Earnings momentum could serve as a catalyst for stocks such as Applied Materials that are reporting their latest quarterly results next week. Next week serves as a breather after the earnings season mania of the past few weeks. Just eight stocks in the S & P 500 and one component in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are on the docket to post results. Still, analysts have been ratcheting higher expe...
Earnings momentum could serve as a catalyst for stocks such as Applied Materials that are reporting their latest quarterly results next week. Next week serves as a breather after the earnings season mania of the past few weeks. Just eight stocks in the S & P 500 and one component in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are on the docket to post results. Still, analysts have been ratcheting higher expectations on certain names — suggesting positive momentum is on their side. CNBC Pro screened FactSet data to identify the S & P 500 companies posting quarterly results next week that have also seen accelerated earnings momentum recently. To be included in the table below, stocks had to meet the following criteria: Earnings estimates revised up by at least 10% in the past three and past six months Have an average analyst price target implying upside of at least 10% One stock seeing improved earnings estimates is Applied Materials, which reports Thursday. Analysts on average have increased their earnings estimates on the chipmaker by 54% over the past three months and 46% over the past six months. On Monday, Morgan Stanley reiterated its overweight rating on the name and listed it as a top pick. "Expectations are not low for AMAT, but we think AMAT keeps pace with peers with another strong beat & raise," wrote analyst Shane Brett. "We saw the JanQ print as a leap in the right direction; we think this print will be another leap." Brett's new price target of $454, up from $432, implies a gain of 11% from Thursday's close. Seaport Research also initiated coverage of Applied Materials at a buy rating and $500 price target on Monday. "We see AMAT as the best positioned of the global WFE suppliers," wrote analyst Jay Goldberg. "While they do not have ASML's monopoly in EUV lithography, they do have offerings in almost every other line of tools covering — deposition, etch, implant, CMP, cleaning and more. We think their role in advanced semis is almost as irreplaceable as ASML." Sha...
clausjepsen/E+ via Getty Images CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ) just reported a quarter that, on the surface, I believe it should have given investors plenty to like. Revenue grew 112% YoY. Backlog reached $99.4 billion, up 284% YoY. The company added more than $40 billion of new commitments in the quarter, including a $21 billion Meta commitment. Quoting George Clooney, “What else?” As I am writing this...
clausjepsen/E+ via Getty Images CoreWeave, Inc. ( CRWV ) just reported a quarter that, on the surface, I believe it should have given investors plenty to like. Revenue grew 112% YoY. Backlog reached $99.4 billion, up 284% YoY. The company added more than $40 billion of new commitments in the quarter, including a $21 billion Meta commitment. Quoting George Clooney, “What else?” As I am writing this piece during the premarket session on May 8, the stock is down 7% as Q2 revenue guidance came in at $2.45 billion to $2.60 billion, below the Street’s $2.69 billion expectation. I’m not sweating this miss because it wasn’t driven by a delay. If management had confirmed, or even hinted at, any signs of a buildout delay (similar to Q3), my downgrade would have been to Sell, not Hold. In this piece, I will discuss why. I am not bearish on CoreWeave. In fact, I still see a higher share price in the next 6-9 months than today’s level, as I see the market bidding up the tech sector, and the main beneficiaries are those who have exposure to the hyperscaler CapEx (like neoclouds do). That said, I don’t own CoreWeave, and I’m not buying the dip either, simply because I see better (although riskier) opportunities elsewhere. Below, I discuss my rationale for the downgrade. Why Is CoreWeave Down After Q1 2026 Earnings? In just a few words, the company guided Q2 revenue in the range of $2.45B - $2.60B, below the Street’s $2.69B expectation. On top of that, management moved the lower end of the FY26 capex guidance higher, now sitting at $31B from the prior $30B. As I’m writing during the premarket session of May 8, the stock is down mid-single digits. Let me explain why I think the market is panicking about this miss. Earlier this year, some sources using SynMax satellite data suggested that almost 40% of U.S. datacenter projects due this year are at risk of falling behind schedule, with major projects tied to Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and others likely to miss completion dates by more...
DOJ Reaches Settlement With Data Firm Over Meat Industry Competition Concerns Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, The Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a proposed settlement with Agri Stats Inc., requiring the data and consulting company to stop distributing competitively sensitive information among the nation’s major meat processors, officials announced on May 7. The agreement, whi...
DOJ Reaches Settlement With Data Firm Over Meat Industry Competition Concerns Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, The Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a proposed settlement with Agri Stats Inc., requiring the data and consulting company to stop distributing competitively sensitive information among the nation’s major meat processors, officials announced on May 7. The agreement, which was filed in federal court in Minnesota, seeks to address longstanding government concerns that the firm’s practices allowed processors to coordinate production and pricing, increasing costs for consumers nationwide. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and antitrust division leaders said the proposed settlement was an effort to foster competition and ease pressures on household budgets. “A stable and affordable food supply is critical to our country’s well-being,” Blanche said in a statement. “This Department of Justice is laser-focused on making everyday life affordable for all Americans.” Agri Stats, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, gathers detailed data on prices, output, costs, and other metrics from processors’ systems. It then standardizes and redistributes the information to participating companies through reports and meetings, according to the DOJ. Meat buyers such as grocers, restaurants, and distributors allegedly had no such access. Agri Stats Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times. Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division said that the American people do not have to tolerate business models that increase their cost of living. “The Antitrust Division’s mission is to use the antitrust laws to protect American consumers from inflated prices,” Assefi said. “This settlement delivers immediate relief in the meat section of grocery stores across our nation. “When companies decide certain information is too sensitive to share with the broader market, but not too sensitive to share ...