Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Apple, Tesla, First Republic Bank, And Why Meta May Be Heading To $300

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories. 

The three major indexes had a strong finish, as the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all posted gains for the week and month. The Dow finished April with a 2.5% increase, the S&P 500 was up 1.5%, and the Nasdaq experienced a small gain.

The results were driven by encouraging inflation data and a weaker-than-expected first-quarter economic growth report. In March, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose by 4.2% year-over-year, and the core PCE, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased by 4.6%.

However, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Thursday that U.S. GDP grew by only 1.1% year-over-year in the first quarter, significantly lower than the anticipated 2% growth. This slowdown marked a decline from the 2.6% growth in the fourth quarter and the 2.1% full-year growth in 2022.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"Apple Throwing 'Everything But Kitchen Sink At Consumers' To Make MR Headset A Winner, Says Gurman," by Shanthi Rexaline, looks at efforts being made by Apple Inc AAPL to ensure its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset is a hit product.

In "Cathie Wood Is Unstoppable With Tesla Stock – Defies Wall Street To Make Whopping $29M Purchase," Bhavik Nair writes that Cathie Wood-led ARK Investment Management loaded up on Tesla Inc TSLA shares this week, on a day when the stock fell over 4%.

"Could META Hit $300? Analysts See Meta Platforms As A Multi-Year AI Play With Strong Growth In Sight," by Piero Cingari, explains why Bank of America Securities has turned increasingly bullish on Meta Platforms, Inc. META after the company's Q1 earnings results.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

Amazon Analysts Preach Patience In Wake Of Slower AWS Growth: 'Management Laser-Focused On Returning The Company To Dynamic Growth'

These 2 Gambling ETFs Are Outperforming S&P 500 In 2023: Top Stocks In Betting Industry

Jim Cramer Was... Right? This Stock Is Going 'To $2,000' — And It Did

The Bears

"Microsoft's AI Ambitions Spell Trouble for Intel, Warns Analyst," by Shanthi Rexaline, details why an analyst says Microsoft Corp's MSFT adoption of artificial intelligence could spell trouble for Intel Corp INTC.

In "First Republic Bank Stock In Freefall With $100B In Deposits Withdrawn, Asset Sales Looming," Piero Cingari writes about First Republic Bank's FRC downfall, as the stock lost over 75% of its value this week, and is reportedly set to be placed under receivership.

"Culper Research Targets Rumble: Alleges Inflated User Base, Reliance On Malware For Site Traffic" outlines multiple concerns that Culper Research expressed about alleged inconsistencies in Rumble Inc's RUM user base and ad revenue figures.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Is First National Bank Headed Below $3? A Look At The Technicals

The Next Big Short: Hedge Funds Place Record Bearish Bets On US 10-Year Treasuries

Falling Inflation A Deceptive Harbinger Of Doom; Analyst Warns Earnings Expectations Are Too High

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