JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Oppenheimer raised Marvell Technology's ( MRVL ) price target to $170 from $150 following a meeting with company executives, who were bullish on the growth outlook for AI data center networking and application-specific integrated circuits, or ASIC. The firm kept its Outperform rating on Marvell's stock. Shares of the company dipped about 1% on Wednesday....
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Oppenheimer raised Marvell Technology's ( MRVL ) price target to $170 from $150 following a meeting with company executives, who were bullish on the growth outlook for AI data center networking and application-specific integrated circuits, or ASIC. The firm kept its Outperform rating on Marvell's stock. Shares of the company dipped about 1% on Wednesday. Analysts led by Rick Schafer said they hosted investor meetings in Europe with Marvell's Chairman and CEO Matt Murphy and Ashish Saran, senior vice president of Investor Relations. "Tone was unequivocally bullish as mgmt. highlighted accelerating growth outlook led by DCAI [Data Center AI] networking and ASIC. Top line expected $11B-plus this year (up from ~$9B six months ago), $15B+ in CY27. DC, 75% of sales, splits 70/30 networking/ASIC near term. We see mix gradually moving toward 60/40 longer term as XPU/XPU [Extended Processing Unit] attach wins fold in. Together, custom AI ASIC sales expected to at least double next year to $4B before hitting $10B+ in CY28. Optics has grown 50% annually for five years," said Schafer and his team. The analysts see Marvell's share as stable to increasing across core networking markets (Pulse Amplitude Modulation 4-level, or PAM4, scale out/up switching, etc.) and look for the segment to lead upside if their capital expenditure, or CAPEX, assumptions prove conservative. Schafer and his team added that supply, not demand, remains the growth governor. While advanced wafer capacity remains the primary upside bottleneck, the analysts believe management can build ahead in the company's merchant Application-Specific Standard Product, or ASSP, (networking) franchise. In addition, the analysts said that lead times stretched to nine to 12 months, though they do not see component shortages curbing upside. They believe data center build-outs (reined in by things like grid capacity and increased resistance from locals) are the actual long tent pole...
SoftBank Group Corp. sold about $3.6 billion of junk bonds Wednesday, as aggressive investments in artificial intelligence by the Japanese conglomerate has helped fuel a surge in the firm’s funding costs. The company priced $1.5 billion of dollar notes and €1.75 billion ($2.1 billion) of bonds in euros, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as they’re not au...
SoftBank Group Corp. sold about $3.6 billion of junk bonds Wednesday, as aggressive investments in artificial intelligence by the Japanese conglomerate has helped fuel a surge in the firm’s funding costs. The company priced $1.5 billion of dollar notes and €1.75 billion ($2.1 billion) of bonds in euros, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as they’re not authorized to speak publicly. SoftBank’s 10-year dollar bond carries an 8.5% coupon, a record for the firm in the currency, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The sale occurred amid heightened market volatility tied to the Iran war, with yields on dollar-denominated junk bonds recently reaching their highest level in more than six months, according to a Bloomberg index . The average has since fallen by nearly a full percentage point from last month’s peak to 6.81% as of Tuesday. SoftBank has charged ahead with substantial AI investments over the last year, including an additional $30 billion stake in US technology firm OpenAI that the Japanese company is funding with debt . The conglomerate, founded and led by billionaire Masayoshi Son , said last month it signed a loan of $40 billion with a consortium of banks that will be repaid partly through the sale of assets. The firm’s significant investment in AI, coupled with a rising debt load to fund those bets, has unsettled market watchers. S&P Global Ratings lowered its ratings outlook last month to negative from stable, citing the danger that its investments in OpenAI may hurt the Japanese company’s liquidity and credit quality of its assets. “SoftBank’s balance sheet has become more stretched,” CreditSights analysts led by Mark Chapman wrote in a note this week. Still, the company’s “underlying asset value remains strong in absolute terms,” they said while maintaining an outperform recommendation on SoftBank notes. Credit default swaps on SoftBank have widened sharply since November as the company ramped up debt sales, r...
Freedom Forever , a once thriving residential solar installer, joins a growing list of bankruptcies as distress in the US clean energy sector deepens under an unfriendly Trump administration and hopes for buyouts fade. The company, led by ex-stock broker Brett Bouchy , filed for bankruptcy in Delaware on Wednesday, court documents showed. It listed assets of $100 million to $500 million and estima...
