With a market cap of $22.7 billion, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) is the largest specialty beauty retailer in the United States, offering over 25,000 products from around 500 established and emerging brands. The company operates stores with full-service salons and sells products through its website and mobile applications. Shares of the beauty products retailer have outperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. ULTA stock has surged 45.4% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) h ...

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) will release earnings results for the third quarter, before the opening bell on Wednesday, Nov. 19.Analysts expect the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company to report quarterly earnings of $1.71 per share, down from $1.85 per share in the year-ago period. The consensus estimate for Target's quarterly revenue is $25.29 billion. Benzinga Pro data shows $25.67 billion in quarterly revenue a year ago.On Aug. 20, the company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.0 ...

Core Insights - Rigel Pharmaceuticals has reported strong third-quarter earnings and raised its sales guidance, indicating positive momentum in its business performance [1][4] - The company's IBD SmartSelect Composite Rating has been upgraded from 94 to 96, placing it among the elite stocks with a rating above 95 [1][4] - Rigel Pharmaceuticals is nearing a buy point of a cup base, suggesting potential investment opportunities for traders [1] Financial Performance - Rigel Pharmaceuticals experienced a significant boost in its stock performance following the earnings report [1] - The company is part of the IBD 50 Growth Stocks To Watch, outperforming 94% of stocks tracked by Investor's Business Daily with a remarkable 152% increase [1] Market Position - The upgrade in Rigel's Composite Rating reflects its strong market position and investor confidence [4] - Other pharmaceutical stocks, such as Dianthus Therapeutics and PTC Therapeutics, have also seen improvements in their ratings, indicating a positive trend in the sector [4]

Earnings Report - Legence Corp. is set to release its third-quarter earnings results on November 14, with analysts expecting earnings of 6 cents per share, a significant improvement from a loss of 54 cents per share in the same quarter last year [1] - The consensus estimate for quarterly revenue is $639.78 million, compared to $293.8 million in revenue a year ago [1] Recent Developments - On October 30, Legence announced an extension and repricing of its term loan, along with an increase and extension of its revolving credit facility [2] - Following this announcement, Legence shares fell by 9.2%, closing at $33.32 [2] Analyst Ratings - Guggenheim analyst Joseph Osha initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a price target of $41, with an accuracy rate of 83% [4] - Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Derek Soderberg initiated coverage with an Overweight rating and a price target of $40, with an accuracy rate of 63% [4] - B of A Securities analyst Sherif El-Sabbahy initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a price target of $35, with an accuracy rate of 67% [4] - BMO Capital analyst Devin Dodge initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a price target of $36, with an accuracy rate of 67% [4] - BTIG analyst Gregory Lewis initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a price target of $40, with an accuracy rate of 76% [4]

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) will release earnings results for the fourth quarter, before the opening bell on Friday, Nov. 14.Analysts expect the company to report a quarterly loss of 38 cents per share, versus a year-ago loss of 54 cents per share. The consensus estimate for Spire’s quarterly revenue is $439.56 million. Benzinga Pro data shows $293.8 million in quarterly revenue a year ago.On Thursday, Spire raised its annual dividend from $3.14 to $3.30 per share.Spire shares fell 1.5% to close at $89.16 on Thurs ...

Financial Performance - Pixelworks, Inc. is expected to report a quarterly loss of 86 cents per share for Q3, an improvement from a loss of $1.44 per share a year ago [1] - The consensus estimate for quarterly revenue is $9.00 million, down from $9.53 million a year earlier [1] Recent Developments - On October 15, Pixelworks announced the sale of its Pixelworks Semiconductor Technology subsidiary in China to VeriSilicon Microelectronics for approximately $133 million [2] - Following the announcement, Pixelworks shares fell by 2.4%, closing at $6.13 [2] Analyst Ratings - Roth Capital analyst Suji Desilva maintained a Buy rating but reduced the price target from $12 to $10 [5] - Needham analyst Quinn Bolton reiterated a Buy rating with a price target of $1.5 [5]

