Group 1: Company Updates - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will participate in the Investing Club's October Monthly Meeting, discussing topics from OpenAI to hyperscaler spending [1] - Goldman Sachs upgraded Emcor to a hold rating from neutral, raising the price target to $675 from $495, citing accelerating data center revenue [2] - Jefferies downgraded Dollar Tree to a sell rating from hold, attributing the complexity of its business to inflation, management decisions, and tariffs [4] - Evercore downgraded several homebuilder stocks, including D.R. Horton and KB Home, due to a lack of observed homebuying demand despite previous optimism [5] - Citi downgraded GE Healthcare to hold from buy, cutting the price target to $83 from $93, citing concerns over mid-single-digit revenue growth [6] - Citi rated AppLovin a buy following a 14% decline in shares due to an SEC probe, with the stock still up over 80% year-to-date [7] - Wells Fargo raised the price target for Meta Platforms to $837 from $811, driven by strong ad sales prospects [8] - JPMorgan upgraded Brinker to a buy from hold after a sell-off, although the price target was reduced to $175 from $180 [10] Group 2: Market Conditions - Stocks are expected to open little changed as the federal government shutdown continues, with President Trump open to discussions with Democrats regarding healthcare subsidies [3] - There is ongoing buying activity in Palantir, with notable interest from Robinhood and Circle, indicating a buy-everything market trend [9]

Regulatory Changes and Corporate Actions - FICO will allow mortgage lenders to license FICO scores directly, potentially reducing costs by up to 50%, impacting credit bureaus negatively [10] - Walmart plans to eliminate synthetic dyes and 30 additives from its private-label brands by January 2027, with 90% of items already dye-free [6] - Starbucks will close about 1% of its North American stores, including 59 unionized locations, as part of a $1 billion overhaul [7] Market Trends and Consumer Impact - The CDC has linked a listeria outbreak to ready-to-eat pasta, with 20 cases reported this year, resulting in four fatalities and 19 hospitalizations [4] - KB Home reports a rebound in Florida orders, indicating a shift from aggressive price cuts to cautious optimism, with potential price increases in some communities [8] - Taylor Swift's new album and limited three-day film release strategy is seen as a successful scarcity model for high-profile artists [11] Financial Sector Developments - Major banks are anticipating relief as regulators rewrite capital rules, which may lead to flat or lower systemwide capital for some mega-banks [5]

Core Insights - KB Home believes the worst of the housing market weakness in Florida may be behind them, although they are cautious about declaring a statewide turnaround [2][6] - The company has implemented significant price cuts in Florida, which have stabilized demand, but they may have cut prices too deeply and could need to raise them in some areas [2][3] Company Performance - KB Home's new home sales in Florida increased in the third quarter compared to the second quarter, indicating that price adjustments have successfully restored demand [4][5] - The company has observed a decline in housing starts across Florida, which is alleviating supply pressure and contributing to improved market conditions [4][5] Market Conditions - While KB Home is encouraged by recent trends in Florida, they noted varying conditions in other major markets, with strong demand in California's Inland Empire, Las Vegas, Houston, and Charlotte, North Carolina, while coastal California, Seattle, and Denver face more challenges [6]

Group 1 - KB Home's shares have decreased by 2.1% year-to-date due to ongoing weakness in the housing market [2] - Jim Cramer has linked KB Home's performance to mortgage rates, suggesting that lower rates could benefit the company [2] - Cramer indicated he would refrain from trading KB Home until there is more clarity regarding rate cuts [2] Group 2 - CEO Jeff Mezger of KB Home noted that December is typically a month where selling is discouraged to protect margins [3] - The stock price has increased as investors perceive the company's stock buyback strategy as prudent, especially given the current housing market conditions [3] - Cramer believes that mortgage rates need to decrease for KB Home to improve its sales performance [3]

Group 1 - KB Home (NYSE: KBH) shares have increased by more than 10% since the last coverage in March 2025, with further upside anticipated [1] - The focus is on GARP (Growth at Reasonable Price) opportunities within the industrial, consumer, and technology sectors [1] - The company ranks among the top 50 financial experts out of approximately 39,000 tracked by Tipranks, based on the consistency of stock recommendations and returns generated [1]

Core Insights - KB Home has announced the grand opening of Olympic Springs, a new-home community in Olympia, Washington, highlighting its commitment to building homes that cater to modern living [1] Company Overview - KB Home is recognized as one of the largest and most trusted homebuilders in the U.S., emphasizing its reputation in the housing market [1] Product Features - The new homes in Olympic Springs are designed with popular features such as modern kitchens that overlook large great rooms and expansive bedroom suites with walk-in closets, reflecting current consumer preferences [1]

Core Viewpoint - The recent performance of major home builders, particularly Lenar and KB Home, indicates that despite expectations of improved market conditions due to anticipated rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, actual sales and financial results have not met investor hopes, leading to a cautious outlook for the housing market. Group 1: Lenar's Performance - Lenar reported weaker than expected revenue and lower deliveries, with average selling prices only meeting expectations, resulting in a housing gross margin of 17.5%, which is 30 basis points lower than anticipated and 500 basis points lower than the previous year [3][4] - The company acknowledged continued softening of market conditions and affordability, with third quarter results reflecting these challenges [2][3] - Lenar's management indicated that while they delivered more units than expected, it required additional incentives that negatively impacted gross margins, and they expect current quarter earnings to fall below expectations [4][5] Group 2: KB Home's Performance - KB Home reported better than expected sales and average selling prices, but both metrics were still down year-over-year, and the company cut its full-year sales forecast significantly [11][12] - Management expressed a favorable long-term outlook for housing driven by demographics and a shortage of homes, but noted that short-term demand has not significantly increased despite lower mortgage rates [13][17] - The decline in mortgage rates has added approximately $30,000 of purchasing power for customers based on KB Home's average selling price, which is particularly beneficial for first-time home buyers [14][15] Group 3: Market Outlook - Both Lenar and KB Home emphasized the need for lower mortgage rates to stimulate sales, with management from both companies sounding optimistic about the potential for rates to decrease further [20] - Despite the Fed's recent rate cuts, long-term interest rates have been rising, raising concerns about a repeat of last year's market conditions where rate cuts did not lead to improved sales [10][20] - The overall sentiment from both companies suggests that while there are early signs of increased customer interest, a significant uptick in sales has yet to materialize, leading to a cautious approach in the housing market [6][19]

Over the summer, many of the home builders started rallying in anticipation of rate cuts from the Fed. But now the Feds start cutting and the group keeps rolling over. So what's going on here.Didn't we want rate cuts to jolt the industry out of the doldrums. Well, let's look at what happened when some of the key home builders recently reported. First, we got Lenar, the Miami based developer that's become one of the largest home builders in the country.Lenar kicked these off last Thursday when they reported ...

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday reviewed recent earnings reports from major homebuilders Lennar and KB Home, expressing concern that the Federal Reserve's rate cuts won't help bring down mortgage rates."I think it's better to take a wait-and-see approach to the homebuilders, just in case we see a repeat of last fall, where the Fed started cutting and it didn't make a difference," he said. "If anything, it drove the bond market in the wrong direction and mortgage rates higher."The Fed lowered its benchmark bor ...

Welcome back to Squawk on the Street. Real estate one of the worst performing sectors on the year behind just health care and consumer staples. All underperformers.Home wielders across the board remain in correction territory which means they're 10% or more from their 52- week highs. Lenar is the worst of the group. And then watch KB Home shares today reducing fullear sales guidance due to lower prices.The company COO saying on the call they're not seeing the uptick in demand they'd expect given the recent ...