JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Edwards Lifesciences Corporation ( EW ) seems like a great business with a wide economic moat built around constant high-growth rates. Nevertheless, the stock price continues to struggle and is in a major correction since 2022. In August 2025, I published my last article about the company and rated the stock once again as a “Hold” as I still didn’t see m...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Edwards Lifesciences Corporation ( EW ) seems like a great business with a wide economic moat built around constant high-growth rates. Nevertheless, the stock price continues to struggle and is in a major correction since 2022. In August 2025, I published my last article about the company and rated the stock once again as a “Hold” as I still didn’t see much upside. I wrote in my conclusion: When looking at the chart, we see Edwards Lifesciences still trading 40% below its previous all-time high, and although the stock has recovered a bit from its previous lows, we are looking at the steepest decline since the IPO. In retrospect, Edwards Lifesciences would have been a good buy in the range of $60 to $65, and if the stock should decline again to these levels, the stock is certainly a "Buy." But at current stock prices, I would still be rather cautious. Although tariffs probably don't have a huge negative impact on the business and the company raised its full-year guidance, I still see the stock overvalued at this point. Since my last article was published , the stock increased about 5%, and although this is not a terrible performance (not every stock will grow 20% or 30% in every single year), it clearly underperformed the S&P 500, which increased 17% in the same timeframe. In the following article, I will argue once again that the stock is still not cheap enough to be a great investment. Even when assuming that growth rates will accelerate again (as the business is still struggling a bit), the stock is fairly valued at best, and high expected growth rates are still reflected in the current stock price. Quarterly Results As always, we start by looking at the last quarter's results . On April 23, 2026, Edwards Lifesciences reported first-quarter results for fiscal 2026 and the company beat analysts’ estimates for earnings per share as well as revenue once again. Net sales increased from $1,412.7 million in 1Q25 to $1,648.6 mi...
JHVEPhoto PayPal Holdings ( PYPL ) President and CEO Enrique Lores outlined the company's roadmap to simplify its structure, optimize its operations and portfolio, and accelerate its AI adoption to achieve at least $1.5B gross run-rate savings in the next two to three years. He described the strategy at an investor conference on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the company unveiled the cost savings ...
JHVEPhoto PayPal Holdings ( PYPL ) President and CEO Enrique Lores outlined the company's roadmap to simplify its structure, optimize its operations and portfolio, and accelerate its AI adoption to achieve at least $1.5B gross run-rate savings in the next two to three years. He described the strategy at an investor conference on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the company unveiled the cost savings goal after reorganizing PayPal ( PYPL ) into three units — Checkout Solutions & PayPal, Consumer Financial Services & Venmo; and Payment Services & Crypto. Lores is pushing ahead urgently with the new strategy some three months after he replaced Alex Chriss as CEO. The company plans to reduce layers across the organization, optimize role ratios, and refine location strategies, he said. In the operational and portfolio optimization, PayPal ( PYPL ) will improve productivity and performance across business units and enabling functions, Lores said. Additionally, it will increase efficiency in marketing, outside services, and vendor spend. The company is also working to drive AI-enabled process redesign and execute AI and automation use cases. It will then deepen integration further into technology, spanning risk, operations, fraud, and workforce planning, according to the presentation slides. PayPal ( PYPL ) stock rose 1.2% in Wednesday morning trading. More on PayPal PayPal: One Of The Market's Biggest Mispriced Opportunities PayPal: It's Better To Face The Reality Than Remain Delusional (Downgrade) PayPal: One Of The Cheapest Large-Cap Tech Stocks Today - Why I Bought More Digital payments: AI, stablecoins, and the new tech arms race FDIC proposed rule would apply bank secrecy regs on stablecoin issuers
The Boston Beer Company Inc. SAM appears reasonably well-positioned to capitalize on premium beverage trends, thanks to its growing presence in high-growth ready-to-drink (RTD) and “Beyond Beer” categories. Management noted that Beyond Beer outperformed traditional beer in the first quarter of 2026, with volume rising about 3% while traditional beer volumes declined slightly. The company’s expandi...
