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Uber shares rose 5% in extended trading on Friday after the ride-hailing company was added to the S&P 500 Index, replacing Sealed Air Corp. A company's stock price often rises on news that it's joining the S&P 500 because fund managers who track the benchmark, which gets updated each quarter, have to acquire the shares. Uber shares debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, but the company was burning cash as it had to pay drivers enough money to stay competitive in a low-margin business. Uber has a market cap of about $118 billion, while the median market cap of companies in the S&P 500 is just over $31 billion. WATCH: Uber into the S&P 500

Persons: Dara Khosrowshahi, it's, Nelson, Chai, Uber, Lloyd Walmsley, You've Organizations: Uber, Sealed Air Corp, Companies, New York Stock Exchange, UBS Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ How to play Alphabet's stock after its worst slide in more than a year, according to Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Alphabet's latest quarterly results left some analysts questioning whether investors should be buying the dominant search engine right now, or opting instead for some of its tech peers. "If you own the stock, the bad news is probably out of the way," said Bernstein analyst Mark Shmulik. We take up our ad revenue estimates, pull cloud and margins down, and we end up right back where we started." Profit margins contracted and the company also said it expects capital spending to increase in the fourth quarter and in 2024. Alphabet sank 9.8% in midday trading Wednesday, on pace for its worst one-day decline since March 2020.

Persons: Bernstein, Mark Shmulik, Wells, Ken Gawrelski, Lloyd Walmsley, Gawrelski, Bank of America's Justin Post, James Lee, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Google, Microsoft, UBS, Bank of America's

☆ Wall Street wants to know how Google's going to profit from AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In the age of AI hype, few companies have used the word "AI" more than Google. Now, Wall Street wants know how it'll turn the hyped tech into dollars and cents. With SGE, Pichai said it'll be able to include "a wider range of sources on the results page, creating new opportunities for content to be discovered." Pichai added that with AI, he sees the opportunity to "evolve search and assistant for the next decade ahead." "It's probably the ultimate example of AI," Pichai said in response to Sheridan's question.

Persons: Bard, Lloyd Walmsley, Pichai, Brian Nowak, Morgan Stanley, Nowak, it'll, Philipp Schindler, we're, Schindler, UBS's Eric Sheridan, execs, Max, Google's, It's Organizations: Google, Deutsche Bank, YouTube, CNBC, Samsung, Toyota

☆ What Instacart's IPO filing reveals for Uber and DoorDash investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Instacart's recent IPO filing delivered Wall Street some surprising insight into the grocery delivery business, and how competitors Uber and DoorDash 's could better harness advertising opportunities to unlock profit. Last week, the grocery delivery company brought an end to the tech IPO drought when it filed to go public on the Nasdaq Stock Market . And according to some Wall Street analysts, the filing revealed a better positioned company than expected, and one further along on the road to profitability than Uber and DoorDash at the time of their respective IPOs. Filings also revealed insight into customer behavior that both DoorDash and Uber can apply to their budding grocery segments. 'Cautious read-throughs' Despite widespread optimism about the long-term outlook for the grocery delivery business, the filing also revealed some near-term growth concerns for grocery delivery orders.

Persons: Uber, Bernstein, Nikhil Devnani, bode, Bernstein's Devnani, Lloyd Walmsley, Walmsley, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Nasdaq, UBS, DASH

☆ Here's the trade on Amazon heading into earnings, according to analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street analysts are bullish on Amazon heading into earnings. Here's how several analysts are trading Amazon ahead of its latest earnings report. Bank of America is also bullish, maintaining its buy rating and $154 price target into earnings, which suggests roughly 20% upside. "We continue to see an attractive set-up on the stock based on our Triple Trough Thesis (trough multiple, trough margin, and trough revenue growth). On Monday, the firm reiterated its buy rating and $145 price target, which suggests 13% upside from Wednesday's close.

Persons: StreetAccount, Morgan Stanley, Brian Nowak, Nowak, Lloyd Walmsley, Walmsley, Justin Post, Amazon's, Mark Mahaney's, Mahaney, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Amazon Web Services, UBS, Bank of America, AWS, Triple, Citi Locations: 1Q23

☆ Google, Microsoft, and Meta can't stop talking about A.I. — here's why Apple rarely mentions it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesMicrosoft, Google and Meta are rallying everyone around AI, even though the future is murkyGoogle launched Bard AI, it's own chatbot to rival Microsoft and OpenAI's ChatGPT. Google, for example, has announced its plans to revamp its search engine using an AI model called Search Generative Experience. Google and Pichai say that the company's text-generating AI models will make its search engine better and could even answer questions that normal Google search can't. Zuckerberg was effusive about AI technology and its applications in virtual reality, ad targeting and recommending content from accounts users don't follow. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley wrote this week that generative AI was still an "overhang" over Google.

