Welcome to Week 8 of the fantasy football season! Below I have some players I think you should start and some I think you should sit. As usual, your mileage may vary depending on your available choices, so don't just blindly bench someone if you don't have a better option!
Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers
Prescott has been up and down this season, but he's coming off a strong Monday night game against the Eagles and now faces a bad Cardinals pass defense. Arizona has given up the most adjusted yards per attempt, the most receiving touchdowns, the second worst QB rating, and the second most yards per completion. Prescott is poised to pick up where he left off on Monday night.
If the Cardinals had better backup quarterbacks, I would be worried that Brissett might be benched during a game, but they don't. This week, as long as Brissett plays the whole game, it will be difficult for him not to accumulate fantasy points. I expect the Cowboys will be able to score on the Cardinals, while Brissett inefficiently tries to keep up through the air. Dallas, so far, has allowed the third worst completion percentage, the seventh worst average yards per attempt, and the third-worst yards per completion to opposing quarterbacks.
Murray continued to play poorly last week, but the Vikings also continued to win. Not trailing in games hurts Murray, as he doesn't need to run and throw as much to try to make up points. This week they'll face a Lions offense that should have more success against Brian Flores' top defense than any team this year. The Lions defense also remains the absolute worst at giving up fantasy points to quarterbacks. That has a lot to do with the Lions keeping teams throwing the ball from a deficit, but the results are hard to ignore.

#brissett

All eyes will be on Gianluigi Donnarumma in net for Manchester City on Saturday.
On Wednesday night, City hosted Brighton with a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on the line.
Despite the hosts starting on the front foot, Brighton took the lead just half an hour in through Malick Junior Yalcouye. The Malian winger found himself unmarked on the edge of the six yard box, played marginally onside by Ayyoub Bouaddi, from there a tap-in left the hosts trailing.
The opener spurred Maresca's side into action though, and just ten minutes later they were back level. Phil Foden found Mateo Kovacic just outside the area, and the Croatian international made no mistake with a wonderfully placed side-footed finish.
After the break it didn't take long for the visitors to take the lead once again. Georginio Rutter got himself goal-side of Mateo Kovacic and slotted home to the left of Geronimo Rulli, leaving Manchester City with all the work to do.

#found #himself

Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Love connected with Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Josh Jacobs in the end zone, while Jacobs picked up another touchdown on a one-yard run.
Trailing 27-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Panthers scored through Jalen ******* er to erase the deficit to eight points with just over five minutes left on the clock.
However they were ultimately unable to find the decisive score, with the result marking a fifth win on the season for Green Bay.

#jacobs #touchdown #jordan #packers

Photos by Yamaha and Rob Gray (Polarity Photo).
Yamaha has locked in its Moto2 line-up for 2027, signing Moto3 standout Álvaro Carpe to join the returning Alberto Ferrández on the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 Team. Both riders are 19 and represent Yamaha's ongoing push to funnel young talent up through the categories via its BLU CRU project.
Ferrandez is currently in his first full Moto2 season, partnering with Izan Guevara with the Pramac Yamaha team. Facing a new category and several circuits he'd never seen before, his rookie year presented a steep learning curve, with Ferrández currently sitting 21st overall. For his second season, Yamaha expects him to take a big step forward, with Team Director Gino Borsoi setting a clear benchmark for Ferrandez to "establish himself consistently inside the top ten from the beginning of the championship."
Carpe arrives from Moto3, where he spent the past two seasons with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. Carpe finished fourth overall as a rookie in 2025, and finds himself in the same position this season. The team is tempering expectations for his first year in the intermediate category, with Borsoi hoping to see him "start translating his potential into encouraging results from the middle of the season onwards."
Carpe will be taking over the seat currently occupied by Izan Guevara, who currently sits second in the Moto2 standings, trailing Manuel González by just 5.5 points, with five rounds remaining. Guevara is set to move up to Pramac Yamaha's MotoGP team in 2027. Guevara sets an example for Carpe's and Ferrández's path, progressing each year from a 22nd place finish in 2023 to fighting for the **** le this season.

