Nasdaq Stocks

Digital Turbine reported better-than-expected 3Q results fueled by strong demand for its application media and content media service offerings. Shares of the company surged 14.8% in Wednesday’s extended trading session.

Digital Turbine’s (APPS) 3Q adjusted EPS increased over four-fold to $0.21 from $0.05 in the year-ago quarter and surpassed analysts’ expectations of $0.17. Total revenue jumped 146% to $88.6 million, exceeding the consensus mark of $75.9 million.

Revenues from its application media business soared 58% to $56.9 million year-over-year. Sales from the content media unit came in at $31.7 million. (See Digital Turbine stock analysis on TipRanks)

For fiscal 2021, Digital Turbine forecasted revenues of between $298 million and $300 million. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at approximately $0.67 per share.

On Jan. 28, B.Riley Financial analyst Zachary Silver reiterated Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $77 (19.5% upside potential). In a note to investors, Silver wrote, “While APPS's share price surged in 2020, we believe that the company's unique and durable positioning within the mobile app advertising ecosystem and high degree of operating leverage remain underappreciated by the Street.”

The rest of the Street has a bullish outlook on the stock with a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 4 Buys versus 1 Hold. The average analyst price target of $68.40 implies upside potential of about 6.2% to current levels. That's after shares skyrocketed more than 891% over the past year.

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Shares of Vaxart cratered 58% on Feb. 3 after early preliminary trial data showed that its oral COVID-19 vaccine did not produce neutralizing antibodies in “most subjects.”

At the same time, Vaxart (VXRT) reported that the preliminary data from the Phase 1 study of VXA-CoV2-1, its oral COVID-19 tablet vaccine candidate, did trigger multiple immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 antigens, but neutralizing antibodies weren’t detected. Following the study, a total of 495 individuals have now been dosed with Vaxart’s platform, with no serious adverse events.

“Our results highlight the importance of our differentiated vaccine design, as they suggest VXA-CoV2-1 could have broad activity against existing and future coronavirus strains,” said Vaxart CEO Andrei Floroiu. “These results are timely, as we are seeing the emergence of new variants less responsive to first generation vaccines, thus making potential cross-reactivity another important advantage of next-generation vaccines.”

According to the findings of the Phase 1 study, VXA-CoV2-1 induced potent T-cell responses to the viral Spike (S) protein as well as an increase in plasmablast cell number, indicating the activation of B cells. In addition, the data showed an increase in proinflammatory Th1 cytokines, which are responsible for triggering the immune response to viral infection.

“T-cells can provide long-lasting cross-reactive protection against current and emerging strains of the virus. Our vaccine induced a high percentage of responding CD8+ T cells against both Spike (S) and Nucleoprotein (N) proteins, which may provide protection against variants with alterations in the faster-changing S protein,” Vaxart’s Chief Scientific Officer said. “We expect that our vaccine will be less impacted by new variants than injectable vaccines.”

Vaxart shares, which have surged 73% so far in 2021, are up a stellar 804% over the past year. (See Vaxart stock analysis on TipRanks)

Following the data release, FBR Riley analyst Mayank Mamtani maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $16 price target, as he believes that “expectations going into this readout were quite elevated.”

“We remain intrigued with the unequivocally robust benefit noted on T cell responses, including relative to its in-class peers in the form of adenoviral vector-based C-19 vaccine candidates, particularly as it relates to the potential role in demonstrating long-lasting crossreactive immunity,” Mamtani wrote in a note to investors. “In addition, we are also encouraged by safety profiles.”

Overall, two other analysts have picked up coverage of the stock, with a Buy rating. Vaxart, therefore, scores a Strong Buy consensus rating alongside an average analyst price target of $17.67. The figure suggests upside potential of 79% in the year ahead.

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Shares of PayPal Holdings gained 5.5% in Wednesday’s extended trading session after the payment platform provider's fourth-quarter sales and earnings topped Street estimates.

PayPal’s (PYPL) 4Q adjusted earnings of $1.08 per share grew 29% year-over-year and exceeded analysts’ expectations of $1 per share. The company's 4Q sales of $6.12 billion beat the consensus estimates of $6.09 billion and rose 23% year-over-year, driven by higher payment volumes and the addition of net new active accounts.