Freedom Forever , a once thriving residential solar installer, joins a growing list of bankruptcies as distress in the US clean energy sector deepens under an unfriendly Trump administration and hopes for buyouts fade. The company, led by ex-stock broker Brett Bouchy , filed for bankruptcy in Delaware on Wednesday, court documents showed. It listed assets of $100 million to $500 million and estimated debts at $500 million to $1 billion. Freedom Forever, once a top US residential solar installer, operates in 32 states. Company executives told Bloomberg News at an industry conference in September that the firm expected to grow and take market share, despite federal policy headwinds. The US solar industry has been hit hard by President Donald Trump’s rollback of supportive federal policies, higher tariffs as well as elevated borrowing costs. Several leading residential solar companies have filed for bankruptcy over the past two years, including Sunnova Energy International Inc. , SunPower Corp. and financier Solar Mosaic . The passage of Trump’s sweeping spending bill sunset a 30% tax credit for consumer purchases of home solar panels last year. The sequential bankruptcies threaten long-term energy savings for homeowners and compounding problems for those who borrowed money to fund their solar panels. The residential solar market is expected to contract by 19% this year following the expiration of tax credits for homeowner purchases of panels, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie.
M. Suhail/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Vera Bradley ( VRA ) is not the first company that shot itself, and probably is not the last one. In 2024, the former CEO announced brand transformation and basically started to pivot from Vera Bradley's core identity. That upset the loyal customers, slashed sales, and led the stock to an all-time low. Although that transformation was not the only misste...
M. Suhail/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Vera Bradley ( VRA ) is not the first company that shot itself, and probably is not the last one. In 2024, the former CEO announced brand transformation and basically started to pivot from Vera Bradley's core identity. That upset the loyal customers, slashed sales, and led the stock to an all-time low. Although that transformation was not the only misstep, it was the final nail in the coffin. In June 2025, the former CEO stepped down , and Ian Bickley was appointed as interim CEO and later as permanent CEO. Martin Layding was also appointed as CFO and COO, with Ivan Brockman as a member of the board. Bickley's retail experience in handbags and accessories combined with Layding's experience in PE-backed companies and Brockman's experience in investment banking suggests that the goal is to turn around the company and could even be to sell it. The sale is also in the interest of the new management team due to the change in control terms in their contracts . Their options will be immediately vested (instead of a three-year vesting period), and they might walk away with up to 1.5x of their base salary as cash severance and pro-rated bonuses. However, even if the company is not sold, a successful turnaround could still offer a great opportunity. Right after taking charge, Bickley introduced Project Sunshine to turn the company back to its core identity: Over the past quarter, we have remained focused on delivering Project Sunshine which anchors on reclaiming Vera Bradley's joyful optimism and acts as our North Star, bringing creative energy to how we work within functions and across the Vera Bradley team. It is leading us to new ideas for products, marketing and channels, transforming how we work with each other and encouraging us to think differently about our operations. At the same time, we have been addressing past missteps with urgency and implementing comprehensive changes across the business and organization, demonstratin...
CSCO's AI-driven networking surge powers 21% revenue growth in Q2 FY26, as demand for infrastructure and wireless shifts reshape its expansion outlook.
CSCO's AI-driven networking surge powers 21% revenue growth in Q2 FY26, as demand for infrastructure and wireless shifts reshape its expansion outlook.
gsheldon/iStock Editorial via Getty Images CarMax, Inc. ( KMX ) has taken a big hit following an underwhelming quarterly report and weak guidance, but this has resulted in solid valuation metrics, and I believe most of the downside is priced in for now. Further, with the average new car costing about $50,000 , I wouldn’t be surprised if more consumers start turning to used cars so they can get mor...
