META news sentiment

Where Does Vistra (VST) Valuation Sit After Revenue Miss And Firm Guidance?

Get insights on thousands of stocks from the global community of over 7 million individual investors at Simply Wall St. What Vistra's latest earnings event means for stock watchers Vistra Corp (VST) put fresh numbers on the table with its second quarter 2026 earnings, reporting sales of US$4,017 million and net income of US$305 million, alongside updated six month results. The company also reaffirmed full year guidance and highlighted stronger adjusted EBITDA. Recent dividend declarations and data center related power demand are keeping investor attention on how Vistra's cash generation and capital allocation might evolve. See our latest analysis for Vistra. Vistra's share price has come under pressure in recent months, with the stock down 9.19% on a 1 month share price basis and 14.91% year to date, even though the 5 year total shareholder return is very large at around 7x. Recent earnings that fell short of revenue expectations, alongside higher common and preferred dividends and growing attention on AI driven power demand, appear to be shifting how investors balance near term execution risk against the longer term electricity demand story. If rising data center demand has you rethinking the utilities and power grid space, it could be worth scanning for other power grid and infrastructure opportunities through our dedicated 36 power grid technology and infrastructure stocks Vistra has pulled back after a revenue miss yet still reports strong adjusted EBITDA and firm guidance. Does that set up an early entry now, or does the recent slide argue for waiting before putting fresh cash to work? Most Popular Narrative: 53.1% Undervalued Vistra's last close of $140.59 sits well below the $299.98 fair value outlined in the most followed narrative, which frames the stock as a key electricity supplier to large technology customers and AI related data centers. Vistra Corp is on a discount. AMZN, META, Quantom Capital group, and many more. All of these that is known to many. But Vistra is the one behind them that allows these companies to exceed in their sector. Both AMZN and META made a 20 year energy deal with them. Read the complete narrative. Want to understand why this narrative sees long term contracts, future electricity demand and profit margins supporting that near $300 fair value? The full story unpacks how revenue growth, profitability and data center energy demand are combined into one valuation case. It also explains the discount rate applied to those future cash flows and why the current share price is treated as a sizable gap. Story Continues Result: Fair Value of $299.98 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, Vistra's narrative could be challenged if regulators tighten terms on long term data center power contracts, or if hyperscaler spending on new AI capacity slows sharply. Find out about the key risks to this Vistra narrative. Next Steps If this mix of concerns and optimism around Vistra leaves you unsure, take a closer look at the data yourself and decide where you stand. A clear way to weigh both sides is to review the 2 key rewards and 2 important warning signs Looking for more investment ideas beyond Vistra? If Vistra has caught your attention, do not stop there. Broadening your watchlist with other focused ideas can help you spot opportunities you might otherwise miss. Target stability and income by scanning companies that may support reliable payouts through the 8 dividend fortresses. Hunt for quality at a potential discount by reviewing the 49 high quality undervalued stocks that pair fundamentals with appealing valuations. Seek resilience in choppier markets by focusing on companies highlighted in the 78 resilient stocks with low risk scores. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial a

Michael Kratsios Says Some Companies Blame AI for Layoffs Because 'It Plays Better in the Press'