The company’s total payment volume (TPV) grew 39% to $277 billion, while merchant services volume climbed 42%, and Venmo app’s TPV jumped 60%. The company added 16 million net new active accounts and ended the quarter with 377 million active accounts, marking a 24% year-over-year increase.

As for 2021, PayPal expects revenue to grow by about 19% to $25.5 billion and the momentum in TPV growth and net new active accounts to sustain. The company forecasted for adjusted earnings per share to increase by 17% this year.

For the first quarter, the company anticipates revenue growth of 28% and adjusted earnings growth of about 50% year-over-year. (See PayPal stock analysis on TipRanks)

On Feb. 3, BTIG analyst Mark Palmer maintained a Buy rating and a price target of $300 (19.1% upside potential) on the stock. In a note to investors, the analyst said, “while PYPL has been a clear outperformer during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumers have adopted digital payments at an unprecedented rate, the company’s very strong operating performance during FY20 occurred despite a steep decline in travel and event-related volumes, pointing to incremental upside as the pandemic’s impact abates.”

Overall, the Street has a bullish outlook with a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 16 Buys and 1 Hold. The average analyst price target of $273.12 implies upside potential of about 8.4% to current levels. That's after shares rallied 121.2% over the past year.

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Shares of MetLife gained 3.3% in Wednesday's extended trading session after the insurance company reported 4Q results that exceeded analysts’ expectations and marked year-over-year growth.

MetLife’s (MET) 4Q adjusted earnings increased 3% to $2.03 per share year-over-year and beat Street estimates of $1.53. Higher variable income, underwriting, and improvement in margins drove Metlife's 4Q earnings.

Adjusted revenues soared 13% year-on-year to $20.6 billion and surpassed the consensus mark of $18.15 billion. MetLife’s adjusted premiums, fees, and other revenues jumped 15% year-over-year while adjusted investment income grew 8%. (See MetLife stock analysis on TipRanks)

MetLife CEO Michel Khalaf said, “MetLife delivered a very strong fourth quarter of 2020, capping off a year in which the strength of our diversified businesses was on full display.”

Last month, Piper Sandler analyst John Barnidge upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold citing expectations for a reduction in earnings volatility following the sale of MetLife’s property and casualty business. Barnidge also raised the stock’s price target to $52 (5.3% upside potential) from $45.

Overall, consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on 8 Buys and 1 Hold. The average analyst price target of $53.78 implies upside potential of about 8.9% to current levels. Shares have lost 0.6% over the past year.

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Costco Wholesale Corp. saw sales increase 17.9% to $13.64 billion in the four weeks ended Jan. 31 compared to the year-ago period, as shoppers continued to order online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Costco's (COST) comparable sales jumped 15.9%. Analysts expected Costco to report 11.7% growth in comparable sales.

By regions, the retailer's comparable sales rose by 15.4% in the US and by 15.2% in Canada. In other international locations comparable sales grew 19%. Costco's comparable e-commerce sales shot up 106.7% in the first month of the year.

For the twenty-two weeks ended Jan. 31, 2021, the company reported net sales of $79.11 billion, an increase of 15.4% compared to the prior-year period. Comparable sales rose 13.8% year-over-year, while e-commerce sales surged 79.5%. (See Costco stock analysis on TipRanks)

Following the January sales results release, Robert W. Baird analyst Peter Benedict maintained a Buy rating and a price target of $410 (15.4% upside potential) on the stock.

In a note to investors, Benedict cited Costco's “loyal membership base, new convenience-oriented capabilities, and expanding structural cost advantages” for his bullish outlook on the stock.

The rest of the Street is in line with Benedict's outlook with a Strong Buy consensus rating, which is based on 14 Buys and 4 Holds. The average analyst price target of $402.63 implies upside potential of about 13.4% to current levels. Shares have gained about 20.6% over the past year.

Furthermore, TipRanks data shows that financial blogger opinions are 92% Bullish, compared to a sector average of 71%

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