Major stock indexes rose Thursday in a broad-based rally as investors reacted to a barrage of earnings reports from major companies and important economic indicators.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closed 0.4% and 0.5% higher, respectively, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.3%. Stocks were coming off a down session on Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve decided to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged and said it’s not in a rush to adjust policy as inflation remains elevated.
It’s been a rollercoaster week for the U.S. stock market as investors have been forced to reevaluate some of their thinking about investments tied to AI, after Chinese startup DeepSeek launched a high-performing AI model that was developed at a fraction of the cost that U.S. companies are spending. The DeepSeek news has placed an even brighter spotlight than usual on Big Tech earnings this week.
IBM (IBM) shares rose 12% on Thursday after the computing giant late yesterday reported a big increase in its generative AI business in the fourth quarter. Shares of Meta Platforms (META) tacked on 1.6% after the Facebook parent reported better-than-expected results as its spending on AI grows significantly. Microsoft (MSFT) slid 6.2%, leading decliners in the Dow, despite reporting results that topped analysts’ expectations on the top and bottom lines, as revenue in its Intelligent Cloud segment came in light.
Tesla (TSLA) shares advanced nearly 3% today as the EV maker’s ambitious plans for self-driving vehicles and expectation that vehicle sales will grow in 2025 offset fourth-quarter results that fell short of Wall Street estimates.
Other large-cap technology stocks were mixed. AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA), which has been hit hard by the DeepSeek fallout, finished 0.8% higher after spending most of the day in negative territory. Alphabet (GOOGL) and Broadcom (AVGO) also gained ground, while Apple (AAPL) closed slightly lower ahead of the release of its quarterly results after the bell and Amazon (AMZN) also lost ground.
Information technology was the only S&P 500 sector to lose ground on Thursday.
Among other noteworthy post-earnings report movers, parcel delivery giant United Parcel Service (UPS) plunged 14%, media conglomerate Comcast (CMCSA) tumbled 11%, health insurer Cigna (CI) fell 7% and heavy machinery maker Caterpillar (CAT) dropped nearly 5%.
On the economic data front today, the first reading on fourth-quarter U.S. economic growth came in slightly below expectations, as did weekly jobless claims figures, though the numbers continue to show the strength of the economy. The Fed, following its decision Wednesday to hold its influential fed funds rate steady, said that the labor market is on sound footing while inflation remains “somewhat elevated.”
The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which is sensitive to expectations about where interest rates are headed, was at 4.52% in late trading, down from 4.56% at yesterday’s close.
Bitcoin was at $105,200, up from from an earlier low of $103,300, while gold futures rose about 2% to around $2,850 an ounce, trading at record high levels, and WTI crude oil futures were up nearly 1%.
Biggest S&P 500 Movers on Thursday
4 hr 56 min ago
Advancers
- Shares of energy producer Vistra (VST) jumped 13.6%, logging the S&P 500’s top performance. With Thursday’s push higher, the utility stock clawed back some of the heavy losses posted earlier in the week as a cost-effective artificial intelligence (AI) model from Chinese startup DeepSeek casts a shadow on AI-related stocks. Optimism about Vistra’s opportunity to power AI data centers has helped the stock skyrocket about 330% over the past year.
- IBM (IBM) stock surged 13.0% after the legacy tech giant topped earnings and sales estimates for the fourth quarter. “Big Blue” highlighted strong year-over-year growth in revenue from its software business, boosted by demand for AI technology and momentum from its Red Hat Linux operating system.
Eduardo Leal / Bloomberg via Getty Images
- Las Vegas Sands (LVS) shares popped 11.1% after the casino operator’s quarterly report. Softness in the company’s Macao business weighed on profits, which came in below forecasts. However, fourth-quarter sales topped estimates, boosted by a strong performance from its Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore. Las Vegas Sands also repurchased $450 million worth of shares during the period.
