5 hours ago
Longtime Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook will host his final earnings conference call after the bell on Thursday, July 30. While Cook was not the same type of innovator as his predecessor, Apple founder and legendary CEO Steve Jobs, he did a great job of nurturing Apple's core strengths. He will leave as Apple is the largest company in the world, with a market cap of $5 trillion. The question, though, is whether the stock is still a buy with him ready to depart.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
When Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter results, investors should expect much of the same. iPhone sales should be solid, with the company reportedly seeing a 3% increase in shipments during the quarter and gaining its highest-ever global market share at 20%, according to Centerpoint Research. This should then feed into its high-margin service revenue, which has consistently grown at a mid-teen rate.
Cook leaves Apple as having one of the best business models on the planet, making it easy for its next CEO to get off to a running start. The beauty of Apple is its closed ecosystem, which helps lock in customers. Once someone buys an iPhone, the cost of switching becomes increasingly difficult with each photo taken, subscription bought, and app downloaded. Users then become a part of Apple's huge service revenue machine. Apple is getting a high-margin revenue stream every time someone clicks on a search ad (as it gets a 36% revenue cut from Alphabet's Google), uses Apple Pay, buys cloud storage, or purchases a subscription or app.
Meanwhile, Apple just increased prices for several devices and certain service plans. This should be a nice revenue driver in the coming quarters after Cook leaves, giving incoming CEO John Ternus a solid revenue tailwind as he takes the reins. Ternus will also have time to execute a more comprehensive AI strategy for the company. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Cook's decision to sit back and not throw huge amounts of money into chasing AI models proves to be a smart one.
#revenue #signal #same
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
When Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter results, investors should expect much of the same. iPhone sales should be solid, with the company reportedly seeing a 3% increase in shipments during the quarter and gaining its highest-ever global market share at 20%, according to Centerpoint Research. This should then feed into its high-margin service revenue, which has consistently grown at a mid-teen rate.
Cook leaves Apple as having one of the best business models on the planet, making it easy for its next CEO to get off to a running start. The beauty of Apple is its closed ecosystem, which helps lock in customers. Once someone buys an iPhone, the cost of switching becomes increasingly difficult with each photo taken, subscription bought, and app downloaded. Users then become a part of Apple's huge service revenue machine. Apple is getting a high-margin revenue stream every time someone clicks on a search ad (as it gets a 36% revenue cut from Alphabet's Google), uses Apple Pay, buys cloud storage, or purchases a subscription or app.
Meanwhile, Apple just increased prices for several devices and certain service plans. This should be a nice revenue driver in the coming quarters after Cook leaves, giving incoming CEO John Ternus a solid revenue tailwind as he takes the reins. Ternus will also have time to execute a more comprehensive AI strategy for the company. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Cook's decision to sit back and not throw huge amounts of money into chasing AI models proves to be a smart one.
#revenue #signal #same
1 day ago
The physical infrastructure enabling artificial intelligence requires considerably more than just high-performance accelerators and primary grid connections. It also relies on millions of high-density connectors, backplane interconnects, and power-filtering devices to connect rack-level structures, areas where TE Connectivity plc (NYSE:TEL) holds a significant bottleneck position. As hyperscalers and enterprise data center operators ramp up capital expenditure deployment around the world, demand for critical electrical connector systems has transformed from a passive secondary tailwind to a direct beneficiary of the AI growth cycle.
The company's fiscal third-quarter 2026 report showed this demand in real time, with record top-line performance, order velocity, and profitability. Despite exceeding Wall Street expectations in every fundamental indicator, shares fell roughly 7% following the release, indicating the market's focus on sequential forecast trends over historical trailing figures.
Operational execution in the third quarter set new highs across numerous business areas. Net revenue increased 14% year-over-year to $5.16 billion, above Wall Street expectations by more than 3%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 22% year-over-year to $2.94, exceeding the average estimate of $2.85. The report's defining metric was order flow, which increased 27% year-over-year to a record $5.7 billion, reflecting over $1 billion in incremental booking expansion vs. the prior year period. Meanwhile, profitability increased significantly, with adjusted operating margins improving 90 basis points to 22% and quarterly free cash flow totaling $883 million.