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. White House Science and Technology Advisor Michael Kratsios said some companies are blaming artificial intelligence (AI) for layoffs they likely would have carried out anyway, arguing the explanation "plays better in the press." Kratsios Questions AI Layoff Narrative On Tuesday, Kratsios said during an appearance on the "Moonshots with Peter Diamandis" podcast that some businesses are attributing layoffs that they likely would have made regardless to AI because the narrative is more appealing to investors and the public. "I think like a lot of folks these days like when they're doing a layoff that they would have done anyway, just like to assign it or blame it to AI because it plays better in the press," Kratsios said. Don't Miss: A single bad hire can set a startup back years. Here are the 5 hires founders most often misjudge — and why Still Learning the Market? These 50 Must-Know Terms Can Help You Catch Up Fast Podcast host Peter Diamandis suggested companies may benefit from framing job cuts as AI-driven efficiency improvements because markets often reward higher productivity with fewer workers. "And their stock price goes up if they are, you know, producing more revenue with fewer people," Diamandis said. "Precisely. Yeah," Kratsios responded. He said he remains optimistic about AI's long-term impact on employment, arguing the technology could create new opportunities even as it changes existing roles. "I believe in the long term, I'm very optimistic about the impact that AI's going to have on jobs," he said. Trending: Avoid the #1 Investing Mistake: How Your 'Safe' Holdings Could Be Costing You Big Time AI Won't Replace Jobs, Leaders Say Earlier, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that public skepticism around AI is rising, with many blaming the technology for higher energy costs and layoffs even when AI may not be the direct cause. Apollo Global Management Chief Economist Torsten Sløk said there is "zero evidence" that AI has triggered broad employment losses, pointing to hiring in AI implementation, data centers, semiconductors and energy sectors. He said the AI boom could increase economic activity through the "Jevons paradox," where efficiency gains create more demand and new opportunities. Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos also rejected predictions of mass AI-driven unemployment, arguing that AI will improve productivity, empower workers and potentially create labor shortages as lower costs drive economic growth. Story Continues See Also: Skip the Regrets: The Essential Retirement Tips Experts Wish Everyone Knew Earlier. Microsoft, Meta Shift Workforce Toward AI Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc. reshaped their workforces around AI as both companies pursued greater efficiency and AI-driven growth. Microsoft eliminated 4,800 roles while saying the cuts were due to business changes, not AI replacing workers, and planned to invest in AI training. Meta moved about 7,000 employees into new AI-focused divisions while cutting roughly 8,000 jobs, creating "AI-native" teams designed to improve productivity and accelerate AI development. Photo courtesy: Shutterstock Read Next: Think you're saving enough for your kids? You might be dangerously off — see why Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. Arrived Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real est

AI theme has 'a long way to run': Strategist

Yahoo Finance host Jared Blikre and The Wealth Consulting Group Chief Market Strategist Talley Léger discuss market leadership shifting from tech concentration to diffusion, explaining why investors must take a 'leap of faith' on massive AI capital spending by tech hyperscalers like Alphabet (GOOG), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT). Video Transcript 00:00 Speaker A Is the old AI trade back? 00:01 Speaker B Well, if I were to give you just three pieces of information, let's talk about a group of stocks that has persistently double digit earnings growth, better than the market, plus a PE that's in line with the rest of the market and had been lagging, even actually down for a period of time. Would you take, you know, start taking look for opportunities? I think the answer is yes. And so, I've got this two-stage model from tech concentration that I'm conce conceptualizing to tech diffusion. So, we still need the the Mag 7. Those are the producers to hold their ground and fuel the next transition in this market cycle, which is to the users, I think. 00:46 Speaker A So I want to ask you about, show me the money, uh from AI and specifically the hyper scalers. So not necessarily the Mag 7. Nvidia, you know, they're selling chips, but the ones who have to pay for these entire build outs like Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Oracle, the like. Uh they're spending a lot of money. 01:12 Speaker A we just learned a couple of weeks ago that Alphabet went cash flow negative for the first time in their entire 20 plus year history. Does that concern you? 01:21 Speaker B So, this is the leap of faith that we have to make in that corporate flywheel. So yes, they have compressed free cash flow now and they're starting some of it more than others like Oracle, I would point to on on the extreme, uh to as I say, generate or engineer future sales. And so, this is where we see the expectations for those future sales start to ratchet higher. And so again, I think this is the the leap of faith. Taking a giant step back, cycle on cycle, when you look at the Nasdaq now versus past cycles where we had a boom, I think that this theme generally has a long way to run. 02:04 Speaker A It looks like it's legit. I will say that. View Comments

Explainer-How could New Mexico's $567 million ruling change Meta?

