allowed to block businesses from telling their users about cheaper options for their products or about subscriptions outside of an app store. "The way that Apple and Alphabet's implemented the DMA rules on anti-steering seems to be at odds with the letter of the law. Apple and Alphabet will still charge various recurring fees, and still limit steering," the EU's competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, said during a news conference Monday. Apple has already fallen foul of the EU's rules. This month, the company was fined 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion) after the European Commission said it found that Apple had applied restrictions on app developers that prevented them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app. In a third inquiry, the commission said it is investigating whether Apple has complied with its DMA obligations to ensure that users can easily uninstall apps on iOS and change default settings. The probe also focuses on whether Apple is actively prompting users with choices to allow them to change default services on iOS, such as for the web browser or search engine. The commission said that it is "concerned that Apple's measures, including the design of the web browser choice screen, may be preventing users from truly exercising their choice of services within the Apple ecosystem." Apple said it believes it is in compliance with the DMA. "We're confident our plan complies with the DMA, and we'll continue to constructively engage with the European Commission as they conduct their investigations. Teams across Apple have created a wide range of new developer capabilities, features, and tools to comply with the regulation," an Apple spokesperson told CNBC on Monday. The fourth probe targets Alphabet, as the European Commission looks into whether the firm's display of Google search results "may lead to self-preferencing in relation to Google's," other services such as Google Shopping, over similar rival offerings. "To comply with the Digital Markets Act, we have made significant changes to the way our services operate in Europe," Oliver Bethell, director of competition at Alphabet, said in a statement. "We have engaged with the European Commission, stakeholders and third parties in dozens of events over the past year to receive and respond to feedback, and to balance conflicting needs within the ecosystem. We will continue to defend our approach in the coming months." Alphabet pointed to a blog post from earlier this month, wherein the company outlined some of those changes — including giving Android phone users the option to easily change their default search engine and browser, as well as making it easier for people to see comparison sites in areas like shopping or flights in Google searches. Meta investigation The fifth and final investigation focuses on Meta and its so-called pay and consent model. Last year, Meta introduced an ad-free subscription model for Facebook and Instagram in Europe. The commission is looking into whether offering the subscription model without ads or making users consent to terms and conditions for the free service is in violation of the DMA. "The Commission is concerned that the binary choice imposed by Meta's 'pay or consent' model may not provide a real alternative in case users do not consent, thereby not achieving the objective of preventing the accumulation of personal data by gatekeepers." Thierry Breton, the EU's internal market commissioner, said during the news conference that there should be "free alternative options" offered by Meta for its services that are "less personalized." "Gatekeepers" is a label for large tech firms that are required to comply with the DMA in the EU. "We will continue to use all available tools, should any gatekeeper try to circumvent or undermine the obligations of the DMA," Vestager said. Meta said subscriptions are a common business model across various industries. "Subscriptions as an alternative to advertising are a well-established business model across many industries, and we designed Subscription for No Ads to address several overlapping regulatory obligations, including the DMA. We will continue to engage constructively with the Commission," a Meta spokesperson told CNBC on Monday. Tech giants at risk of fines

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/26/apple-announces-wwdc-2024-ai-announcements-expected.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Apple announces its big annual conference, where it could reveal its AI strategy

Apple on Tuesday announced that its annual developers conference, WWDC, will take place June 10 through June 14. The conference will be livestreamed on Apple's website, although the company is inviting some software makers to its campus on the first day to "celebrate in person," Apple said. At this year's conference, Apple could reveal its long-awaited artificial intelligence strategy and consumer features. In February, Cook said Apple was "investing significantly" in AI and teased an AI-related announcement "later this year" that many analysts believe will come at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple typically reveals the latest versions of its iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV software at WWDC via a "keynote" video on the first day, led by CEO Tim Cook and other Apple staff, which is also streamed on YouTube. At some past conferences, the company has also revealed new professional-oriented hardware, such as Mac laptops. At this year's conference, Apple also plans to reveal the first major software update to the Vision Pro, the virtual reality headset it launched earlier this year.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/26/apple-could-double-down-on-china-market-wedbush-says-as-iphone-sales-drop.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Apple could double down on China market, Wedbush says, as iPhone sales drop

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 21: Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., arrives for opening ceremony of the new Apple Jing'an store on March 21, 2024 in Shanghai, China. The new Apple store opens on March 21 in Shanghai's Jing'an district. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Apple could double down on the China smartphone market amid declining iPhone sales and stiff competition in the country, Wedbush Securities said on Monday. Apple needs to overcome its China challenges including a tough macro environment and competition from Huawei before the iPhone 16 release and "it all starts with reaffirming Apple's presence in China," Wedbush said. China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday and said his country holds opportunities for Apple as well as other companies, and asked the iPhone maker to keep building its business in China for "shared development," according to a press statement. Cook said China was a crucial supply chain partner for Apple and the company plans to increase investment in the country in the long term, the statement said. Last week, Cook opened Apple's newest flagship store in Shanghai on Thursday and met with key suppliers in China, according to media reports. He also attended the China Development Forum in Beijing, as China seeks to woo foreign investors amid regulatory and global uncertainties. Cook's latest trip to China, which Wedbush said is "a sign Apple could double down" on China, comes amid reports of iPhone sales in China plunging 24% in the first six weeks of 2024.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/10/stock-market-today-live-updates.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

S&P 500 closes higher in rebound from inflation-fueled sell-off; Apple and Nvidia pop: Live updates

A host of "Magnificent Seven" members rallied. Nvidia jumped 4.1%. Amazon added 1.7% and hit an all-time high in the session, and Alphabet gained more than 2%. Apple popped 4.3% after Bloomberg News reported that the company would transition its Mac product line to artificial intelligence-focused chips. The iPhone maker registered its best day since May 2023. Technology stocks lifted the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite into positive territory midday Thursday as investors bought into the dip from earlier in the week. The S&P 500 gained 0.74% to close at 5,199.06. The Nasdaq Composite added 1.68% to end the day at 16,442.20, a record level. The Dow Jones Industrial Average underperformed and slipped 2.43 points, or 0.01%, at 38,459.08. The S&P 500 jumped and the Nasdaq Composite closed at a record Thursday as tech shares climbed higher, rebounding from an earlier pullback over concerns of persistent inflation. The Dow is on pace to end the week lower by 1.1%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 trimmed its earlier losses following a hot CPI report, and it is down just 0.1% week to date. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 1.2% for the week. The producer price index reading for March came in below estimates, providing some relief after Wednesday's sell-off on a hot consumer prices report. "The inflation data are noisy, and the market reflects that reality. There are clear signs of disinflation in lots of places, but the last mile of the inflation fight is going to be the most difficult," said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group, referring to the Federal Reserve's ultimate goal of reaching 2% inflation. Meanwhile, New York Fed President John Williams said during an event Thursday that there is no need for a policy change in the near term. This comes on the back of a hotter-than-expected March consumer price index reading released Wednesday, which sparked a market sell-off. Minutes from the Fed's meeting last month also showed that some officials remain concerned about inflation's path toward the central bank's 2% goal. The early stages of earnings season continued Thursday, with CarMax falling more than 9% after disappointing on both top and bottom lines. Big bank earnings from JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are due on Friday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/27/the-china-tour-is-a-failing-playbook-for-apple-tim-cook-and-every-ceo.html

AAPL

Apple Inc.

Op-ed: Why an all-smiles China visit from Apple's Tim Cook isn't good business

In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT watch now There's been a recent uptick in U.S. CEOs making treks to China in search of favor and foothold. This ritual, epitomized by high-profile engagements — such as Apple CEO Tim Cook's effusive overtures and statements of commitments to China — signals that American corporate titans think the strategy can still work. It won't. It's a strategic play drawn from an antiquated playbook. In an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment — especially for tech companies caught in a high stakes rivalry between the U.S. and China — showering praise on China makes some sense. The approach is rooted in a history of success. For decades, the formula seemed straightforward: show up, show respect, and pledge high investment in China, and in return, hope to gain access to the perceived vast markets and manufacturing prowess. Tim Cook's recent sojourn in China, including pledges of increased investment and the expansion of research and development facilities, exemplify this tried and tested strategy. Tim Cook's narrative of China as "critical" to Apple , coupled with his admiration for the country's advanced manufacturing capabilities, embodies the ethos of this engagement playbook. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook attends the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 24, 2024. Pedro Pardo | AFP | Getty Images Boeing was a previous example. During a different era when China needed Boeing, and Boeing was not bedeviled by the current set of problems, its CEOs engaged with China frequently helping to secure significant aircraft orders. A pivotal moment came in 2011, when then-CEO Jim McNerney visited China, leading to substantial deals for Boeing that touched off a massive race for orders between Boeing and Airbus. That trip underscored how impactful and important high-level CEO engagements used to be in fostering long-term business relationships and deals in China. Volkswagen's venture into China in the early 1980s, establishing its first joint venture, is another hallmark of successful engagement. The strategic move not only granted Volkswagen a first-mover advantage but also set a precedent for foreign direct investment in China, demonstrating the potential benefits of early and often CEO engagement in those days. But the approach has run its course. It is no longer fit for purpose in an era of intense bilateral economic competition, geopolitical tensions, technological rivalries, and a profound reshaping of the global economic landscape. CEOs who continue to bet on this strategy should expect diminishing marginal returns, particularly under Xi Jinping's leadership. Loading chart... Despite frequent high-level visits and engagements, tech companies like Qualcomm have faced increasing regulatory challenges and fines in China, underscoring the limits of corporate diplomacy, particularly for the technology sector. It can be argued that the turning point came long ago, with Google's high-profile exit from China in 2010, despite previous attempts by its CEOs to engage with Chinese authorities. The challenges faced by Google underscore the complexities of operating in China under its stringent regulatory environment, regardless of adroit high-level CEO diplomacy. The Facebook case is particularly instructive. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg went to notable lengths to court China, demonstrating a willingness to engage deeply with Chinese culture and business practices. He learned Mandarin and used it to communicate during public appearances and meetings in China. He was photographed jogging through Tiananmen Square in Beijing. These actions were part of a broader strategy to make Facebook palatable to Chinese authorities and gain entry into the lucrative Chinese market. But despite Zuckerberg's concerted efforts, Facebook remains blocked in China, with the Great Firewall preventing access to the platform. The Chinese government's stringent control over the internet and social media, coupled with its push to support domestic social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat, created a nearly insurmountable barrier. In this environment, Tim Cook's attempts to pull out all the stops will not be rewarded over the long-term. It's not that the Apple CEO is doing anything wrong. He is executing textbook corporate diplomacy. The problem is that in this environment, not only does China have concerns about Western tech and Western companies, but the China of today also has formidable options to replace foreign companies with its own champions. That makes the playbook a limited impact one for advancing the interests of foreign businesses over the long-term, given how much has changed since Volkswagen and Boeing and others pioneered the high-flying CEO visit to China strategy. Despite Cook's efforts, Apple faces declining sales in China, a testament to the growing domestic competition, security concerns about foreign hardware and software, and an increasingly nationalistic and patriotic Chinese consumers. The resurgence of domestic champions like Huawei, buoyed by the new nationalistic fervor and government support, illustrates a market increasingly resistant to foreign dominance. Apple's Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook (R) and Senior Vice President of Retail Deirdre O'Brien open the doors during the opening of Shanghai's new Apple retail store in Shanghai on March 21, 2024. Chinese Apple superfans jostled to enter the smartphone maker's newest store as it opened on March 21 night. Strstr | Afp | Getty Images Strategic alignment with China's market and technological ambitions risks ensnaring companies in the crossfires of the escalating trade and technology wars between the U.S. and China. This battleground, marked by efforts to control emerging technologies with potential military applications, presents a perilous terrain for companies caught between nationalistic policies and their own global market aspirations. Xi is determined to remake China's market dynamics but also to win the struggle for technological supremacy. The pride associated with domestic achievements in technology, exemplified by Huawei's breakthroughs and the global reach of platforms like TikTok, AliExpress, and Shein, underscores a burgeoning sentiment of economic and technological nationalism. This landscape poses a stark challenge for foreign firms attempting to maintain, grow or align themselves with China's economic and technological future growth while also maintaining favor with their own governments, markets, and domestic consumers. While it's tempting to interpret China's latest round of outreach to foreign CEOs and foreign investors as a fundamental shift in viewpoint by the Chinese leadership, it is more accurately a tactical adaptation in response to current economic challenges, not a reversal of Xi Jinping's long-term strategic goals. The emphasis on national security and self-sufficiency, especially in critical strategic sectors, remains paramount. What we're observing is a pragmatic short-term adjustment rather than a significant "Great Pivot" in China's overarching approach. In this context, the continued reliance on old strategies reveals not just a failure to adapt but a potential underestimation of the shifting dynamics at play. CEOs visiting China, while aiming to secure their companies' futures, must recognize the dual reality of opportunity and obsolescence. The approach needs a recalibration: a blend of strategic engagement with China combined with rigorous de-risking and diversification efforts. This strategy acknowledges the potential benefits of the Chinese market while preparing for the volatilities, uncertainties, and increased competition by China's own companies and global brands. If these CEOs must travel, then engagements with Chinese leadership, including Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, should transcend the exclusive pursuit of favorable press and glittery narratives, and should instead include time for a hard-nosed discussion about concrete policies, policy clarifications in a highly muddled policy environment, and above all press for actions that safeguard foreign business interests. This dialogue is crucial, not just for immediate operational clarity but as a foundational step towards a more resilient and adaptive strategy.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/16/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-smci-dbx-dash-dkng-and-more.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Super Micro Computer, Dropbox, DoorDash and more

Check out the companies making headlines in premarket trading. Dropbox — Shares of the cloud storage company pulled back nearly 13% after the company issued lower-than-expected first-quarter revenue guidance. Dropbox now forecasts revenue in the range of $627 million to $630 million, while analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $632.5 million. Ingersoll Rand — Shares climbed nearly 6% before the opening bell after the industrial products company beat Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom lines in the fourth quarter. Ingersoll reported earnings of 86 cents per share, excluding items, on revenue of $1.82 billion, while analysts polled by FactSet forecast 77 cents in earnings per share and $1.77 billion in revenue. Vulcan Materials — Stock in the construction materials company climbed more than 2% after fourth-quarter earnings were better than expected. Vulcan earned $1.46 per share, after adjustments, while analysts polled by FactSet expected $1.40. Toast — Shares soared nearly 8% in premarket trading after fourth-quarter results surpassed Wall Street estimates on the top and bottom lines. The company also announced plans for a $250 million share repurchase, and said it planned to lay off 550 employees . Applied Materials — Shares gained about 12% after the semiconductor production equipment company's fiscal first-quarter results were above consensus estimates, and it issued higher-than-expected revenue guidance for the second quarter. Applied Materials estimates second-quarter revenue of roughly $6.5 billion compared with estimates from analysts polled by FactSet, which called for $6.34 billion. Roku — Shares pulled back 17% after the streaming services company reported a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss of 55 cents per share. Analysts polled by LSEG, formerly Refinitiv, forecast a loss of 52 cents per share. Roku issued an optimistic first-quarter revenue forecast that was above analysts' estimates. Trade Desk — Shares skyrocketed more than 18% after the company beat revenue estimates in the fourth quarter and issued higher-than-expected first-quarter guidance. The firm estimates sales will be $478 million, outpacing LSEG estimates of $452 million. DraftKings — Shares dropped 1% after the sports betting company missed the top and bottom lines for the fourth quarter. DraftKings reported a loss of 10 cents per share, while analysts polled by LSEG estimated a profit of 8 cents per share. Revenue was $1.23 billion, slightly below the $1.24 billion consensus estimate. DoorDash — Stock in the food delivery company fell nearly 8% after reporting a larger loss in the fourth quarter than analysts expected. DoorDash reported a loss of 39 cents per share while analysts polled by LSEG called for a loss of 16 cents. The company beat revenue estimates and authorized a share repurchase program worth $1.1 billion. Coinbase — The crypto brokerage stock surged 15% after a surprise profit in the fourth quarter. Coinbase earned $1.04 per share on $954 million of revenue for the final three months of 2023. Analysts surveyed by LSEG were expecting a loss of 1 cent per share on $822 million on revenue. Super Micro Computer — Shares jumped more than 6%. Wells Fargo initiated coverage of the information technology stock with an equal weight rating, saying that the artificial intelligence momentum will continue for Super Micro, though it expects the upside may already be priced in. The rating comes one day after Bank of America initiated coverage of the hot stock with a buy rating and a $1,040 price target. Shares are up 253% this year. It closed Thursday at $1,004.00. Wayfair — The online furniture retailer's stock popped as much as 4.7% on the back of an upgrade to strong buy from market perform at Raymond James. The firm said Wayfair should be nearing a demand bottom, while cost cutting should help its cash flow. — CNBC's Sarah Min, Michelle Fox, Jesse Pound and Alex Harring contributed reporting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/31/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-walgreens-blackberry-applied-materials-more.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Walgreens, BlackBerry, Applied Materials & more

Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Walgreens — The drugstore company's shares rose 6.7% after beating analysts' expectations for its quarterly earnings. Walgreens earned $1.40 per share, topping estimates by 29 cents, according to Refinitiv. Walgreens also said it has administered 8 million Covid-19 vaccines so far and hiked its 2021 profit forecast. BlackBerry — Shares of the communications software company tumbled more than 9% following a quarterly revenue miss amid lower demand for the company's QNX care software. However, BlackBerry adjusted quarterly earnings of 3 cents per share, which matched Refinitiv's estimate. Applied Materials , Lam Research — Applied Materials climbed 5% and Lam Research popped nearly 4% after Bernstein initiated coverage on both stocks with an outperform rating. "Over the longer term we believe semiconductor capital equipment is likely to be extremely structurally advantaged, with growth trends in the underlying semi market likely to remain positive over the long term, and with a strong case to be made for semiconductor capital intensity to continue evolving higher over time...," the firm wrote in a note to clients. Bernstein's price forecast for Applied Materials and Lam Research are $160 and $700, respectively. Harley-Davidson — The motorcycle stock jumped 6.3% after investment firm Baird upgraded the stock to outperform from neutral. Baird said in a note to clients that it was bullish on retail demand for the company and believed that there were inventory shortages at dealers. Chewy — The pet supply retailer's stock jumped more than 7% after the company reported a surprise profit fir its latest quarter. Chewy reported earnings of of 5 cents per share, compared to expectations of a 10 cents per share loss, according to Refinitiv. Revenue also topped estimates as stuck-at-home consumers increased their orders of pet products. Tilray , Canopy Growth, Aphria , Aurora Cannabis — Several stocks of cannabis companies gained on Wednesday after New York passed a bill to approve the recreational use of marijuana. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill today. Tilray rose 4.5% and Canopy Growth gained 2.3%. Aphria climbed 5.5%, and Aurora Cannabis added 4.2%. Cleveland-Cliffs — The steel producer's shares surged nearly 15% in midday trading after it announced preliminary results for the quarter that ends today. The projected earnings for the quarter and the full year are well above current Wall Street projections. Apple — Apple shares rose about 2.8% in midday trading after UBS upgraded the stock to a buy rating from a neutral rating and said it expects more stable long-term iPhone demand and stronger average sales prices. The brokerage hiked its price target on Apple shares to $142 from $115, implying 18% upside from Tuesday's close. – CNBC's Maggie Fitzgerald, Jesse Pound, Pippa Stevens, and Yun Li contributed reporting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/11/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-coin-pdd-duol.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Coinbase, PDD Holdings, Duolingo and more

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Crypto stocks — Stocks connected to cryptocurrencies rose as Bitcoin hit a fresh record high and topped $71,000. Coinbase and Microstrategy rose about 6% and 8%, respectively. Marathon Digital also rose 6%. PDD Holdings — U.S.-listed shares of the Chinese ecommerce company added 4.5% following an upgrade by Jefferies to buy. Concerns about geopolitics risks are now priced in and Temu should continue to gain market share, Jefferies said. Duolingo — Duolingo shares rose more than 1% after JPMorgan initiated coverage of the online learning platform with an overweight rating, citing expectations for "premium" revenue growth. Xcel Energy ­— Xcel Energy shares added‎ about 2%. Barclays upgraded the natural gas company to overweight, highlighting the attractive discount for shares and a "catalyst path" ahead.‏ Nvidia — The chipmaker fell about 1%, building on its more than 5% loss from Friday's session. That was its biggest one-day loss since May 2023. New York Community Bancorp — Shares of the regional bank ticked up 1% in premarket trading. This comes after a decline of more than 6% on Friday as the stock continues volatile trading after a billion dollar capital raise last week. Netflix — Shares of the streaming giant rose about 1% in the premarket after Oppenheimer raised its price target, calling for nearly 20% upside going forward. The firm said Netflix's dominance will "continue, given its clear advantage in producing high-engagement content." Applied Materials — The semiconductor manufacturer raised its quarterly dividend by 25% to 40 cents per share from 32 cents per share. Shares were down 0.6%, however. Procter & Gamble — Shares of the consumer goods maker rose slightly after an upgrade to buy from hold by Truist. The firm said Procter's China business is starting to show signs of improving. — CNBC's Jesse Pound and Michelle Fox contributed reporting

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/19/applied-materials-shares-jump-after-guidance-tops-expectations.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Applied Materials shares jump after guidance tops expectations

Applied Materials forecast current-quarter revenue and profit far above analysts' estimates as the company benefits from demand for newer technology to make displays and smartphone memory chips. Shares of the world's largest supplier of tools used to make semiconductors rose 5.7 percent to $29.25 in after-hours trading on Thursday. On Friday, the stock hit a 15-year high in intraday trading and ended the day about 7 percent higher. The rising popularity of mobile devices has fueled demand and investments in 3D NAND memory chips, which can store data without using up power. "We are in the best position as the market goes forward in ramping 3D NAND," Chief Executive Gary Dickerson said in an interview. Orders in its semiconductor systems business, Applied Materials's biggest, rose 10.4 percent in the third quarter ended July 31.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/09/here-are-stocks-reporting-earnings-next-week-that-have-the-wind-at-their-back-.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Here are stocks reporting earnings next week that have the wind at their back

Analysts are boosting earnings estimates on a collection of stocks set to report quarterly results next week, which could signal strong momentum ahead. Fourth-quarter earnings have so far been better-than-expected, with technology stocks including Meta Platforms and Amazon outperforming analyst estimates and helping lift the S & P 500 to a new all-time highs. But a narrow focus on megacap tech stocks as part of a push to invest in the benefits of artificial intelligence has also limited the number of stocks participating in the rally. Still, some companies set to report quarterly results next week are also seeing analysts increase their profit forecasts, adding potential momentum to those companies' stock performance. CNBC Pro screened FactSet data for companies reporting quarterly results next week that meet the following criteria: Five or more upwardly revised earnings per share estimates in the past three months EPS estimates trended higher in past three months Higher analysts' consensus price target in past three months Reflecting better sentiment from analysts, semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials , for example, has seen 17 upwardly revised EPS estimates in the past three months ahead of quarterly results scheduled for Feb. 15. EPS estimates have increased by about 4% on average over the same time period. AMAT YTD mountain Applied Materials stock. Shares have climbed more more than 7% since the start of the year and hit a fresh 52-week high on Jan. 25. Raymond James recently reiterated an outperform rating on Applied Materials, with analyst Srini Pajjuri forecasting rising demand this year for wafer fab equipment, machines used in the production of semiconductors, setting "the stage for a multi-year cyclical recovery." Akamai Technologies also made the screen. The cloud security stock has climbed almost 7% from the start of the year, and average analyst EPS estimates have increased by more than 3% over the last three months, with 17 analysts increasing their earnings forecasts over the same span. Akamai is set to report quarterly results on Feb. 13. Akamai stock hit a new 52-week high on Thursday. AKAM 1Y mountain Akamai Technologies stock. Piper Sandler named Akamai a top pick among cloud security stocks for the year ahead, with analyst James Fish adding that the company will still find growth opportunities even if interest rates stay higher for longer in 2024. Other names that made the screening cut include Howmet Aerospace and New York utility Consolidated Edison .

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/04/cramer-lightning-round-applied-materials-is-the-stock-to-watch.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Cramer's lightning round: Applied Materials 'is the stock to watch'

British American Tobacco : "I don't recommend tobacco stocks." Nano Dimension : "Everyone loves 3D because Cathie Wood loves 3D. If Cathie Wood loves 3D, then I love 3D." Service Corporation International : "You can't invest in taxes, you can't invest in death. This is SCI. I think it's a good stock. Always have." Generac : "That was an unbelievable quarter. They shot the lights out and I am a big believer of Generac and have been for ages." UFP Industries : "It's right up there with Home Depot , it's right up there with Lowe's , I'm putting it up there with Trex and with Azek . It's just a good company and you've got horse sense, and so do your kids." II-VI : "I think you've got a good idea." Applied Materials : "This is the stock to watch because they reported an unbelievable quarter. One of the best quarters in the world ... I think this stock is going to make a stand at about $118 and at that price, buy." Fast Acquisition : "I have to do more work." Standard Motor Products : "I've always liked them. I like automotive. I don't understand why this stock has been stalled because automotive is so strong." Baidu : "I like Alibaba. I can endorse going to Baidu because the stock is down so much. I don't know how much more they can throw at the darned thing."

