Nasdaq Stocks

In recent trading, shares of Informatica Inc (Symbol: INFA) have crossed above the average analyst 12-month target price of $33.67, changing hands for $34.04/share. When a stock reaches the target an analyst has set, the analyst logically has two ways to react: downgrade on valu

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself.

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself.

Looking at the underlying holdings of the ETFs in our coverage universe at ETF Channel, we have compared the trading price of each holding against the average analyst 12-month forward target price, and computed the weighted average implied analyst target price for the ETF itself.

Pakistan's central bank is widely expected to hold its key interest rate at a record 22% for the sixth straight policy meeting on Monday as inflation risks continue to loom, but a majority of analysts expect rate cuts from the second quarter of this year.

Indonesia's February trade surplus is expected to have widened slightly from the previous month as exports likely contracted at a slower pace, while imports rose ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.

Mastercard Incorporated MA and Nexi, two giants in the payments industry, are joining forces to revolutionize payment landscape in Europe. Nexi, the leading PayTech in Europe, has strategically chosen Mastercard as its partner to

Airline executives are frustrated with Boeing as its safety crisis has upended their business plans. But in a tight market for large aircraft supplied by two companies, they have little choice but do business with the U.S. planemaker.

McDonald’s ( NYSE:MCD ) iconic “I’m Lovin’ It” slogan resonates not only with customers but also with shareholders, who keep driving the stock higher. The fast-food giant continues to rapidly increase its revenues and earnings with no indication of slowing down. Its affordable offerings mix keeps pushing higher sales in existing locations, while aggressive new restaurant openings, including CosMc’s, a new beverage-led concept, promise sustained growth momentum. Accordingly, I remain bullish on MCD. Double-Digit Growth Persists with No Signs of Slowing Down Seeing McDonald’s keep delivering double-digit revenue growth with no signs of slowing down is absolutely remarkable. You would assume that many of the company’s locations should have already maximized their sales potential, as they have been in business for years. However, by deploying smart sales tactics, such as incentivizing loyalty program participation and rolling out the annual Monopoly promotion, McDonald’s has been able to drive growing spending per store. The push of digital ordering for faster service and, crucially, maintaining competitive prices in an inflationary environment has also contributed to continuous growth in same-store sales. In Canada, for example, McDonald’s maintained its iconic McMuffin and hot coffee bundle throughout Q4, offering a compelling bundle during the crucial morning hours. This led to notable gains in breakfast market share. McDonald’s also incentivized in-app orders and promoted the advantages of the “Ready on Arrival” offering, resulting in a 60-second reduction in wait times for curbside pickups nationwide. The result of these initiatives, and again, importantly, McDonald’s menu mix remaining quite affordable against other eating-out options, drove same-store sales growth of 9% in Fiscal 2023. Combined with McDonald’s achieving 1,547 net restaurant openings during the year, pushing its total location count to 41,822, total revenues for the year rose by 10% to $25.5 billion. Source: MCD’s 10K Filing for FY2023 Expanding Operating Margins Drove Record Profits The brilliance of McDonald’s business model lies in its ability to grow profits at a greater pace than its sales due to its royalty-based structure. With a whopping 95% of its locations operating under franchise agreements, the company makes its money mainly from royalties and the rent its franchises pay for on its properties. As same-store sales climb, McDonald’s effortlessly collects higher royalties without bearing additional expenses. Because of this, the company inherently enjoys expanding profit margins over time, helping its bottom-line growth outpace its revenue growth. Indeed, in FY2023, McDonald’s operating profit margin reached a record 45.9%, up from 44.6% last year, resulting in the company’s net income surging by 37% to $8.47 billion. Buybacks further boosted EPS, which grew by 39% to a record $11.56. Growth Catalysts Remain Robust, Justifying McDonald’s Valuation McDonald’s growth catalysts remain robust, in my view, which should translate to robust revenue growth and, as explained, even more significant earnings growth. Specifically, the company expects to continue expanding its global footprint and to reach 50,000 restaurants by 2027. This implies an acceleration to the current pace of openings. Further, McDonald’s has identified an opportunity in a $100 billion category across its top six markets: beverage-led experiences, where its core business typically underindexes. In a little less than a year, when this opportunity was identified, McDonald’s opened a pilot CosMc’s restaurant, attracting significant buzz. This single location is now based in Bolingbrook, IL, and management plans to run a 10-store test. Any contribution to revenues will be minimal in the beginning, of course. However, McDonald’s now has the opportunity to slowly build a new brand in the beverage space, which could eventually grow into a big franchise with thousands of locations. This initiative alone could make for a significant long-term sales growth tailwind on top of McDonald’s core brand. Therefore, despite McDonald’s prolonged share price rally, I believe that its bullish momentum could be very well maintained. In the meantime, the stock’s forward P/E of 22.7 appears well-justified, considering the company’s underlying earnings growth and future growth catalysts. Is MCD Stock a Buy, According to Analysts? Looking at Wall Street’s view on the stock, McDonald’s features a Moderate Buy consensus rating. This is based on 18 Buys and eight Hold ratings assigned in the past three months. At $323.24, the average  MCD stock forecast suggests 14.3% upside potential. If you’re wondering which analyst you should follow if you want to buy and sell MCD stock, the most accurate analyst covering the stock (on a one-year timeframe) is David Palmer from Evercore ISI, with an average return of 16.14% per rating and a 98% success rate. Click on the image below to learn more. The Takeaway In conclusion, McDonald’s continues to demonstrate impressive, double-digit revenue increases while posting record operating margins and earnings. With initiatives like digital ordering, menu bundling, and maintaining affordable prices, the company has been able to keep driving growing traffic in its stores and even capture market share in some categories. Management’s plan to reach 50,000 locations by 2027, as well as the potential of CosMc’s growing into a big franchise opportunity for McDonald’s, should keep boosting its financials. Thus, I can see the stock’s ongoing bullish momentum lasting, especially given that its valuation remains at rather reasonable levels. Disclosure

