Author: Priya Nigam

Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) shares tanked in early trading on Friday after the company reported mixed fiscal fourth-quarter results on Thursday.

• Follow the breaking news on DIS stock here.

Here are some key analyst takeaways:

• Rosenblatt Securities analyst Barton Crockett reiterated a Buy rating, while cutting the price target from $141 to $130.
• Needham analyst Laura Martin maintained a Buy rating and price target of $125.
• Guggenheim Securities analyst Michael Morris reaffirmed a Buy rating and price target of $140.
• Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng reiterated a Buy rating and price target of $152.

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Rosenblatt Securities: Walt Disney’s revenues remained almost flat year-on-year, coming in at $22.5 billion, short of expectations, Crockett said. Pro forma earnings contracted 3% year-on-year to $1.11 per share, but were higher than Rosenblatt’s estimate of nine cents per share, he added.

“The company’s core strength is durable parks,” the analyst wrote. Although revenue growth at six domestic parks slowed to 6.1%, from 10% in the previous quarter, international parks accelerated to 10%, from 6% in the fiscal third quarter, he stated.

Needham: Walt Disney reported mixed results, with revenues missing estimates and earnings coming in higher, Martin said in a note. Management issued “weak” guidance for the December quarter, she added.

Walt Disney’s growth is “tied to” expansion in Cruise Ships and Theme Park, which implies “higher capital intensity going forward,” the analyst wrote. While Theme Park bookings are up 3% for the December quarter, Cruise Ships could generate strong new revenue growth from Disney Destiny, to be launched on Nov. 20, Disney Adventure, planned for launch in March 2026, and five new ships beyond fiscal 2026, she further stated.

Guggenheim Securities: Walt Disney reported its total revenues 1% below Street expectations, Morris said. Although the miss is small, it is relevant, “given intense investor focus on demand and consumer trends,” he added.

The analyst lowered the segment operating income forecast from $5.3 billion to $4.7 billion, mainly due to “higher cruise-related expenses, tough political advertising comps, increased marketing expense ahead of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and slower than previously forecast DTC SVOD margin growth.” Management reiterated their projection of double-digit earnings growth in fiscal 2026 and 2027, he further stated.

Goldman Sachs: Walt Disney’s direct-to-consumer earnings in the fiscal fourth quarter and outlook for the fiscal first quarter missed expectations, Ng said. Entertainment revenues came in at $10.21 billion, missing consensus of $10.44 billion, he added.

The company’s cash content outlook of $24 billion, combined with the SVOD (subscription video on demand) EBIT margin outlook of 10%, “implies less operating leverage and the need to invest more to drive growth than we expected,” the analyst stated.

DIS Price Action: Shares of Walt Disney had declined by 0.88% to $106.63 at the time of publication on Friday.

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DTE Energy Co (NYSE:DTE) is set to report quarterly results on October 23, but analysts see limited upside, with Scotiabank’s Andrew Weisel downgrading the stock from Outperform to Sector Perform and setting a $147 price target.

The DTE Energy Thesis: “Investors are less interested in defensive stocks like DTE in today’s risk-on macro environment,” Weisel said in the downgrade note.

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The company continued to project 6%-8% earnings growth, which is faster than peers, due to the OBBB extending RNG tax credits through 2029, the analyst stated.

He added, however, that investors were disappointed by DTE Energy not raising its guidance.

While the Michigan regulatory environment is “better than most investors appreciate,” the state has lagged in terms of data center customers, which is likely to have weighed on sentiment, Weisel wrote. He recommended the stock for investors with longer-term investment horizons.

DTE Price Action: Shares of DTE Energy had risen by 0.78% to $140.36 at the time of publication on Friday.

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Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) is gearing up to report its fiscal fourth quarter results on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Here are some analyst projections:

• JPMorgan analyst Harlan Sur maintained an Overweight rating and price target of $185.
• Rosenblatt Securities analyst Kevin Cassidy reaffirmed a Buy rating and price target of $200.

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JPMorgan: Micron Technology preannounced results last month. The firm reported upside to revenue, gross margin, and earnings. The upside was primarily driven by better-than-expected pricing across various end-markets, including AI-datacenter, smartphone, and personal computers.

The company is likely to announce its November quarter guidance “solidly ahead of expectations,” given the favorable pricing environment and robust bit demand, Sur said. “Upward pressure on NAND pricing due to tightening S-D dynamics we think also provides an additional upside lever to margins in the near term,” he further wrote.

Rosenblatt Securities: Micron Technology could report a “modest” beat to its preannounced results, Cassidy said. The outlook for the November quarter may come in much higher than consensus estimates of $11.8 billion in revenues and non-GAAP earnings of $3.00 per share, he added.