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/03/25/traders-betting-big-on-applied-materials.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Traders betting big on Applied Materials

The big bets on Applied Materials continue. On Tuesday, shares of the chipmaker were down just 0.3 percent. But options in Applied Materials saw enormous activity. By the early afternoon, some 170,000 calls traded—five times its average daily volume. In fact, the stock's options trailed only Apple and Facebook in volume for the day. In one transaction that caught the eye of many traders, an investor bet over $1 million that Applied Materials would rally 25 percent in the next three months. Specifically, the buyer purchased a call spread, buying 25,000 June 27-strike calls and selling an equal amount of the June 30-strike calls at a price of 46 cents each. Since each contract controls 100 shares, the total notional value of the transaction was around $1.15 million. "That's a trade that could potentially be worth more than $6 million if Applied Materials got to that $30 upper strike price by June expiration," said CNBC contributor Mike Khouw. A call is a bullish wager giving its purchaser the right to buy a stock at a specific price on a given date.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/19/cramer-the-feds-rate-hikes-did-little-to-slow-our-robust-economy.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Let's accept it: The Fed's rate hikes did little to slow this roaring economy

Can't stop won't stop? OK, you will never confuse me for a rapper, but those are the four words that describe this economy right now. And as we walk into retail earnings hell — a period where too many retailers report all at once and the comparisons become odiously confusing, starting with Walmart and Home Depot before the bell on Tuesday — I have to marvel that there is no discernible let-up in spending across most areas. There are a couple of ways to measure things. First, we can just look at some of the companies that reported late this past week: Applied Materials, DraftKings, DoorDash, Toast, and The Trade Desk. Second, we can examine the cacophony of 52-week highs that stick out like a dazzling neon shouting "Gangbusters." So let's do both. Let's start with Toast , a remarkable company with a client roster of 106,000 restaurants, up 34% from a year ago, almost all providing annual recurring revenue. The cloud-based restaurant management software company is going after the big chains, like Caribou Coffee, and winning. It is also winning small- and medium-sized businesses — perhaps more than 30% of that market, although having been in this business I have no idea how that share is calculated. I have not been a fan of this company because of its losses and its inability to pivot to profit. Restaurants can also switch to a competitor pretty easily. But the company announced on Thursday that it will lay off 10% of its workforce, so the pivot is now here. Most surprising, however, is the strength of restaurant formation right now, which makes the ascent of Toast so obvious. When an economy is in full-blown retreat, this is a segment that gets decked. Now it's easy to get a read-through when you consider the earnings progression of companies that support restaurants like Ecolab , Cintas , and Sysco (Cintas CEO Todd Schneider joined me on "Mad Money" in late December, while Sysco CEO Kevin Hourican was on in late January). Their results can tell you how much growth there has been across a vast panoply of operations. But Toast is discretionary, and therefore a sight to be seen. I know people panned the DoorDash quarter, but from the point of view of revenues (27% growth) and not profits it shows me that people are willing to spend even more money to not go out. You have to add the DoorDash numbers to the Toast numbers to see the strength of the go-out and go-in parts of the economy. The numbers are so daunting that it's hard to see them slowing down. The Trade Desk plies its technology in the trillion-dollar ad market and its 23% sales growth in the fourth quarter demonstrates that companies are accelerating their marketing spend, something that they almost always cut back on if they are hurting. As a result, The Trade Desk can be viewed as both a barometer of e-commerce and the temperature of connected TV, which can only be described as boiling. It's not easy to read into the 64% growth in revenue from DraftKings as there are always fresh states and fresh markets for online gambling. Suffice it to say that gambling may be the most excessive spending imaginable unless, of course, you bet against the Philadelphia Eagles for the last six games of this NFL season — a painful annuity stream. Perhaps the most absurdly positive numbers came from Applied Materials , which makes the machines that make DRAM and NAND flash chips used for tons of devices not necessary if you are cutting back. The company's better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results and strong second-quarter numbers signal that the inventory glut that came from excess personal computers and other Best Buy kinds of consumer tech items is now history. Talk about things you do not need. When I say not need, I am not saying that we have become profligate, although with "buy now, pay later" we have discovered a hidden sense of profligacy. I am just saying that the Federal Reserve does not have a handle on how overheated this economy has become. A random walk down the new 52-week-high list confirms this, with 53 stocks in the S & P 500 hitting that milestone on Friday alone. That included Simon Property Group , the national mall company with barely any vacancies and at full-price leases, and Ralph Lauren , which jumped 30 points on an earnings surprise. That was some quarter from Ralph, but in truth so were the last two quarters — this one was just better received on the Street. Costco hit a new high last week, too: That's been the juggernaut in retail the whole way. As did Walmart. There aren't a lot of individual retailers on the new high list. We may see Rite Aid in bankruptcy. We may wonder about the liquidity of Big Lots . But neither of these chains is in a Simon Property indoor mall, where the occupancy rate is 96%-98%. But Children's Place ? It was in trouble for about a day and then Reuters reported that a Saudi family scooped in and bought 54% and that was that. The financing is now there. It wouldn't be if we were at the murderous portion of a tightening cycle. New fintech is flagging, but old fintech is zooming. We can tell this from the incredible performances of Mastercard and American Express , the latter finally silencing all doubters with its multiple-year double-digit projections. The credit card company was always capable of making those rosy forecasts but had been reluctant to do so. The fact that it did now says it all. Remember the drivers of American Express were two-fold: solvency and spending, with the latter heavily geared to dining out. Travel was almost as strong. In case you thought that Applied Materials was alone, KLA and Lam Research once again hit new highs. You need these companies for all sorts of semiconductor chips and Lam has some very good technology that goes with Nvidia's supercomputer. That group seems unstoppable. Waste Management makes the list and people may not realize this, but the biggest source of waste comes from construction, particularly home construction. The company had an excellent quarter, which means people believe we are still going to be in growth mode for new planned unit developments. We have so many scaremongers out there when it comes to commercial real estate — I keep thinking of the imprudent comments by Starwood Capital Group CEO Barry Sternlicht about $1 trillion of losses on office properties — but then how in the heck is the stock of elevator company Otis on the list. Sure, a big part of the company's business is service. There's also a China component. However, we already know that China's construction has crashed. Instead, it's a sign that smaller buildings may be using Otis. The fact is that buildings are being built, and while commercial real estate may be a danger zone, it's not for lack of demand, it may be for lack of useable supply. Meanwhile, just in case you were concerned that the trillions of dollars earmarked by the U.S. government for infrastructure are running out, you see Eaton , Emerson , Dover , Cummins, and the ubiquitous Parker-Hannifin all made new highs last week too. Over the many years working in this business, I was schooled and taught to trust the aggregate data. Here's what I learned: following the aggregate data is like being a fan. Studying the actual numbers is what a professional can do. All of the new companies make being a pro harder, so you have to work even more — even when it's a drag to monitor Toast sign-ups, Uber rides, or DoorDash deliveries. When you look at the mosaic from the bottom up, it shows that we have an economy that has not been dented by higher interest rates. That's not because auto sales haven't slowed down. They have. It's not because housing hasn't slowed down. It has. It's not because spending on goods hasn't slowed down. It has. But nothing has slowed down enough to make a difference when it comes to inflation. A home price plus a mortgage is about where it's been the whole time. Dining out, traveling, hotels — none of it has come down and some prices are still going up. Very few salaries have kept up with inflation and now we have anywhere from eight to ten million immigrants that are either part of the labor force or receiving government assistance. The former keeps wages down and the latter keeps inflation up, as housed immigrants drive up rent rates, which are in the consumer price index. So let's just cut to the chase. There is only one way to keep inflation lower and that's through layoffs. There are all sorts of stories about tech layoffs. Those are almost all one-off though and you aren't going to see those people on breadlines. We know that there have been some fintech layoffs but amazingly we have not seen large-scale shutdowns. Private companies that want to go public will be able to or will be kept on life support until they can. It's why I like Morgan Stanley now as much as I like Wells Fargo , if not more. Morgan Stanley stands to gain once the IPO market picks up. Still, so many people delude themselves into thinking about a June rate cut, as they once believed there would be a cut in March or May. I have been adamant that this economy isn't too strong, but it also isn't slowing. And if slowing is what it takes to bring rate cuts, then you know the only thing that will slow it is higher, if not much higher, unemployment. The obvious issue is the lack of any sort of rigor or even homework to justify why rate cuts should occur. What would they do other than cause inflation to flood right back in? I sure wish that the Fed had never made its statement it was done raising rates for now — even though it precipitated one heck of a rally. For now a simple "let's wait and see" from the central bank without mentioning cuts this year would be a better state of play than the current one. Hanging on every cutting word from the Fed is a noose for this market. I will change my mind when a company like Children's Place has no suitors and the lots of homes are empty. Until then we have to accept that the reason why earnings season has been so bountiful is that we have an amazingly robust — not just resilient — economy and rate hikes have done next to nothing to change things. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. A customer shops at a Costco store in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2023. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-apple-alphabet-applied-materials.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Apple, Alphabet, Applied Materials

Chinese customers look at iphones at the official opening of the new Apple Store in the Sanlitun shopping area on July 17, 2020 in Beijing, China. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL) - Apple and Alphabet's Google unit are being sued by Epic Games, the developer of the popular videogame Fortnite, after both removed Fortnite from their app stores. Both claim that Epic violated guidelines regarding in-app purchases to avoid fees. Separately, Apple is on watch after coming close to a $2 trillion valuation in Thursday's trading. Apple hit a high of $464.17, coming close to the $467.77 level needed to hit that $2 trillion mark. Applied Materials (AMAT) – Applied Materials reported adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.06 per share, 11 cents above estimates, while the maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment also saw revenue beat Wall Street forecasts. Applied Materials also gave an upbeat current-quarter forecast amid rebounding demand. Baidu (BIDU) - Baidu beat estimates on the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter, but the Chinese search-engine giant's shares are under pressure on news that its video streaming service iQIYI (IQ) is the subject of an SEC investigation. The SEC is seeking financial records dating to the beginning of 2018 as well as documents relating to various acquisitions and investments. CureVac (CVAC) – CureVac will begin trading on the Nasdaq today after selling 13.33 million shares at $16 per share in its initial public offering, valuing the company at about $2.8 billion. The German biotech company is among those using messenger RNA technology to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. DraftKings (DKNG) – The online-sports-betting company reported a quarterly loss of 55 cents per share, compared to a consensus loss estimate of 19 cents per share. However, revenue and its forecast for current-quarter revenue are both above Wall Street forecasts. DraftKings said its results were strong during the second quarter as it dealt with a limited sports calendar. AutoZone (AZO) – AutoZone announced plans to hire more than 20,000 U.S. employees. The auto-parts seller is taking the action in response to rebounding demand from both retail and commercial customers. Tesla (TSLA) – Tesla was upgraded by Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas to "equal weight" from "underweight." He also upped his opinion on the automaker's stock based on growth prospects for Tesla building an electric vehicle battery supply business. Ventas (VTR) – Ventas was upgraded to "outperform" from "sector perform" at RBC Capital, which points to improving trends for senior housing. Ventas is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates senior housing and health care properties. Citigroup (C) – Citi mistakenly paid $900 million to lenders of cosmetics maker Revlon (REV) by mistake, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the bank is now asking for the money to be returned, saying it was paid inadvertently due to a clerical error. Farfetch (FTCH) – The London-based, online luxury fashion retailer lost an adjusted 24 cents per share for its fiscal first quarter, smaller than the 33 cent loss anticipated by analysts. Revenue also exceeded estimates, although the company did say that pandemic-related "uncertainties" could materially impact its future performance. Myriad Genetics (MYGN) – The molecular diagnostics company posted an adjusted quarterly loss of 31 cents per share, compared to consensus estimates of a 47 cent loss, though revenue was slightly below analyst forecasts. Myriad said testing volumes at the end of the quarter increased to about 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Dillard's (DDS) – The department store operated reported a much smaller than expected quarterly loss, although revenue was short of Street forecasts. Dillard's said inventory and cost control measures helped boost profit margins and that it would maintain the same conservative fiscal approach moving forward.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-palantir-applied-materials-deere-more.html

AMAT

Applied Materials

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Palantir, Applied Materials, Deere & more

The logo of U.S. software company Palantir Technologies is seen in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2020. Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Applied Materials — Shares of the chipmaker jumped more than 7% after Applied Materials beat estimates during the fourth quarter and issued upbeat comments for the current quarter. "We've seen a continued acceleration of demand in our semiconductor business as major macro and industry trends fuel increasing consumption of silicon across a wide range of markets and applications," Gary Dickerson, president and CEO, said in a statement. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF gained more than 2%. Deere — The agricultural machinery stock jumped more than 10% after Deere easily topped expectations for its fiscal first quarter. The company reported per-share earnings of $3.87 on $8.05 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting $2.14 per share and $7.22 billion in revenue. Deere's net sales from its equipment unit were up 23% year over year. Roku — Roku rose 3.8% in midday trading after it reported a quarterly per-share profit of 49 cents, compared to consensus forecasts of a 6 cents per share loss. The streaming video device maker's sales numbers also topped forecasts with a 58% surge as consumers stuck at home during the pandemic. Dropbox — Shares of Dropbox fell close to 2.5% around noontime in New York as better-than-expected earnings failed to offset underwhelming guidance. Profit came in 4 cents a share ahead of estimates, with quarterly earnings of 28 cents per share. Still, the company forecast full-year revenue below analysts' estimates. Palantir Technologies — Palantir rallied nearly 13% on Friday after investor Cathie Wood, whose picks have proved lucrative over the last year, said that she upped her bets on the data company. Wood's Ark Innovation fund bought more than 5.2 million shares on Thursday, meaning that the holding is about 0.5% of its total weight. Planet Fitness — Shares of the gym chain slipped more than 2.3% after Planet Fitness' fourth-quarter earnings came in short of expectations. The company reported 17 cents in adjusted earnings per share, below the 23 cents per share expected by analysts, according to FactSet. Revenue was down 30% year over year. — CNBC's Pippa Stevens and Jesse Pound contributed reporting. Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/09/goldman-sachs-buy-shares-of-freyr-lea-and-others-to-cash-in-on-evs.html

APTV

Aptiv

Goldman Sachs reveals the stocks set to benefit from an EV boom, giving one over 100% upside

Shares of legacy automakers and parts manufacturers will attract new investors as they transition toward electric vehicles and green technologies, according to Goldman Sachs. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds have thus far mostly shunned such companies in favor of new electric automakers, according to Goldman — but it's a trend the Wall Street bank expects to reverse this year. This means that as the traditional auto companies grow their share of income from new carbon-neutral technologies, they're likely to be gradually reclassified and included in ESG funds. The investment bank said the pace of transition toward net zero has been boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Biden administration last year. The tax incentives available under the law make manufacturing in the United States more profitable than it would have been. "Recent commentary from corporates supports our bullish view that the Inflation Reduction Act will be a catalyst for acceleration in Green Capex and benefit stocks through the supply chain," said Goldman Sachs analysts in a note to clients on Jan. 3. The bank identified the following buy-rated stocks in the electric vehicles sector it expects to benefit from the trend: According to Goldman, U.S.-listed Norweigian battery maker Freyr has the biggest upside potential. The company has previously announced plans to expand into the United States to take advantage of the benefits of the IRA. As a result, the bank expects the company's stock to rise by 116% to $19 over the next 12 months. Also among Goldman's picks are Lear Corp and Visteon . The two companies manufacture electrical products such as "infotainment" systems for vehicles of all types. The Wall Street bank believes such stocks will begin attracting ESG investors as an increasing proportion of their parts are used in electric vehicles. Shares of Visteon rose by 17% last year, and Goldman expects the stock to rise a further 15% to $160 in the next 12 months. VC 1Y line The chart shows shares of Visteon rose by 17% in 2022 The investment bank also said legacy automakers such as General Motors would see growing interest from ESG investors as they manufacture an increasing number of electric vehicles. Last year, Detroit-based General Motors said it expects profits from electric vehicles to be in-line with cars and trucks with traditional engines by 2025 — years earlier than expected. The company also reclaimed its title as America's top automaker after a 2.5% jump in sales last year. Goldman Sachs expects GM's stock to rise by 20% over the next 12 months and reverse some of last's year 44% decline. According to Goldman, companies that manufacture battery sensors and vehicle connectivity such as TE Connectivity , Sensata Technologies and Aptiv are also expected to see growing interest from investors. — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/28/here-comes-the-biggest-week-of-earnings-plus-an-ai-ode-to-the-dow.html

APTV

Aptiv

Here comes the biggest week of earnings. Plus an AI ode to the Dow

Jobs. Fed decision. Earnings galore. The week ahead has it all. First, the fourth-quarter reports. While only six companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are reporting next week, about 20% of the S & P 500 reports, making it the biggest week of earnings this season. It's also the Club's biggest week. We'll hear from more than one-third of Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust portfolio — 13 companies — including a whopping nine on Thursday alone, the busiest single day of this season. Obviously, the numbers matter, but we'll also pay close attention to what the management teams have to say about 2023 and beyond in their conference calls with analysts and investors. ( Microsoft 's (MSFT) release on Tuesday this week offered further validation for doing this kind of homework, which also happens to be one of Jim Cramer's long-held investing principles : Wait until the analyst conference call before making a trade.) Here's the schedule for our Club stocks: Tuesday: Caterpillar (CAT) before the opening bell; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) after the closing bell Wednesday: Humana (HUM) before bell; Meta Platforms (META) after the bell Thursday: Eli Lilly (LLY), Estee Lauder (EL), and Honeywell (HON) before the bell; Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL), Qualcomm (QCOM), Starbucks (SBUX), and Ford (F) after the closing bell On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates another 25-basis points at its policy meeting on Jan. 31-Feb. 1. This move is already priced into the market. The big question is what comes next. Expectations are building that the central bank, led by Chair Jerome Powell, could pause its rate-lifting policy this spring. The Fed raised the federal funds rate seven times in 2022 to the current range of 4.25%-4.5%, its highest since December 2007. Lastly, the nonfarm payrolls report on Friday will garner the most attention of the current slate of macroeconomic reports , especially as it relates to wage inflation and unemployment rates. We'd likely need to see another month of moderating wage growth to confirm the Fed's softer stance. Here are some other earnings reports and economic numbers to watch in the week ahead: Monday, Jan. 30 Before the bell: Franklin Resources (BEN), Royal Philips (PHG), SoFi (SOFI) After the bell: NXP Semi (NXPI), Whirlpool (WHR), Principal Financial (PFG), J & J Snack (JJSF), Graco (GGG) Tuesday, Jan. 31 Before the bell: AO Smith (AOS), Corning (GLW), Dover (DOV), Exxon (XOM), General Motors (GM), International Paper (IP), ManpowerGroup (MAN), Marathon Petrol (MPC), McDonalds (MCD), MSCI (MSCI), Oshkosh (OSK), Pentair (PNR), Pfizer (PFE), Phillips 66 (PSX), Polaris (PII), Sensata Tech (ST), Spotify (SPOT), SYSCO (SYY), United Parcel Services (UPS) After the bell: Amdocs (DOX), Amgen (AMGN), Canadian Pacific (CP), Chubb Corp (CB), Edwards Lifesciences (EW), Electronic Arts (EA), Mondelez (MDLZ), Match Group (MTCH), National Instruments (NATI), Snap (SNAP), Western Digital (WDC) Wednesday, Feb. 1 Before the bell: Altria (MO), AmerisourceBergen (ABC), Boston Scientific (BSX), Enterprise Products (EPD), Fortive (FTV), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), IDEX Corp (IEX), Johnson Controls (JCI), Novartis (NVS), Otis (OTIS), Peloton (PTON), T-Mobile (TMUS), Thermo Fisher (TMO), WM (WM), Westrock (WRK) After the bell: AFLAC (AFL), Allstate (ALL), American Financial (AFG), Align Tech (ALGN), CH Robinson (CHRW), Corteva (CTVA), elf Beauty (ELF), Hologic (HOLX), McKesson (MCK), NETGEAR (NETG), Murphy USA (MUSA), Qorvo (QRVO) 8:15 a.m. ET: ADP Employment Report 10:00 a.m. ET: ISM Manufacturing 2:00 p.m. ET: FOMC Meeting Thursday, Feb. 2 Before the bell: Air Products (APD), Aptiv (APTV), Arrow Electric (ARW), Ball Corp (BALL), Becton Dickinson (BDX), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Canada Goose (GOOS), Cardinal Health (CAH), ConocoPhillips (COP), Ferrari (RACE), HanesBrands (HBI), Harley-Davidson (HOG), Illinois Tool Works (ITW), LEAR (LEA), Merck (MRK), Parker-Hannifin (PH), Penn National (PENN), Snap-On (SNA), Sony (SONY), Stanley Black & Decker (SWK), WWE (WWE) After the bell: Atlassian (TEAM), Boyd Gaming (BYD), Cirrus Logic (CRUS), Clorox (CLX), Cognizant Tech (CTSH), Deckers (DECK), Reinsurance Group (RGA), Skechers (SKX), US Steel (X) 8:30 a.m. ET: Initial Claims 10:00 a.m. ET: Factory Orders Friday, Feb. 3 Before the bell: Santander (SAN), CBOE Global (CBOE), CIGNA (CI), LyondellBasell (LYB), Regeneron (REGN), Sanofi (SNY), Church & Dwight (CHD) 8:30 a.m. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls 10:00 a.m. ET: ISM Services Looking back It was solid week for stocks, with all the major averages finishing in the black. The Dow and the S & P 500 gained 2.2% and 2.9% this week, respectively, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 4.7%. All three are also up for the month of January so far, led by the Nasdaq's 11.5% return. On Thursday, initial jobless claims for the week ended Jan. 21 came in at 186,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the prior week and below the expected 205,000. Also on Thursday, the Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew by 2.9% in the fourth quarter on an annual basis, slightly ahead of expectations but below the 3.2% expansion seen in the third quarter. New home sales were reported to have risen 2.3% month-on-month in December (-26.6% annually) to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 616,000, ahead of the 612,000 SAAR expected. Under the hood, the consumer discretionary sector was the top performer, up 6.38%, its best weekly performance since July 2022. Health care was the worst performer, down -0.89%. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index remains at the 102 level. Gold is holding in the low-$1,900s per ounce. West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices are hovering at around the $80 per barrel, while the yield on the 10-year Treasury stands at about 3.5%. Within the portfolio, Danaher (DHR), Halliburton , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Microsoft (MSFT) all reported earnings. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Adam Jeffery | CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/28/beware-of-these-stocks-in-your-portfolio-with-the-biggest-china-risks-as-covid-19-protests-erupt-.html

APTV

Aptiv

Beware of these stocks in your portfolio with the biggest China risks as Covid protests erupt

A wave of unrest in China could spell trouble for investors holding stocks with sizeable chunks of revenue exposed to the country. Protests erupted across China over the weekend as citizens pushed back against the country's strict and prolonged zero-Covid protocols . While the shockwaves are just beginning to ripple, a report from Bloomberg said Apple could suffer a shortfall of 6 million iPhone Pro units due to unrest at a Foxconn factory in China. Against this uncertain backdrop, CNBC Pro used FactSet data to screen for stocks in the S & P 500 that have more than 20% revenue exposure to China and could potentially suffer from the turmoil gripping the country. Here are some of the stocks we found: Tesla is the largest company on the list by market capitalization, with more than a quarter of its revenues exposed to China. Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions in China have temporarily halted or limited production at the company's Shanghai factory this year. Despite tumbling about 48% in 2022 amid the market's tech sell-off, shares could rally nearly 59% from Friday's close based on the consensus price target. Chemicals company DuPont de Nemours is also on the list. About 23.5% of the company's revenues are exposed to China. The shares have toppled about 12% since the start of the year as of Friday's close, but are due to rally nearly 11%, according to consensus estimates via FactSet. Another stock in our screen is elevator manufacturer Otis Worldwide , with a little over 20% of revenues exposed to the country. About 36% of analysts say the stock is a buy, with the consensus price target suggesting another 1.3% fall from Friday's closing price after it slumped nearly 10% this year. Many semiconductor stocks such as Intel , Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices also made the list — including Qualcomm , with the highest revenue exposure to China on the list. While many of these companies sell chips to manufacturers to use in products such as phones created in China, these products ultimately end up being sold back in the United States, blurring the line on what their end markets are. Estee Lauder , Cboe Global Markets , auto suppliers Aptiv and BorgWarner , and Corning , which is widely known for providing popular glass used in smartphones and tablets, were also included in the screen.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/04/death-of-the-internal-combustion-engine-cowens-best-stocks-to-play-the-trend.html

