Walmart hits $1 trillion market cap - UPI.comTrending[Trump, Harvard][Artemis II][Canada crash][Tulsi Gabbard][World record teacher][Grok probe][Disney president][Camera mystery][U.S. News]Feb. 3, 2026 / 2:13 PM1 of 5 | The Walmart Marketplace sign shines at the 2023 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention center in 2023. Walmart just reached the $1 trillion market cap. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | [License Photo]Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Walmart's stock rose by 1% Tuesday to launch the company into the $1 trillion c ...

Core Insights - Amazon is set to report its fourth-quarter 2025 results on February 5, with projected net sales between $206 billion and $213 billion, indicating a growth of 10% to 13% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, aided by favorable foreign exchange impacts [1][6] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for net sales stands at $211.56 billion, reflecting a growth of 12.66% year-over-year, while earnings per share are estimated at $1.98, showing a 6.45% increase from the previous year [2] Financial Performance - Amazon has a strong earnings surprise history, with a 23.42% surprise in the last reported quarter and an average surprise of 22.47% over the last four quarters [3] - The current earnings estimate for Q4 is $1.98 per share, consistent over the past 90 days, while the next quarter's estimate is $1.71 [3] Business Segments and Growth Drivers - Amazon's diversified business segments are expected to perform well, driven by strategic initiatives in cloud computing, advertising, and e-commerce [5] - Amazon Web Services (AWS) is projected to achieve 21.6% year-over-year growth, reaching $35.02 billion in Q4, following a 20% growth in Q3 [7] - The Prime Big Deal Days event in October significantly boosted traffic and sales across various categories, marking a successful start to the holiday shopping season [10] - Third-party seller services are estimated to generate $52.2 billion, reflecting a 10.09% year-over-year increase, supported by enhanced delivery capabilities [11] - Physical store sales are projected at $5.87 billion, indicating a 5.3% year-over-year growth, aided by expanded grocery delivery services [12] - Online stores are expected to see a revenue increase of 9.06% year-over-year, reaching $82.4 billion, driven by AI-powered shopping features [13] - Advertising revenues are estimated at $21.2 billion, showing a 22.6% year-over-year increase, bolstered by new advertising innovations [14] Investment Considerations - Amazon's stock has increased by 14.8% over the past six months, outperforming the broader retail sector and the S&P 500 index [15] - The company is trading at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 3.23X, higher than the industry average of 2.24X, indicating a premium valuation [19] - Despite competitive pressures and elevated valuation, Amazon's strong growth prospects in AWS, advertising, and e-commerce make it an attractive investment opportunity ahead of earnings [22][24]

Core Viewpoint - The Nasdaq Composite experienced a significant decline of 422.49 points, or 1.79%, closing at 23,169.62, indicating a harsh reality check for the tech sector as the "AI honeymoon phase" ends, resulting in a $1.1 trillion market cap erosion [1][16]. Group 1: Market Performance - The Nasdaq 100 specifically fell by 1.9%, while the S&P 500 Index retreated 1.12% to 6,898.54, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 368 points to 49,039.05, highlighting the volatility in tech stocks [2][16]. - High-growth AI stocks reached multi-month lows, with the market shifting from pricing in potential to demanding immediate proof of productivity, which many incumbents have yet to deliver [4][17]. Group 2: Shift in AI Perception - A fundamental shift in enterprise views on Artificial Intelligence is occurring, with companies moving away from expensive SaaS licenses from traditional providers like Salesforce and ServiceNow towards open-source and bespoke internal solutions [3][17]. - This structural change has led to an 18% decline in software stocks over the last six months, contrasting sharply with the S&P 500's 9% gain during the same period [3][17]. Group 3: Impact on Specific Companies - PayPal saw a significant drop of 17.33% to close at $43.26, followed by TriNet Group, which fell 14.12% to $93.64, and other notable declines in companies like Intuit and Atlassian [7][17]. - ServiceNow and Salesforce experienced losses of 7% and 5% respectively, as fears grow that custom AI agents can automate tasks previously requiring costly third-party subscriptions [8][17]. Group 4: Hardware Sector Challenges - The hardware sector also faced challenges, with NXP Semiconductors leading the decline at 8.39% to $211.70, and design-tool companies like Synopsys and Cadence Design falling 7.50% and 6.37% respectively [10][17]. - Concerns about "capex exhaustion" are rising, as investors worry that significant capital expenditures on AI infrastructure are not yielding proportional revenue growth [10][17]. Group 5: Broader Market Trends - Despite the tech sector's downturn, there was a rotation into value and defensive sectors, with Walmart surging nearly 3% to join the $1 trillion market capitalization club, driven by gains in its digital business [12][17]. - The healthcare and consumer staples sectors also provided refuge for capital, with Merck climbing 3.5% and PepsiCo rising 4% due to resilient organic sales growth [13][17]. Group 6: Investor Sentiment and Future Outlook - Investor skepticism is growing regarding the actual productivity gains from AI, as job cuts in 2026 are trending 50% higher than the previous year, shifting the narrative from AI as a growth engine to a tool for margin preservation [15][16][17]. - The disconnect between high valuations of semiconductor stocks and their performance suggests that profit-taking may occur as AI-driven momentum stalls [11][17].

