Author: Adam Eckert

Microchip Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MCHP) shares are rising in extended trading Tuesday after the company raised guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2026.

• MCHP stock is gaining positive traction. Stay ahead of the curve here.

What Happened: After the market close on Tuesday, Microchip Technology updated its revenue and adjusted earnings guidance for the current quarter.

The company now expects revenue for the quarter ending Dec. 31 to come in at the high end of its previously provided guidance of $1.109 billion to $1.149 billion. The semiconductor solutions provider also said it expects adjusted earnings of approximately 40 cents per share, significantly higher than prior guidance of about two cents per share.

“With two months of the quarter behind us, our business is performing better than we expected at the time of our November 6, 2025, earnings conference call. Our bookings activity has remained strong through November with backlog filling in better than expected in the current quarter and growing nicely into the March 2026 quarter,” said Steve Sanghi, president and CEO of Microchip Technology.

The announcement comes as the company prepares to attend the UBS Global Technology and AI Conference on Wednesday.

How To Buy MCHP Stock

By now, you’re likely curious about how to participate in the market for Microchip Technology — be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

If you’re looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You’ll need access to an options trading platform or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading — either way it allows you to profit from the share price decline.

MCHP Price Action: Microchip Technology shares were up 1.90% in after-hours, trading at $57.79 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) shares are moving higher Thursday after the company reported better-than-expected financial results for the second quarter and issued strong guidance.

What Happened: Meta beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines, reporting second-quarter revenue of $47.52 billion versus estimates of $44.58 billion, and earnings of $7.14 per share versus estimates of $5.79 per share.

Second-quarter revenue was up 22% year-over-year as Family daily active people climbed 6% year-over-year. Ad impressions were up 11% year-over-year and average price per ad increased by 9%. Meta said it generated $25.56 billion in cash flow from operations and $8.55 billion of free cash flow during the quarter. 

Meta guided for third-quarter revenue in the range of $47.5 billion to $50.5 billion versus Benzinga Pro estimates of $45.87 billion. The company noted that it expects full-year 2025 expenses of $114 billion to $118 billion and full-year capital expenditures of $66 billion to $72 billion.

“We’ve had a strong quarter both in terms of our business and community. I’m excited to build personal superintelligence for everyone in the world,” said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms.

Multiple analysts raised price targets on Meta following the company’s quarterly results.

• Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $918 to $1086.

• BofA Securities analyst Justin Post maintained a Buy and raised the price target from $775 to $900.

• Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak maintained an Overweight and raised the price target from $750 to $850.

• BMO Capital analyst Brian Pitz maintained a Market Perform rating and raised the price target from $610 to $710.

META Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 11.3% at $774.00 at the time of publication Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo: Shutterstock.

Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) shares are trading higher Monday after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to Overweight.

What Happened: JPMorgan analyst Matthew Boss upgraded Nike from Neutral to Overweight and raised its price target from $64 to $93, telling clients to “just buy it” in a new note released on Monday.

Following a series of checks, the analyst firm raised its fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 estimates, citing five key takeaways.

The JPMorgan analyst said management confirmed that the company remains on track to return to a “healthy and clean” marketplace by the end of the first half of 2026 as Nike continues to take liquidation actions. Nike management is committed to achieving aligned inventory growth relative to sales growth globally, Boss said.

Wholesale orderbooks are starting to build momentum and JPMorgan expects the momentum to continue. The turnaround in orderbook growth is supported by product innovation, which suggests turnaround efforts under CEO Elliot Hill are starting to show up in a meaningful way across the business.

Boss also highlighted a 10-K filing that shows approximately $552 million of sales-related reserves increases in the second half of 2025. Management flagged the year-over-year increase as “abnormal” due to wholesale partner momentum, which would “result in a YOY tailwind to 2H26 revenue growth of at least +350bps by our estimates,” the analyst said.

The JPMorgan analyst also highlighted an operating margin expansion opportunity of more than 500 basis points through fiscal 2028 with an incremental opportunity for 200 to 300 basis points of expansion beyond 2028.

As a result, JPMorgan raised its fiscal 2025 earnings estimates from $1.07 to $1.32 and lifted its 12-month price target to $93.