APTV

Aptiv

Death of the internal combustion engine — Cowen's best stocks to play the trend

The rules of the road are changing when it comes to what people are driving — or will be driving in the future. For more than 100 years, automobiles have been powered by internal combustion engines. Yet around the globe, consumers are slowly shifting to electric-powered vehicles and countries are putting bans of ICE-based engines into place. So far, 20 have announced such bans, with the earliest going into effect in 2025 in Norway and nine others in 2030, including in the UK, Sweden and Austria, according to a report from Cowen. The firm is now forecasting EV penetration at 21.5% in 2025 and 33.3% in 2030, up from its prior forecast of 9.6% and 25.7%, respectively. The boost was driven largely by Tesla 's continued success, new vehicles from incumbent domestic manufacturers (OEMs) and continued strength in China and Europe, said the firm's senior research analyst, Jeffrey Osborne. This disruption in the mobility space also includes automation, like driverless cars and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications. There are certain sectors and stocks that should benefit from these trends, Osborne said. "We see the shift towards safe, green, and connected vehicles having a profound impact on semiconductors, sensors, and battery materials," he wrote in the report. He sees OEMs evolving toward system solution providers, increased content of semiconductors, sensors and domain controllers/central compute systems being the winning formula and the lithium-ion battery remaining the dominant tech that powers EVs. Here are some of the stocks Cowen believes will be key beneficiaries. Technology and mobility architecture company Aptiv delivers mobility solutions and manufactures components for electrified, software-defined vehicles. Cowen said the company is "well positioned in the growing electrical architecture space as well as with electronic and safety applications." It is also poised to leverage Smart Vehicle Architecture (SVA) programs. The stock is down 37% year to date. Automotive supplier Visteon designs and manufactures electronics and connected solutions for the EV manufacturers. The company is well positioned to participate in the digitization of the cockpit, Cowen said. It is also exposed to consolidation trends within electronic control units and is working on domain controllers for autonomous and ADAS applications, the firm noted. Visteon shares have gained nearly 35 % so far this year. ChargePoint Holdings , an EV charging technology solutions provider, has 64% networked Level 2 charging station market share, excluding Tesla, and a growing EU footprint, Cowen said. The firm sees 33% revenue CAGR (the annualized average rate of revenue growth) through 2030, with gross margins improving to 41%. ChargePoint released third-quarter earnings Thursday that missed expectations, with its adjusted net income at $56 million, versus a StreetAccount estimate of $64.5 million. Its revenue was $125.2 million compared to the $132.2 million expected. Shares of ChargePoint are down nearly 39% year to date. Lithium-ion battery-maker Enovix is a disruptor and has unique architecture in its BrakeFlow technology, Cowen said. "An attractive potential customer list anchors the bull case, with an EV licensing model as the large cherry on top which likely manifests at some point soon via an initial JDA [joint development agreement] with an auto OEM," the report said. Shares have tumbled more than 52% so far this year. Piedmont Lithium , on the other hand, is up more than 15% year to date. The company develops battery-grade lithium hydroxide and other chemicals for EV and battery storage markets. Cowen said Piedmont Lithium has "a uniquely diversified footprint" and "should quickly become one of the largest producers of lithium chemicals in the world." Switzerland-based semiconductor company STMicroelectronics has a powerful portfolio and leadership in the chemical silicon carbide, which is underpinned by its lead customer Tesla, Cowen said. It believes the company is well positioned to benefit from both vehicle electrification and ADAS. Shares of STMicroelectronics are down almost 21% so far this year. Lastly, Israel-based Mobileye Global , which develops and deploys ADAS and autonomous driving systems, has a first-mover advantage in the ADAS market, according to Cowen. "Deep experience designing purpose-built SoCs [system-on-chip applications] and a decade+ of real world driving data support its positioning," the report said. Mobileye debuted on the stock market on Oct. 26 after being spun out of Intel . Shares are up 52% from its IPO price of $21 per share. — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/15/goldman-sachss-top-electric-vehicle-plays-for-2023.html

APTV

Aptiv

Here are Goldman Sachs's top electric vehicle plays for 2023

As investors become increasingly focused on the shift to electric vehicles, Goldman Sachs has a list of stocks aligning with automotive technology trends. Analyst Mark Delaney said he will continue to be "selective" with auto equipment maker names as price and mix will both be headwinds. He also said high interest rates could hurt early stage companies with negative free cash flow when trying to raise capital. "The bottom line is that we continue to believe it will be important for investors to not only navigate choppy cyclical/macro dynamics but also own the auto tech enablers," said Delaney in a Tuesday note to clients. With this in mind, Delaney laid out his top picks for the industry, ranging from electric vehicle makers to component suppliers. All stocks included have buy ratings. Here's some of his list: In addition to naming Tesla a top pick among automakers, he reiterated the company as a buy. But softer anticipated supply and demand prompted Delaney to lower the price target to $235 from $305. The new price target implies an upside of 49.9% over Wednesday's close. The other automaker on the list was General Motors , which Delaney expects to see a smaller upside of 9.5% compared with where it closed Wednesday. The stock has taken less of a hit than Tesla this year, dropping 34.6%, which is better than Tesla's 55.5% tumble. GM said in November it expects profits from electric vehicles to be around equal to gas vehicles by 2025 , which would put the legacy automaker multiple years ahead of its previously set schedule. Mobileye, which focuses on self-driving technology, debuted in October after getting spun out from Intel . The stock has been well liked since its debut, with 80% of analysts rating it a buy, according to FactSet. Delaney's price target of $37 implies an upside of 4.4% from Wednesday's close. Within companies that supply parts or systems directly to carmakers, one of Delaney's favorite stocks is Aptiv . His price target of $121 presents an upside of 25.3% over where it closed Wednesday. But not everyone is as bullish. Last month, Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to equal weight from overweight due to impacts from a slower rollout of electric vehicles. — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/29/automakes-scramble-for-parts-prepare-war-rooms-as-coronavirus-spreads.html

APTV

Aptiv

Automakers are 'scrambling' for parts and preparing war rooms as coronavirus spreads

Cars wait for shipping overseas at Lianyungang Port on February 14, 2019 in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province of China. VCG | Getty Images Automakers are scrambling to find parts and prevent shortages in their supply chains as the spread of the coronavirus rattles markets and threatens to roil manufacturing processes globally. General Motors identified a potential parts shortage and airlifted supplies for its North American truck production, according to United Auto Workers officials. A company spokesman declined to comment on specifics, but confirmed the plants producing the vehicles are operating normally. Fiat Chrysler has said it is seeking alternative suppliers. Others like Toyota Motor and auto suppliers Dana and Aptiv have established teams, task forces and war rooms to closely monitor the COVID-19 epidemic. "Everyone right now is working hard and scrambling to figure out optionality and assessing the risk on which parts are at highest risk," said Razat Gaurav, CEO of supply chain analytics firm Llamasoft. Moody's Investor Service cut its global vehicle sales forecast earlier this week to be down 2.5% in 2020 instead of a 0.9% drop due to the coronavirus. The virus already has taken its toll on automotive stocks. Both GM and Ford Motor shares are down double digits this year, including roughly 12% declines since last week. Even shares of Tesla , which are up 59.7% this year, have fallen 25.9% since Feb. 21. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global health emergency last month. The virus has spread substantially beyond China and is now confirmed in at least 37 countries. There are more than 85,000 confirmed cases, including at least 2,933 deaths. It also has caused financial markets globally to plummet this week, including the Dow falling more than 12% — its biggest weekly percentage loss since 2008. The S&P 500 declined 11.5% and the Nasdaq dropped 10.5% this week. watch now 'Working hard and scrambling' Automotive is a capital intensive industry that attempts to operate without major stockpiles of parts, making it especially vulnerable to the coronavirus' spread beyond China. One kink in the supply chain can cause widespread disruption and can quickly cost millions or billions in lost production, which is why auto companies are hastily searching to find alternative solutions. The analytics firm Llamasoft, according to its CEO Gaurav, has received an influx of calls and requests from customers due to the coronavirus. So much so that it established a "war room" of its own at its headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a "SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) team." Gaurav said about 70% to 80% of the company's clients have been impacted from the coronavirus. The company's clients, according to its website, include the Detroit automakers, Toyota, Boeing and Walmart as well as hundreds of others. Nearly every major automaker and supplier has confirmed they're closely monitoring the situation, while others are going to more drastic measures. watch now "Depending on how long this crisis continues, the extent of impact will start getting exponentially worse," Gaurav said. "In the short-term, it's really about figuring out what those alternatives options and total cost implications of those options." Llamasoft's coronavirus team recently assisted a manufacturer with finding an alternative supplier of brake pads as their supplies were dwindling due to their typical supplier being impacted by the coronavirus. Within 48 hours, the company identified another Chinese supplier and air freighted four weeks worth of the parts to the automaker. Suppliers such as Dana and Aptiv also have created task forces to monitor their supply chains and operations, including precautions for employees. "One opportunity we identified was to engage our global purchasing team to secure respirator masks, which were requested by the government," James Kamsickas, chairman and CEO of Dana, said in an emailed statement to CNBC. "As early as Jan. 27, our team identified suppliers in North America, South America, and Europe." Non-China operations impacted The first production plants outside of China to be impacted by parts shortages were in Japan and South Korea. That meant operations for Nissan Motor , Hyundai Motor , Kia Motors and GM had to temporarily shut down. The problem has since grown to Europe and poses eventual problems for North America. "Based on our industry conversations, we sense growing concern about impact on (North American and European) production, as downtime announcements in these regions from parts shortfalls are likely to represent one of the larger risks to the group over the coming weeks," RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak wrote in a Friday investor note on potential production stoppages. FILE PHOTO: The logo of FIAT carmaker is seen on a vehicle in Cairo, Egypt, May 19, 2019. Picture taken May 19, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo Mohamed Abd El Ghany | Reuters

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/28/top-wall-street-analyst-calls-amazon-apple-tesla-live-nation-.html

APTV

Aptiv

Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Amazon, Apple, DraftKings, Tesla, Live Nation & more

Here are Monday's biggest calls on Wall Street: JPMorgan reiterates Apple as overweight JPMorgan said its survey checks show Apple's iPhone Pro lead times are moderating. "In Week 12 of our Apple Product Availability Tracker, there appear to be further encouraging trends in relation to supply improvement, with lead times for iPhone Pro models moderating in most regions outside of China." Cowen names Raytheon a top 2023 idea Cowen named Raytheon as a top idea for 2023 and said it sees an "aftermarket-driven aero recovery in 2023." "Investors don't fully appreciate likely aftermarket recovery in 2023 or defense lift in 2024-25." Canaccord reiterates Tesla as buy Canaccord said the automaker's release of its full self driving beta software should trigger a "material revenue recognition event in 4Q22." "FSD (full self driving) beta wide release to likely trigger a material revenue recognition event in 4Q22." JPMorgan names Amazon a top idea heading into 2023 JPMorgan said Amazon is the "most diversified mega-cap across revs & profit & has numerous large growth opportunities." "Secular Shift, Favorable Comps, & Increasing Discipline Position AMZN Well into 2023." Jefferies downgrades Twilio to hold from buy Jefferies said in its downgrade of the communications tools and messaging company that it sees "sustained headwinds." " TWLO's stock dove sharply on the updated outlook provided at its Analyst Day. We noted our disappointment then, but took time to reassess our view given the bad news was priced in quickly." JPMorgan upgrades Wynn to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said in its upgrade of Wynn that it sees a Macao recovery and that the stock is not well owned. "We think the theses from here are similar: Macau recovers, still awful/skeptical sentiment improves, and after multiyear underperformance since the pandemic bottom, underperformance reverses and leads to sizable outperformance." JPMorgan downgrades DraftKings to underweight from neutral and Penn to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said in its downgrade of the sports betting companies that investors should rotate out of them right now. "For DKNG, we see a longer runway and more risk to achieving OSB (online sports betting) profitability than its peers and with the stock's bounce since earnings, we see 20% downside to our year-end 2023 price target. For PENN, shares are within reach of our price target and we see it as possessing less upside than either LV Strip-centric and LV Locals centric stocks." Read more about this call here. Morgan Stanley downgrades Aptiv to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley said in its downgrade of the auto tech supplier that it thinks Aptiv will be affected by a slower rollout of electric vehicles. "We reduce our revenue growth and margin forecast to account for trends leading to a faster commoditization of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and a potential slower rollout of EVs." Barclays downgrades Tyson Foods and Beyond Meat to underweight from equal weight Barclays downgraded Tyson and Beyond Meat , noting that feed costs and inflation are having major effects on the industry. "In summary, among our covered companies in 3CQ22, there was a common thread echoed by management during the results calls for each major protein category. Two factors affecting beef currently are feed costs and inflation." Bank of America downgrades Diamondback Energy to underperform from neutral Bank of America said in its downgrade of the stock that it sees a "disconnected" valuation. "Our guiding principles for a business with a finite inventory, and perpetually depleting asset base is that the multiple is the output of a DCF – and that the US oils are equities first, with discount rates being a function of the broader market. This is how we define value. However, we are struck by the fact that Street price targets for FANG have continued to move higher, leaving our valuation disconnected." Morgan Stanley downgrades Williams-Sonoma to underweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said in its downgrade of Williams-Sonoma that "negative revisions are set to begin." "Earnings revisions could turn sharply negative in '23 as the impacts of reversion, recession & normalizing promotions appear underestimated, even at the stock's current discounted valuation. Read more about this call here . Citi upgrades Live Nation to buy from neutral Citi said in its upgrade of the stock that the risk/reward looks more reasonable. "If Live Nation remains a single firm, we believe the shares are worth $90 per share. If Live Nation is forced to split into two firms, we believe the shares are worth $48." Morgan Stanley upgrades Activision Blizzard to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said in its upgrade of Activision Blizzard that it sees a "compelling" risk/reward. "While it is challenging to assess the likelihood that MSFT's proposed acquisition receive regulatory approvals, we believe the risk reward is compelling on a fully standalone basis...with a call option of $95 in cash per share, if and when the MSFT deal closes." JPMorgan downgrades First Solar to neutral from overweight JPMorgan downgraded the solar stock mainly on valuation. "We are downgrading FSLR to Neutral from Overweight given the stock's outperformance since the announcement of the US Inflation Reduction Act." Read more about this call here . JPMorgan removes Ulta from the focus list JPMorgan removed Ulta from its focus list heading into earnings later this week but says the upside is not as big as it once was. "We still see a favorable stock setup into 2023 but the degree of upside isn't as big as it was given it is now at the lower end of the range we called for to end 2023." JPMorgan double upgrades AB InBev to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said in its double upgrade of the owner of Budweiser that it sees balance sheet optionality. "We upgrade Anheuser-Busch InBev to OW from UW with a €/$70 Dec-24 PT, reversing our cautious stance mostly held since 2017 (on volume, margin, and balance sheet concerns) as we now see scope for earnings outperformance and a rapidly deleveraging balance sheet provides optionality." Read more about this call here.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/28/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-apple-draftkings-biogen-williams-sonoma-and-more.html

APTV

Aptiv

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Apple, DraftKings, Biogen, Williams-Sonoma and more

Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday: Apple — Apple shares fell 3.89% following a report that iPhone production could take a big hit due to unrest at a Foxconn factory in China, amid protests in China against the nation's zero-Covid policy. Analysts have expressed concern about recent manufacturing interruptions ahead of the holiday season too. Taboola — Shares of the advertising company surged 43.48% after Taboola announced Yahoo had taken a 25% stake in the company as part of a 30-year agreement, in which Taboola will power native advertising on all Yahoo platforms. Wynn Resorts, Melco Resorts — Shares of casino operators Wynn Resorts and Melco Resorts gained 4.36% and 9.86% respectively, after the Chinese government granted them provisional licenses to continue operating in Macau. Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts also got the licenses, with the former up 1.11% and the latter down 2.27%. DraftKings — Shares dropped 4.23% after JPMorgan downgraded DraftKings to underweight from neutral, saying in a note that the company's competitors are more likely to achieve online sports betting profitability. Biogen — Biogen's stock fell 4.34% after a Science.org report that a woman participating in an experimental Alzheimer's treatment trial, sponsored by Biogen and a Japanese pharma company, recently died from a brain hemorrhage. Tyson Foods , Beyond Meat — Shares of Tyson Foods fell 2.67%, and Beyond Meat slumped 2.44%, after Barclays downgraded both companies to underweight, noting that the worst is yet to come for protein companies. Anheuser-Busch InBev — Shares of the beer giant climbed 2.79% after getting a double upgrade from JPMorgan. Analyst Jared Dinges said Anheuser-Busch InBev will benefit from a resurgence in demand for domestic light beer and the decline in hard seltzer demand in the U.S. First Solar — The solar stock shed 3.39% following a downgrade to neutral from JPMorgan. The bank said shares are due for a breather after rallying more than 150% following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Twilio — Twilio slid 3.69% after the stock was downgraded by Jeffries to hold from buy. The firm said it sees "sustained headwinds" the communications tool and messaging company. Aptiv — Shares fell 3.63% after Morgan Stanley downgraded Aptiv to equal weight from overweight, saying in a note that the automotive technology supplier could get hurt from a slower rollout of electric vehicles. Williams-Sonoma — Shares tumbled 4.84% after Morgan Stanley downgraded the home furnishings stock to underweight, saying shares could fall further as demand weakens in a difficult macro environment. Live Nation Entertainment — Live Nation's stock moved 0.34% higher after it was upgraded to buy from neutral by Citi, which said the risk/reward outlook looks more reasonable. Pinduoduo — Shares of Pinduoduo jumped 12.62% after the e-commerce platform posted third-quarter results that beat analyst expectations. "We continued to deepen our value creation in the third quarter," CEO Lei Chen said. "We will increase our R&D investment to further enhance the supply chain efficiency and agricultural digital inclusion." Energy stocks — Energy stocks dropped after oil prices fell near the year's lows on worry over China demand. Shares of Exxon Mobil lost 3% and Conocophillips dropped 2.34%, while Chevron fell 2.91% and Occidental Petroleum shed 2.92% — CNBC's Carmen Reinicke, Samantha Subin, Tanaya Macheel and Sarah Min contributed reporting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/02/goldman-predicts-humanoid-robots-will-be-a-6-billion-market-in-10-years.html

APTV

Aptiv

Goldman says humanoid robots will be a $6 billion market in 10 years – How to play the growing trend

Robots that work like humans are on the rise, and investors looking to bet on the trend have lots of options to play the growing technology over the next decade, according to Goldman Sachs . The firm estimates that in 10 to 15 years, it's achievable for the humanoid robots market to reach $6 billion and continue to grow from there. In addition, this industry could fill important parts of the job market – it could represent 4% of the U.S. manufacturing labor shortage gap by 2030 and 2% of lack of global elderly care workers by 2035. "Should the hurdles of product design, use case, technology, affordability and wide public acceptance be completely overcome, we envision a market of up to US$154bn by 2035E in a blue-sky scenario (close to that of the global EV market and one-third the global smartphone market as of 2021), which suggests labor shortage issues such as for manufacturing and elderly care can be solved to a large extent," wrote Jacqueline Du in a Nov. 2 note. Robots not new to work Humanoid robot technologies are not new – many low-skilled, repetitive tasks have been replaced by robots – but a continuation of existing applications including industrial robots and autonomous vehicles with more complex integration, according to Du. Forecasting growth in the sector shows that humanoid robots could become a widely adopted terminal device, following only smartphones and electric vehicles, according to Goldman Sachs. At its most recent investor day, Tesla demonstrated its Optimus humanoid robot, and has said it has a goal of shipping millions of the units in the next five to ten years. It also wants to make the robots less expensive than a car. That gives some clues as to the future of humanoid robots, which would likely find their first applications in factories and could be especially valuable if they're able to work up to eight hours a day – previous models have only been able to work one or two hours continuously. Of course, before such machines take over work currently done by humans, there will have to be advances in technology and costs will have to come down to "be competitive with a minimum wage worker's two-year salary," according to the note. This could still be soon on the horizon. "Assuming the technology level will be attained and referencing cost reductions in EV manufacturing historically, our assessment suggests factory applications could be economically viable in 2025E-28E and consumer applications in 2030E-2035E," said Du, adding that the imminent need of filing labor shortage gaps could outweigh this payback consideration from customers. Where investment opportunities lie The firm put together a list of stocks in its coverage universe that could benefit from the trend towards adoption of humanoid robots across a few different areas. Goldman's coverage includes companies from China, Japan, Europe and the U.S. and is not limited to buy-rated stocks. Currently, Goldman Sachs sees the most visible investment opportunity at this stage in motion components, according to the note. This is because there is a more mature supply chain from existing industrial robot and automation applications. There's a long runway of potential growth as well. "In a blue-sky scenario we see a range of 21%-463% in incremental revenue by 2030E vs 2021 actual revenue from existing business for key stocks (Leaderdrive/HDS/Hiwin/THK/Sanhua), while in the base case we see 2%-35%," wrote Du. The firm doesn't recommend any U.S.-listed names in this category. Sensing modules could also benefit and leverage technology from existing advanced driver assistance system supply chains in place. Investors can look to buy stocks such as Aptiv PLC and Magna International to capture this growth, the firm said. "Four primary types of sensors used in ADAS include camera, radar, ultrasonic and lidar. Each sensor has its own advantages and limitations, which is why both humanoid robots and ADAS will employ a combination of them, known as the sensor suite," said Du. There's even more opportunity in the crossover between sensors used in electric and autonomous vehicles and what could be used in humanoid robots. "What's unique in humanoid robots' sensing module is gyroscope/ Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU), to keep the robot's balance," said Du. Low-end IMUs are usually found in vehicles, while high-end ones can sense movement in three dimensional spaces and are used in aerospace. This could include companies such as Raytheon Technologies and Honeywell . Software versus hardware Of course, some of the opportunities that Goldman Sachs sees will take some time to play out. And, it isn't immediately clear if winners in the space will be on the hardware side making robots or the software side, developing the computer systems that run them. "We think it is still unclear in the future whether hardware or software will become the more important aspect of humanoid robots," said Du, adding that cost constraints will force players to find the right balance between the two. "Previous start-ups failed to access the mass market because they couldn't reduce the cost," she said. "Future attempts at humanoid robots will need to decide whether they can reduce the usage of hardware components and let software take on the analytical role."