#moto2 #ferr #currently

Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson suffered an injury at the end of a 53-yard catch during the second quarter of Thursday night's showdown with the Carolina Panthers.
Watson made the catch between two defenders while going to the ground. The Packers say Watson is questionable to return with a chest injury.
After being evaluated on the field, Watson walked off the field under his own power. He was evaluated inside the blue medical tent and then walked back to the locker room. The Prime Video broadcast showed Watson getting into an ambulance after exiting the field.
John Kuhn of the Packers Radio Network said Watson would be taken to a local hospital for "precautionary tests."
Watson appeared to land hard, and the trailing defensive back fell on his back to amplify the impact.

#packers #field #back #christian

Tyler Ankrum nearly captured his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2026 season during Friday's Love's RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway. The McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver started seventh and finished second after an intense four-wide battle approaching the checkered flag.
Ankrum remained competitive throughout the afternoon, navigating the shifting drafting lanes while several championship contenders experienced significant problems. His No. 18 Chevrolet stayed among the leading group during the final stage, giving him an opportunity to challenge for the victory when the race entered overtime.
Ankrum restarted among the front-running trucks and maintained enough momentum to reach the finish line alongside Austin Green, Ty Majeski and Kaden Honeycutt. Although Sammy Smith secured the victory by 0.091 seconds, Ankrum narrowly defeated Green for second place by just 0.002 seconds.
The runner-up finish marked Ankrum's seventh top-10 result of the season and fourth career top-10 finish at Talladega. He also earned 35 points, providing an important boost to his championship total. Ankrum remains ninth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase standings with 2,157 points, trailing championship leader Honeycutt by 214 markers.
Although his championship chances have ended, Ankrum will look to build on his strong Talladega performance at Martinsville and Homestead-Miami.

#ankrum #championship #victory #craftsman

University finished third at the 2026 FHSAA boys bowling championships on Oct. 29.
The third-seeded ***** ans began their run with a sweep (207-188, 203-194, 255-214) over No. 14 Windermere, but that would be their last comfortable victory of the tournament.
University showed its resilience after trailing No. 6 Melbourne and No. 10 Leesburg 2-0 in Rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Melbourne beat the ***** ans 213-209 and 222-212 in the opening Baker matches, but University won 215-181, 203-162 and 248-185 to send the Bulldogs to the consolation bracket.
Leesburg beat University 226-184 and 235-217, but the ***** ans advanced with victories of 249-172, 176-136 and 213-187.
University lost to top-seeded Ridgeview 3-0 (234-213, 198-179, 203-158) in the winner's bracket semifinal and was sent to the consolation bracket. The ***** ans were eliminated against eventual state champion SLAM Tampa 3-2 (239-197, 258-144, 189-192, 219-279, 217-189) after nearly completing a third 2-0 comeback.

#Titans #seeded #consolation

ATLANTA — The thing Angel Reese learned in her first WNBA Finals appearance is that long series still go by fast. What's done is done, and what's to come is for the taking.
Trailing 3-2 in the series, and potentially 40 minutes from the experience ending, she and her Atlanta Dream teammates gathered together ahead of film sessions to talk through what it meant. They needed to gain confidence back following two losses marred by offensive woes. They emphasized how each could take a superstar turn, but everyone was needed.
By the end of the day's film and a final practice ahead of a must-win Game 6, they said they felt good about returning to Atlanta Dream basketball. They proved the talk true immediately.
"You could definitely tell we got our swagger back," Angel Reese said.
The Dream's offense tore out of its funk and past the Golden State Valkyries' suffocating defense in Game 6 on Thursday, a jolt to West Coasters settling in with their breakfast for a 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. PT tip-off. The 80-69 win was more dominant than the final score indicated; the Dream led by 25 points with three minutes to go until the half.