The $100 billion (annually) that Amazon.com, Inc. ( AMZN ) has invested in their AI infrastructure is based upon a semiconductor (chip) that the vast majority of investors are overlooking. Investors tend to be focused on theAt Vega North we write about investments and portfolio construction for readers who care more about process than predictions. We test ideas with open data (FRED, filings, index/factor libraries) and reproducible notebooks, focusing on position sizing, regime-aware risk, and the psycholog ...

The $100 billion (annually) that Amazon.com, Inc. ( AMZN ) has invested in their AI infrastructure is based upon a semiconductor (chip) that the vast majority of investors are overlooking. Investors tend to be focused on theAt Vega North we write about investments and portfolio construction for readers who care more about process than predictions. We test ideas with open data (FRED, filings, index/factor libraries) and reproducible notebooks, focusing on position sizing, regime-aware risk, and the psycholog ...

Welcome to Market Catalyst. I'm Julie Hyman. We are 30 minutes into the US trading day.Let's get to the three market catalyst we're watching this hour. First up, SpaceX and XAI are combining to make a one and a4 trillion dollar giant. We'll discuss what that means for investors and the eventual SpaceX IPO.Plus, valuation concerns loom over Palunteer. We'll talk about what Wall Street needs to see to make that stock a buy. And PayPal shares plunge as the company taps a new CEO and forecasts an earnings decli ...

Core Insights - Amazon increased the number of items delivered to Prime members in the U.S. the same or next day by 30% in 2025 [1] - The company delivered over 8 billion items with half being groceries and everyday essentials [2] - Amazon expanded Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery to over 4,000 smaller cities and integrated thousands of perishable groceries into its service [3] Delivery Expansion - Amazon extended the reach of Amazon Now, which delivers everyday essentials and fresh groceries in under 30 minutes, to India, Mexico, and the UAE, and began testing in the U.S. and U.K. [4] - The company is using smaller facilities for efficient order fulfillment, strategically located close to customers [4] Operational Efficiency - Amazon's speed improvements are attributed to placing products closer to customers, allowing for faster delivery times [5] - The same teams are handling orders that arrive the same or next day as those that previously took two or more days [5] Consumer Behavior - A significant share of consumers are avoiding physical grocery stores, opting for digital purchases instead [5] - Fourteen percent of consumers reported exclusively purchasing groceries using interconnected devices in the previous 30 days [6]

So what do you do in the meantime during this financial eternity where suddenly there's a question about whether Main Street gets some of the stimulus. And frankly, Wall Street is struggling with questions around artificial intelligence. So not to be too wonky, but one of the things we say we want you to go up in quality.So higher quality companies, good balance sheets, good stewards of capital. In addition to that, we don't think it's the time to go bottom fishing, Right. The chart can't look bad.Sure, it ...