“NKE is the global athletic market leader with diversification across product categories, geographies, and distribution, and we see the model at an inflection for revenue growth to re-accelerate into 2H26/FY27 following several quarters of franchise product lifecycle management & inventory liquidation headwinds,” the analyst said.

NKE Price Action: Nike shares were up 3.2% at $78.60 at the time of publication Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ:PLUG) shares are moving lower Thursday after rallying more than 25% on Wednesday. Here’s a look at what’s going on.

What To Know: Plug Power has announced that it issued a warrant for the offer and sale of up to 31.5 million shares of common stock by Yorkville, the selling stockholder.

The warrant was issued pursuant to a secured debenture purchase agreement dated April 28. The registration does not guarantee that any shares will be sold. Plug Power will not receive any proceeds from shares sold by the selling stockholder, but the company will receive proceeds related to any cash exercise of the warrant. Plug Power provided the update in a prospectus dated July 9.

The news comes after Plug shares ripped higher on Wednesday after the company announced a new multi-year enhanced supply agreement with a leading U.S.-based industrial gas company and longtime hydrogen partner. The agreement extends the companies’ strategic relationship through 2030.

“This expanded agreement supports our mission to build on our already robust and resilient hydrogen network in the U.S. As we continue to scale our applications business and build long-term partnerships with customers, reliable supply and cost efficiency are critical,” said Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug Power.

“This contract is a win for Plug, our customers, our suppliers and our margin profile. The immediate cost reduction complements our progress this year with Project Quantum Leap, focused on cost optimization and cash flow improvement.”

How To Buy PLUG Stock

Besides going to a brokerage platform to purchase a share – or fractional share – of stock, you can also gain access to shares either by buying an exchange traded fund (ETF) that holds the stock itself, or by allocating yourself to a strategy in your 401(k) that would seek to acquire shares in a mutual fund or other instrument.

For example, in Plug Power’s case, it is in the Industrials sector. An ETF will likely hold shares in many liquid and large companies that help track that sector, allowing an investor to gain exposure to the trends within that segment.

PLUG Price Action: Plug Power shares were down 4.40% at $1.70 at the time of publication Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo: courtesy of Plug Power.

Applied Digital Corp (NASDAQ:APLD) shares are trading higher again on Tuesday on what appears to be continued momentum following the company’s deal with CoreWeave Inc (NASDAQ:CRWV). Multiple analysts lifted price targets on the stock following the announcement.

What Happened: Applied Digital signed two approximately 15-year lease agreements with AI hyperscaler CoreWeave on Monday to provide 250 megawatts (MW) of critical IT load at its data center site in North Dakota.

CoreWeave holds an option to expand capacity by an additional 150 MW, bringing the total potential load to 400 MW. Applied Digital said it expects to generate approximately $7 billion in revenue over the contract period.

Applied Digital expects the first 100 MW data center to be ready for service in the fourth quarter of 2025. The second 150 MW data center facility is currently under construction and is expected to be ready for service in mid-2026. A third optional 150 MW data center is in the planning stages and would be ready for service in 2027. Applied Digital noted that it could expand the campus to up to one gigawatt of total power capacity to support additional infrastructure development.

“We believe these leases solidify Applied Digital’s position as an emerging provider of infrastructure critical to the next generation of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing,” said Wes Cummins, chairman and CEO of Applied Digital.

Applied Digital shares closed Monday up 48.5% at $10.14, according to Benzinga Pro. The stock is continuing to move higher on Tuesday. Needham maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $10 to $12, and HC Wainwright & Co. maintained a Buy and lifted its price target from $7 to $12.

It’s also worth noting that Applied Digital filed a mixed securities shelf registration and secondary offering related to the resale from time to time of up to 39.7 million shares by selling stockholders following the strong surge in shares.

APLD Price Action: Applied Digital shares were up 8.29% Tuesday, trading at $10.97 at the time of publication. Applied Digital has a 52-week high of $12.48 and a 52-week low of $3.01, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) has announced the launch of a standalone AI app that will compete with the likes of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok.

What To Know: Meta on Tuesday unveiled the Meta AI app built with Llama 4, designed to give users a more personal AI experience.

“People around the world use Meta AI daily across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. And now, people can choose to experience a personal AI designed around voice conversations with Meta AI inside a standalone app,” the company said in a blog post.

The news comes after CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in January that he believes 2025 will be the year in which a “highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant” crosses the 1 billion-user mark, CNBC reported.