#atlanta #minutes #ahead

The Packers' defense delivered the answer Dallas needed to see originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday night hoping a players-only meeting and a new defensive voice would help turn the season around. Instead, Green Bay's defense delivered the most convincing response of the night.
The Packers intercepted Dak Prescott twice and held Dallas to 13 points in a 23-13 victory at Lambeau Field. The Cowboys entered the game averaging 27.6 points per game, but they went into halftime trailing 17-0 and could not make up the difference.
Green Bay improved to 4-2 with its third straight win. Dallas fell to 2-4, and the loss extended a frustrating stretch for a team that had hoped to find a spark after its Week 5 defeat.
Prescott's two interceptions halted promising Dallas possessions. Evan Williams picked him off in the second quarter, and rookie Brandon Cisse recorded the first interception of his career later in the half.

#dallas #green #night

CLEVELAND — A lack of offense put the Guardians' backs firmly against the wall against the Chicago White Sox in an American League Division Series before Jose Ramirez came to the rescue in three consecutive games.
Now in the AL Championship Series, an all-too-familiar — and all-too-unwelcome — lack of timely hitting has every ounce of the Guardians' weight again on their heels, with nowhere else to go but forward or home.
The Guardians lost 3-1 to the Rays in Game 5 of the ALCS, giving Tampa Bay a 3-2 series lead and putting the Rays on the brink of a World Series berth. Trailing in the series for the first time, the Guardians travel to Tampa Bay (without the benefit of an off day to regroup after Game 4 was pushed back) for must-win Games 6 and 7.
They had to win three consecutive games to get to the ALCS. Now, they must again defy the odds and rally to win two connective road games to play the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.
"I think it'll help a ton knowing we're able to do it, facing elimination," said outfielder Steven Kwan, who made two highlight reel defensive plays in Game 5 to save at least two runs. "I think we feel a little better on this one as opposed to the [ALDS] since we've got some wins under our belt.

#series #games #alcs

Chris Boswell has officially etched his name in the Pittsburgh Steelers' history books during the team's Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Trailing the Buccaneers 13-0, the Steelers called on Boswell to kick a 52-yard field goal, which he made with ease. This successful field goal was the 309th of his career and would tie legendary Steelers kicker Gary Anderson's record for the most field goals made in team history. Oh, but Boswell wasn't finished there, as he successfully connected on a 39-yard attempt to secure his 310th field goal, surpassing Anderson and setting a new record in Pittsburgh that should only grow this season. Boswell also hit on two more field goals to close out the game, pushing the record to 312.
The Wizard of Boz 🪄

📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/vqIDzYZB2x pic.twitter.com/CtdPTQ6rt1
Boswell, who signed with the Steelers in 2015, wasted little time emerging as one of the league's top kickers, earning two Pro Bowl selections in 2017 and 2024, as well as First-Team All-Pro recognition in 2024.
The field goal record isn't the only feat Boswell was after, as the talented kicker is also 43 points away from breaking Gary Anderson's all-time scoring record of 1,343 points. We at Steelers Wire will be watching closely over the next several weeks as Boswell continues to remind fans why he's one of the greatest kickers ever to do it.

#boswell #record #pittsburgh #team

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When J.J. McCarthy was thrust onto the field Sunday, he had never thrown a live pass to New York Giants teammate Malik Nabers.
He had never thrown more than a sideline or warmup ball to tight end Isaiah Likely.
Three weeks ago, McCarthy had never even heard a Giants play-call.
So when he took his first snap under center with 11:25 to play in the fourth quarter, the Giants trailing by 24 thanks in large part to three turnovers, McCarthy seemed more likely to continue the hole-digging than reverse trend.
An interception on his fourth pass furthered that theory.

#mccarthy #never #east

Slayyyter appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to discuss her newly announced album wor$t man in america, but her love of vintage showgirl costumes also became part of the conversation. She shared that an old French cabaret costume she had worn for a music video apparently contained hazardous materials and gave her a rash.
Lloyd Bishop/NBC
The showgirl context is really key to understanding why this MYAT Fall 2026 dress was chosen.
The distressed pleated silk is formed to create a showgirl silhouette through the fitted strapless bodice, high-low hemline and dramatic trailing volume. I don't feel that it looks like a literal costume, but I'm sure many will strongly disagree.
It's fun and playful, and it leans into what she loves, with MIRAKI jewels and decorative Jimmy Choo Sacora sandals adding even more personality without competing with the dress.

