This historically low-tech business is getting a digital upgrade.In 2018, tech giant Apple became the first U.S. company to reach a market capitalization of $1 trillion. Since then, it's been joined by other companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. Of course, the list also includes the current market-cap leader, Nvidia.It's becoming increasingly normal for a new company to join the $1 trillion club. But it remains an impressive feat nevertheless. At this pace, these tech tit ...

Investors don't have to look far to find a winning investment opportunity.Investing in consumer-facing companies can be a great way to find winning stocks. Some of the most dominant businesses on Earth sell products and services directly to individuals. And for the average investor, they are generally easier to understand.With so many companies out there, it can be difficult figuring out where to start. What is one of the best consumer goods stocks to buy right now?Obsessing over customers is in this compan ...

Key Points One of these companies has no revenue (yet) -- but a lot of potential. Another has partnered with American Express and is growing solidly abroad. One company is home to the dominant cloud-computing platform. 10 stocks we like better than Lululemon Athletica Inc. › Look up the word "monster" and you'll come across two key definitions -- "a large, ugly, and frightening imaginary creature" and "a thing of extraordinary or daunting size." So when we speak of monster stocks, we typically re ...

Core Viewpoint - Google is currently involved in a remedy trial in U.S. District Court that has the potential to significantly impact the company's future and the digital advertising landscape [2] Group 1 - The remedy trial commenced in late September in Alexandria, Virginia [2] - This trial follows a ruling by Judge Leonie Brinkema made approximately five months prior [2]

MercadoLibre's ability to expand into a wide array of new markets makes it a promising investment -- even after this year's run.Rising 30% so far in 2025 and now a $120 billion company, Latin American e-commerce and fintech juggernaut MercadoLibre (MELI 2.63%) may have investors feeling like they missed their opportunity to buy.However, despite the company's immense size, one key attribute makes it worthy of buying today: its growth optionality.MercadoLibre's seemingly endless ways to growGrowth optionality ...

Market Overview - U.S. equities rebounded in Q2 2025 after a correction in Q1, overcoming tariff and growth concerns as well as geopolitical issues [2] - The recovery was driven by a return to AI market leadership, with hyperscalers committing to high levels of AI-driven capital expenditures [2] - Semiconductor companies experienced solid earnings and renewed expectations for widespread AI adoption [2] Company Performance - Broadcom (AVGO) benefited from increased adoption of its custom-designed chips as an alternative to Nvidia's GPUs, leading to a share rally following reduced U.S.-China tariffs [3] - Microchip Technology (MCHP) showed strong financial results, aided by a cyclical rebound and the return of its long-tenured CEO [4] - Meta Platforms (META) saw its shares rise due to continued gains in digital advertising, supported by AI enhancing engagement and monetization [5] Sector Analysis - The IT and financial sectors contributed positively to the portfolio, while health care and energy sectors were the main detractors [17] - Stock selection in industrials, health care, energy, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary sectors negatively impacted relative returns [18] - McKesson (MCK) performed well due to strong fundamentals in U.S. pharma and specialty distribution [5] Portfolio Positioning - New positions included Exxon Mobil (XOM), which is lowering costs and emissions while increasing production, and Boeing (BA), which is ramping up 737 production [7] - Procter & Gamble (PG) was added to the portfolio as a higher-quality name trading at a discount, expected to provide stability [8] - Merck was replaced with AstraZeneca (AZN) due to concerns over Merck's patent expiration on Keytruda [9] Outlook - The market is characterized by elevated geopolitical and policy uncertainty, but there are opportunities for disciplined long-term stock pickers focusing on value stocks [11][12] - The valuation disparity between growth and value stocks has widened, suggesting potential for value recovery following significant underperformance [12][16]

Group 1: Quantum Computing Industry Overview - Quantum computing presents unique challenges due to its reliance on qubits, which can store values between zero and one, making it exponentially faster than traditional computers [1] - The industry faces limitations as many quantum computing companies struggle to generate sufficient revenues, leading to difficulties in maintaining stock gains [2] - Pure-play quantum computing companies often depend on government contracts, which do not cover their operating expenses, making them less attractive investments [6][9] Group 2: Alphabet's Position in Quantum Computing - Alphabet (Google's parent company) is highlighted as an attractive investment in the quantum computing space despite not currently generating revenue from this technology [4][14] - The company reported over $90 billion in revenue in Q1 2025, primarily from digital advertising and Google Cloud, raising questions about its focus on quantum computing [5] - Alphabet has significant liquidity of $95.7 billion and $19 billion in free cash flow in Q1 2025, allowing it to invest in quantum computing initiatives [10] Group 3: Development of Quantum Technology - Alphabet has developed the Willow quantum computing chip, which completed a benchmark computation in under five minutes, a task that would take traditional supercomputers 10 septillion years [11] - The Willow chip also addresses error rates, a significant challenge in the industry, by reducing errors as the number of qubits increases [12] - Continuous investment in improving the Willow chip positions Alphabet competitively in the quantum space, preparing it for future applications of the technology [13][16]

What the Zacks Model Predicts About WMT's Q1 Earnings As investors prepare for Walmart's fiscal first-quarter announcement, the question looms regarding earnings beat or miss. Our proven model doesn't conclusively predict an earnings beat is likely for WMT this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Walmart has ...

Financial Performance - Total revenues increased by 7.1% year-over-year, reaching $636 million in Q1 2025 compared to $594 million in Q1 2024[12] - Adjusted operating profit (AOP) grew by 21.9% year-over-year to approximately $93 million in Q1 2025, up from $76 million in Q1 2024[9, 12] - AOP margin increased by approximately 180 basis points year-over-year to 14.6% in Q1 2025[9] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased to $0.41 in Q1 2025, compared to $0.31 in Q1 2024, a 32.3% increase[12, 59] - Adjusted operating costs (AOC) grew by 4.9% year-over-year, primarily due to higher cost of revenue, product development, and adjusted general and administrative expenses[9, 40] Subscriber Growth - The company added approximately 250K net digital-only subscribers in Q1 2025, bringing the total subscriber count to 11.66 million[9, 14] - Bundle and multiproduct subscribers now constitute 49% of the company's total subscriber base, an increase from 48% in Q4 2024[9] Revenue Streams - Digital-only subscription revenues increased by 14.4% year-over-year due to growth in both digital subscribers and total digital-only ARPU[9, 28] - Total digital-only average revenue per user (ARPU) increased by 3.6% year-over-year to $9.54[9] - Digital advertising revenues increased by 12.4% year-over-year, driven by strong marketer demand and new advertising supply[9, 35]

We lower ests across the board, detail macro/tariff impacts to ecom/digital ads and showcase a "visibility to FCF vs valuation to bear case" framework analyzing valuation support and where we expect durable out-performance first. META/GOOG/UBER screen best followed by CHWY/DASH/U/AMZN/BKNG/RDDT. First, 3 Macro Factors We Are Most Focused On: The MS macro team continues to expect muted GDP growth (0.6%/0.5% '25/'26 real GDP growth), firming inflation and a steady Fed in '25. As tariff headlines and realities ...