Key Points Realty Income offers many of the attributes of traditional REITs, including steady dividends and a long track record of dividend growth. Prologis is a leader in the industrial REIT space, and has built a strong track dividend and growth track record. Simon Property Group is a retail REIT standout due to its asset quality, yield, and long-term track record of dividend growth. 10 stocks we like better than Realty Income › Which is the better investment: the S&P 500 index or real estate investment trusts (REITs)? Admittedly, it's complicated. Over longer time frames, REITs have outperformed the S&P 500. For example, over 25 to 52 years, REITs have generated annual returns in the 11% to 12% range, whereas the S&P 500 has delivered annualized returns in the high single digits. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » However, over the past decade, the S&P 500 has been the stronger performer. That said, beyond total returns, REITs typically have lower volatility than the broader stock market. Furthermore, certain REIT subgroups have outperformed the broad market. Hence, it may pay to include a few high-quality REITs within a diversified long-term portfolio. Three strong examples are Realty Income (NYSE: O), Prologis (NYSE: PLD), and Simon Property Group (NYSE: SPG). Realty Income pays dividends monthly and has a 32-year track record of dividend growth Realty Income offers many of the attributes of a typical REIT. Namely, this retail REIT, which owns over 15,500 properties across the U.S. and Europe, places great focus on dividends and dividend growth. Making dividend payments monthly instead of quarterly, Realty Income is a strong choice for investors seeking to generate steady income from their portfolio. In terms of dividend growth, Realty Income has increased its payouts annually for over three decades. At current prices, this REIT...

Increasing deployment of artificial intelligence will cause job losses, the UK technology secretary has warned, saying: “I want to level with the public. Some jobs will go.” In a speech on government plans to handle the impact of AI on the British economy, Liz Kendall declined to say how many redundancies the technology might cause but said: “We know people are worried about graduate entry jobs in places like law and finance.” She said: “Others will be created in their place”. While some forecasts have suggested the fast-developing technology could create a net increase in employment, Kendall said: “I’m not complacent about that.” Earlier this month the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said that without action to use AI “as a superpower for positive transformation and creation”, it could become “a weapon of mass destruction of jobs”. Speaking to an audience of tech and business leaders at the Bloomberg headquarters in London, Kendall, the former work and pensions secretary, pledged Labour “won’t leave people to struggle on their own”. She announced plans to train up to 10 million British workers in the most basic AI skills by 2030 – including members of the cabinet – signalling a focus on helping workers adapt to the coming shifts in the labour markets, rather than resisting them. She said the government’s goal was to “make Britain the fastest AI adoption country in the G7” and said jobs will be created around the government’s four AI growth zones. “We are on the cusp of great change – an industrial revolution [taking place] in a decade,” she said. “We have barely begun to see how this technology will transform all our lives – I believe for the better.” The rollout of online AI training for millions of workers – to involve Multiverse, a company founded by Euan Blair, plus a new programme to support women to move into entry level tech roles – would together be “the biggest single plan to upskill the nation since Harold Wilson’s Open University”, she said. A new “future of w...