#dress

JPMorgan just raised its dividend 10% while still paying out only 28% of earnings, and Visa's even lower 23% payout fuels years of double-digit raises.
Cisco's AI infrastructure orders hit $9.3 billion, lifting earnings faster than its dividend, while T. Rowe Price yields 5% at just 10 times earnings.
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The best dividend raises come from companies that pay out a small piece of what they earn. JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) just showed how that works: it lifted its quarterly dividend from $1.50 to $1.65, a 10% increase, and the new annual rate still matches only 28.3% of trailing earnings. The five companies below all fit that pattern. Each has strong earnings and a payout ratio low enough to fund many more raises. A long streak of past increases supports the case for some of them, but the reason they're here is how much room each has to keep advancing.
Visa (NYSE:V) yields only about 0.72% on its $2.68 annualized dividend at a share price of $370.97. That's a small yield, but the dividend has a lot of room to grow. The payout uses about 22.8% of trailing diluted EPS of $11.75, and Visa's trailing operating margin is 66.1%.

#payout #trailing

XOM has raised its dividend for 43 straight years, while CVX yields 3.45% with Hess acquisition synergies running 50% above initial targets.
EPD's distributable cash flow covered its 6% distribution 1.9x last quarter, with a trailing payout ratio of just 56% on adjusted cash flow.
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Energy has a reputation for boom and bust, yet the sector's largest companies have turned volatile commodities into some of the market's most reliable income. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) alone has grown its annual dividend per share for 43 consecutive years. The four large caps below split into two integrated oil majors and two midstream toll-road operators. Each pairs a well-covered payout with strong cash generation, making them natural candidates for a long-term income portfolio.
At a recent price of $163.83, Exxon's annualized forward dividend of $4.12 per share works out to a 2.51% yield. The quarterly payout is $1.03, up from $0.99 after a 4% raise late last year.

#income

Dividend-paying stocks are taking a beating as surging Treasury yields make bonds a more competitive income source, creating a difficult environment for baby boomers who lean on dividend funds and individual stocks to cover living expenses in retirement.
Utilities, real estate, and materials have all experienced share-price declines as climbing bond yields have drawn income-seeking investors away from dividend stocks. The 10-year Treasury yield has remained north of 5%, recently hovering between 5.2% and 5.3%, while the 20-year has hit 5.68% and the 30-year has reached 5.62% — marks last seen more than two decades ago, according to Benzinga.
The pain shows up clearly in fund performance. The Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD) lost 7.59% over the trailing month, and the iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) shed 6.02% in the same window, according to CNBC. The Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index ETF (VYM) gave back 3.85% over the past month. The WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund (DGRW) stands apart, with its heavy tilt toward technology helping limit its one-month loss to just 0.81%.
The Federal Reserve raised its overnight rate by a quarter percentage point on Sept. 16, and markets are pricing in additional increases, keeping pressure on rate-sensitive dividend sectors. The 10-year yield touched 5.342% and the 30-year reached 5.683%, their highest marks in 24 years, driven in part by rising public debt, geopolitical tensions, and the prospect of a prolonged high-rate environment.
Despite the pressure, financial advisors caution retirees against making reactive moves. "The worst thing that a retiree could do is sell a high-quality dividend payer at depressed prices to chase income somewhere else in the stock market just to get higher yield," Timothy Chubb, chief investment officer at Girard, a Univest Wealth Division, told CNBC. Chubb said he would rather own a company growing 4% to 5% annually with a 3% dividend yield than pursue an 8% yield from a deteriorating business.