The Boston Beer Company Inc. SAM appears reasonably well-positioned to capitalize on premium beverage trends, thanks to its growing presence in high-growth ready-to-drink (RTD) and “Beyond Beer” categories. Management noted that Beyond Beer outperformed traditional beer in the first quarter of 2026, with volume rising about 3% while traditional beer volumes declined slightly. The company’s expanding premium portfolio, led by Twisted Tea, Sun Cruiser and Truly Unruly, reflects changing consumer preferences toward flavored, spirit-based and convenience-oriented alcoholic beverages. A major bright spot is Sun Cruiser, which management called the “fastest-growing brand” in the spirits RTD category by volume. The brand has benefited from strong on-premise demand, expanding shelf space and aggressive marketing partnerships tied to sports and entertainment. Boston Beer is also broadening package options and investing heavily in advertising to support further growth. These initiatives align well with premiumization trends, where consumers increasingly seek differentiated, experiential beverages. The company is also leaning into innovation across categories. New launches such as Sinless Vodka Cocktails, positioned as zero-sugar and zero-carb premium cocktails, target health-conscious consumers seeking flavorful alternatives. Meanwhile, Truly Unruly and Twisted Tea Extreme continue gaining traction in the high-alcohol flavored malt beverage segment. However, challenges remain. Truly continues to lose market share, and overall company depletions declined 4% in the quarter. Consumer budget pressures, category moderation and rising commodity costs could also limit growth. Nonetheless, Boston Beer’s innovation pipeline, strong distributor relationships and premium-focused portfolio suggest it remains strategically aligned with evolving beverage consumption trends. SAM’s Zacks Rank & Share Price Performance Shares of this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company have lost 18.6% in the past th...
The Permian is the most prolific basin in the United States, and companies with a strong footprint in the region are generally considered to have a strong production outlook. This is a low-cost basin, with the cost of conducting operations in the basin relatively low. Recently, energy companies have bolstered their positions in the Permian by acquiring undeveloped acres. Thus, companies like SM En...
The Permian is the most prolific basin in the United States, and companies with a strong footprint in the region are generally considered to have a strong production outlook. This is a low-cost basin, with the cost of conducting operations in the basin relatively low. Recently, energy companies have bolstered their positions in the Permian by acquiring undeveloped acres. Thus, companies like SM Energy SM that have a presence in the Permian are well poised to gain. To gain a glimpse of its upstream assets, SM Energy has a strong footprint in shale basins in the United States, including the Permian, the most prolific basin, the DJ Basin and others. The company mentioned that its operations are spread across roughly 237,000 net acres in the Permian. Of the total production for the March quarter of this year, the Permian was responsible for roughly 49% of total volumes. With the strong Permian presence and the ongoing high crude pricing environment, as reflected by the West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) crude trading at more than $90 per barrel, the overall business outlook for SM looks encouraging. DVN & MTDR Also Boosts Solid Permian Presence Devon Energy Corporation DVN and Matador Resources Company MTDR are now on investors’ radar following the recent announcements of acquisitions of undeveloped acres in the Delaware, a sub-basin of the broader Permian. While DVN bought 16,300 net undeveloped acres, Matador Resources acquired 5,154 net acres. Both Devon Energy and Matador Resources are also benefiting from the strong crude prices. SM’s Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates Shares of SM have jumped 34.4% over the past year compared with the 20.7% improvement of the composite stocks belonging to the industry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, SM trades at a trailing 12-month enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) of 5.80X. This is below the broader industry average of 11.98X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensu...
Novo Nordisk NVO and Amgen AMGN are both global healthcare heavyweights with the scale, financial strength and research depth needed to turn scientific innovation into blockbuster drugs. Each company has built a reputation for durable franchises, strong pricing power and steady demand across critical treatment areas, making both stocks compelling long-term plays in the pharma sector. Novo Nordisk ...
