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Kashin Inc is a development-stage company.

Kashin Inc

Kusama - United States Dollar

<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/11/business/mcdonalds-ceo-predicts-2025-will-be-a-challenging-year/">https://nypost.com/2024/10/11/business/mcdonalds-ceo-predicts-2025-will-be-a-challenging-year/</a>
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McDonald's anticipates that <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/07/29/business/mcdonalds-reports-first-drop-in-sales-since-2020/">2025 will be "another challenging year"</a> for the fast food chain which has seen <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/03/business/mcdonalds-menu-prices-have-increased-by-over-100-during-the-last-decade-study/">inflation-hit customers pare back discretionary spending.</a>
Chris Kempczinski, the company's chief executive officer, told a business gathering in Boston on Thursday that the Big Mac maker is <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/30/business/mcdonalds-profits-hit-by-inflation-boycotts-over-israel-hamas-war/">girding for more turbulence ahead.</a>
"We're starting to talk about 2025, and my message to our teams has been: ‘We need to be preparing for another challenging year'," Kempczinski said in remarks at a Boston College Chief Executives Club event.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
"We need to be making sure that we've got a really strong value proposition in all of our markets."
Kempczinski's comments were<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-10/mcdonald-s-ceo-says-company-is-preparing-for-challenging-2025?sref=MTy2GeXk"> reported by Bloomberg News.</a>
McDonald's revealed its first quarterly same-store sales drop in four years this past July.
The company's stock has seesawed this year as it struggled to win back penny-pinching customers put off by sky-high prices.
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In July, shares of McDonald's were down more than 17% from Jan. 1.
Since then, however, the stock has recovered – rallying for a 25% gain since the end of July.
McDonald's stock was up 2% on Friday.
As of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, it was trading at slightly more than $304 a share.
In recent years, inflation has sent the price of McDonald's menu items soaring.
In some locations, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/06/business/why-mcdonalds-is-charging-18-for-a-big-mac-meal-theres-no-relief-in-sight/">a Big Mac meal can cost as much as $18.</a>
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To win back consumers, McDonald's rolled out a special $5 value meal that includes&nbsp;a McDouble burger or McChicken sandwich, small fries, a four-piece Chicken McNuggets and a small drink.
Last month, the company announced that it would extend the value meal, which was originally intended to be a limited-time-only offer, until December at most restaurants in the US.
It's the second time McDonald's has extended the deal.
The smaller value meals were cited as the reason that a <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/08/business/mcdonalds-french-fries-supplier-slashes-jobs-as-demand-amid-inflation/">major french fries supplier</a>, Lamb Weston, slashed jobs and abruptly closed a factory last week.
Kempczinski said on Thursday that McDonald's will aim to offer more affordable meals by including chicken-based items on the menu since poultry is more than half the cost of beef on a per-pound basis.
&nbsp;
"It's easier to deliver value on chicken products than it is on beef products," Kempczinski said.
Last week, McDonald's filed suit against the meat industry's "Big Four" – Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef Packing Company – and their subsidiaries.
McDonald's alleged in the suit that the companies were colluding with one another to artificially inflate the price of beef.
This collusion caused the beef market to become "a monopoly in which direct purchasers were forced to buy at prices dictated by (the meat packers)," McDonald's suit reads — later noting that the injury it has sustained as one of those buyers is what "antitrust laws were designed to prevent."

News

Guidance

"McDonald's CEO Shares Prediction That 2025 Will Be 'Another Challenging Year'" - NY Post

TD Cowen analyst J. Derrick Wood maintains Samsara (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/IOT#NYSE">IOT</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $46 to $56.

Price Target

Analyst Ratings

TD Cowen Maintains Buy on Samsara, Raises Price Target to $56

<a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Electric-vehicles/Honda-opens-first-dedicated-EV-plant-in-China">https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Electric-vehicles/Honda-opens-first-dedicated-EV-plant-in-China</a>
 GUANGZHOU -- Honda Motor officially opened its first-ever dedicated new energy vehicle plant in Wuhan, Hubei province in China on Friday, bolstering EV production amid plans to make all new vehicles sold in the country electric by 2035.
The plant will be operated by Dongfeng Honda, a joint venture between the Japanese automaker and China's state-owned Dongfeng Motor. Roughly 4 billion yuan ($566 million) was invested in the facility, which is expected to have an annual production capacity of about 120,000 vehicles and employ around 800 people. It will begin production with the Lingxi L electric vehicle, which was released in late September.

