Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) is gearing up to report second-quarter earnings this week. Investors will be watching for any signs of a turnaround given the planemaker’s dismal performance year-to-date.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the print.

What To Know: Boeing is set to report financial results for the second quarter before the market opens on Wednesday. Analysts are anticipating a quarterly loss of $1.76 per share and revenue of $17.266 billion, according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

Boeing shares have been under pressure this year as the company has faced increased scrutiny ever since a door plug blew out of a 737 Max 9 plane midflight in early January. A series of subsequent flight incidents followed, keeping the attention on Boeing.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said he will step down by the end of the year, given all the challenges the company faced under his leadership.

Last quarter, Boeing beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines as the company took comprehensive actions in its commercial business to strengthen quality and safety in response to the flight incidents.

“Our first quarter results reflect the immediate actions we’ve taken to slow down 737 production to drive improvements in quality,” Calhoun said at the time.

“We will take the time necessary to strengthen our quality and safety management systems and this work will position us for a stronger and more stable future.”

See Also: Will Powell Hint At September Rate Cut? What Major US Investment Banks Expect From Fed Meeting

Boeing already reported second-quarter deliveries. The company said it delivered 70 737 jets in the quarter, bringing total deliveries of the 737 up to 137 year-to-date. Boeing also delivered six 767s, seven 777s and nine 787s in the second quarter.

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs issued a note calling for improved deliveries and production rates from Boeing moving into the back half of the year. The analyst firm noted recent feedback from suppliers suggested the company was keeping up with its delivery targets.

The S&P also laid out expectations in recent weeks for Boeing production and deliveries to increase in the second half of the year, according to headlines from Benzinga Pro. Boeing said last week that it resumed deliveries of the 737 Max to China.

Here’s a look at other recent analyst changes leading up to Boeing’s second-quarter results:

• Baird analyst Peter Arment maintained Boeing with an Outperform and lowered the price target from $300 to $240.

• Bernstein analyst Douglas Harned maintained Boeing with an Outperform and lowered the price target from $230 to $215.

• UBS analyst Gavin Parsons maintained Boeing with a Buy and lowered the price target from $250 to $240.

• BofA Securities analyst Ronald Epstein maintained Boeing with a Neutral and maintained a price target of $200.

• Deutsche Bank analyst Scott Deuschle maintained Boeing with a Buy and maintained a price target of $225.

BA Price Action: Boeing shares are down about 28% since the start of the year. The stock was up 1.02% at $187.33 at the time of publication Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo: Courtesy of Boeing.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) shares are in the spotlight Tuesday ahead of earnings. Here’s a look at what investors need to know before the print.

What To Know: AMD is set to report second-quarter financial results after the market close on Tuesday. Analysts expect the company to report earnings of 68 cents per share on revenue of $5.724 billion, according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

Last quarter, AMD beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines as its Data Center and Client segments each grew more than 80% year-over-year driven by a ramp of AI accelerator shipments.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for the industry as widespread deployment of AI is driving demand for significantly more compute across a broad range of markets. We are executing very well as we ramp our data center business and enable AI capabilities across our product portfolio,” AMD CEO Lisa Su said at the time.

AMD has met or exceeded analyst estimates in six straight quarters heading into Tuesday’s print, per Benzinga Pro data.

See Also: Taiwan Semi To Break Ground On First European Chip Plant in Germany

Recent analyst coverage suggests AMD could be poised to report strong quarterly results. Here’s a look at analyst updates from the past two weeks leading up to earnings:

• Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley maintained AMD with an Overweight and lowered the price target from $235 to $180.

• Susquehanna analyst Christopher Rolland maintained AMD with a Positive and maintained $200 price target.

• Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C J Muse maintained AMD with an Overweight and raised the price target from $170 to $200.

• TD Cowen analyst Matthew Ramsay maintained AMD with a Buy and raised the price target from $200 to $210.

• Citigroup analyst Christopher Danely maintained AMD with a Buy and raised the price target from $176 to $210.

AMD Price Action: AMD shares were down 2.38% at $136.43 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro.

Photo: Shutterstock.

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares are in the spotlight Tuesday ahead of earnings after the bell. Here’s what you need to know before the print.

What To Know: Microsoft is due to report fourth-quarter financial results after the market close on Tuesday. Analysts are looking for earnings of $2.93 per share and revenue of $64.357 billion, according to estimates from Benzinga Pro.

Last quarter, Microsoft beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines as revenue jumped 17% year-over-year driven by strong sales execution.

“Microsoft Copilot and Copilot stack are orchestrating a new era of AI transformation, driving better business outcomes across every role and industry,” Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said at the time.

