Nasdaq AAPL Apple

Apple said on Thursday that demand for its iPhones in China was strong, trying to reassure investors who are worried it is losing ground to a newly resurgent Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] and other local smartphone makers.

Stocks were headed for their biggest weekly rise in a year on Friday, while bonds rallied and the dollar was on the back foot as investors cheered a pause in U.S. interest rate hikes.

The video gaming scene seems to be on the cusp of some sort of consolidation as mega-cap tech looks to add to their services arsenals. Meta Platforms ( NASDAQ:META ), Take-Two ( NASDAQ:TTWO ), and NetEase ( NASDAQ:NTES ) are just three tech-savvy firms with major skin in the game (forgive the pun), and they're Strong Buy stocks right now, at least according to the Wall Street community. Indeed, it's not hard to imagine the Magnificent Seven and FAANG firms striving to become more "fun" through the eyes of consumers as new technologies like the Metaverse become more widely adopted. Over time, I think gaming pure-plays will end up in the hands of a much larger tech firm that's eager to "one up" peers who have shown they're more than willing to expand their circles of competence and growth opportunities in the process. So, without further ado, let's check in with TipRanks' Comparison Tool to see how the following highly-rated gamer plays stack up. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Meta Platforms is the Magnificent Seven stock that went from dud to top performer in a year. Undoubtedly, the stock crashed, shedding more than 76% of its value from peak to trough before kicking off one of the most impressive melt-up rebounds I've seen in mega-cap tech in quite a while. At writing, the stock has soared more than 250% from its early November 2022 lows. That's an incredible return that will be nearly impossible to replicate for the next year. That said, analysts still think the social media powerhouse could have more room to run, thanks in large part to its generative artificial intelligence (AI) prowess. In many ways, Meta has evolved into more of an AI company than anything else. Perhaps Mark Zuckerberg should change Meta's name to LLM (Large Language Model) Platforms? Moving forward, I expect Meta to stay on the cutting edge of consumer-facing AI tech. All the while, the firm continues to stay in its front-row seat to the still-nascent metaverse (or spatial computing) market. The Metaverse upside, I believe, may still be severely downplayed by the market, as the masses have almost all of their shifted focus to AI. AI is a massive growth driver for Meta, but so too could be the Metaverse. Given both powerful growth drivers, it's hard to be anything but bullish on the stock. Regarding Meta's gaming/metaverse ambitions, its Quest 3 mixed-reality headset has received pretty solid reviews. It builds on its predecessors quite well while offering a competitive price of $499.99. However, there's one thing that seems to be missing: a killer app. I believe that killer app is a triple-A game. There's no shortage of fun experiences and mini-games on the Meta platform. However, if Meta really wants to take the ball and run with it as Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ) looks to release its Vision Pro to the masses early next year, it needs to go big on gaming. As the spatial computing race gets more crowded next year, I'd argue the value (and pace) of video game acquisitions could surge. Apple and Meta already have plenty of "game." But for the metaverse to take off, they have to take it to the next level. And I believe that the next level lies in a big-budget virtual-reality production. What is the Price Target for META Stock? Meta's a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 36 buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months. The average META stock price target of $384.62 entails 23.7% upside potential. Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) Take-Two Interactive Software is one such pure-play gaming firm that may be worth a great deal in the hands of a Magnificent Seven firm like Meta or Apple. Now that Activision Blizzard is off the market, I view Take-Two as the next best target. The $23.3 billion market cap makes Take-Two easily digestible for a firm in the Magnificent Seven. Still, the firm still seems like a two-hit-wonder with its Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto (GTA) titles. Aside from its big two titles, Take-Two's social and mobile gaming business looks impressive after its Zynga deal. Personally, I think Take-Two is a perfect fit for a firm like Meta as it seems to catapult the Metaverse to the mainstream. Indeed, speculating on a takeover is a dangerous game. However, I view TTWO stock as cheap at current levels. Most of Wall Street seems to agree. Raymond James analysts are raging bulls over the potential for GTA VI (the latest title) to post "big numbers" once it releases. The title could be released "soon," but there's no release date set in stone quite yet. Raymond James is smart to look at TTWO through a longer-term lens. A new game is coming, and odds are it'll be a profound hit, just like prior titles. At writing, TTWO goes for 4.1 times price-to-sales, in line with the electronic gaming & multimedia industry average of 4.04 times. Given the big catalyst in GTA VI, TTWO probably deserves to trade a hefty premium to the peer group. What is the Price Target for TTWO Stock? Take-Two's a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 14 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months. The average TTWO stock price target of $161.47 and implies 17.4% upside potential. NetEase (NASDAQ:NTES) Finally, we have a Chinese gaming firm, NetEase, which has been off to the races this year, with shares now up more than 43% year-to-date. Just over a month ago, JPMorgan ( NYSE:JPM ) upgraded the stock over a line of new games. Indeed, China's economy has been rather sluggish. But as a relatively cheap form of entertainment, I think NetEase could rise, even without help from the broader economy. As such, I'm staying bullish as the stock recovery continues. The company's margins may be weighed down for longer as Chinese consumers opt to spend less on microtransactions. In any case, I expect such spending could heat up should consumers really get absorbed into new releases. Further, China's economy can't keep sinking forever, opening the door to potential upside in the face of an eventual economic recovery. Also, NTES stock looks quite cheap at 20.5 times trailing price-to-earnings, well below the gaming industry average of 31.9 times. Of course, investing in the Chinese market accompanies additional risks. However, if you're willing to bear said risks, I view the potential rewards as compelling. However, NetEase seems like less of a takeover target than the likes of Take-Two. That rules out a potential spike for those looking to speculate on M&A. What is the Price Target for NTES Stock? NetEase is also a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with nine unanimous Buy ratings and an average price target of $128.00, suggesting 16.6% upside from here. Conclusion It's not just fun and games for video game pure-plays and mega-cap tech titans looking to get into the game. As the economy heals, while big-tech firms become more competitive when it comes to gaming and the Metaverse, I'd look for gaming stocks to rise steadily over the coming years. Of the trio outlined in this piece, Wall Street expects the most upside from Meta stock (23.7%). Disclosure 

