DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Walmart hits new highs and Target dives after earnings as rivals diverge even more
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Customer traffic gains were similar at the two stores, yet Walmart's sales trends looked much better than Target's. Walmart's traffic growth edged out its rival's, with a gain of 3.1% at Walmart U.S. versus 2.4% at Target. Walmart's e-commerce sales in the U.S. rose 22%, a bigger increase than the nearly 11% at Target. About 60% of Target's sales come from discretionary items, such as home goods and clothing. On a call with investors on Wednesday, Cornell pointed to "green shoots" in the business, even as sales results disappointed.

Persons: Brian Cornell, Walmart's, Michael Baker, Davidson, Baker, Paul Lejuez, Kate McShane, Goldman Sachs, Davidson's Baker, Cornell, Michael Lasser, We'll Organizations: Walmart, Walmart U.S, Target, D.A, Amazon, Costco, Citi Research, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Global Research, Citi, Cornell, UBS Locations: U.S, Minneapolis, America

☆ China play Las Vegas Sands is one of the most overbought names on Wall Street. Here are the others
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | Kavitha Shastry | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China stocks have been on an upward tear since then, with the mainland's CSI 300 index rallying over 25% to rise nine days in a row. Shares of Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands have respectively gained nearly 8% and more than 2% this week. Stocks with a 14-day relative strength index reading, or RSI, above 70 are considered to be overbought. The stock has an RSI reading of 82. Fellow China play Wynn Resorts also has a high RSI reading of 86.

Persons: Robin Farley, Vistra, Angie Storozynski, Humana, Stephens, Paul Lejuez, WMT Organizations: People's Bank of China, CSI, Wynn Resorts, CNBC Pro, UBS, China, Seaport Research Partners, Humana, Dollar, Citi, Walmart, omni Locations: China, U.S, Macau

Deutsche Bank reinstated Dell Technologies as a buy, calling for nearly 14% upside. 7:04 a.m.: Citi says Walmart remains a top pick, hikes price target Walmart is poised for more growth ahead, according to Citi. The firm upgraded the stock to overweight from neutral and raised its price target by $66 to $395. WYNN mountain 2024-08-30 WYNN month to date — Sean Conlon 5:49 a.m.: Deutsche Bank reinstates Dell Technologies as buy The stars are aligning for Dell Technologies , according to Deutsche Bank. Analyst Matt Niknam resumed coverage of the PC maker with a buy rating and a price target of $144, which implies upside of nearly 14%.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Paul Lejuez, — Sean Conlon, Piper Sandler, Accenture Piper Sandler, Arvind Ramnani, GenAI, Ramnani, Sean Conlon, Bumble, Justin Patterson, Patterson, Stephen Grambling, WYNN's, they've, Matt Niknam, Niknam, DELL, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Deutsche Bank, Dell Technologies, Wynn Resorts, Citi, Walmart, Accenture, Markets, Wynn, Las, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Deutsche Bank reinstates Dell Technologies, DELL, Dell Locations: Grambling, UAE, WYNN

☆ Here are the stocks that win when the Fed cuts rates with no recession
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Fed funds futures have fully priced in that the central bank will lower interest rates, according to CME's FedWatch tool . Many now expect the Fed will achieve the coveted "soft landing" outcome, which means inflation is curbed without tipping the economy into a recession. Rate cuts without a recession has historically been a positive mixture for stocks. Given this backdrop, CNBC Pro screened for names that have performed nicely in past periods where the Fed pulled rates lower without the U.S. economy tipping into a recession. To find these companies, CNBC Pro searched the S & P 500 for members with the highest median gain one year after the Fed has cut rates without an official recession.

Persons: Genuity, LSEG, Paul Lejuez, WMT Organizations: Reserve, CNBC Pro, Nike, Dow Jones Industrial, Intel, Boeing, Walmart, Dow, Citi, Wall Locations: U.S, Rochester , New York

☆ Lululemon just released new leggings. Shoppers and shareholders are mad.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAthleisure darling Lululemon just saw some tough love from investors and customers this week. The leggings, introduced earlier this month, were quickly criticized by some shoppers for an unflattering design, poor fit, and other issues. AdvertisementFashion YouTuber and previous Lululemon shopper Alexandra Alvarez said in a video review last week that she struggled with the Breezethrough leggings' fit and construction. On Reddit's 600,000-user Lululemon forum, the leggings received mixed reviews.