Core Insights - Carrier Global Corporation (CARR) is a leading provider of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire protection, security, and building automation technologies, with a market cap of $47.9 billion [1] Performance Overview - CARR shares have underperformed the broader market, declining 23.1% over the past year, while the S&P 500 Index has increased by 17.5% [2] - Year-to-date, CARR stock is down 16.7%, compared to a 15.6% rise in the S&P 500 [2] - Compared to the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF, which has declined about 12.2% over the past year, CARR's performance is notably weaker [3] Financial Results - In Q3, CARR reported revenue of $5.58 billion, exceeding analyst estimates of $5.56 billion [4] - The adjusted EPS of $0.67 surpassed analyst expectations by 17.7% [4] - For the current fiscal year ending in December, analysts project a 3.1% growth in EPS to $2.64 on a diluted basis [4] - CARR has consistently beaten consensus estimates in the last four quarters [4] Analyst Ratings - Among 24 analysts covering CARR, the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy," consisting of 12 "Strong Buy" ratings, one "Moderate Buy," 10 "Holds," and one "Strong Sell" [5] - The consensus rating has become less bullish compared to the previous month, with 13 analysts previously suggesting a "Strong Buy" [6] - JPMorgan Chase & Co. maintained a "Neutral" rating on CARR and lowered the price target to $60, indicating a potential upside of 5.5% from current levels [6] - The mean price target of $74.65 suggests a 31.3% premium to CARR's current price, while the highest price target of $90 indicates an upside potential of 58.3% [6]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on AppFolio (APPF), and highlights the disparity between brokerage ratings and actual stock performance, suggesting that investors should validate these recommendations with other analytical tools like the Zacks Rank [1][5][10]. Brokerage Recommendations for AppFolio - AppFolio has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.43, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, with 71.4% of recommendations being Strong Buy and 14.3% being Buy [2][4]. - Despite the positive ABR, the article cautions against making investment decisions solely based on this metric due to the historical ineffectiveness of brokerage recommendations in predicting stock price increases [5][10]. Analyst Bias and Its Implications - Brokerage analysts tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings, often issuing five Strong Buy recommendations for every Strong Sell, which misaligns their interests with those of retail investors [6][7][10]. - This bias suggests that brokerage recommendations may not provide reliable insights into future stock price movements, emphasizing the need for investors to conduct their own analyses [7][10]. Zacks Rank as an Alternative Tool - The Zacks Rank, which classifies stocks based on earnings estimate revisions, is presented as a more reliable indicator of near-term price performance compared to ABR [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently and reflects the latest earnings estimates, making it a timely tool for predicting stock price movements [12]. Current Earnings Estimates for AppFolio - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AppFolio has declined by 8.5% over the past month to $5.12, indicating growing pessimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [13]. - This decline in earnings estimates has resulted in a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) for AppFolio, suggesting that the positive ABR should be viewed with caution [14].

Core Insights - U.S. Bancorp (USB) has a market capitalization of $72.6 billion and is a major player in the U.S. financial services sector, offering a range of banking and wealth management services [1] Performance Overview - U.S. Bancorp has underperformed the broader market, with a decline of 2.6% over the past year, while the S&P 500 Index has increased by nearly 19.6% [2] - Year-to-date in 2025, USB's stock has slipped 2.5%, contrasting with a 16.5% gain for the S&P 500 Index [2] Industry Comparison - Within its industry, USB has shown relative weakness, lagging behind the iShares U.S. Regional Banks ETF (IAT), which has seen marginal gains over the past year and a drop of 1.8% in 2025 [3] Earnings Report - On October 16, USB reported its fiscal 2025 third-quarter earnings, with revenue of $7.3 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 6.8%, and earnings per share (EPS) of $1.22, an 18% increase from the previous year [4] - The bank's performance was bolstered by solid fee income growth and an improved net interest margin of 2.8%, aided by disciplined cost management and positive operating leverage [4] Analyst Expectations - For the current fiscal year ending in December, analysts project USB's EPS to grow by 13.1% to $4.50 on a diluted basis [5] - USB has a strong earnings surprise history, having beaten consensus estimates in the last four quarters [5] - Among 25 analysts covering USB, the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy," with 12 "Strong Buy" ratings, one "Moderate Buy," 11 "Holds," and one "Strong Sell" [5] Price Targets - The mean price target for USB is $55.40, indicating an 18.8% premium to its current price, while the highest price target of $70 suggests a potential upside of 50.2% [6] - J.P. Morgan analyst Vivek Juneja has reiterated a "Sell" rating with a price target of $50 [6]

Company Overview - Knife River Corporation provides aggregates-led construction materials and contracting services in the United States, operating through various segments including Pacific, Northwest, Mountain, Central, and Energy Services [9] Earnings Projections - Knife River is projected to announce its Q3 2025 results on November 3rd, with expected earnings of $2.45 per share and revenue of $1.217 billion [2] - For the current fiscal year, analysts expect Knife River to post an EPS of $4, and $5 for the next fiscal year [3] Recent Earnings Results - In Q2 2025, Knife River reported earnings of $0.89 per share, missing analysts' estimates of $1.27 by $0.38, with revenue of $833.80 million compared to the consensus estimate of $902.26 million [3] - The company's revenue increased by 3.3% year-over-year, with a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 10.58% [3] Stock Performance - Knife River's stock opened at $60.39, with a market cap of $3.42 billion, a PE ratio of 22.45, and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.05 [4] - The stock has a one-year low of $58.72 and a high of $108.83, with a 50-day simple moving average of $72.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $82.82 [4] Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - Oppenheimer reduced its price target for Knife River from $120.00 to $100.00 while maintaining an "outperform" rating [5] - Wells Fargo initiated coverage with a "cautious" rating, while DA Davidson lowered its price target from $105.00 to $95.00, maintaining a "buy" rating [6] - The consensus rating for Knife River is "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $106.83 [6] Institutional Investor Activity - Ameriprise Financial increased its holdings in Knife River by 30.1%, now owning 787,736 shares valued at $64.31 million [7] - Smartleaf Asset Management raised its stake by 1,365.6%, while Man Group plc increased its holdings by 51.8% [7] - Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.11% of Knife River's stock [7]