gsheldon/iStock Editorial via Getty Images CarMax, Inc. ( KMX ) has taken a big hit following an underwhelming quarterly report and weak guidance, but this has resulted in solid valuation metrics, and I believe most of the downside is priced in for now. Further, with the average new car costing about $50,000 , I wouldn’t be surprised if more consumers start turning to used cars so they can get more affordable rides. This would pair well with CarMax’s current strategy, which emphasizes older, more affordable cars. CarMax is also pausing its stock buybacks and is focusing its resources on a business turnaround, which strikes me as the right move in this environment. Add it all up, and I believe that the sharp sell-off following the earnings release has priced in much of the near-term downside. In fact, I believe CarMax is in a good position to enjoy a substantial rebound bump. A Twisting Road To Recovery CarMax had a tough year and a tough Q4. Retail used unit sales declined by 0.8% in Q4 2026 and were down for the full year. Wholesale sales were up 3% in Q4 but down 1.1% for the year. Comparable sales for both the quarter and the year were down about 2%. In Q4, purchases from dealers were down 9.5%, while purchases from consumers expanded 2.5%. This is actually good news for the company and investors, as buying from dealers is typically more expensive than buying from customers, resulting in narrow profit margins. KMX IR CarMax is also looking to strategically shift toward older, cheaper cars, often with higher miles. This strategy is being driven by the fact that new cars are extremely expensive and customers are struggling to afford them, especially with interest rates being somewhat high right now. In the prior Q3 earnings call, it was noted that these older, higher-mileage cars make up about 40% of CarMax’s sales. The cars dealerships are typically looking to offload to CarMax are often newer, expensive, low-mileage vehicles that can be hard to move. Now, CarMax ...
May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) today is up +1.22 (+1.34%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) is up +0.0446 (+1.47%). Crude oil and gasoline prices recovered from early losses on Wednesday and moved higher amid the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which continues to curb global...
May WTI crude oil (CLK26 ) today is up +1.22 (+1.34%), and May RBOB gasoline (RBK26 ) is up +0.0446 (+1.47%). Crude oil and gasoline prices recovered from early losses on Wednesday and moved higher amid the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which continues to curb global...
‘Palestine’s Mandela’ suffers three recent attacks including assault where prison guards set a dog on him, lawyer says Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is at immediate risk in Israeli jails, where he has been attacked three times in as many weeks, including in one assault last month where prison guards set a dog on the 66-year-old, his lawyer has said. Barghouti is often called Palestine...
‘Palestine’s Mandela’ suffers three recent attacks including assault where prison guards set a dog on him, lawyer says Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is at immediate risk in Israeli jails, where he has been attacked three times in as many weeks, including in one assault last month where prison guards set a dog on the 66-year-old, his lawyer has said. Barghouti is often called Palestine’s Nelson Mandela. He is respected across otherwise feuding Palestinian factions, has broad popular support across occupied Palestine, repeatedly engaged with Israeli officials before his detention and long backed a two-state solution. Continue reading...
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying. The market and Jim Cramer applauded the moves. Cook, also the longtime CEO of Apple , bought 25,000 shares of Nike at an average price of $42.43 each last Friday. Hill bought just over 23,660 Nike shares at $42.27 on Monday. The purchases were revealed in separate regulatory filin...
Nike director Tim Cook and CEO Elliott Hill coughed up about $1 million each in another round of insider stock buying. The market and Jim Cramer applauded the moves. Cook, also the longtime CEO of Apple , bought 25,000 shares of Nike at an average price of $42.43 each last Friday. Hill bought just over 23,660 Nike shares at $42.27 on Monday. The purchases were revealed in separate regulatory filings after Tuesday's closing bell. Nike shares shot up 3% on the news Wednesday, adding to a 3% gain in the prior session during a strong overall market rally. These new buys are signs that Hill's plan to turn around Nike, which is nearly 18 months in the making, is "very real and working," Jim said on " Squawk on the Street ." Insider purchases are generally viewed as a bullish sign. Back in December, Cook bought 50,000 shares of Nike, and Hill bought nearly 16,400 when the stock was around $60. We bought alongside the insiders for the Club after a post-earnings slump. But it doesn't always pay off to follow the sign, as the Club has learned the hard way. We are not buying any more Nike shares this time around. With the stock lower since December and down roughly 28% year to date, we want to see Hill's turnaround efforts show up in the numbers. The Club has a hold-equivalent 2 rating on Nike. NKE YTD mountain Nike YTD Jim has been frustrated with the slower-than-anticipated timing of Nike's comeback and recently debated what to do with the position. Ultimately, he said he would give Hill until October, which will be two years since he became Nike CEO with a mandate to fix the missteps of his predecessor and get the iconic brand back to its former glory. "I think that Elliott can do it. I really do. Tim Cook wouldn't be buying otherwise," Jim said, noting that he would like to see Nike CFO Matthew Friend make a purchase. Since Nike's latest earnings report in March, some analysts are no longer as bullish on the sportswear and sneaker giant. The Street is still pretty evenly s...