We recently shared Jim Cramer Rubbished Circular AI Deals & Commented On These 18 Stocks. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the stocks discussed by Jim Cramer. Consumer electronics giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) created quite a bit of a splash yesterday after it announced that CEO Tim Cook would be stepping down from his role. […]
We recently shared Jim Cramer Rubbished Circular AI Deals & Commented On These 18 Stocks. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the stocks discussed by Jim Cramer. Consumer electronics giant Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) created quite a bit of a splash yesterday after it announced that CEO Tim Cook would be stepping down from his role. […]
vchal/iStock via Getty Images Oklo ( OKLO ) up 6.1% to its highest in more than two months after saying it is working with Nvidia and Los Alamos National Laboratory to advance nuclear infrastructure and research, and as HSBC initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $96 price target. Oklo ( OKLO ) said the collaboration will focus on physics- and chemistry-based AI models, materials sciences and ...
vchal/iStock via Getty Images Oklo ( OKLO ) up 6.1% to its highest in more than two months after saying it is working with Nvidia and Los Alamos National Laboratory to advance nuclear infrastructure and research, and as HSBC initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $96 price target. Oklo ( OKLO ) said the collaboration will focus on physics- and chemistry-based AI models, materials sciences and fabrication research and development, and power generation for nuclear-powered AI factories. HSBC analyst Samantha Hoh said Oklo ( OKLO ) is positioned to leverage the new Department of Energy-led licensing process for its 75 MW Aurora powerhouses and fuel foundry, resulting in anaccelerated timeline for constructing and licensing new reactors, leveraging its expertise in ancillary opportunities of nuclear fuel recycling and radioisotope production. With no debt and ~$2.5B in cash and equivalents, Oklo ( OKLO ) expects to book its first revenue later this year from the Idaho Radiochemistry Laboratory, which Hoh said is offsetting high upfront first-of-a-kind capital costs with customer prepayments and third-party investments, guiding to $400M of annual capex over the next two years. NuScale Power ( SMR ) down 7% as Hoh initiated coverage with a Hold rating and $13 PT, saying the company's capital-light model of licensing its technology and providing pre- and post-construction services puts it at the mercy of customers in terms of the pace of execution. While NuScale ( SMR ) books pre-construction service revenue from the Romania project this year, the company may be required to provide a second milestone contribution to ENTRA 1 as it advances a power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the analyst said. More on Oklo and NuScale Power Oklo: If You Are Long, One Number Moved In Your Favor Oklo: This Fallout May Just Be Getting Started (Rating Downgrade) NuScale: Nuclear Hype, But Limited Near-Term Revenue
Earnings Call Insights: First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) Q1 2026 Management view "We were pleased with our first quarter results. This morning, we reported adjusted earnings per share of $44.86, representing an adjusted ROE and ROA of 10.39% and 0.97%, respectively" (Chairman & CEO Frank Holding). "Deposit growth accelerated this quarter, up by 5.7% sequentially, anchored by increased client acti...
Earnings Call Insights: First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) Q1 2026 Management view "We were pleased with our first quarter results. This morning, we reported adjusted earnings per share of $44.86, representing an adjusted ROE and ROA of 10.39% and 0.97%, respectively" (Chairman & CEO Frank Holding). "Deposit growth accelerated this quarter, up by 5.7% sequentially, anchored by increased client activity in Tech & Healthcare and Global Fund Banking" and "we continue to optimize our capital stack, returning another $900 million to shareholders through share repurchases" (Chairman & CEO Holding). "We are expanding our commercial solutions and optimizing our brand portfolio to better serve our clients and drive growth" and "we will transition to a united brand structure in the fourth quarter, featuring innovation banking and fund banking sub-brands under the First Citizens umbrella" (Chairman & CEO Holding). "In the first quarter, we delivered adjusted earnings of $44.86 per share on net income of $560 million" and "net interest income declined by $101 million, with NIM compressing 11 basis points to 3.09%" (CFO Craig Nix). "Our NDFI exposure stands at $38.8 billion" and "83% of this book consists of capital call lines" (CFO Nix). Outlook "We expect second quarter headline net interest income to be in the $1.6 billion to $1.67 billion range" and "for the full year, we are marginally tightening our range to $6.5 billion to $6.8 billion" (CFO Nix). "For the full year, we are reiterating our loan guidance of $153 billion to $157 billion, inclusive of the $1 billion in the BMO acquisition" and "we anticipate second quarter deposits between $171 billion and $174 billion" (CFO Nix). "For the full year, we reaffirm our range of $181 billion to $186 billion, including the $5.7 billion BMO infusion" and "moving forward, we expect to pay down at least $500 million to $1 billion per month" on the purchase money note (CFO Nix). "We are raising our adjusted noninterest income guidance...