Persons: —, Lululemon, Matthew R, Boss, Alexandra Alvarez, Kathryn Mueller, I'm, Paul Lejuez, Lejuez, Janine Stichter Organizations: Service, Business, Citi, CNBC Locations: Vancouver

Baird raised its price target on Apple by $40 to $240. BMO also increased its price target on Amazon to $230, implying upside of 27%. Hutchinson also raised her price target $65, a $3 increase that implies the stock can jump 17.3% over the next year from Wednesday's close. In addition to reiterating his outperform rating, Mizuho managing director Gregg Moskowitz upped his price target by $30 to $850. Analyst William Power reiterated his outperform rating on the tech titan and hiked his price target by $40 to $240.

Persons: Baird, Lorraine Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Birkenstock, — Alex Harring, Paul Lejuez, LULU, Lejuez, LULU YTD, GE Vernova, Mark Strouse, Strouse, Mizuho, Gregg Moskowitz, Moskowitz, LSEG, Stifel, Lamb Weston, Matthew Smith, Smith, FactSet, Cowen, William Power, AAPL, Power, Alex Harring, Brian Pitz, Pitz, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Apple, BMO, GE, Bank of America, New York Stock Exchange, Citi downgrades, Citi, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Nasdaq, Apple Intelligence, Verizon, BMO Capital Markets, Google, Amazon Locations: Wednesday's, Thursday's, Lululemon, Thursday's premarket

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Macy's, Lowe's, Peloton, Zoom Video and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Macy's — The department store operator added about 3% after beating earnings estimates for the first quarter and raising its full-year outlook. AutoZone reported revenue of $4.24 billion while analysts polled by FactSet forecast $4.29 billion. XPeng — Shares gained 5% after the Chinese electric vehicle firm beat first-quarter estimates on the top and bottom line. The company reported revenue of 25.6 billion yuan, a 38.6% decrease from the fourth quarter of 2023. Zoom Video — Shares slipped nearly 3% even after the video conferencing company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter.

Persons: Macy's, Lowe's, XPeng, Baird, David Koning, billings, Li Auto, Paul Lejuez, Wall, LSEG, — CNBC's Michelle Fox, Sarah Min, Jesse Pound Organizations: FactSet, Palo Alto Networks, —, Technologies, Lam Research, Citi Locations: Keysight

Goldman Sachs hiked its price target on Nvidia, calling for nearly 20% more gains ahead. The firm upgraded shares of Target to buy from neutral, and reiterated its $180 per share price target. The firm upgraded the clothing retailer to buy from neutral and increased its target price to $28 per share from $21. — Brian Evans 5:45 a.m.: Goldman Sachs raises Nvidia price target on still strong AI demand Goldman Sachs sees enough demand for artificial intelligence to drive sky high Nvidia even higher. The firm reiterated a buy rating on the chipmaker and raised its 12-month price target on the chipmaker to $1,100 from $1,000.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, TGT, Paul Lejuez, — Brian Evans, Wall, Brian Evans, Stephanie Yee, Toshiya Hari, Myles Allsop, Allsop, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, UBS, Vale, Citi, Target, JPMorgan, UL Solutions, UL Locations: Monday's, North America, U.S, stoke, RIO

☆ Wall Street analysts come out very bullish on this recent sporting goods IPO
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Roach is even more bullish than many on Wall Street with a price target of $21 per share. Like many peers on the Street, she sees the company getting a boost from market share growth and an expansion of direct-to-consumer. Multiple analysts deemed Arc'teryx the "crown jewel' of Amer's portfolio. Though Arc'teryx provides a key reason for bullishness, analysts also have their eyes on other well-known brands in the portfolio. "But, the business faces an uncertain 1H24 wholesale backdrop, & comes with single-segment growth & profitability expansion reliance, multi-brand portfolio volatility risk, & high relative leverage levels."

