Applied Materials (AMAT) stock climbed 1.13% on Jan. 23 after Deutsche Bank was the latest Wall Street firm to upgrade the semiconductor equipment maker. The investment firm joined a growing chorus of analysts who turned bullish on the company’s near-term prospects. Analyst Melissa Weathers raised her rating to “Buy” from “Hold” and set a $390 price target, citing an increasingly favorable environ...
Applied Materials (AMAT) stock climbed 1.13% on Jan. 23 after Deutsche Bank was the latest Wall Street firm to upgrade the semiconductor equipment maker. The investment firm joined a growing chorus of analysts who turned bullish on the company’s near-term prospects. Analyst Melissa Weathers raised her rating to “Buy” from “Hold” and set a $390 price target, citing an increasingly favorable environment for wafer fabrication equipment spending. She noted her estimates for Applied Materials are roughly 10% above Wall Street consensus, with potential for further upside. The upgrade follows similar moves earlier this month from Susquehanna and Barclays, while KeyBanc raised its price target to $380. Key factors driving the optimism include major capital expenditure increases from both Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and Intel (INTC). Several chip manufacturers are accelerating the construction of new DRAM fabrication facilities. AMAT also stands to benefit from the rising complexity of chip architectures, which require sophisticated deposition and etching processes. Valued at a market cap of $255 billion, AMAT stock has almost tripled investor returns in the past three years. At the time of writing, it trades at $319 per share. Is AMAT Stock Still a Good Buy? Despite trade-war-related headwinds, Applied Materials delivered its sixth consecutive year of revenue growth in fiscal 2025 (ended in October). It reported record revenue of $28.4 billion in fiscal 2025 with gross margins of almost 49%, the highest level in 25 years. However, growth rates lagged expectations, as China declined to 28% of total systems and service revenues, down from peaks above 40% in prior quarters. Trade restrictions significantly impacted the company's addressable market in China. The portion of the China market that Applied Materials cannot serve has more than doubled from roughly 10% in fiscal 2024 to over 20% in fiscal 2025. These restrictions primarily affected DRAM customers and certain mature no...
Southwest Airlines Ends Open Seating, Moves To Reservation-Based System Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times, Southwest Airlines’ era of offering passengers open seating is officially ending, as the passenger carrier transitions its seating policy to a reservation-based system common with other airlines starting on Jan. 27. Southwest announced last summer that it would end its open seating pol...
Southwest Airlines Ends Open Seating, Moves To Reservation-Based System Authored by Rob Sabo via The Epoch Times, Southwest Airlines’ era of offering passengers open seating is officially ending, as the passenger carrier transitions its seating policy to a reservation-based system common with other airlines starting on Jan. 27. Southwest announced last summer that it would end its open seating policy to offer customers a wider range of seating options. The airline’s new booking model includes three seating options: standard seating at the back of the aircraft; preferred seating near the front; and extra legroom seats in the front of the cabin and at the exit rows. Southwest said it will also initiate a new group-based boarding process to replace its old “A,” “B,” and “C” boarding system that encouraged travelers to check in 24 hours prior to departure to secure the coveted “A” boarding option. The new boarding system will be skewed toward passengers who book premium seating options, while customers who choose basic seating will board last. Southwest will need to make physical changes to its departure gates to accommodate the new system, which could take months to complete. Tony Roach, Southwest Airlines’ executive vice president of customer and brand, said the changes allow customers more choice and control over their flying experience. “Assigned seating unlocks new opportunities for our customers—including the ability to select extra legroom seats—and removes the uncertainty of not knowing where they will sit in the cabin,” Roach said in a statement announcing the booking shakeup. “This is an important step in our evolution, and we’re excited to pair these enhancements with our legendary customer service.” The airline’s new “basic” fare option—formerly called Wanna Get Away—is nonrefundable and does not allow any changes in travel dates or times unless passengers upgrade to a higher tier. Choice Extra is the new name for its former business select option and includ...