Microsoft has topped analyst estimates for earnings and revenue in five consecutive quarters heading into Tuesday’s print.

See Also: How To Earn $500 A Month From Microsoft Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives will be looking to get a reading on the pace of AI adoption when Microsoft reports after the bell.

The Wedbush analyst said in a recent note that channel checks pointed to a potentially “robust” quarter for Microsoft, as the company is in “the driver’s seat” of the AI revolution. Ives maintained an Outperform rating and price target of $550 ahead of earnings.

Here’s a look at other recent analyst changes leading up to earnings:

• BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman maintained Microsoft with an Outperform and raised the price target from $465 to $500.

• Piper Sandler analyst Brent Bracelin reiterated Microsoft with an Overweight and raised the price target from $465 to $485.

• Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz maintained Microsoft with an Outperform and raised the price target from $450 to $480.

• BofA Securities analyst Brad Sills maintained Microsoft with a Buy and raised the price target from $480 to $510.

• TD Cowen analyst Derrick Wood maintained Microsoft with a Buy and raised the price target from $470 to $495.

MSFT Price Action: Microsoft shares were down 0.36% at $425.18 at the time of publication Tuesday morning, according to Benzinga Pro.

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Photo: courtesy of Microsoft.

vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VTVT) stock is trading lower on Monday. The FDA has placed a clinical hold on the cadisegliatin clinical program, which includes the ongoing CATT1 Phase 3 trial in type 1 diabetes. 

Cadisegliatin is an oral, liver-selective, glucokinase activator. The company says the drug candidate has been well-tolerated in over 500 subjects to date with up to six months of treatment.

Related: Why Is Diabetes Focused vTv Therapeutics Stock Trading Higher Today?

Selectively acting on the liver, cadisegliatin increases the activity of glucokinase independently from insulin to improve glycemic control through hepatic glucose uptake and glycogen storage.

The clinical hold was based on the discovery of a chromatographic signal in a recent human absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) study of cadisegliatin that could not be resolved by standard mass spectroscopy.

The agency requires a single in vitro study to characterize this signal before the cadisegliatin program can resume.

No patient had been dosed in CATT1 at the time of the clinical hold, and past clinical studies did not reveal any clinically concerning safety issues.

“We are working diligently with the agency to resolve the clinical hold and resume enrollment as quickly as possible,” said Paul Sekhri, Chairman, President, and CEO of vTv Therapeutics.

Price Action: VTVT stock is down 32.2% at $14.38 at the last check on Monday.

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• Neurodegenerative Disease-Focused Anavex Life Sciences’ Alzheimer’s Candidate Slows Disease Progression By Almost 39%.

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Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) is likely to invest $200 million in self-driving forklifts to automate more of its warehouse operations.

The world’s largest retailer plans to buy potentially hundreds of autonomous forklifts from Fox Robotics, with whom it has already invested $25 million, reported Reuters citing sources.

This move is part of Walmart’s broader strategy to increase automation and compete with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Walmart’s plan includes exclusive deals with robotics vendors like Fox Robotics and Symbotic Inc (NASDAQ:SYM). These agreements will also restrict Walmart’s competitors from using the technology.

Walmart spokesperson Camille Dunn confirmed that the company is piloting the technology with 19 FoxBots in four facilities.

Also Read: How Walmart Is Planning To Boost Perishables Distribution? Read To Know

In recent years, Walmart has focused on robotics to manage costs and keep product prices low. Analysts from Jefferies estimate that Walmart could add $20 billion to its profit before interest and taxes by fiscal 2029 due to automation and AI efforts.

Walmart’s deal with Symbotic, announced in 2022, involves implementing automation in 42 distribution centers, where Walmart owns more than 13% of Symbotic stock.

FoxBots, tested for over a year, can unload pallets and integrate them into Symbotic’s automated system. Fox Robotics claims a single operator can manage up to six autonomous forklifts, reducing labor costs by 40%.

Walmart stock has gained more than 29% in the last 12 months. Investors can gain access to the stock via the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLP) and Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (NYSE:VDC).

Price Action: WMT shares are trading lower by 0.91% at $69.38 at last check Friday.

Read Next:

• Amazon To Surpass Walmart This Year As Largest US Retailer: Analyst

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) plans to restructure its joint venture with SAIC General Motors Corporation after losing $210 million in this year’s first half, but an analyst thinks the automotive giant shouldn’t even bother.

“We note that GM announced plans to restructure its operations in China,” Bank of America analyst John Murphy said in a note.

“We are concerned the pressure in China is more structural than transitory due to excess capacity and continue to believe GM should exit the market.”

