Matheus Obst/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I am close to wrapping up my first pass at analyzing the US airline sector in 2026, which started recently with the Big 4 players and American Airlines ( AAL ). Today, I look at United Airlines ( UAL ), a company that bet on its United Next strategy about five years ago and transformed the business for the (much) better in relatively little time. I wi...
Matheus Obst/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I am close to wrapping up my first pass at analyzing the US airline sector in 2026, which started recently with the Big 4 players and American Airlines ( AAL ). Today, I look at United Airlines ( UAL ), a company that bet on its United Next strategy about five years ago and transformed the business for the (much) better in relatively little time. I will argue below that, in a long-short bet within the airline space, UAL probably deserves to be placed alongside Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) and International Consolidated Airlines ( ICAGY ) in the "long" column. This is true not only because of strong business fundamentals, but also because UAL features among the cheapest US airline stocks today, trailing only a much more speculative play in AAL (see chart below) in forward P/E terms. Data by YCharts UAL: A beneficiary in the mid-cycle While Southwest ( LUV ) works hard to reinvent its business model and American Airlines has struggled to improve its own for many years, United Airlines seems to have done all the heavy lifting already. Between 2019 and last year, the company grew capacity by a cumulative, peer group-leading 16% through a disruptive pandemic cycle, the result of the company's push towards improved hub connectivity. Although occupancy rates declined during this period, they did so in line with the industry at large, while CASM-ex (per-unit operating costs ex-fuel and others) increased by a modest 24% through a period of heavy inflation—compare it to Delta's +27% and Southwest's +29%. As a result, United was able to defend per-unit margin better than any other major US airline, as the chart below suggests, keeping it at industry-leading levels. Margins across the sector fell, in great part, due to fares that did not quite keep up with operational costs, particularly personnel expenses, and reduced occupancy vs. the very high levels registered in 2019. DM Martins Research Because of improved financial performance an...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview As market indices continue to demonstrate volatility, investors may be looking for high quality income funds that can protect capital. However, the BlackRock Income Trust ( BKT ) makes it clear that all income funds aren't built the same. Rather than investing in traditional debt securities, BKT specifically focuses on mortgage-related securities, ...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images Overview As market indices continue to demonstrate volatility, investors may be looking for high quality income funds that can protect capital. However, the BlackRock Income Trust ( BKT ) makes it clear that all income funds aren't built the same. Rather than investing in traditional debt securities, BKT specifically focuses on mortgage-related securities, which come with its own set of risks. When I previously covered BKT, I issued a sell rating due to the fund's vulnerability to high interest rates. Since then, the fund has released an updated annual report for 2025, which prompted me to reassess BKT's earnings, performance, and outlook for 2026. Looking at the performance over the last twelve months, we can see that BKT's share price has declined by about 6.7%. The fund has failed to generate any positive momentum since the decline around the second half of 2025. When including all distributions paid out to shareholders, the total return sits at 2.3% over the same time frame. BKT now offers investors a starting dividend yield of 9.6%, while issuing payouts on a monthly basis. However, the latest annual report indicates that the fund has struggled to generate the necessary earnings to support payouts. Data by YCharts Although the fund appears to have a consistent payout range, I believe that BKT would benefit from a dividend reduction. The decision to keep payouts the same, despite weak earnings, is directly causing the NAV to erode. So the high income received can be a bit deceiving since the total returns are reduced by a falling share price. Furthermore, the fund's use of leverage continues to amplify risks as long as interest rates are elevated. So let's start by reviewing BKT's strategy and highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. Fund Strategy According to the latest fact sheet , BKT has total managed assets of $457.4M that are spread across 325 different holdings. The fund has a stated objective of preserving inves...
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA ) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts . On March 4, Reuters reported that NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s latest comments suggest that the company may be nearing the end of its investments in AI leaders OpenAI and Anthropic as both firms eye potential public listings. At a recent Morgan Stanley conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huan...