“I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant,” Zuckerberg said at the start of the year.

Meta launched its AI chatbot in 2023 before adding Meta AI search functionality across its family of apps in April. Meta AI had around 700 million monthly active users as of January when Meta last reported quarterly results.

Meta is set to report results for the first quarter after the market close on Wednesday. The company is expected to report earnings of $5.28 per share and revenue of $41.39 billion, according to Benzinga Pro estimates. Investors will be watching for signs that the company’s AI investments are gaining traction after Meta announced plans to spend up to $65 billion building out AI infrastructure this year.

Meta said on Tuesday that its new AI app is designed to get to know the user, personalizing responses in a natural and seamless way. The new voice conversations feature also helps create a personalized experience by delivering a more natural voice experience trained on conversational dialogue.

“Meta AI uses Llama 4 to help you solve problems, navigate your daily questions, and better understand the world around you. With the ability to search across the web, it can help you get recommendations, deep dive on a topic, and stay connected with your friends and family. Or if you’re just looking to play around with it, we provide conversation starters to inspire your searches,” the company said.

META Price Action: Meta shares were up 0.16% at $550.65 at the time of publication Tuesday. The stock is down about 6% year-to-date, per Benzinga Pro.

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Firefly Neuroscience Inc (NASDAQ:AIFF) shares are continuing to trade higher Wednesday after rallying more than 170% on Tuesday. Here’s a look at what’s going on.

What To Know: Firefly Neuroscience shares soared on Tuesday after the company was accepted into the NVIDIA Connect program. The stock appears to be moving on continued momentum Wednesday morning.

Firefly expects to use new tools and resources provided by the program to help support a new strategic initiative to build a proprietary foundation model of the human brain using its FDA-cleared Brain Network Analytics technology platform.

Nvidia’s Connect program helps companies expand software development teams by providing software development resources, frameworks and development kits. Benefits include technical training, engineering guidance and discounts on Nvidia software and hardware products.

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“This marks the achievement of an important milestone for Firefly and comes at an extremely opportune time,” said Greg Lipschitz, executive chairman of Firefly Neuroscience.

Firefly is due to report fourth-quarter financial results later this month.

AIFF Price Action: Firefly Neuroscience shares closed Tuesday up 171%. The stock was up another 48.6% at $12.48 at the time of publication Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.

Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) shares are in the spotlight Monday ahead of earnings after the bell. Here’s what you need to know before the report.

What To Know: Palantir is scheduled to report financial results for the third quarter after the market close on Monday. Analysts are expecting the company to report earnings of 9 cents per share and revenue of $701.13 million, according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

Last quarter, Palantir beat estimates on the top and bottom lines as revenue grew 27% year-over-year, led by strength in U.S. commercial revenue. Revenue from U.S. commercial customers grew 55% year-over-year as the company’s U.S. commercial customer count jumped 83%.

Palantir guided for third-quarter revenue of $697 million to $701 million and raised its full-year revenue outlook. The company also said it expected third-quarter adjusted income from operations of $233 million to $237 million and noted that it continues to expect GAAP operating income and net income in each quarter this year. The company’s most recent quarter marked Palantir’s seventh consecutive quarter of GAAP profitability.

“Our growth across the commercial and government markets has been driven by an unrelenting wave of demand from customers for artificial intelligence systems that go beyond the merely performative and academic,” Palantir CEO Alex Karp said in a letter to shareholders last quarter.

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In a note last month, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives maintained an Outperform rating on Palantir shares and lifted the price target from $38 to $45, citing increased confidence in the company’s enterprise-driven AIP strategy.

The Wedbush analyst highlighted a series of checks suggesting that more and more enterprises are entering into discussions about the potential deployment of Palantir’s AI platform.

“With AI spending expected to ramp significantly within IT budgets in 2025, we believe the Messi of AI – Palantir is in a prime spot to continue expanding its pipeline/deal flow,” Ives said.

On the other hand, Mizuho analyst Matthew Broome maintained Palantir with an Underperform ahead of earnings, but raised the price target from $24 to $30.

PLTR Price Action: Palantir shares are up approximately 144% year-to-date. The stock was roughly flat Monday at $41.75, according to Benzinga Pro.

Photo: Shutterstock.