Apple said on Thursday that demand for its iPhones in China was strong, trying to reassure investors who are worried it is losing ground to a newly resurgent Huawei Technologies and other local smartphone makers.

In its just-posted quarterly results, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) flexed its profitability muscles. Even though revenue fell slightly during the period, earnings per share (EPS) jumped 13% year over year. This was fueled by the tech company's aggressive share repurchase program and prod

Markets rallied for a second-straight day, bringing weekly totals up anywhere from +3.2% on the blue-chip Dow to +4.7% on the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Just as it looked like the final trading months of 2023 were going to be more of the

Global stock indexes jumped and the U.S. dollar fell on Thursday on investor optimism that the Federal Reserve may be done hiking interest rates, while benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell to three-week lows.

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) released a profit for its fourth quarter that increased from last year and beat the Street estimates.

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) reported a profit for its third quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates.

Apple on Thursday reported quarterly sales and profit that beat Wall Street expectations, with iPhone sales up 2.8% and in line with Wall Street expectations, helping offset large drops in Mac and iPad sales.

Wall Street's three main stock indexes rallied nearly 2% on Thursday on hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve has reached the end of its interest rate hiking campaign and a batch of upbeat quarterly financial updates added to the bullish mood.

The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is down -58.11 to 14,861.44. The total After hours volume is currently 105,099,532 shares traded.The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: PENN Entertainment, Inc. (PENN) is -0.1 at $22.24, with 8,080,912 shares tr

Wall Street's three main stock indexes closed sharply higher on Thursday on hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve has reached the end of its interest rate hiking campaign while a batch of upbeat quarterly financial updates added to the bullish mood.

Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Moderna Inc (Symbol: MRNA), where a total volume of 101,337 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately

Global stock indexes jumped and the U.S. dollar fell on Thursday on investor optimism that the Federal Reserve may be done hiking interest rates, while benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell to three-week lows.

Wall Street's three main stock indexes all rallied more than 1% on Thursday on hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve had reached the end of its interest rate hiking campaign, while a raft of upbeat corporate updates added to the bullish mood.