Novo Nordisk NVO and Amgen AMGN are both global healthcare heavyweights with the scale, financial strength and research depth needed to turn scientific innovation into blockbuster drugs. Each company has built a reputation for durable franchises, strong pricing power and steady demand across critical treatment areas, making both stocks compelling long-term plays in the pharma sector. Novo Nordisk is widely recognized as the market leader in the GLP-1 space, marketing its semaglutide drugs under brand names Ozempic (pre-filled pen and oral tablet) and Rybelsus (oral tablet) for type II diabetes (T2D), and Wegovy (injection and pill) for chronic weight management. Amgen, meanwhile, brings a more diversified portfolio across oncology, cardiovascular (CV) disease, inflammation, bone health and rare disease markets. It has some key pipeline assets, with a focus on the lead obesity candidate, MariTide. That sets up a strong head-to-head debate: should investors favor Novo Nordisk’s concentrated exposure to the fast-growing GLP-1 market, or Amgen’s broader, more balanced biotech model with income-friendly characteristics? For investors weighing growth, resilience and risk, this pharma faceoff offers a timely look at two very different paths to long-term returns. Let's examine the fundamentals of the two stocks to make a prudent choice. The Case for NVO Stock Novo Nordisk has achieved tremendous success in the cardiometabolic treatment space, driven primarily by Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. As of 2025-end, Novo Nordisk remained the market leader with a total GLP-1 volume market share of 54.6% globally across diabetes and obesity care. Novo Nordisk is pursuing new indications for its semaglutide drugs, including CV and other indications. In 2025, Rybelsus became the first oral therapy approved in the United States to lower the risk of major adverse CV events in high-risk T2D patients, regardless of prior CV history. Wegovy’s label includes CV, HFpEF and osteoarthritis indic...
Lululemon Athletica Inc. is ending a long-running fight with founder Chip Wilson. It will appoint two of his nominees to the board following this year's annual meeting. Bloomberg's Romaine Bostick reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Lululemon Athletica Inc. is ending a long-running fight with founder Chip Wilson. It will appoint two of his nominees to the board following this year's annual meeting. Bloomberg's Romaine Bostick reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Shares of Qfin Holdings ( QFIN ) jumped about 24% on Wednesday, as investors cheered resilient asset quality and strong cash generation despite a sharp decline in quarterly profit. The company reported first-quarter net income of RMB879.8 million, down from RMB1.80 billion a year earlier, while total net revenue fell to RMB3.91 billion from RMB4.69 billion, reflecting lower loan volumes amid tight...
Shares of Qfin Holdings ( QFIN ) jumped about 24% on Wednesday, as investors cheered resilient asset quality and strong cash generation despite a sharp decline in quarterly profit. The company reported first-quarter net income of RMB879.8 million, down from RMB1.80 billion a year earlier, while total net revenue fell to RMB3.91 billion from RMB4.69 billion, reflecting lower loan volumes amid tighter regulatory conditions. Loan origination volume dropped 26.8% to RMB65.03 billion, with outstanding loan balance down 18.5%, as the firm adopted a more cautious approach to credit risk. However, asset quality improved, with the 90-day delinquency rate at 3.5%, while operating cash flow remained robust and the company maintained a strong liquidity position. Qfin forecast second-quarter net income in the midpoint of about RMB870 million at the midpoint, signaling continued pressure on earnings as it prioritizes risk control and compliance. More on CT REIT: Loving The Predictable Dividend Increases Meta Platforms: A Tech Bargain To 'Buy' Now Fidelity Fund Q1 2026 Commentary Photronics Q4 2026 Earnings Preview Biggest stock movers Wednesday: ZS, APPS, DY, and more
Micron has experienced a significant market surge, surpassing a $1 trillion valuation driven by robust demand in the artificial intelligence sector. Despite this, the company remains undervalued, trading at under 10 times forward earnings. Bloomberg Intelligence's Jake Silverman has more on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
Micron has experienced a significant market surge, surpassing a $1 trillion valuation driven by robust demand in the artificial intelligence sector. Despite this, the company remains undervalued, trading at under 10 times forward earnings. Bloomberg Intelligence's Jake Silverman has more on "Bloomberg Open Interest." (Source: Bloomberg)
“The real risk,” France’s prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, reportedly said last month, “is that this tangle of ambitions reflects such a lack of engagement with reality on the part of all these candidates that voters find the whole thing grotesque.” He has a point. By this time next year, France will have a new president and Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from serving more than ...
