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Analysts expect Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) to report third-quarter revenue of $25.9 billion when the company reports third-quarter financial results on Wednesday, Nov. 20 before the market opens.

That’s up from $25.4 billion in last year’s third quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The Minneapolis-based company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in six of the last eight quarters and seven of the last 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect Target to report third-quarter earnings per share of $2.30 — up from $2.10 in last year’s third quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates in six of the last seven quarters and six of the last 10 quarters overall.

Guidance from Target calls for third-quarter comparable sales to be up 0% to 2% year-over-year. The company also guided for third-quarter earnings per share to be in the range of $2.10 to $2.40.

Target raised its full-year guidance after second-quarter results with earnings per share of $9.00 to $9.70 now expected, up from a prior range of $8.60 to $9.60.

Read Also: How To Earn $500 A Month From Target Stock Ahead Of Q3 Earnings

Key Items to Watch

Target visitor traffic was up 1% year-over-year, per data from Placer.ai. It outpaced retail rival Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT), which had 0.9% visitor growth year-over-year.

The Placer.ai report also sheds some light on upcoming trends to watch for Target and how the company’s guidance could factor into the holiday season. Target saw the biggest weekly holiday visits boost of the tracked retail chains, with foot traffic up 87.3% the week before Christmas compared to the company’s weekly average.

Walmart, by comparison, saw a 39.6% increase in its weekly average visitors for the week before Christmas last year.

“Digging deeper into historical data suggests that it is Target that is primed to experience the busiest holiday season of the analyzed chains,” Placer.ai said.

Target also saw the biggest spike of the tracked retailers for the weekly visitor growth for the week of Turkey Wednesday and Black Friday, with visits up 18.9% compared to the company’s weekly average.

“With recent visits to Target on par with — or slightly above — last year’s levels, the retail giant is likely poised to win the holidays once again.”

Along with guidance and commentary on the holiday shopping season, another area to watch in Target’s report will be same-day delivery services. The company reported a double-digit increase in this segment in the second quarter.

Sales by segment could also be an area to watch with Target saying apparel and discretionary sales were strong in the second quarter.

Target’s quarterly results come one day after Walmart reported third-quarter results. Walmart reported revenue and earnings per share that came in ahead of Street consensus estimates. The retailers also raised its guidance.

The strong quarterly report from Walmart could be a positive for Target heading into the earnings report as it could signal the strength of the American consumer. The key will be making sure that Walmart didn’t end up taking market share away from Target as a result.

Price Action: Target stock is down 1% to $155.37 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $128.37 to $181.86. Target stock is up 8.6% year-to-date in 2024.

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Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) continues to make waves in the AI space, showcasing its latest innovations at the Ignite conference in Chicago.

From expanding its strategic alliance with ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) to unveiling new AI agents, Microsoft is doubling down on its AI-driven vision.

Yet, while its tech developments shine, MSFT stock’s technical indicators paint a different picture.

See Also: Bytedance Valuation Soars To $300B Despite Threat Of US TikTok Ban

AI Agents: Redefining Enterprise Efficiency

Microsoft’s push into advanced AI agents goes beyond traditional chatbots. The Interpreter for Teams offers real-time voice translations, even simulating the user’s voice, while the Employee Self-Service Agent simplifies HR and IT queries. With tools like Azure AI Foundry SDK, Microsoft empowers companies to build bespoke AI solutions, embedding automation across workflows.

This partnership with ServiceNow integrates Copilot AI agents to streamline front-office operations, signaling Microsoft’s ambition to dominate enterprise AI.

Nearly 70% of Fortune 500 companies now use Microsoft 365 Copilot, cementing its foothold in the corporate world.

Read Also: Renaissance Technologies Shifts Gears: Microsoft In, Tesla Out, Palantir On Top

Bearish Signals Cloud MSFT Stock

Despite its tech strides, Microsoft’s stock technicals suggest a bearish short-term outlook.

Chart created using Benzinga Pro

Microsoft stock, at $415.76, lies below its eight-day, 20-day, and 50-day simple moving averages, signaling downward pressure and bearish momentum over the short, medium and long term.

Momentum indicators like the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) at a negative 0.68 and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 46.01 further confirm the bearish sentiment.

However, slight buying pressure suggests cautious optimism among investors banking on Microsoft’s AI success.

Building The AI Ecosystem

Microsoft’s hardware announcements, including the Microsoft 365 Link, and its collaboration with Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) for Blackwell-powered GB200 servers, showcase its commitment to AI infrastructure.

With cutting-edge tools for cybersecurity like the Security Exposure Management platform and Data Loss Prevention for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft is addressing both innovation and risks in AI-driven enterprises.