Logitech stock is a buy after a solid Q3 beat. Logitech International (LOGI 7.61%) stock tumbled 6.4% through 12:45 p.m. ET Wednesday despite beating on both sales and earnings this morning. Heading into the company's fiscal Q3 2026 report, analysts forecast Logitech to earn $1.81 per share on sales of $1.41 billion. In fact, Logitech earned $1.93 per share on sales of $1.42 billion. Logitech Q3 earnings Logitech grew sales 6% year over year in Q3 and added 30 basis points to its gross margin -- now 43.2%. The company shaved down its spending on selling, general, and administrative costs even as sales rose -- and research and development investments increased. Result: Even as Logitech invested in its future, it managed to translate single-digit sales gains into a superb 21% improvement in per-share profits. It is worth noting that GAAP profits were only $1.69 per share; the "$1.81" profit that trounced estimates was non-GAAP. Still, as I look at the numbers, Logitech seems to have had a fantastic quarter. CEO Hanneke Faber agrees, calling the quarterly results both "excellent" and "broad-based across categories, regions, and both consumer and business channels." Expand NASDAQ : LOGI Logitech International Today's Change ( -7.61 %) $ -7.13 Current Price $ 86.61 Key Data Points Market Cap $14B Day's Range $ 83.44 - $ 91.04 52wk Range $ 64.73 - $ 123.01 Volume 274K Avg Vol 877K Gross Margin 41.35 % Dividend Yield 1.70 % Is Logitech stock a buy? Turning to guidance, Logitech forecast $1.07 billion to $1.09 billion in Q4 sales (bracketing analysts' forecast for $1.08 billion). That should bring full-year sales to $4.82 billion or better, edging out forecasts. On earnings, the company sees pre-tax profit of about $160 million for Q4 and about $905 million for the year. Management did not give after-tax or free cash flow guidance. Still, with $905 million in trailing free cash flow, I get a 14.4x price-to-free cash flow ratio on the stock, which pays a 1.7% dividend and ju...

Earnings Call Insights: ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) Q4 2025 Management View President and CEO Christophe Fouquet highlighted a strong finish to 2025, stating, "The market outlook has improved notably over the last months, especially as related to the continued buildup of data centers and AI-related infrastructure." Fouquet emphasized the acceleration in capacity expansion planning among advanced logic and DRAM customers, noting that "AI accelerators are migrating from the 4-nanometer node to the more litho-intensive 3-nanometer node" and customers are ramping the 2-nanometer node for next-generation HPC and mobile applications. Fouquet described strong demand for HBM and DDR products, with tight supply expected through at least 2026 as DRAM customers ramp both 1B and 1C nodes and adopt more EUV layers. He stated, "We see our customer in both segments increasing and accelerating capacity expansion plans to support the very strong demand they are seeing." CFO Roger Dassen reported, "In fourth quarter of 2025, total net sales were EUR 9.7 billion, which is within our guidance." He detailed net system sales of EUR 7.6 billion, including EUR 3.6 billion from EUV system sales. Dassen noted, "Gross margin for the quarter was also within guidance at 52.2%." He also announced a new share buyback program of up to EUR 12 billion to be executed by December 31, 2028, and a total dividend for 2025 of EUR 7.50 per share, up 17% from 2024. Outlook Dassen projected Q1 2026 net sales between EUR 8.2 billion and EUR 8.9 billion, with Installed Base Management sales around EUR 2.4 billion. Gross margin is expected to be between 51% and 53%. R&D expenses are guided at around EUR 1.2 billion and SG&A at EUR 0.3 billion for Q1 2026. For the full year 2026, net sales are expected to be between EUR 34 billion and EUR 39 billion, with a gross margin of between 51% and 53%. Dassen stated, "As part of the outlook for non-EUV, we expect the China region share in our total net sales in 2026 to be i...

Earnings Call Insights: Extreme Networks (EXTR) Q2 2026 Management View CEO Edward Meyercord highlighted a seventh consecutive quarter of revenue growth, stating, "Over the past 12 months, we've grown 3x faster than our largest competitors in the enterprise networking space, highlighting the fact that we're winning market share." Meyercord attributed the strong performance to demand for the AI-powered Platform ONE, noting product revenue increased double digits year-over-year and SaaS ARR reached $227 million, up 25%. He pointed to a record for subscription bookings and 34 deals over $1 million in the quarter as evidence of momentum. Meyercord emphasized competitive differentiation, particularly in end-to-end campus fabric and agentic AI, asserting, "Platform ONE is unique with a true agentic AI core. Our AI agents can autonomously diagnose issues, guide resolution and provide clear actionable insights." The company reported large wins, including a multimillion-dollar Platform ONE sale to a large retailer, and deployments at Baylor University, Henry Ford Health, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meyercord also cited successful expansion in MSP partner billings and the launch of the Extreme Partner First program, stating partners can "make 20% more profit at Extreme than our competitors." On management talent, Meyercord noted the recruitment of top-level talent from Juniper, including two SVPs for global channel and EMEA sales. CFO Kevin Rhodes stated, "Total revenue of $318 million grew 14% year-over-year and exceeded the high end of our guidance range." Rhodes added, "Earnings per share of $0.26 also exceeded the high end of our guidance range." Rhodes highlighted SaaS ARR acceleration, geographic revenue growth, and recurring revenue predictability. He stated, "Non-GAAP gross margin was 62%, an increase of 70 basis points from the last quarter and at the high end of our guidance range." Operating margin improved to 15%, and adjusted EBITDA was $52.4 million with a marg...

