Ollie's Bargain Outlet is the leader in a niche that's only getting bigger – and the market isn't fully appreciating that yet, according to Jefferies. The firm upgraded the discount retailer on Thursday to buy from hold. It also lifted its price target on the stock to $130 from $120, implying about 42% of potential upside. Shares rose more than 3% in afternoon trading. OLLI YTD mountain Ollie's Ba...
Ollie's Bargain Outlet is the leader in a niche that's only getting bigger – and the market isn't fully appreciating that yet, according to Jefferies. The firm upgraded the discount retailer on Thursday to buy from hold. It also lifted its price target on the stock to $130 from $120, implying about 42% of potential upside. Shares rose more than 3% in afternoon trading. OLLI YTD mountain Ollie's Bargain Outlet in 2026 The company has a unique moat in its ability to buy cheap excess inventory at scale, which was one of the drivers behind the firm's upgrade, according to Jefferies analyst Randal Konik. Ollie's is trading at a lower valuation than Five Below , despite similar growth, and has more stores and national reach than its competitors in the discount retail space, the analyst said. "OLLI is the #1 in closeout," or leftover inventory, "at a moment when scale matters most," Konik said. "OLLI shares have de-rated on peak-margin concerns, freight uncertainty, and comp durability, alongside softer Q4 new-store results driven by a deliberate soft opening strategy. As cohorts mature, this approach smooths ramps and could unlock comp upside, leaving unit growth better positioned ahead." Ollie's has about 645 stores (compared to its next closest competitor, which has 159), twice as many distribution centers, and management sees growth opportunity to 1,300 stores, the analyst said. Additionally, with the retail landscape under pressure, there are more clearance goods available to buy at a discount but fewer buyers competing for them, he added. "Closeout has shifted from a tactical outlet to a structural channel as big-box rationalization reduces vendor pricing power," Konik said. "Retail stress amplifies deal flow, but is no longer required for OLLI to source product." —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
Billionaire oil wildcatter Harold Hamm ’s Continental Resources Inc. plans to increase production as the war in Iran sends crude prices soaring to the highest in four years. “Continental is increasing our capital budget, which will increase production,” Chief Executive Officer Doug Lawler said in a statement to Bloomberg. Continental is the first prominent US oil producer to say publicly that it p...
Billionaire oil wildcatter Harold Hamm ’s Continental Resources Inc. plans to increase production as the war in Iran sends crude prices soaring to the highest in four years. “Continental is increasing our capital budget, which will increase production,” Chief Executive Officer Doug Lawler said in a statement to Bloomberg. Continental is the first prominent US oil producer to say publicly that it plans to ramp up output amid the Iran war, which has crippled supplies from the Persian Gulf and sent crude futures soaring 50% in four weeks to more than $100 a barrel. Hamm is among US President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters in the oil industry. Read More: Shale Oil Drilling Growth Primed to Restart in 2026, Citi Says Lawler didn’t say how much the closely held Oklahoma City-based company was increasing production. Continental has operations in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Texas. It recently began pushing into Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale patch. Continental produced 475,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the fourth quarter of 2025, with about 43% coming from the Bakken field in North Dakota and 23% from the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico. Prior to the war, Continental had budgeted capital spending of $2.5 billion in 2026, which would have been a 20% reduction compared with 2025. In the months leading up to the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran, fears of a global crude glut were forcing oil prices down to about $60 and below, threatening profit levels for many shale-oil companies.
Sensory organ in male cephalopod able to detect female hormone progesterone, even if male cannot see partner Sex might seem an intimate act, but scientists have shed fresh light on how octopuses manage it at arm’s length. Male octopuses use a specialised arm called the hectocotylus to place a package of sperm inside the female’s reproductive system. Continue reading...
Sensory organ in male cephalopod able to detect female hormone progesterone, even if male cannot see partner Sex might seem an intimate act, but scientists have shed fresh light on how octopuses manage it at arm’s length. Male octopuses use a specialised arm called the hectocotylus to place a package of sperm inside the female’s reproductive system. Continue reading...
Oleksandr Siedov The UK government has reached agreement with the US government that drugs made in the UK will not face tariffs in the US. Medicines exported from Britain will have a tariff exemption for a minimum of three years. While the deal was first brokered in December, the UK did not agree to the full text of it until Thursday. Terms include having the UK increase the cost-effectiveness thr...