Decliners
- United Parcel Service (UPS) reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter sales and profits, and shares of the package delivery company plunged 14.1%, losing the most ground of any S&P 500 stock on Thursday. UPS also announced an agreement to cut its volume of deliveries for Amazon (AMZN) by 50% by the end of next year. Although Amazon is the shipper’s largest customer, accounting for almost 12% of revenue in 2024, UPS said that winding down its collaboration with the e-commerce giant will allow for a shift toward more profitable projects, helping boost margins.
- ServiceNow (NOW) shares tumbled 11.4% following the software and IT services firm’s fourth-quarter earnings release. Although adjusted profits topped forecasts and sales were in line with expectations, subscription revenue growth fell short of guidance. ServiceNow predicted a slight deceleration in the key metric during the first quarter.
- Comcast (CMCSA) shares dropped 11.0% after the cable, internet, and content provider reported a wider-than-expected decline in broadband customers. Despite the slump in its subscriber base, the media giant beat profit and sales estimates, with record revenue and earnings per share driven by growth from its Peacock streaming service.
Mircosoft Leads Dow Decliners on Cloud Performance
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Microsoft (MSFT) shares tumbled Thursday after the company’s weaker-than-expected fiscal second-quarter cloud growth prompted some analysts to lower their price targets for the stock.
UBS maintained a “buy” rating but lowered its price target to $510 from $525, pinning the blame on Microsoft Azure, the tech giant’s cloud computing platform. The company’s projected current-quarter Azure growth was lower than hoped for, UBS analysts said.
Jason Redmond / AFP / Getty Images
“The near-term debate will be dominated by the ‘what is going on with Azure?’ question,” they wrote, with its growth “far worse than we expected.” Microsoft blamed the Azure disappointment on “execution issues” in the non-AI segments of the segment, according to a conference call transcript provided by AlphaSense.
All but one of the 19 brokers with ratings tracked by Visible Alpha have a “buy” or equivalent rating on Microsoft’s shares. Their consensus price target is about $516.
Microsoft shares fell 6% to about $415 on Thursday, leading decliners in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Some analysts noted signs of AI optimism, including the news that Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry—which customers can use to build custom AI apps—has reached more than 200,000 monthly users after two months.
Bank of America called Microsoft a “top pick,” maintaining its $510 price target. The bank revised its 2025 earnings per share estimate upward, calling Microsoft “an AI winner in both apps and infrastructure.”
What We’re Learning About the Future of AI from Tech Earnings
6 hr 25 min ago
Microsoft, Meta, and IBM all highlighted healthy growth in their AI businesses in the last three months of 2024.
Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta (META), which cumulatively expect to invest nearly $150 billion in infrastructure in their respective 2025 fiscal years, stood by their aggressive spending plans.
Executives expressed confidence that Chinese start-up DeepSeek’s incredibly cost-efficient AI model, which spooked investors earlier this week, was ultimately a good thing for their businesses.
Read the full article here.
What Analysts Think of Intel Stock Ahead of Earnings
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Intel (INTC) is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results after the market closes Thursday, with analysts expecting the chipmaker to swing to a loss.
Of the 13 analysts covering the stock who are tracked by Visible Alpha, 12 have issued “hold” or equivalent ratings, with just one giving the stock a “sell” rating. Their consensus price target is $23.81.
Intel shares were up 1.3% at about $20 in late trading. The stock has lost more than half its value over the past 12 months.
The chipmaker is expected to report fourth-quarter revenue of $13.8 billion, down 10% year-over-year, and a net loss of $728 million, or 14 cents per share, compared with earnings of $2.66 billion, or 63 cents per share, a year ago. The results will be the company’s first since Intel Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat Gelsinger stepped down last month.
The results come as Intel has been the subject of recent takeover speculation. Citi analysts said at the time they see Broadcom (AVGO) as “the most likely company” to be interested in buying Intel, adding that the rival chipmaker might sell Intel’s struggling foundry business.
Is Tesla Stock ‘Bulletproof’? Why Some Investors Think So
7 hr 44 min ago
Tech companies sell the future, and few do so more determinedly than Tesla.