Persons: Tim Cook, Narendra Modi, Stefani Reynolds, ChatGPT, Jonathan Raa, OpenAI's, Amy Hood, we'll, Nadella, Pichai, it's, Zuckerberg, Meta, Bing, Gartner, Mark Murphy, Laura Martin, Lloyd Walmsley, monetization, Walmsley, Scott Olson Organizations: India's, White, AFP, Getty, Microsoft, Google, Nurphoto, Meta, Apple, Big Tech, Nvidia, Venture, JPMorgan, UBS Locations: Washington ,, iPhones, Brussels, Belgium, Chicago

☆ Wall Street analysts become even more bullish on Meta after its latest earnings report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta has had a breakout year in 2023 — and Wall Street analysts think the stock has even further room to grow after company's latest quarterly report. The new target price implies more than 25% upside from Wednesday's close. Bank of America analyst Justin Post also increased his price target on Meta shares to $375 from $350. META YTD mountain Meta shares in 2023 Meanwhile, UBS hiked its price target to $400 from $335, implying 34% further upside. He reiterated his overweight rating while lifting his price target to $425 from $300, one of the highest on the Street.

Persons: Meta, Morgan Stanley, Brian Novak, Novak, Justin Post, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Sheridan, Wells, Ken Gawrelski, Gawrelski, Stephen Ju, Ju, UBS's Lloyd Walmsley, Walmsley, Doug Anmuth, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Wall Street, Meta, Bank of America, Citi, Reality Labs, UBS, Credit Suisse Locations: opex

☆ UBS' Lloyd Walmsley says, there are more clean plays on generative A.I. than in Alphabet
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUBS' Lloyd Walmsley says, there are more clean plays on generative A.I. than in AlphabetLloyd Walmsley, UBS internet analyst, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss UBS' downgrade of Alphabet to neutral.

Persons: Lloyd Walmsley Organizations: UBS

☆ UBS downgrades Google-parent Alphabet, cites stiffer competition and generative A.I. headwinds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The bank downgraded the tech giant to neutral from buy, albeit with a higher $132 per share price target compared to the previous $123 forecast. UBS' new price target implies roughly 8% upside for Alphabet stock compared to its $122.34 close on Friday. GOOGL YTD mountain Alphabet stock has added nearly 40% from January. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley noted he finds difficulty forecasting more upside for Alphabet, noting revenue headwinds remain in the near-term from new search competition. Walmsley highlighted three risks stemming from generative AI over the medium-term: stiffer competition, pressure to margins and hiccups in monetizing the technology.

Persons: Lloyd Walmsley, Walmsley, GOOG, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: UBS, Google

☆ What the loss of Samsung search engine business could mean for Alphabet's stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A weekend report from The New York Times said Samsung is thinking of switching its default search engine to Microsoft's Bing. Samsung represents roughly 27% of the smartphone market and has a 60% share of Android phones, according to Barclays. Barclays estimates that Samsung represents about $20 billion of Google's gross revenue and $7.3 billion of operating income. If the cellphone maker were to move away from the search engine, Google may have to recapture 70% of lost queries organically to recoup the lost operating income, the firm found. He thinks Google will remain the search engine heavyweight and successfully integrate Bard to rival Bing's use of ChatGPT.

☆ UBS says this social media stock can rally more than 25% on plans to improve advertising
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pinterest could see big gains ahead as new leadership pushes the e-commerce platform to unlock untapped advertising opportunities, according to UBS. Analyst Lloyd Walmsley upgraded the stock to buy from neutral. Walmsley said Pinterest's partner monetization strategy began showing "rapid improvement" in the international space. The company has also seen an increase in ad loads stemming from improved ad density and relevance. Still, he said the company could benefit from a large global partner to help, while smaller local partners can provide additional support.

☆ Meta can't make any big acquisitions right now, as its $40 billion war chest starts going towards appeasing Wall Street investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Meta is repurchasing $40 billion worth of stock from investors, even as it cuts jobs. But as Meta's "year of efficiency" continues, Mark Zuckerberg needs to put its $40.74 billion cash pile to a more boring — but perhaps more practical — use: making shareholders happy. Since 2012, Meta Platforms, formerly called Facebook, has acquired over 100 companies, including big names like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus. The social networking giant's revenue has ballooned over the years from $5 billion in 2012 to $116 billion last year. Meta can't do big acquisitions, and it needs to win over Wall StreetAntitrust scrutiny continues to be a thorn in its side when it comes to acquisitions.

☆ UBS says these stocks posted high-quality earnings this season
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Now that Wall Street is about to close the books on yet another earnings season, it's time to see which names posted higher-quality earnings than others, according to UBS. In the S & P 500, about 86% of companies reported quarterly earnings thus far, according to FactSet data. However, UBS' strategist Keith Parker worries that earnings quality is an "overhang," saying the divide between earnings and operating cash flow for companies points to roughly 15% earnings-per-share downside for at-risk stocks. These stocks are in the S & P 1500, have a market cap greater than $3 billion, excluding stocks in financial, real estate and utilities. Meanwhile, Humana demonstrated strong earnings quality because of its leading position in the Medicare Advantage market, according to UBS analyst Kevin Caliendo.