Earnings Call Insights: Provident Financial Holdings, Inc. (PROV) Q2 2026 Management View Donavon Ternes, President & CEO, reported that "we originated $42.1 million of loans held for investment, a 42% increase from the $29.6 million that were originated in the prior sequential quarter." The company is making "prudent adjustments to our underwriting requirements within certain loan segments to promote disciplined, sustainable growth in origination volume." Ternes stated that "our loan pipelines are moderately higher than last quarter, suggesting our loan origination volume in the March 2026 quarter will be within the range of recent quarters which has been between $28 million and $42 million." The company experienced $46.7 million of loan principal payments and payoffs, a 35% increase from the prior quarter. Ternes noted, "Lower mortgage rates have driven stronger loan origination activity but also has led to higher prepayment activity." Nonperforming assets decreased to $990,000 or 8 basis points of total assets at December 31, 2025, a drop from $1.9 million at September 30, 2025. There were no loans in early stages of delinquency at quarter end. Ternes highlighted exposure to office building loans at $36.7 million, or 3.5% of loans held for investment, with only six CRE loans totaling $2.8 million maturing in the remainder of fiscal 2026. The company recorded a $158,000 recovery of credit losses, citing a decline in the expected life of the loan portfolio due to lower mortgage rates. Net interest margin increased to 3.03% for the quarter, up 3 basis points from the prior quarter, with the average cost of deposits decreasing to 1.32% and cost of borrowing decreasing to 4.39%. Ternes noted, "the net deferred loan cost amortization associated with loan payoffs in the December 2025 quarter...negatively impacted the net interest margin by approximately 5 basis points." New loan production is being originated at a weighted average rate of 6.15% compared to 5.22% for exi...

Earnings Call Insights: Avnet (AVT) Q2 2026 Management View CEO Philip Gallagher highlighted that Avnet delivered financial results exceeding the high end of sales and EPS guidance, achieving $6.3 billion in sales for the quarter. "We achieved sales of $6.3 billion, driving a 3.2% operating margin in our Electronic Components business and a 4.7% operating margin in our Farnell business," Gallagher stated. He noted over $200 million in operating cash flow and progress on inventory reductions. Gallagher indicated strong double-digit year-on-year sales growth, led by record revenues in Asia and better-than-typical growth in the Americas, Europe, and Farnell. Gallagher described robust demand across verticals, especially compute and aerospace and defense, and pointed to higher lead times and upward pricing pressure. He emphasized that Avnet is "well positioned with inventory, but continue to drive down areas of excess while we invest in areas of need." Gallagher announced the appointment of Gilles Beltran as EMEA's new leader, expressing confidence in Beltran's ability to drive profitable growth in the region. CFO Ken Jacobson reported, "Our sales for the second quarter were approximately $6.3 billion, above the high end of our guidance range and up 12% year-over-year. On a sequential basis, sales were higher by 7%." Jacobson further detailed operating group performance, indicating Electronic Component sales increased 11% year-over-year and Farnell sales rose 24% year-over-year. He also noted, "Adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.05 exceeded the high end of our guidance for the quarter." Outlook Jacobson provided third quarter fiscal 2026 guidance for sales in the range of $6.2 billion to $6.5 billion and diluted earnings per share in the range of $1.20 to $1.30. He said, "Our third quarter guidance assumes current market conditions persist and implies a sequential sales increase of approximately 1% at the midpoint." The sales guidance projects growth in the Ameri...