The following companies are expected to report earnings after hours on 11/02/2023. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases.Apple Inc. (AAPL)is reporting for the quarter ending September 30, 2023. The computer company's consensus earnings per sha

The market has shunned PayPal ( NASDAQ:PYPL ) stock for much of 2023. That's almost inexplicable, as PayPal is fundamentally sound, and there are fresh results to prove this. Without any hesitation, I am bullish on PYPL stock and envision tremendous comeback potential. PayPal provides a variety of point-of-sale payment solutions. Not only does PayPal enable convenient transactions across a number of currencies, but the company also just received the U.K.’s approval to offer cryptocurrency services. Yet, it seems that investors have abandoned PayPal stock because they're obsessed with the "Magnificent Seven" technology stocks. Today could mark a turning point, however, since the market can only ignore PayPal's Street-beating results for so long. New CEO, but the Same Solid Business PayPal is undergoing a crucial transitional period. That's because the company recently hired a new chief executive, Alex Chriss. It's too early to assess the new CEO's abilities. Still, Chriss's confidence is encouraging. He recently stated, "My first 30 days leading PayPal have confirmed my belief in the company's strong assets and market position." Furthermore, PayPal appointed Jamie Miller as the company's new chief financial officer (CFO), effective November 6. Miller has prior experience at General Electric ( NYSE:GE ) and Cargill, among other companies. While I can't make any judgments on these executives yet, I can at least attest to PayPal's firm fundamentals. The company's third-quarter Fiscal Year 2023 earnings results indicate that, nearly all year long, the market has misjudged PayPal. A crucial metric for PayPal is the company's total payment volume (TPV). In Q3 2023, PayPal's TPV grew 15% year-over-year (or 13% on a currency-adjusted basis) to $388 billion. This, according to PayPal, was "driven by Braintree, PayPal branded checkout and Venmo." PayPal's TPV growth indicates that the company hasn't been devastated by competition from Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ). Sure, Apple offers payment solutions just like PayPal does, but evidently, there's enough room in the market for both companies to succeed. PayPal's Results Put Stock Traders in a Happy Mood While the market hasn't generally favored PayPal this year, at least today's traders are bidding up the PYPL stock price. Of course, they weren't only looking at PayPal's TPV. Stock traders also examined PayPal's top- and bottom-line results for 2023's third quarter. As it turned out, there really wasn't anything bad that investors could object to. First of all, PayPal's revenue grew by 8% year-over-year to $7.42 billion, and this outcome beat the consensus estimate by $40 million. Moreover, PayPal reported earnings of $1.30 per share, exceeding the consensus forecast of $1.23 per share. What about PayPal's guidance? No worries there, as the company guided for non-GAAP 2023 earnings of approximately $4.98 per share. That's above analysts’ expectation of $4.92 per share, and it would also represent a significant improvement over Fiscal Year 2022's earnings of $4.13 per share. Now, it's starting to become clear why investors are so pleased with PayPal today. Mizuho analyst Dan Dolev also seemed to be happy with PayPal, as he declared, “Overall results show that core PayPal fundamentals remain solid.” I fully concur with Dolev's assessment, and his Buy rating for PayPal is quite reasonable. However, Dolev's $92 price target for PYPL stock is ambitious, and I won't assume that the stock will reach that level from its current price. Nonetheless, I share Dolev's enthusiasm for PayPal's future. Is PayPal Stock a Buy, According to Analysts? On TipRanks, PYPL comes in as a Moderate Buy based on 18 Buys and 11 Hold ratings assigned by analysts in the past three months. The average PayPal stock price target is $80.37, implying 46.7% upside potential. If you’re wondering which analyst you should follow if you want to buy and sell PYPL stock, the most accurate analyst covering the stock (on a one-year timeframe) is  Moshe Katri of Wedbush, with an average return of 21.68% per rating and a 60% success rate. Click on the image below to learn more. Conclusion: Should You Consider PayPal Stock? I believe PayPal deserves a higher re-rating on Wall Street, especially considering the company's better-than-anticipated quarterly results. Plus, PayPal's confident full-year guidance should convince reluctant investors to consider the stock. Today might actually mark a turnaround for PayPal, and I wouldn't worry too much about the company's executive-level changes. If you agree with Dolev's bullish stance, today seems like a great day to think about adding a few shares of PYPL stock to your portfolio. Disclosure

Global stock indexes rallied and the U.S. dollar fell on Thursday on investor optimism that the Federal Reserve may be done hiking interest rates, while benchmark 10-year Treasury yields fell to three-week lows.

Wall Street's main stock indexes rallied on Thursday on hopes that the U.S. Federal Reserve had reached the end of its tightening campaign, while a raft of upbeat corporate updates added to the bullish mood.