The tech sector has been hot and full of surprises, with overlooked companies like Dell ( NYSE:DELL ) going parabolic in what seemed like an instant. Undoubtedly, AI technology stands to benefit more than just the “Magnificent Seven” stocks. In 2024, we could see the AI wave lift the other boats navigating the rough tech seas. Therefore, let’s use TipRanks’ Comparison Tool to analyze three tech stocks (DELL, CDNS, and INTU) that could turn AI innovation into meaningful share price drivers over the next year. Analysts view each stock quite favorably at this juncture, even after their scorching-hot past-year performances. Dell Technologies ( NYSE:DELL) Dell knocked one out of the park when it reported its latest quarterly result, sending shares surging around 30% in a day. High demand for AI servers was a significant reason why Dell was able to pole-vault over expectations on the bottom line. Combined with a 20% dividend hike and upbeat (and AI-heavy) guidance for its Fiscal Year 2025, it seems like many investors are just starting to discover the AI potential to be had in the firm. I’ll admit that DELL stock was one of the names I scratched off my tech watchlist in favor of some of the bigger and more prominent players in the AI scene. Although shares of DELL have more than tripled over the past year (up 210%), they still don’t look all too expensive at 25.0 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) or 15.6 times forward P/E, especially given the magnitude of its AI tailwinds. For these reasons, I’m inclined to stay bullish on DELL, just like the analyst community. As exciting and emerging terms like edge AI, AI PCs, and neural processing units (NPUs) look to take off in 2024, Dell Technologies stock could be one of the companies next in line to capture the heart of upside-seeking investors. With its AI-capable Precision 3000 and 5000 workstations, Dell stands out as one of the major potential beneficiaries as AI begins to move from the cloud toward the edge. What Is the Price Target of DELL Stock? Dell stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 11 Buys, one Hold, and one Sell assigned in the past three months. The  average DELL stock price target of $115.77 implies 5.3% upside potential. Cadence Design Systems ( NASDAQ:CDNS) Cadence Design Systems is a far pricier play than Dell, with shares currently trading at 81.5 times trailing P/E. On the price-to-sales (P/S) front, shares look even pricier at a whopping 20.4 times P/S. Indeed, CDNS stock goes for a massive premium to the application software industry average. But Cadence is a leading intelligence system design play that’s really in a league of its own. The company’s Millenium M1 AI supercomputer system could change engineering design and complex simulations as we know them. Given how profound the AI-powered technology is, I’d argue that CDNS stock deserves every bit of its seemingly lofty multiple. As Cadence takes the AI ball and runs with it, I find it to be hard to be anything but bullish as the firm looks to bounce back from a rare quarter of subtle softness. Last month, Morgan Stanley ( NYSE:MS ) stepped up to remark on Cadence’s long-term strategy, which, it believes, is worth getting behind following the company’s latest first-quarter fumble. Morgan Stanley analyst Lee Simpson sees “momentum in chip design” continuing “into next year at least.” The bank also raised CDNS stock’s price target to a Street-high $350, up from $260. What Is the Price Target of CDNS Stock? CDNS stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with eight Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. The  average CDNS stock price target of $321.70 implies 5.1% upside potential. Intuit ( NASDAQ:INTU) Intuit stock has been coming back in a big way over the past year and change, now up over 83% from its late-2022 lows. As tax season rolls around, the top tax-prep software firm is bound to grab more attention. However, it’s the firm’s small business and self-employed offerings that stand to be the star of the show as new innovations in the field of AI are thrown into the mix. As Intuit invests in AI, its economic moat will grow even wider, and its valuation multiple could continue swelling. As shares flirt with new all-time highs, I continue to be bullish on the name. The company’s latest quarter was pretty good, with sales rising 11.3% year-over-year to $3.39 billion. QuickBooks helped Intuit power the beat, while Credit Karma was a slight drag. Moving ahead, I’d look for Intuit Assist, which is pretty much like an AI copilot for the company’s software suite, to really move the needle higher over the coming year. Combined with Intuit’s generative AI operating system (GenOS), it’s clear that Intuit’s ecosystem only stands to get more powerful from here. I’m pretty convinced Intuit is an AI stock disguised as a financial software company as the firm looks to achieve its goal of evolving into an “AI-driven expert platform.” What Is the Price Target of INTU Stock? Cadence stock is a Strong Buy, according to analysts, with 20 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. The  average INTU stock price target of $705.62 implies 7.7% upside potential. Conclusion Look for 2024 to show us that more than just mega-cap tech stars stand to gain from the AI revolution. The following trio stand out as firms that can use AI to extend their advantages in their respective markets of interest. Of the trio, I’m most pumped about Dell. It has a modest multiple and a robust position in AI PCs. Currently, though, analysts see the most upside from INTU stock. Disclosure 

