Tuesday, July 1, 2025The first half of calendar 2025 (1H25) ended yesterday at record highs on the major stock market indexes, but early trading ahead of the first session of 2H25 is giving some of these gains back. As investors clear the sleep from their eyes, we see a giant tax bill still being decided on in the Senate, little progress on trade deals ahead of the July 9 tariff deadline, and pending jobs numbers that have shown a bit of unraveling in the past weeks and months.Expectations are still favorab ...

Key Takeaways SOUN scaled to thousands of locations with a major pizza chain and now serves 15 large restaurant networks. 2026 EPS loss estimate narrowed to $0.05, reflecting 64.1% year-over-year improvement. SOUN's P/S ratio of 23.09X reflects high investor expectations amid growing voice AI demand.SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) is notably benefiting from restaurant operators shifting toward AI solutions from legacy answering systems. The demand for AI solutions is not only limited to food ordering services ...

Key Takeaways RTX unit Raytheon won a $49.8M contract to support SM-6 Tactical All-Up Rounds full-rate production. The SM-6 defends against multiple threats and has over 500 units delivered to the U.S. Navy. Contract work will be completed by April 2029, mainly in Tucson, AZ, and East Camden, AR.RTX Corporation’s (RTX) unit, Raytheon, recently secured a $49.8 million modification contract encompassing the manufacturing, assembly, testing and delivery of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Tactical All-Up Rounds to ...

Key Takeaways Palomar raised its 2025 adjusted net income guidance to $186-$200 million. Premium growth is supported by rising policy volume, strong retention and new partnerships. PLMR maintains a debt-free balance sheet and strong capital position.Shares of Palomar Holdings, Inc. (PLMR) have gained 85.4% in the past year, outperforming its industry, the Finance sector and the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s growth of 19.5%, 20.9% and 12.5%, respectively. The insurer has a market capitalization of $4.12 billio ...

Key Takeaways AMT benefits from 5G demand and its portfolio of 149,000 global communication sites. Long-term tower leases and divestment of risky assets support stable recurring revenues. Plans to invest more than $600M in data centers in 2025 to tap into the booming AI and cloud market.American Tower (AMT) is well-positioned to benefit from increased investment by wireless carriers in 5G networks. The long-term leases with its tenants assure stable cash flows. Prudent capital-allocation strategy and stro ...

Key Takeaways PBR partners with Exail to install 30 Quadrans AHRS units on FPSOs to enhance operational precision. The AHRS offers high accuracy and performs reliably in harsh marine environments. Local support from Exail ensures smooth integration aligned with Petrobras' offshore standards.Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras (PBR) has awarded a contract to Exail, a global leader in inertial navigation technologies, to equip its Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units with cutting-edge Q ...

Core Insights - Rivian Automotive, Inc. has laid off approximately 140 employees, representing about 1% of its workforce, in preparation for the launch of its more affordable R2 SUV in 2026 [1][10] - The layoffs primarily affected the manufacturing division, with some roles eliminated due to process inefficiencies, as part of efforts to enhance operational efficiency ahead of the R2 rollout [2][10] - Rivian's R2 will be the fourth vehicle produced at its Normal, IL facility, following the R1S, R1T, and a commercial van, with the factory set to temporarily shut down later this year for R2 production preparations [3][10] Financial Overview - As of early 2025, Rivian had over 14,800 employees across North America and Europe, having implemented several rounds of layoffs in recent years, including a 10% reduction in early 2024 and another 1% cut in April [4] - The company’s cash balance decreased to $4.7 billion at the end of Q1 2025, down from $5.3 billion in 2024, as it continues to incur losses while pursuing long-term growth [6] - Adjusted EBITDA losses were reported at $329 million in the last quarter, attributed to R2 development, technology investments, and expanding operations [6] Product Strategy - Rivian aims to broaden its market reach with the upcoming R2 and R3 models, targeting budget-conscious consumers, with the R2 expected to launch in the first half of 2026 at a starting price around $45,000 [5] - The R2 is viewed as a key growth driver, with anticipated cost efficiencies in materials and manufacturing, which are expected to accelerate the company's path to profitability and reduce fixed costs per unit across all vehicles produced at the Normal, IL plant [5][10]

Key Takeaways ROCK is divesting its Renewables business as part of a strategic portfolio realignment. The company aims to focus on residential, agtech and infrastructure segments. ROCK will update 2025 guidance and restate historicals excluding Renewables in Q2 results.Gibraltar Industries, Inc. (ROCK) has approved the divestiture of its Renewables business as part of a strategic portfolio realignment. The decision reflects the company’s intent to sharpen its operational focus and streamline resource allo ...

Key Takeaways PANW added over 90 new platformized deals in Q3, reaching 1,250 among its top 5,000 accounts. Large wins include a $90M deal replacing legacy SIEM and a $46M switch by a financial services firm. Only 2% of PANW's 70,000 customers are fully platformized, showing significant future growth potential.Palo Alto Networks (PANW) is gaining strong traction with its platformization strategy, which involves getting customers to adopt multiple PANW products across network, cloud, and security operation ...

Key Takeaways AbbVie is acquiring Capstan Therapeutics for up to $2.1B to expand its immunology portfolio. The acquisition adds CPTX2309, a phase I in vivo CAR-T therapy for autoimmune diseases, to AbbVie's pipeline. Capstan's CellSeeker tLNP platform enables RNA delivery to engineer specific cell types inside the body.AbbVie (ABBV) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held biotech, Capstan Therapeutics, for up to $2.1 billion in cash.The impending acquisition wil ...