The underlying sector distribution highlights where AI momentum is growing the fastest. Industrial Solutions revenue increased 22% year-over-year to $2.58 billion, driven mainly by data center rack deployments and energy infrastructure growth. Chief Executive Officer Terrence Curtin stated that AI cloud momentum is far above initial multi-year predictions, with data center connection and power distribution orders rising more than 70% year-to-date.
Moreover, to back up its power-handling portfolio, TE Connectivity plc (NYSE:TEL) signed a $1.4 billion formal agreement to acquire Astrodyne TDI. The acquisition includes specialized power management and electromagnetic filtering solutions for critical industrial, semiconductor, and defense applications, providing approximately $250 million in annual revenue to the Industrial Solutions segment once completed.
#year #solutions #data
The company's fiscal third-quarter 2026 report showed this demand in real time, with record top-line performance, order velocity, and profitability. Despite exceeding Wall Street expectations in every fundamental indicator, shares fell roughly 7% following the release, indicating the market's focus on sequential forecast trends over historical trailing figures.
Operational execution in the third quarter set new highs across numerous business areas. Net revenue increased 14% year-over-year to $5.16 billion, above Wall Street expectations by more than 3%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 22% year-over-year to $2.94, exceeding the average estimate of $2.85. The report's defining metric was order flow, which increased 27% year-over-year to a record $5.7 billion, reflecting over $1 billion in incremental booking expansion vs. the prior year period. Meanwhile, profitability increased significantly, with adjusted operating margins improving 90 basis points to 22% and quarterly free cash flow totaling $883 million.
The underlying sector distribution highlights where AI momentum is growing the fastest. Industrial Solutions revenue increased 22% year-over-year to $2.58 billion, driven mainly by data center rack deployments and energy infrastructure growth. Chief Executive Officer Terrence Curtin stated that AI cloud momentum is far above initial multi-year predictions, with data center connection and power distribution orders rising more than 70% year-to-date.
Moreover, to back up its power-handling portfolio, TE Connectivity plc (NYSE:TEL) signed a $1.4 billion formal agreement to acquire Astrodyne TDI. The acquisition includes specialized power management and electromagnetic filtering solutions for critical industrial, semiconductor, and defense applications, providing approximately $250 million in annual revenue to the Industrial Solutions segment once completed.
#year #solutions #data
3 days ago
By Mike Dolan
July 27 (Reuters) -
What matters in U.S. and global markets today
By Mike Dolan, Editor-at-Large, Finance and Markets
A pause in the Iran conflict and a sizeable retreat in crude oil prices away from $100 per barrel offer some relief at the start of what's set to be another turbulent week for markets.
#dolan #reuters #finance #matters
July 27 (Reuters) -
What matters in U.S. and global markets today
By Mike Dolan, Editor-at-Large, Finance and Markets
A pause in the Iran conflict and a sizeable retreat in crude oil prices away from $100 per barrel offer some relief at the start of what's set to be another turbulent week for markets.
#dolan #reuters #finance #matters
3 days ago
Like most investors, I stepped into the stock market rather cautiously, doing my best to follow Warren Buffett's primary rule: "Don't lose money."
Three decades later, I now realize I didn't fully appreciate the nuances of this tip. Namely, I conflated temporary setbacks with locking in losses. Oh, I knew the difference between realized and unrealized. It's just that, mentally, I convinced myself that some pullbacks never stop. Big mistake. Most do. This mindset kept me out of some stocks that would have ended up being very big winners.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
I can't go back in time and do things over. I can, however, help others learn from my mistakes and tell them the very first stock I would have bought and held back then if I had known then what I know now. That's Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG).
OK, Google wasn't around when I first started investing. It wouldn't exist until 1998, and it didn't go public until 2004. If I were just starting out or starting over again today, however, it would be the foundational position in my portfolio.
#flashing
Three decades later, I now realize I didn't fully appreciate the nuances of this tip. Namely, I conflated temporary setbacks with locking in losses. Oh, I knew the difference between realized and unrealized. It's just that, mentally, I convinced myself that some pullbacks never stop. Big mistake. Most do. This mindset kept me out of some stocks that would have ended up being very big winners.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
I can't go back in time and do things over. I can, however, help others learn from my mistakes and tell them the very first stock I would have bought and held back then if I had known then what I know now. That's Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG).