Leon Neal/Getty Images News Roblox ( RBLX ) shares were on track to snap six straight sessions of declines after they rose 4.21% to $75.18 on Wednesday afternoon. The online gaming platform declined by nearly 9% in the preceding six trading sessions. Its downward course began on January 20, when it closed 9.67% lower at $78.84. On Tuesday, it ended 2.53% at $72.14. On a year-to-date basis, it has declined 9.43% compared to a nearly 2% rise in the broader markets. Looking at Seeking Alpha’s Quant rating, Roblox has a Hold rating with a score of 2.69 out of 5. While the stock has scored an A for growth, it is dragged down by an F for valuation and a D for profitability and momentum. Seeking Alpha analysts have also recommended a Hold rating for the stock, with four analysts rating it Buy and above, three recommending Hold, and two suggesting Sell. However, Wall Street analysts are bullish on the stock and have issued a buy call. “Despite the highly sticky gaming platform, the richer free cash flow generation, and the healthier balance sheet, we had believed that the rally had occurred overly fast and furious, with it offering interested investors a minimal margin of safety,” the analyst said. Seeking Alpha analyst Stephen Ayers rated the stock as Sell due to its stretched valuation even as the company delivered accelerating bookings growth in 2025, raising full-year guidance to $6.566–$6.616 billion. “While I am bearish on Roblox, I can see the case for upside, especially if the company sustains its high-growth rates in the next two years or makes a deliberate pivot towards materially higher free cash flow generation,” he added. However, another Seeking Alpha analyst, Michael Wiggins De Oliveira , rated RBLX as Buy, noting that the stock “demonstrates strong top-line momentum and robust user engagement, despite unpredictable revenue growth rates for 2026 and beyond.” More on Roblox Roblox: Why I'm Sticking To 'Sell' Despite A Killer 2025 Roblox: Growth Story The Marke...

格隆汇1月29日｜现货黄金短线走低超20美元，现报5280.94美元/盎司。

The Department of Homeland Security has been quietly trying to force Meta Platforms Inc. to hand over the identity of anonymous accounts that post videos and locations of ICE agents on social media. Most recently they’ve been after the details of Instagram account, @montcowatch , which is one of several “community watch” projects that have cropped up around the country amid an expanded federal immigration crackdown under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. These projects say their goal is to crowdsource and share information about where ICE agents are active in their neighborhoods. Government lawyers sent a subpoena to Meta demanding the personal information behind the account, which stands for Montco Community Watch. Meta declined to comment on a legal matter. In court filings, DHS lawyers said they had received information suggesting ICE agents were being stalked, citing an employee who said he received a tip about the account. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the account holder, countered that there was no evidence of wrongdoing in any of the posts. The agent who received the tip, the ACLU said, wasn’t employed by the DHS office that sent the request to Meta at the time . DHS declined to comment. Last week, without explaining why, the department eventually withdrew its demand. Had a judge ruled in DHS’ favor, the ACLU warned, the case could have set a chilling precedent for Americans’ First Amendment rights. DHS argued it needed the account owner’s identity as part of a criminal investigation. This wasn’t an isolated attempt. DHS sought information on six other Instagram accounts last year, at least four of which were publishing or reposting content critical of the department’s activity in Los Angeles, according to the ACLU. Those account holders immediately sued, arguing their First Amendment rights were being violated. DHS later retracted those requests as well. Meta regularly publishes the amount of government requests it receives ...