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $632.00 to $659.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the software giant's stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 38.29% from the stock's current price. Several other analyst...
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $632.00 to $659.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the software giant's stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 38.29% from the stock's current price. Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on Microsoft from $639.00 to $590.00 in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Microsoft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Microsoft from $665.00 to $630.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $586.00 price target on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Microsoft currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $612.58. Get Microsoft alerts: Sign Up Get Our Latest Report on Microsoft Microsoft Stock Up 1.3% MSFT stock traded up $6.26 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $476.54. 4,334,270 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,532,736. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.99, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.07. Microsoft has a 52-week low of $344.79 and a 52-week high of $555.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The business has a 50-day mov...
China Auto Momentum to Ease : China’s auto market reached record levels in 2025, with vehicle sales and production surpassing 30 million units for the third consecutive year, driven largely by strong demand for new energy vehicles. However, growth is expected to moderate in 2026 after the robust performance in 2025 absorbed much of the pent-up demand. Domestic demand conditions remain fragile, as ...
China Auto Momentum to Ease : China’s auto market reached record levels in 2025, with vehicle sales and production surpassing 30 million units for the third consecutive year, driven largely by strong demand for new energy vehicles. However, growth is expected to moderate in 2026 after the robust performance in 2025 absorbed much of the pent-up demand. Domestic demand conditions remain fragile, as concerns around income visibility and job security continue to weigh on consumer confidence. In addition, policy support for NEVs is being gradually scaled back, with partial purchase tax exemptions replacing full relief and trade-in subsidies being phased out. As the market shifts from policy-led to demand-driven growth, NEV sales momentum is likely to slow. Companies in the Zacks Automotive – Foreign industry are involved in designing, manufacturing and selling vehicles, components, as well as production systems. The foreign automotive industry is highly dependent on business cycles and economic conditions. China, Japan, Germany and India are some of the key foreign automotive manufacturing countries. The widespread usage of technology is resulting in the fundamental restructuring of the market. Stricter emission and fuel-economy targets and ramp-up of charging infrastructure are boosting sales of green vehicles. With firms intensifying their electrification game, competition is getting tougher with each passing day. Foreign automakers are now actively engaged in the R&D of electric and autonomous vehicles, fuel efficiency and low-emission technologies. The outlook for the Zacks Foreign Auto Industry remains cautious despite pockets of demand resilience across key markets. China, the industry’s largest growth engine, is likely to see slower momentum in 2026 as policy support for new energy vehicles fades and fragile consumer confidence weighs on demand. Europe may deliver modest volume growth, but a shift toward mass-market and EV models, along with restructuring costs, i...
A Palantir sign displayed on an office building by Poetra_RH via Shutterstock Valued at a market cap of $399.2 billion , Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ) is a software company that specializes in data integration, analytics, and artificial intelligence platforms. The Denver, Colorado-based company provides tools that help governments and enterprises manage, analyze, and derive insights from com...
A Palantir sign displayed on an office building by Poetra_RH via Shutterstock Valued at a market cap of $399.2 billion , Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ) is a software company that specializes in data integration, analytics, and artificial intelligence platforms. The Denver, Colorado-based company provides tools that help governments and enterprises manage, analyze, and derive insights from complex and large-scale datasets, supporting decision-making across diverse areas. This software company has significantly outpaced the broader market over the past 52 weeks. Shares of PLTR have soared 122.3% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ( $SPX ) has gained 13.9% . However, on a YTD basis, the stock is down 5.7%, lagging behind SPX’s 1.5% uptick. Zooming in further, PLTR has also notably outperformed the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF’s ( IGV ) 3.4% downtick over the past 52 weeks and 6.7% YTD drop. On Jan. 23, shares of PLTR rose 2.2% following several positive catalysts that boosted investor sentiment. PLTR is said to have landed a substantial deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, valued at an estimated “hundreds of millions” of dollars, and also announced a collaboration focused on data center projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect PLTR’s EPS to grow 562.5% year over year to $0.53. The company’s earnings surprise history is mixed. It topped the consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters, while missing on two other occasions. Among the 24 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a " Hold ,” which is based on eight “Strong Buy,” 12 "Hold,” one "Moderate Sell,” and three "Strong Sell” ratings. The configuration is notably less bearish than a month ago, with four analysts suggesting a “Strong Buy” rating. On Jan. 22, Phillip Securities analyst Alif Fahmi initiated coverage on PLTR with a “ Buy ” rating and set a $208 price target, imp...