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/28/stocks-shrugged-off-techs-troubles-as-street-awaits-key-inflation-data.html

APTV

Aptiv

Stocks shrug off tech's troubles as the Street awaits key inflation data next week

The major indexes all posted gains this week despite a Big Tech beatdown, proving the market can rally without its most valuable stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average once again led the way, jumping 828 points on Friday and finishing up 5.7% for the week — its fourth positive week in a row. The Dow is on track for its best month since January 1976 . The S & P 500 rose 3.9% for the week, and the Nasdaq gained 2.2%. Indeed strength in other sectors — only communication services finished down — helped the overall market to shrug off disappointing earnings results from Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta Platforms (META). Alphabet and Meta aren't cutting costs enough. Amazon and Microsoft reported weakening demand for its cloud products. However, the top-line results of these companies still show the economy is chugging along. Alphabet's results fell short of the Street's expectations, but still managed to grow revenue 6% annually off a $65 billion base. Meta Platforms revenue declined 4% annually, but was still better than expectations, and engagement at the core business was largely in line; META initially popped on the release before investors got to the eye-popping expense guide. Microsoft's Azure managed to notch 42% constant currency growth, short of the 43% consensus, but significant growth nonetheless. The same can be said for Amazon's AWS, which advanced 28% annually in constant currency and is now an $82 billion business. ( Apple defied the tech meltdown by beating on the top and bottom lines.) So does that mean the Federal Reserve is just gong to have to clamp down harder? Demand is down, but not enough? Add this week's report on third-quarter GDP into the mix, and you can become a bit more constructive. While the headline print came in better than expected (2.6% annualized versus a 2.3% estimate) the PCE price index fell to 4.2%, down from 7.3% in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the core PCE price index — the Fed's preferred measure of inflation — was 4.5%, down from 4.7% in the prior quarter. The economy showed better-than-expected growth in the third quarter, but the rate of inflation is ticking down. It's also important to remember there is an estimated 12 to 18 month lag between Fed rate adjustments and their impact on the economy. Investors are therefore on watch for a minor pivot from the hawkish commentary we've become accustomed to at next week's FOMC meeting on Nov. 2. (Canada's central bank hiked rates less than expected this week, opting for a 50 basis point hike instead of the expected 75.) To be clear, the market still expects a 75 point hike at next week's meeting and is pricing in a 44% chance for another 75 at the December meeting. The pace of hikes beyond 2022, however, is expected to slow materially and potentially come back down in the back half of 2023. Unfortunately, the Fed meeting is before the nonfarm payrolls report on Friday, Nov. 4. Don't be surprised if the back half of next week has a different personality than the first half. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar index pulled back slightly to the 110 level. Gold is holding at about $1,650 per ounce. WTI crude prices stand at $88 and the yield on the 10-year Treasury is roughly 4%. On Friday, we bought 75 shares of Starbucks (SBUX) and exited our position in AbbVie; The Charitable Trust now owns 750 shares of SBUX, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 2.28% from 2.06%. Looking back We received earnings results from Halliburton (HAL), Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Ford (F), Linde (LIN), Honeywell (HON), Amazon, Apple, and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD). On Wednesday, we learned that new home sales fell 10.9% monthly (down 17.6% annually) in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 603,000. That was better than the expected drop to 593,000. On Thursday, initial jobless claims for the week ending Oct. 22 came in at 217,000, an increase of 3,000 from the prior week and below expectations of 220,000. Also Thursday it was reported that gross domestic product increased 2.6% in the third quarter on an annualized basis, ahead of the 2.3% expected. Perhaps more importantly, headline inflation rose 4.2%, down sharply from 7.3% rate seen in the second quarter. On Friday, it was reported that pending home sales fell 10.2% monthly (down 31% annually) in September, more than the 4% decline expected by the Street. Lastly, personal spending rose 0.6% monthly in September, more than the 0.4% consensus. The core PCE price index increased 5.1% annually (up 0.5% monthly), slightly below the 5.2% expected. What's ahead Earnings kick off next week. Within the portfolio, we will hear from Eli Lilly on Tuesday, before the opening bell; from Advanced Micro Devices and Devon Energy on Tuesday, after the closing bell; from Humana and Estee Lauder on Wednesday, before the opening bell; from Qualcomm on Wednesday, after the closing bell; from Bausch Health Companies on Thursday before the opening bell; and from Starbucks and Coterra Energy on Thursday, after the closing bell; Here are some other earnings reports and economic numbers to watch in the week ahead: Monday, October 31 Before the bell: ON Semiconductor (ON), Global Payments (GPN), Alliance Resources (ARLP), CNA Financial (CNA), XPO Logi (XPO) After the bell: NXP Semiconductor (NXPI), Avis Budget (CAR), Goodyear Tire (GT), Arista (ANET), American Water Works (AWK), Trex (TREX), Hologic (HOLX), AFLAC (ALF), Vornado (VNO) Tuesday, November 1 Before the bell: SONY (SONY), SoFi (SOFI), Uber (UBER), BP (BP), Marathon Petrol (MPC), Enterprise Products (EPD), SYSCO (SYY), Newmont (NEM), Fox Corp (FOXA), Molson Coors (TAP), Arconic (ARNC) After the bell: AirBnB (ABNB), Energy Transfer (ET), Electronic Arts (EA), Mondelez (MDLZ), MicroStrategy (MSTR), Caesars (CZR), Clorox (CLX), Match Group (MTCH), Chegg (CHGG), McKesson (MCK), American Internatinoal Group (AIG) 10:00 a.m. ET: ISM Manufacturing 10:00 a.m. ET: JOLTS Job Openings Wednesday, November 2 Before the bell: CVS Health (CVS), Progressive (PGR), Generac (GNRC), Canada Goose (GOOS), Paramount (PARA), Ferrari (RACE) Yum! Brands (YUM), Dynatrace (DT), Bausch + Lomb (BLCO) After the bell: Roku (ROKU), Marathon Oil (MRO), ETSY (ETSY), eBay (EBAY), Booking Holding (BKNG), Fastly (FSLY), MGM Resorts (MGM), Fortinet (FTNT), Robinhood (HOOD), Zillow Group (ZG), EVgo (EVGO), Realty Income (O) 8:15 a.m. ET: ADP Employment 2:00 p.m. ET: FOMC Meeting Thursday, November 3 Before the bell: ADT Corp (ADT), Air Products (APD), AmerisourceBergen (ABC), Aptiv (APTV), Arrow Electric (ARW), Barrick Gold (GOLD), CIGNA (CI), ConocoPhillips (COP), Crocs (CROX), Cummins (CMI), CyberArk (CYBR), Datadog (DDOG), Penn National (PENN), Stem (STEM), STORE Capital (STOR) After the bell: Air Lease Corp (AL), Amgen (AMGN), Appian (APPN), Atlassian (TEAM), Block (SQ), Carvana (CVNA), Cloudflare (NET), Coinbase (COIN), Corteva (CTVA), DoorDash (DASH), Illumina (ILMN), Kratos Defense (KTOS), MercadoLibre (MELI), MP Materials (MP), Motorola (MSI), PayPal (PYPL), Progyny (PGNY), Skyworks (SWKS), Twilio (TWLO), Universal Display (OLED) 8:30 a.m. ET: Initial Jobless Claims 10:00 a.m. ET: Factory Orders 10:00 a.m. ET: ISM Services Friday, November 4 Before the bell: Adient (ADNT), AES Corp (AES), Arbor Realty (ABR), Cardinal Health (CAH), Cboe Global (CBOE), Cinemark (CNK), Dominion Energy (D), DraftKings (DKNG), Enbridge (ENB), EOG Resources (EOG), Flour (FLR), Magna (MGA) 8:30 a.m. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. FAANG stocks displayed at the Nasdaq. Adam Jeffery | CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com/id/25848223

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Mover Of the Day: Arch Coal

Leer tells the traders that he sees any dip in his company’s stock as a buying opportunity. As the Pit Boss would say, Giddyup! ************* Traders how are you playing coal? I own International Coal Group , says Pete Najarian, but just because it was a cheaper than Arch Coal. I bought Market-Vectors Coal ETF today, reveals Joe Terranova. I like coal too, adds Quint Tatro. I think it could be time to start wading in after a “normal retracement.” _____________________________________________________ Got something to to say? Send us an e-mail at fastmoney-web@cnbc.com and your comment might be posted on the Rapid Recap. If you'd prefer to make a comment but not have it published on our website send those e-mails to fastmoney@cnbc.com. Trader disclosure: On July 25, 2008, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC’s Fast Money were owned by the Fast Money traders; Najarian Owns (AAPL), (TSO), (ICO); Najarian Owns (XLF) Puts, (YHOO) Calls; Najarian Owns (CSCO) Calls; Seymour Owns (AAPL), (BAC), (F), (MER), (MSFT), (TSO); Seygem Asset Management Owns (FXI), (EEM), (NIHD) ;Seygem Asset Management Owns (RSX) Calls; Terranova Owns (YHOO), (XLF), (BNI), (IYT), (SU), (RIMM), (VLO), (SA), (CME), (GOOG), (INTC),( KOL); Terranova Is Long Gold December Futures; Terranova Is Long Crude Oil September $154 Calls; Terranova Is Short Crude Oil September $130 Calls; Terranova Is Short Crude Oil September $130 Puts Terranova Is Chief Alternatives Strategist Of Phoenix Investment Partners, Ltd.; Phoenix Investment Partners Owns More Than 1% Of (DBV), (RWX), (LNET), (EXR), (SKT), (DLR), (IGE), (ARE), (DBC), (ABD), (OFC), (CLB), (BLV), (CNTY), (FL), (HPC), (PSPT), (ESS), (OIIM), (BIG),(ENG),(PFD),(DRH) Terranova Is Co-Portfolio Manager Of The Phoenix Diversifier PHOLIO; Phoenix Diversifier PHOLIO Owns (IGE), (DBC), (DBV) Quint Tatro Is The Principal Of Tatro Capital; Tatro Owns (C), (GS), (JPM), (FSLR); Tatro Capital Owns (CHK), (JNJ), (QQQQ), (SPY), (DUG), (XLF), (GRMN), (ASTI), (JASO), (EEV) Charles Schwab Is A Sponsor Of "Fast Money"

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/nobody-can-accuse-saudi-arabia-of-overreaching-turki-al-faisal.html

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Nobody can accuse Saudi Arabia of 'overreaching,' says former intelligence chief

The former chief of Saudi Arabia's intelligence services gave a full-throated defense of his country's foreign policy Monday, speaking to CNBC at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Prince Turki al Faisal, who ran the Saudi kingdom's intelligence agency from 1979 to 2001 and is an influential member of the Saudi royal family, rejected criticism that the country was overreaching in its regional activities. He instead pointed to Iran, noting the presence of Iranian-backed militants in conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. "It is not Saudi Arabia that is sending troops to other countries like Iran is doing in Syria for example, and Iraq and even in Yemen. It is not Saudi Arabia that is instigating sectarian violence in any country, it is not Saudi Arabia that is recruiting militias from Afghanistan and Pakistan and wherever else to fight in Syria and Iraq and so on. So I don't see how people can accuse Saudi Arabia of overreaching," he said. The comments come against the backdrop of historically high tensions between the Sunni kingdom and its Shia arch-rival Iran. The two have rival interests and alliances across the Middle East, from Syria to Lebanon, Yemen to Qatar. Regional conflicts in these countries often see Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shia-majority Iran supporting different factions that are frequently split down religious lines.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/03/early-movers-gm-vz-dis-intc-xrx-anf-more.html

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Early movers: GM, VZ, DIS, INTC, XRX, ANF & more

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell: General Motors — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday attacked General Motors in a tweet, claiming the auto giant is making a Chevy Cruze model in Mexico and then sending them to U.S. dealers tax free. Walt Disney — Analysts at Evercore ISI upgraded the entertainment giant's stock to "buy" from hold, and raised its price target on the stock to $120 from $103. Evercore cited an improving economic backdrop "and a possible, retroactive [Donald Trump/Paul Ryan] tax reform-adjusted EPS." Evercore said the upgrade is "largely a macro call" as Disney has a business model that benefits from higher inflation and is a largely domestic firm. Verizon — Citi upgraded Verizon shares to "buy" from "neutral," and hiked its price target to $60 from $55. Citi cited an opportunity for multiple expansion "given the prospects to improve free cash flow from a combination of expanding its addressable market for revenue, benefiting from potential tax reform, and improving its strategic position through M&A." Abercrombie & Fitch — The firm's stock was downgraded to "hold" from "buy," noting its turnaround efforts are "progressing at a slower pace than we initially expected." Abercrombie's stock plummeted 55.56 percent in 2016. Xerox — The printer and copier maker's stock spiked more than 10 percent in the premarket after JPMorgan upgraded its stock to "overweight" from "neutral," citing the spinoff of its Conduent business, "which marks the start of a long turnaround process." Xerox shares fell 17.87 percent last year. Intel — The chipmaker is seeking approval to buy a stake in HERE, a digital mapping firm controlled by Daimler, BMW, and Volkswagen, according to the German cartel office. Canadian Solar — The company completed the sale of two solar power plants to Shenzhen Energy for $32.2 million, a transaction that was disclosed December 30. Arch Capital Group — Arch Capital completed the acquisition of United Guaranty, an American International Group subsidiary, for an undisclosed amount. Alamo Group — The company increased its quarterly dividend to 10 cents per share from 9 cents per share.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/26/bill-ackman.html

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Bill Ackman: Carl Icahn looks to sell Herbalife because 'he knows this is toast'

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman told CNBC on Friday he was approached indirectly by Carl Icahn to purchase the billionaire's stake in Herbalife — Ackman's longtime short target. Asked why Icahn would want to sell his stake in Herbalife, Ackman responded: "I think he knows this is toast" and "he's made bunch of money." Herbalife shares slumped about 4.5 percent Friday after Ackman made his comments. Icahn said: "I am not commenting on rumors and stories about what I am doing." The Pershing Square Capital Management founder confirmed the gist of a Wall Street Journal report that Icahn was considering selling his stake in Herbalife to a group including the nutritional supplement firm's arch-nemesis Ackman. Icahn "came to me" through investment bank Jefferies Group with a proposal in early August to "cover my short" position, Ackman said on "Squawk Box." Saying no to Icahn at first, Ackman said he later reconsidered for only for a few million shares. Icahn owns 17 million-plus shares valued at around $1 billion. Ackman said if he were to buy a small stake and sell it right away, he would probably lose about $30 million. "I would spend $30 million to get Carl out. I would probably spend more." The Pershing Square chief is still betting against Herbalife — short more than $1 billion on the stock. He's been critical of Herbalife for years, calling it a pyramid scheme — allegations the company denies.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/41538379

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Earnings Roundup: Feb. 14

The insurer and reinsurer is expected to release earnings of $2.38 a share on revenue of $513 million. Get Real-Time Quotes for Arch Capital * Earnings data from Thomson Reuters excludes extraordinary items.

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/16/goldman-sachs-revenue.html

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Goldman Sachs posts revenue of $9.07B vs $8.78B expected

Goldman Sachs on Thursday posted quarterly earnings that fell sharply from the previous year, hit by a large litigation charge. Goldman's stock fell about 1 percent in premarket trading after releasing its earnings results. (Get the latest quote here.) The investment banking giant posted second-quarter earnings of $1.98 per share, down from $4.10 a share in the year-earlier period. The results were hurt by a $2.77 a share charge for litigation costs. "During the quarter, the firm recorded $1.45 billion in net provisions for mortgage-related litigation and regulatory matters," the company said. Revenue slipped to $9.07 billion from $9.13 billion a year ago. Read More Citigroup posts highest profit in 8 years as costs plunge Analysts polled by Reuters expected the company to deliver second-quarter results of $3.89 per share on revenue of $8.78 billion. Nevertheless, Vining Sparks Director of Bank & Equity Strategies Marty Mosby said Thursday the company remains an attractive investment. "If you look exclude the litigation, because it is a capital issue and not an earnings issue, operating earnings are $4.75 [per share]. We're moving into record-high earnings of about $22 [per share], which is what we expect and is significantly above what the market consensus had been going into the year," Mosby said in a CNBC "Squawk Box" interview. Goldman's stock has outperformed the broader S&P 500 financial sector during the past year. In that time, it has risen about 25 percent while the sector has increased 9 percent. On Monday, Goldman said it would acquire Imprint Capital, a San Francisco-based asset management firm, for an undisclosed amount. As with its competitors, Goldman's trading business—long a strength for the Wall Street bank—came under pressure as worries about Greece and China made investors reluctant to trade. Net revenue from trading fixed-income securities, currencies and commodities (FICC) fell 28 percent to $1.60 billion. "FICC was a large miss and we believe this will likely cause consensus (earnings) estimates to move lower, or at best stay flat," KBW analyst Brian Kleinhanzl wrote in a client note. JPMorgan Chase's FICC revenue fell 10 percent during the period on an adjusted basis, while Bank of Americas fell 9.3 percent. The business, which once contributed about 40 percent of Goldman's revenue, has been under pressure since the financial crisis as new rules discourage banks from trading off their own balance sheet and regulators demand that banks boost capital. Other banks have shifted away from trading to focus on less-volatile businesses like wealth management, but Goldman executives have stressed the bank's commitment to trading. Still, the business accounted for only about 18 percent of revenue in the quarter. "While uncertainty in the EU weighed on investors' level of conviction, many of our businesses continued to benefit from generally improving economic conditions," Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein said in a statement. Investment banking revenue, which includes advising on deals and underwriting debt and stock offerings, rose 13 percent to $2.02 billion. Goldman ranked No. 1 in global mergers and acquisitions as well as in equity underwriting in the first half of 2015, according to Thomson Reuters data. Citigroup , which also reported on Thursday, said its quarterly profit rose as restructuring and cost cuts paid off and legal expenses plunged. Goldman's traditional arch rival, Morgan Stanley , reports earnings on Monday. The bank, whose shares were down 0.6 percent in premarket trading, said revenue fell nearly 1 percent to $9.07 billion. Operating expenses rose 16 percent to $7.34 billion, while total non-compensation expenses rose 48 percent to $3.53 billion. —Reuters contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/26840520

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Lightning Round: Flextronics, Fluor, SPX and More

Arch Capital : Don’t buy, Cramer said. He wants to see Arch Capital come down another $4 before investors buy. Fluor : Cramer likes Flour at $53, and Joy Global , his favorite in the group, below $50. McDermott , too, is a buy at present levels. SPX : Cramer can’t recommend an industrial company right now, even though he likes the company. The environment isn’t right for SPW.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/48018736

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Living Wills Not Solution for Banks on the Brink

“By the time you get the information and get it analyzed, it’s old information,” says Isaac. Information contained in filings due on July 2 could be more than 6 months old, according to FDIC officials – meaning once plans are finalized (which is expected to require a months-long dialogue between banks and regulators), information could be more than a year old. Additionally, each bank must update the wills once a year with new information as risks shift, capital positions change and assets get sold, these officials say. To be sure, FDIC officials say banks feed them a constant stream of data, including detailed monthly reports updating various financial positions. In addition, Dodd-Frank will require these living wills to be updated following any material changes that would affect the plan. Another fear is that having step-by-step instructions to liquidate major financial institutions means regulators could lean toward these “worst-case scenarios” when another solution is available. “I think the big issue with the living wills is: will the government be too quick to pull the trigger?” said David Trone, head of US banks and broker research with JMP Securities. FDIC officials say these living wills will be critically important documents to guide a trustee, receiver, or government agency overseeing a liquidation. They also note that these initial filings are an early stage in an ongoing dialogue between banks and regulators to evaluate how failed firms could be handled. But while the roadmaps could make it easier for regulators to navigate a bank’s balance sheet and steer its future, they will not be binding: By no means will a bank on the brink be legally required to follow the plan. Still, “plan beats no plan,” said one bank’s legal counsel who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and were engaged in active client conflicts. That notion is echoed by most of Wall Street: While the plans will have their flaws, the exercise of conducting a granular, firm-wide strategic review was useful. The takeaways from those strategic reviews will provide perhaps the most fascinating information for each firm. Which assets have been earmarked as “non-core”, and will there be meaningful M&A activityspurned by these disclosures? Banks are actively staging talks with managers of these units in order to assure them of the viability of their business, and of their jobs, sources familiar with these talks have said. Additionally, information about banks’ hedging and derivatives activities could help regulators spot would-be “whales” more easily. And shortcuts through a bank’s capital structure would allow a receiver – in these cases, the FDIC – to wind down a bank quickly, and without incurring hefty charges from corporate trustees. (For instance, the Lehman estate paid out some $624 million in fees to its liquidators.) But the over-arching hope among Wall Street and Washington’s inner circles is that these documents eventually help serve a much loftier purpose: preventing a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/36741611

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

Earnings Roundup: April 26

Companies reporting before the bell include Caterpillar, Humana and Whirlpool. Texas Instruments posted earnings after the bell. BEFORE THE BELL Caterpillar The construction vehicle manufacturer reported earnings of 50 cents a share on revenue of $8.24 billion.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/26787630

ACGL

Arch Capital Group

SEC List: The 799 No-Short Stocks

The following is a list of the U.S. financial companies whose shares cannot be shorted under emergency rules imposed by the SEC Friday. AAME..... ATLANTIC AMERICAN CORP AANB..... ABIGAIL ADAMS NATL BANCORP INC ABBC..... ABINGTON BANCORP INC PA ABCB..... AMERIS BANCORP ABCW.... ANCHOR BANCORP WISCONSIN INC ABK....... AMBAC FINANCIAL GROUP INC ABNJ..... AMERICAN BANCORP OF NJ INC ABVA.... ALLIANCE BANKSHARES CORP ACAP.... AMERICAN PHYSICIANS CAPITAL INC ACBA.... AMERICAN COMMUNITY BNCSHRS INC ACE...... ACE LTD ACFC.... ATLANTIC COAST FED CORP ACGL.... ARCH CAPITAL GROUP LTD NEW ADVNA.. ADVANTA CORP ADVNB.. ADVANTA CORP AEG...... AEGON N V AEL....... AMERICAN EQUITY INVT LIFE HLDG C AET....... AETNA INC NEW AF......... ASTORIA FINANCIAL CORP AFFM..... AFFIRMATIVE INSURANCE HLDGS INC AFG....... AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP INC NEW AFL....... A F L A C INC AGII...... ARGO GROUP INTL HLDGS LTD AGO.......ASSURED GUARANTY LTD AGP........AMERIGROUP CORP AGX.......ARGAN INC AHD.......ATLAS PIPELINE HOLDINGS L P AHL....... ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD AIB........ ALLIED IRISH BANKS PLC AIG........ AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC AINV...... APOLLO INVESTMENT CORP AIZ........ ASSURANT INC ALL........ ALLSTATE CORP ALLB...... ALLIANCE BANCORP INC PA ALNC...... ALLIANCE FINANCIAL CORP NY AMCP..... AMCOMP INC NEW AMFI...... AMCORE FINANCIAL INC AMG....... AFFILIATED MANAGERS GROUP INC AMIC...... AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE CORP AMNB..... AMERICAN NATIONAL BANKSHARES INC AMP .......AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC AMPH.... AMERICAN PHYSICIANS SVC GROUP AMRB.... AMERICAN RIVER BANKSHARES AMSF.... AMERISAFE INC AMTD.... T D AMERITRADE HOLDING CORP ANAT.... AMERICAN NATIONAL INS CO ANNB.... ANNAPOLIS BANCORP INC AOC...... AON CORP APAB..... APPALACHIAN BANCSHARES INC AROW.... ARROW FINANCIAL CORP ASBI..... AMERIANA BANCORP ASFI..... ASTA FUNDING INC ASFN.... ATLANTIC SOUTHERN FINL GROUP INC ASRV.... AMERISERV FINANCIAL INC ATBC.... ATLANTIC BANCGROUP INC ATLO.... AMES NATL CORP AUBN.... AUBURN NATIONAL BANCORP AWBC...AMERICAN WEST BANCORPORATION AWH.... ALLIED WORLD ASSUR CO HLDGS LTD AXA....A X A UAP AXG.... ATLAS ACQUISITION HOLDINGS CORP AXS.... AXIS CAPITAL HOLDINGS LTD

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/13/fund-manager-stock-picks-to-navigate-a-recession-.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

A recession is a given, one investment advisor says — and reveals his top stocks to beat it

Is a recession on the cards? Market watchers are split on whether the U.S. economy is headed toward a downturn. But investment manager Kingsley Jones believes a downturn of some form is now inevitable. "We have to accept that a recession of some form is a given now," Jones, founder and chief investment officer at advisory firm Jevons Global, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Monday. He flagged that a growing number of commentators are now expecting the next GDP print — due July 28 — to show that the U.S. has fallen into a technical recession, or two consecutive negative quarters. As such , Jones said he is expecting more volatility ahead, with earnings downgrades likely to occur as reporting season kicks off this week. Stock picks for a volatile third quarter Against this backdrop, Jones believes that investors should favor stocks with pricing power and strong margins. Crucially, he said investors should only put their money into areas of the market where there are clear signs of structural shortage. "Buy safer areas of the market like large-cap pharmaceuticals, energy stocks, and food-related stocks. Continue to hold quality large-cap tech but stand back in cyclical areas like semiconductors," he added. Jones' top picks within the health care and pharmaceutical space are U.S. insurance giant UnitedHealth and drugmaker Merck & Co . "We also like energy [stocks]. Notwithstanding the recent retreat, we still have oil hovering around $100 a barrel. The big oil companies are making very good profits at these levels, not to mention the refiners," he said. Within the energy sector, Jones likes Australia's Woodside Energy and shale producer Chesapeake Energy . Other favorite sectors include food, grains and fertilizers. "We didn't see a big rally in those early days immediately after the war started in Ukraine, but I think they're now pretty cheap. We will be looking to step back in and top up our existing holdings," he said. His top picks in this area are food company General Mills , Chicago-based food processing giant Archer Daniels Midlands and Canadian fertilizer company Nutrien . Recession signals There are a number of key metrics that investors are watching closely for signs of a recession. "Whether we go into a severe recession really depends on the strength of consumer demand," Jones said, noting that consumer sentiment has been poor due to rising prices. Read more These global stocks have a track record of earnings growth — and analysts love them Has the market hit the bottom? Goldman’s Oppenheimer reveals where he sees ‘great opportunities’ Morgan Stanley names its top stocks in a ‘safe haven’ tech sector — giving one upside of 60% The so-called yield curve inversion is adding to recessionary signals — it has historically preceded recessions and is viewed by many as a warning sign. Last week, the 2-year U.S. Treasury yield rose above the 10-year yield for the second time in this year's bear market. Many market participants are also keeping a close eye on the U.S. labor market for further recessionary signals. The state of the jobs market is seen as an indicator of an imminent recession, but for now, it appears that the jobless rate remains low, while job offers appear robust, Jones said. "There are no clear signs that employment is deteriorating, which would of course be the big risk for a deeper recession," he said.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/16873701

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Archer-Daniels Profits Rise 20%, Helped By Ethanol Demand

