Old Dominion's volumes are still sliding, but that hasn't stopped the stock from rallying.Less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL +0.70%) has had a strong start to 2026. As of this writing, shares have surged about 24% higher this year.That is a big move for a company that just reported lower revenue and lower earnings. Its fourth-quarter revenue fell 5.7% year over year to $1.3 billion, and earnings per share declined 11.4% to $1.09.If you are looking at the chart and wondering whether ...

Philippe Laffont, a hedge fund manager with an excellent track record, sold Nvidia and bought Netflix in the fourth quarter.Billionaire Philippe Laffont runs Coatue Management, a hedge fund that beat the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.28%) by 112 percentage points over the last three years. Beating the S&P 500 by any margin over an extended time period is impressive, but outperforming to that degree is astonishing.Laffont made interesting trades in the fourth quarter. He sold 667,400 shares of Nvidia (NVDA 0.11%), a bran ...

Nearly $11 billion of the Gates Foundation's portfolio is parked in a single stock.The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust -- the investment vehicle that funds the foundation's charitable work around the globe -- holds a portfolio valued at roughly $36.6 billion today. Nearly 30% of the entire trust -- just shy of $11 billion -- is invested in a single stock, one that also happens to be a favorite of one of history's most celebrated investors, Warren Buffett. That's not a coincidence. Gates and Buffett ha ...

Core Viewpoint - Stanley Druckenmiller, a prominent billionaire investor, has made significant changes to his investment portfolio, particularly in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, indicating a strategic shift in focus towards a "magnificent" company while reducing stakes in several AI stocks [2][4]. Investment Activity - Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office reduced holdings in four major AI stocks: Meta Platforms, Sandisk, Seagate Technology, and Arm Holdings, while nearly quadrupling his stake in Alphabet (GOOGL) [2][10]. - The portfolio saw 16 holdings reduced and 31 positions exited entirely during the fourth quarter, with a total of 62 positions held at the end of 2025 [4]. - The average holding period for positions in Duquesne's $4.5 billion portfolio is approximately 7.5 months, suggesting a proactive approach to profit-taking [4]. Performance of Exited Stocks - Sandisk and Seagate experienced substantial gains over the past year, with increases of 1,540% and 318% respectively, which likely influenced Druckenmiller's decision to sell [4]. - Meta Platforms generates nearly 98% of its revenue from advertising, while Arm Holdings benefits from diverse revenue streams beyond AI chips, potentially mitigating risks associated with an AI bubble [8]. Focus on Alphabet - Druckenmiller's purchase of 282,800 shares of Alphabet increased his stake by 277%, highlighting a strong belief in the company's future prospects [10]. - Alphabet's dominance in the advertising space, with a 90% share of global search traffic, provides a solid foundation should the AI market face challenges [11]. - The incorporation of generative AI and large language models into Google Cloud has driven significant sales growth, positioning Alphabet as a key player in the cloud infrastructure market [12]. Market Outlook - Alphabet's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 23 positions it as a desirable investment, particularly within the context of the "Magnificent Seven" stocks anticipated for 2026 [13].

Core Insights - Apple is following Netflix's successful strategy by acquiring full ownership of the hit series "Severance," which has garnered significant acclaim and awards [4][7] - The acquisition is part of Apple's broader strategy to enhance its streaming service by focusing on original content and premium programming [10][11] Group 1: Acquisition Details - Apple acquired the rights to "Severance" from Fifth Season for approximately $70 million, retaining the original creative team [4] - "Severance" has been a major success for Apple TV, receiving 27 Emmy nominations and winning eight awards [4] Group 2: Challenges and Future Plans - The series faced production challenges due to the pandemic and Hollywood strikes, leading to delays between seasons [5] - Apple plans to produce future seasons in-house and is considering expanding the franchise with spin-offs and international versions [6] Group 3: Market Position and Strategy - Apple positions itself as a premium brand in the streaming market, contrasting with competitors that offer broader content libraries [8][10] - Despite not disclosing subscriber numbers, estimates suggest Apple TV has around 45 million subscribers, with the service currently operating at a loss of over $1 billion annually [9] Group 4: Long-term Outlook - Apple's strategy of slowly entering markets and building a strong presence has been successful in other product categories, indicating potential for growth in streaming [11] - The company's stock is currently valued at a premium, reflecting confidence in its long-term strategy and recent successes in other segments [12]

Core Insights - Pfizer is transitioning from a peak revenue era driven by the coronavirus vaccine, which generated over $37 billion in 2022, to a new growth phase through strategic acquisitions and product development [1][2][4]. Group 1: Revenue and Market Position - The demand for coronavirus vaccines has declined, and Pfizer is facing the loss of exclusivity for older blockbuster drugs, impacting its revenue streams [2][4]. - Despite these challenges, Pfizer reported over $10 billion in revenue from recent product launches and acquisitions last year, up from $8.9 billion the previous year [10]. Group 2: Strategic Acquisitions - Pfizer's acquisition of Seagen has provided access to several commercialized drugs, including Padcev for bladder cancer, which has achieved blockbuster status with over $1 billion in annual revenue [6]. - The company has also acquired Metsera, focusing on developing weight loss drug candidates, which is a growing market expected to approach $100 billion by the end of the decade [8][9]. Group 3: Future Growth Potential - Pfizer is focusing on in-house research and development and aims to reinvest $500 million in R&D by the end of the year [10]. - The company is exploring monthly dosing for its weight loss drug candidate, which could differentiate it in a market currently dominated by weekly dosing options [9].