CatLane/E+ via Getty Images Performance The US Large Cap portfolio’s underperformance versus the S&P 500 Index was primarily attributed to challenging security selection across key technology-related holdings. Questions around investments returns on capital expenditures related to AI, and AI’s potentially negative impact on software as a service, pressured stocks such as ServiceNow ( NOW ), Tyler Technologies ( TYL ), Oracle ( ORCL ), Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Netflix ( NFLX ). The team retains strong conviction in these companies and the durability of their competitive advantages. Selection was also weak in Industrials and Materials as investors gravitated towards more speculative, risky securities and away from higher quality companies with proven track records. Within Consumer Discretionary there was a clear bifurcation in fundamentals as the higher- income consumer continues to be resilient while the lower-income consumer is showing weaker spending trends. The portfolio’s exposure to strong brands and resilient end markets drove positive security selection within the sector. Selection in Real Estate was also a tailwind as the portfolio’s exposure to the strong secular opportunity related to senior living was rewarded as Ventas reported continued occupancy growth and higher rental income. Regional bank Citizens Financial Group was another strong performer, as the stock benefited from a steepening yield curve and strong fundamentals. Market overview Equity markets, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, ended the quarter modestly higher. The period was marked by bouts of volatility, driven by concerns over elevated valuations and uncertainty surrounding returns and financing for large-scale data center investments. These factors prompted profit-taking in certain mega-cap technology and AI-related companies, although the market overall remained resilient. Market leadership shifted towards Health Care, which rallied following the Trump administration’s agreement with major ...

It has been clear for many years that China’s status as a second global superpower poses challenges to the world’s democracies. Donald Trump’s marauding behaviour as president of the first-placed superpower makes those challenges more acute. In the past, the UK’s relationship with Beijing has been anchored, and sometimes dictated, by the alliance with Washington. Mr Trump’s contempt for former allies, expressed as sabotage of Nato and a scattergun imposition of tariffs, scrambles the old strategic calculus. This is an ominous backdrop for Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing. The prime minister is trying to perform a difficult balancing act, looking for commercial opportunity in a growing powerhouse while protecting national security from an authoritarian behemoth. China accounts for just under a fifth of global gross domestic product. Its manufacturing output is greater than all G7 nations combined. It has a formidable AI sector, the only one in the world that competes with the US. It leads the world in green energy technology – a field the current climate-sceptic White House administration is happy to neglect. It would be irrational to refuse to have a functional dialogue with such a country. Sir Keir is right when he observes that Britain has become an outlier in Europe in this respect and that the eight-year interval since the last trip by a prime minister to Beijing was too long. Kemi Badenoch’s claim that, in Sir Keir’s place, she would not go, demonstrates only that she has not thought seriously about what the top job involves. Conservatives who accuse Sir Keir of performing a “kowtow” to Xi Jinping are quicker to enumerate all the things they dislike about Chinese Communist party rule than to describe a better alternative policy to cautious engagement. There are good reasons to be cautious, and points of profound disagreement must not be brushed aside in pursuit of investment: the dismantling of civil rights in Hong Kong; the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, a pro-...

Ondas ( ONDS ) on Wednesday said its Optimus drone, provided by subsidiary, American Robotics, has been granted Blue List status by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The Blue List identifies unmanned aerial systems that meet the Department of War's standards for cybersecurity, supply-chain integrity, and operational reliability. Inclusion on the Blue List confirms that the Optimus drone satisfies these requirements for defense and government procurement. ONDS is +1.42% to $12.435. Source: Press Release More on Ondas Holdings The Ondas Transition Few Notice Ondas trades higher after raising revenue estimate Dassault leads $200M bet on AI-driven combat drones

The historic volatility witnessed in US natural gas futures over the past week caught out some money managers who use algorithmically driven trading strategies. Gas futures doubled in a matter of days as Arctic weather gripped much of the country and sent demand for the fuel soaring. The turmoil inflicted losses on speculators who’d been betting prices would decline, including some market players known as Commodity Trading Advisers, or CTAs, according to analytics firm Kpler Ltd. Volatility in US natural gas futures has surged to levels rarely seen in the 35-year history of the contract after the deep freeze boosted demand and strangled supplies. Although it’s too soon to assess the total dollar-value of CTA losses, it’s becoming clear the sudden rally wiped out all their gains for the year and that the scramble to close short positions as prices were skyrocketing actually accelerated the rally. Some CTAs were holding 100% short positions in gas futures at the close of business on Friday, Jan. 16, according to Kpler. During the weekend, weather forecasts shifted dramatically to warn of a brewing, expansive winter storm that would sweep much of the nation. When trading opened on Tuesday, Jan. 20 — the previous day was a US holiday — front-month futures soared as much as 29%. The advance continued over subsequent days as weather models sounded alarms, culminating in a record, six-session rally. “With a market that was leaning short and giving up on winter, it was a perfect recipe for a dramatic move higher,” said Trevor Woods , chief investment officer of Northern Trace Capital. He switched his stance from short to long in time for the price surge. Traders remain on edge because more frigid weather is on the horizon for much of US East. One measure of gas-market volatility is at the highest since early February 2022, when winter weather lashed much of the nation, trapping some investors in a similar pincer movement of booming demand and stifled supplies. Prior to that...