#Dividend #yield #month #treasury

Interested in Texas Instruments Incorporated? Here are five stocks we like better.
Texas Instruments, Philip Morris International, and W.P. Carey all recently raised their dividends and offer yields ranging from roughly 2% to nearly 6%.
Although all three stocks show elevated trailing payout ratios, forward-looking estimates using future earnings or AFFO suggest their dividends are sustainable.
Each company's growth drivers differ, with Texas Instruments benefiting from chip demand, Philip Morris from smoke-free products, and W.P. Carey facing pressure from higher interest rates.
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN), Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM), and W.P. Carey (NYSE: WPC) are key names across semiconductors, tobacco, and real estate with strong dividend yields. These three names not only have yields between 2% and 6% but also just increased their payments. At first glance, their dividend sustainability looks questionable, with all three having elevated payout ratios. However, adjusting for future growth and using the appropriate payout metric shows that their dividends are on solid footing.

#instruments #dividends #yields #international

Second Lady Usha Vance's scary moment exiting a helicopter with her newborn has sparked a heated debate online. Fans raised concerns about the incident and questioned why no one stepped in to help.
Second Lady Usha Vance nearly stumbled while exiting the Marine Two helicopter at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday, Oct. 5, PEOPLE reported. She had 10-week-old son Alec Neel Vance strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. Vance also carried a large leather diaper bag as she descended the aircraft's staircase.
She grabbed the railing after missing a step and quickly regained her balance. She then turned back toward the helicopter's entrance to reassure those nearby. According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Usha told nearby officers, "I'm okay, and he's fine… thank you" (via The Mirror).
Vice President JD Vance followed her down the stairs moments later. He carried their four-year-old daughter, Mirabel, and did not appear to notice the incident. The family traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for a Republican National Committee rally supporting Senator Dan Sullivan's reelection campaign.
The video quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter), sparking safety concerns and criticism. One user questioned why no one intervened, writing, "Did ******* ody notice that Usha Vance is carrying a 9-week-old baby and a huge leather diaper bag, and she nearly FALLS down the stairs of Marine 2? The Air Force officers didn't move to help her, and her husband barely even acknowledges her."

#exiting #concerns #questioned

Sabrina Carpenter brought playful charm and vintage romance to Bernadette Antwerp's latest knitwear campaign. The singer posed for the brand's Instagram page wearing a soft green knit mini dress. Choosing a daring, open-back silhouette, she commanded instant attention with her effortless take on countryside style. Her striking floral-knit look highlights the label's signature charm while making a memorable style statement for the brand.
For the shoot, Sabrina Carpenter wore a green Bernadette Antwerp knit minidress as she posed on a wooden porch overlooking a lake. The fitted bodice featured white daisy embroidery across the chest and shoulders, along with a bow at the back of the neckline. The open-back design extended from her shoulders to her waist before wrapping around the hips. The dress finished with a short hemline. The "Espresso" singer completed the outfit with a white crochet headscarf tied loosely around her head. Her blonde hair fell in loose waves beneath the scarf.
Carpenter leaned against the porch railing while glancing back over her shoulder for the camera. For the brand's photoshoot, she stood framed by greenery and a quiet lake view, striking a relaxed, sun-drenched pose. Ultimately, the dress gave Carpenter's outdoor shoot a breezy edge, with no major jewelry or accessories competing with the dress's standout cutout.
Carpenter constantly redefines playful, girl-next-door style with her signature charm. She easily transforms a demure floral knit into a surprisingly daring moment. Clearly, the soft green fabric caught the golden evening light with every pose. She effortlessly combines delicate embroidery with a dramatic cutout and relaxed countryside styling. Undoubtedly, Carpenter delivered one of Bernadette Antwerp's standout campaign looks. She continues to show how to wear vintage-inspired knitwear with effortless allure.
The post Sabrina Carpenter's Bernadette Micro Minidress Has the Biggest Cutout appeared first on theFashionSpot.