☆ Heavyweight tech battle: How Microsoft and Alphabet stack up against each other in the A.I. war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"It's a new day in search," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday during an AI event held at the company's headquarters, saying that the "race starts today." So far, Microsoft is making significant headway within AI and rising in popularity in the tech world. Alphabet, he added, "got beaten to market by Microsoft" despite its investments in the space. Alphabet Microsoft may be taking the lead on AI in the near term, but investors shouldn't sleep on Alphabet just yet. "We believe GOOGL has the AI tech and scale to maintain/grow its leading user base," said Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak in a Thursday note.

☆ Microsoft may have won the A.I. battle, but Alphabet could win the war, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft won the first round in the battle to become the next big artificial intelligence leader, but analysts think Alphabet 's ability to overtake its competition in the long-run shouldn't be underestimated. "We think Google's big reveal is still to come, which we would expect in weeks and not months." On the heels of its multibillion dollar investment in ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, Microsoft on Tuesday announced new AI versions of its Bing search engine and Edge browser. "We believe GOOGL has the AI tech and scale to maintain/grow its leading user base," wrote Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak. He also expects Google's AI product visibility to improve over the next few months — and easily offset some higher AI search costs.

☆ Uber to steal a march on Lyft in resurgent rideshare market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc's (UBER.N) revenue growth is set to outpace that of rival Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) as the rideshare firm's presence in major markets around the world gives it the heft to deal with inflationary pressures. Dara Khosrowshahi-led Uber operates in multiple regions and has over the years built a massive food and grocery delivery business, while Lyft has mainly focused on rideshare in the United States. "Lyft is on the losing end of Uber's mobility and delivery network effect ... in a world of increasing focus on profitability, Lyft does not deliver," MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Morton said. Analysts expect a fourth-quarter revenue increase of 19% for Lyft and 47% for Uber, according to Refinitiv data. "When we look at driver time spent data on a 2-year growth basis our concerns on Lyft losing market share are magnified ... we come away more concerned about Lyft's need to invest in incentives," UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley said.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with UBS's Lloyd Walmsley
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with UBS's Lloyd WalmsleyLloyd Walmsley, UBS Analyst, joins 'TechCheck' to discuss why he thinks ChatGPT could impact Google's margins.

☆ UBS downgrades Snap after earnings, says rising competition will keep pressure on stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Snap may have trouble keeping up with ever-rising competition going forward, according to UBS. He also reiterated a price target of $10, which implies downside of 13.5% from Tuesday's close, and trimmed his 2023 revenue outlook on Snap. "We see increasing competition everywhere," analyst Lloyd Walmsley wrote in a client note on Wednesday. Given the magnitude of competition and Snap's relatively subscale nature, we see risk to revenue acceleration. Other analysts also grew more cautious on the stock after Snap's latest quarterly report.

☆ Snap shares tumble 13% following disappointing fourth quarter report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Snap tumbled 15% in premarket trading Wednesday, a day after the company released a disappointing quarterly report for the third quarter in a row. In a letter to investors, Snap called it a "challenging year" that was marked by "macroeconomic headwinds, platform policy changes, and increased competition. Revenue in the company's fourth quarter was up slightly from a year earlier. UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley downgraded Snap from buy to neutral, citing increased competition from other social media companies like Meta , TikTok and YouTube . Jeffries analysts said Snap's fourth quarter was disappointing, and they lowered their fiscal year 2023 estimate by 2%.

☆ Buy this online real estate stock now before the sector rebounds in 2024, UBS says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors should consider loading up shares of online real estate stock Zillow now as the sector is poised for a rebound in 2024, according to UBS. Housing rebound For Zillow, UBS expects that as the macroeconomic backdrop improves, it will be able to make tangible progress towards its goals and see its valuation multiple re-rate higher. Currently, shares price in 16% revenue growth, and UBS forecasts Zillow can grow revenue at 18.5% in 2024 and 15% in 2025. This has also given investors a solid entry point to buy shares as they've slumped more than the broader market so far this year. "We see the current period of maximum uncertainty as a good entry point for Buy-rated Zillow shares for longer-term investors," wrote Walmsley.

☆ Snap will be significantly more disciplined with costs in the next year, says UBS analyst Lloyd Walmsley
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSnap will be significantly more disciplined with costs in the next year, says UBS analyst Lloyd WalmsleyUBS Analyst Lloyd Walmsley joins 'TechCheck' to share his optimism about Snap's ability to cut costs and turn earnings around next year, the company's positioning ahead of a recession compared to other platforms and where Snap should be targeting improvements.

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