A pair of Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) analysts are out with positive updates ahead of the entertainment giant’s earnings report next week. The calls focused on valuation, with one analyst being notably more optimistic than the other.

What To Know: Goldman Sachs analyst Eric Sheridan maintained a neutral rating on Netflix on Monday and raised the price target from $659 to $705 ahead of earnings next week.

Sheridan remains positive on Netflix, but continued stock outperformance has raised valuation questions. Netflix has significantly outperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, up 87% versus 27% for the broader market, he said in a new note to clients.

The Goldman analyst noted that much of the outperformance is warranted given that the company remains the market leader in streaming, has made further progress on its ad-supported tier and has seen competition continue to moderate as other streaming players focus on profits over growth.

Sheridan highlighted recent third-party data showing that Netflix maintains a strong market leader position, giving the company pricing power and lower competitive intensity.

“Our Neutral rating is a factor of stock performance (NFLX shares +45% vs the SPX +20% YTD) and the forward multiple to growth already reflecting a host of positive operating cadence in 2025 and 2026 at current levels,” the Goldman Sachs analyst said.

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Sheridan is positive on Netflix, but he’s hung up on valuation. That’s where Piper Sandler, who also released a new note on Netflix on Monday, differs.

“Notably, our prior Neutral stance was centered around valuation, but now, we appreciate the company is expensive for a reason,” Piper Sandler analyst Matt Farrell said in a new note.

Piper Sandler upgraded Netflix from Neutral to Overweight and raised the price target from $650 to $800 to reflect the company’s clear leadership in the streaming space.

Farrell believes positive earnings revisions could be on the horizon as Netflix’s ad-tier business has been de-risked. The analyst also said the company still has levers it can pull in its ads-free business, particularly around pricing. He further noted that consensus estimates for margins could prove to be conservative.

Netflix is due to report third-quarter financial results after the market close on Oct. 17. The company is expected to report earnings of $5.11 per share on revenue of $9.762 billion, according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

The Piper Sandler analyst highlighted recent channel checks showing that streaming now represents about 41% of all television viewing in the U.S. According to Farrell, Netflix has about 20% share of streaming viewership and about 8% share of overall television viewing.

“As the pivot to streaming continues, we expect the company to maintain its leadership position, particularly as it adds more and more live content,” the analyst said.

NFLX Price Action: Netflix shares were down 1.76% at $707.00 at the time of publication Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Palantir Technologies Inc (NYSE:PLTR) shares climbed 10% over the last week as the stock continues to make new 52-week highs.

What To Know: Palantir shares traded below the $21 level near the start of the month as broader markets sold off, but the stock began moving higher after the company reported better-than-expected financial results for the second quarter and raised guidance.

Palantir’s total revenue was up 27% year-over-year, driven by a 55% year-over-year increase in U.S. commercial revenue. The company’s customer count grew 41% year-over-year and 7% on a quarter-over-quarter basis.

The momentum continued in the days following the print as several analysts lifted price targets on the AI data stock. Palantir shares then hit new 52-week highs on the back of multiple new deals, which kept the momentum rolling.

Palantir recently announced a partnership with Wendy’s Quality Supply Chain Co-op (QSCC) to accelerate digital transformation, AI adoption and operational decision making.

Palantir also announced an advancement of its partnership with Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) that will allow the two companies to bring some of the most sophisticated and secure cloud, AI and analytics capabilities to the U.S. Defense and Intelligence Community.

Palantir and Microsoft will offer an integrated suite of technology, allowing national security agencies to operationalize Microsoft’s Large Language Models (LLMs) via Azure OpenAI Service within Palantir’s AIP in Microsoft’s government and classified cloud environments.

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On Monday, LifeWallet announced new subscription licensing through its partnership with Palantir. The company will utilize the Palantir Foundry platform for the development of a sophisticated data analytics system that captures and manages healthcare data.

It’s worth noting that Palantir stock has been trending across various social sites as the stock continues to rally. In a recent poll of Benzinga readers, Palantir was picked over four other non-Mag 7 AI stocks as the most likely company to outperform over the coming year. Palantir also showed up on Benzinga’s “Stock Whisper” Index last week.

PLTR Price Action: Palantir shares were hovering around 52-week highs at last check, trading roughly flat at $32.01 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro.

Photo: Shutterstock.