Global

'Honda Opens First Dedicated EV Plant In China; Wuhan Facility Reduces Warehouse Personnel Through High Degree Of Automation' - Nikkei Asia

If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/biib#NASDAQ">BIIB</a>). This company, which is in the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 19.19%.
For the last reported quarter, Biogen came out with earnings of $5.28 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4 per share, representing a surprise of 32%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $3.45 per share and it actually produced earnings of $3.67 per share, delivering a surprise of 6.38%.
With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Biogen. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Biogen has an Earnings ESP of +1.52% at the moment, suggesting that analysts have grown bullish on its near-term earnings potential. When you combine this positive Earnings ESP with the stock&#39;s Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), it shows that another beat is possibly around the corner. The company&#39;s next earnings report is expected to be released on October 30, 2024.
With the Earnings ESP metric, it&#39;s important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it&#39;s really important to check a company&#39;s Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success.
<a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2348991/will-biogen-biib-beat-estimates-again-in-its-next-earnings-report?cid=CS-BENZ-FT-tale_of_the_tape|yseop_template_7-2348991">To read this article on Zacks.com click here.</a>

Biotech

Earnings

Earnings Beats

Large Cap

Markets

Trading Ideas

General

BIIB

Will Biogen Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?

B of A Securities analyst Elizabeth Suzuki maintains Lowe's Companies (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LOW#NYSE">LOW</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $275 to $305.

B of A Securities Maintains Buy on Lowe's Companies, Raises Price Target to $305

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>), MicroStrategy, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MSTR#NASDAQ">MSTR</a>), Top Wealth Group Holding Limited (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TWG#NASDAQ">TWG</a>), Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UBER#NYSE">UBER</a>) and JP Morgan Chase &amp; Co. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/JPM#NYSE">JPM</a>) are the top five trending tickers on Stocktwits Friday. Here's a look at what grabbed retail investors' attention. 
TSLA Tops The List: Investors are "selling the news" after Tesla debuted its completely autonomous Cybercab at the "We, Robot" event Thursday night. CEO Elon Musk said the Cybercab will be priced under $30,000, but will <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41289653/tesla-stock-poised-to-pullback-to-1-month-low-whats-going-on">not enter production</a> until 2026 or possibly 2027.&nbsp;
MSTR HODLs: Microstrategy's stock is climbing Friday as the price of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/btc/usd">BTC</a>) recovered to above the $62,000 level. The company has dubbed itself a "Bitcoin Development Company" and maintains substantial bitcoin holdings worth<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/24/09/40919378/microstrategy-raises-875m-in-convertible-notes-plans-further-bitcoin-purchases"> approximately $16 billion</a>.&nbsp;
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41282666/what-happened-with-amd-stock-today">What Happened With AMD Stock Today?</a>
TWG: Top Wealth Group shares are racing higher on heavy trading volume after the company <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41294062/whats-going-on-with-top-wealth-group-shares-friday">announced the pricing</a> of its $10.8 million public offering of 27 million shares at 40 cents per share.
UBER Zooms: Investors are driving Uber's stock price higher <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/10/41288999/why-uber-lyft-shares-are-speeding-up-in-fridays-premarket">on the news </a>that Tesla's Cybercab will go into production in 2026 or possibly even in 2027. The longer production timeline allows Uber and Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LYFT#NASDAQ">LYFT</a>) to continue to dominate the ridesharing market for the next two years at least.&nbsp;
JPM Banks: JP Morgan shares are trending after the banking giant delivered another standout performance <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/10/41293190/us-banks-top-q3-earnings-estimates-jpmorgan-delivers-robust-beat-financial-sector-stocks-hit-record">last quarter</a>, surpassing estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Management also raised its full-year net interest income (NII) guidance to $92.5 billion, up $1 billion from prior estimates.&nbsp;
TSLA, MSTR, TWG, UBER, JPM Price Action: According to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/?gspk=YWRhbWVja2VydDUzMzY&amp;gsxid=zBMR4PKmcgBw">Benzinga Pro</a>, Tesla shares are down 7.93% at $219.83, MicroStrategy shares are up 11.5% at $204.56, Top Wealth Group shares are up 127% at $4.86, Uber shares are up 9.14% at $85.04 and JP Morgan shares are up 4.81% at $223.07 at the time of publication Friday.
Read Also:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41277250/whats-going-on-with-first-solar-stock">What&#8217;s Going On With First Solar Stock?</a></li>
</ul>
Image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Movers

