Earnings and Revenue Expectations - Starbucks is expected to report fiscal first-quarter net sales of $9.33 billion, down 1% year-over-year [2] - Earnings are projected to be $776.77 million, or 68 cents per share, down from $1.02 billion, or 90 cents per share, a year ago [2] Analyst Ratings and Price Target - 10 out of 16 analysts covering Starbucks have issued "buy" or equivalent ratings, with four giving a "hold" rating and two opting for "sell" [1] - The consensus price target is near $106, suggesting about 7% upside from Friday's closing price near $99 [1] Same-Store Sales Performance - Same-store sales are expected to fall 4.8% year-over-year, according to Street estimates [3] - Jefferies analysts predict a 6% decline in U.S. same-store sales, citing foot-traffic data from Placer.ai [4] Challenges and Strategic Decisions - Starbucks is facing "lingering challenges around product innovation" [4][5] - New CEO Brian Niccol's decision to "pull back on discounting/promos" in favor of broad, brand-focused national advertising has been questioned by analysts [4] Future Outlook and Market Performance - Analysts will be watching for possible 2025 forecast updates after Starbucks did not release a full-year outlook last quarter [5] - Shares of Starbucks are up about 7% over the past 12 months [5]

Earnings and Financial Performance - Boeing is set to report a Q4 net loss of $5 46 per share on revenue of $15 2 billion, significantly wider than the consensus estimate of a $2 80 per share loss on revenue of $16 3 billion [1][4] - The company's preliminary results indicate a far wider loss than analysts had expected [1][4] Operational Challenges - Boeing faced a nearly two-month strike by its union machinists, which ended in November and halted production at several facilities [2][4] - The company implemented cost-cutting measures, including substantial layoffs, during the strike [2] Market and Analyst Sentiment - Boeing's stock price tumbled from around $250 to as low as $137 in November following a midair incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight in early January last year [3] - Analysts remain generally bullish on Boeing's stock, with seven "buy" and two "hold" ratings, and an average price target of $192 50, representing a 9% premium to the Friday closing price of about $176 [3] Industry Impact - The midair incident involving the 737 MAX plane has significantly impacted Boeing's operational and financial performance [3]

Earnings and Analyst Expectations - Tesla is set to report fourth-quarter earnings with analysts optimistic about the connection between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump [2] - Analysts are divided on Tesla stock, with nine "buy," six "hold," and three "sell" ratings, and an average price target of $362, 12% below its recent closing price [3] - Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to be $27.27 billion, with net income of $2.31 billion or 65 cents per share, compared to $25.17 billion in revenue and $7.93 billion in net income in the same quarter last year [4] - Tesla recorded its first year-over-year decline in full-year vehicle deliveries earlier this month [4][8] Analyst Price Target Adjustments - Wedbush Securities, Morgan Stanley, and Piper Sandler raised their price targets for Tesla stock to $550, $430, and $500, respectively [5] - Wedbush analysts believe Tesla will benefit from Musk's proximity to the Trump administration, potentially easing regulatory approvals for self-driving software and autonomous "robotaxis" [6] - Piper Sandler analysts expect a clearer picture of Tesla's future by next year, with more definitive timelines for new product releases and AI projects [7] Market Performance and Product Updates - Tesla shares closed down over 1% on Friday but have gained over 60% since the November 5 election [8] - Tesla listed a new version of its Model Y compact SUV on its website, with shipments starting in March at a price of roughly $60,000 [8]

Capital Expenditure and AI Investment - Meta Platforms plans to invest $60 billion to $65 billion in capital expenditures this year, up from an estimated $38 billion to $40 billion in 2024, as the company expands its artificial intelligence efforts [2][5] - The company aims to build an AI data center "so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan," with 1 gigawatt of computing power expected to be online in 2025 and over 1.3 million GPU chips by the end of that year [3][5] Stock Performance and Market Reaction - Meta's stock price rose 1.7% on Friday to close at an all-time high of $647.49, following the announcement of increased capital expenditures and AI expansion [2] - The shares have gained close to 65% over the past 12 months, reflecting strong investor confidence in the company's strategic direction [2][5] AI Development and Future Plans - Meta expects its AI to serve more than 1 billion people, powered by the Llama 4 large language model, which is currently in development and set for smaller model launches early this year [4][5] - Analysts at JPMorgan believe Meta AI functionality will ramp up with Llama 4 this year, with features similar to OpenAI's Operator AI agent [5] Industry Context - The announcement comes shortly after the $500 billion AI project Stargate was announced by President Donald Trump, which drove several related AI and nuclear energy stocks higher [4]