The Verdict

While Microsoft faces technical headwinds, Microsoft’s long-term AI strategy remains robust. Its Copilot ecosystem, enterprise partnerships, and growing AI adoption position it as a key player in the tech industry.

The big question is whether Wall Street’s optimism in AI will outweigh the short-term bearish trends for Microsoft stock.

Investors may need to weigh the current technical challenges against the company’s AI-driven growth story before deciding their next move.

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Image: Shutterstock

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) analysts expect the technology giant to report third-quarter revenue of $33.12 billion on Wednesday, Nov. 20 after market close.

That’s up from $18.12 billion in last year’s third quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in eight straight quarters and nine of the last 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect third-quarter earnings per share of 75 cents. That’s up from 40 cents per share in last year’s third quarter. The company beat analyst estimates for earnings per share in seven straight quarters and eight of the last 10 quarters.

Guidance from the company calls for third-quarter revenue to be $32.5 billion plus or minus 2%.

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Here’s a look at what several Nvidia analysts are saying ahead of Wednesday’s financial results:

• Truist analyst William Stein maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $148 to $167.
• KeyBanc analyst John Vinh maintained an Overweight rating with a $180 price target.
• Rosenblatt analyst Hans Mosesmann maintained a Buy rating with a $200 price target.
• Morgan Stanley analyst Joseph Moore maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $150 to $160.

Truist: Data supports upside to Nvidia earnings with a significant backlog, Stein said in a new investor note.

Investors should buy Nvidia stock into earnings with the expectation that the company will beat third-quarter estimates and provide upside to fourth-quarter guidance, Stein says.

“We raise our estimates based on higher growth expectations in the Datacenter end market,” he added.

The company is likely already working with suppliers, partners and customers to fix overheating issues.

“While we expect to hear Blackwell called out as a revenue generator in both CQ3 and ramping in CQ4, we believe any slippage in Blackwell will be replaced with Hopper, offering downside protection on revenue,” Stein said.

Two key items to watch in Nvidia’s earnings call are physical AI like robotics and data processing, Stein added.

KeyBanc: Supply constraints could limit the near-term upside for Nvidia stock, Vinh said in a new investor note.

“We expect NVDA to report strong F3Q results, which will solidly beat, driven by strong demand for Hopper, and guide F4Q modestly above consensus expectations,” Vinh said.

The analyst lowers fourth-quarter estimates due to supply constraints and several other items.

“While the lack of more meaningful upside could pressure NVDA NT (near term), we still see favorable risk/reward LT (long term) driven by outsized gen AI growth.”

Hopper orders are getting pushed out according to supply chain checks, Vinh said. The analyst said pressure in China to use domestica AI solutions could also contribute to Hopper orders getting pushed out.

Rosenblatt: The technology giant could provide upside to third-quarter estimates and fourth-quarter guidance, Mosesmann said in a new investor note.

“Expecting a beat-n-raise on continued data center strength,” Mosesmann said.

Hopper’s continued strength could show up in the quarterly results as the company transitions to the Blackwell ramp.

“The setup into 2025 is positive with a Blackwell ramp set to eclipse Hopper and resilient to unit share losses to AMD and ASIC accelerator players Broadcom and Marvell.”

Mosesmann said Nvidia will likely report strong growth for the Data Center segment. Strength could also show through in the company’s networking products, Mosesmann added.

Morgan Stanley: Moore raises Nvidia second-quarter estimates, but said he is keeping near-term expectations for the company in check due to supply constraints.

“We expect another very good quarter, but we think the bigger upward revisions happen later in the year,” Moore said.”

The analyst said commentary that Blackwell demand is “insane” is tough to understand with the ongoing supply constraints.

“Demand signals show no signs of moderating, and while it’s hard to calibrate exact amount of upside we expect to maintain recent trends.”

Price Action: Nvidia stock is up 2% to $143.35 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $45.01 to $149.77. Nvidia stock is up 197.6% year-to-date in 2024.

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Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	80.18	0.24	0.30	1.1K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	96.26	0.27	0.28	9.9K
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	215.80	0.39	0.18	1.8K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLB)	Materials Select Sector SPDR	91.33	-0.66	-0.72	775
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	138.06	-0.86	-0.62	31.2K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	49.76	-0.26	-0.52	137.7K
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	43.17	-0.19	-0.44	624
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	141.53	-0.41	-0.29	7.2K
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	95.95	-0.14	-0.15	221
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	80.51	-0.01	-0.02	2.6K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	229.42	-0.03	-0.02	13.3K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alert provides traders with a compiled way to read macro-level market trends. Investors garner a particular interest in sector movers to better determine sectors that are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

For more information on sector movers, click here.

Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) could serve as a bellwether for the health of U.S. consumers when the company reports third-quarter financial results on Tuesday, Nov. 19 before the market opens.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Walmart to report third-quarter revenue of $167.72 billion, up from $160.8 billion in last year’s third quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Walmart has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in more than 10 straight quarters.

Analysts expect the company to report third-quarter earnings per share of 53 cents, up from 51 cents per share in last year’s third quarter. Walmart has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in three straight quarters.

Over the last 10 quarters, Walmart has beaten analyst earnings per share estimates eight times, met estimates one time and missed only one time.

Guidance from the company calls for third-quarter revenue to be in the range of $164.58 billion to $166.17 billion and earnings per share to be in a range of 51 cents to 52 cents per share.

What Analysts Are Saying: Discretionary and consumable trends could be steady for retailers in the third quarter, BMO Capital analyst Kelly Bania said in a new investor note.

The analyst maintained an Outperform rating on Walmart. Bania also raised the price target from $80 to $100 ahead of the earnings report.

Walmart is showing strong U.S. comparable sales and posting an earnings per share beat, Bania said.

“We continue to believe WMT’s decade of omni-channel investments are the early stages of paying off and believe WMT should remain a core holding,” she added.

Walmart could show strong market share gains in the grocery category along with improvement in discretionary and general merchandise, Bania said, adding that “share gains are coming across all income cohorts.”

Bania estimates that Walmart’s U.S. grocery sales are up 38% since 2019.

“We believe WMT’s share price remains attractive for a global retailer with difficult-to-replicate scale.”

The analyst said Walmart’s valuation can move higher with a consistency of earnings growth in coming years.

Freedom Capital Markets Chief Global Strategist Jay Woods highlighted Walmart stock having one of its best performances in more than 25 years with shares up 60% year-to-date and trading near all-time highs ahead of the earnings report.

“Shares have climbed higher after earnings after eight of the last 10 reports and has an average move of +/- 3.8%,” Woods said in a weekly newsletter.

Woods said it “will be interesting” to see if analysts raise their price targets after the third quarter earnings report.

Key Items to Watch: Walmart reported global e-commerce sales were up 21% year-over-year in the second quarter, helped by store-fulfilled pickup and delivery. The third quarter results could show if investments in e-commerce and order fulfillment continue to pay off.

Advertising is another area to watch with global advertising up 26% year-over-year in the second quarter.

“Our newer businesses like marketplace, advertising, and membership, are also contributing, diversifying our profits and reinforcing the resilience of our business model,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said after second quarter results.

Walmart’s third-quarter results come one day before Target Corporation reports quarterly results. Several large retail and e-commerce stocks could be under pressure after Walmart’s report.

Price Action: Walmart stock is down 0.2% to $84.06 on Monday versus a 52-week trading range of $49.85 to $85.79. Walmart stock is up 58.3% year-to-date in 2024.

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Image: Shutterstock

IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) shares are trading lower Monday, pulling back after rallying in recent weeks. Here’s what you need to know.

What To Know: IonQ shares are up more than 60% since the start of the month, and have more than doubled since the start of the year. The stock opened lower Monday and quickly traded down from around $28.50 to around $22.30 before bouncing and leveling off between $24 and $25 per share.

IonQ shares really took off after the company reported quarterly financials near the start of November. IonQ reported third-quarter revenue of $12.4 million, beating analyst expectations of $10.56 million. The company posted a loss of 24 cents per share, versus an expected loss of 21 cents per share, according to Benzinga Pro.

The company’s quarterly report was accompanied by a series of partnerships and contract announcements, including a $54.5 million contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Lab and the creation of a new quantum application development center in collaboration with AstraZeneca.

Following the report, several analysts raised price targets on IonQ, which helped shares sustain positive momentum throughout the week. The company also announced that it was issued five new U.S. patents, covering advancements in quantum computing across multiple industries and applications.

IonQ shares briefly saw some buyers come into the name in afternoon trading on Monday after the company demonstrated a hybrid quantum computing workflow using the NVIDIA Inc. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CUDA-Q platform and its quantum hardware.

IonQ and Nvidia presented the application workflow together at SC24. The companies believe the new approaches have potential relevance in many chemistry-focused commercial applications.

“IonQ is building on its approach of accelerating AI, scientific compute, and other supercomputing workloads with quantum hardware – enabling entirely new ways to approach previously unsolvable problems,” said Dean Kassmann, SVP of Engineering & Technology at IonQ.

“Today’s molecular modeling demonstration illustrates why CUDA-Q is a great platform for achieving seamless integration and top-tier performance with our leading quantum hardware.”

IonQ Price Action: IonQ shares were down 15.4% at $24.66 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Image Via Shutterstock.