“The real risk,” France’s prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, reportedly said last month, “is that this tangle of ambitions reflects such a lack of engagement with reality on the part of all these candidates that voters find the whole thing grotesque.” He has a point. By this time next year, France will have a new president and Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from serving more than two consecutive terms, will have left after a decade in the Élysée Palace. The number of candidates jostling for position in the race to succeed him – whether formally declared, plainly preparing to do so, known to harbour presidential aspirations or merely on record as “interested” – currently stands at (wait for it) 35. The obvious danger, as Paul Taylor observes, is that with so many runners and riders from the moderate left, centre and centre-right, the presidential race ends up being a shoo-in for the far right, currently comfortably ahead in all first-round polls. For the EU, the blow would be immense. A nationalist leader in Paris could paralyse the bloc’s decision-making, challenge the supremacy of EU law and push a “France First” agenda that undermines the single market and Schengen free-travel zone. Yet unless the mainstream parties get their act together, the prospects for the EU’s second-largest economy and only nuclear power being run by a far-right president from this time next year look alarmingly high. The latest to throw his hat in the ring is former prime minister Gabriel Attal, declaring (as would-be French presidents must) that he loved France and the French “with a passion” and was “fed up with 50 shades of managing decline”. But Attal – France’s youngest prime minister when he was appointed in 2024 – faces two major obstacles: not just his perceived proximity to the outgoing president, currently languishing on a 75% disapproval rating, but centrist rivals. The leader of Macron’s Renaissance party is trailing another of the president’s former prime mini...
guvendemir/E+ via Getty Images Carlyle Group ( CG ) is expanding its aerospace, defense and industrial investment operations with the launch of a dedicated middle-market platform targeting companies in the United States and Europe, as private capital continues flowing into sectors tied to military modernization and industrial infrastructure. The Washington-based private equity firm said Wednesday ...
guvendemir/E+ via Getty Images Carlyle Group ( CG ) is expanding its aerospace, defense and industrial investment operations with the launch of a dedicated middle-market platform targeting companies in the United States and Europe, as private capital continues flowing into sectors tied to military modernization and industrial infrastructure. The Washington-based private equity firm said Wednesday the effort will focus on investments tied to aerospace, defense, government services, industrial resilience and supply chain operations. Ian Fujiyama, Carlyle’s global head of aerospace, defense and government, will serve as chairman of the platform. The initiative will be led by Aaron Hurwitz, who oversees Carlyle’s defense investments, and Wes Bieligk, a partner on the firm’s industrials team. Carlyle also said retired Gen. Bryan Fenton, the former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, is joining the firm as an operating executive. According to the company, Fenton will help evaluate investments and work with portfolio companies and defense industry stakeholders. Defense spending wave attracts private capital The move comes as investment firms increasingly seek opportunities tied to rising defense budgets in the United States and Europe. Western governments have been directing billions of dollars toward weapons modernization, manufacturing capacity, energy infrastructure and supply chain security amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. For investors, Carlyle’s latest initiative reflects a broader shift in which defense and industrial policy are becoming a larger theme across private equity and infrastructure investing. Firms that once viewed defense as cyclical are increasingly positioning the sector as a long-term growth market tied to national security priorities and government-backed spending. “The geopolitical environment and sustained increases in defense spending are creating a multi-decade investment opportunity across defense and industrial infrastructure,” Adm...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Thanks to its solid share price performance, CT REIT ( CRT.UN:CA ) ( CTRRF ) has now become one of the larger real estate investment trust positions in my portfolio . This also means I need to keep closer tabs on this position to ensure I can trim the position size as the upside potential decreases. But for now, I remain impressed with the f...