#bernadette

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Sarah Jessica Parker and Carrie Bradshaw have shared plenty of fashion DNA over the years. Her latest look might be one of the clearest examples yet.
For the New York City Ballet's annual Fall Fashion Gala at Lincoln Center, Parker wore a custom Simone Rocha dress that came with no shortage of bows. The transparent, ankle-length design was scattered with tiny embroidered flowers and finished with rows of baby pink ribbon threaded through silver eyelets.
Dimitrios Kambouris - Getty Images
Long ties fell from her shoulders and sides, trailing past the hem as she walked. Parker leaned further into the whimsy with an intricately detailed white bag and sparkling pointed-toe shoes.

#city

Shares of AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) rose on Tuesday after the automotive replacement parts and accessories distributor reported stronger-than-expected profits.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ****** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
AutoZone's net sales grew 5.6% year over year to $6.6 billion in its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter, which ended on Aug. 29.
The auto-parts purveyor opened 175 stores during the quarter and a total of 374 over the trailing 12 months. AutoZone ended the period with 8,031 stores, including 6,863 stores in the U.S., 1,001 in Mexico, and 167 in Brazil.
Additionally, same-store sales, which measure revenue from locations open for at least a year, increased by 2.7%, or 1.5% when excluding foreign currency fluctuations.

#year #autozone #quarter #NYSE

On September 9, 2026, ****** og Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) agreed to acquire privately held Alif Semiconductor for $1.35 billion in cash, with up to $200 million in additional contingent payments. It adds Alif's low-power, AI-native microcontrollers and fusion processors to ADI's portfolio of sensing, signal-processing and power-management technology. ADI CEO Vincent Roche described the deal as advancing "Physical Intelligence," letting systems sense, reason and act locally in real time. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2026 pending U.S. antitrust review.
Alif gives ****** og Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) a direct foothold in the fast-growing edge-AI market. Alif's AI-native microcontrollers and fusion processors support low-latency inference, sensor fusion, and on-device AI. It allows systems to process information locally rather than relying entirely on the cloud. The acquisition also expands ADI's addressable market across industrial, data-center infrastructure, defense, energy, robotics, digital health and wearable applications.
ADI is acquiring technology that already has commercial traction. Alif's silicon already ships in production and has design wins with leading consumer and industrial customers. It gives ADI an established platform rather than an early-stage technology project. ADI can combine Alif's digital processing capabilities with its own sensing, signal-processing, power, connectivity and software technologies to offer more complete system solutions.
The acquisition fits ADI's push into AI while the core business makes strong cash flow. ADI completed its $1.5 billion Empower Semiconductor acquisition in July to strengthen power delivery for AI computing, while third-quarter revenue reached a record $4.02 billion, up 40% year over year, and trailing 12-month free cash flow reached $4.94 billion. The Alif deal therefore adds edge intelligence to an AI strategy while ADI retains substantial financial capacity to fund acquisitions and shareholder returns.
Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) must make enough returns to justify the $1.35 billion upfront price. The firm will pay $1.35 billion in cash at closing and could pay another $200 million in contingent consideration. It takes the potential consideration to $1.55 billion. ADI therefore needs Alif's technology, customer wins, and expanded addressable market to turn into real revenue and earnings growth rather than simply adding another promising technology platform to its portfolio.

#analog #NASDAQ #power #acquisition

Cloudflare's Q2 beat and reaccelerating growth (36% revenue growth, 120% net dollar retention, record large customer adds) pushed NET stock to new highs, but the market has already paid up: NTM EV/Revenue sits at 35.17x, just below its all-time high of 36.30x and well above its roughly two-year average of 22.30x.
Free cash flow margin, the exact metric management points to as evidence of a credible path to GAAP profitability by 2028, has fallen for two straight quarters, from 14.55% in Q1 2026 to 9.71% in Q2 2026, even as severance and restructuring costs climbed toward $165 million for the year.
President Michelle Zatlyn, CFO Thomas Seifert, and director John Graham-Cumming all sold stock in August and September, Zatlyn alone disposing of roughly $44 million across two separate filings, while the company also raised $2.175 billion in convertible debt despite already holding $4.2 billion in cash.
Street consensus, which saw NET stock as 13% to 22% undervalued for most of late 2025 and early 2026, has now caught up: the mean ****** yst target of $336.81 sits just 4% above the September 18 close of $323.60, a far thinner cushion than investors had earlier in the rally.
Cloudflare's second quarter gave bulls plenty to like. Revenue grew 36% year over year to $696.1 million, beating the $665.5 million ****** yst estimate. The company added a record 986 large customers over the trailing year and net dollar retention accelerated to 120%, up six points from a year earlier. Management used that momentum to lean harder into its Act 4 story, the plan to turn Cloudflare's network into infrastructure for agentic commerce through products like Monetization Gateway, Wallets, and cloudflare.pay.