Persons: Wilson, Arc'teryx, FactSet, Goldman Sachs, Brooke Roach, Roach, She's, Amer, Lorraine Hutchinson, Matthew Boss, Paul Lejuez, Salomon, Baird, Jonathan Komp, Amer's, Jay Sole, Morgan Stanley, Alex Straton, Straton Organizations: Amer, New York Stock Exchange, DTC, Bank of America, Amer Sports, Citi, UBS Locations: China

— Lisa Kailai Han 7:07 a.m. — Lisa Kailai Han 6:48 a.m. "At current levels, we believe the risk/reward skews to the downside," wrote analyst Paul Lejuez. — Lisa Kailai Han 6:05 a.m. — Lisa Kailai Han

Persons: Robert Ford Aguilar, Aguilar, Lisa Kailai Han, Rachel Vatnsdal, GeoMx, Vatnsdal, skews, Paul Lejuez, — Lisa Kailai Han, Nik Modi, Raymond James, Matt Roberts, headwinds, Roberts, Ashwani Verma, Verma, Morgan Stanley, Micron Morgan Stanley, Joseph Moore's, Moore, Amit Mehrotra, Mehrotra, Sangita Jain, Jain, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Monday, UBS, Teva Pharmaceutical, Bloom Energy, Bank of America, Arcos Dorados Bank of America, Arcos Dorados, ARCO, JPMorgan downgrades, JPMorgan, U.S, District, Prognosys, 10X Genomics, Citi, RBC, RBC Capital Markets, UBS downgrades Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Digital, Micron, Western, Deutsche Bank, BE Locations: America, Caribbean, Argentine, Delaware, NSTG, U.S, Europe, Mondelez, narcolepsy

☆ Walmart Keeps Winning, but Has High Bar to Clear
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Walmart said it is on pace to increase operating income by a higher percentage than revenue for the full year. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesConsumers are feeling squeezed and are gravitating to places that sell necessities at a good price. In other words, it’s an environment made for Walmart . There are four corners of retail that are working well right now: Online, off-mall, convenience and value, as Citi Research analyst Paul Lejuez put it in a recent report. Walmart is thriving in each of these.

Persons: Scott Olson, Paul Lejuez Organizations: Walmart, Getty, Citi Research

UBS lowered its rating on Albemarle to neutral from buy, slashing its price target by more than 40%. Analyst Matthew Hedberg initiated coverage of the data stock at an outperform rating with a $22 target price for shares. Hedberg's price target implies shares could climb 23.9% over the next year from Friday's close. In addition to the downgrade, analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich slashed her price target on the stock to $9 from $32. Analyst Joshua Spector downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and slashed his price target to $140 from $253.

Persons: Ferrari, Matthew Hedberg, Hedberg, Alex Harring, Jason Bazinet, Bazinet, — Alex Harring, Jefferies, Brent Thill, Thill, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Reif, Vivek Arya, Arya, Nicholas Campanella, Campanella, " Campanella, Banks, Goldman Sachs, Citi's Paul Lejuez, Baird, Mark Altschwager, Morgan Stanley, Edouard Aubin, Aubin, there's, Henning Cosman, Cosman, Joshua Spector, Spector Organizations: CNBC, UBS, Barclays, Bank of America, Nvidia, RBC, RBC Capital Markets, Citi, Disney, Jefferies, Paramount, Paramount Global, Dominion Energy, Dominion, Wall, JPMorgan, Ferrari, U.S, UBS downgrades Locations: Albemarle, Friday's, China, Birkenstock

☆ Wall Street expects struggling Nike is turning things around, sees 50% to 60% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Nike also reiterated its full-year guidance for midsingle-digit revenue growth. NKE YTD mountain Nike stock. The firm maintains an overweight rating on Nike stock and forecasts nearly 53% upside from Thursday's $89.62 close. McShane has a $136 per share price target on Nike stock, which implies more than 51% upside. Despite a near-term "choppy" outlook for Nike growth, the analyst says the company is well-positioned to navigate headwinds including "tough comparisons" and stiffer competition.