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Introduction Thanks to its solid share price performance, CT REIT ( CRT.UN:CA ) ( CTRRF ) has now become one of the larger real estate investment trust positions in my portfolio . This also means I need to keep closer tabs on this position to ensure I can trim the position size as the upside potential decreases. But for now, I remain impressed with the financial performance, and it is once again confirmed that the relationship with Canadian Tire ( CDNAF ) ( CTC.A:CA ), which is the REIT’s largest tenant and shareholder, is a healthy one. Data by YCharts Another good result with a dividend hike to top it off It goes without saying that when you're looking at a real estate investment trust, you need to focus on the AFFO rather than the reported net income. The latter is relatively useless considering it also includes the revaluation of the properties and other sometimes non-recurring elements. I do like the Canadian REITs, as, unlike their American or (most of their) European counterparts, the AFFO does include the maintenance capital expenditures to keep the assets in good shape. CT REIT expects to spend C$33 million in maintenance capex this year and will use a straight-line assumption, deducting C$8.25 million per quarter. As you can see below, the starting point for the AFFO calculation is, of course, the net income, but the excess of C$31 million gain on the revaluation of the properties is once again deducted. This results in funds from operations (‘FFO’) of approximately C$84.5 million, which represents a 4.2% increase compared to the first quarter of 2025. CT REIT Investor Relations As the table above also shows, there was a slightly higher maintenance CapEx (compared to Q1 2025), which was partially offset by a slightly higher straight-line rent adjustment. And taking all these things into consideration, the total amount of adjusted funds from operations came in at C$78.1 million, which represents a 3.5% increase co...
The market loves growth, and two of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure names with the biggest growth opportunities still ahead are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 2.49%) and Broadcom (AVGO 0.54%). That's why both semiconductor stocks have the potential for 50% or more upside over the next year. Right now, AI infrastructure spending is booming, with the five largest hyperscalers (owners of...
The market loves growth, and two of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure names with the biggest growth opportunities still ahead are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 2.49%) and Broadcom (AVGO 0.54%). That's why both semiconductor stocks have the potential for 50% or more upside over the next year. Right now, AI infrastructure spending is booming, with the five largest hyperscalers (owners of massive data centers) alone expected to spend $700 billion this year building out data center capacity. At the same time, there are clear shifts in the market set to benefit both AMD and Broadcom. That's why these are the two top stocks to own moving forward. AMD: An inference and agentic AI opportunity Trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 63.5 times 2026 analyst estimates, AMD's stock does not appear cheap. However, the growth in front of it could be enormous, which could easily send its stock up more than 50% over the next year. Expand NASDAQ : AMD Advanced Micro Devices Today's Change ( -2.49 %) $ -12.56 Current Price $ 491.33 Key Data Points Market Cap $822B Day's Range $ 486.67 - $ 510.43 52wk Range $ 108.62 - $ 510.43 Volume 577.2K Avg Vol 38.2M Gross Margin 47.09 % In the AI accelerator market, AMD is benefiting from the shift toward inference and hyperscalers looking to diversify their chip suppliers away from just using Nvidia. The company's chiplet design, which can package more memory, is particularly well-suited for inference, which is now starting to grow faster than the market for AI model training. AMD already has two large $100 billion deals in place for its graphics processing units (GPUs), and it's believed that Anthropic will also begin using its next-generation chips. At the same time, the company has a huge opportunity in the data center central processing (CPU) market, where it has established itself as a strong leader. With agentic AI, the ratio of GPUs to CPUs is expected to go from 8:1 to 1:1, with Nvidia recently saying this is a ...
Key Points UBS sparked a rally in Micron stock yesterday. This morning, Barclays added fuel to the fire, pointing out how Micron may no longer be a cyclical stock. 10 stocks we like better than Micron Technology › Micron (NASDAQ: MU) stock joined the trillion-dollar club on Tuesday, surging 19.3% to close above $900 a share after UBS endorsed the stock with a $1,625 price target, predicting Micron...