Corn futures spent time on both sides of UNHC on Wednesday, with May printing a 6 ¼ cent range. At the close, old crop prices were fractionally weaker while new crop was fractionally higher. Pre-report estimates have corn sales ranging from 800k MT to 1.4 MMT for the week that...

Front month soybean futures ended the session within 2c of UNCH. The old crop prices were fractionally to 1 ¾ cents in the black and May saw a 16 ½ cent range. New crop beans were fractionally to 1 ½ cents in the red at the bell after Nov printed...

The wheat market settled with Chicago futures 1 ½ to 3 ¼ cents lower. KC futures closed 7 to 9 ¾ cents in the red on Wednesday. The July HRW/SRW spread is now to a 21 ¼ cent premium. Minneapolis spring wheat futures were 8 cents weaker at the close....

The hog market pushed lower on Wednesday, but futures were off their lows for the close. The April contract was down by $1.40 at the day’s low before settling 47 cents in the red. USDA’s National Average Afternoon Base Hog price was up by $1.08 to $78.43 on Wednesday. The...

June cattle led the rally on Wednesday with a $2.10 gain and got to within $8 of the LoC high from last fall. The other fat cattle futures were $1.25 to $1.67 stronger at the close. Nearby feeder cattle futures ended the session $1.30 to $1.90 higher with April now...

Cotton prices finished the trading session with 29 to 37 point gains in new crop, but 25 to 33 point losses in old crop. My futures printed 170 point range for the midweek session. The May/Dec spread tightened to a 10.94 cent/lb new crop discount. NASA’s Grace Rootzone soil moisture...

A slump in the price of lithium, a key raw material in electric car batteries, is dragging on China's mining of the ultralight metal which together with a costly extraction process is prompting a reassessment of output growth and new project plans.

Vaalco Energy (EGY) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.37 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.15 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.19 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurrin

Copper prices traded on the CMEGroup Exchange surged today as the market broke out of a 7-month trading range. Early indications are that the move was tied to news that Chinese smelters agreed to cut production. China is the world leader in copper imports, and the smelters process half of the copper mined worldwide. Was this move a valid breakout to higher prices or a fake-out? Seasonally, this move looks suspicious. I'll explain why in this article.

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX ) (SPY ) Wednesday closed down -0.22%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI ) (DIA ) closed up +0.10%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX ) (QQQ ) closed down -0.83%. Stocks Wednesday saw downward pressure from the +4.1 bp rise in the 10-year T-note...