Archer-Daniels Midland , the nation's largest food processor, said its second-quarter profit rose 20%, driven in large part by a jump in corn-processing profit. Net income in the second quarter ended Dec. 31 climbed to $441.3 million, or 67 cents a share, from $367.7 million, or 56 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 18% to $10.98 billion from $9.3 billion a year ago. The results topped Wall Street's expectations. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had expected a profit of 60 cents per share on $9.52 billion in revenue. "We are particularly pleased with the strong performance from all segments," ADM Chief Executive Officer and President Patricia Woertz said. The Decatur-based company is also the country's largest producer of the fuel additive ethanol, made from corn. ADM's corn-processing business, which includes its ethanol production, had a particularly strong quarter. Operating profit increased 42% from a year earlier to $335 million. Strong prices for both ethanol and corn-based sweetener helped those results, according to ADM, but they were somewhat offset by high corn prices. Demand for ethanol has driven corn prices up in recent months. The company held a conference call at 9am New York time.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/23/cramer-watching-covid-fade-nvidias-ai-extravaganza-gamestop-surges.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Investing Club: What Cramer is watching Wednesday — Covid 'fade,' Nvidia's AI extravaganza, GameStop surges

What I am looking at March 23, 2022 Pandemic low could be a very big deal. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner, says testing should end outside of specific high-risk circumstances like nursing homes. Covid could "fade from consciousness" this summer … GameStop (GME) soared more than 12% in premarket trading because Chairman Ryan Cohen bought 100,000 shares of the meme stock. AMC Entertainment (AMC) is up too. Agriculture complex getting better, as famine gets worse. I say Deere (DE), Agco , Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) and Corteva (CTVA) remain my favorites. Adobe (ADBE) beat estimates by 3 cents with adjusted quarterly earnings of $3.37 per share. Why not better for the software maker? Is business pulled forward? Is this more of a pandemic play than we thought? Company expects a hit from existing business in Russia and Belarus. Shares fall more than 2% in premarket trading. Nvidia (NVDA) investor meeting was an AI extravaganza, from medical to autos to the factory floor ... whole thing done in the omniverse using digital twins. CEO Jensen Huang's keynote only further strengthened our belief in the chip maker. We've recovered about half the decline in the S & P 500 from its high on Jan. 3. once we have done that there have been 21 instances since 1929 and 21 times the bear market is over. Poshmark (POSH)—another high flier goes down. JMP Securities cuts price target to $20 from $30. Revenue forecast to slow to 11% from 14%. Shares now trading at 1.2 times expected revenues. But I say so what? Raymond James lowers PT to $16 from $29. Is this a growth stock? Implications well below. Cotton prices highest since June 2011 ... these higher input costs have hit clothing companies PVH , Ralph Lauren (RL). Raymond James takes EOG Resources (EOG) price target up to $150 from $120. T-Mobile (TMUS)—Best house in a bad neighborhood. KeyBanc upgrades to buy from hold. Best in class 5G. Intel (INTC) and Micron Technology (MU) CEOs will test at U.S. Senate hearing on chip making. Meaningless. Affirm (AFRM) price target lowered to $140 from $180 at Morgan Stanley. Analyst still likes fintech, keeps buy rating. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas had stark conversations with Uber drivers—they want electric vehicles. Atlantic Equities— Meta Platforms (FB) challenges are being addressed. Mortgage applications down 14%. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is winning. 4.5% rate on 30-year mortgage. Based on recent supply-chain checks in Asia, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives says Apple (AAPL) is seeing "stellar" iPhone 13 demand globally. BP upgraded to buy from hold at Morgan Stanley. Joins Shell as a winner. Ryan Detrick of LPL: S & P hasn't had an up day of less than 1% since Feb. 16. Nine up days in a row of at least 1%. The last two times this happened: June 2009 and April 2020. Block (SQ)—MS resumes coverage with a hold. Analyst cites benefits of Afterpay and large market opportunities, but fears growth is priced in. General Mills (GIS) reports much better-than-expected quarter ... guides up. Here comes oil ... Pot deals: Cresco Labs to become leader in cannabis with the acquisition of Columbia Care. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AAPL, NVDA, FB. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Using COVID 19 rapid self-test at home. wayra | E+ | Getty Images What I am looking at March 23, 2022

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/21/credit-suisses-stock-picks-to-cash-in-on-rising-food-prices-.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Food prices aren't falling anytime soon. Here are Credit Suisse's stock picks to cash in

Soaring food prices will put a dent in our pockets but could also provide investors with an opportunity to cash in, according to Credit Suisse , which named a raft of stocks that it thinks could benefit. Food prices around the world have reached record levels , according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Food prices increased by nearly 34% over the past year, or 12.6% between February and March, according to data from the FAO Food Price Index, which measures the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities. A surge in food prices in the U.S, which rose 8.8% in March from a year ago, also contributed to a record-high inflation print in the U.S. during that period. But Credit Suisse believes prices have yet to peak. "Food prices are usually higher for longer than we have seen so far. Food prices in real terms are still 20% below the previous peak. Food prices usually rise for 42 months (versus 20 months so far) and by 68% (versus 40%)," Credit Suisse's analysts, led by Andrew Garthwaite, said in a note on Tuesday. The bank attributed the current phenomenon to the disruption wrought by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, higher energy costs, the impact of bad weather on harvests in top exporting countries, the increased use of agricultural land as carbon offset, and disruptions to China's planting season due to the ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases. The FAO has forecast food prices to rise by another 8-22%, Garthwaite noted. Stock beneficiaries Against this backdrop, Credit Suisse believes that companies that facilitate improvements in agricultural productivity, such as herbicides producers and agricultural equipment manufacturers, will benefit. Other beneficiaries that the bank identified include producers of fertilizer alternatives, palm oil producers, fish stock and other alternative protein producers, as well as stocks with exposure to agricultural land. The bank's top picks within these themes are chemicals firm Croda International and BASF , Dutch nitrogen and methanol products manufacturer OCI, Australian salmon farmer Tassal Group , Brazilian meat processor JBS and frozen foods firm Nomad Foods . Read more March's runaway energy prices and higher food costs could mean hottest consumer inflation since 1981 A fertilizer shortage, worsened by war in Ukraine, is driving up global food prices and scarcity Chicago-based commodities trading firm Archer-Daniels-Midland , plantations firms Sime Darby Plantation and Genting Plantations also make the list, alongside two agricultural machinery manufacturer Deere & Co , and AGCO . Sime Darby Plantation and OCI also turned up on the bank's screen for cheap stocks with positive earnings revisions. All are rated outperform by Credit Suisse. SDI Productions

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/19/tuesdays-top-wall-street-calls-tesla-amazon-roblox-apple-wework-.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls of the day: Tesla, Amazon, Roblox, Apple, WeWork & more

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Credit Suisse reiterates Tesla as outperform Credit Suisse said it sees "favorable fundamentals" heading into the company's earnings report on Wednesday. "We raise our TP to $1,125 from $1,025, as we raise our target multiples given the increased strategic importance of Tesla as a leader in the global EV transition; we maintain our Outperform rating, with Tesla to benefit from favorable fundamentals in the coming years as outlined in our recent upgrade." Piper Sandler initiates WeWork as overweight Piper said it sees profitability on the horizon for the shared workspace company. "While WE' s storied past is well known, less appreciated is that WE is on the path to achieve profitability by late 2023/early 2024, which could accelerate given its flexible workstation business model fits in the post-Covid world." Read more about this call here. Truist upgrades Lululemon to buy from hold Truist said it sees a "sustainable growth story" for the company. "We are upgrading LULU to Buy from Hold and raising our PT to $495 from $390. Valuation has moderated since our launch, and we expect a robust new five-year financial outlook at the April 20th analyst day." Goldman Sachs downgrades Roblox to neutral from buy Goldman sees limited upside right now for Roblox. "While we view Roblox as pioneering the next generation of gaming companies with its user-generated content and open universe platform, we expect that tough comps, aging up the user base, and reinvesting into the developer community as well as R & D talent will continue to dominate the narrative over the near term, limiting upside in stock performance." Read more about this call here. Bank of America downgrades Archer-Daniels-Midland and Bund to neutral from buy Bank of America said it sees "minimal upside" for the food-processing companies. "Our new EPS estimates for both companies push us above consensus for 2022-24, especially in the outer years as we expect earnings will hold up due to grain price deflation (off current peak levels). At the same time, both ADM and BG shares are up sharply (+67% and 52% y/y, and +44% and +33% ytd, respectively), trailing only the fertilizer names and Sigma Lithium in our coverage during these periods." Citi downgrades NXP Semiconductors to neutral from buy Citi said in its downgrade of the semiconductor company that its thesis has largely "played out." "We are downgrading NXPI from Buy to Neutral as our margin expansion thesis has played out. Our Buy thesis back in February 2021 was based on an anticipation of superior margin/EPS upside and strength from the automotive end market." Cowen reiterates McDonald's as outperform Cowen said the fast-food company is better positioned than peers in the sector. "We believe MCD is better suited to navigate a challenging industry backdrop vs. quick service peers. Int'l is harder to model given well known challenges in Ukraine & Russia as well as China, which cumulatively represent 5%-6% of normalized system sales & EBIT." Rosenblatt initiates Amazon as neutral Rosenblatt said that Amazon is exposed to inflationary pressures. "The post-pandemic consumer rotation to services from goods could be long lived, and Amazon' s rivals have upped their retail game considerably with click/brick features consumers like and Amazon can't match with its small store footprint." Read more about this call here. JPMorgan reiterates Disney as overweight JPMorgan lowered its price target on shares of Disney to $175 per share from $200, but said the Parks business is the company's "crown jewel." "Overall, we are bullish on Disney's Parks business and believe that is a crown jewel that as a stand-alone company with the IP behind it would trade well ahead of Parks peers' ~9-10x EBITDA." Rosenblatt initiates Apple as neutral Rosenblatt said the tech company's "China troubles" are "hard to ignore." "After enjoying a pandemic boost to computer and tablet sales, share gains from better technology and a surprisingly well-received new iPhone cycle last year, Apple is confronting an obstacle that seems hard to overcome — China lockdowns that appear unlikely to fully abate any time soon. Apple is exposed to both demand and supply, while also facing tepid response to its latest update to iPhone SE." Jefferies reiterates Meta Platforms as buy Jefferies kept its buy rating on shares of Facebook's parent company, but said it sees slowing growth heading into earnings later this month. The firm also lowered its price target on the stock to $330 from $350. "Given our view that FB 's investments are likely to remain elevated during a period of slowing rev growth, we lower our FY23 op. income by 7% and now expect a low 30% mgn in FY22/23." Citi reiterates Microsoft as buy Citi said in a note on Tuesday that "commercial demand remains strong" heading into earnings next week. "Amidst rising investor concerns around the sustainability of robust software demand and valuation multiples, we expect MSFT' s results to demonstrate that commercial demand remains strong." Goldman Sachs reiterates ExxonMobil as buy Goldman said that it's "constructive" on the oil and gas giant heading into earnings later this month. "While we maintain a broadly bullish view on Energy equities in the context of our constructive commodity price outlook and recognize that the majors are an important part of the Energy benchmark, we maintain a preference for Buy-rated ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips relative to Neutral-rated Chevron." Rosenblatt initiates Netflix as neutral Rosenblatt said in its initiation of Netflix that it's concerned about slowing growth. "A more mature, slower growth profile could be emerging that constrains the investment case. A big bull argument that one could make — a move into advertising — has been taken off the table by management, although that could change at some point." Citi reiterates Brunswick as buy Citi said that the marine company is a top recession play. "We see BC as the best relative leisure play in the event of a recession based on a significant top-line cushion (by way of both pent-up demand and an extended replenishment runway), substantial noncyclical revenue streams, high-income exposure, and a compressed multiple." Tesla Y Source: Tesla

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/30/archer-daniels-midland-adm-earnings-q1-2020.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

ADM first-quarter profit beats estimates, as CEO cites 'many unknowns' of pandemic

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) signage displayed on the side of a grain storage bin at an ADM grain elevator in Niantic, Illinois. Global grains trader Archer Daniels Midland reported a drop in first-quarter revenues on Wednesday but topped Wall Street profit estimates, helped by growth in its nutritional businesses and as its agricultural services group got a boost from robust Brazilian farmer selling. ADM's results offer the first look at how the pandemic is impacting the world's largest grain traders, as global food supply chains are breaking, U.S. meat plants are shuttering, farmers are forced to destroy crops and animals, and thousands of U.S. meat and food-processing workers have been infected with the coronavirus. "There are many unknowns, and ADM isn't immune from some of the negative effects of this pandemic," the company's chief executive, Juan Luciano, said. He said the company is "operating around the globe with very minimal disruptions." Analysts said that lower-than-expected tax expenses, thanks in part to U.S. tax credits that were passed into law late last year, also drove the profit beat. The company's biggest segment in terms of revenue, Ag Services and Oilseeds, reported a rise in operating profit of 1.2%, to $422 million, in the first quarter. Profit in the nutrition unit jumped 75.3% to $142 million. ADM's revenue fell 2.2% to about $15 billion. As South American farmers sold off more of their grain, ADM said it was able to tap into that volume to generate better profit margins in the buying, selling, and processing of the crops — a business notorious for thin profits and high market volatility. That was offset somewhat by farmers in North America, who have been storing their corn and soybeans — rather than selling them — as commodity prices have plummeted due to the spreading coronavirus and unsteady export demand. While the first quarter covered the time when the coronavirus pandemic was rapidly spreading across the United States, it does not reflect the more recent plunge of oil futures into negative territory and the shuttering of ethanol plants. The company, once a biofuel pioneer that now is looking to curtail its ethanol operations, has had to temporarily idle ethanol production at two of its corn dry mill facilities due to lower gasoline demand as the pandemic has kept people at home. ADM's Vantage Corn Processors, the wholly-owned subsidiary that holds some of its dry ethanol mills, reported a $31 million quarterly loss, compared to a $39 million loss for the same period a year earlier. The sector continued to face tough industry margins "caused by significantly decreased demand," the company said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/24/jim-cramer-hedge-funds-choosing-fresh-stocks-drove-thursdays-rally.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Hedge funds choosing 'fresh' stocks over obvious winners drove Thursday's rally, Jim Cramer says

CNBC's Jim Cramer said that Thursday's rally was driven by hedge fund managers' desire for fresh stocks over trusted winners and that investors should not overthink the currently seesawing market. "Traders wanted something new — not Archer-Daniels-Midland or Exxon , but AMD and Estee Lauder ," the "Mad Money" host said. "The hedge funds are in charge here, which is how you get today's rotating bullishness. Please, never try to overthink what happens in some of these rallies," he added. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1% on Thursday, while the S&P 500 rose 1.4%. The Nasdaq Composite increased 1.9%. The markets have teetered up and down for the past few days after last week's monster rallies, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq on track to close the week higher. Cramer said that Thursday's rally exemplifies hedge fund traders' penchant for buying "stuff that feels fresh and new" after growing tired of obvious winners. "That's the real mindset right now," he said. "That's how it works, it's the way hedge funds actually think, and hedge funds seem to be the only players in the game right now. … I'm not seeing a lot of institutional interest in stocks right now." Examples of such fresh stocks are Nvidia and Intel , which led the day's semiconductor stock bounce, said Cramer. Nvidia stock rose 9.8%, its best day since November, while Intel had its biggest single-day gain in more than a year with a 6.94% increase. Other stocks that traders looked for include "how much lower can they go stocks," Cramer said, pointing to DocuSign as an example. The company's stock price increased 4.37% on Thursday to $104.55, but is still well below its 52-week high of $314.76. Cramer added that investors should not let fears about the Russia-Ukraine war control their investing decisions, particularly regarding purchasing stocks. "Shouldn't we be more worried about Ukraine? Yes. Does it make sense to buy anything here with Ukraine hanging over our heads? Well, maybe," he said. Disclosure: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of AMD and Nvidia.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/07/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-oil-stocks-bed-bath-beyond-visa-and-more.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Oil stocks, Bed Bath & Beyond, Visa and more

Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket: Chevron , Exxon , Phillips 66 — Oil stocks rose broadly in premarket trading after energy prices surged overnight, with U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude briefly breaking above $130 per barrel. Shares of Chevron and Exxon Mobil each rose more than 1%, while Phillips 66 climbed 3.4%. ConocoPhillips rose nearly 2%, while Baker Hughes jumped 4%. Bed Bath & Beyond — Shares of the home goods retailer surged 70% in premarket trading Monday after GameStop Chairman Ryan Cohen revealed he had a nearly 10% stake in the retailer through his investment company RC Ventures. Cohen said the company should explore selling itself to private equity and spinning off its BuyBuy Baby chain. Archer-Daniels-Midland — Shares of the agricultural company jumped 3.9% premarket as crop prices jumped amid supply concerns due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Visa , Mastercard — The payments stocks dipped in premarket trading after both companies announced over the weekend that they were suspending operations in Russia. Visa's stock shed 2.2%, while Mastercard was down 1.7%. Occidental Petroleum — Shares of the oil and gas company jumped 8% after a regulatory filing showed Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway significantly increased its stake recently. The conglomerate bought more than 61 million of Occidental shares from Wednesday to Friday, at prices ranging from $47.07 to $56.45. Berkshire now owns 91.2 million common shares of the oil giant. Whiting Petroleum , Oasis Petroleum — Shares of Whiting and Oasis moved higher in premarket trading after the companies announced a merger agreement. The new company, with an estimated enterprise value of about $6 billion, will be 53% owned by Whiting shareholders and 47% by Oasis shareholders, according to a press release. Whiting's stock rose 4.9%, while Oasis jumped more than 6%. Citigroup — The bank stock dropped 2.8% in premarket trading, underperforming its peers, after receiving a downgrade from Jefferies. The firm said Citi appeared unlikely to hit the financial targets detailed at an investor conference last week. -CNBC's Maggie Fitzgerald, Yun Li and Hannah Miao contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/07/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-bed-bath-beyond-united-pvh-and-more.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Bed Bath & Beyond, United, PVH and more

A person enters a Bed Bath & Beyond store on October 01, 2021 in the Tribeca neighborhood in New York City. Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Bed Bath & Beyond — Shares rose 34.2% on news that GameStop's Chairman Ryan Cohen had a nearly 10% stake in the retailer through his investment company RC Ventures. He said that the home goods retailer should explore selling itself to a private equity firm and spinning off its BuyBuy Baby chain. United Airlines , American Airlines – Air carriers were lower after fuel costs rose 32% to their highest level in more than 13 years last week, amid concerns about global oil supplies during the war between Russia and Ukraine. United Airlines slid about 15% while Delta and America fell 12.8% and 12%, respectively. Ralph Lauren , PVH — The retail stocks fell 12.2% and 15.4%, respectively. Wedbush downgraded Ralph Lauren and PVH due to concerns about the companies' exposure to Europe amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Schlumberger , Halliburton and Baker Hughes — Energy stocks were elevated, buoyed by surging oil prices from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Overnight, the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude briefly topped $130 per barrel. On Monday, Schlumberger's stock soared 8.1%, Halliburton surged 6.2%, and Baker Hughes jumped 4.7%. Archer-Daniels-Midland — Shares in the agricultural company surged 1.4%. Investors are eyeing increases in wheat prices amid fears of supply shortages after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Visa and Mastercard — Shares in both financials tumbled after the U.S. payments companies said they were suspending operations in Russia over the weekend. Visa's stock declined 4.8%. Mastercard fell 5.4%. Occidental Petroleum – Shares fell 1.4% after an SEC filing Friday revealed Berkshire Hathaway has taken a $5 billion stake in the oil giant. More than 61 million of the 91.2 million common shares in its portfolio were purchased last week at prices ranging from $47.07 to $56.45. Citigroup — The bank's stock dipped 1.8% after a downgrade to hold from Jefferies. The investment firm said Citi was unlikely to hit the financial targets laid out by management at last week's investor day. Bank stocks were also down broadly Monday. Philip Morris — Shares of the tobacco company fell 6.6% after JPMorgan downgraded the stock to neutral from overweight. The firm said Philip Morris could be hurt by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the two countries are key markets for the company. Palantir — Shares rose 1.4% after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to equal weight from underweight. The firm said Palantir's risks are largely priced in now. NextEra Energy — The stock rallied 5% after KeyBanc upgraded NextEra Energy to overweight from sector weight. The firm said the company could be set for a rebound amid elevated oil prices. DraftKings — The sports betting stock sank 12.8% after Argus downgraded DraftKings to hold from buy. The investment firm said in a note that DraftKings would see slowing revenue growth this year as fewer new states would legalize sports gambling. — CNBC's Sarah Min, Tanaya Macheel, Samatha Subin and Jesse Pound contributed reporting

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/01/these-stocks-are-compelling-including-qorvo-and-iheartmedia.html

ADM

Archer-Daniels-Midland

Wall Street analysts say these stocks are 'compelling' including Oxford Industries and iHeartMedia

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) signage displayed on the side of a grain storage bin at an ADM grain elevator in Niantic, Illinois. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images CNBC examined the latest Wall Street research this week to find stocks that analysts say are "compelling" buys for investors. These companies include Oxford Industries , iHeartMedia , Archer Daniels Midland , Qorvo , and Aspen Technology . Oxford Industries This week Needham raised its rating on the stock to buy from hold. The company is best known as the maker of apparel brands like Tommy Bahama, Lily Pulitzer and others. The firm said the anticipation of the shorter shopping holiday window may have caused some deceleration in the company's third-quarter earnings report in early December. But now things are starting to look up for investors due to what the firm said was "better demand" than expected in the holiday season. "Our checks also indicate fairly well-controlled discounting, giving us confidence about 4Q, analyst Rick Patel said. "We also think that OXM has compelling growth drivers for each of its major brands in 2020 that can fuel sales," he said. Archer Daniels Midland With Phase 1 of the U.S-China trade deal complete, there's one company that looks set to prosper according Buckingham. Archer Daniels Midland reported strong fourth-quarter earnings this week and it could be a big year for investors of the global food processing and agricultural commodities company if analysts are to be believed. "We believe the U.S./China Phase 1 trade agreement will gradually aid earnings across F20, but more specifically, during 4Q20 when U.S. crop prices are most competitive on a global basis," analyst Eric Larson said. The firm said the company's growth is "compelling" and urged clients now is the time buy. "With the potential aid of several improving 2020 micro/macro fundamentals, and self-help programs, we believe valuation and stock price downside risk is limited," he said. iHeartMedia B. Riley FBR upgraded iHeartMedia to buy this week and said the media communications company looks set to take advantage of the election season among other things . "High-margin political revenues should provide a few points of incremental revenue growth in 2020. Moreover, core radio advertising could benefit, as well, with political ads crowding out TV inventory availability for non-political advertisers," the analyst said. But the company's growth is still an area for investors to closely monitor when the firm reports earnings in late February. "Among investors, the fear of sustained core revenue declines, plus relatively high leverage, is likely to remain an obstacle for multiples," they said. "Despite this mixed outlook for the group, we see a compelling setup for radio's largest player, over the next year." Needham- Oxford Industries, Buy rating "We upgrade OXM from Hold to Buy as we see lowered 4Q expectations as achievable and believe the company's positive momentum will continue in 2020. OXM reported solid 3Q results but noted a deceleration for 4QTD on Dec. 11th, partly due to the challenge of the shorter Holiday shopping window. Industry results thus far point encouragingly to better demand in the days leading into Christmas. Our checks also indicate fairly well-controlled discounting, giving us confidence about 4Q. We also think that OXM has compelling growth drivers for each of its major brands in 2020 that can fuel sales." Buckingham- Archer Daniels Midland, Buy rating "The near-term outlook for ADM is improving, reflecting a new Phase 1 U.S./China trade deal, strong savings from the Readiness Program and excellent growth from Nutrition division. With the potential aid of several improving 2020 micro/macro fundamentals, and self-help programs, we believe valuation and stock price downside risk is limited; the setup for stronger 2020 earnings growth is compelling, particularly for investors with a 12-18 month investment horizon ... We believe the U.S./China Phase 1 trade agreement will gradually aid earnings across F20, but more specifically, during 4Q20 when U.S. crop prices are most competitive on a global basis." B.Riley FBR- iHeartMedia, Buy rating "While our sense is that investors remain skeptical towards the radio broadcasting group, we see reasons to expect both healthy growth and multiple expansion for IHRT over the next year. Our upgrade is based primarily upon an increased long-term outlook for AEBITDA and FCF, versus our previous forecast. Additionally, despite our initial skepticism around Liberty Media's/SIRI's interest in acquiring IHRT, we now see, in a best-case scenario, Liberty's interest evolving into a deal announcement sometime this year. Even without a deal, we believe that Liberty's interest alone provides a sturdier floor for IHRT, relative to the rest of the group." Raymond James- Qorvo, Outperform rating "We reiterate our Outperform rating on Qorvo and raise our price target to $135. The company posted a strong quarter and with a much better than seasonal guide on 5G strength in China, consistent with commentary from others. Qorvo was however the first to factor virus risk into guidance - while they haven't yet seen any effects, they provided preliminary guidance for a weaker than seasonal June in an effort to remain conservative. Virus concerns aside, Qorvo's 5G content story remains compelling, the stock's valuation remains reasonable despite recent gains, and we do see a path to higher earnings power, particularly as the high volume handset tier converts to 5G." Baird- Aspen Technology- Outperform rating