#revenue #dollar

Eli Lilly (LLY) trades near $1,150, up about 52% over the past year, and is now worth more than a trillion dollars. At that size the easy read is that the big money has been made. But Lilly has barely started selling Foundayo, its oral obesity medicine, outside the United States. So how much is left? The scenario below starts from Lilly's own trailing numbers, but the growth, margin, and multiple it ***** umes are ours. It is not a forecast and not a price target.
Almost all of the upside is revenue. The scenario caps growth at 30% a year. That is well below the 49.6% Lilly grew over the past twelve months, though only a little below the roughly 32% pace of its own 2026 guide. Revenue still climbs from $79.7 billion to $175.0 billion by year three.
The engine is incretins. Mounjaro and Zepbound together made $14.9 billion in the second quarter of 2026, $6.3 billion more than a year earlier. Net margin eases to 30.7% in the scenario, so earnings roughly double.
Then the multiple takes its cut. Lilly's P/E of 38.5x already sits below its three-year average of 68.9x, and the scenario trims it further to 33.6x because slower growth will not support even today's multiple. On those ***** umptions the stock would be worth about $2,024 in three years, roughly 76% above today.
LLY

#below #roughly #revenue

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) stock has returned about 57% over the past year, against about 17% for the S&P 500. On the earnings it has already banked, that price looks expensive. But those earnings carry STELARA, which is losing share to biosimilar competition. What looks dear on earnings already reported comes down sharply on the earnings ***** ysts expect.
At about $270 a share, Johnson & Johnson trades at about 28.3 times its trailing earnings. That figure sits on adjusted earnings: normalized net income with stock-based compensation added back, meant to sit closer to the basis ***** ysts use in their forecasts than a GAAP figure would, though the two measures are not defined identically. Measured as market value against consensus net income, the multiple on fiscal 2026 earnings is about 24.1 times, and on the earnings expected for 2027 it is about 20.9 times.
Those trailing twelve months were not a clean run. STELARA cost Johnson & Johnson about 460 basis points of operational sales growth in the second quarter of 2026. Strip it out and the company grew double digits in that quarter on the same basis, on management's own account.
The trailing multiple measures today's price against a period burdened by slowing STELARA revenue. The rest of the portfolio kept growing. Revenue over the trailing twelve months is close to $98 billion, and the company has 28 products and platforms that each sell more than $1 billion a year.
Immunology shows both sides at once. TREMFYA grew 71% in the second quarter of 2026, and it remains the fastest-growing advanced therapy in both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. STELARA is shrinking under biosimilars in that same segment.

#johnson #earnings

Merck (MRK) stock returned about 87% over the past twelve months, climbing from roughly $79 to about $147. Nothing in the year's results looks like that. The medicines Merck sells today grew at their usual pace. Investors spent the year repricing what comes next.
Revenue over the trailing twelve months was $66.6 billion, up 4.6% and in line with its own three-year pace. Profitability did not follow. Its operating margin over the same twelve months was 10.5%, versus a three-year average of 22.4%.
Most of that gap is one purchase. Merck took a $5.7 billion charge in the second quarter of 2026, about 9% of a year's sales. It bought Terns Pharmaceuticals, and with it MK-4208, a candidate for chronic myeloid leukemia. The bill hits earnings now and the medicine arrives later.
The proof matters because of the risk hanging over this stock. The KEYTRUDA family was just over half of Merck's revenue in the second quarter of 2026. The company is openly planning for the end of that exclusivity when Keytruda loses primary U.S. patent protection in 2028. Management describes the stretch as more of a hill than a cliff, with a shallow dip and a fast return to growth.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) returned 56% over the same twelve months and Pfizer (PFE) 23%, so a good year for pharmaceuticals explains some of this but not Merck's lead. What separated Merck was evidence. The FDA approved LIPFENDRA, the first and only oral PCSK9 inhibitor. In the CORALreef Lipids trial it lowered LDL cholesterol by up to 60% when added to a statin.