Persons: Matthew Boss, aren't, Jay Sole, Goldman Sachs, Kate McShane, McShane, Morgan Stanley's Alex Straton, Straton, Paul Lejuez, Lejuez, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Nike, LSEG, JPMorgan, UBS, Paris Olympics, Air Max, 2Q, Citi Locations: U.S

☆ Analysts loved Costco's earnings report—Here's where they say the stock is headed next
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lasser also labeled Costco stock as "the gold standard." Bank of America's Robert Ohmes reiterated a buy rating on Costco stock, with a $610 per share price target. Morgan Stanley's Simeon Gutman, meanwhile, restated an overweight rating on Wednesday, accompanied by a $585 per share price target or roughly 6% upside. Goldman Sachs analyst Kate McShane kept a buy rating on Costco stock following Tuesday's quarterly results, but boosted her price target to $603 from $589. He remains neutral on Costco stock with a $530 target price, which is 4% lower than where shares recently closed.

Persons: Costco, Michael Lasser, Lasser, Bank of America's Robert Ohmes, Ohmes, Morgan Stanley's Simeon Gutman, Morgan Stanley, Gutman, Goldman Sachs, Kate McShane, McShane, JPMorgan's Christopher Horvers, Horvers, Citi's Paul Lejuez, Lejuez, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Costco, LSEG, 4Q, UBS, Bank of America's Locations: U.S

☆ Macy's warning of weak second-half demand hits retail sector shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Savyata Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its cautious view also weighed on the retail sector shares, including Kohl's (KSS.N) and Nordstrom (JWN.N). In a clear sign that higher borrowing costs were straining customers, Macy's credit card revenue, which accounted for about 2% of the total revenue in the quarter, slumped 41%. Throughout the quarter, Macy's cleared excess stock after a move to convert its merchandise for the spring and summer hurt demand, leading to a slip in gross margin. Macy's reaffirmed its expectations for 2023 sales of $22.8 billion to $23.2 billion and adjusted full-year profit per share between $2.70 and $3.20. At $12.8, Macy's shares were set for their worst session since March last year.

Persons: Macy, Brendan McDermid, Adrian Mitchell, Paul Lejuez, Mitchell, Macy's, Jessica Ramirez, Jane Hali, Savyata Mishra, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, Nordstrom, Citi, Target, Thomson Locations: New York , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Citi downgrades Target, says concerning sales trends make stock not worth buying
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investors should stay away from Target amid concerns that sales may have peaked, Citi warned. Analyst Paul Lejuez downgraded the retail giant to neutral from buy and cut his price target to $130 from $177. Lejuez's new target implies the stock will fall nearly 1% in the next year from where shares finished Thursday. "Despite the recent stock pressure, we cannot recommend investors buy the stock," he said in a note Friday, adding that "risk is more to the downside near term." "It is the primary reason TGT has been our lowest ranked Buy-rated stock for some time, but we are concerned now more than ever, and we can no longer recommend that investors Buy TGT."

Persons: Paul Lejuez, Lejuez, it's, —, TGT, Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi, Walmart

☆ Nike to trade lower following Foot Locker's dismal results, Citi says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Citigroup analysts are watching Nike stock for downside risk after disappointing quarterly results from retailer Foot Locker . The firm Monday reiterated a neutral rating on Nike stock, with a price target of $125 per share. Nike stock is down nearly 2% from the start of the year, and shares fell another 1.5% in premarket trading Monday. Citi also downgraded Foot Locker to neutral on Monday, citing the "economic sensitivity of [Foot Locker's] customer base" underpinned by the company's weak results on Friday . FL YTD mountain Foot Locker stock.