Earnings Call Insights: Globe Life (GL) Q1 2026 Management view Globe Life reported higher year-over-year earnings and reiterated a growth narrative tied to underwriting and distribution execution: "In the first quarter, net income was $271 million or $3.39 per share" and "Net operating income for the quarter was $274 million or $3.43 per share" (Co-Chairman & Co-CEO Frank Svoboda). Management set...
Earnings Call Insights: Globe Life (GL) Q1 2026 Management view Globe Life reported higher year-over-year earnings and reiterated a growth narrative tied to underwriting and distribution execution: "In the first quarter, net income was $271 million or $3.39 per share" and "Net operating income for the quarter was $274 million or $3.43 per share" (Co-Chairman & Co-CEO Frank Svoboda). Management set segment growth expectations and flagged third-quarter seasonality from assumption updates: "For the full year, we expect total premium revenue to grow approximately 7%" and "For the year, we expect life premium revenue to grow between 3% and 3.5%" (Co-Chairman & Co-CEO Svoboda). Svoboda added, "we anticipate life underwriting margin to be between 42% and 45% for the full year 2026" and said it would be "higher in the third quarter due to the anticipated remeasurement gain from assumption updates." Distribution commentary centered on strong net sales, American Income agent retention pressure, and a lead-generation flywheel: "total Life net sales grew 6%, and the total health net sales grew 58%" (Co-Chairman & Co-CEO James Darden). Darden said American Income’s producing agent count was "down 4% from a year ago" and that the company "implemented compensation adjustments for our middle management team that is designed to emphasize new agent recruiting and retention of new agents." Capital return was positioned as the primary use of parent cash flow: "During the quarter, the company purchased approximately 1.4 million shares... for a total cost of approximately $205 million" and "we have increased the range for anticipated share repurchases to $560 million to $610 million for the full year" (Executive VP & CFO Thomas Kalmbach). Kalmbach also noted a dividend step-up: "the recently announced 22% increase in the annual dividend rate per share." Outlook Full-year profitability guidance was raised, with assumption-update upside concentrated in Q3: "For the full year 2026, we estim...
Naya Nurindra/iStock via Getty Images Freeport-McMoRan Inc. ( FCX ) stock dropped hard following what was a decent Q1 earnings report . The $101 billion market-cap materials sector company brought about sellers as delays at its key Grasberg mine cast a dark cloud, despite a strong metals market where copper ( HG1:COM ) is trading north of $6 per pound, historically very high. I had a Buy rating on...