#year #johnson

Markel mirrors Berkshire's three-engine model of insurance, equities, and operating businesses, with $18.84 billion in float and $429.5 million in 2025 buybacks, but its $22 billion market cap makes it a fundamentally different species.
Markel's combined ratio improved to 94.6% in 2025, yet shares are down 17% year to date while trailing Berkshire's 10-year return by 155 percentage points.
Three signals determine the Markel thesis: whether the combined ratio holds in the low 90s, buybacks sustain pace, and Markel Ventures remains inside the group.
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Warren Buffett has stepped down as board chair of Berkshire Hathaway, with Greg Abel now running the company. The handoff has revived a question value investors have batted around for a decade: with the Oracle off the field, is Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) the closest thing left to early Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-B)?

#hathaway #group #market

An equal $100,000 split across SGOV, JAAA, and CLOZ generates roughly $465 monthly at a blended 5.6% yield, no dividend stocks required.
CLOZ's 7.35% trailing yield on BBB-B rated CLO tranches drives $204 of the monthly income but carries the portfolio's highest credit risk.
Floating-rate CLO coupons in JAAA and CLOZ keep effective duration near zero, shielding principal from long-term rate swings while outpaying Treasury bills.
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Income investors do not have to own dividend stocks to generate a meaningful monthly check. An equal $100,000 split across the iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SGOV), Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF (NYSEARCA: JAAA), and Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF (NYSEARCA:CLOZ) currently produces roughly $465 a month based on trailing distribution yields. The portfolio gets there without owning a single dividend stock and with very little traditional interest-rate exposure. Instead, SGOV owns Treasury bills, while JAAA and CLOZ invest in floating-rate collateralized loan obligations. That combination gives income investors three different steps up the risk ladder without requiring a move into equities.

#income #Dividend

Five covered-call ETFs yield 8% to 14% monthly by writing options against large-cap U.S. equity portfolios, putting them at double to triple the 10-year Treasury rate near 5%.
Nasdaq-100 funds post higher yields than S&P 500 funds because greater implied volatility generates fatter option premiums, but they cap upside during rallies.
QQQI delivers the group's top 14% yield with roughly 99% of 2025 distributions classified as return of capital, deferring taxes rather than creating current income.
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Income investors heading into the fourth quarter face a market where the 10-year Treasury yield is near 5%, yet a cluster of options-income ETFs still pays roughly double to triple that rate every month. The five funds on this list — JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI), Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (NYSEARCA:XYLD), Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETF (NASDAQ:GPIQ), NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF (NYSEARCA:SPYI), and NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF (NASDAQ:QQQI), all sit in an 8% to 14% trailing yield band while distributing cash monthly.

#NASDAQ #high #etfs #treasury

Generac (GNRC) trades at the highest earnings multiple in its five-company peer group on a trailing basis. Yet it ranks last of the five on revenue growth over the past year, and fourth on operating margin. The case for paying up rests on something the trailing numbers do not show yet: a data center order book that ships mostly in 2027.
How Does The Past Year's Slowest Grower Carry The Highest Multiple?
AZZ trades at 20.0 times earnings, about half of Generac's 39.9. It grew revenue 5.7% over the last twelve months, against 0.6% for Generac. It also runs an operating margin of 16.2%, against Generac's 9.5%.
GNRC
RRX

#highest #past