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA ) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts . On March 4, Reuters reported that NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s latest comments suggest that the company may be nearing the end of its investments in AI leaders OpenAI and Anthropic as both firms eye potential public listings. At a recent Morgan Stanley conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that a $100 billion dollar investment in OpenAI is probably not in the cards as the company expects an IPO. He also noted that the $10 billion stake in Anthropic is likely Nvidia’s final one, amid reports of the startup’s potential public debut despite its ongoing Pentagon dispute. In September 2025, Nvidia and OpenAI had discussed a potential $100 billion deal. However, Nvidia recently finalized a $30 billion investment deal calling it to be the last opportunity to invest in a “consequential company.” Moreover, a recent report by the Financial Times also suggests that Nvidia and OpenAI have abandoned their $100 billion deal considering the health of the AI sector.Photo by Redd on Unsplash NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a fabless semiconductor and AI computing company that designs GPUs, AI accelerators, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and system-on-a-chip units. Through its CUDA ecosystem, the company enables industries ranging from autonomous vehicles to scientific research by advancing AI, accelerated computing, and data center infrastructure. While we acknowledge the potential of NVDA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News
Wirestock/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Cisco Systems, Inc. ( CSCO ) is a legacy company that most people ignore because it is not as progressive as some of the other AI plays. The last time I broke Cisco down was back in May 2025. I rated it as a Buy, to my personal surprise, and to the surprise of some of the people I shared my findings with. Since then, the stock is up by over ...
Wirestock/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Cisco Systems, Inc. ( CSCO ) is a legacy company that most people ignore because it is not as progressive as some of the other AI plays. The last time I broke Cisco down was back in May 2025. I rated it as a Buy, to my personal surprise, and to the surprise of some of the people I shared my findings with. Since then, the stock is up by over 25% beathing the S&P 500 ( SP500 ), which rose by about 15% in the same timeframe. Some of this return has been attributed to the dividend payouts, but most of it, of course, came from the stock price appreciation. Latest Rating I am happy with my rating, especially when comparing Cisco's performance with that of some of its peers. Looking at the 1-, 3-, 6-, and 9-month timeframes, the company is among the top-performing stocks in the group. However, it's not because Cisco is the fastest-growing one of them, but rather because it's a legacy stock people were heavily ignoring before. So while most of the peers pulled back after major rallies, Cisco has just started being repriced higher by the market. Returns Today I want to revisit my rating. The company had earnings for the second quarter of 2026 less than a month ago, and there were some updates from conferences Cisco participated in, for example, the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 . Q2 2026 The main reason I rated Cisco as a Buy was its efforts in AI adoption. This quarter, the growth in this segment continued, although I can't note a standout growth rate acceleration, as we've seen, for example, for Broadcom ( AVGO ) in my previous article . Looking at the infrastructure for AI (data center switches, chips, UCS servers, networking, etc.), the growth of products in this segment jumps up and down. For example, in Q3 FY 2025 , product orders were up 20% y/y, and this is when I rated this stock as a Buy. The quarter after this, or Q4 2025 , the growth was at a modest 7% y/y. In Q1, it was at 13% ...
(RTTNews) - Following the weakness seen in the previous session, stocks are likely to see further downside in early trading on Friday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a lower open for the markets, with the S&P 500 futures down by 0.9 percent. The futures saw further downside following the release of a closely watched Labor Department report showing U.S. unemployment unexpectedly ...
(RTTNews) - Following the weakness seen in the previous session, stocks are likely to see further downside in early trading on Friday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a lower open for the markets, with the S&P 500 futures down by 0.9 percent. The futures saw further downside following the release of a closely watched Labor Department report showing U.S. unemployment unexpectedly decreased in the month of February. The report said non-farm payroll employment slumped by 92,000 jobs in February after jumping by a downwardly revised 126,000 jobs in January. Economists had expected employment to increase by 60,000 jobs compared to the addition of 130,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. The Labor Department also said the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent in February from 4.3 percent in January, in line with economist estimates. A continued surge by the price of crude oil is also likely to weigh on Wall Street, with U.S. crude oil futures soaring to their highest levels in almost two years. Crude oil has skyrocketed over the past week as the U.S.-Iran conflict spreads across the Middle East, leading to concerns about a potential energy crisis. As the Middle East conflict enters its seventh day, Israel has intensified air strikes on Iran, while the U.S. said its attacks on Iran are going to "surge dramatically." President Donald Trump has said the U.S. wants to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future. He also encouraged Iranian Kurdish forces to go on the offensive. After turning in a strong performance during Wednesday's session, stocks moved back to the downside during trading on Thursday. The major averages all moved lower, with the Dow slumping to its lowest closing level in well over two months. The major averages saw a notable recovery attempt in the final hour of trading but still closed in negative territory. The Dow tumbled 784.67 points or 1.6 percent to 47,954.74, the ...