A Palantir sign displayed on an office building by Poetra_RH via Shutterstock Valued at a market cap of $399.2 billion , Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ) is a software company that specializes in data integration, analytics, and artificial intelligence platforms. The Denver, Colorado-based company provides tools that help governments and enterprises manage, analyze, and derive insights from com...
A Palantir sign displayed on an office building by Poetra_RH via Shutterstock Valued at a market cap of $399.2 billion , Palantir Technologies Inc. ( PLTR ) is a software company that specializes in data integration, analytics, and artificial intelligence platforms. The Denver, Colorado-based company provides tools that help governments and enterprises manage, analyze, and derive insights from complex and large-scale datasets, supporting decision-making across diverse areas. This software company has significantly outpaced the broader market over the past 52 weeks. Shares of PLTR have soared 122.3% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ( $SPX ) has gained 13.9% . However, on a YTD basis, the stock is down 5.7%, lagging behind SPX’s 1.5% uptick. Zooming in further, PLTR has also notably outperformed the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF’s ( IGV ) 3.4% downtick over the past 52 weeks and 6.7% YTD drop. On Jan. 23, shares of PLTR rose 2.2% following several positive catalysts that boosted investor sentiment. PLTR is said to have landed a substantial deal with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, valued at an estimated “hundreds of millions” of dollars, and also announced a collaboration focused on data center projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect PLTR’s EPS to grow 562.5% year over year to $0.53. The company’s earnings surprise history is mixed. It topped the consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters, while missing on two other occasions. Among the 24 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a " Hold ,” which is based on eight “Strong Buy,” 12 "Hold,” one "Moderate Sell,” and three "Strong Sell” ratings. The configuration is notably less bearish than a month ago, with four analysts suggesting a “Strong Buy” rating. On Jan. 22, Phillip Securities analyst Alif Fahmi initiated coverage on PLTR with a “ Buy ” rating and set a $208 price target, imp...
Tesla (TSLA) is heading into another pivotal earnings test on January 28, and Morgan Stanley is striking a carefully balanced tone. The bank reiterated an Equal-weight (Neutral) rating on Tesla stock while keeping its $425 price target unchanged, signaling that, despite recent meaningful ...
Tesla (TSLA) is heading into another pivotal earnings test on January 28, and Morgan Stanley is striking a carefully balanced tone. The bank reiterated an Equal-weight (Neutral) rating on Tesla stock while keeping its $425 price target unchanged, signaling that, despite recent meaningful ...
Citigroup Inc. expects spot silver prices to hit a record $150 an ounce within three months, extending a historic rally that has seen the metal surge nearly 50% in January. The bank’s analysts, including Max Layton , see strong buying momentum continuing in China, and said higher prices will be needed to encourage existing holders to sell. “Silver is behaving like ‘gold squared’ or ‘gold on steroi...