Naya Nurindra/iStock via Getty Images Freeport-McMoRan Inc. ( FCX ) stock dropped hard following what was a decent Q1 earnings report . The $101 billion market-cap materials sector company brought about sellers as delays at its key Grasberg mine cast a dark cloud, despite a strong metals market where copper ( HG1:COM ) is trading north of $6 per pound, historically very high. I had a Buy rating on FCX back in February . The stock has gained 6% since, outpacing the S&P 500 ( SP500 ), but only marginally. Zooming out, over the past year, FCX has returned a whopping 86%, even with the major 8% post-reporting plunge (the stock’s largest single-day decline since last September. Today, I reiterate a Buy rating for FCX. I’ll provide a refreshed valuation (with Q1 numbers in hand) and update the technical situation. FCX Sharply Outperforming The S&P 500 And Materials Sector YoY StockCharts.com Copper Prices Holding Strong Near Record Levels Trading Economics In April, FCX reported a solid set of quarterly results. Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $0.57 topped the Wall Street consensus forecast of $0.47, while revenue of $6.2 billion, up 9% from the same period last year, was a material $270 million beat. From January through March, copper and gold production and sales dipped YoY , but the major drag on the stock price was lingering and frustrating delays at Grasberg. Shares sank 8.5% by the following afternoon, marking the worst post-earnings plunge going back at least three years, according to data from Option Research & Technology Services. Implied volatility on the stock remains high at 49%, implying about a 3% daily swing. The options market had priced in a large 8.0% earnings-related move based on the at-the-money straddle expiring this week. Looking back on the quarter that was, FCX delivered a strong Q1, with adjusted EBITDA of $2.47 billion, beating the street, driven by higher sales volumes and lower-than-anticipated unit costs. Despite respectable operating performance, the com...
US regulators finalized changes that will relax the community bank leverage ratio, building on previous steps from the Trump administration to ease capital rules for banks. The standard ratio will drop to 8% from 9% and will “provide more flexibility” for community banks, the Federal Reserve , Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said in a statement. Th...
US regulators finalized changes that will relax the community bank leverage ratio, building on previous steps from the Trump administration to ease capital rules for banks. The standard ratio will drop to 8% from 9% and will “provide more flexibility” for community banks, the Federal Reserve , Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said in a statement. The final rule also extends the grace period from two quarters to four quarters for a community bank that temporarily falls out of compliance. The community bank leverage ratio is an optional framework that was designed as an alternative to risk-based capital measures. Trade groups had pushed for the change, saying it would free up small banks to lend more. Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman had previously said the current approach on CBLR is “well-intentioned” but underachieved in providing relief to lenders. Although there were more than 4,000 community banks as of the first quarter of 2025, only 1,662 lenders had opted into the framework, she said last year.
Alones Creative Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy this week laid more mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported Thursday, citing a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the situation, escalating the military standoff in the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. The development prompted President Donald Trump to order the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill” any vessel found placing...
Alones Creative Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy this week laid more mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported Thursday, citing a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of the situation, escalating the military standoff in the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. The development prompted President Donald Trump to order the U.S. Navy to “shoot and kill” any vessel found placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict with Iran. The new mines could deepen what the International Energy Agency has called the largest oil supply disruption in the global market's history, surpassing even the 1970s oil shocks. Some 20% of the globe's seaborne oil passes through the strait during peacetime. Traffic has collapsed to single digits on most days, down from more than 100 ships daily before the Middle East conflict started nearly two months ago. The U.S. military detected the Iranian mine-laying operation and has been watching it closely, Axios reported, noting the U.S. official declined to provide the number of new mines deployed. The Navy is operating underwater drones in the strait for mine-clearing operations, which Trump said he has ordered to keep going “at a tripled up level,” the report said. More on the War Commodities: Oil Moves Higher As Peace Talks Look Shaky U.S. Crude Remains Under Pressure As Bulls Stay Cautious Hard Assets Weekly: What Happened With Semiconductors In 2020 Is Repeating Itself Now In This Sector Lockheed stock down after Q1 miss putting spotlight on ETFs with the biggest exposure IEA chief warns world faces biggest energy security threat in history
Bank of America has reiterated its “Buy” rating on Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) ahead of the company’s first quarter earnings report on April 29, highlighting artificial intelligence integration and resilient search demand as key drivers of near-term stock...
Bank of America has reiterated its “Buy” rating on Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) ahead of the company’s first quarter earnings report on April 29, highlighting artificial intelligence integration and resilient search demand as key drivers of near-term stock...