☆ Target rolls out curbside returns as retailers hope convenience will boost sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The company hopes convenient perks like curbside returns will boost customer loyalty and jolt sales. Neither company would quantify the use of curbside pickup or returns, but Walmart said it has seen nearly double the volume of customers using curbside returns from its launch across the chain last fall compared with this month. At Target's investor day in late February, Citibank analyst Paul Lejuez asked if the retailer would ultimately miss out on purchases by adding curbside returns. He said allowing curbside returns also helps the retailer get unwanted items back on the sales floor faster and lowers the cost of mail-in returns. For Target, curbside returns could serve as a differentiator and a complement to the merchandise mix it sells, Hoyler said.

Citi thinks it's time to buy Steven Madden shares. Lejuez raised his rating on Steven Madden shares to buy from neutral. The analyst praised the company's "resilient business model" as another reason why he likes the stock. Steven Madden shares were up 2.5% Thursday morning during premarket trading. SHOO 1Y mountain Steven Madden stock —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

Lululemon is "checking all the right boxes," according to Citi, with "all systems ready to go" for accelerated growth in 2023. Citi raised its rating on Lululemon shares to buy from neutral, after the company topped fiscal fourth-quarter estimates and offered an upbeat forecast for the coming year. "Inventory-to-sales gap [was] better than expected," Lejuez said, with a "pathway to further improvement (with limited markdown pressure)." Citi increased its price target on Lululemon shares to $440 from $350, implying 37.4% upside from Tuesday's closing price. Lululemon shares jumped more than 15% on Wednesday.

☆ Foot Locker's new leadership can drive big gains for the retailer, Citi says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Foot Locker is moving in the right direction under leadership, according to Citi. Lejuez's new price target implies the stock could rally 25.4% from where it closed Monday. Despite reporting a slide in holiday-quarter earnings , Foot Locker leadership shared details about a renewed relationship with Nike . Foot Locker shares gained 3.2% in premarket trading Tuesday coming off Monday's investor day . He also said there could be upside to the target price if management can execute its plan to grow sales.

☆ Citi downgrades Dick's Sporting Goods on slowing demand concerns, says margin pressures linger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A tough outlook for 2023 may weigh on shares of Dick's Sporting Goods in the near term, according to Citi. Analyst Paul Lejuez downgraded the sports retailer's stock to neutral from buy, citing concerns of near-term gross margin pressures as excess inventory lingers and demand potentially slows. DKS 1D mountain Dick's Sporting Goods shares fall on Citi downgrade Shares of Dick's Sporting Goods fell 2% before the bell on the downgrade. Even though the company's grown sales by $3.5 billion since 2019, Lejuez sees limited opportunity for further expansion given the slowing backdrop for apparel and footwear. Lejuez also trimmed the bank's price target to $140 from $143 a share, reflecting 8% upside from Monday's close.

☆ A slowdown in denim demand could spell trouble for Levi Strauss, Citi says in downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Weaker demand for denim products could prove a major headwind for shares of Levi Strauss in the near future, according to Citigroup. Analyst Paul Lejuez downgraded the jeans maker to neutral from a buy rating, citing comments from other management teams indicating a slowdown in denim trends that began during the back-to-school season and persisted into the holidays. Even after plummeting 38% in 2022 and underperforming Citi's broader coverage group over the past 12 months, Lejuez said Levi shares still don't look cheap. As a result, he trimmed Citi's price target to $17 from $19, suggesting that shares will only stay near Tuesday's closing price. "LEVI's ability to reduce promos and raise prices will likely be diminished in F23 as the denim category is facing a broad slowdown," Lejuez wrote, adding that he expects caution from management when it shares the outlook for 2023.

☆ Wall Street analysts are more confident in Nike's outlook after strong earnings, improving inventory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street analysts think Nike is moving in the right direction after the company reported strong earnings, as well as signs of improving inventory. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Alex Straton raised her price target to $138, from $127, following the earnings beat. The new price target implies shares could jump more than 33% from Tuesday's closing price. Bank of America analyst Lorraine Hutchinson reiterated a neutral rating on the stock, but raised her price target to $120, up from $112. "Nike's strong revenue surprised to the upside but the company didn't move through as much inventory as we expected.

Search resuls for: "Paul Lejuez"

24 mentions found