Key Points UBS sparked a rally in Micron stock yesterday. This morning, Barclays added fuel to the fire, pointing out how Micron may no longer be a cyclical stock. 10 stocks we like better than Micron Technology › Micron (NASDAQ: MU) stock joined the trillion-dollar club on Tuesday, surging 19.3% to close above $900 a share after UBS endorsed the stock with a $1,625 price target, predicting Micron will earn more than $100 per share total over the next three years. And Micron stock isn't looking back. Shares of the computer memory-maker gained another 3.4% through 10 a.m. ET this morning -- and this time, you can thank British banker Barclays for the boost. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Why Barclays loves Micron stock Barclays raised its price target on Micron stock an incredible 74% this morning, reports StreetInsider.com, predicting the shares will hit $1,175 within a year. That's a more conservative estimate than the one UBS sounded yesterday, but investors don't seem to mind, because Barclays agrees with its peer that Micron stock is a buy. The big concern about investing in semiconductor stocks historically has been that they've always been cyclical stocks in the past. Things start well when demand for computer memory is strong, and supply is weak; this causes prices to surge, and profits to fly higher. Next, companies then expand production to capture more profits, increasing supply, depressing prices -- and causing the entire industry to crash. But this may no longer be the case with Micron. As Barclays points out, Micron just signed its first-ever five-year Strategic Customer Agreement, or SCA, guaranteeing long-term supply purchases at agreed prices across a half decade. What it means for Micron Barclays believes similar SCAs may not become the norm, ending the boom-and-b...
Getty Images When the market hands me an opportunity to buy a top-notch compounder at a deep discount, I take notice. When that same discount aligns with an operational setup that has strengthened in recent months, it becomes a high-conviction priority. Currently, one dominant technology giant is trading at a 25% discount to my fair value estimate. Backed by clear structural tailwinds, this mispri...
Getty Images When the market hands me an opportunity to buy a top-notch compounder at a deep discount, I take notice. When that same discount aligns with an operational setup that has strengthened in recent months, it becomes a high-conviction priority. Currently, one dominant technology giant is trading at a 25% discount to my fair value estimate. Backed by clear structural tailwinds, this mispricing sets the stage for strong total returns over the next several years. That brings me to the focus for today, which is Meta Platforms ( META ). When I last covered Meta with a "Buy" rating in February , I thought it had valid reasons to allocate between $115 billion and $135 billion to capex in 2026. I also appreciated the strength of the company’s balance sheet. At the time, I estimated shares were trading at a double-digit percentage discount as well. Fast-forwarding to today, I’m reiterating my "Buy" rating. Greater engagement, ad efficiency gains, and higher engineer output helped Meta to top analysts’ expectations in Q1 2026. Once again, the company upped its capex to a range of between $125 billion and $145 billion for 2026. Meta maintains an AA- S&P credit rating with a stable outlook, too. Finally, shares are a better value now than a few months ago. Meta Kicks Off 2026 With A Bang Meta Q1 2026 Earnings Presentation On Apr. 29, Meta shared its financial results for the first quarter ended Mar. 31, 2026. The company’s total revenue surged 33.1% higher over the year-ago period to $56.3 billion in the quarter. For more perspective, this surpassed Seeking Alpha’s analyst consensus during the quarter by $760 million . What was behind Meta’s outsized topline growth to begin 2026? As has been the case in recent quarters, the network effect and heavy investments acting as an amplifier were the macro factors to credit for its revenue growth. More specifically, Meta’s Family of Apps now reaches almost 3.6 billion daily active people. That’s equivalent to a 4% year-over-yea...
Getty Images When the market hands me an opportunity to buy a top-notch compounder at a deep discount, I take notice. When that same discount aligns with an operational setup that has strengthened in recent months, it becomes a high-conviction priority. Currently, one dominant technology giant is trading at a 25% discount to my fair value estimate. Backed by clear structural tailwinds, this mispri...