Also Read: GM Reports $210M Loss In China Joint Venture: ‘The Headwinds Are Not Easy’

Murphy also said that China “remains a material drag on relatively good performance in other regions” of the world where GM is having better sales as it invests in developing electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a price target of $85 on GM, which beat revenue estimates for the second quarter.

“Our Buy rating on GM is predicated on our view that the company remains a leader among the industry in its Core to Future transition,” Murphy wrote.

“More specifically, GM’s ongoing execution and strength in its Core business continues to enable the company to step up its investments across EVs and AVs, further Future-proofing the business.”

Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating that it has had on GM since July 2020, pointing out that the company is launching eight new or redesigned sports-utility vehicles in North America in this year’s second half.

“Moreover, GM continues to focus on cost and said it remains on track to achieve its net $2 bn cost reduction plan by the end of the year,” Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delaney wrote.

Murphy noted that GM’s total company revenue of $48 billion for the second quarter was up about 12% from the first quarter and up about 7% from a year ago, beating Goldman Sachs’ estimate of $44.5 billion and Wall Street consensus of $45.1 billion.

Price Action: GM declined 4.82% to $44.25 as of Thursday’s mid-morning trading, while exchange-traded funds that track the company showed gains and losses.

• First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR) declined 0.63%
• Invesco S&P 500 Pure Value ETF (NYSE:RPV) inched up 0.01%.
• IShares U.S. Manufacturing ETF (NYSE:MADE) slipped 0.29%.
• IShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) gained 0.28%.
• Brandywine Global – Dynamic US Large Cap Value ETF (NASDAQ:DVAL) went up 0.26%.

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Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD), and it’s something market players shouldn’t ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in GOLD usually suggests something big is about to happen.

We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga’s options scanner highlighted 8 extraordinary options activities for Barrick Gold. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 50% leaning bullish and 37% bearish. Among these notable options, 2 are puts, totaling $60,612, and 6 are calls, amounting to $497,409.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it’s evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $16.0 and $21.0 for Barrick Gold, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Barrick Gold’s options for a given strike price.

Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Barrick Gold’s whale activity within a strike price range from $16.0 to $21.0 in the last 30 days.

Barrick Gold Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Largest Options Trades Observed:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
GOLD	CALL	TRADE	NEUTRAL	11/15/24	$3.4	$3.3	$3.35	$16.00	$190.9K	1.2K	571
GOLD	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	01/16/26	$2.68	$2.53	$2.68	$20.00	$134.0K	29.1K	120
GOLD	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	08/02/24	$0.18	$0.17	$0.18	$19.50	$54.2K	2.1K	3.0K
GOLD	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	01/17/25	$1.3	$1.25	$1.3	$20.00	$52.0K	177.3K	401
GOLD	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	09/20/24	$3.1	$3.0	$3.1	$16.00	$38.4K	16.0K	139

About Barrick Gold

Based in Toronto, Barrick Gold is one of the world’s largest gold miners. In 2023, the firm produced nearly 4.1 million attributable ounces of gold and about 420 million pounds of copper. At year-end 2023, Barrick had about two decades of gold reserves along with significant copper reserves. After buying Randgold in 2019 and combining its Nevada mines in a joint venture with competitor Newmont later that year, it operates mines in 19 countries in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company also has growing copper exposure. Its potential Reko Diq project in Pakistan, if developed, could double copper production by the end of the decade.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Barrick Gold, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Present Market Standing of Barrick Gold

• With a volume of 7,384,715, the price of GOLD is up 1.75% at $18.89.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 19 days.

Expert Opinions on Barrick Gold

A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $25.0.

• An analyst from Jefferies persists with their Buy rating on Barrick Gold, maintaining a target price of $23.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from CIBC keeps a Outperformer rating on Barrick Gold with a target price of $27.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Barrick Gold, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.

Ahead of second-quarter financial results, a Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) analyst says investors aren’t focused on earnings, but rather what comes next after Tuesday’s report.

The Tesla Analyst: Guggenheim analyst Ronald Jewsikow reiterated a Sell rating on Tesla and $134 price target.

The Analyst Takeaways: Investors will be focused on what comes next for Tesla and not the past earnings, Jewsikow said.

Read Also: EXCLUSIVE: Tesla ‘An Elon Musk And A Technology Story First, EV Story Last’ — Market Strategist Explains Why To Buy The Stock

The analyst said Tesla delaying the robotaxi event from Aug. 8 will be top of mind for investors.

“With the planned 8/8 event now formally delayed, investors will look for color on the new timeline, what to expect at the event and more details on the delay,” Jewsikow said.

The delay in the Robotaxi event has led to investors seeing the segment as less actionable, according to the report.