$BTC

LYFT

MSTR

TSLA

UBER

Friday's Top 5 Trending Stocks: What's The Scoop?

Karen Goracke, CEO of Borsheims, has learned much from working closely with Warren Buffett. From starting as a sales associate in 1988 to eventually being interviewed by Buffett himself for the CEO role, Goracke's journey embodies a classic success story. And her <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/startups/24/10/41252767/warren-buffetts-timeless-advice-is-to-invest-in-stocks-that-youd-be-perfectly-happy-to-hold-if-the-m">best advice from the "Oracle of Omaha?"</a> &#8211; Keep it simple and run the company like a small family business.
Don't Miss:
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<li>A billion-dollar investment strategy with minimums as low as $10 —<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/fundrise-flagship-fund"> you can become part of the next big real estate boom today.</a></li>
<li>Beating the market through ethical real estate investing' — t<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/invest-with-roots">his platform aims to give tenants equity in the homes they live in while scoring 17.17% average annual returns for investors – here&#8217;s how to join with just $100</a></li>
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Buffett's approach to business, even in the corporate giant Berkshire Hathaway, is remarkably grounded. "He wants to empower us to do what we think is best," Goracke tells Ella Hopkins in an interview with Business Insider. Buffett encourages CEOs of Berkshire's companies to make decisions autonomously, trusting them to do the right thing. This trust in leadership and his hands-off approach have been key to Goracke&#8217;s leadership style at Borsheims. "It was a big company run like a small family business," she says.
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Trending: ‘Scrolling to UBI': Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones –<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/mode-mobile-2"> invest today with $1,000 for just $0.25/share</a>
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Goracke's journey started when she was tasked with an overwhelming project: cataloging 100,000 jewelry pieces for an inventory overhaul. Despite being young and relatively new, she took on the challenge headfirst, eventually leading a team to create a controlled system – a task that caught Buffett's eye. &#8220;He wrote notes about the inventory saying it was looking good or needed improvement,&#8221; she recalls.&nbsp;
Despite <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/education/24/08/40652464/warren-buffett-celebrates-94th-birthday-with-1-trillion-market-cap-milestone-a-look-back-at-hig">Buffett&#8217;s massive success,</a> he remains humble and supportive, according to Goracke. "He&#8217;s so charming, funny and informative. I&#8217;m never nervous with him now," she says. This down-to-earth personality makes Buffett a strong leader and an inspiring mentor to his colleagues.
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Trending: This Adobe-backed AI marketing startup went from a $5 to $85 million valuation working with brands like L'Oréal, Hasbro, and Sweetgreen in just three years –<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/rad-ai"> here's how there's an opportunity to invest at $1,000 for only $0.50/share today.</a>
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Buffett isn't just about business advice. He's big on books. &#8220;He&#8217;s a huge reader,&#8221; Goracke explains, saying she&#8217;s adopted his habit of reading extensively to gain knowledge. Buffett's philosophy, which Goracke absorbed, is clear: "Knowledge is power" and being well-informed is a crucial tool for running a successful business.
Their relationship has blossomed into more than just business. Goracke feels comfortable asking Buffett about anything, from local community issues to sports. &#8220;The greatest perk of my life has been having uninterrupted time with Warren,&#8221; she admits. Though she remains respectful, only reaching out a couple of times a year, their connection is valuable.
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Trending: The global games market is projected to generate $272B by the end of the year —<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/gameflip"> for $0.55/share, this VC-backed startup with a 7M+ userbase gives investors easy access to this asset market.</a>
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Buffett&#8217;s advice on strengths has been key for Goracke's leadership. He advises honing in on what you do best, which she takes seriously. "As a buyer, I was good at understanding inventory levels and how that drives the business," she shares, noting that her deep understanding of the business mechanics has been one of her greatest assets.
Working for Buffett isn&#8217;t all about big corporate moves; it's about <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/10/41168649/warren-buffetts-billion-dollar-lesson-its-very-irritating-if-you-have-a-lot-of-money-in-the-end-you">trust, empowerment and simplicity. </a>Goracke's leadership at Borsheims reflects that approach – she runs it like a family business, just as Buffett suggested.
Read Next:
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<li>This billion-dollar fund has invested in the next big real estate boom,<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/fundrise-flagship-fund"> here's how you can join for $10.</a></li>
<li>Commercial real estate has historically outperformed the stock market, and<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/marcus-millichap-backed-platform-makes-it-easy-to-invest-in-real-estate"> this platform allows individuals to invest in commercial real estate with as little as $5,000 offering a 12% target yield with a bonus 1% return boost today!</a></li>
</ul>