The company is poised to benefit from “constrained DRAM and NAND Flash wafer supply through 2026, alongside accelerating demand from AI workloads,” the analyst wrote. He expects sustained datacenter growth from AI server demand, a recovery in the PC market as AI moves to the edge and rising mobile memory demand from AI-enabled phone adoption.

MU Price Action: Shares of Micron Technology had declined by 4.69% to $160.97 at the time of publication on Friday.

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As global food producers navigate fluctuating costs and shifting consumer demands, companies like Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (NYSE:LW) are under pressure to adapt quickly. With the industry experiencing both challenges and opportunities, investors are keenly watching earnings reports for signs of resilience and growth potential.

Lamb Weston is scheduled to report earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The company is likely to report an earnings beat, driven by gross margin, and the current estimates for the fiscal second quarter appear “too low,” according to JPMorgan.

The Lamb Weston Holdings Analyst: Analyst Thomas Palmer maintained a Neutral rating on the stock.

The Lamb Weston Holdings Thesis: The company’s earnings beats of 25% in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2025 had driven the stock higher by 10%, Palmer said in the note.

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He added, however, that the stock has risen by 13% over the past two months, suggesting that the potential upside for the first quarter is “at least partially reflected” in the current share price.

“We do not necessarily think LW is totally out of the woods on its margin pressures – not when price concessions are likely for 1/3 of customer contracts that will be renegotiated for CY26,” the analyst wrote.

The worst headwinds to Lamb Weston Holdings’ sales and margins seem to be in the rearview mirror, he further stated.

LW Price Action: Lamb Weston Hldgs shares were up 2.39% at $57.43 at the time of publication on Tuesday. The stock is trading within its 52-week range of $47.87 to $83.98, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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The latest CIOs survey indicates that most companies plan to “buy AI agents from app providers rather than custom building their own agents,” JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy said in a note.

Ratings maintained ahead of fiscal second-quarter results:

• DocuSign Inc (NASDAQ:DOCU) at Neutral
• UiPath Inc (NYSE:PATH) at Overweight

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The DocuSign Preview: While DocuSign surpassed revenue growth expectations last quarter, its billings fell short, which was “attributed to the implementation of go-to-market adjustments,” Murphy said. “We are looking for datapoints that last quarter’s billings-related misstep was an anomaly,” he wrote.

There is uncertainty around the fiscal 2026 guidance, given the volatile macro environment, the analyst stated. Positive commentary is expected around customer traction for DocuSign’s Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM) offering, he further stated.

Docusign.net indicates a 7% sequential decline in unique visitor traffic for desktop and mobile combined, which represents a deceleration from the 2% decline and 4% growth in the second quarters of fiscal 2025 and 2024, respectively, Murphy said.

The UiPath Preview: Positive aspects such as operational improvements, AI-related investments, pipeline health, customer wins and early feedback on its Agentic solutions may be offset by ongoing volatility in the macro and policy environment and dampened investor sentiment regarding the impact of AI to incumbent software companies, the analyst stated.

“We will also be monitoring progress and traction with UiPath’s AI and Agentic suite of solutions, though we note that it will take time for the company to scale bookings with the new products and would not expect meaningful impact to revenue or ARR in the nearer-term as a result,” he further wrote.

DOCU, PATH Price Action: Shares of Docusign had risen by 2.24% to $75.72 at the time of publication on Wednesday, while UiPath’s stock had declined by 0.60% to $10.84.

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Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) is scheduled to report its fiscal second-quarter results on Wednesday.

Of the 27 data points collected on the company, 85% are positive this quarter versus 50% in the previous quarter, according to Citizens JMP Securities.

The Snowflake Analyst: Analyst Patrick Walravens reiterated a Market Outperform rating and price target of $260.

The Snowflake Thesis: Snowflake guided to product revenue growth of 25% for the quarter, representing a sequential deceleration from 26%, which requires “only a 2% beat to drive acceleration compared to the 5% beat last quarter,” Walravens said in the note.

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A report published by the MIT Networked Agents and Decentralized AI (NANDA) initiative suggests that there is widespread adoption of tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, but “even more widespread (95%) failure to achieve measurable P&L impact,” the analyst wrote. This is mainly because most GenAI systems do not learn, he added.

The company addresses a huge opportunity that is expected to more than double to $355 billion in 2029, from $170 billion in 2024 and the TAM (total addressable market) is large enough for both Snowflake and its rival Databricks, Walravens further stated.

SNOW Price Action: Shares of Snowflake is flat at $194.50 at the time of publication on Tuesday.

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As the digital landscape continues to evolve, companies specializing in identity management are becoming increasingly critical to organizational security. This shift sets the stage for Okta Inc.’s (NASDAQ:OKTA) anticipated financial disclosures, with market analysts closely watching for signs of growth and resilience.