U.S. stock futures were mixed this morning, with the Dow futures falling more than 100 points on Monday.

Shares of Neurogene Inc. (NASDAQ:NGNE) fell sharply in today’s pre-market trading after the company announced it brought its high-dose gene therapy trial to a halt after a serious adverse event in a Rett syndrome patient.

Neurogene shares declined 37.7% to $21.50 in the pre-market trading session.

Here are some other stocks moving lower in pre-market trading.

• Rezolve AI Limited (NASDAQ:RZLV) shares tumbled 16.1% to $2.29 in pre-market trading after dipping over 20% on Friday.
• Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) shares dipped 12.3% to $4.43 in pre-market trading after gaining around 9% on Friday. Kingsoft Cloud will release its unaudited financial results for the third quarter before the opening bell on Nov. 19.
• Luminar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAZR) tumbled 9.3% to $0.8890 in today’s pre-market trading after declining around 5% on Friday.
• Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ:OMER) shares fell 7% to $6.28 in pre-market trading.
• CompoSecure, Inc. (NASDAQ:CMPO) shares declined 5.9% to $13.00 in pre-market trading.
• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) shares fell 5.4% to $266.21 in pre-market trading following a 4% decline on Friday.
• Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) shares fell 5% to $11.80 in pre-market trading after jumping 21% on Friday.
• ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) shares fell 4% to $3.67 in pre-market trading.
• NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares fell 2.4% to $138.51 in pre-market trading after declining more than 3% on Friday.

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Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) will release earnings results for its fourth quarter, before the opening bell on Monday, Nov. 18.

Analysts expect the South San Francisco, California-based bank to report a quarterly loss at 69 cents per share, versus a year-ago loss of 75 cents per share. Twist Bioscience projects to report revenue of $82.66 million for the recent quarter, compared to $66.95 million a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

On Oct. 22, Twist Bioscience entered into royalty purchase agreement with xOMA Royalty for $15 million in cash.

Twist Bioscience shares fell 5.3% to close at $36.89 on Friday.

Benzinga readers can access the latest analyst ratings on the Analyst Stock Ratings page. Readers can sort by stock ticker, company name, analyst firm, rating change or other variables.

Let’s have a look at how Benzinga’s most-accurate analysts have rated the company in the recent period.

• JP Morgan analyst Tycho Peterson maintained an Underweight rating and raised the price target from $28 to $35 on Aug. 5. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 77%.
• Baird analyst Catherine Ramsey maintained an Outperform rating and raised the price target from $40 to $46 on Aug. 5. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 78%.
• Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Sykes maintained a Buy rating and increased the price target from $45 to $55 on July 9. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 64%.
• TD Cowen analyst Steven Mah maintained a Buy rating and raised the price target from $55 to $65 on June 13. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 64%.

Considering buying TWST stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	216.0500	2.61	1.22	1.1K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	95.1000	0.37	0.39	23.3K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	49.9100	0.04	0.08	80.4K
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	80.0103	0.05	0.06	28.5K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	42.82	-0.16	-0.38	841
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	79.11	-0.14	-0.18	9.6K
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	138.90	-0.21	-0.16	437
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	141.65	-0.19	-0.14	16.4K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	228.70	-0.01	-0.01	21.2K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alerts can help traders understand macro-level market trends. Traders often look for sector movers to provide high-level analysis on which sectors are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

To read more about sector movers, click here.

Some large European and U.S. vaccine maker stocks have fallen in reaction to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy has been known to be against vaccines and has a track record of making false claims about vaccines, including the debunked idea that they cause autism. Scientific studies have debunked this theory.

Also, given his critical stance on mainstream medical practices and vaccines, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) employees are worried about Kennedy being in charge.

Kennedy, who received Trump’s blessing to “go wild on health,” has stated intentions to overhaul various aspects of the federal health agencies.

In a post on social media, Kennedy said, “Together we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

On Friday, the World Health Organization also defended vaccines describing them as “absolutely critical” to global health, adding that many people alive today would not have survived childhood without them.

European vaccine player stocks declined, including GSK Plc (NYSE:GSK), Valneva SE (NASDAQ:VALN), AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ:AZN), BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX), and Sanofi SA (NASDAQ:SNY).

GSK stock fell after the company reported lower third-quarter sales, which was impacted by an 18% decline in vaccine sales.

COVID-19 vaccine players Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA), Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE), and BioNTech stock gained when the third quarter earnings surpassed estimates on increased vaccine demand.

Other vaccine players’ stocks that are down include Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ:INO).

Price Action: GSK stock is down 3.88% at $33.06, BNTX stock is down 5.18%, VALN stock is down 4.24%, AZN stock is down 2.08%, MRK stock is down 3.28%, INO stock is down 9.85% at last check Friday.

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