Startups

Warren Buffett's Secret To Success? Run It 'Like A Small Family Business,' Says One Of His CEOs

In the current session, the stock is trading at $55.75, after a 0.27% increase. Over the past month, Copart Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CPRT#NASDAQ">CPRT</a>) stock increased by 11.87%, and in the past year, by 20.48%. With performance like this, long-term shareholders are optimistic but others are more likely to look into the price-to-earnings ratio to see if the stock might be overvalued.

<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2024/1728666943_0.png" alt="Past Year Chart" />

<h3>A Look at Copart P/E Relative to Its Competitors</h3>
The P/E ratio is used by long-term shareholders to assess the company's market performance against aggregate market data, historical earnings, and the industry at large. A lower P/E could indicate that shareholders do not expect the stock to perform better in the future or it could mean that the company is undervalued. 
Compared to the aggregate P/E ratio of the 44.92 in the Commercial Services &amp; Supplies industry, Copart Inc. has a lower P/E ratio of 39.72. Shareholders might be inclined to think that the stock might perform worse than it's industry peers. It's also possible that the stock is undervalued. 

<img src="https://www.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2024/1728666943_1.png" alt="Guage" />

In summary, while the price-to-earnings ratio is a valuable tool for investors to evaluate a company's market performance, it should be used with caution. A low P/E ratio can be an indication of undervaluation, but it can also suggest weak growth prospects or financial instability. Moreover, the P/E ratio is just one of many metrics that investors should consider when making investment decisions, and it should be evaluated alongside other financial ratios, industry trends, and qualitative factors. By taking a comprehensive approach to analyzing a company's financial health, investors can make well-informed decisions that are more likely to lead to successful outcomes.