Core Viewpoint - Amazon is gaining renewed interest from Wall Street as it enters 2026, with shares up over 6.7% in early trading, outperforming its entire gain from 2025, which was only 5% compared to the S&P 500's 16% advance [1][2] Financial Performance - In the most recent quarter, Amazon reported earnings per share (EPS) of 1.95, exceeding estimates of 1.57, marking a year-over-year increase of over 36% [3] - Earlier in the year, EPS rose more than 60% year-over-year in Q1 and over 33% in Q2, indicating strong earnings momentum [3] - Q4 estimates are conservative, suggesting potential for an upside surprise in the next earnings release [4] Business Segments - Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a core long-term growth driver, with sales growth increasing from 17% in the first half of 2025 to approximately 20% in Q3, with expectations for continued improvement in 2026 [5] - AWS's recent customer wins, including a partnership with Aumovio for autonomous driving, highlight its role in corporate technology spending, particularly for AI workloads [6] - The advertising segment is also growing, with Q3 advertising revenue rising 24% year-over-year to $17.7 billion, benefiting from improved personalization and user engagement [8] Investor Sentiment - Wall Street sentiment towards Amazon remains positive, with 36 out of 37 analysts rating it a Buy, and an average 12-month price target of $297.29, implying a 23.43% upside from the recent share price of $240.85 [12][13] - Recent analyst updates have reiterated Buy ratings, with some adjustments in price targets reflecting valuation discipline rather than changes in fundamentals [14] Future Outlook - Analysts expect AWS growth to reach the mid-twenties in 2026, with operating margins remaining in the mid-thirties, making Amazon's current valuation attractive at roughly 12 times 2026 enterprise value to EBITDA [16] - Despite concerns about trailing peers in AI development, AWS's leadership in cloud infrastructure positions Amazon as a key player in enterprise AI [17] - Overall, Amazon's recent earnings execution, improving cloud trends, and growing advertising business support a constructive outlook heading into 2026 [18]

Core Viewpoint - Amazon is gaining renewed interest from Wall Street as it enters 2026, with shares up over 6.7% in early trading, outperforming its entire gain from 2025, which was only 5% compared to the S&P 500's 16% advance [1] Financial Performance - Amazon reported earnings per share (EPS) of 1.95 in the most recent quarter, exceeding estimates of 1.57, marking a year-over-year increase of over 36% [3] - Earlier in the year, EPS rose more than 60% year-over-year in Q1 and over 33% in Q2, indicating strong earnings momentum [3] - Q4 estimates are conservative, suggesting potential for an upside surprise in the next earnings release [4] Business Segments - Amazon Web Services (AWS) remains a core long-term growth driver, with sales growth increasing from 17% in the first half of 2025 to approximately 20% in Q3, with expectations for continued improvement in 2026 [5] - AWS's recent customer wins, including a partnership with Aumovio, highlight its role in AI and corporate technology spending [6] - The advertising segment is also growing rapidly, with Q3 advertising revenue rising 24% year-over-year to $17.7 billion, benefiting from improved personalization and user engagement [8] Investor Sentiment - Wall Street sentiment towards Amazon is overwhelmingly positive, with 36 out of 37 analysts rating it a Buy, and an average 12-month price target of $297.29, implying a 23.43% upside from the recent share price of $240.85 [12][13] - Recent analyst updates have mostly reiterated Buy ratings, reflecting confidence in Amazon's fundamentals despite some adjustments in price targets [14] Future Outlook - Analysts expect AWS growth to reach the mid-twenties in 2026, with operating margins remaining in the mid-thirties, making Amazon's current valuation attractive at roughly 12 times 2026 enterprise value to EBITDA [16] - Despite concerns about trailing peers in AI development, AWS's leadership in cloud infrastructure positions Amazon as a key player in enterprise AI [17] - Overall, Amazon's recent earnings execution, improving cloud trends, and growing advertising business support a positive outlook heading into 2026 [18]