Group 1 - Texas Instruments (TXN) shares fell over 7% to close at $185.52, making it the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500, following a disappointing profit forecast that raised concerns about a slower recovery in the analog chip market [1][6] - Other analog chipmakers such as Microchip Technology (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), Onsemi (ON), and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) also experienced losses, contributing to a decline in the tech sector and the S&P 500 index, which was down 0.3% [2][6] - Jefferies analysts indicated that Texas Instruments' outlook suggested the analog chip market may not have reached a bottom, with over 70% of its products sold into the auto and industrial markets, which are still facing challenges [3][6] Group 2 - Analysts believe that while a recovery for the analog segment could occur later this year or next, Texas Instruments' increasing spending and inventory levels may pose significant headwinds, impacting margins [4] - Morningstar's Brian Colello raised his price target for Texas Instruments to $185 from $175, describing the situation as a "near-term reckoning" but expressed confidence in the company's long-term trajectory due to investments in higher-margin chips [5] - Among analysts polled, seven out of twelve gave Texas Instruments a "hold" rating, with a consensus price target of approximately $205, suggesting an upside of nearly 11% [6]

Market Overview - Major U.S. equities indexes experienced a decline, with the S&P 500 and Dow both down 0.3%, and the Nasdaq falling 0.5% due to underperformance in the tech sector [1][8] Semiconductor Industry - Texas Instruments (TXN) shares fell 7.5% after issuing a weaker-than-expected profit outlook, raising concerns about a slower recovery in the analog chip market, which negatively impacted peers like Microchip Technology (MCHP) and Analog Devices (ADI), whose shares dropped 5.3% and 4.8% respectively [2] Agriculture and Fertilizer Sector - CF Industries (CF) shares decreased by 7.5% following a downgrade from JPMorgan to "underweight" and a lowered price target, citing anticipated increases in natural gas prices and potential declines in crop prices due to shifts in the agriculture industry and geopolitical uncertainties [3] Medical Devices Sector - Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) shares declined by 4% despite exceeding quarterly sales and profit forecasts, as currency headwinds impacted results and the company projected slower procedure growth in 2025, along with a potential drop in adjusted gross profit margin by 1 to 2 percentage points [4] Renewable Energy Sector - NextEra Energy (NEE) shares surged 5.2% after announcing a partnership with GE Vernova to collaborate on energy projects utilizing natural gas and renewable sources, aimed at powering AI data centers and other energy-intensive facilities, although GE Vernova shares fell 3.9% [5] Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) - Welltower (WELL) shares increased by 3.4% after Bank of America raised its price target, highlighting the value of Welltower's senior housing properties and the potential of its AI real estate platform, WellGPT [6] Apparel Industry - Lululemon Athletica (LULU) shares rose by 3.1% following a price target increase from KeyBanc, with strong results reported during the holiday shopping season and a solid position in the athleisure market, alongside growth initiatives in men's apparel and digital channels [7]

Group 1 - Venture Global's shares closed below their initial public offering (IPO) price of $25 per share on the first day of trading, opening at $24.05 and closing at $23.94, which is more than 4% below the IPO price [1][4] - The company raised $1.75 billion by pricing 70 million shares in the middle of its $23 to $27 range, whereas the initial offering of 50 million shares was priced between $40 and $46, which could have raised $2.15 billion at the midpoint [2][4] - For the first nine months of 2024, Venture Global reported a profit of $604 million, or 23 cents per share, on revenue of $3.45 billion, which is significantly lower than the figures for 2023 [3] Group 2 - Venture Global has raised approximately $54 billion in capital and generated about $14.2 billion in net proceeds as of September 30 [3] - The company is facing arbitration challenges due to complaints from long-term customers regarding the sale of LNG on the spot market after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was perceived as taking advantage of higher prices [4]

Core Insights - Novo Nordisk's U.S.-listed shares surged 9% following the announcement of early-stage results for its amycretin weight-loss drug [2][5] - The Phase 1b/2a clinical trial demonstrated significant weight loss in participants, with the highest dosage of 20mg resulting in a 22% reduction in body weight after 36 weeks, while placebo participants gained 2% [3][4] - The company plans further clinical development of amycretin for adults with overweight or obesity, indicating a positive outlook on the drug's potential [4] Company Performance - Prior to the announcement, Novo Nordisk's shares had been trending lower, with an 18% drop in one day last month due to disappointing results from another weight-loss drug, CagriSema [4] - Over the past 12 months, Novo Nordisk's shares fell approximately 23%, reflecting challenges in the weight-loss drug market amid increasing competition [5] - In contrast, Eli Lilly, a competitor in the weight-loss drug market, saw its shares increase by about 20% over the same period, despite a 1% dip following the news [5]

Verizon Communications (VZ) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results Friday morning as the number of wireless subscribers rose. Verizon reported consolidated net income of $5.11 billion, or $1.18 per share, on $35.68 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha expected profit of $4.74 billion, or $1.09 per share, on $35.36 billion in revenue. In the year-ago quarter, Verizon recorded a net loss of $0.64 per share because of a $7.8 billion loss on special items, including a $5.8 billion ...

KEY TAKEAWAYSBoeing shares are falling in premarket trading after the plane maker projected a much wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss.The plane maker attributed the large loss to the nearly two-month strike that crippled production as well as charges around its defense segment and staff cuts.Boeing said it anticipates reporting a fourth-quarter loss of $5.46 per share—far larger than the $1.40-per-share Visible Alpha consensus— when it issues its results on Tuesday. Boeing (BA) shares are falling in pr ...