Intraday Update

CPRT

Price Over Earnings Overview: Copart

It might seem strange to say a stock is still irresistible after it&#39;s rallied 350% and just closed at a new high, but it&#39;s hard not to with Netflix, Inc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/nflx#NASDAQ">NFLX</a>). For a company that had to watch its shares lose 80% of their value just 2 years ago, it&#39;s been a remarkable turnaround and one that looks likely to continue.&nbsp;
During the pandemic-fuelled bull run, Netflix found itself a key member of the much-acclaimed FAANG group of tech stocks. But as the bubble started to pop around November 2022, they were the stock that fell the hardest and further. For investors who managed to ride out that volatility or who have been able to get involved during an earlier phase of the current rally, it must be a particularly sweet turn of events.&nbsp;
As we round the corner into the last few months of the year, it&#39;s Netflix&#39;s shares that have tacked on the most value in the past 12 months and, in many ways, look the strongest heading into 2025. So what&#39;s behind the recent success of the streaming giant, and what makes them still so irresistible?&nbsp;
<h2>Bullish Fundamentals&nbsp;</h2>
Well for starters, the company has managed to turn its fundamental performance around, and absolutely crushed analyst expectations for its most recent earnings report. It was their highest ever revenue print and one of their most profitable quarters ever. This momentum has continued into October, with fresh headlines this week showing the company&#39;s UK subsidiary closed out 2023 with a record revenue of more than $2 billion.&nbsp;
The analysts have not lost sight of this strong fundamental performance, either. Since the end of the summer, they have been making a steady stream of bullish calls on Netflix shares. Both Evercore and Pivotal had Buy ratings at the end of August, the latter giving the stock a street-high price target of $900.&nbsp;
These were added to this week by the teams over at Piper Sandler, TD Cowen and JPMorgan Chase, who all reiterated their Buy ratings on Netflix shares as well. Even though their price targets aren&#39;t quite as lofty as Pivotals, which points to a targeted upside of some 25%, they were both well ahead of the $727 that the stock closed at on Wednesday evening.&nbsp;
<h2>Optimistic Outlook for Netflix</h2>
Much of the bullish narrative revolves around Netflix&#39;s impressive subscriber growth, which has been landing in ahead of expectations and is on track to hit 370 million this year. There&#39;s also Netflix&#39;s strong positioning from a market share perspective, with bullish analysts seeing it as the premier dominant paid global streaming service.&nbsp;
In addition, the company&#39;s growth in both average revenue per user and free cash flow have both been earmarked as key tailwinds that should continue powering the stock&#39;s to highs in the coming months. Evercore even went so far as to say that Netflix is in &quot;the strongest position financially, fundamentally, and competitively&quot; that they have ever seen.&nbsp;
<h2>Getting Involved with Netflix Stock</h2>
However, that&#39;s not to say investors should expect it to be all plain sailing. While the majority of analysts are bullish on Netflix, there are some who have taken a more cautious stance. Earlier this week saw the team at Barclays downgrade their rating on Netflix shares to a rare Sell. In a note to investors they wrote &quot;Netflix&#39;s premium valuation is predicated on revenue growth being at least in the low double-digit range, which in our view, will get increasingly difficult&quot;.&nbsp;
And while the past month has seen the likes of Rosenblatt Securities and China Renaissance stop short of rating the stock a full Buy with their updates, they held off moving Netflix to a Sell, choosing instead to rate it a Neutral. It&#39;s something for investors to consider, but it&#39;s worth pointing out that these more bearish calls are very much in the minority. Looking at MarketBeat&#39;s analyst forecast tool, we can see that out of 36 analyst ratings on Netflix, only 7% rate it a Sell, while close to 70% rate it a Buy.&nbsp;
Based at the current price action ahead of next week&#39;s earnings report, it&#39;s fair to say that Wall Street has no hesitations about continuing to buy into Netflix at these levels.
The article &quot;<a href="https://www.marketbeat.com/stock-ideas/why-netflix-is-irresistible-even-at-all-time-highs/">Why Netflix Is Irresistible Even At All-Time Highs&nbsp;</a>&quot; first appeared on MarketBeat.

Entertainment

NFLX

Why Netflix Is Irresistible Even At All-Time Highs

<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20241011a.htm" title="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20241011a.htm">https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bowman20241011a.htm</a>

Federal Reserve

Fed's Bowman Does Not Comment On Monetary Policy Or Economic Outlook In Prepared Remarks On Community Banking In Chicago

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Olivia Brayer reiterates Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ALNY#NASDAQ">ALNY</a>) with a Neutral and maintains $220 price target.

Reiteration

ALNY

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Neutral on Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Maintains $220 Price Target