During Wednesday night’s earnings conference call, for example, comparatively little time was spent discussing the latest vehicle numbers or the company’s weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Far more was devoted to CEO Elon Musk’s thoughts regarding a possible $10 trillion in robot sales, his visions for massive market value growth, and other things. Investors, some observers say, are looking in the same direction.
CFOTO / Future Publishing / Getty Images
Tesla (TSLA) shares “appear to be bulletproof,” Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner Gene Munster wrote on X last night. He saw the company’s latest quarterly results as “messy,” citing the profitability of its auto sales, but “Investors don’t care because it’s all about what’s on the come.”
Wall Street analysts are, broadly speaking, more cautious. The mean price target on the shares, according to Visible Alpha data, is around $374, below Wednesday’s close; as many analysts have “buy” ratings on the shares as hold neutral or negative ratings when the latter two are combined.
“Investor sentiment has shifted more positively and catalysts around future growth drivers have been more fully recognized,” wrote Bank of America analysts, who have a neutral rating—but also a $490 price target—on the stock. “Our latest valuation analysis suggests there is still some upside, but execution risk is high.”
Tesla stock “continues to confound us,” UBS analysts wrote in a note published today.
“Tesla is more than an auto company. We can almost definitively say the market doesn’t treat Tesla like an auto company, but rather an AI company.” (They raised their price target today, but it’s well below recent prices, and their rating is a “sell.”)
The stock was recently up more than 4% at around $405. Over the past 12 months, it’s more than doubled.
What Analysts Think of Apple Stock Ahead of Earnings
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Apple (AAPL) is set to report fiscal first-quarter results after the closing bell Thursday, as investors watch for signs the iPhone maker’s stock can recover from a tough start to 2025
Of the 16 analysts covering the stock tracked by Visible Alpha, 10 have issued “buy” or equivalent ratings, with four giving the stock a “hold” rating, and two giving it “sell” ratings. Their consensus price target is near $246.
Apple shares were slightly lower in recent trading at around $239. The stock has lost about 5% since the start of the year.
Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images
Apple is projected to report fiscal first-quarter revenue of $124.38 billion, up 4% year-over-year, with iPhone revenue growing 2% to $70.72 billion. Earnings are expected to climb to $35.62 billion, or $2.35 per share, up from $33.92 billion, or $2.18 per share a year ago.
Investor sentiment has been dented by concerns about falling smartphone shipments in China. Domestic rivals Vivo and Huawei have expanded their market share, according to research firm Canalys, particularly as iPhones sold in China aren’t equipped with Apple Intelligence features due to regulatory hurdles.
JPMorgan analysts sounded the alarm over the company’s performance in the country earlier this month, warning Apple is “already past its product cycle peak” and could continue to lose market share in the country.
Wedbush, which holds a $325 price target for Apple, suggested there could be time for a turnaround in China, especially if the company announces an AI partner in the region in the coming months.
While a slew of AI-related stocks tumbled earlier this week on worries about the surging popularity of AI tools from Chinese startup DeepSeek and what it could mean for U.S. rivals, Apple was one of the few Big Tech stocks in the green. That could be due to Apple’s lower AI expenditures relative to its mega-cap peers. The relative efficiency of DeepSeek’s models also gave way to speculation Apple’s AI trajectory could prove less challenging and expensive than previously anticipated.
IBM Levels to Watch as Stock Pops on AI-Fueled Earnings Beat
9 hr 31 min ago
IBM (IBM) shares soared Thursday after the computing giant posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, boosted by the strength of its AI business.
The stock has oscillated within an ascending triangle since early October last year, with the price recently finding support from the pattern’s lower trendline leading into the company’s quarterly report. With the bullish momentum accelerating Thursday, the stage is set for a breakaway gap above the triangle’s top trendline.
IBM shares were up 12% at $256 in recent trading, after hitting a record near $262 this morning. The stock has gained 36% over the past year, outpacing the S&P 500’s performance over the period.
The measuring principle forecasts an upside target of $278, while bars pattern analysis projects a target of $305 and indicates that the uptrend may play out until May.
