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LUV

Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) has received mixed analyst ratings in the last quarter, with 0 bullish, 3 somewhat bullish, 5 indifferent, 1 somewhat bearish, and 0 bearish. The average 12-month price target from 9 analysts is $29.33, down from the previous $32.11, indicating a negative sentiment shift. Analysts from firms like Citigroup, Raymond James, and Morgan Stanley have adjusted their price targets and ratings, reflecting changes in market conditions and company performance. Despite the mixed ratings, Southwest Airlines has shown strong financial indicators such as a 4.9% revenue growth rate, a net margin of 2.96%, an ROE of 1.77%, an ROA of 0.53%, and a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 8:00 pm

AZO

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) has seen a decrease in short interest, with the short percent of float falling 6.67% since the last report. The company has 476 thousand shares sold short, which is 3.08% of available shares for trading. The current short interest is lower than the peer group average of 13.55%. While a decline in short interest can indicate a more bullish sentiment, it does not necessarily predict a near-term rise in stock price.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 7:45 pm

KVUE

Kenvue (NYSE:KVUE) has seen an 11.46% rise in short interest since the last report, with 19.65% of its float shorted, representing 39.04 million shares. The short interest is higher than the peer group average of 6.09%. While high short interest can indicate bearish sentiment, it can also be a bullish sign as it may lead to a short squeeze if the stock price increases.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 7:30 pm

BIL

EWJ

EWU

HYG

IEF

IVV

JPM

SPY

TLT

USHY

UUP

VOO

JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) predicts the S&P 500 will test the 5,000 level in 2024, recommending overweight positions in U.S. and Japanese equities, U.S. Treasury, and high-yield corporate debt. They suggest underweight positions in European equity and Emerging Markets (ex-China). JPMorgan expects U.S. equities to see broadened performance beyond tech, with an earnings growth estimate of 7% into the next year. They also see potential in Japanese stocks due to corporate governance reforms. In fixed-income, they recommend U.S. Treasuries and high-yield corporate debt, anticipating rate cuts in 2024. The US dollar is expected to weaken, and cash returns are set to fall.

Portfolio Pulse from Surbhi Jain

December 18, 2023 | 7:28 pm

WIX

Wix.com has received court approval for a repurchase program, allowing the company to buy back up to $300 million of its ordinary shares and/or convertible notes until July 30, 2024, according to an SEC filing.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Newsdesk

December 18, 2023 | 7:25 pm

BLK

GBTC

Galaxy Digital, led by Mike Novogratz, is looking to acquire more assets from bankrupt crypto companies following a successful deal with FTX. The company managed FTX's Bitcoin and Ether holdings, as well as investments in Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust, boosting its assets under management from $1.7 billion to $5.3 billion. Galaxy is offloading FTX's tokens under a US court mandate and is interested in FTX's venture capital portfolio. Galaxy is also planning to shift its stock listing to Nasdaq and is working on launching a euro-denominated stablecoin and a spot bitcoin ETF in collaboration with Invesco and Cboe Global Markets.

Portfolio Pulse from Murtuza Merchant

December 18, 2023 | 7:25 pm

EFX

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) has been analyzed by 11 experts in the last quarter, with 5 bullish, 1 somewhat bullish, and 5 indifferent ratings. The average 12-month price target is $231.73, with a high of $315.00 and a low of $195.00. The average price target has increased by 9.57% over the past month. Analysts from firms like Jefferies, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Truist Securities, Morgan Stanley, and Needham have updated their ratings and price targets, reflecting their views on the company's market conditions and performance. Equifax's financial performance shows a revenue growth rate of 6.01%, a net margin of 12.3%, an ROE of 3.82%, an ROA of 1.36%, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.4.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 7:00 pm

PLTR

Palantir Technologies (NYSE:PLTR) has seen a 17.49% decrease in short interest since the last report, with 121.15 million shares sold short, representing 6.37% of available shares. The average time to cover these short positions is 1.85 days. Short interest is a market sentiment indicator, and a decrease suggests investors may be more bullish on PLTR. Compared to its peers, PLTR has a higher short interest percentage of float (6.37% vs. peer average of 3.13%).

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 6:45 pm

BBVA

BBVA's short interest has decreased by 25%, with 1.93 million shares sold short, representing 0.03% of available shares. The short interest decline suggests a more bullish sentiment among investors compared to the peer group average of 0.84% short interest. The coverage time based on trading volume is approximately 1.25 days.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Insights

December 18, 2023 | 6:45 pm

FRD

Friedman Industries repurchased 400,041 shares from Metal One Corporation for $5.1M and authorized a new repurchase program for up to 1,045,774 shares through December 13, 2026. The repurchase equates to 15% of outstanding shares post the Metal One transaction. The program allows for repurchases in various transaction types, subject to market and corporate conditions, and is not an obligation to purchase a set number or value of shares.

Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Newsdesk

December 18, 2023 | 6:42 pm