Group 1: Company Performance - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) achieved record full-year revenue of $34.6 billion in 2025, with a gross margin of 50% and earnings per share of $2.65 [3][5] - Broadcom also had a strong year in 2025, posting record revenues and maintaining a significant AI-specific backlog of approximately $73 billion [6][9] - AMD anticipates a 32% growth for the first quarter of 2026, with a projected non-GAAP gross margin of 55% [3][5] Group 2: Market Position and Valuation - AMD's current market capitalization is $332 billion, with a trailing P/E ratio of 79, indicating a high valuation despite recent tech stock declines [3][5] - Broadcom, with a market capitalization of $1.6 trillion, has a slightly lower trailing P/E ratio of 68, but remains expensive [6][7] - Both companies are considered to be part of a booming chip and semiconductor industry, with significant investor interest [2][6] Group 3: Future Outlook - The outlook for AMD is promising, but Broadcom is seen to have a slight edge due to its diversified portfolio across custom chips, networking, and enterprise software [9] - Broadcom is positioned to dominate the next decade, leveraging its multiple growth engines [9]

Industry Overview - Diners are shifting from higher-priced fast food to full-service restaurants as households reconsider their spending habits, leading to a significant rotation in restaurant traffic [1] - The casual dining segment is gaining market share, although steakhouses are still pressured by high beef prices, which are expected to slow down in the latter half of the year, potentially benefiting margins by late 2027 [2] Company Performance: Texas Roadhouse - Texas Roadhouse operates over 600 steakhouses and has shown consistent traffic, outperforming rivals [3] - In the most recent quarter, same-store sales increased by 6.1%, with guest counts up by 4.3%, attributed to a disciplined strategy avoiding aggressive discounting [4] - Restaurant-level margins declined by nearly 170 basis points due to higher beef prices and labor-cost inflation, but management expects easing inflationary pressures in the latter half of the year [5] - The company plans to open 35 new locations in 2026, with a current valuation reflecting some margin recovery, trading at 28 times forward earnings [6] Company Performance: Darden Restaurants - Darden Restaurants operates over 2,100 locations, including brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, and has seen shares rise by about 11% following a 4.3% comps growth in Q2 2026 [8] - LongHorn Steakhouse reported a stronger performance with comps rising by 5.9%, capturing market share from more expensive steakhouses [9] - Darden's scale allows it to maintain competitive pricing, keeping prices around 320 basis points below inflation at LongHorn, providing a competitive edge [9] Company Performance: Brinker International - Brinker International, which owns over 1,600 restaurants including Chili's, has seen its stock rise 60% since November lows, with Chili's reporting 8.6% comps growth in January [10] - The growth is driven by budget-friendly offerings like the 3 for Me platform, attracting cost-conscious diners [12] - Brinker is increasing its advertising to emphasize its value over fast-food competitors, trading at around 15 times this year's earnings estimates, making it the best value among the three chains discussed [13]

SoFi's growth story keeps unfolding, but there's another bank stock with further upside potential as well.Investors may have decided to "sell the news" on SoFi Technologies (SOFI 1.30%). However, while shares could stay in a slump in the near term, the digital-first bank's growth story remains intact.SoFi's membership growth continues at a moderate pace. This points to further revenue growth at a moderate pace, and to even more rapid earnings growth. In turn, this could help SoFi sustain its elevated valuat ...

Core Viewpoint - PTC presents a compelling investment opportunity despite recent stock price pressures, attributed to a shift in investor focus towards AI-related companies and concerns about AI's impact on industrial software [1][2]. Company Overview - PTC is a leader in product lifecycle management (PLM) and computer-aided design (CAD) software, facilitating the creation of a digital thread for products throughout their lifecycle [4]. - The company's preferred metric, Annual Run Rate (ARR), reflects the annualized value of its active subscription software and contracts, which is crucial for revenue and cash flow [5]. Financial Performance - PTC's ARR growth is forecasted to slow to 7.5% to 9.5% in fiscal 2026, a significant decline from previous mid-teens growth expectations [6]. - The stock has declined by 10% over the past year, which is seen as a reaction to the slowing ARR and AI-related market concerns [2][6]. AI Integration - AI is viewed as a major opportunity for PTC rather than a threat, as the company is embedding AI into its existing systems to enhance value [8][9]. - Customers prefer AI to be integrated into trusted systems rather than as standalone solutions, aligning with PTC's strategic focus [9]. Future Outlook - Management anticipates a significant increase in ARR starting in Q4 of fiscal 2026, driven by large deals not yet reflected in current ARR figures [10]. - PTC's restructured go-to-market strategy aims to secure larger enterprise deals, enhancing its market position [11]. - The company expects to achieve $1 billion in free cash flow by 2026, indicating a favorable valuation with a free-cash-flow multiple of 18.7 based on its current market cap of $18.7 billion [12].