By Dietrich Knauth Aug 7 (Reuters) - A New Mexico state court ordered Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram, to make major changes to its platforms and pay the largest sum yet in a growing wave of U.S. litigation over claims that social media harms young people. Here ‌is a look at the decision and its potential consequences. HOW MUCH MUST META PAY? The court in Santa Fe ruled on Thursday that Meta must ‌pay $567 million into a New Mexico fund for teen mental health prevention and treatment. In an earlier phase of the case, a jury awarded New Mexico $375 million on related consumer protection claims. The combined $942 million ​far exceeds other penalties in youth-related social media cases including a $6 million verdict against Meta and Alphabet's Google, owner of YouTube, in a California case in March. Meta said the claims misrepresented the facts and that it will appeal the ruling. WHAT CHANGES DID THE COURT ORDER META TO MAKE? Judge Bryan Biedscheid in Santa Fe ordered Meta to implement measures for users in New Mexico intended to protect youth on Facebook and Instagram. The ruling does not affect other states. Meta must introduce more stringent age verification, restrict users under ‌18 to no more than 90 hours a month and ⁠shut off push notifications overnight and during school hours. Parents must consent to the number of "likes" on a child's post being shown, the ruling said. Meta must also ban sexualized chatbot interactions with minors and blur images suspected of containing nudity. The judge rejected some ⁠of the changes New Mexico requested, including modifications to Meta's algorithms and features such as infinite scroll and autoplay videos. The company said during the trial that some changes the state sought were not technologically possible and could force it to exit the state. WHAT WAS THE BASIS OF THE JUDGE'S DECISION? Biedscheid ruled that Meta created a public nuisance, agreeing with ​New ​Mexico's claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that addicted young users and did not ​adequately protect them from sexual exploitation. Reuters last year reported on ‌company documents that showed Meta's AI chatbots could "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual." The judge rejected Meta's call to dismiss the case under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally shields online platforms from liability over user content. WHAT IS A PUBLIC NUISANCE? Public nuisance claims traditionally have been used in cases involving threats to public health or safety, such as pollution. More recently, governments have brought them in lawsuits against companies that sold or marketed tobacco and opioids. Story Continues In the New Mexico case, the judge found that the harms from Meta's platforms extended beyond individual users and imposed broader costs on families, schools, hospitals and law enforcement. Meta argued ‌at trial that it had not violated any public right such as access to air ​or water, that its social media platforms are not the only ones used by the state's young ​residents and that the case ignored the impact of other apps. HOW DOES ​THIS AFFECT OTHER CASES? The New Mexico case does not directly impact thousands of other pending lawsuits by children and families or ‌public nuisance claims by more than 40 states and 1,300 school ​districts. But New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez ​has called the decision a "blueprint" for governments seeking to force changes on social media platforms through the courts. A federal trial scheduled for August 12 in Oakland, California, will test claims by 29 states that Meta illegally collected and used children's data, designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and ​misled consumers. The case could expose Meta to massive damages ‌and potentially sweeping changes to its products. Meta has denied allegations that it harmed young users or misled the public about the safety of ​its platforms. The company has pointed t

Catalyst Watch: Inflation reads, AMAT earnings, Google Pixel event, and MLB on Netflix

[Lower Manhattan Cityscape] Art Wager/E+ via Getty Images Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Catalyst Watch - a breakdown of some of next week's actionable events that stand out. Read more about the events that may impact stock prices next week. MONDAY - AUGUST 10 * VOLATILITY WATCH - SpaceX (SPCX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SPCX]) and Rocket Lab (RKLB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RKLB]) have seen options volatility increase over the last week. The most overbought stocks per their 14-day relative strength index include SMJ International (SMJF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SMJF]), Chime Financial (CHYM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CHYM]), and Utz Brands (UTZ [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UTZ]). The most oversold stocks per their 14-day Relative Strength Index include QumulusAI (QMLS [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/QMLS]), Capricor Therapeutics (CAPR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAPR]) and Solowin (AXG [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AXG]). Short interest is elevated again on Virgin Galactic (SPCE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SPCE]) and BigBear.ai (BBAI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BBAI]). * DIVIDEND WATCH - Companies that have an ex-dividend date coming next week include Apple (AAPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAPL]), IBM (IBM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/IBM]), Alcoa (AA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AA]), and Target (TGT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TGT]). * IPO WATCH - Londian Wason New Energy Tech (FOIL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/FOIL]) is expected to price its IPO and begin to trade. The Chinese copper giant is aiming for a valuation of $1.7B. The quiet period ends on Csquare (CSQR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CSQR]) and Standard Nuclear (STDN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/STDN]) to free up analysts to post ratings on the volatile semiconductor stock. * EARNINGS WATCH - Notable companies due to report include Simon Property (SPG [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SPG]), Barrick Mining (B [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/B]), Rocket Lab (RKLB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RKLB]), and Archer Aviation (ACHR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ACHR]). Traders will also be watching AlTi Global (ALTI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ALTI]), which reports amid M&A reports. * ALL WEEK - The conference schedule heats up with the Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference, Oppenheimer Technology, Internet & Communications Conference, Needham AI Infrastructure Conference, Deutsche Bank Industrials Summit, and Keybanc Technology Leadership Forum all taking place. * ALL DAY - Amazon's (AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) Zoox will begin charging fares for robotaxi rides in Las Vegas. * 10:00 A.M. Micron (MU [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MU]) executives will participate at the KeyBanc Capital Markets Technology Leadership Forum in Deer Valley, Utah, TUESDAY - AUGUST 11 * EARNINGS WATCH - Notable companies due to report include Coreweave (CRWV [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CRWV]), Sea (SE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SE]), Cardinal Health (CAH [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAH]), On Holding (ONON [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ONON]), and CAVA Group (CAVA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAVA]). Options trading implies a double-digit move for Rackspace Technology (RXT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RXT]) and Firefly Aerospace (FLY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/FLY]) after their reports are released. * ALL DAY - The Monster Beverage (MNST [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MNST]) 2-for-1 stock split will become effective. * ALL DAY - The New York Fed will release its Q2 Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit and hold a press call. * 10:00 A.M. The Existing Home Sales report will be released by the National Association of Realtors. WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 12 * EARNINGS WATCH - Notable companies due to report include Cisco (CSCO [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CSCO]), Coherent (COHR [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/COHR]), Brinker International (EAT [https://seekinga