Etsy (NYSE: ETSY) , the online artisan marketplace for customized and handcrafted goods, closed at a record high of $296.91 per share on Nov. 24, 2021. That marked a 1,756% gain from its IPO price of $16 on April 16, 2015. At the time, investors were impressed by its accelerating growth during the pandemic and its resilience against Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . But today, Etsy's stock trades at about $...
Etsy (NYSE: ETSY) , the online artisan marketplace for customized and handcrafted goods, closed at a record high of $296.91 per share on Nov. 24, 2021. That marked a 1,756% gain from its IPO price of $16 on April 16, 2015. At the time, investors were impressed by its accelerating growth during the pandemic and its resilience against Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . But today, Etsy's stock trades at about $64. It lost its luster as its growth slowed down and it "di-worsified" its business with messy acquisitions. However, it's starting to look like a bargain relative to its growth potential -- and it might be worth buying as a turnaround play. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
The soaring cost of jet fuel is forcing European airlines to cancel tens of thousands of flights, while energy authorities warned of a possible jet fuel shortage if supplies aren't replenished soon. (Image credit: Isabelle Souriment + Hans Lucas)
The soaring cost of jet fuel is forcing European airlines to cancel tens of thousands of flights, while energy authorities warned of a possible jet fuel shortage if supplies aren't replenished soon. (Image credit: Isabelle Souriment + Hans Lucas)
Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, the price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, has bounced between about $90 and $112 a barrel. And the average price in March was $103 a barrel. The obvious reason for the price spike is that Iran has been able to essentially halt the flow of crude oil and related products through the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes between a fifth and a quarter...
Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, the price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, has bounced between about $90 and $112 a barrel. And the average price in March was $103 a barrel. The obvious reason for the price spike is that Iran has been able to essentially halt the flow of crude oil and related products through the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes between a fifth and a quarter of seaborne oil trade in normal times. That has limited global supply and sent prices higher. For the 12 months before the war began, the price of a barrel of oil fluctuated between $55 and $75. Continue reading
Melpomenem/iStock via Getty Images Citadel suggested that it might not proceed with a major expansion in midtown Manhattan after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani featured Citadel founder Ken Griffin's apartment in a video promoting his proposal to tax luxury second homes, according to a media report. Griffin bought the Central Park South apartment for $238M in 2019, setting a record for the high...
Melpomenem/iStock via Getty Images Citadel suggested that it might not proceed with a major expansion in midtown Manhattan after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani featured Citadel founder Ken Griffin's apartment in a video promoting his proposal to tax luxury second homes, according to a media report. Griffin bought the Central Park South apartment for $238M in 2019, setting a record for the highest price ever for a home in the U.S. at the time. "It is shameful that he used Ken’s name as the example of those who supposedly aren’t carrying their fair share of the burdens associated with New York City’s often costly and wasteful spending," Citadel Chief Operating Officer Gerald Beeson said in an email sent to Citadel and Citadel Securities staff, the Wall Street Journal reported. He said the project to redevelop 350 Park Avenue will create 6,000 construction jobs and more than 15,000 permanent jobs in midtown. " The project — if we move forward — will entail more than $6 billion dollars of spending," Beeson wrote, according to the WSJ report . Last week, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she supported Mamdani's proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy with a proposal to tax luxury second homes in the city. Mamdani campaigned for mayor, promising to raise taxes on the wealthy, but only the governor and state lawmakers can levy new taxes. In the memo, Beeson noted that over the past five years, Citadel "principals and team members (including nonresidents) have paid nearly $2.3 billion dollars in city and state taxes." Dear readers: We recognize that politics often intersects with the financial news of the day, so we invite you to click here to join the separate political discussion . More on Taxes Hochul floats tax on NYC second homes valued above $5M Five EU nations reportedly propose windfall tax on energy firms The 90% Tax Era: What Investors Should Know Today
Scott Olson/Getty Images News The Pittsburgh-based company The Kraft Heinz Company ( KHC ), after recently pausing the split of its business between Kraft and Heinz, is an investment thesis much less about growth and much more about stabilization. The market continues to price in ongoing deterioration of the business, especially in the U.S. (the main market), reflected in very depressed multiples ...