Getty Images When the market hands me an opportunity to buy a top-notch compounder at a deep discount, I take notice. When that same discount aligns with an operational setup that has strengthened in recent months, it becomes a high-conviction priority. Currently, one dominant technology giant is trading at a 25% discount to my fair value estimate. Backed by clear structural tailwinds, this mispricing sets the stage for strong total returns over the next several years. That brings me to the focus for today, which is Meta Platforms ( META ). When I last covered Meta with a "Buy" rating in February , I thought it had valid reasons to allocate between $115 billion and $135 billion to capex in 2026. I also appreciated the strength of the company’s balance sheet. At the time, I estimated shares were trading at a double-digit percentage discount as well. Fast-forwarding to today, I’m reiterating my "Buy" rating. Greater engagement, ad efficiency gains, and higher engineer output helped Meta to top analysts’ expectations in Q1 2026. Once again, the company upped its capex to a range of between $125 billion and $145 billion for 2026. Meta maintains an AA- S&P credit rating with a stable outlook, too. Finally, shares are a better value now than a few months ago. Meta Kicks Off 2026 With A Bang Meta Q1 2026 Earnings Presentation On Apr. 29, Meta shared its financial results for the first quarter ended Mar. 31, 2026. The company’s total revenue surged 33.1% higher over the year-ago period to $56.3 billion in the quarter. For more perspective, this surpassed Seeking Alpha’s analyst consensus during the quarter by $760 million . What was behind Meta’s outsized topline growth to begin 2026? As has been the case in recent quarters, the network effect and heavy investments acting as an amplifier were the macro factors to credit for its revenue growth. More specifically, Meta’s Family of Apps now reaches almost 3.6 billion daily active people. That’s equivalent to a 4% year-over-yea...
The pledge mirrors assurances the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners made earlier to Warner Bros. to guarantee their $47 billion equity investment. Ellison’s father, Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison, is one of the world’s richest people. “When we came up with our rating, the disclosure on the leverage commitment and the potential for them to do equity, if they need, was a very strong p...
The pledge mirrors assurances the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners made earlier to Warner Bros. to guarantee their $47 billion equity investment. Ellison’s father, Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison, is one of the world’s richest people. “When we came up with our rating, the disclosure on the leverage commitment and the potential for them to do equity, if they need, was a very strong part of that,” Sarma said. “From our standpoint, it’s a pretty powerful statement.” Yet the public disclosure proved decisive for S&P, which viewed the wealthy family’s backstop as a tacit commitment to inject additional capital if needed. While S&P has said it expects to lower the post-merger company’s rating by one notch to BB, Sarma noted that without the family’s backstop, the expected rating would have gone down by two notches. The exchange highlights the anxiety surrounding the proposed $110 billion combination, which beyond concerns over the massive debt load, is facing widespread opposition in Hollywood and contending with the prospect of rankling Warner Bros.’ existing creditors as well. “It was a verbal comment from David Ellison,” said Naveen Sarma, sector lead for US media and telecom at S&P. “I think all the agencies, and certainly us, insisted on a public disclosure as well.” To ease those concerns, Paramount Chief Executive Officer David Ellison privately promised ratings agencies including S&P Global Ratings that the family — which controls Paramount — would step in to tame leverage at the merged entity. The credit graders then pushed for that commitment to be made public and sure enough, Paramount revealed it in a regulatory filing last week. Paramount is financing its Warner Bros. acquisition with a daunting roughly $50 billion of debt, leaving investors skeptical of creating a heavily leveraged entity in a turbulent media industry. (Bloomberg) -- It began as a concession in private conversations to assuage wary credit analysts looking at Paramount Skydance...
SlavkoSereda/iStock via Getty Images U.S. crude oil futures fell below $90/bbl Wednesday following a report that Iran would restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz within a month as part of a framework deal with the U.S. Iranian state TV said it had seen a draft of an initial, unofficial framework for an agreement with the U.S. on ending their conflict and reopening Hormuz. The U.S. report...