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On March 3, Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating on Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) with a $230 price target. The rating affirmation follows President Trump’s order to every federal agency to stop using Anthropic. On March 1, The Pentagon, Department of Defense, and Tre...
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On March 3, Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating on Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) with a $230 price target. The rating affirmation follows President Trump’s order to every federal agency to stop using Anthropic. On March 1, The Pentagon, Department of Defense, and Treasury Department designated Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk following a public dispute. This has led to contract cancellations and a six-month phase-out of its technology from military and intelligence systems. Piper Sandler noted that de-platforming Anthropic could cause short-term disruptions to Palantir’s operations and new government program implementations. This is because Palantir provides infrastructure for Anthropic’s Claude model in secure environments. Piper Sandler noted that Anthropic is a pioneer in AI for data-sensitive settings but emphasized that Palantir can replace it with other vendors. The firm noted that the onboarding would divert time and resources of the company from growth initiatives. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) develops software platforms for data integration, analytics, and decision-making, serving government agencies and commercial enterprises. Its products, including Palantir Foundry and Gotham. While we acknowledge the potential of PLTR as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026 and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On February 26, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced that it is collaborating with ASUS and Dell to launch two new Cloud PC devices including the ASUS NUC 16 and Dell Pro Desktop. Management highlighted that the Cloud PC devices are designed for seamless access to Windows 365 Cloud P...
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On February 26, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced that it is collaborating with ASUS and Dell to launch two new Cloud PC devices including the ASUS NUC 16 and Dell Pro Desktop. Management highlighted that the Cloud PC devices are designed for seamless access to Windows 365 Cloud PCs. These PCs can boot directly into the cloud-hosted Windows environment, eliminating local data, apps, or admin access to minimize vulnerabilities. Microsoft launched Windows 365 Link in 2024, which pioneered this device category by allowing users to connect to their Cloud PCs in seconds through a locked-down OS called Windows CPC. The company has collaborated with ASUS and Dell to expand the Cloud PC device portfolio. ASUS NUC 16 is a 0.7L mini-PC supporting up to three displays and is expected to be generally available in Europe and the US by Q3 2026. On the other hand, Dell Pro Desktop, is a fanless, durable design with three-display support and flexible mounting. It is expected to launch in 58 countries by Q3 2026. Copyright: ymgerman / 123RF Stock Photo Melius Research and Stifel recently downgraded the stock to Hold. You can read more here. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is an American technology company that specializes in AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions. The company develops and markets software, services, and hardware. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026 and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google ...
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On March 4, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) announced fiscal Q1 2026, surpassing Wall Street estimates. The company grew its revenue by 29% year-over-year to $19.31 billion along with non-GAAP EPS of $2.05. Wall Street had expected earnings of $2.02 per share with a quarterly revenue of $19.21 billion. M...
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the Best IT Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. On March 4, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) announced fiscal Q1 2026, surpassing Wall Street estimates. The company grew its revenue by 29% year-over-year to $19.31 billion along with non-GAAP EPS of $2.05. Wall Street had expected earnings of $2.02 per share with a quarterly revenue of $19.21 billion. Management noted fiscal Q1 revenue to be driven by strength in AI semiconductor solutions as the AI revenue for the quarter grew 106% year-over-year to $8.4 billion. The growth in this segment was attributed to strong demand for AI accelerators and AI networking. It further said that it expects fiscal Q2 2026 revenue to grow around 47% year-over-year to reach $22.0 billion, with adjusted EBITDA of 68%. The company also highlighted that its board of directors had authorized a new share buyback of up to $10 billion. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is a semiconductor and infrastructure software company. It designs and supplies products, including custom chips, networking solutions, and enterprise software used across industries such as cloud computing, telecommunications, and data centers. While we acknowledge the potential of AVGO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026 and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.