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/stx#NASDAQ">STX</a>) is a leading provider of data storage technology and infrastructure solutions.
Seagate reported revenues of $6.55 billion in fiscal 2024. In the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024, non-GAAP revenues of $1.89 billion beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.5%. The figure increased 18% on a year-over-year basis and 14% sequentially driven by growing demand for mass capacity solutions. Management projected revenues to be $1.85 billion (+/- $150 million) for the fiscal fourth quarter.
<h2>STX Witnesses Solid Demand for Mass Capacity</h2>
Seagate is witnessing mass capacity demand improvement with nearline cloud demand picking up pace. In the last reported quarter, mass capacity revenues surged 46% year over year to $1.44 billion, owing to stronger global cloud demand. Sequentially, mass capacity revenues were up 22%.
Strengthening the global cloud demand environment is fueling demand for nearline capacity demand. In the last reported quarter, nearline cloud revenues more than doubled year over year, owing to higher traditional cloud computing workloads and new AI deployments. STX expects this momentum to continue in fiscal 2025.
Also, cloud service providers are focusing more on the development of AI applications while building cloud infrastructure. This includes training of large language models and expansion of the entire hardware stack to cushion generative AI content-driven growth. Seagate believes HDDs will play a key role in enabling these stages of the AI adoption curve and expects HDD demand to pick up pace going ahead.
Seagate&#39;s launch of the Mozaic 3+ hard drive platform, featuring Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, is also expected to aid in capturing a greater share in the market of mass capacity storage solutions.
Seagate expects HAMR to aid in exploiting megatrends like AI and machine learning, which will drive long-term demand for cost-effective mass-capacity storage solutions. The company has completed multiple qualifications for its 24TB CMR / 28TB SMR drives. It expects to begin volume shipments in the first quarter of fiscal 2025.
<h2>STX&#39;s Mass Capacity Exabyte Shipments</h2>
Mass capacity exabyte shipments represent more than 90% of total exabyte shipments. In the last reported quarter, the company shipped 103.9 exabytes for the mass-capacity storage market (including nearline, video and image applications and network-attached storage). This recorded a year-over-year increase of 38% in exabyte shipments and 17% sequentially.
<h2>STX&#39;s Robust Outlook</h2>
Driven by incremental improvements in mass-capacity demand, management anticipates first-quarter fiscal 2025 revenues to be $2.10 billion (+/- $150 million). 
Gross margin is expected to benefit from a higher mix of mass-capacity revenues and ongoing pricing actions. Non-GAAP earnings for the fiscal first quarter of 2025 are expected to be $1.40 per share (+/- 20 cents).
The non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be $270 million. At the midpoint of the revenue guidance, management expects the non-GAAP operating margin to grow in the high-teens percentage range of revenues. Management anticipates fiscal 2025 capex to be at or below the low end of its long-term target range of 4-6% of revenues.
However, for VIA, management anticipates sales to fluctuate in the second half of the calendar 2024. Though smart cities are the biggest end-market opportunity, the near-term budget visibility remains blurry amid existing macroeconomic uncertainty.
<h2>STX Needs to Watch Out for Cut-throat Competitive Landscape</h2>
The increasing demand trends offer all players a lucrative opportunity to drive growth thereby resulting in intense competition. Stiff competition can put pricing pressure which can affect margin performance.
Seagate faces tough competition from other players like Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/wdc#NASDAQ">WDC</a>), NetApp Inc (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ntap#NASDAQ">NTAP</a>) and Pure Storage, Inc (NYSE: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/pstg#NYSE">PSTG</a>) in the data storage industry including HDD and SSD manufacturers. It also faces competition from companies engaged in offering storage subsystems, like electronic manufacturing services and contract electronic manufacturing.
Headquartered in San Jose, CA, WDC is a leading developer and manufacturer of data storage devices and solutions based on NAND flash and hard disk drive technologies. Western Digital is well-positioned to gain from continued momentum in its HDD and Flash businesses. In the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024, sales from the Cloud end market climbed 89% year over year due to higher demand for its nearline HDDs and enterprise SSDs, along with improved pricing.
NetApp provides enterprise storage as well as data management software and hardware products and services. It assists enterprises in managing multiple cloud environments, adopting next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence, Kubernetes and contemporary databases, and navigating the complexity brought by the quick development of data and cloud usage. NetApp&#39;s performance is being driven by strong demand for an all-flash portfolio and growth in first-party and marketplace cloud storage services. All-Flash Array Business&#39; annualized ARR was $3.4 billion, up 21% in the first quarter of 2025.
Headquartered in Mountain View, CA, PSTG provides software-defined all-flash solutions that are uniquely fast and cloud-capable for customers. Pure Storage&#39;s primary offerings are FlashArray and FlashBlade products, which include FlashArray//C, FlashArray//XL, FlashArray File Services, FlashBlade//S and FlashBlade//E. Momentum in its FlashBlade solutions, including FlashBlade//E and subscription-based offerings, is cushioning Pure Storage&#39;s performance. Healthy subscription services revenues (with 25% year-over-year growth in the second-quarter fiscal 2025) are tailwinds. In the last reported quarter, revenues soared 11% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1%.
<a href="https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2348985/will-seagate-continue-to-gain-from-increasing-mass-capacity-demand?cid=CS-BENZ-FT-analyst_blog|company_news_tech_sector-2348985">To read this article on Zacks.com click here.</a>