SlavkoSereda/iStock via Getty Images U.S. crude oil futures fell below $90/bbl Wednesday following a report that Iran would restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz within a month as part of a framework deal with the U.S. Iranian state TV said it had seen a draft of an initial, unofficial framework for an agreement with the U.S. on ending their conflict and reopening Hormuz. The U.S. reportedly would withdraw military forces from the vicinity of Iran and lift its naval blockade, and the management of ship traffic through the strait would be handled by Iran in cooperation with Oman. The report , plus increased tanker traffic through the strait, outweighed Tuesday's events that included comments from Iran that the U.S. had violated a ceasefire and a tanker that reported an explosion off the Oman coast. Front-month Nymex crude ( CL1:COM ) for July delivery fell 4.3% to $89.80/bbl, and front-month Brent crude ( CO1:COM ) for July delivery dropped 3.7% to $95.86/bbl. Oil equipment firms Baker Hughes ( BKR ), Halliburton ( HAL ), and SLB ( SLB ) rank among the day's biggest losers on the S&P 500, down 5.9%, 5.4%, and 3.7%, respectively. Industry veterans are skeptical that oil flows would quickly return to pre-war levels, with Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, the head of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., saying recently it would take at least four months to ramp oil flows to 80% of normal levels even if the war ends immediately. ETFs: ( USO ), ( BNO ), ( UCO ), ( SCO ), ( USL ), ( DBO ), ( DRIP ), ( GUSH ), ( USOI ), ( XLE ) More on crude oil U.S. Crude Corrects As Geopolitical Risk Premium Eases OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report, May 2026 Is The U.S. Running Out Of Oil? Setting The Record Straight
Falling water levels on one of Europe’s most important rivers are restricting the amount of oil barges can carry, adding more pressure to the region’s fuel supply chains as the Iran war grinds on. Earlier on Wednesday, the level of the Rhine had declined enough that a 110-meter barge could only carry a little more than 1,000 tons of diesel through the key waypoint of Kaub in Germany, according to ...
Falling water levels on one of Europe’s most important rivers are restricting the amount of oil barges can carry, adding more pressure to the region’s fuel supply chains as the Iran war grinds on. Earlier on Wednesday, the level of the Rhine had declined enough that a 110-meter barge could only carry a little more than 1,000 tons of diesel through the key waypoint of Kaub in Germany, according to figures from Spotbarge. That’s about 40% of its total carrying capacity. The Rhine is a key part of Europe’s transport infrastructure, with more than 280 million tons of goods carried along it in 2024. Petroleum products made up more than 20% of that volume. Shallow waters limit how much cargo barges can carry, and the current slump is piling on pressure at a time when Europe is dealing with a sharp drop-off in diesel and jet fuel imports from the Middle East. The measured water level at Kaub stood at 98 centimeters (39 inches) earlier on Wednesday. It’s forecast to fall as low as 95 centimeters, before recovering slightly to 97 centimeters early Sunday morning. Rainfall in Germany and Switzerland — through which the Rhine flows — has been well below seasonal averages in recent days, while temperatures have been above historical norms. The cost of shipping petroleum products along the Rhine between Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp and Basel has also risen since the start of spring, according to figures from Spotbarge.
Although Wall Street tends to treat record-setting streaks as a reason to brace for a pullback, the historical record points the other way this week. The benchmark S&P 500 just stitched together eight straight weekly gains, with a cumulative 8-week return of 17.3%, a run that independent market historian Ryan Detrick (@RyanDetrick on X) ranks ... Good News For the Trump Bull Market: Stocks Just Ha...
Although Wall Street tends to treat record-setting streaks as a reason to brace for a pullback, the historical record points the other way this week. The benchmark S&P 500 just stitched together eight straight weekly gains, with a cumulative 8-week return of 17.3%, a run that independent market historian Ryan Detrick (@RyanDetrick on X) ranks ... Good News For the Trump Bull Market: Stocks Just Had Their Second Best 8-Week Rally Ever. History Has a Clear Pattern for What Comes Next.