Shares of construction equipment company Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT)
fell 3% in the afternoon session after an analyst at Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to "Underweight" from "Equal-weight," citing concerns over the company's valuation and weakening fundamentals. The analyst warned the stock was "priced for perfection" amid deteriorating pricing trends and margin pressures, and cut the price target to $350. This downgrade followed the company's recent second-quarter earnings report, which missed analyst expectations. In that report, Caterpillar revealed its earnings per share fell 21% from the previous year, hurt by lower revenues and higher costs. The company's operating profit margin also dropped significantly compared to the same period last year.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. has launched an AI CEO powered by ChatGPT to provide guidance to employees. Similar moves by other banks showcase the growing trend of AI in the financial industry.
Shares of personal care company Edgewell Personal Care (NYSE:EPC)
jumped 8.3% in the afternoon session after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to Equalweight, suggesting the shares may have bottomed out after a steep post-earnings decline. The upgrade followed a steep plunge in the stock's price after the company reported disappointing third-quarter results and lowered its full-year guidance. Edgewell's sales and earnings per share both missed analyst expectations, which the company blamed on a weak sun care season. Morgan Stanley noted that the stock's valuation became compressed after its significant drop. Separately, analysts at Canaccord Genuity maintained a Buy rating, and they believed the stock was oversold, even as they reduced their price target.
Shares of online education Stride (NYSE:LRN)
jumped 16.7% in the afternoon session after the company reported robust fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results that significantly surpassed analyst expectations. For its fourth quarter, revenue climbed 22% to $653.6 million, beating forecasts, while adjusted earnings per share of $2.29 soared past the $1.76 analysts predicted. The strong quarter concluded a record fiscal year, with total revenue growing 18% to $2.4 billion. This growth stemmed from a sharp increase in enrollments, particularly in its Career Learning segment, which saw revenue jump 34.6%. Following the impressive report, Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock.
Shares of discount grocery store chain Grocery Outlet (NASDAQ:GO)
jumped 38.9% in the afternoon session after the company reported second-quarter earnings that surpassed analyst expectations and raised its full-year profit forecast. The discount grocer posted an adjusted profit of $0.23 per share, which outpaced projections. In response to the strong quarter, management lifted its full-year adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $0.75 to $0.80 per share, above its prior outlook and Wall Street's estimates. The company attributed the better-than-expected performance to improved operational efficiency and increased comparable store sales. Following the results, Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to Equalweight from Underweight and increased its price target, noting that the company's fundamentals appeared to be turning around.
Major Wall Street firms, including Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB), and Evercore ISI (NYSE: EVR), have issued cautionary advisories to their clients, signaling a potential stock market pullback of 10-15% in the third quarter of 2025. These warnings come on the heels of a robust rally
Shares of electricity generation and hydrogen production company Bloom Energy (NYSE:BE) jumped 3.6% in the afternoon session after Mizuho raised its price target on the stock, citing strong demand from data centers. The firm increased its target to $48 from $31, marking the highest forecast among analysts. Mizuho's positive view stemmed from Bloom's plans to accelerate manufacturing to meet the growing power needs of data centers. This analyst upgrade followed the company's strong second-quarter results, where it reported earnings per share of $0.10, significantly beating analyst forecasts. Revenue also grew 19.5% year-over-year to $401.2 million and exceeded expectations. The quarter also showed a turn to operating profit, a reversal from a loss in the previous year. The bullish sentiment echoed across Wall Street, as Morgan Stanley also recently lifted its price target.
Eaton Vance introduces actively managed EVMO ETF, providing diversified exposure to global securitized markets. With a 0.45% expense ratio, it aims to be a higher quality substitute for corporate credit. This launch reflects the growing preference for active fixed-income strategies and transparent ETF designs in the market.
As the summer months draw to a close, a familiar pattern emerges on Wall Street: the historical August-September slump. This seasonal weakness, particularly pronounced in the S&P 500, is once again contributing to a palpable sense of caution among financial analysts and investors. After a robust rally in recent
The financial world is witnessing a seismic shift as institutional investors increasingly embrace digital assets, moving them from the fringes of speculative investment to a core component of diversified portfolios. This accelerating adoption, underscored by recent surveys and the active involvement of financial behemoths, signals a profound transformation in how
The world's leading technology companies are currently engaged in an unprecedented spending spree on Artificial Intelligence (AI), with significant immediate and long-term implications for the market and public companies. This "spending spree" is characterized by massive capital expenditures aimed at building the foundational infrastructure necessary for advanced AI development and
The U.S. economy finds itself at a pivotal juncture, marked by a cautious Federal Reserve, a significant dip in inflation, and a stark contraction in Wall Street's workforce. In March 2025, the Federal Reserve opted to hold interest rates steady for the second consecutive meeting, signaling a "wait-and-see" approach
Shares of online community and discussion platform Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) jumped 5.1% in the afternoon session after the company continued to rally on strong investor sentiment following its stellar second-quarter earnings report and optimistic future guidance. Last week, the social media platform posted revenue of $500 million, a 78% year-over-year surge that crushed analyst forecasts. Growth extended to its user base, as daily active unique visitors climbed 21%. The company also collected 47% more revenue per user. Following the results, Reddit issued an optimistic third-quarter revenue forecast, which prompted numerous Wall Street analysts to lift their price targets for the stock.
Don't call it a comeback! These three stocks are defying their market narratives and crafting comebacks. Can the rally continue in these beaten-down names?
The financials sector has been strong all year, and with interest rate cuts on the table later this year, investors looking for exposure can turn to this ETF.
