Good MorningEquity markets ended January on a solid footing, up for the month and year, putting the S&P 500 on track to hit new all-time highs soon. That could be as soon as next week, given the outlook for earnings reports and the high likelihood of sustained earnings growth in 2025. The critical detail for investors is that a move to new highs is a significant technical signal that could lead the index to advance another 1,200 points this year.
Next week's hurdles include earnings from names like McDonald's, Google, PepsiCo, and Advanced Micro Devices and economic data from the labor markets. Earnings should confirm what has been reported so far for Q4: solid business activity, increased investment in technology, and steady spending supported by healthy labor markets. The only bad news is that inflation remains persistent and will keep the FOMC from cutting rates in the first half, if at all, in 2025. Featured: This Single Fund Owns Every Major AI Stock and Pays Weekly (Ad) 
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Real Estate | |
On January 29, 2025, the Federal Open Market Committee paused its recent spate of interest rate cuts, leaving the overnight borrowing rate at 4.25%-4.5%. The move comes after three consecutive rate cuts in the final months of 2024. With stubborn inflation not yet at the Federal Reserve's target of... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | More than 25 candidates were screened for share price between $1 and $5, market cap above $100 million, daily volume over 500,000 shares, and over $10 million in trailing revenue.
Only five stocks cleared every filter, spanning five different sectors. Two are profitable today, and one pays a substantial dividend.
The report also flags what could go wrong with each pick, including dilution and convertible debt. | | See the five stocks that survived this strict revenue screen |
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Industrials | |
On day one as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating all federal employees to return to the office for work “as soon as practicable.” Administration officials released more directives aimed at ending remote work. While this may result ... Read the Full Story |
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Industrials | |
Crane Company (NYSE: CR) stock is up more than 100% since its separation from Crane NXT (NYSE: CXT) and can continue to rise by another triple-digit. The rise in stock price is driven by the company’s growth, positioning, margin, cash flow, and capital return outlook, which is robust.
At... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Tobacco, telecom, pipelines, and healthcare real estate trade at 10 to 15 times earnings while the index yields about 1 percent.
A free report highlights seven cash-generating stocks with a 5 percent forward yield floor and roughly 6.5 percent average cash yield, capped at two picks per sector.
Each pick includes coverage numbers and an honest bear case. Five of the seven have raised payouts for 17 to 56 straight years. | | Get the seven high-yield dividend stocks free now |
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Technology | |
ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE: NOW) is down 11% at the end of the week, in which the company delivered its fourth-quarter earnings report. The headline numbers were fine, and revenue of $2.96 billion was 21% higher year-over-year (YoY). However, it was only in line with expectations. Earnings per share ... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
Giants in the tech industry are reporting earnings for the first time in 2025 to much anticipation. Investors have been eager to hear how hyperscalers will respond to DeepSeek, which shook markets. Many big tech and semiconductor names sold off extensively after a report that DeepSeek developed it... Read the Full Story |
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From Our Partners | | Rumors are circulating that Elon Musk is preparing to acquire three publicly traded companies.
Dr. Mark Skousen, who met Musk in person and called the SpaceX listing months early, says he has identified all three targets in what he calls Elon's $2.1 Trillion Hit List.
See the three companies before the rumors become headlines. | | Get the details on all three companies now |
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Markets | |
Now that Donald Trump is starting his second term as President, reviewing sector performance during his first term is an interesting exercise. Some of the results may come as a surprise. Additionally, there is reason to believe that one sector that underperformed in Trump 1.0 could perform much be... Read the Full Story |
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Technology | |
Shares of Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS) took a nosedive on Monday, plummeting nearly 40% following the release of DeepSeek’s latest AI model. The shockwave of this announcement caused fear-driven sell-offs across AI and semiconductor stocks, with NBIS being one of the most brutal hits.
Alt... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | |
Gold prices repeatedly reached new highs in 2024 and are again nearing record levels. Multiple factors, including rising geopolitical tensions and the consequent demand for safe-haven assets, drive this upward trend. Given this scenario, many investors are contemplating adding gold to their portfo... Read the Full Story |
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Consumer Discretionary | |
Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) shares have been continuing to consolidate after a painful three-year downtrend that finally looks to be running out of steam. 2021's all-time high seems a long way away now, with shares nearly 60% lower and back at 2018 levels. However, there are plenty of reasons to think ... Read the Full Story |
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Industrials | |
Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) shares have demonstrated solid resilience in recent weeks as they continue gaining momentum after a choppy 2024. While the stock is still some way off last October's all-time high, there are several reasons investors should be getting excited about its prospec... Read the Full Story |
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Monday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. It sells its products to distributors, as well as large retail organizations, such as chain stores. The company was founded in 1822 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. | Should I Buy Altria Group Stock? MO 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 Altria Group was last updated on Monday, October 12, 2026 at 6:50 PM.
Altria Group Bull Case -
Altria Group, Inc. recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, representing a 4.7% raise from the previous rate of $1.06, which results in an annualized yield of approximately 6.22% based on the current stock price of $71.65, offering a substantial income stream for investors.
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The company demonstrated defensive stability by extending its revolving credit facility in October 2026, a move that bolsters liquidity and provides financial flexibility to navigate the current economic environment where the 10-year Treasury yield has reached 5.36%.
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Institutional interest in the stock has strengthened recently, with Farther Finance Advisors LLC increasing its stake by 17.8% and Gradient Investments LLC raising its position by 9.4% during the third quarter, indicating growing confidence among professional investors.
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Altria Group, Inc. maintains a low beta of 0.42, meaning the stock is significantly less volatile than the broader market, which can help reduce portfolio risk during periods of market uncertainty or rate concerns.
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Management has shown confidence in future performance by setting fiscal year 2026 earnings per share guidance between $5.61 and $5.72, which aligns with analyst consensus estimates and suggests stable earnings power despite industry headwinds.
Altria Group Bear Case -
The company reported a negative return on equity of 315.29% in its most recent quarterly results, a metric that indicates significant financial distress or accounting complexities that may concern investors regarding the efficiency of shareholder capital.
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Altria Group, Inc. has a high dividend payout ratio of 93.67%, meaning the company is distributing nearly all of its earnings as dividends, which leaves limited capital for reinvestment in growth initiatives or debt reduction.
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Wall Street analysts currently assign a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target of $70.11, which is slightly below the current stock price of $71.65, suggesting that the stock may be fairly valued or slightly overvalued relative to professional expectations.
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Recent earnings data showed the company missed analyst expectations for earnings per share in the third quarter, reporting $1.48 against a consensus estimate of $1.50, indicating potential challenges in meeting financial targets.
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Short interest in the stock remains notable, with approximately 37.6 million shares shorted as of the latest record date, and a days-to-cover ratio of 4.7, which suggests that a significant portion of the float is being bet against by traders.
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