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/21/barclays-upgrades-arista-says-cloud-stock-can-sustain-revenue-growth-going-forward.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Barclays upgrades Arista, says cloud stock can sustain revenue growth

Cloud services provider Arista Networks looks attractive at current levels as it will likely keep its growth rate over the next few years, Barclays said. Analyst Tim Long upgraded the stock to buy while keeping his price target at $131 per share, which he called a "conservative" estimate. That target implies upside of 14% from Tuesday's close of $114.07. "ANET is a high-valuation stock, but we believe this is justified given the high revenue growth rate and favorable margin and cash flow structure," Long said in a note to clients Wednesday. "We see mid-teens revenue growth as sustainable for the next few years, and gross and operating margins should remain high." Driving the sustained growth is the expectation of expanded share in the data switching center, campus, and service provider markets. Long said the cloud will still add customers but at slower rates than prior years. Taken together, these drivers can help the company expand its reach within markets collectively valued at $25 billion, the analyst said. The company has also been able to put itself on solid financial footing, Long said. Arista is shielded from elevated currency levels as 80% of revenue comes from North America. He said the company has also "successfully diversified its revenues" from relying mainly on large clients such as Microsoft . CEO Jayshree Ullal said last month on CNBC's "Mad Money" that the company was sparing no expense to fix supply chain issues. Meanwhile, Long downgraded Cisco from overweight to equal weight and lowered his price target by 18% to $46 from $56. Long cited stalled cloud growth and said planned moves to software that drummed up excitement had been slow compared to competitors. "We see peer companies growing faster in software despite similar backlog dynamics, likely highlighting weakness of some CSCO stand-alone software offerings," Long said. "We also see CSCO more vulnerable to macro and enterprise risk." Shares of Arista were up 2.3% in premarket trading, while Cisco was down about 1.6%.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/31/wall-street-has-a-new-favorite-ai-pick.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Wall Street has a new favorite AI pick

Analysts on Wall Street think Arista Networks is the next premier artificial intelligence play. On Monday, the company reported a blowout third quarter that surpassed Wall Street expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Arista reported earnings of $1.83 per share, excluding items, on $1.51 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by FactSet forecast $1.58 per share in earnings and $1.48 billion in revenue. Arista also issued higher-than-expected forward guidance, calling for fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $1.5 billion to $1.55 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet forecast $1.47 billion. Shares popped nearly 12% Tuesday, buoyed by the results. Arista focuses on low-latency networks between clients and the cloud for large-scale data centers, exposing the company to growing investor interest in AI. The stock is up 63% in 2023. ANET YTD mountain Arista Networks stock. Moving forward, analysts think the company can be the top player in the Ethernet application of AI. Barclays, Citi, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo all lauded the report and highlighted the company's potential AI catalyst for growth heading into 2024. Morgan Stanley's Meta Marshall thinks the company will see more growth on the heels of the adoption of 800G Ethernet transceivers for data centers. The analyst upgraded Arista stock to overweight in a Tuesday note and increased her price target to $220 from $185, reflecting more than 25% upside from Monday's $175.72 close. "We have refreshed our analysis from the beginning of the year, with a slightly largely benefit to Arista given the share gains they have shown at 400G this year (and slightly larger total opportunity given growth in Infiniband)," Marshall said. "While there remains risk heading into the 800G cycle, we continue to think Arista is well positioned." Elsewhere, Citi analyst Atif Malik was also bullish on Arista following third-quarter results, and highlighted demand for 400G transceivers, as well as AI and cloud opportunities. The analyst reiterated Arista as a top AI pick into 2024. "We like Arista's positioning in the DC [direct current] switching market within the fastest growing segments of the market cloud/400G and LT exposure to generative AI megatrend," Malik said. "We believe 400G cloud spend could recover into next year as hyperscaler spending on traditional data center infrastructure rebounds and a top customer's capex recovers," the analyst said. "Arista is also likely to benefit from any early AI related opportunities." — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/15/stanley-druckenmiller-exits-alphabet-keeps-winning-ai-plays-nvidia-and-microsoft.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Stanley Druckenmiller exits Alphabet, keeps winning AI plays Nvidia and Microsoft

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller dumped his stake in Google's Alphabet entirely last quarter, while keeping his high-conviction bets on artificial intelligence through Microsoft and Nvidia . Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office sold $112 million worth of Alphabet shares last quarter, according to a regulatory filing. His firm briefly held Alphabet in the first quarter of 2023, sold it the next quarter and entered the stock again in the third quarter. Shares of Alphabet soared 58% in 2023, but the stock has underperformed in 2024. Its latest earnings report showed ad revenue that trailed analysts' projections. The legendary investor, who has never had a down year in the markets, previously said AI could be a fruitful opportunity for investors , especially when the economy comes out of the next recession. He said he has been betting on the space through two stocks — Microsoft and Nvidia. Druckenmiller added to his big Microsoft bet slightly in the most recent quarter, leaving the stake valued at more than $400 million and family office's biggest holding. Meanwhile, the 70-year-old protege of George Soros trimmed his holding in Nvidia last quarter, making it his third biggest stake at the end of 2023 (worth more than $300 million.) But Druckenmiller, a Bowdoin College grad, bought call options on Nvidia with a notional value of $242 million last quarter. Call options give an investor an option to buy a stock later at a given strike price, and increase in value as the underlying asset rises in price. "I actually think AI is very, very real and could be every bit as impactful as the internet literally going forward," Druckenmiller said last year at the Sohn Investment Conference . "It could be a beautiful opportunity in a hard landing just like '01, '02 ... a beautiful opportunity when the tech bubble bursts. ... AI could be there." Druckenmiller once managed Soros' Quantum Fund and shot to fame after helping make a $10 billion bet against the British pound in 1992. He later oversaw $12 billion as president of Duquesne Capital Management before closing his firm in 2010. During the fourth quarter, the investor also added relatively small stakes in a host of other stocks, including Arista Networks , Woodward , Tempur Sealy, Flex Ltd , Barrick Gold and Marvell Technology .

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/14/teppers-appaloosa-cut-back-semiconductor-stocks-while-buying-one-well-known-etf.html

ANET

Arista Networks

David Tepper's Appaloosa cut exposure to several semiconductor stocks, but bought into one well-known ETF

David Tepper's Appaloosa Management trimmed positions in multiple semiconductor stocks during the fourth quarter, while buying into a closely-watched technology exchange-traded fund. Tepper cut back exposure to Advanced Micro Devices , Intel , Lam Research , Micron , Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor in the latest quarter, regulatory fillings show. That might signal some profit taking, as the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) climbed more than 20% in the three-month period alone, and more than 72% in all of last year. Taiwan Semiconductor saw the largest sale on a percentage basis, with the Carolina Panthers football team owner approximately halving his stake. He took more than 20% out of his positions in Qualcomm, Nvidia and Intel , while pulling about 13% out of Micron and nearly the same in AMD. Tepper sold less than 2% of his holding in Lam Research, which makes chip equipment. Despite these cuts, several are still among the largest holdings in the fund. ARKK SMH 1Y mountain The Ark and semi ETFs, 1-year The Pittsburgh native opened a position worth more than $130 million in Cathy Wood's ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) . The fund soared 32% in the fourth quarter to finish 2023 up more than 67%. Elsewhere in technology, Tepper built an initial stake in Oracle , while adding to Microsoft and Amazon . Holdings in Alphabet and Meta were reduced by more than 16% and 5%, respectively. Even with the selling, Meta remains the fund's biggest holding. Microsoft and Amazon are now the second and third largest positions. Farther afield, Tepper built positions in United Parcel Service , HCA Healthcare , General Motors and agriculture chemical stock FMC . He also increased holdings in Caesars , Alibaba and pipeline and storage facility operator MPLX . The Pitt and Carnegie Mellon grad zeroed out holdings in Arista Networks and JD.com . He also made sizable cuts to PDD Holdings and Uber .

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/12/these-global-tech-stocks-are-in-citis-high-conviction-list.html

ANET

Arista Networks

These global tech stocks are in Citi's 'high-conviction' list. One was given nearly 80% upside

Tech stocks already had a good run, and investors may be wondering if they still have further to go. The iShares Global Tech ETF, which comprises tech stocks around the world, for instance, had more than 50% returns in 2023, beating the S & P 500's 24%. This year, that ETF is continuing to perform with nearly 5% increase year-to-date. Citi, which has an overweight rating on information technology within the growth cyclicals segment, is optimistic on the sector in certain markets. China is one. While investors have been fleeing China markets — although stocks had a respite this week — Citi said in a recent report that additional' policy support from the government could improve sentiment. China recently eased its monetary policy. In a separate 2024 wealth outlook report by Citi, the bank said that thanks to the easing of policies so far, the Chinese economy is "likely to produce a mild cyclical recovery" in 2024." "Potential tactical investment opportunities could arise among industrials, consumer discretionary and information technology – especially in the most advanced technology areas now favored by policies," Citi wrote. It's also bullish on artificial intelligence outside of technology, saying that the efficiencies it can bring to basic business, legal and medical services will become "readily apparent sooner than many expect." Overall, the bank says that it sees more gains for global stocks, giving the MSCI AC World 5% potential upside by end of the year. Investors looking for more upside in tech can consider some tech stocks in Citi's list of top "high-conviction" picks from markets across the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The list was updated in a Feb. 1 report. These are "high conviction, differentiated stock recommendations to generate alpha" that were selected by the bank's analysts. "We identify catalysts that will trigger outperformance and chose liquid names in which investors can build positions," Citi said. Arista Networks is a new addition to the list. Citi said it likes Arista's positioning on the long-term exposure to the general artificial intelligence megatrend, among other factors. "We believe 400G cloud spend could recover into next year as hyperscaler spending on traditional data center infrastructure rebounds and a top customer's capex recovers," the bank said, referring to the next generation of cloud infrastructure. "Arista is also likely to benefit from any early AI related opportunities." — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/09/jim-cramers-week-ahead-earnings-from-shopify-marriott-and-wendys.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Jim Cramer's week ahead: Earnings from Shopify, Marriott and Wendy's

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Friday prepared investors for next week on Wall Street, saying investors should pay attention as earnings season continues, with reports from companies including Shopify , Marriott and Wendy's . He also recommended researching retail stocks next week before the industry reports a slew of earnings results the week after. "Next week seems busy, but, you know what, it's a classic interregnum — Google that — before we get to retail earnings," Cramer said. "Remember, those heavy earnings weeks are all in front of us, and they're about doing your homework." On Monday, Cramer said he'll be waiting for earnings reports from two "scorchers," cloud networking outfit Arista Networks and Cadence Design Systems , which provides software for artificial intelligence hardware. Both companies hit all-time highs on Friday, and Cramer said that may mean they're coming in too hot, but added that their stocks could go higher if the quarters are positive. Shopify reports on Tuesday, and Cramer said he's optimistic because online shopping seems to be booming. Also reporting on Tuesday is Marriott, which Cramer said has been a consistent winner because it's grouped in with several travel stocks that have been performing well. He said he's also optimistic about Tuesday reports from used car dealer AutoNation , animal health company Zoetis and airplane parts manufacturer Howmet . Wednesday brings a report from Kraft Heinz , which Cramer said he wouldn't touch because the stock has been obliterated, and packaged food companies are "out of style" on Wall Street. He also worried about the report from Cisco , with the company reportedly laying off thousands of employees, as he thought it would wait to do layoffs until it closed on its acquisition of Splunk . Thursday, Cramer said he'll be paying attention to Wendy's report and said he's not sure the results will be positive after the company's change in management. He'll also be watching a report from the Trade Desk , which he said consistently beats its numbers and rivals Google in placing online advertisements. On Friday, Cramer said it's worth waiting to see what happens with earnings from Treehouse , a company that makes food that supermarkets use as their store brands. The stock has been stalled, he added, even as Costco and Walmart are seeing success with their store brand products.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/21/stocks-like-nvidia-have-earnings-upside-analysts-say.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Stocks like Nvidia have 'earnings upside' ahead of quarterly reports, Wall Street analysts say

Earnings season is in full swing, and Wall Street analysts named a slew of well-positioned stocks heading into quarterly results. These companies are firing on all cylinders, and their shares have more room to run. CNBC Pro combed through recent Wall Street research to find stocks with earnings upside. They include Nvidia, Dover, Arista Networks , Xcel Energy, Pfizer and Costco. Dover Shares of Dover, a maker of industrial products, are down about 3.5% in October, but they are too attractive to ignore, Oppenheimer said. Analyst Bryan Blair wrote in a recent note that investors should take advantage of the weakness to accumulate shares. "We appreciate Dover's significant transformation over the years, shedding non-industrial assets and establishing a more streamlined multi-industry portfolio," Blair said. The firm said it likes Dover's wide array of businesses, which includes climate and sustainability technologies, as well as clean energy. The analyst also says Dover's biopharma unit is underappreciated, with an attractive setup into next year. "Looking to 2024, the likely resurgence of biopharma, continued outgrowth of other secular growth markets and $40M-plus in carryover savings support continued earnings momentum," Blair wrote. Dover recently announced it was acquiring FW Murphy Production Controls, a natural gas compressor controls solutions company that Blair says "levers momentum into 2024." Dover is scheduled to report quarterly earnings next week. Arista Networks It's shaping up to be a big quarter ahead for the computer networking company, according to Evercore ISI. Analyst Amit Daryanani and his team added a tactical outperform to the stock ahead of earnings on Oct. 30. "Arista should continue their track record of beating guidance and it's possible we see one more increase to the full year guide," he said. The firm said it expects no real surprises from the company and that investors should focus on upcoming 2024 events, such as the company's analyst day. "We continue to see multiple paths to double digit growth for Arista in 2024 and their analyst day should confirm this outlook," Daryanani wrote. In addition, he said investors should watch for any commentary on how Arista is thinking about artificial intelligence, as that's likely to be another positive catalyst. Meanwhile, shares are up 53% this year. "Well Positioned for Another Beat and Raise," Daryanani said. Xcel Energy Bank of America said in a recent note that the utility company's growth prospects are too attractive to ignore right now. The firm upgraded the stock to buy from neutral ahead of the company's Oct. 27 earnings report. "In a sector with companies largely playing defense given interest rate and inflationary pressures, the XEL emerging growth story comes across as all the more compelling," analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith said. Xcel is also a key beneficiary of the Inflation Reduction Act, according to Dumoulin-Smith, who raised his price target on the stock to $66 per share from $58. "As the market has grown more cautious around the utility outlook, we believe XEL continues to deliver solid earnings upside and a premium defensive core regulated story that investors will continue to gravitate to amid broader sector rotation," he said. Shares are down 17% this year. Dover – Oppenheimer, outperform rating "FW Murphy Deal Levers Momentum Into 2024. … Looking to 2024, likely resurgence of biopharma, continued outgrowth of other secular growth markets & $40M-plus in carryover savings support continued earnings momentum. … We appreciate DOV's significant transformation over the years, shedding non-industrial assets & establishing a more streamlined multi-industry portfolio. We believe DOV is well positioned for sustainable core growth across platforms with EPS upside driven by volume leverage & continuous operating improvements." Xcel Energy – Bank of America, buy rating "In a sector with companies largely playing defense given interest rate and inflationary pressures, the XEL emerging growth story comes across as all the more compelling. … As the market has grown more cautious around the utility outlook, we believe XEL continues to deliver solid earnings upside and a premium defensive core regulated story that investors will continue to gravitate to amid broader sector rotation." Costco – William Blair, outperform rating "While we see room for potential multiple expansion in line with its recent average, we expect the stock to primarily appreciate on sustainable earnings growth in the low-double-digit range driven by the increasing appeal of its value proposition, strong member engagement, warehouse expansion efforts, and shareholder returns, with potential for additional earnings upside on a membership fee increase." Pfizer – Cantor Fitzgerald, overweight rating "On Friday (10/13), PFE amended its US government Paxlovid supply agreement, lowered its full-year 2023 guidance, & launched a cost savings program. The latter two initiatives were widely anticipated & all three updates increase earnings visibility into 2023+ which should remove an overhang on PFE's stock. … Post the update last Friday, we continue to think it's a good time to take another look at PFE's stock. Earnings expectations have been reset." Arista Networks – Evercore ISI, outperform rating "Well Positioned for Another Beat and Raise. Adding to Tactical OP List. … Arista should continue their track record of beating guidance and it's possible we see one more increase to the full year guide. … We continue to see multiple paths to double digit growth for Arista in 2024 and their analyst day should confirm this outlook." Nvidia – Jefferies, buy rating "AI and Automotive demand remains robust, while demand is weakening elsewhere, including industrial applications. … Semis Pricing is Stable, OCMs [original component manufacturers] Believe the Post-COVID Pricing Levels are Here to Stay Given Inflationary Environment. … Going into earnings season, we think NVDA and AMAT have the best chance to post upside surprises."

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/17/cramers-lightning-round-staying-away-from-3m.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Cramer's Lightning Round: 'Staying away' from 3M

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon 3M's year-to-date stock performance. 3M : "At this point, there's so much bad news that it has been encapsulated in the stock. At the same time, they have litigation risk still. And I think anybody who has litigation risk, I'm staying away." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Daktronics' year-to-date stock performance. Daktronics : "...I don't think it's such a bad idea, because it's still way below where it used to be." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Arista Networks' year-to-date stock performance. Arista Networks : "That is a terrific networking company. I used to think that you couldn't have a good Arista and a good Cisco, but they are, they can be mutually exclusive...That stock goes higher." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Super Micro Computer's year-to-date stock performance. Super Micro Computer : "...I think you're right, I think it does well." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Vulcan Materials' year-to-date stock performance. Vulcan Materials : "I happen to be more of a fan of Martin Marietta Materials, which has a had a very similar run to Vulcan...Those are the two, either one works." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Vista Energy's year-to-date stock performance. Vista Energy : "I'm going with the 'hasta la vista, baby,' frankly...It will not be back." Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Skyworks Solutions' year-to-date stock performance. Skyworks Solutions : "...Why not buy it now and not wait for cellphones to get strong? I like the gall." watch now

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/31/arista-anet-reports-q3-earnings-stock-drops.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Arista stock sinks on weak guidance as company cites softening business from a cloud 'titan'

Arista Networks shares fell as much as 25% after the data center switch maker gave quarterly revenue guidance that came in much lower than analysts expected because of declining business from a cloud customer. Arista didn't disclose the name of the cloud customer in its statement. "While we expect a sudden softening in Q4 with a specific cloud titan customer, we are committed to a sustainable and strong foundation of long-term growth, innovation and profitability," said Jayshree Ullal, Arista CEO, in the statement. For all of 2019 Arista expects that Microsoft and Facebook will each represent 10% of revenue, Ullal told analysts on a conference call on Thursday. In its second-quarter earnings report, the company said Microsoft represented 27% of revenue in the 2018 fiscal year. "After we experienced the pause of a specific cloud titan's order in Q2 2019, we were expecting a recovery in second half 2019 for cloud titan spend," Ullal said. "In fact, Q3 2019 is good evidence of that. However, we were recently informed of a shift in procurement strategy with a material reduction in demand from a second cloud titan, reducing their forecast dramatically from original projections for both Q4 2019 and for calendar 2020." The cloud customer that suddenly lowered forecasts has traditionally given Arista multiple quarters' worth of visibility into its plans to buy new equipment, and it's moving to be more focused on real-time forecasting, Ullal said. The cloud customer also is delaying a refresh of servers, and there is a corresponding delay of a network refresh. Arista, which competes with Cisco , called for $540 million to $560 million in revenue in the fourth quarter. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected $686.2 million. The Pentagon said last week that Microsoft had won a hotly contested cloud computing contract that could be worth up to $10 billion over a decade. "The first thing that happens with these large contracts is they get contested, and so while the award will be given, we think it will be time for us to see material benefit," Ullal said. "It may take six to 12 months." In 2020 Microsoft should have a usual spending pattern, said Anshul Sadana, Arista's operating chief. "We have not been given any other message," he said. WATCH: JEDI contract means a lot more for Microsoft than Amazon, Jim Cramer says

https://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/06/midday-movers-arista-networks-ebay-humana-more.html

ANET

Arista Networks

Midday movers: Arista Networks, eBay, Humana & More

eBay - The online auctioneer declined after RW Baird commented on slowing growth in the last two weeks of May, which it said could suggest risk to second-quarter guidance. It reduced its price target $2 go $63 a share. Consol Energy - The producer of coal and natural gas climbed after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to buy while increasing its price target to $55 from $49. Caesars Entertainment - The gambling resort fell after Bloomberg News reported it received a notice of default from a bondholder group. Arista Networks - The networking-equipment vendor rose in its market debut after pricing 5.25 million shares at $43. Take a look at some of Friday's midday movers: GW Pharmaceuticals - The biotechnology company rose after the FDA granted fast track designation for its treatment for Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of childhood epilepsy. Hertz Global Holdings - The provider of car rentals dropped after it warned it might have to restate financial results for the past three years. Humana - The supplier of health care gained after Stifel upgraded the stock to buy from hold. Novavax - The biopharmaceutical company declined a day after offering 25 million shares in a public offering at $4 a share. Peabody Energy - The coal miner fell after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and cut its price target to $16 from $21. Sears Holding - The retailer gained on a Reuters report that controlling shareholder Eddie Lampert met with outgoing Ford CEO Alan Mulally for advice turning the struggling retailer around. In an ensuing CNBC interview, Mulally avoided Jim Cramer's question on whether he was going to take over at Sears, saying he has not yet decided what he's going to do next. Vodafone Group Public Limited - The British telecom climbed after disclosing a number of countries can tap directly into its communication network. (Read More: ) —By CNBC's Rich Fisherman. Questions? Comments? Email us at marketinsider@cnbc.com

https://www.cnbc.com/id/46746087

AIZ

Assurant

S&P Passes 1,400; Bank Stocks Lead Rally

But it was an otherwise ho-hum trading day as volume stayed low and conviction remained weak. Market volume has been anemic for weeks, and some expect trading to stay that way for some time. "Many people have observed the lowly volumes accompanying the latest run-up in the equity markets," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak in New York. "Times have changed and participation is simply lower." Of the 10 Standard & Poor's 500 sectors, only utilities posted negative numbers for the day, and even then only slightly. Financials gained 1.8 percent while industrials rose 1.2 percent. Economic news helped set the tone, as the government said weekly jobless claims regained a four-year low while producer prices rose 0.4 percent, boosted primarily from an energy price increase. New York manufacturing rose unexpectedly, though that survey also showed prices pressures building. Also, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank's business activity indexrose for a fifth month in a row to 12.5 from 10.2 in February, topping economists' expectations of 12.0, though new orders slowed. Traders were hoping to push the market to its sixth consecutive daily gain, though light trading volumes and tight ranges suggest a more apprehensive market mood. "Stocks are overbought, but the market’s still bullish and money is still flowing out of debt securities and into equities, so it is improper to be bearish, but it is difficult being bullish," said Dennis Gartman, hedge fund manager and author of The Gartman Letter. "Thus the sidelines seem enticing and so we’ve made our way there, likely to remain for some while longer." Elsewhere on the major indexes, Bank of America helped pace a small field of Dow gainers as it passed the $9 mark for the first time since August. BofA led a slew of big banks higher, also including Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Cisco, which has reached a dealto buy London-based NDS for $5 billion, led bluechips in red numbers. Transports , though, far outpaced the Dow 30, gaining about 3 percent in the morning session. Market watchers consider transportation stocks a reliable barometer of economic activity and a key component in Dow Theory to confirm a rally. Advanced Micro Devices , bolstered by a "buy" rating from Jefferies, led gainers on the S&P 500 while Assurant was the index's biggest loser.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/100173077

AIZ

Assurant

IHS appoints new board member

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Business information and analytics firm IHS Inc. said Monday that it has added Jean-Paul Montupet to its board. Montupet, 64, is chair of the industrial automation business at Emerson Electric Co. and president of Emerson Europe. He is retiring at the end of the year. IHS said his appointment brings the company's board back to its original number of ten directors. Montupet also serves on the Boards of Lexmark International, Inc., WABCO Holdings Inc. and Assurant, Inc., and is the non-executive chair of the board at reinsurer PartnerRe Ltd. Shares of IHS, based in Englewood, Colo., fell 19 cents to close at $91.86.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/40110848

AIZ

Assurant

Stocks Up Slightly Ahead of Close; Energy Rises

Stocks wavered in mid-afternoon trading Wednesday, as the Dow bounced between positive and negative territory, although off the lows of the session. The dollar rose for a third day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose a few points in the final minutes of trading after finishing lower in the previous session as concerns over European sovereign debt pushed the dollar higher against the euro. Bank of America and Chevron led the blue chip index higher, while Boeing and Pfizer fell. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq advanced. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, fell below 19. Among key S&P sectors, financials, energy and consumerdiscretionary stocks rose, while utilities and consumer staples fell. Investors were focused on how the G20 meeting in Seoul later this week will affect currency prices. Meanwhile, the dollar continued to rise against a basket of currencies as European debt troubles once again took center stage. Stocks have been moving inversely to the dollar. The good news on the jobs front should have given more support to the market, said Tim Speiss, head of personal wealth advisors at at EisnerAmper, but he wasn't concerned about a shorterm downdraft interrupting the upward trajectory for stocks. That's because large cap stocks are valued at less than 10 times earnings today versus 30 to 35 times earnings 10 years ago, Speiss said. And today, companies have cleaned up their balance sheets and are running much leaner and more efficiently, so they are poised to do well, particularly as the economy gains strength, he said. "What valuations are now compared to 10 years ago portends that large cap equities will do very well," Speiss said.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/40107795