Citigroup Inc. expects spot silver prices to hit a record $150 an ounce within three months, extending a historic rally that has seen the metal surge nearly 50% in January. The bank’s analysts, including Max Layton , see strong buying momentum continuing in China, and said higher prices will be needed to encourage existing holders to sell. “Silver is behaving like ‘gold squared’ or ‘gold on steroids’,” the analysts wrote in a note Tuesday. “And we think this likely continues until silver looks expensive by historical standards, relative to gold.” Silver reached a fresh record of $117.71 on Monday after jumping as much as 14%, its biggest intra-day rise since the 2008 global financial crisis. The rally has been supported by strong physical demand and speculative interest in a relatively illiquid market, with signs that buyers in China are leading the move. Read more: Silver’s Rally Fueled by China Buying and Supply Tightness If the ratio of gold prices to silver return to a 2011 low of 32 to 1, that would point to silver trading as high as $170 an ounce, the Citi analyst said. The price gains have come in the face of a number of bearish factors, Citi added, including outflows from silver-backed exchange traded funds, selling by speculators in futures markets, and declining inventories in US warehouses, bolstering availability elsewhere. Still, the exceptional speed and volatility of silver’s rally since December has many traders and analysts ringing the alarm bell. “History suggests that this rally is much nearer to its end than its beginning,” Marc Loeffert, trader at Heraeus Precious Metals wrote in a note. “The gold/silver ratio has been lower than today several times in the past but has rarely seen such a large swing in such a short time.”
Shares of Cardiff Oncology ( CRDF ) fell ~35% to reach a new 52-week low on Tuesday after the cancer drug developer said its chief executive officer and chief financial officer have both resigned from their respective positions. The San Diego, California-based company announced that it has appointed veteran biotech executive Mani Mohindru, who has served on its board since 2021, as interim CEO to ...
Shares of Cardiff Oncology ( CRDF ) fell ~35% to reach a new 52-week low on Tuesday after the cancer drug developer said its chief executive officer and chief financial officer have both resigned from their respective positions. The San Diego, California-based company announced that it has appointed veteran biotech executive Mani Mohindru, who has served on its board since 2021, as interim CEO to replace outgoing chief executive Mark Erlander. Meanwhile, Brigitte Lindsay, who has most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance, has been promoted to the role of Chief Accounting Officer to ensure that the finance department continues to function after the departure of CFO James Levine. Cardiff ( CRDF ) added that it has commenced an executive search process to find permanent replacements for Erlander and Levine. “As Cardiff Oncology prepares for the next stage of clinical and corporate development, the Board concluded that this was the right moment to align executive and financial leadership with the company's evolving needs,” board chairman Rodney Markin noted. Additionally, the company announced an update from CRDF-004, a dose-finding Phase 2 trial designed to evaluate its lead asset onvansertib in combination with standard of care regimens as a first-line option for a certain form of colorectal cancer. Citing an intent-to-treat analysis, the gold standard for assessing controlled trials, Cardiff ( CRDF ) said onvansertib plus FOLFIRI/bevacizumab led to dose-dependent benefits in patients with RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. The company added that it has decided to further test a 30 mg dose of onvansertib with FOLFIRI/bev in a registrational trial for RAS-mutated mCRC, which is expected to begin later this year, pending confirmation of the trial design by the FDA. More on Cardiff Oncology Cardiff Oncology: What Storms Can We Expect In 2026? The Case For Measured Enthusiasm Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Cardiff Oncology Historical earnings data f...
The latest round of cuts come as the company reported higher quarterly profit and guided for slightly higher revenue in the coming year. The shipper eliminated 48,000 positions in 2025.
The latest round of cuts come as the company reported higher quarterly profit and guided for slightly higher revenue in the coming year. The shipper eliminated 48,000 positions in 2025.
The latest round of cuts comes as the company reported higher quarterly profit, guided for slightly higher revenue in the coming year. The shipper eliminated 48,000 positions in 2025.
The latest round of cuts comes as the company reported higher quarterly profit, guided for slightly higher revenue in the coming year. The shipper eliminated 48,000 positions in 2025.
Help desk automation is a billion-dollar industry, and one of the most likely to be disrupted by tech built upon AI. Major players like Zendesk, ServiceNow and Freshworks currently dominate the space, but lots of smaller startups are betting that reshuffling workflows will give them a chance to cut in. Risotto is one of those startups, and after today, it will have plenty of runway to test its the...