The worrying rise of Christian nationalism should be top of a crowded in-tray for Sarah Mullally as she takes up her role Before the St Paul’s Cathedral service that confirmed her on Wednesday as the first female archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally repeated a proverb that has become something of a personal mantra: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” In an Anglican communion that remains bitterly divided, rancorous and unsure of its public role, an invitation to partnership and collaboration hit the right note. The formidable task now for Dame Sarah will be to provide the leadership to make it happen. As a state-educated former NHS worker who rose to become England’s chief nursing officer, the 106th occupant of St Augustine’s chair is a very different proposition to Justin Welby, her Old Etonian predecessor. But many of the challenges she confronts remain the same. Her immediate priority must be to end the cycle of failure in dealing with historical abuse in the church, which has led to a collapse of trust in parishes and ultimately forced Mr Welby’s resignation . Continue reading...

Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Slips as France Pulls Back on Videoconferencing Services TipRanks

格隆汇1月29日｜上海黄金交易所黄金T+D 1月28日（周三）晚盘收盘上涨2.39%报1190.75元/克； 上海黄金交易所白银T+D 1月28日（周三）晚盘收盘下跌0.13%报28981.0元/千克。

Unusual Put Options Activity in Micron Technology After MU Stock Doubles in 2 Months Barchart.com

Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) stock has more than doubled from its low point a little over two months ago. That could be why there is unusual option activity in out-of-the-money MU puts expiring in just over 3 months. MU is at $430.28 in midday trading, up another 4.89%. MU stock hit a low of $201.37 on Nov. 20, 2025, so it's now up 114% in just over 2 months. That could explain why there is large put option activity today. Investors Expecting Strong Results in 2026 This came after the semiconductor company reported strong fiscal Q1 results on Dec. 17, 2025, including its highest-ever adjusted free cash flow (FCF), according to the company. Micron said that its revenue for the quarter ending Nov. 27, 2025, was up 20.6% from the prior quarter, driven by strong AI demand. Its adj. FCF rose to $3.9 billion, up from just $803 million in the prior quarter. More importantly, the CEO said in his prepared remarks that the company expects “substantial new records” in revenue as well as adj. FCF for both fiscal Q2 (ending Feb. 28) and its full FY ending Aug. 31, 2026. Micron is due to release results on March 25. As a result, analysts have raised their price targets (PTs). But the stock has risen so far that it's now well over the average PT. For example, Yahoo! Finance reports that the average PT from 43 analysts is $356.51. However, AnaChart's average PT survey from 24 analysts who have written recently about the stock is $433.37. Historically, analysts have had to revise their price targets on highly volatile stocks like this. That could be one reason for the strong interest in Micron's put options. Unusual MU Put Options Activity This can be seen in Barchart’s Unusual Stock Options Activity Report today. It shows that over 10,000 put options have traded in the $390.00 strike price expiring May 15, 2026. That is over 75 times the prior number of outstanding contracts for this put contract. It shows that the premium for this strike price, which is 9.3% below today’s price, i...

Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) stock has more than doubled from its low point a little over two months ago. That could be why there is unusual option activity in out-of-the-money MU puts expiring in just over 3 months. MU is at $430.28 in midday trading, up another 4.89%. MU stock hit a low of $201.37 on Nov. 20, 2025, so it's now up 114% in just over 2 months. That could explain why there is large put option activity today. More News from Barchart MU stock - last 3 months - Barchart Investors Expecting Strong Results in 2026 This came after the semiconductor company reported strong fiscal Q1 results on Dec. 17, 2025, including its highest-ever adjusted free cash flow (FCF), according to the company. Micron said that its revenue for the quarter ending Nov. 27, 2025, was up 20.6% from the prior quarter, driven by strong AI demand. Its adj. FCF rose to $3.9 billion, up from just $803 million in the prior quarter. More importantly, the CEO said in his prepared remarks that the company expects “substantial new records” in revenue as well as adj. FCF for both fiscal Q2 (ending Feb. 28) and its full FY ending Aug. 31, 2026. Micron is due to release results on March 25. As a result, analysts have raised their price targets (PTs). But the stock has risen so far that it's now well over the average PT. For example, Yahoo! Finance reports that the average PT from 43 analysts is $356.51. However, AnaChart's average PT survey from 24 analysts who have written recently about the stock is $433.37. Historically, analysts have had to revise their price targets on highly volatile stocks like this. That could be one reason for the strong interest in Micron's put options. Unusual MU Put Options Activity This can be seen in Barchart’s Unusual Stock Options Activity Report today. It shows that over 10,000 put options have traded in the $390.00 strike price expiring May 15, 2026. That is over 75 times the prior number of outstanding contracts for this put contract. MU puts expiring May 15, ...

A niche in high-performance computing gives Oracle a cost advantage. One of the more surprising moves in the cloud industry has come from Oracle (ORCL +0.10%). The company built its reputation as the leader in relational databases, but it breathed new life into its business when it discovered that its IT infrastructure positioned it to succeed in the cloud business. With that, it has developed a niche for high-performance computing workloads, a competitive advantage that could help it steal market share in 2026, and here's how. Oracle and the cloud Oracle stands out in the cloud market because of its focus on high-performance computing in a cost-effective manner, making its offering more attractive to its customers. That may be what helped it attract a $300 billion deal from OpenAI last fall. Consequently, its backlog has risen to $523 billion. Also, since it continues to expand its services to more regions, it will probably be better able to leverage that backlog into a higher market share. Currently, it is the fifth-largest cloud provider as measured by market share. Even though its 3% market share rose from 2% in 2024, it may not sound significant. Nonetheless, Grand View Research estimated the industry's size at $944 billion. It also projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16% between 2026 and 2033, taking the industry's size to over $3.3 trillion by that year. Thus, even if that market share stays the same, Oracle should benefit significantly. Oracle by the numbers Such conditions have translated into improved financials. In the first six months of fiscal 2026 (ended Nov. 30, 2025), its cloud segment alone generated over $15 billion in revenue. That was a 31% yearly increase, and it was Oracle's only segment that grew revenue at a double-digit rate. Moreover, Oracle reported $31 billion in overall revenue, rising 13% annually and making the cloud segment the company's largest at 49%. The cloud growth likely boosted its net income for the first half of ...

Tesla Earnings Preview: Robotaxis, Optimus, Energy All In Focus Heading Into 2026 Tesla is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes today, and while the headline numbers will matter, most investors are far more focused on what Elon Musk says about the company’s future. The earnings call that follows the report is expected to center on artificial intelligence, self-driving technology, robotaxis, and Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus. With the company’s traditional car business under pressure, this quarter is shaping up to be less about past performance and more about whether Tesla can convince Wall Street that its next chapter is still on track. Wall Street consensus points to earnings of about 45 cents per share on roughly $25 billion in revenue, down from last year. Operating income is expected to be just over $1 billion, and gross margins are likely to hover near 17%, reflecting ongoing pricing pressure. Free cash flow is forecast to come in around $1.5 billion, while capital spending remains elevated as Tesla continues investing in factories, AI infrastructure, and new products. The automotive business remains Tesla’s biggest challenge. Vehicle deliveries fell sharply in the fourth quarter, and the loss of key tax credits, rising competition, and heavier use of discounts have all weighed on demand and margins. Analysts are closely watching automotive gross margin, excluding regulatory credits, as a measure of Tesla’s true pricing power. Many expect it to come in near 14% to 15%, down from recent quarters. This reflects a reality that Tesla is no longer operating in a wide-open EV market and must now fight harder for every sale. Tesla delivered 418,227 vehicles in Q4 2025, below Wall Street’s expectation of roughly 426,000 deliveries, according to CNBC and the company . Production totaled 434,358 vehicles. For the full year, Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from 2024 and marking the second consecutive annual decline in ...