AIZ

Assurant

Stocks Pare Losses; Boeing Falls, Chevron Rises

Stocks fell as positive economic news on jobs and the trade deficit sent the dollar higher for a third day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 15 points after slipping in Tuesday's session as well as concerns over European sovereign debt pushed the dollar higher against the euro. Boeing , Pfizer and AT&T led the blue-chip index down,while Chevron and Bank of America rose. The S&P 500 Index was flat, while the Nasdaq rose slightly. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded above 19. Among key S&P sectors, energy, consumerdiscretionary and financials rose, while healthcare and consumer staples fell. Investors were focused on how the G20 meeting in Seoul later this week will affect currency prices. Meanwhile, the dollar continued to rise against a basket of currencies as European debt troubles once again take center stage. Stocks have been moving inversely to the dollar. The good news on the jobs front should have given more support to the market, said Tim Speiss, head of personal wealth advisors at at EisnerAmper, but he isn't concerned that a short downdraft will interrupt the upward trajectory for stocks. That's because large cap stocks are valued at less than 10 times earnings today versus 30 to 35 times earnings 10 years ago, Speiss said. And today, companies have cleaned up their balance sheets and are running much leaner and more efficiently, so they are poised to do well, particularly as the economy gains strength, he said. "What valuations are now compared to 10 years ago portends that large cap equities will do very well," Speiss said. The rise in U.S. jobless claims pushed gold prices down from record highs, as investors became skittish about silver after the Chicago Mercantile Exchange raised margin requirementsfor silver futures. The debate over the impact of the Fed's quantitative easing would not be raised at the G20, according to one G20 official. But the summit is expected to produce an agreement on a more flexible foreign exchange policy. A debate over currency markets has been raging all week after comments from World Bank President Robert Zoellick in the Financial Times were interpreted as a call for a return to the gold standard. Zoellick has since told CNBC that he is not in favor a gold-backed currency system, but a more international currency arrangement with less dollar weighting. Boeing shares led the Dow lower for most of the session Wednesday after a 787 test flight was forced to make an emergency landing. And Assurant's shares plummeted to the bottom of the S&P 500 after news in the American Banker that the insurer is involved in "forced-placed insurance" schemes involving mortgage servicing. In earnings news, General Motors' third-quarter profit released Wednesday morning beat rivals Ford and Chrysler, which lost $84 million. The earnings report is expected to be GM's last before its initial public offering in November. Macy's shares were slightly higher after the department store chain reported higher than expected sales, crediting its strategy of catering to local tastes as well as improved sales at its Bloomingdale's chain. Elsewhere, upscale retailer PoloRalph Lauren jumped higher after reporting a 16 percent increase in fiscal second-quarter earnings and posting an optimistic outlook. Campbell Soup dropped after the company said earnings for next year will rise only 2 percent to 4 percent, down from its previous forecast of a 5 percent to 7 percent increase, citing slowing sales despite discounting. Invesco's shares fell after news Morgan Stanley sold its stake in the investment manager for a 7.4 percent discount to Invesco's closing price on Tuesday. BJ's Wholesale , meanwhile, soared after a report in the New York post that the big-box retailer was considering options, including a sale to a private-equity firm. On the economic front, initial claims for unemployment fell by 24,000 to 435,000from a revised 459,000 for the week ended Nov. 6, according to the Labor Department. The four-week moving average of claims fell to 446,500, the lowest since September 2008. The news was a positive sign for jobs growth. Also, import prices rose 0.9 percent in October, while export prices rose 0.8 percent, narrowing the trade deficit, as the weaker dollar gave a boost to U.S. exports. Mortgage loan applicationsfor both home loans and refinancings rose for the week ended Nov. 5, as interest rates remained at record lows, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. The MBA's seasonally adjusted index rose 5.8 percent. On Tap This Week: WEDNESDAY: Oil inventories, CFTC hearing on Dodd-Frank, 30-yr bond auction, after-the-bell earnings from Cisco. THURSDAY: Veterans Day – Bond market closed, stocks and futures markets open, G20 mtg. begins, Earnings from Kohl’s, Disney and Nvidia. FRIDAY: APEC CEO summit, Consumer sentiment, Earnings from DR Horton and JCPenney. More From CNBC.com:

https://www.cnbc.com/id/40114640

AIZ

Assurant

Stocks Eke Out Gains as Energy, Banks Rise

Stocks finished in positive territory after wavering much of the afternoon as the dollar rose for a third day ahead of a meeting of G20 leaders that begins Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 10.29 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 11,357.04 after finishing lower in the previous session as concerns over European sovereign debt pushed the dollar higher against the euro. Bank of America and Chevron led the blue chip index higher, while Boeing and Wal-Mart fell. The S&P 500 rose 5.31 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,218.71, while the Nasdaq rose 15.80 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,578.78. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, fell below 19. Among key S&P sectors, financials, energy and consumerdiscretionary stocks rose, while utilities and consumer staples fell. Investors were focused on how the G20 meeting in Seoul later this week will affect currency prices. Meanwhile, the dollar continued to rise against a basket of currencies as European debt troubles once again took center stage. Stocks have been moving inversely to the dollar. The good news on the jobs front should have given more support to the market, said Tim Speiss, head of personal wealth advisors at at EisnerAmper, but he wasn't concerned about a shorterm downdraft interrupting the upward trajectory for stocks. That's because large cap stocks are valued at less than 10 times earnings today versus 30 to 35 times earnings 10 years ago, Speiss said. And today, companies have cleaned up their balance sheets and are running much leaner and more efficiently, so they are poised to do well, particularly as the economy gains strength, he said. "What valuations are now compared to 10 years ago portends that large cap equities will do very well," Speiss said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/07/markets-could-see-a-turbulent-week-as-investors-watch-coronavirus-economy-and-election.html

AIZ

Assurant

Markets could see a turbulent week as investors watch coronavirus, economy and Fed testimony

Scott Olson | Getty Images The uncertainty around the coronavirus could continue to carry more weight in markets than corporate earnings or the consumer inflation and spending data expected in the week ahead. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell testifies Tuesday and Wednesday in his bi-annual appearance before Congress, and investors are watching to see if Powell looks ready to move away from the Fed's neutral stand on interest rates. Trading was volatile in the past week, with stocks sharply higher four of the five days as investors viewed the virus' progress to be less rapid than feared. But by Friday, the death of the doctor who discovered the illness and the addition of restrictions in Shenzen, a key manufacturing hub, were among the headlines that renewed investor fears. By Friday, 31,000 people were reported to be infected, mostly in China, but the amount of new cases slowed for a second day, according to the World Health Organization. Stocks were lower Friday even after a much stronger-than-expected January employment report showed 225,000 jobs were created — 65,000 more than expected. Treasury yields, higher much of the week, edged lower Friday, and the 10-year yield dipped below 1.60% once more. "The data has been very positive, but it's looking in the rear view mirror. It doesn't take into account any concerns about the coronavirus yet," said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors. Analysts have said volatility will now be a common theme in the stock market, regardless of which way it trades. That may have been apparent in the story of one stock in the past week — Tesla. The electric car maker's stock shot up in parabolic fashion to a high of $968.99 on Tuesday, and was trading more than $200 below that on Friday. "I do believe what happened in Tesla just does show some of the euphoria that got into the marketplace," said Matt Maley, Miller Tabak chief market strategist. Maley said some investors were comparing the surge higher to 1999, when the tech bubble was building. "I really laugh when people justify the rally by saying, it's not as crazy as it was in 1999." Maley said now that the stock has "washed out" on the upside, there's likely more downside ahead. "Some of these comments in the last couple of days ... talking about how the retail investors piled into the stock. Of course, that's usually a sign of a top as well," he said. Brakes on growth UBS Global Wealth Management's Chief Investment Officer Mark Haefele said next week could provide an important look at how the virus is impacting China's economy. "Next week, Chinese factories are set to reopen after the extended Lunar New Year holiday, and important indicators to note will be to what extent the virus spreads as people resume travel back to work, and how long it takes for production to return to full capacity," he wrote, adding he still likes emerging markets despite the potential hit on their economies. Economists expect the impact on the U.S. economy to be minimal, and say it should bounce back quickly. Thursday's consumer price index and Friday's retail sales, industrial production and consumer sentiment will be watched closely by economists. ISM manufacturing data was stronger than expected in the past week, ending a period of contraction that started during the trade war. watch now The first quarter data has been providing a mixed picture of the economy, ahead of any impacts of the virus. Economists had been expecting manufacturing to get a boost after the trade deal, but Boeing's production shut down and now the virus could muddy that picture. "I think there's been a little bit of chicken little about the economy for awhile. It ebbs and flows," said Arone, noting the Fed is the backstop if growth is choked. "Most of the indicators indicate the economy is going to chug along." Powell testifies for two days before House and Senate committees on the state of the economy. Markets will be watching his comments closely to see what he has to say on the potential impact of the coronavirus. The markets have begun to price in more than one rate cut for this year, even though the Fed is not forecasting any. "With the strong jobs, I think it's going to be more of the same. They raised the bar pretty high for them to signal any policy changes," said John Roberts, U.S. rate strategist at NatWest Markets. "They mentioned the coronavirus already. We could get more insight into what they're thinking about that. That's the main thing we're looking for." China's central bank has been adding stimulus, and that was seen as a booster for global stock markets in the past week. Capital Economics on Friday said it expects the coronavirus to cost the world economy $280 billion in the first quarter. "If we're right, then this will mean that global GDP will not grow in [quarter over quarter] terms for the first time since 2009," the economists wrote in a note. "We assume the virus will be contained soon, and that lost output is made up in subsequent quarters, so that world GDP reaches the level it would have done had there been no outbreak by the middle of 2021." Earnings Bonanza Better-than-expected earnings have helped stoke the market's recent gains. There are dozens of earnings expected in the week ahead, including CVS Health Wednesday and Pepsi , Nvidia and Kraft Heinz Thursday. So far, more than 70% of companies are beating forecasts and profits are growing by 2.3%, when including both companies that have reported and those expected to report, according to Refinitiv. At the start of the earnings reporting period, earnings growth was expected to decline. Analysts will also look to companies to continue disclosing how the virus is impacting their operations. VF Corp, for instance, said 60% of its stores in China are now closed, and those that remain open have serous declines. Playing Politics Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders sent a shudder through markets when he began to rise in the polls ahead of Iowa's caucuses. But the chaos in declaring a winner in Iowa this past week, leaves the Democratic field wide open. So New Hampshire's primary Tuesday will also be important. The left-leaning Sanders is viewed as negative for the stock market, but his main rivals, Joseph Biden and now Pete Buttigieg, who seems to have led in Iowa, are both moderates. Sanders leads in the New Hampshire polls and is expected to win his neighboring state. "I think it's going to continue to matter for quite some time, until we get clarity at least on who the Democratic candidate is going to be," said Jon Hill, rates strategist at BMO. "[Buttigieg] would be much more business friendly than some of the other candidates. Does that make him more or less electable? If he's more that could be a market negative development." The S&P 500 has gained 55% since Donald Trump became president, and analysts say he is viewed by investors as having the best policies for the stock market. Some Democrats, particularly Sanders, would raise taxes sharply. Week ahead calendar

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/30/here-are-wall-streets-favorite-stocks-for-2020.html

AIZ

Assurant

Here are Wall Street's favorite stocks for 2020

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Brendan McDermid | Reuters The S&P 500 has risen nearly 30% this year on the back of stocks like Apple and AMD. The following stocks are Wall Street analysts' picks to lead the benchmark in 2020. CNBC identified these stocks by searching in FactSet for S&P 500 companies with a buy rating from 80% or more of analysts, and then sorting by the upside to analysts' average 12-month price target. Bottom line: These are the buy-recommended stocks in the benchmark that analysts predict will jump the most in 2020. watch now This screening found 18 stocks with widespread support among analysts, and 10 of those had more than a 10% implied upside based on the average target price. The group is led by two companies from one of the few sectors that performed poorly in 2019. Diamondback Energy and Marathon Petroleum have missed out on the broader market rally this year as the energy sector struggled. With oil strengthening as the new year approaches, analysts are projecting a gain of more than 30% for the stocks in 2020.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/39613667

AIZ

Assurant

Stocks Struggle for Direction; 3M Falls

Stocks struggled for direction amid quiet holiday trading as investors considered the next steps from the Federal Reserve in the wake of a disappointing jobs report on Friday, and ahead of several third-quarter earnings reports this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was slightly higher, after bobbing in and out of negative territory. JPMorgan , Boeing , and Intel rose. 3M and Home Depot fell. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also rose modestly. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, fell more than 6 percent, below 20. Most of the key S&P 500 sectors rose, led by technology, utilities, and energy. Stocks ended higher Friday with the Dow closing above the psychologically important 11,000-level for the first time since early May. The U.S. Treasurys market is closed Monday for the Columbus Day holiday. Market activity is fairly quiet with the bond market closed, and as the traders catch their breath after Friday's move above 11,000 and ahead of a batch of earnings due out later this week from Intel, JPMorgan, Google, AMD , and GE, among others. The one surprise Monday was a sharp downdraft in the VIX. While "peculiar," the lower level is consistent with Schaeffer Investment Research's view that the VIX is moving toward 15, the level it was at in April. according to Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist. That's also a sign stocks are poised to move to their April highs, Detrick said. "This market is probably working its way higher, to its April peak, and probably higher before the end of the year," he said. Most participants surveyed by CNBC over the weekend believe the Federal Reserve will buy assets to boost the economy, in a strategy known as quantitative easing. Nearly 93 percent of the 70 respondents, including economists, fund managers and traders, believe the Fed will buy assets, up from 69 percent in a survey published two weeks earlier. In economic news, Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig said over the weekend that higher capital standards were needed to ensure the banking industry was able to provide stable growth in the future. And tougher rules on bank dividends were needed to stop excessive payouts during times of financial stress, Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Eric Rosengren said. At 2 p.m., Fed Vice-Chairman Janet Yellen will speak on monetary policy at the National Association for Business Economics annual meeting in Denver, Colorado. There is no economic data scheduled for Monday. In technology news, Microsoft released a line of smartphonesrunning its Windows software on Monday, to compete against Apple's iPhone and Google'sAndroid system. Google China's CNOOC agreed on Sunday to a one-third stake in Chesapeake Energy's Eagle Ford shale property in South Texas for $1.08 billion in cash. Gymboree shares soared after the children's retailer agreed to a $1.8 billion buyout from affiliates of asset management firm Bain Capital. Rival Children's Place also rose after the news. Solar-energy stocks rose after LDK Solar raised its revenue and shipment outlook for the third quarter. Suntech Power Holdings , Evergreen Solarand First Solarwere all higher. Meanwhile, Ascent Solar Technologies soared more than 30 percent after the solar company said it was the first to have its specialized thin-film solar module to receive full IEC certification, allowing the ocmpany to use the product in building applications for commercial, industrial and residential rooftops. JP Morgan rose after a report in Barron's that the bank plans to raise its dividend in the first quarter. Eventually the bank expects the dividend to be about 30 percent to 40 percent of earnings. Bank stocks overall were mixed despite an upbeat review of the sector by Citigroup, which said U.S. banks should meet or exceed third quarter estimates. Specifically, Citi said Wells Fargo and JPMorgan will outperform, and the brokerage raised its price target for Fifth Third Bancorp to $15 from $14. Citi, however, cut its price target for Bank of America to $20 from $22 and for PNC from $62 to $75. Assurant was slightly lower after it was downgrounded by two brokerages. Eli Lilly's shares fell after the drugmaker pulled plans to have Alimta, an established drug, approved as a treatment for head and neck cancer after the medicine failed in a late-stage clinical trial. Potash shares were higher after news two teams are working on bids for the Canadian fertilizer company. Shares of BHP Billiton , which has offered $130 a share for Potash, were slightly lower. U.S. professors Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen and British-Cypriot citizen Christopher Pissarides won the Nobel Prize for economicsfor their work analyzing the process of buying and selling and unemployment. European stocks rose, tracking Friday's gains in the U.S. and Asian stocks ended higher, as the Shanghai market jumped 2.5 percent. The prices of oil remained near multi-month highs and gold hovered near its recent all-time peaks as the dollar continued its decline against other major currencies. On Tap For Next Week: MONDAY: Blackberry suspension goes into effect in UAE. TUESDAY: NFIB small biz index; employment trends index; employment optimism index; Kansas City Fed Pres Hoenig speaks; CFTC hearing on high frequency trading and flash crash; 3-year note auction; FOMC meeting minutes; P&G shareholder meeting; Earnings from Intel and CSX WEDNESDAY: Weekly mortgage applications; import & export prices; 10-year note auction; Richmond Fed Pres Lacker speaks; Earnings from JPMorgan THURSDAY: International trade; PPI; weekly jobless claims; oil inventories; 30-year bond auction; Minnesota Fed Pres Kocherlakota speaks; OPEC meeting; Earnings from Google and AMD FRIDAY: Atlanta Fed Pres Lockhart speaks; Bernanke speaks; CPI; retail sales; Empire State mfg survey; consumer sentiment; credit card default rates reported; Earnings from GE and Mattel More From CNBC.com:

https://www.cnbc.com/id/35013787

AIZ

Assurant

Jan. 22: Unusual Volume Leaders

What follows is a look at stocks in the S&P 500 displaying unusual volume in today's trading session. Some of the highlights include: Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), Consolidated Edison (ED), Harley Davidson (HOG) and Assurant (AIZ).

https://www.cnbc.com/id/39616432

AIZ

Assurant

Stocks Turn Mixed; Dow Pares Losses

Stocks turned mixed Monday amid quiet holiday trading as investors considered the next steps from the Federal Reserve and the release of several major earnings reports this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average pared losses and climbed back above 11,000. On Friday, the Dow closed above the psychologically important 11,000-levelfor the first time since early May. Boeing , JPMorgan ,and Alcoa led the blue-chip index, while 3M and DuPont fell. The S&P 500 fell, while the Nasdaq rose slightly. The CBOE Volatility Index, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, fell nearly 9 percent, below 20. While "peculiar," Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist at Schaeffer Investment Research, said the declining level of the VIX is consistent with his view that the index is moving toward 15, the level it was at in April. That's also a sign stocks are poised to move to their April highs, Detrick said. "This market is probably working its way higher, to its April peak, and probably higher before the end of the year," he said. Allof the key S&P 500 sectors, most of which had been higher all day, fell. Telecom, consumer staples and consumer discretionary stocks led the decline. Traders were also catching their breath ahead of a handful of major earnings due out later this week from Intel, JPMorgan, Google, AMD , and GE, among others. On the tech front, Microsoft released a line of smartphonesrunning its Windows software on Monday, to compete against Apple's iPhone and Google's Android system. Meanwhile, Jefferies raised its price target on Google to $680 from $660. Broadcom shares climbed after Goldman Sachs added the chipmaker to its conviction "buy" list. Financials were mixed despite an upbeat review of the sector by Citigroup, which said banks should meet or exceed third quarter estimates. Specifically, Citi said Wells Fargo and JPMorgan will outperform, and the brokerage raised its price target for Fifth Third Bancorp to $15 from $14. Citi, however, cut its price target for Bank of America to $20 from $22 and for PNC from $62 to $75. JPMorgan also got a boost after a reportin a Barron's blog that the bank plans to raise its dividend in the first quarter. Eventually the bank expects the dividend to be about 30 percent to 40 percent of earnings. Assurant was slightly lower after it was downgraded by two brokerages. On the energy front, China's CNOOC agreed on Sunday to a one-third stake in Chesapeake Energy's Eagle Ford shale property in South Texas for $1.08 billion in cash. Ascent Solar Technologies soared more than 30 percent after the solar company said it was the first to have its specialized thin-film solar module to receive full IEC certification, allowing the ocmpany to use the product in building applications for commercial, industrial and residential rooftops. Solar-energy stocks rose after LDK Solar raised its revenue and shipment outlook for the third quarter. Suntech Power Holdings , Evergreen Solar and First Solar were all higher. Oil prices slipped slightly to trade below $83 a barrelwhile gold advanced toward $1,350 an ounceas the dollar continued its decline against other major currencies. Meanwhile, Airgas shares were higher after the distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases said it will appeal a Delaware court rulingthat handed it a setback in its bid to fight $5.5 billion hostile takeover bid by Air Products & Chemicals . Wynn Resorts soared to the top of the S&P 500 after S&P Equity upgraded the casino operator to "buy" from "hold" and raised the price target to $115 a share from $90 a share. Rivals Las Vegas Sands and Lakes Entertainment were also higher. Potash shares were higher after news two teams are working on bidsfor the Canadian fertilizer company. Shares of BHP Billiton , which has offered $130 a share for Potash, were slightly lower. Eli Lilly shares were mostly flat after the drugmaker pulled plans to have Alimta, an established drug, approved as a treatment for head and neck cancer after the medicine failed in a late-stage clinical trial. Gymboree soared after the children's retailer agreed to a $1.8 billion buyout from affiliates of asset management firm Bain Capital. Rival Children's Place also rose after the news. New York Times jumped more than 8 percent, after some analysts said the stock has been a laggard, making it one of the biggest gainers so far on the NYSE.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/05/health-and-wellness-treatments-tony-robbins-uses-for-high-energy.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Tony Robbins uses these 3 biohacks to keep his energy levels insanely high

If you've ever seen life coach and self-made multimillionaire Tony Robbins speak to an audience, you know the man seems to have unlimited energy. "When I go on stage, I do a seminar for 10,000 to 15,000 people, kind of NBA stadiums, four days and nights," Robbins tells CNBC Make It. "Most people won't sit for a three hour movie that someone spent $300 million to make, so you have to hold people's attention. It "requires a level of energy that's insane, because I'm on-stage 10, 14 hours" at a time, he says. (Robbins says a group of experts once monitored his vitals during a seminar and found he burned 11,300 calories in nine hours.) So how does Robbins physically prepare for such a demanding job? He uses biohacks, like cryotherapy. "I've done it since the beginning," Robbins says of the therapy, during which your body is exposed to extreme cold. "When I was in football [in school], you iced your knees 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. [Now], in three minutes, I go to minus 240 degrees Fahrenheit," he says. "[I]t takes out all the lactic acid, it takes out all of the inflammation in your body in about three minutes. I have [a cryotherapy chamber] right there in my house, I have one on the road." Robbins clearly is a believer in the treatment's benefits, and some studies suggest it can help with things like pain relief and muscle healing, according to Medical News Today. However, it can be harmful to the skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, and also for people with certain medical or heart issues. Robbins says he also uses his own hyperbaric oxygen machine, in which you breath pure oxygen in a pressurized room or chamber. It's generally considered a safe procedure and helps treat everything from anemia to burns to crushing injuries, according to the Mayo Clinic. Robbins says he uses it to treat his elevated mercury levels. Then there's what Robbins calls his "PEMF machine, a pulsed electronic magnetic frequency device," he says. Robbins has said that he uses the PEMF machine as a way to relieve stress and minimize pain. "I tore all my rotator cuffs and my shoulder snowboarding," Robbins says. WebMD notes that magnetic therapy is generally safe, although it is not safe for everyone. Now, Robbins is even writing a book on the subject. "Life Force" will focus on cutting edge tools and innovations. "There are things coming," Robbins says. "I found the best on earth, and showed people it's possible. I'm going to [show you] how you can transform your energy [and] your body." Don't miss: Michael Phelps once did 75 workouts in 24 days — here's where his drive comes from Like this story? Subscribe to CNBC Make It on YouTube!