Beyond NVIDIA and GPUs: The Next AI & Quantum Winners Leading 2026

The artificial intelligence boom has created enormous wealth over the past three years, with NVIDIA NVDA emerging as the undisputed leader of the AI infrastructure revolution. But as the market matures, investors are asking a different question: where will the next wave of AI winners come from? The answer may lie beyond traditional AI infrastructure. The momentum behind AI remains strong. According to the Stanford AI Index 2026, global private investment in AI continued to accelerate in 2025, with U.S. investment reaching $285.9 billion, far outpacing Europe ($20.9 billion) and China ($12.4 billion). The data underscores that capital continues to flow aggressively into AI innovation, even as the investment landscape broadens beyond GPUs.Standford University Image Source: Standford University Hyperscalers including Microsoft MSFT, Amazon, Alphabet, Oracle and Meta are collectively on track to spend more than $700 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, with AI infrastructure accounting for a significant share of those investments, signaling that the AI investment cycle is far from over (S&P Global, May 2026 article). At the same time, governments worldwide are accelerating funding for quantum computing, viewing the technology as a strategic asset for economic competitiveness and national security. The convergence of these two megatrends is creating an investment opportunity that extends well beyond today's AI leaders. AI Spending Expanding Across the Technology Stack The first phase of the AI boom rewarded semiconductor companies, particularly NVIDIA, as enterprises raced to build AI computing capacity. But the investment cycle is now broadening beyond chips. As stated earlier, major hyperscalers have collectively guided hundreds of billions of dollars in capital expenditures this year, with AI infrastructure accounting for a significant share of those investments. The spending extends beyond GPUs to custom AI accelerators, networking equipment, memory, storage, data centers and power infrastructure needed to support increasingly sophisticated AI models. Enterprises are moving from pilot projects to production-scale AI deployments, driving demand for AI servers, cloud services, cybersecurity, data management and software platforms. This expanding ecosystem has created opportunities not only for semiconductor companies but also for networking providers, cloud infrastructure vendors and enterprise software firms. Companies such as Broadcom AVGO and Marvell Technology MRVL are gaining from AI networking and custom silicon. Arista Networks is capitalizing on data-center networking upgrades and Palantir is benefiting from growing enterprise AI software adoption. Story Continues Analysts currently expect AI-related capital expenditures to remain elevated for years as businesses transition from AI experimentation to production-scale deployment.Standford University Image Source: Standford University According to the Stanford AI Index 2026, 88% of organizations globally reported using AI in 2025, up from 78% in 2024 and 55% in 2023. Governments Are Betting Big on Quantum Government support is becoming a key catalyst for the quantum computing industry. In the United States, the federal government continues to fund quantum research through the National Quantum Initiative, while agencies including the Department of Defense, DARPA and the Department of Energy are awarding contracts for quantum computing, networking and sensing technologies. Europe is advancing commercialization through its Quantum Flagship program, while the U.K. recently expanded its National Quantum Strategy with long-term funding aimed at building a globally competitive quantum industry. China also continues to invest heavily in quantum communications and computing infrastructure. Pureplays like D-Wave QBTS continue to secure government-backed research collaborations, while Rigetti has benefited from defense and public-sector contracts. As governments prioritize quantum

China Merchants Adjusts Price Target on Meta Platforms to $870 From $890, Maintains Buy Rating

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