In March, I upgraded my outlook on The Utilities Select Sector SPDR® Fund ETF (NYSEARCA: XLU ) , in " Potential Against Slowing Economy And Resurgent Inflation ." My view was that utility stocks had similar bullish fundamentalsHarrison is a financial analyst who has been writing on Seeking Alpha since 2018 and has closely followed the market for over a decade. He has professional experience in the private equity, real estate, and economic research industry. Harrison also has an academic background in financ ...

Core Insights - Apple's stock (NASDAQ:AAPL) has underperformed compared to other Big Tech companies, with only a 1% increase over the last 12 months, while Nvidia, Amazon, and Google saw increases of 40%, 30%, and 20% respectively [2] - Despite strong iPhone sales and a flourishing services sector, concerns about Apple's performance in AI have contributed to its stock underperformance [2][4] AI Development Challenges - Apple's introduction of the Apple Intelligence suite has not met expectations, and the anticipated upgrade to Siri has been postponed indefinitely [3][4] - The perception is growing that Apple is falling behind competitors in the AI space, despite having a large installed base of approximately 2.4 billion devices and strong semiconductor design capabilities [4] Competitive Landscape - Google has made significant investments in AI, with plans to spend around $85 billion on capital expenditures this year, a substantial portion of which is directed toward AI data centers [5] - In contrast, Apple allocated only $3.46 billion on capital expenditures last quarter, focusing on on-device intelligence rather than cloud-based AI [6] Potential Acquisition Strategy - To enhance its AI capabilities, Apple may need to consider significant acquisitions to attract elite AI talent and technology [8] - Candidates for acquisition include Perplexity AI, Mistral AI, and Anthropic, which could help Apple advance its AI offerings and compete more effectively in the market [9] AI as a Growth Catalyst - AI integration could drive a substantial upgrade cycle for Apple, as current AI features are limited to the latest iPhone models, which encompass less than 20% of the installed base [10] - The services segment is already experiencing rapid growth, with revenues nearing $100 billion annually and over 1 billion paid subscriptions, indicating potential for further expansion through AI [10][11] - Leveraging on-device processing could allow Apple to transfer compute costs to users, enhancing hardware sales and service revenues, which may lead to a reevaluation of Apple's stock [11]

Figma shares are nowhere near the price tag they once had.Figma (FIG 6.24%) recently went public via an initial public offering (IPO), and its stock had a massive day one. Originally, shares of the online design software maker sold at $33 per share, which was above the expected listing range. The stock quickly rocketed to more than $120 per share by its second trading day due to massive demand.Yet, it has been all downhill from there. At the time of writing, Figma's stock is priced around $70 per share, so ...

Thinking about investing in the EV revolution? BYD isn't just China's biggest EV maker anymore -- it's quietly becoming a global player.BYD (BYDDY 3.63%), once known primarily as a Chinese battery maker, has rapidly transformed into one of the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) companies. In 2024, it overtook Tesla in global EV sales, signaling that this is no longer just a domestic player -- it's a company with global ambitions.So how is BYD building an international footprint? The answer lies in a deli ...

KE Holdings Inc. BEKE will release earnings results for the second quarter, before the opening bell on Tuesday, Aug. 26.Analysts expect the Hollywood, Florida-based company to report quarterly earnings at $1.14 per share, up from 97 cents per share in the year-ago period. KE Holdings projects to report quarterly revenue of $1.12 billion, compared to $992.25 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.On May 15, the company said net revenues for the first quarter rose 42.4% year-over-year (Y/ ...

Pressure is mounting on the medical device maker.One of famed investor Warren Buffett's principles is to buy shares of wonderful companies at fair prices to hold for the long term. Let's try to use it to decide whether Intuitive Surgical (ISRG 1.22%), a medical device specialist, is worth investing in today.The healthcare giant certainly appears to be a wonderful company. Intuitive Surgical is helping revolutionize medicine through innovations in robotic surgery. The company's da Vinci system, the first rob ...

Walmart shares sank after the company's profits missed expectations.Despite strong revenue growth and raised guidance, shares of Walmart (WMT -1.18%) sank following the retailer's Q2 results, as the company's profits came in a bit light of expectations. While much of the talk was around tariffs, the real culprit for the earnings miss was an increase in the cost of workers' compensation claims, as the company self-insures. The stock is now up about 8% on the year, as of this writing. Let's dive into retail g ...

Warren Buffett's last trades as Berkshire Hathaway CEO are capturing particular attention ahead of his retirement at the end of this year. Business Insider asked three longtime followers of the legendary investor what they thought of them.'The perfect Buffett play'Berkshire built a $1.6 billion stake in embattled insurer UnitedHealth, its latest portfolio update showed. The stock has nearly halved over the past 12 months to trade at five-year lows as investors fret over earnings, federal investigations, p ...

Maybe Nvidia's fiscal Q2 update will be ho-hum. But maybe not.The fingernail-biting phase with Nvidia (NVDA 1.65%) should now be over. Sure, the chip stock plunged 37% at one point this year. However, it has since rebounded strongly. Nvidia's stock is now up more than 30% year to date.Could Nvidia's momentum accelerate with a potential catalyst only a few days away? The company reports its fiscal 2026 second-quarter results on Aug. 27. Wall Street doesn't appear to be expecting a big pop for Nvidia. But ana ...

CoreCivic Analysis - CoreCivic's stock price increased from $17-$18 to around $20 following a previous article that recommended a "buy opinion" [1] - The analysis suggests that the fears expressed by analysts regarding CoreCivic's stock were unwarranted [1] Analyst Background - The analyst has a strong background in finance, holding a Master's degree in Corporate Finance and experience in studying businesses and their operations [1] - The analyst emphasizes a value-investing approach, focusing on financials to estimate company value while remaining unbiased by market fluctuations [1]