Help desk automation is a billion-dollar industry, and one of the most likely to be disrupted by tech built upon AI. Major players like Zendesk, ServiceNow and Freshworks currently dominate the space, but lots of smaller startups are betting that reshuffling workflows will give them a chance to cut in. Risotto is one of those startups, and after today, it will have plenty of runway to test its theory. The company on Tuesday said it has raised a $10 million seed round led by Bonfire Ventures, with participation from 645 Ventures, Y Combinator, Ritual Capital, and Surgepoint Capital. Designed to autonomously resolve help desk tickets, Risotto sits between ticket management systems like Jira and the complex internal tooling needed to resolve them. The product is built on a third-party foundation model, but CEO Aron Solberg says the core of the business is the infrastructure that sits between the model and the customer, keeping the non-deterministic nature of the model in check. “Our special sauce is the prompt libraries, the eval suites, and the thousands and thousands of real-world examples that the AI gets trained on to ensure it actually does what it’s expected to do,” Solberg told TechCrunch. Working with the payroll company Gusto, Risotto was able to automate away 60% of the company’s support tickets. Its current work is focused on conventional ticketing systems, but Risotto is also positioning itself for a more radical shift in the industry, as AI triggers more fundamental changes in the way help desks function. “With 95% of our customers, humans still solve tickets the traditional way,” Solberg said. “But we see the newer companies shifting to have the primary interface between humans and the technology be an LLM.” In practical terms, this would mean tasks are managed through tools like ChatGPT for Enterprise, which coordinate help-desk tickets alongside a range of other professional tasks. Solberg says his team has already worked on integrations with ChatGPT fo...
Summary created by Smart Answers AI In summary: Tech Advisor investigates persistent rumors about Tesla’s alleged “Model Pi” smartphone, finding no official evidence from Tesla or Elon Musk confirming its existence. Viral videos claiming a $100 Tesla phone are clickbait hoaxes, with Musk expressing reluctance to enter smartphones unless forced by app store censorship issues. Tesla’s Master Plan Pa...
Summary created by Smart Answers AI In summary: Tech Advisor investigates persistent rumors about Tesla’s alleged “Model Pi” smartphone, finding no official evidence from Tesla or Elon Musk confirming its existence. Viral videos claiming a $100 Tesla phone are clickbait hoaxes, with Musk expressing reluctance to enter smartphones unless forced by app store censorship issues. Tesla’s Master Plan Part IV focuses on automation and Tesla Bots rather than consumer electronics, suggesting the company won’t challenge Apple or Google soon. Even though there’s no shortage of phones from big manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and OnePlus, the allure of a supposed Tesla phone has been hard to shake, which has led to endless speculation about the company’s plans for such a device, including fans combing through the many tweets and speeches of Elon Musk for any shred of information. Dubbed by many as the Tesla Model Pi, such a concept might seem fanciful at first, but with such a deluge of rumours and conflicting information out there, it can be tricky to separate fact from fiction. For instance, what hardly helps matters is the existence of an actual ‘Tesla phone’ from a Siberian company that bears the same name as Elon Musk’s. Do a quick Google for ‘Tesla phone’ and one of the first results you’ll see is for the Tesla Explr9, alongside the Tesla Series 3 (which sounds suspiciously like the Tesla Model 3). It’s all very confusing, and Musk himself has changed his mind on more than one occasion when quizzed on the idea of the real Tesla producing a mobile. For the folks who want to get a better understanding of what’s been said, as well as a definitive answer to whether or not the Tesla smartphone is real and on the way, you’re in the right place as we’ve collated all you need to know about the Tesla Model Pi. Has Tesla already launched a phone? You may have seen plenty of videos on YouTube and TikTok of Tesla releasing a $100 phone that ‘broke the internet’, but there’s no evide...