Investors should watch a key support level on IBM’s chart around $238, an area that may attract buying interest on a retest of the ascending triangle’s top trendline.
Read the full technical analysis piece here.
Caterpillar Stock Slides After Revenue Misses Projections
10 hr 22 min ago
Caterpillar (CAT) shares dropped after the company’s fourth-quarter revenue fell short of expectations.
The construction equipment company posted revenue of $16.2 billion in the period, down 5% year-over-year, as revenue from the company’s construction industries segment fell 8% to $6 billion. Earnings per share were at an all-time of high of $5.78, up from $5.28 and above analysts’ expectations.
Caterpillar attributed the revenue decline to lower sales volume caused by shrinking dealer inventories. Dealer inventory fell by $1.3 billion during the fourth quarter, compared to a $900 million decrease a year earlier.
Shares of Caterpillar were nearly 5% in recent trading. The construction equipment company is widely considered a bellwether stock as a proxy for domestic and global economic expansion or contraction. Its shares are up about 23% over the past 12 months.
Comcast Shares Plummet as Subscriber Base Drops
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Shares of Comcast (CMCSA) fell to their lowest level in more than two years Thursday after the cable and media giant reported a drop in its subscriber base.
The owner of the NBC network, Peacock streaming service, and Xfinity cable system reported fourth-quarter total domestic broadband customers declined by 139,000 to 31.8 million. Of that, 131,000 were residential subscribers and 8,000 business subscribers.
Last month, Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson warned that the firm expected to see a loss of 100,000 broadband customers.
The news offset strong fourth-quarter results. The company posted adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.96, with revenue rising 2% year-over-year to $31.92 billion. Both exceeded Visible Alpha forecasts. Revenue for Connectivity & Platforms increased 5% to $11.5 billion, and it jumped 28% to $1.3 billion at Peacock.
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Comcast shares sank 12% Thursday morning. They have lost 30% of their value over the last year.
UPS Plunges After Weaker-Than-Expected Earnings
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Shares of United Parcel Service (UPS) plunged Thursday morning after the shipping giant reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
The company reported net income of $1.72 billion, or $2.01 per share, on $25.3 billion in revenue. Analysts had expected profit of $2.14 billion, or $2.51 per share, on revenue of $25.35 billion, per Visible Alpha.
After stripping out $639 million in charges that were mostly related to pensions, UPS reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.75, above the $2.51 per share analysts had expected.
UPS said it has “reached an agreement in principle with its largest customer to lower its volume by more than 50% by the second half of 2026.” Based on its previous annual reports, that customer likely is Amazon (AMZN), which UPS said represented nearly 12% of its consolidated 2023 revenue.
UPS expects 2025 revenue to be roughly $89 billion, below the more than $95 billion analysts had projected. The firm also said it is starting “multi-year ‘efficiency reimagined’ initiatives” that are expected to generate about $1 billion in savings.
The results marked a second straight quarter of year-over-year revenue and profit growth for UPS, which—like shipping rival FedEx (FDX)—saw several quarters of declines following record demand during the pandemic.
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UPS shares were down 17% in recent trading to lead S&P 500 decliners. The stock is at its lowest level since mid-2020.
Tesla Stock Price Levels to Watch After Earnings
13 hr 8 min ago
Tesla (TSLA) shares rose in early trading Thursday as optimism over the automaker’s outlook for self-driving vehicles helped offset fourth-quarter results that came in below Wall Street’s expectations.
Since hitting a record high last month, Tesla shares have consolidated within a flag, a bullish chart pattern that indicates a brief pause in the stock’s uptrend before another move higher. Indeed, the price looks sets to gap above the pattern’s upper trending on Thursday in a move that could resume the stock’s upward momentum.
Investors should also watch for an increase in trading volume, which has been in steady decline throughout the recent flag pattern.
The stock was up 1% in recent trading at around $392.
Read the full technical analysis piece here.
Major Index Futures Point to Mixed Open
14 hr 10 min ago
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.2%.
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S&P 500 futures were up 0.2%.
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Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.4%.
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