OK, Google wasn't around when I first started investing. It wouldn't exist until 1998, and it didn't go public until 2004. If I were just starting out or starting over again today, however, it would be the foundational position in my portfolio.
#flashing
7 days ago
Alphabet's (GOOGL) AI spending has surged. So have sales and profits.
Earnings after the bell will show whether that unlikely combination can hold.
So far, Alphabet has made the balancing act look almost easy.
Its operating margin — the share of sales left after running the business — reached 36.1% in the first quarter, its highest level in five years. Revenue grew 22%, while operating income jumped 30%.
Growth has helped do the heavy lifting.
#googl #alphabet #Growth #surged
Earnings after the bell will show whether that unlikely combination can hold.
So far, Alphabet has made the balancing act look almost easy.
Its operating margin — the share of sales left after running the business — reached 36.1% in the first quarter, its highest level in five years. Revenue grew 22%, while operating income jumped 30%.
Growth has helped do the heavy lifting.
#googl #alphabet #Growth #surged
7 days ago
Our ***** ysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here.
Delivered a 5.5% economic return and 1.7% book value growth, driven by lower rate volatility and the structural advantages of a diversified housing finance model.
Increased the quarterly common dividend to $0.75 per share, reflecting nine consecutive quarters of earnings exceeding the dividend and confidence in long-term earnings power.
Achieved record residential credit acquisition of $7.1 billion in Q2, utilizing the Onslow Bay correspondent channel to manufacture proprietary, high-yielding investments.
Maintained a conservative economic leverage of 5.6x while raising $450 million in accretive equity to scale the residential credit and MSR platforms.
#economic #credit
Delivered a 5.5% economic return and 1.7% book value growth, driven by lower rate volatility and the structural advantages of a diversified housing finance model.
Increased the quarterly common dividend to $0.75 per share, reflecting nine consecutive quarters of earnings exceeding the dividend and confidence in long-term earnings power.
Achieved record residential credit acquisition of $7.1 billion in Q2, utilizing the Onslow Bay correspondent channel to manufacture proprietary, high-yielding investments.
Maintained a conservative economic leverage of 5.6x while raising $450 million in accretive equity to scale the residential credit and MSR platforms.
#economic #credit
8 days ago
Bristol Gate Capital Partners, an investment management company, published its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "US Equity Strategy". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Strategy lagged the S&P 500 Total Return Index in the quarter in terms of returns, but outperformed in dividend growth. Despite debate over capital cycle returns, AI remained the dominant market theme, expanding from early adoption to broader enterprise adoption. The firm continues to focus on high-dividend-growth companies while maintaining discipline around valuation and earnings durability. In addition, please check the Fund's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Bristol US Equity Strategy highlighted Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is a leading US-based multinational retailer that specializes in the operation of membership-only warehouses. On July 22, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) closed at $927.31 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $411.24 billion. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) posted a one-month return of -1.58%, and its shares lost 0.70% over the past 52 weeks.
Bristol US Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates a membership-based model with a durable competitive moat in retail, anchored by industry-leading renewal rates and a value proposition that strengthens with scale. The recurring membership-fee stream is high-margin, predictable, and compounds alongside member growth and periodic fee increases. Backed by an experienced and capable management team, we believe this combination will translate into continued high dividend growth."
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 107 hedge fund portfolios held Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) at the end of the first quarter, up from 106 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
#costco #NASDAQ #bristol #Equity
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Bristol US Equity Strategy highlighted Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is a leading US-based multinational retailer that specializes in the operation of membership-only warehouses. On July 22, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) closed at $927.31 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $411.24 billion. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) posted a one-month return of -1.58%, and its shares lost 0.70% over the past 52 weeks.
Bristol US Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates a membership-based model with a durable competitive moat in retail, anchored by industry-leading renewal rates and a value proposition that strengthens with scale. The recurring membership-fee stream is high-margin, predictable, and compounds alongside member growth and periodic fee increases. Backed by an experienced and capable management team, we believe this combination will translate into continued high dividend growth."
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 107 hedge fund portfolios held Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) at the end of the first quarter, up from 106 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
#costco #NASDAQ #bristol #Equity