Alona Siniehina/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Still following the theme of capital rotating from soft to hard assets, there's a lot to love about the world of atoms. Firstly, unlike bits, atoms appear to be insulated from AI disruption, and secondly, given that investors have historically underinvested in this space, there's a lot of bargain opportunity to be captured. One such opportunity ...
Alona Siniehina/iStock via Getty Images Introduction Still following the theme of capital rotating from soft to hard assets, there's a lot to love about the world of atoms. Firstly, unlike bits, atoms appear to be insulated from AI disruption, and secondly, given that investors have historically underinvested in this space, there's a lot of bargain opportunity to be captured. One such opportunity I happen to find is amongst commodity chemical stocks, Tronox Holdings ( TROX ). Tronox is one of the largest producers and suppliers of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a chemical pigment that is used to bring whiteness and opacity to chemical products like paint, paper, and plastics. The end market for TiO₂ is mostly the construction and automotive industries, where the pigment is used in painting and coating. This industry is very cyclical, as the demand for TiO₂ is highly sensitive to commodity prices and construction activities. Given that commodity prices have been depressed for years now amid construction activities being at all-time lows, TROX and its peers ( KRO ) and ( CC ) have massively underperformed in the last 3 years, losing about 49%, 42.39%, and 46.66% in value, respectively, while the ( SPY ) returned 76% in the same period. Data by YCharts Investment Thesis Price action has recently rebounded. In the last 3 months, TROX has rallied by 92.34%, outperforming its peers and the broader market. Capital rotation is just one catalyst bolstering the performance; the other catalyst is the anti-dumping campaign that countries are implementing to reduce low-priced Chinese exports. If these campaigns get executed successfully, they'll hugely benefit Western suppliers, especially Tronox, as it's the most geographically diversified supplier, with roughly 40% of revenue coming from EMEA. Given that Tronox is internally putting effort into cutting costs by shutting down unprofitable plants and lowering CAPEX, revenue gains will likely pass through and return positive operating ...
Jae Young Ju/iStock via Getty Images Samsara's ( IOT ) fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results demonstrated the third consecutive quarter of accelerating its net new annual recurring revenue and continued to improve its margins. Shares had soared 9% by early trading on Friday. Analysts reactions to the results were positive . "With three quarters of accelerating Net New Annual Recurring Revenue in the ...
Jae Young Ju/iStock via Getty Images Samsara's ( IOT ) fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results demonstrated the third consecutive quarter of accelerating its net new annual recurring revenue and continued to improve its margins. Shares had soared 9% by early trading on Friday. Analysts reactions to the results were positive . "With three quarters of accelerating Net New Annual Recurring Revenue in the books, Q4 came in at +31% versus Q3 at 23% YoY in constant currency, investor focus turns to the durability of that growth heading into FY27," said Morgan Stanley analysts, led by Keith Weiss, in a Friday investor note. Samsara collects data from a wide array of assets, enables actions based on insights from said data, and then uses the data to automate workflows through proprietary agents. "The company cited over $100 million in annual recurring revenues from products released in the last year (against a $1.9 billion ARR base) exiting Q4," Weiss noted. "Emerging products represent 23% of NNARR in the quarter. More broadly, selling a broader set of solutions into the customer base—96% of >$100K ARR customers have more than 2 solutions, and 69% have more than 3—has driven the average ARR per >$100K customer up 6% YoY to $362K. Given the strength of the Samsara innovation engine, we would look to the June user conference as a potential catalyst for shares." Morgan Stanley maintained its Equal-weight rating and $53 price target on the stock. Meanwhile, Evercore ISI reiterated its Outperform rating and placed Samsara in its "top 5 ideas" list. However, it also lowered its price target to $40 from $50. "Given the recent pullback and our view that vertical names like Samsara remain more insulated from AI disintermediation, we are bumping IOT into our ‘top 5’ ideas (replacing ORCL)," said Evercore analysts, led by Kirk Materne, in a note. "Clearly, IOT's valuation creates some downside risk if we get another sector-wide pullback. That said, there are very few high-growth and verti...