Okta is scheduled to report its second-quarter results for fiscal 2026 on Tuesday. The company is likely to report “solid” results for the quarter, according to Truist Securities.

The Okta Analyst: Analyst Junaid Siddiqui upgraded the rating from Hold to Buy, while raising the price target from $100 to $125.

The Okta Thesis: The company appears to be nearing the end of its headwinds from seat count and GTM changes, which could abate in the second half of the year, Siddiqui said in the upgrade note.

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Okta has achieved “deeper penetration” in its $ 100,000+ accounts, which indicates that its all-in-one identity platform is “resonating with customers,” he added.

“We believe Okta is well-positioned to consolidate the identity security market because of their large installed base, their ubiquity within organizations as the leading SSO/MFA vendor, and penetration downmarket, where organizations are more likely to consolidate onto a single platform over choosing best of breed,” the analyst wrote.

There could be further traction in IGA and PAM and further upside from Agentic AI, he stated.

OKTA Price Action: Okta shares were down 0.02% at $92.03 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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When a company consistently hits its targets, what happens when expectations are set even higher? As Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB) prepares to reveal its second-quarter results, analysts are quietly optimistic about a surprise performance that could sway investors’ views.

Airbnb is likely to post “a modest beat” in its second-quarter results, given third-party data and stable nights growth reported by Booking Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:BKNG), according to BofA Securities.

The Airbnb Analyst: Analyst Justin Post reaffirmed a Neutral rating and price target of $146.

The Airbnb Thesis: Booking reported a sequential acceleration of 50 basis points (bps) in year-on-year nights growth, Post said in the note.

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How Airbnb’s Experiences Feature Could Boost Growth

While the Street estimates for second-quarter nights booked to show growth of 6.8%, which reflects a sequential deceleration of 1 percentage point, “we think 1pt of upside is possible,” he added.

Street estimates assume 7% bookings growth to $22.7 billion and 10% revenue growth to $3.03 billion, which Airbnb is likely to meet or beat, the analyst stated.

Surprising Trends: Nights Booked And Revenue Insights

Any quantifiable progress that management reports for the Airbnb Experiences app that was launched in May “could be positive for the stock,” he further wrote.

The recent analyst actions for ABNB depict a mixed sentiment among top-tier financial institutions. While UBS has shown a slightly positive outlook by maintaining a neutral rating and raising its target to $156.00, other firms like Morgan Stanley, Barclays, and Wells Fargo have maintained an underweight rating with relatively lower target prices. Truist Securities has shown the most bearish outlook by downgrading the stock to sell and lowering its target price.

ABNB Price Action: Airbnb shares were up 0.98% at $129.27 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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As Penguin Solutions (NASDAQ:PENG) prepares to unveil its fiscal third-quarter results on Tuesday, market watchers are bracing for a pivotal moment that could shape the company’s trajectory for the remainder of the year.

The company is likely to report its results broadly in line with expectations, with a low-teens sequential decline in revenue, according to Stifel.

The Penguin Solutions Analyst: Analyst Brian Chin reaffirmed a Buy rating and price target of $27.

The Penguin Solutions Thesis: The Advanced Computing segment is expected to grow by more than 20% in fiscal 2025, driven by customer and product expansion as well as the company’s “expanded go-to-market strategy, Chin said in the note.

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“If further upside were to materialize, we suspect it could come from Integrated Memory given strength in pricing and signs of some +demand inflection,” he wrote.

Penguin Solutions could report revenues of $325.0 million and earnings of 31 cents per share, versus a consensus of $328.1 million and 32 cents per share, respectively, the analyst stated.

The company could project top- and bottom-line of $345.0 million and 33 cents per share for the fiscal fourth quarter, versus current consensus of $339.0 million and 30 cents per share, respectively, he added.

PENG Price Action: Penguin Solutions shares were up 1.05% at $21.09 at the time of publication Monday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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The wait for a turnaround in Nike Inc’s (NYSE:NKE) business is not over, as analysts expect trends to remain challenging in the near term.

The Nike Analyst: Analyst Tom Nikic maintained a Buy rating, while reducing the price target from $75 to $66.

The Nike Thesis: While there is modest upside to the company’s fourth-quarter earnings, it is due to conservative guidance, Nikic said in the note.

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Street expectations for Nike’s performance in fiscal 2026 appear “too high,” he added.

Tariffs could lower the company’s gross margin by 200-250 basis points, translating to a negative impact of 50 cents per share to earnings, the analyst stated.

“While we believe that last year’s change in leadership will eventually lead to brighter days for Nike, the company still has a lot of work to do to reignite brand heat and clean up the marketplace,” he further wrote.

NKE Price Action: Shares of Nike had risen by 0.53% to $60.32 at the time of publication on Wednesday.

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