Scott Olson/Getty Images News The Pittsburgh-based company The Kraft Heinz Company ( KHC ), after recently pausing the split of its business between Kraft and Heinz, is an investment thesis much less about growth and much more about stabilization. The market continues to price in ongoing deterioration of the business, especially in the U.S. (the main market), reflected in very depressed multiples and negative revisions in both the top and bottom line. But today, my bullish view of Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) goes against the muted consensus on the stock. Seeking Alpha With the focus of the new management team on execution, proposing a new turnaround (another one), but this time potentially more aggressive, this pivot does not need to work fully. At current levels, any sign that the business is deteriorating at a slower pace could already be enough to surprise excessively pessimistic estimates and unlock some re-rating. And Q1 results to be released in early May should be the first test of this. A Decade of Losing Relevance Kraft-Heinz has been a chronically disappointing stock from virtually every angle over the past decade, at least. And I would say that the classic problem that plagues the company is not entirely the rise of GLP-1 drugs; it is not the macro issue in isolation, it is not the consumer eating less processed foods, but something much simpler (and more serious): execution and relevance. Seeking Alpha KHC has failed to do what it needs to do most, which is to gain shelf space for consumers, especially in the U.S. This is because of a confluence of errors, which I would list as (1) lack of relevant innovation; (2) reliance on "nostalgic" brands; (3) weak in-store execution; (4) misaligned pricing (expensive vs. perceived value); and (5) years of underinvestment. The result was 10 years of losing market share in the U.S. , virtually zero organic growth, and a portfolio of brands that are strong in name only, but are little desired. Seeking Alpha Turning Around… W...
Earnings Call Insights: Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) Q1 2026 Management view "Nasdaq entered 2026 with strong momentum, and our first quarter performance reflects one of the strongest starts to a year in our company's history." (CEO & Chairman Adena Friedman) "In the first quarter, we delivered $1.4 billion in net revenue" and "our overall annualized recurring revenue, or ARR, grew 12% year-over-year to $3...
Earnings Call Insights: Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) Q1 2026 Management view "Nasdaq entered 2026 with strong momentum, and our first quarter performance reflects one of the strongest starts to a year in our company's history." (CEO & Chairman Adena Friedman) "In the first quarter, we delivered $1.4 billion in net revenue" and "our overall annualized recurring revenue, or ARR, grew 12% year-over-year to $3.2 billion," alongside "10% revenue growth" in Capital Access Platforms and "18% revenue growth" in Financial Technology. "In our U.S. listings franchise, we welcomed 15 new operating companies raising over $5 billion in proceeds during the quarter, including 7 of the top 10 IPOs." (CEO & Chairman Friedman) She added, "we see an encouraging environment for improving IPO activity entering the second quarter," while also citing "32% year-over-year growth of enterprise license agreements" in data. "We were also pleased to announce that we will expand access to the Nasdaq-100 later in the spring with 2 new carefully selected partners, BlackRock and State Street," and "the pricing terms related to the index license for these upcoming new U.S.-listed ETFs will be consistent with the QQQ pricing terms." (CEO & Chairman Friedman) "With SEC approval to extend our market operations to 23/5, we are focused on expanding access, resiliency and continuity for global market participants with the projected launch of December 6, 2026." (CEO & Chairman Friedman) She also said, "as stated in our initial announcement, we expect to provide early benefits of the Nasdaq Token design in the first half of 2027." "We reported net revenue of $1.4 billion, up 13% with solutions revenue of $1.1 billion, up 14%." (Executive VP & CFO Sarah Youngwood) "This resulted in net income of $549 million and diluted EPS of $0.96, up 21%." Outlook "We are updating our non-GAAP expense guidance for the year to a range of $2.485 billion to $2.545 billion from $2.455 billion to $2.535 billion given the strong revenue ...