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/staten-island-hustle-the-energy-box-saves-money-on-electric-bills.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

'Staten Island Hustle' stars want to save you 15% on your electric bills with this 'energy box'

On the latest episode of CNBC's "Staten Island Hustle," you see star Dom Detore call up four of his close friends and ask them to come over to his house in Staten Island, New York. He needs help with a project: turning on every light, every appliance and all seven air-conditioning units in his house. "I want to turn everything on in my house at once, and create a huge electricity spike," Detore says on the episode airing April 18. He and his friends and co-stars — Mike Palmer, Ron Montana, Tony DeCicco and Adolfo LaCola — all businessmen and serial entrepreneurs, are shown running up Detore's electric bill to test a new money-making scheme they'd come up with: the Energy Box, a piece of hardware that aims to lower homeowners' electricity costs. A prototype of the Energy Box installed in Dom Detore's home. CNBC | Staten Island Hustle The show follows the guys as they roam the massive house looking for things to turn on. "There's 400 rooms in this house," says Montana. Then you see DeCicco punch the air-conditioning down to 50 degrees and proudly proclaim, "Alright, we can chill beer in here." tweet The plan hilariously misfires: Something shorts, and all the lights go dark. "Listen to me, scumbags, I need the electric fixed," Detore's displeased wife, Janine, says on the show. But Detore asserts that the product itself works. "My bill dropped 14 percent this month," Detore claims, filling in his buddies over a meal at Angelina's Ristorante on "Staten Island Hustle" after getting his electric bill. "A $1,600 bill is now $1,360." Behind the product is Tom Spinelli, the CEO of MHT Lighting in Port Richmond, Staten Island. He's an expert in lighting systems and cost-efficient energy tech. "Tom and I have been working together for years on commercial construction projects," Detore, who is a general contractor, says on the show. "I build them, and he lights 'em up." Tom Spinelli, Mike Palmer, Dom Detore and Adolfo LaCola install a prototype of the Energy Box. CNBC | Staten Island Hustle

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/17/digital-wellbeing-expert-tips-for-being-mindful-of-your-phone-use.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Americans check their phones 144 times a day: How you can break bad digital habits

Smartphones, first introduced in 1992, have become an integral part of our everyday lives — from communicating with loved ones to managing our finances. The frequent use of them and other tech devices can be draining and distracting and still, it is difficult for us to cut down. Americans check their phones 144 times a day on average, according to a 2023 survey by Reviews.org. Constantly looking at your smartphone can negatively impact the depth of your conversations, Anastasia Dedyukhina, a digital wellbeing expert, tells CNBC Make It. This is true even if it's just on a table nearby during a chat with a friend or colleague, according to a 2014 study. "If I had my smartphone next to me, it would attract my attention, consciously or unconsciously," Dedyukhina says. "I would also keep thinking about it because for our minds, a smartphone and the sound of a smartphone is a highly attractive stimuli. So when I hear my phone ringing and make a notification, for my mind, it's the same as if you were calling me by my name." Frequently switching between tasks can have consequences on your health, according to Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, who wrote a book about attention span and how to refocus when distracted. Shifting what you're focusing on often can increase levels of stress, require more mental effort to complete tasks and cause feelings of frustration and time pressure, Mark told Fast Company in 2008. Here are some tips for practicing digital mindfulness from Dedyukhina who ditched her smartphone for a year and half.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/19/budget-breakdown-of-a-37-year-old-who-makes-108000-dollars-a-year.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Here's the budget breakdown of a 37-year-old ex-CIA analyst turned energy healer who makes $108,000 a year

This story is part of CNBC's Millennial Money series, which profiles how people across the U.S. earn, spend and give away their money. Jessica Brodkin has had a diverse career: She's worked in multiple states and industries, learned the art of relieving pain and even healed celebrity clients. The 37-year-old's professional credits include over a decade as an analyst at the CIA, on and off periods as an actress and comedian, and building her own business as an energy healer. Now she earns $108,000 a year doing Reiki in New York City. On the side, she still does some stand-up comedy shows, as well as speaking engagements. She's also working on a short film and developing a live show that combines group healing, comedy and music. At the same time, she prioritizes giving money to charity every month and taking care of her 12-year-old black lab mix, Julius. She acknowledges that it's a lot. "I often feel like I have this creative current running through me, almost like a fire running through me, and I have to get things out," she says. What she earns After graduating from MIT at age 22, Brodkin was recruited into the CIA. She spent 11 years as an analyst there before she finally got the courage to quit and pursue one of her passions: stand-up comedy. Leaving the CIA also meant leaving her steady, $80,000-a-year salary. Brodkin didn't earn much from comedy — only around $3,000 a year — and supplemented her income with acting gigs. She also relied on credit cards to make ends meet, and she racked up several thousands of dollars in debt. About seven years earlier, when she was 26, Brodkin first discovered Reiki, a kind of energy healing. At the time, she was on medical leave from work due to debilitating health problems. "I had migraines, pseudo-seizures and depression, and I was not able to function," she says. "I ended up passing out at a friend's house from a migraine. I woke up and he was waving his hands over me, and I felt better." CNBC Make It Although Brodkin had never heard of Reiki, after experiencing the way it wiped out her pain, she wanted to learn more. As her interest developed, she began practicing on family and friends. She noticed a powerful improvement in her own health as well. "I had a physical and mental breakdown around [age] 31 and then, once I got healthy, I was meditating constantly in the woods of Virginia," she says. "After that, I realized that I was able to heal, that I was able to do healing work, and so I started working on my family and my friends." In 2015, she launched an official Reiki business on the side. Word spread, and she started seeing more and more clients. "This healing business really took off, and it was kind of an accident," she says. "It was not planned." Even as her Reiki practice grew, Brodkin continued doing stand-up, auditioning for acting gigs and living primarily off her savings. At one point, she got into a fight with her manager because he would book her auditions, but she refused to cancel time with her Reiki clients to go to them. So, three years ago, she decided to make healing her full-time job. In 2018, she brought in $108,000. She currently sees 12 clients per week from a Manhattan coworking space, and sessions typically last 75 to 90 minutes. She charges $229 per session but offers a discount to clients who purchase multiple sessions at once. The rest of the time, she works on marketing, responding to emails, speaking with prospective clients, developing online tools for clients and more. I often feel like I have this creative current running through me, almost like a fire running through me, and I have to get things out. Jessica Brodkin "I haven't even thought about how many hours I spend on my business," she says. "It feels like it's always on my mind, so it almost feels like I don't take time off." She says she's worked on a handful of celebrities, including Emma Stone and Jerry Stiller, but the majority of Brodkin's clients are normal, everyday people. "The clients are really diverse," she says. "I've had people who are doctors and lawyers and that sort, and I've had people who are health coaches and entrepreneurs and artists and filmmakers." She's also noticed Reiki gaining mainstream appeal: "It's becoming a little bit less weird for people." What she spends Here's a breakdown of everything Brodkin spends in a typical month. Click to enlarge Brodkin lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog. Although her rent is high, Brodkin says it's worth it. "My friends who don't live in New York City think that my rent is insane," she says. She wants to own her own home one day, but saving up for a down payment isn't a financial priority right now: "I would love to buy property in New York, but I don't know how that's going to happen. It's going to take Moses parting the sea or something," she says. That includes around $85 per month on Wi-Fi and $55 on electricity and gas for her apartment. Brodkin pays $270 a month for health insurance, which also covers dental and vision. Car insurance costs her another $130 per month. Counseling is a major expense for Brodkin, but it's a priority that she takes seriously. "My therapist is $700 a month, which I have a hard time paying mentally, but I need to do it," she says. Between groceries and dining out, Brodkin spends around $800 per month on food. She aims to cook most of her meals herself, but ends up dining out for lunch three to four times per week when she's in the office. She'll also go out to dinner about once a week. "I have the 'we have food at home' conversation with myself all the time," she jokes. Because Brodkin owns a car, she doesn't purchase an unlimited monthly subway card. Instead, she ends up spending around $25 a month on gas and $80 on public transportation. She also puts about $700 a year toward car maintenance, which averages out to around $55 per month. Debt repayment: $700 When Brodkin left her job at the CIA to strike out on her own, she didn't have a back-up financial plan. To make ends meet, she relied on her savings and credit card, which resulted in a significant amount of debt. Brodkin has around $10,000 left to pay off, but she was able to negotiate the interest rate down to zero percent. She hopes to fully eliminate her debt in about a year. Brodkin gives $100 a month to Feeding America, a non-profit that supports food banks, soup kitchens and shelters across the country. Pet expenses: $400 Brodkin dedicates a decent portion of her monthly income to her dog, Julius, a black lab mix who's nearly 12 years old. CNBC Make It Julius's monthly expenses include about $60 for food, $80 on a dog walker, $130 for vitamins, including CBD oil, and $100 for pet insurance. Brodkin also pays between $200 and $500 annually for vet check-ups, which averages out to around $30 per month. Business expenses: $1,840 The biggest monthly expense for Brodkin's Reiki business is an office in Manhattan, which she uses to see clients. It typically runs her about $1,675 per month, although it can vary depending on how busy she is. The office is part of a coworking space, so she's charged based on how much she uses it. The more clients she sees per week, the more she pays. Brodkin also pays for a number of services that she uses for marketing, communicating with clients and expanding her business. That includes $13 for GoDaddy, $17 for Zoom, $76 for Constant Contact and around $50 on supplies, including plants, herbs and crystals. She pays $100 per year for business insurance, which averages about $8 per month. She has a separate bank account for work, which she uses to keep her business expenses separate from her personal ones. However, her income stems directly from how much is left at the end of the month after paying all of her bills. She doesn't pay quarterly taxes but is careful to put away 10 percent of everything she makes to cover her tax bill in April. Brodkin works with an accountant who ensures that all of her business expenses are handled properly. Everything else: Phone: $110 ClassPass: $78 Netflix: $10 Amazon Prime: $119 for an annual subscription Medium: $5 CNBC Make It What she saves Currently, Brodkin doesn't have any money in a retirement fund. She cashed out everything she had saved while working for the government to help sustain her when she wasn't earning a steady paycheck. Now, she's focused on rebuilding those savings and making retirement a priority. This year, her goal is to max out her Roth IRA. For 2019, the contribution limit is $6,000, up from $5,500 in 2018. The amount Brodkin contributes to her personal savings account fluctuates month to month, depending on how well business is going. In a slow month, she'll only contribute $500, but during particularly lucrative months, it could be between $2,000 and $3,000. She also wants to build up an emergency fund with six months' worth of living expenses in place. What the experts say CNBC Make It asked Pamela Capalad, a certified financial planner and the founder of Brunch & Budget, to comment on what Brodkin is doing well and how she could improve. Here are her thoughts: Pamela Capalad Source: Pamela Capalad She's smart to keep her business expenses separate Although the overhead for Brodkin's business is part of her monthly and yearly budget, she separates her work from her personal expenses. Brodkin has an independent bank account for her business, keeps detailed books and works with an accountant. This separation is a smart choice, especially for tax purposes, Capalad says. "The thing about being a freelancer is your tax situation is so much more complicated," she says. "Having a separate business account and knowing how much income is coming in and how much income is going out on a regular basis will help you track how well your business is doing." It will also make things easier if Brodkin is ever audited. "As sole proprietors, you're more likely to be audited than a corporation, so if you do get audited and you want your books to be clean, the best way to do it is just to start now," Capalad says. "It's better for you in the short-term, and it's better for you in the long-term." It might make sense to switch to paying taxes quarterly Technically, freelancers and self-employed people are required to pay taxes quarterly instead of annually. If they don't, they're charged a penalty. Depending on how much you earn, that penalty can be small enough that it feels negligible, Capalad says. But for Brodkin, who brought in more than $100,000 last year, it's worth asking her accountant how much she could potentially save. Especially since Brodkin already sets aside money for taxes and is "judicious" about bookkeeping, as she puts it, it makes sense to get it out of the way and save a little money at the same time. She's not living based on the highs and lows of the business, which is really awesome. It would be good to acknowledge that by sending money to herself. Pamela Capalad CFP and founder of Brunch & Budget "It's a little extra administrative thing, but not having to owe that much money at tax time and not having to pay penalties is a big reason why" it's worth it, Capalad says. It's great that she's focused on saving Although the amount Brodkin puts into savings varies month to month, Capalad says it's great that she makes it a habit and is thinking about the future. She's also smart to put away a portion of her income for taxes so she's not caught off-guard by how much she owes. If Brodkin wanted to take things a step further, she could consider paying herself a set amount every month. It would not only make it easier to budget and save, Capalad says, but it's "a marker of financial stability." "She's not living based on the highs and lows of the business, which is really awesome," Capalad says. "It would be good to acknowledge that by sending money to herself." She might be able to save more with a SEP IRA Capalad applauds Brodkin's goal to begin rebuilding her retirement savings, but wonders if she might be able to save more by using a SEP IRA, or simplified employee pension, instead of a Roth IRA. A SEP IRA allows self-employed workers to make tax-deductible contributions and not have to pay taxes until they retire. They also offer higher contribution limits: For 2019, you can contribute up to 25 percent of your income after deductions, or as much as $56,000. While both SEP and Roth IRAs can be powerful retirement planning tools, for self-employed freelancers and entrepreneurs like Brodkin, a SEP could offer more overall savings. It's worth asking her accountant to calculate the difference. CNBC Make It Disability insurance could offer peace of mind Because Brodkin's Reiki practice heavily relies on her ability to be present and move around with her clients, she might want to consider looking into disability insurance, which kicks in if you're injured or have a long-term illness, Capalad says. "It protects your income," she explains. "If you weren't able to work, you could get a disability payment for up to 50 percent of your salary for a period of time." While coverage will vary policy to policy, it's a good idea to have a backup plan, especially if you work for yourself. Plus, Capalad says, it's typically not very expensive, especially if you're able to get a group rate, like the one available through the freelancer's union. It's okay to spend on mental health

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/17/linkedin-top-15-companies-to-work-for-in-singapore-in-2024.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Here are the top 15 companies in Singapore to work for, according to LinkedIn

These are the top companies to work for in Singapore in 2024, according to LinkedIn. Banks dominated the top 5 best companies in Singapore to work for, according to LinkedIn's list on the best workplaces in the country in 2024. "Commercial banking firms from banking to insurance and digital payments, dominated the 2024 LinkedIn Top Companies in Singapore, comprising more than half of the top 15 (up from 5 in 2023)," Pooja Chhabria, head of editorial for Asia-Pacific for LinkedIn told CNBC Make It. "This is no surprise as Singapore is a well-established financial hub in the region, characterized by stable regulatory frameworks, and increased adoption of digital banking," she said. LinkedIn's data assesses various aspects of career progression. It ranked companies based on eight pillars: ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity; educational background and employee presence in the country. The list, released Wednesday, only includes companies that had at least 500 employees in Singapore as of the end of 2023. Additionally, recruiting firms, educational institutions and government agencies were excluded from the list. Here are the top five names on LinkedIn's 2024 list for Singapore:

https://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/30/lightning-round-yahoo-gilead-more.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Lightning Round: Yahoo!, Gilead & more

Are you ready skeedaddy???!!! It's time for the Lightning Round. Cramer makes the call on viewer favorites. Yahoo! (YHOO): I'm a buyer, said Cramer. I think this stock trends higher. Triangle Petroleum (TPLM): In this space, I'd rather own EOG, said Cramer.

https://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/03/lightning-round-alcoa-wendys-more.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

Lightning Round: Alcoa, Wendy’s & More

Are you ready skeedaddy???!!! It's time for the Lightning Round. Cramer makes the call on viewer favorites. Alcoa (AA): In this market I can see Alcoa sliding to $10, said Cramer. But at that level, I'm a buyer. Wendy's (WEN): They reported a great quarter and they're buying back stock, said Cramer. They're doing everything right. Nonetheless, in this market, I can see it going to $8.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/11/how-justins-became-national-peanut-butter-brand-worth-millions.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

This founder went from waiting tables to selling his company for $281 million: It 'blew my mind'

In 2006, Justin Gold was mountain biking when something struck him that changed his life: a business idea that helped make his nut butter brand, Justin's, a household name. "I'm on a mountain bike ride right here in Boulder, [Colorado], and I'm eating an energy gel [packet]," Gold told CNBC in a recent interview. "And I was curious why you couldn't put peanut butter or almond butter in that same type of squeeze pack and have an on-the-go, plant-based protein experience like an energy bar." Gold had been selling nut butters at a popular farmer's market in Boulder for two years by that point. He'd landed a coveted placement in the local Whole Foods Market, too. But at the time, consumers still gravitated toward a handful of traditional peanut butter brands. Almond butter wasn't particularly popular yet, much less the flavor combinations Justin's was selling, like maple almond or chocolate hazelnut. So, despite positive feedback from customers, Justin's had yet to turn a profit — and Gold was still waiting tables and working a retail job to make ends meet, he said. Within two years of introducing nut butters in tiny pouches, Justin's was profitable and Gold soon quit his day jobs, he told Entrepreneur in 2012. The business was acquired by Hormel Foods in 2016 for $280.9 million, according to an SEC filing from that year. Here's how a simple packaging strategy changed the company's fortunes.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/23391509

ATO

Atmos Energy

Lightning Round: Medco, Amgen, Yum! and More

Medco Health : MHS is down as people sell the defensive stocks, but Cramer sees the decline as a buying opportunity. He’s bullish on Medco. Atmos Energy :Kinder Morgan or Sempra Energy would be better picks. Even better, Cramer said, would be to own EnCana, Southwestern Energy, or Devon or XTO Energy on a pullback. Yum! Brands : Buy half a position in YUM now, then buy the other half “when Bernanke takes the market down,” Cramer said, reiterating his lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve. Jim's charitable trust owns Schering-Plough and XTO Energy. Questions for Cramer? madmoney@cnbc.com Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website? madcap@cnbc.com

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/what-jeff-bezos-told-employees-about-stepping-down-as-ceo.html

ATO

Atmos Energy

What Jeff Bezos told Amazon employees about stepping down as CEO: 'I’ve never had more energy, and this isn’t about retiring'

Although Jeff Bezos announced on Tuesday that he will step down as Amazon CEO and transition to executive chair of the company's board, he has no plans of retiring. "Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it's consuming," Bezos wrote in a letter to employees announcing his role change. "When you have a responsibility like that, it's hard to put attention on anything else." As executive chair, Bezos said he plans to "stay engaged in Amazon initiatives," but also put energy into his "other passions," like "the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post," to name a few. "As much as I still tap dance into the office, I'm excited about this transition," he said. Today, Amazon is an e-commerce behemoth with a market value of about $1.7 trillion. But when Jeff Bezos started the online bookseller in 1994, he thought it was likely that his business would fail. At the time, "most people didn't pay attention to us or care about us," Bezos said at a 2018 Partnership for Public Service gala. And, before Amazon's launch, most people did not even know what the internet was, he said. "The question I was asked most frequently at that time was, 'What's the internet?'" Bezos wrote in his letter to employees. When Bezos was deciding whether to take a huge risk, quit his stable job at a hedge fund and start Amazon out of his garage, his then-employer and family members worried about his future – but, "I pictured myself 80 years old, thinking back on my life in a quiet moment of reflection," he during a fireside chat in India in 2020. "I wanted not to have regrets. I knew for a fact, I have this idea, and if I don't try, I'm going to regret having never tried." Of course, his decision paid off – and nowadays, Bezos said, the reaction from people is different. "Blessedly, I haven't had to explain [the internet] in a long while," he said in his letter. "If you get it right, a few years after a surprising invention, the new thing has become normal," he said. "People yawn. And that yawn is the greatest compliment an inventor can receive." Don't miss: The best credit cards for building credit of 2021 Check out:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/cramers-lightning-round-autodesk-is-one-of-the-best-run-companies.html

ADSK

Autodesk

Cramer's lightning round: Autodesk is one of the best-run companies

Autodesk : "I think that Autodesk is one of the best-run companies in the world, and it just doesn't get talked about because the technique — the software's enterprise-oriented, but boy is it ever good. ... It's a buy." Inseego : "I like Inseego ... I think that they're terrific. I like Marvell , too." Bigcommerce: "Why are we fooling around with Bigcommerce now that it's up $6. Just buy some Adobe . Buy a share of Adobe. Buy a fractional share of Adobe. I think Adobe is doing great, and nobody's talking about it anymore." Crown Castle : "I think you have to recognize that this one is in the grip of the real estate investment trust ETFs and we're going to make a giant amount of money for my charitable trust and for you in Crown Castle."

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/23/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-after-hours-hp-autodesk-boeing.html

ADSK

Autodesk

Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: HP, Autodesk, Boeing and more

The logo of printer manufacturer HP is seen during an event. Check out the companies making headlines after the bell: Shares of HP Inc. rose more than 1% in extended trading after the software company reported second-quarter earnings that beat expectations. The company reported earnings of 53 cents per share on revenue of $14.04 billion, while analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected earnings of 51 cents per share on revenue of $13.97 billion. Shares of HP Enterprise fell nearly 1% after the information technology company reported mixed second-quarter earnings. The company reported earnings of 42 cents per share, compared with the expected 37 cents per share, and revenue of $7.15 billion, compared with the expected $7.4 billion. Boeing stock rose nearly 1% in after-hours trading after the Federal Aviation Administration told U.N. aviation agency members on Thursday that it expects Boeing's grounded 737 Max jets to return to air in the U.S. as early as June. It was not clear Thursday when other countries would clear the flights. Shares of Intuit rose as much as 3.5% after the software company reported third-quarter earnings that beat expectations. The company reported earnings of $5.55 per share on revenue of $3.27 billion, while analysts had projected earnings of $5.40 per share and revenue of $3.23 billion, according to Refinitiv consensus estimates. Shares of Autodesk tanked 9% after the software company reported first-quarter earnings that missed estimates. The company reported earnings of 45 cents per share on revenue of $736 million, while Wall Street had expected earnings of 47 cents per share on revenue of $740 million. Ross Stores stock fell more than 3% in after-hours trading, despite first-quarter earnings that beat on the top and bottom lines. The company reported earnings of $1.13 per share on revenue of 3.80 billion, while Wall Street had expected EPS of $1.12 on revenue of $3.79 billion. Deckers Outdoor stock jumped more than 4% after the footwear designer reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue and gave strong guidance for the current fiscal year. The company reported earnings of 85 cents per share and revenue of $394 million. Analysts had expected revenue of $379 million.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/18/google-cloud-nabs-business-from-autodesk.html

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Autodesk

Google cloud nabs business from Autodesk

Autodesk film animation technology is partnering with Google cloud to make it run faster. Source: Autodesk Google's cloud platform just scored a big win in its uphill battle against Amazon.com and Microsoft. Autodesk , the provider of modeling software for architects and animators, said Monday that a new service is now available for customers in the entertainment industry to more quickly and efficiently render 3-D images. This isn't a wholesale shift for Autodesk, which is still spending heavily on Amazon Web Services as it transforms its traditional software suite into a cloud services offering. But Autodesk CEO Carl Bass said that when it comes to projects that require substantial bandwidth, Google has the preferred service. "The best thing about Amazon is the ability to spin up servers quickly," Bass said in an interview. "When you get into production, where you have hundreds of thousands of servers running, I think the requirements change pretty dramatically." Rendering 3-D images is a notoriously slow process because of the data and bandwidth demands. Even with advances in computing and tools like Autodesk's Maya 3D animation software, it remains a problem as content moves from high-definition to ultra-high-def. With Autodesk and Google enabling customers to run an unlimited number of servers simultaneously at 60 cents an hour per machine, content developers can efficiently handle production without breaking the bank. Google is looking for high-profile customer case studies as it tries to eat into AWS's big lead. The search provider hired VMware co-founder Diane Greene in November to run the cloud platform, and the build-out of that unit is one of its biggest investments. Best Buy , Coca-Cola and Home Depo t are among large brands that count on Google for some of their cloud business.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/25/autodesk-forecasts-second-quarter-profit-below-estimates.html

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Autodesk

Autodesk forecasts second-quarter profit below estimates

Autodesk forecast second-quarter profit on Thursday below Wall Street expectations, sending the AutoCAD software maker's shares down nearly 4 percent in extended trading. The company's forecast overshadowed a beat on both first-quarter revenue and profit. Autodesk forecast second-quarter adjusted profit between 13 cents and 16 cents per share. Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 18 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The company which competes with Adobe Systems , Ansys , and Dassault Systemes for design software customers is shifting to a subscription-based business model to generate a more sustainable revenue stream. Autodesk's subscription revenue more than doubled to $350.4 million in the reported quarter, above estimates of $328.9 million. Net loss narrowed to $82.4 million, or 38 cents per share, in the first quarter ended April 30, from $129.6 million, or 59 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company earned 6 cents per share, above estimates of 3 cents. Total revenue rose 15.3 percent to $559.9 million, beating estimates of $558.4 million.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/30/autodesk-shares-drop-more-than-3-after-disappointing-guidance.html

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Autodesk

Autodesk shares drop more than 3% after disappointing guidance

Shares of Autodesk dropped 3.5 percent Wednesday after the company reported disappointing guidance. The design software company said it expected a fiscal fourth quarter earnings loss of 32 to 39 cents a share, more than the 31 cent loss expected by analysts polled by Reuters. The firm also gave a quarterly revenue outlook of $460 million to $480 million, below the Reuters consensus estimate of $487 million. Autodesk did report a smaller-than-expected loss in the third-quarter of 18 cents a share, ex-items, while revenue of $490 million beat estimates. Company officials said that their third quarter was bolstered by new model subscription additions and successful cost-control measures. "We experienced robust demand in the third quarter building on the momentum of a very strong second quarter," said Scott Herren, Autodesk Chief Financial Officer, in a press release. Despite Wednesday's drop, Autodesk's stock is up more than 19 percent year-to-date.