Oleksandr Siedov The UK government has reached agreement with the US government that drugs made in the UK will not face tariffs in the US. Medicines exported from Britain will have a tariff exemption for a minimum of three years. While the deal was first brokered in December, the UK did not agree to the full text of it until Thursday. Terms include having the UK increase the cost-effectiveness threshold used by its National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ("NICE") by 25%. Also, the maximum rebate the National Health Service can get from pharma companies is 15%. In addition, the NHS will pay 25% higher list prices for new prescription drugs. Medtech products that are exported are also free from tariffs for at least the next three years. The UK will also boost spending on drug R&D to 0.6% from 0.3% of GDP. UK pharma exports to the US stand at more than £5B (~$6.6B) annually. More on GSK, AstraZeneca GSK: Chinese Expansion And Fine Financials GSK plc (GSK) Presents at Goldman Sachs 9th Annual Biopharma Innovation Summit Transcript AstraZeneca: The Big China Bet Astra posts late-stage trial win for Imfinzi regimen in liver cancer Former CDC advisor says White House pulling back on vaccine policy
Alphabet (NasdaqGS:GOOGL) has introduced Veo 3.1 Lite, a lower cost, high volume AI video generation model. The company is also cutting prices on its Veo 3.1 Fast tier, targeting developers and enterprises with large scale video needs. These moves follow OpenAI’s decision to discontinue its Sora video product, reshaping competition in AI video tools. Alphabet, through Google Cloud and its broader ...
Alphabet (NasdaqGS:GOOGL) has introduced Veo 3.1 Lite, a lower cost, high volume AI video generation model. The company is also cutting prices on its Veo 3.1 Fast tier, targeting developers and enterprises with large scale video needs. These moves follow OpenAI’s decision to discontinue its Sora video product, reshaping competition in AI video tools. Alphabet, through Google Cloud and its broader AI portfolio, is pushing deeper into video generation tools that can plug into content...
There's been a lot of public is concerned about health risks from the chemicals, especially from the Make America Healthy Again movement. The agency's move doesn't in itself guarantee regulation. (Image credit: Justin Sullivan)
There's been a lot of public is concerned about health risks from the chemicals, especially from the Make America Healthy Again movement. The agency's move doesn't in itself guarantee regulation. (Image credit: Justin Sullivan)
To be honest, I thought Elon Musk would confidentially file for SpaceX's IPO on the 20th of this month, rather than the 1st. But maybe that just means he's moved on to other numbers, and we should all mark our calendars for June 7th as an IPO date just in case. Based on the April 1st filing, and the general length of an SEC review before the S-1 document becomes public, the earliest I am expecting...
To be honest, I thought Elon Musk would confidentially file for SpaceX's IPO on the 20th of this month, rather than the 1st. But maybe that just means he's moved on to other numbers, and we should all mark our calendars for June 7th as an IPO date just in case. Based on the April 1st filing, and the general length of an SEC review before the S-1 document becomes public, the earliest I am expecting a SpaceX IPO is June. (At least, assuming there is still anyone left at the SEC who wants to do their job instead of just glance at the first page of the filing, say, "Seems fine!" and then go out for a smoke break.) Of course, this process could … Read the full story at The Verge.
Olga Yastremska/iStock via Getty Images The last time I spoke about Vertex Pharmaceuticals ( VRTX ) it was with a Seeking Alpha article entitled " Vertex Pharmaceuticals: JOURNAVX Prescription Demand And Povetacicept Developments Warrant "Strong Buy ." With respect to this article, I mentioned that the company was seeing strong demand in terms of its drug JOURNAVX [suzetrigine] , approved to treat...
Olga Yastremska/iStock via Getty Images The last time I spoke about Vertex Pharmaceuticals ( VRTX ) it was with a Seeking Alpha article entitled " Vertex Pharmaceuticals: JOURNAVX Prescription Demand And Povetacicept Developments Warrant "Strong Buy ." With respect to this article, I mentioned that the company was seeing strong demand in terms of its drug JOURNAVX [suzetrigine] , approved to treat patients with moderate-to-severe acute pain. That, plus it was in the process of exploring the use of this drug in two ongoing phase 3 studies targeting patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy [DPN] as well. It will continue to enroll patients for this program through 2026. For the 12 months ending December 31, 2025, it generated approximately $59.6 million in revenues from it. What I also went over was the fact that this company was in the process of advancing its BAFF/APRIL inhibitor povetacicept for the treatment of patients with Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy [IgAN] and Primary Membranous Neuropathy [PMN]. Speaking of which, as an update, it was noted that the company released positive results from a pre-specified 36-week interim analysis from the phase 3 RAINER study using povetacicept on top of standard of care [SOC] to treat these patients with IgAN. In essence, there was a statistically significant and clinically meaningful 49.8% urine protein to creatinine ratio [UPCR] reduction compared to placebo. This clinical effect was statistically significant with a p-value of p<0.0001. The point here is that the company already submitted several modules of its Biologics License Application [BLA] of povetacicept for the treatment of patients with IgAN. The expected completion for full submission was set by the end of March of 2026. The point here is that the company is vying for potential FDA Accelerated Approval of this BLA of this drug for these patients. Even better, it is expected to use a priority review voucher [PRV] to speed up the review of it from 10 months to 6...
The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLP) and the Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (NYSEMKT:PBJ) both deliver exposure to U.S. consumer staples, but with a few notable differences. XLP charges lower fees, yields more, and aims for broad, low-cost coverage of the consumer staples sector -- while PBJ zeroes in on food and beverage companies. Beta measures price volatility rel...