The analyst said 2024 volume guidance could also be a key item to watch in the earnings report.

“We don’t believe guiding for y/y volume growth is realistic, but we do not see CEO Elon Musk indicating negative volume growth as his forecast.”

China and market share in the country could also be a key focus in the earnings report, the analyst said.

“How does TSLA return to growth with so much competitively priced product in China?”

The analyst expects Tesla to beat earnings per share estimates and miss on automotive gross margins (ex-credits) due to “large discounting actions.”

Jewsikow currently ascribes no value to robotaxis, robots, artificial intelligence or insurance when forecasting a price target on Tesla.

TSLA Price Action: Tesla shares are down 1% to $249.25 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $138.80 to $278.98. Tesla stock is up 0.3% year-to-date in 2024, after gaining over 30% in the past month, as seen on the Benzinga Pro chart below.

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The airline sector was one of the hardest hit by the Microsoft Outage and CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD) issue on Friday.

While the issues have subsided in recent days, one airline may demonstrate its resilience and ability to avoid the outages that impacted its competitors.

What Happened: An update by CrowdStrike impacted industries and companies using Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) software and cloud services on Friday.

The airline sector was hit particularly hard with Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), United Airline Holdings (NASDAQ:UAL) and American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) all suffering outages and grounded flights due to the technology issues.

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) was not impacted by the tech issues and could come through as a winner.

According to a Digital Trends report, Southwest Airlines planes were still operating on Friday as other peers were grounded. The surprising reason is likely the fact that Southwest has been procrastinating on software updates in recent years.

Digital Trends reports that Southwest is using Windows 3.1, an operating system from 1992 from Microsoft.

The report mentioned that some of Southwest’s systems are still running on Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, which has been a recurring issue, prompting calls for the company to upgrade to newer systems.

“It should go without saying that Southwest needs to update its system, but in this case, the ancient operating systems seem to be doing the airline some favors to avoid a complete Y2K-level apocalypse,” Digital Trends writes.

Read Also: Jim Cramer Applauds CrowdStrike’s Response To Global IT Outage, Sees Swift Recovery Ahead: ‘It Just Happened To Be Bad Luck’

Why It’s Important: Millions of travelers were impacted by the outage Friday, which led to cancelled flights and delays.

For airline companies, this means they will likely have to issue vouchers, refunds, and other compensations, impacting both current and future revenue. Additionally, they will probably face numerous customer complaints, despite the tech issues often being beyond their control.

Southwest escaping the same customer and revenue issues could set the airline company up well for the future.

The airline company is set to report second-quarter financial results on Thursday. The company could use the earnings report and conference call as an opportunity to highlight its strength in remaining operational during the major tech outage that impacted the sector.

LUV Price Action: Southwest shares are up 1.36% to $27.55 on Monday, versus a 52-week trading range of $21.91 to $37.40. Southwest shares are down 5.1% year-to-date in 2024.

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Photo: Around the World Photos/Shutterstock.com

Crypto trader CrediBULL Crypto expressed concerns over potential downside risks for Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and altcoins, citing Dogwifhat (CRYPTO: WIF) as an example.

What Happened: CrediBULL warned of potential downside if Bitcoin revisits its recent lows. He used the Dogwifhat chart as an example, stating that it clearly illustrates the current state of many altcoins.

He noted that many people misinterpret bounces on altcoins and memes as signs of strength, while they are simply higher beta versions of Bitcoin. This means they tend to rise and fall harder in response to Bitcoin’s movements.

He further pointed out that the recent bounce on WIF, although significant, merely moved it back to its range highs, creating a lower high on higher timeframes and taking some liquidity on the way. He also warned about the presence of a triple bottom right below.

Price Action: Over the past 30 days, BTC and WIF are down 1.5% and up 16%

Also Read: Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, Pepe Will Still Have Supercycle But ‘2021 May Never Happen Again,’ Muses Trader

Why It Matters: CrediBULL noted that if Bitcoin makes a 15% move down to its lows, many altcoins will experience much steeper falls. For instance, WIF is likely to follow with a 40% move down to take those triple lows.

This prediction serves as a cautionary note for investors, highlighting the inherent volatility and risk associated with cryptocurrency investments.

He also reiterated his tweet from July 18 where the prediction for Bitcoin he set is at $58,000 as he believes both bullish and bearish scenarios are on the table. He warned traders to avoid “aping into fresh longs here at all this confluent resistance.”

What’s Next: The influence of Bitcoin as an institutional asset class is expected to be thoroughly explored at Benzinga’s upcoming Future of Digital Assets event on Nov. 19.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Image: Shutterstock