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Tech

NTAP

PSTG

Will Seagate Continue to Gain From Increasing Mass Capacity Demand?

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Derek Soderberg reiterates Symbotic (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SYM#NASDAQ">SYM</a>) with a Overweight and maintains $60 price target.

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Overweight on Symbotic, Maintains $60 Price Target

Roth MKM analyst Suji Desilva reiterates Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>) with a Buy and maintains $200 price target.

Roth MKM Reiterates Buy on Advanced Micro Devices, Maintains $200 Price Target

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Prakhar Agrawal reiterates Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MDGL#NASDAQ">MDGL</a>) with a Neutral.

MDGL

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Neutral on Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

Needham analyst Kyle Peterson initiated coverage on Axos Financial, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AX#NYSE">AX</a>) with a Buy rating <a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/AX/analyst-ratings" rel="noreferrer noopener">and a price target of $82.00</a>.
The analyst writes that, unlike traditional banks, the company avoids a broad branch strategy, enhancing profitability and efficiency while expanding its total addressable market.
Importantly, Axos Financial holds a full banking license, which offers stickier and cheaper funding for loans compared to warehouse lines and enables in-house banking products, adds the analyst.
The analyst says that Axos Financial was &#8220;ahead of its time&#8221; by prioritizing a digital-first strategy over building a branch network. Positive secular trends toward digital banking have allowed AX to establish itself effectively.
Peterson says that Axos Financial&#8217;s corporate culture distinguishes it from traditional banks, enabling the company to expand its total addressable market (TAM) and achieve efficient growth.
Axos Financial&#8217;s exceptional profitability stems from its robust underwriting and credit performance, as well as a streamlined expense structure, adds the analyst.
Peterson projects EPS of $7.05 in 2025 and $7.40 in 2026.
Investors can gain exposure to the stock via&nbsp;Principal U.S. Small-Cap ETF (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PSC#NASDAQ">PSC</a>) and WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Fund (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/EES#NYSE">EES</a>).
Price Action: AX shares are up 5.25% at $63.58 at the last check Friday.
Photo via Shutterstock
Read Next:
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<li><a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/09/40774169/implied-volatility-surging-for-axos-financial-stock-options" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Implied Volatility Surging for Axos Financial Stock Options</a></li>
</ul>

Analyst Color

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Mid Cap

Initiation

Axos Financial 'Ahead of Its Time,' Analyst Applauds Digital-First Strategy

Roth MKM analyst Mike Niehuser maintains Contango Ore (AMEX:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CTGO#AMEX">CTGO</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $33 to $37.

CTGO

Roth MKM Maintains Buy on Contango Ore, Raises Price Target to $37

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard reiterates Tesla (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) with a Neutral and maintains $245 price target.

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Neutral on Tesla, Maintains $245 Price Target

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen reiterates Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ZVRA#NASDAQ">ZVRA</a>) with a Overweight.