The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEMKT:XLP) and the Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (NYSEMKT:PBJ) both deliver exposure to U.S. consumer staples, but with a few notable differences. XLP charges lower fees, yields more, and aims for broad, low-cost coverage of the consumer staples sector -- while PBJ zeroes in on food and beverage companies. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Continue reading
saifulasmee chede/iStock via Getty Images I have followed Tilray Brands ( TLRY ) closely since it went public in 2018. I never really liked the stock until 2025. Most recently, I was negative on it again, sharing in early December that it was no longer a Strong Sell and rating it Hold. The company just reported its fiscal Q3 on April 1, and I am maintaining a Hold for now. FY26 So Far for Tilray B...
saifulasmee chede/iStock via Getty Images I have followed Tilray Brands ( TLRY ) closely since it went public in 2018. I never really liked the stock until 2025. Most recently, I was negative on it again, sharing in early December that it was no longer a Strong Sell and rating it Hold. The company just reported its fiscal Q3 on April 1, and I am maintaining a Hold for now. FY26 So Far for Tilray Brands Tilray reported its fiscal Q3 on April 1, and it was no joke. The company headlined the " record results " it experienced with its revenue, but it was not so pretty. Overall revenue did increase sequentially to $206.7 million, which was up 11% from Q3 a year ago, but there were areas of strength and weakness. Distribution revenue grew 35% to $83.0 million. Cannabis revenue was the second-largest of the four segments, and net revenue rose 24% to $64.8 million. The Beverage business was quite weak, with net alcohol sales falling 24% to $42.6 million. The smallest business, Wellness (hemp products), grew 16% to $16.4 million. Through three quarters of fiscal 2026, overall revenue has grown just 6%, with Distribution (European pharmaceuticals) at $242.3 million, up 23%. Cannabis, the second-largest at $196.9 million, has been up 9%. Beverages have declined 15% to $148.4 million. Wellness has increased 6% to $46.2 million. The weakness in alcohol sales comes after several acquisitions, and, according to the 10-Q, consumers are drinking fewer drinks with alcohol. Tilray Brands does sell non-alcoholic beer and other beverages that have no alcohol. The strength in cannabis is due to market share gains in Canada and rapid international expansion. TLRY claims to be the largest provider of medical cannabis in Germany, and it operates in several medical cannabis markets. The gain in revenue in the Distribution business has come from a price increase (13% in Q3 and 4% year-to-date) and a volume increase (7% in Q3 and 11% year-to-date). Tilray Brands provides gross margins for each...
For years, cryptocurrency supporters have argued that it was the future of money. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), that future is becoming a reality. OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant program, helped put AI agents on the map when it went viral earlier this year. AI agents can browse the web, use programs, and make purchases -- all autonomously. Many AI agents have begun transacting on S...
For years, cryptocurrency supporters have argued that it was the future of money. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), that future is becoming a reality. OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant program, helped put AI agents on the map when it went viral earlier this year. AI agents can browse the web, use programs, and make purchases -- all autonomously. Many AI agents have begun transacting on Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) , a blockchain known for its lightning-fast transaction speeds and low fees. Here is how AI agents could make Solana a must-have cryptocurrency for the future. Continue reading
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses the gathering at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 19, 2026. Bhawika Chhabra | Reuters OpenAI announced that it has acquired the technology news podcast TBPN , according to a message shared with employees on Thursday. TBPN is a daily podcast hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays that covers technology news and features interviews with major tech lea...
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses the gathering at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 19, 2026. Bhawika Chhabra | Reuters OpenAI announced that it has acquired the technology news podcast TBPN , according to a message shared with employees on Thursday. TBPN is a daily podcast hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays that covers technology news and features interviews with major tech leaders, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg , Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella , and OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news. In the announcement, OpenAI CEO of AGI Deployment Fidji Simo wrote that their mission of bringing artificial general intelligence comes with a responsibility to have a space for "constructive conversation about the changes AI creates." OpenAI did not disclose the terms of the deal but said TBPN will be housed within its strategy organization. Read more CNBC tech news SpaceX confidentially files for IPO, setting stage for record offering Five key questions Apple faces entering its second half-century Baidu robotaxis reportedly halted mid-traffic causing crashes in Wuhan, China Iran threatens Nvidia, Apple and other tech giants with attacks "While we've been critical of the industry at times, after getting to know Sam and the OpenAI team, what stood out most was their openness to feedback and commitment to getting this right," wrote Hays in a statement. "Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us." CNBC has reached out to OpenAI for additional comment. TBPN generated about $5 million in advertising revenue in 2025 and is on track to exceed $30 million this year, according to the Wall Street Journal. watch now VIDEO 2:12 02:12 OpenAI opens up to retail as it closes record $122 billion round Closing Bell: Overtime Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news...