This Puget Sound banking provider, known for its digital platform offerings, reported significant insider selling in its latest SEC filing. Eric M Sprink, CEO of Coastal Financial Corporation (CCB 2.18%), directly sold 12,402 shares in multiple open-market transactions on Jan. 21, 2026, and Jan. 22, 2026, representing approximately $1.4 million in value according to the SEC Form 4 filing. Transaction summary Metric Value Shares sold (direct) 12,402 Transaction value ~$1.4 million Post-transaction shares (direct) 159,126 Post-transaction shares (indirect) 2,085 Post-transaction value (direct ownership) ~$18.4 million Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($114.83); post-transaction value based on Jan. 22, 2026, market close ($114.83). Key questions How does the scale of this sale compare to Eric Sprink’s historical trading activity? The 12,402 shares sold in this transaction are notably larger than Sprink’s historical median sale size of 8,518 shares for direct sales, indicating a higher-than-typical volume but within the observed range of his past transactions. The 12,402 shares sold in this transaction are notably larger than Sprink’s historical median sale size of 8,518 shares for direct sales, indicating a higher-than-typical volume but within the observed range of his past transactions. What impact does this sale have on Sprink’s direct ownership stake? The sale reduced Sprink’s direct holdings by 7.23%, leaving him with 159,126 directly held shares, which is a sharp decline from over 430,000 shares in early 2023 as he continues to reduce his stake over time. The sale reduced Sprink’s direct holdings by 7.23%, leaving him with 159,126 directly held shares, which is a sharp decline from over 430,000 shares in early 2023 as he continues to reduce his stake over time. Were any derivative securities or indirect holdings involved in this filing? No derivative transactions or indirect share dispositions were reported; all shares sold we...

Meta Platforms Inc options imply 6.6% move in share price post-earnings TipRanks

Stellantis NV is slashing prices for its Fiat, Opel and Peugeot cars in France in a bid to regain market share at a time when the manufacturer is conducting a deep review of its global operations. The company now has new offer for the Fiat Pandina priced at €9,990 ($11,926) under certain conditions, and has trimmed leasing rates for popular models such as the Peugeot 208 city car, Xavier Duchemin , head of Stellantis in France, said at a media event in Paris on Wednesday. “We decided to be more aggressive on prices this year,” Duchemin said. “We started at end 2025, but we are accelerating the push this year. We are repositioning some brands.” The starting price for Opel Corsas with a gasoline engine in France now stands at €15,900, Duchemin said. The previous price was €20,900, according to the company. “We decided that — because its the French market, because there are elements in Opel’s DNA — in spite of the brand’s quality we cannot sell these cars at the prices we wanted to,” Duchemin said. “It’s a bet. We need volumes.” Stellantis Chief Executive Officer Antonio Filosa , who took the helm of the company in June, has been cutting prices across the board in a bid to stabilize the performance of key brands such as Jeep and Peugeot after dramatic market-share declines suffered under the helm of predecessor Carlos Tavares . For now, Filosa has detailed a plan to boost its more profitable business in the US, funneling billions of investments there. In Europe, the manufacturer is struggling with overcapacity, in line with the challenges faced by other manufacturers in the region amid increased competition from Chinese car-makers. In France alone, the company operates 12 plants. Filosa is due to present his new strategic plan in the first half this year. Read More: Jeep Is the Rare Auto Brand That’s Cutting Prices Right Now Stellantis also is looking to add more dealers in Paris after abandoning city centers in previous years, Duchemin said. “We were no longer in Pari...