ZVRA

Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates Overweight on Zevra Therapeutics

Driven by demand from cloud computing and AI, semiconductor sales have skyrocketed in recent months as pressure due to supply chain concerns and inflation has eased. The specialized chips that power these popular technologies are in such high demand that makers of these products now represent three of the 10 largest companies in the world by market capitalization&mdash;NVIDIA Corp., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., and Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/avgo#NASDAQ">AVGO</a>), each of which has a market cap of at least $833 billion.
Notably, the semiconductor market appears to be still heating up. Global semiconductor sales for August 2024 reached more than $53 billion, a 20.6% increase year-over-year and the fifth consecutive month-to-month improvement. Demand was particularly strong in the U.S. and Asia. China&#39;s assertive stimulus policy has prompted a surge in domestic chipmaker stocks in recent weeks, which is not reflected in August&#39;s global sales figures.
Bets on individual semiconductor makers have been a popular choice for many investors, with NVDA shares nearly tripling in the last year and both TSM and AVGO stocks more than doubling during that time. Some investors may prefer a broader approach, though, to capitalize on the ongoing surge in the U.S. or the global semiconductor spaces. In these cases, there are a number of ETFs providing different types of exposure to this market.
<h2>SMH: Top-Performing Non-Leveraged Chip ETF</h2>
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/smh#NASDAQ">SMH</a>) provides reasonably broad coverage of the semiconductor space by targeting more than two dozen U.S.-listed chipmakers. Setting it apart from other U.S.-focused semiconductor funds is SMH&#39;s inclusion of chip manufacturers of different market capitalization levels, allowing for exposure beyond the largest companies.
SMH has outperformed all other non-leveraged semiconductor ETFs year-to-date, with a total return of nearly 42% in that time and a one-year increase of more than 68%. In the competitive ETF space, where fees for funds are often driven lower, SMH has a moderate expense ratio of 0.35%. This is in line with several other ETFs with a similar focus. VanEck&#39;s semiconductor fund also has a healthy asset base of more than $24 billion and strong liquidity based on average trading volumes.
<h2>SOXQ: Low Fee Alternative</h2>
The Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: <a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/soxq#NASDAQ">SOXQ</a>) is just a few years old, making it one of the newest semiconductor-focused funds available. It focuses on a pool of about 30 U.S.-listed and large-cap semiconductor companies, with major players like NVIDIA and Broadcom representing outsized portions of the portfolio.
SOXQ sets itself apart by its expense ratio of just 0.19%. The fund has undercut many other established semiconductor ETFs, drawing cost-conscious investors and those interested in buying and holding.
Given its smaller assets under management and lower liquidity levels than better-known rivals, a buy-and-hold strategy may also be best for SOXQ.
<h2>SEMI: Global Exposure</h2>
While many semiconductor ETFs focus on a small pool of U.S. companies, the Columbia Seligman Semiconductor &amp; Technology ETF (ARCA:SEMI) provides global exposure.
Although its portfolio remains relatively small, at about 30 holdings, and major players like NVIDIA still dominate, SEMI is nonetheless one of the most diverse semiconductor funds available.
This diversity gives investors access to a broader range of growth opportunities. By including international companies, SEMI stands out from other funds with a more limited geographic focus.
<h2>SOXL: Leveraged Semiconductor Fund</h2>
Investors looking to take a more active approach to trading may wish to make use of leveraged funds. In this area, the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares ETF (ARCA:SOXL) stands out for its 3x-long exposure to a pool of top U.S. semiconductor companies. SOXL dominates the leveraged semiconductor ETF space in terms of liquidity, which is key for investors because the fund&#39;s leverage resets daily.
This daily reset means traders must be cautious of volatility over multiple days, as the compounding effect can significantly impact overall returns. For this reason, SOXL is generally best suited for short-term trades rather than long-term holds, allowing investors to take advantage of sharp price movements in semiconductor stocks without holding the risks of daily compounding over an extended period.
<h2>Rotation Back Into Semiconductor Stocks?</h2>
Some investors shifted away from semiconductors ahead of the Fed&#39;s September rate cut. SMH and other semiconductor funds tumbled in July as a result. However, in the final quarter of the year it appears that semiconductor firms are back on track for continued gains, although the industry remains heavily dependent on a small number of very large names. ETFs focused in this space can help to mitigate the risk of individual chipmakers while still providing exposure to the industry as it continues to heat up.
The article &quot;<a href="https://www.marketbeat.com/stock-ideas/4-best-etfs-for-capitalizing-on-the-semiconductor-market-surge/">4 Best ETFs for Capitalizing on the Semiconductor Market Surge</a>&quot; first appeared on MarketBeat.

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