Good MorningEquity markets are off to a good start, building on the gains made in the first half. The S&P 500 moved up to set a new all-time high in the first week of second-half trading and broke a critical technical level that opened the door to a much larger move. Periodic corrections aside, the S&P 500 is poised to advance another 10% to 15% and may top the 6,100 level by year's end. Among the drivers of the action will be earnings from key tech companies, including NVIDIA and Microsoft.
The June NFP report was good. The US economy created 206,000 new jobs, indicating that labor markets remain healthy. The only worry is that wages continue to rise at a near-4% and are helping to sustain inflation. The takeaway is that economic activity is positive and leads to earnings growth for average S&P 500 companies, a force that can drive the S&P 500 higher until there is a change in the outlook. As it is, markets expect earnings growth to accelerate in the second half and next year in 2025 compared to this year. Featured: Kiss of death from Joe Biden (Porter & Company) 
|
Markets | | |
There are typically only two ways for investors to expose their capital to a stock’s path, whether higher or lower. The first way everyone should know of is to buy stock shares in a company of an investor’s choice. On the other hand, there are stock options where investors can us... Read the Full Story |
|
From Our PartnersCould Elon's New Device be Bigger than the iPhone?
According to 30-year Silicon Valley and Wall Street veteran, Eric Fry…
This mind-blowing new technology could be bigger than the iPhone. | | | | Click here for the full story… |
|
Markets | | |
The summer season often brings heightened economic activity, making it a favorable period for investors to focus on building a growth-oriented portfolio. Growth investing typically centers on companies with the potential for rapid earnings growth. Often characterized by innovation and expansion, t... Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | |
Despite their recent struggles, these three industry giants hold the promise of significant upside. With favorable consensus price targets and ratings, attractive P/E valuations, solid earnings growth projections, and some highly attractive dividend yields, they present a hopeful picture for incom... Read the Full Story |
|
|
Stocks | | | U.S. stocks rose to more records Friday after a highly anticipated report on the job market bolstered Wall Street’s hopes that interest rates may soon get easier.The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to set an all-time high for a third straight day following Thursday’s pause in trading for the Fourth of July... Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | | Asian shares were mostly higher Tuesday after Wall Street benchmarks reached more milestones.Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.5% in morning trading to 41,386.80. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.7% to 7,819.30. South Korea's Kospi edged up nearly 0.1% to 2,859.63. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inde... Read the Full Story |
|
From Our PartnersDid you miss out on the 1000%+ gains of Bitcoin over the past 5 years?
If so, you don't want to miss this... | | | | Watch this short video |
|
Markets | | | New Zealand's housing minister says the country will drastically ease restrictions on land use in a bid to “flood the market” with land for homes and override the powers of local councils to curb development Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | |
Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) is one of the leading players in the semiconductor industry. The firm has outperformed the market and industry over the past 12 months, with a total return of 75%. Over the same period, the SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (NYSEARCA: XSD) is up just 15%. Let’s look at Q... Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | | The Federal Reserve is highlighting the importance of its political independence at a time when Donald Trump, who frequently attacked the Fed’s policymaking in the past, edges closer to formally becoming the Republican nominee for president Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | | America’s employers delivered another healthy month of hiring in June, adding 206,000 jobs and once again displaying the U.S. economy’s ability to withstand high interest rates.Last month’s job growth did mark a pullback from 218,000 in May. But it was still a solid gain, reflecting the resilience o... Read the Full Story |
|
Markets | | |
Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) is in the consumer staples sector and is the fourth-largest beverage company in the United States by market capitalization. The firm has underperformed the market and its sector over the past 12 months. It has provided a total return of 3%, while the consumer sta... Read the Full Story |
|
Monday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Darden Restaurants, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada. It operates under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, and Capital Burger brand names. Darden Restaurants, Inc. was incorporated in 1995 and is based in Orlando, Florida. | Should I Buy Darden Restaurants Stock? DRI Bull and Bear Case Explained
These insights were generated using artificial intelligence. They are based on proprietary MarketBeat data, news articles, and custom LLM A.I. algorithms. This analysis of Darden Restaurants was last updated on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 5:39 AM.
Darden Restaurants Bull Case -
Recent upgrades from multiple analysts, including a price target increase from $190.00 to $205.00, indicate strong market confidence in Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s growth potential.
-
The stock is currently trading at $190.83, which is near its one-year high of $201.94, suggesting strong performance and investor interest.
-
Darden Restaurants, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a significant number of buy ratings, reflecting positive sentiment in the market.
-
Insider selling activity, while notable, can also indicate confidence in the company's future, as executives may be reallocating their investments rather than signaling a lack of faith in the company.
-
The company has a solid market capitalization of $22.36 billion, which provides stability and resources for growth initiatives.
Darden Restaurants Bear Case -
Insider selling has been significant, with a total of 52,926 shares sold worth $9,850,129 in the last ninety days, which may raise concerns about the executives' confidence in the company's future performance.
-
The company's debt-to-equity ratio stands at 1.02, indicating that Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a relatively high level of debt compared to its equity, which could pose risks in a rising interest rate environment.
-
Despite the positive analyst ratings, one analyst has issued a sell rating, suggesting that there are differing opinions on the stock's future performance.
-
The current quick ratio of 0.23 and current ratio of 0.37 indicate potential liquidity issues, meaning the company may struggle to meet short-term obligations.
-
Market volatility, as indicated by a beta of 1.31, suggests that Darden Restaurants, Inc.'s stock price may be more volatile than the overall market, which could lead to increased risk for investors.
| | View Today's Stock Pick |
|
