Ultime notizie per  (OTC:CEREF) Azioni

Raymond James analyst J.R. Weston maintains ONEOK (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/OKE#NYSE">OKE</a>) with a Outperform and lowers the price target from $115 to $110.

News

Price Target

Analyst Ratings

Raymond James Maintains Outperform on ONEOK, Lowers Price Target to $110

DA Davidson analyst Michael Shlisky maintains Timken (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TKR#NYSE">TKR</a>) with a Neutral and raises the price target from $71 to $80.

DA Davidson Maintains Neutral on Timken, Raises Price Target to $80

WIIM

PLRZ

Polyrizon shares are trading higher after the company announced preclinical results for PL-14.

Raymond James analyst Daniel Tamayo reiterates HBT Finl (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HBT#NASDAQ">HBT</a>) with a Outperform and raises the price target from $24 to $30.

Reiteration

Raymond James Reiterates Outperform on HBT Finl, Raises Price Target to $30

Marlboro parent Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PM#NYSE">PM</a>) saw its stock dip on Tuesday following the release of its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/25/07/b46539817/philip-morris-international-reports-2025-second-quarter-first-six-months-results-and-raises-full-y">second-quarter</a> fiscal year 2025 earnings report. 
While the tobacco giant&#8217;s revenue increased by 7.1% year-over-year (+6.8% organic) to $10.14 billion, it slightly missed the analyst <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/calendars/earnings">consensus estimate</a> of $10.32 billion. 
However, Philip Morris delivered adjusted earnings of $1.91 per share, surpassing both the consensus of $1.86 and the management guidance of $1.80-$1.85.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/cannabis/25/06/45842696/exclusive-tobacco-sector-looks-to-cannabis-for-growth-investments-are-meant-for-a-very-specific-reason" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EXCLUSIVE: Tobacco Sector Looks To Cannabis For Growth: &#8216;Investments Are Meant For A Very Specific Reason&#8217;</a>
A key highlight of the report was the continued robust performance of its smoke-free business, which now accounts for a significant portion of the company&#8217;s financials. 
Smoke-free products contributed 41% of total net revenues (up by 2.9 percentage points versus last year) and over 42% of total gross profit (up by 3.8 percentage points). 
Shipment volumes of these products increased by 11.8%, with net revenues growing by 15.2% (14.5% organically), and gross profit increasing by 23.3% (21.5% organically). 
This underscores the company&#8217;s strategic shift towards a smoke-free future, as articulated by CEO Jacek Olczak, who noted these results &#8220;reflect excellent momentum in our multicategory smoke-free business.&#8221;
Within the smoke-free portfolio, inhalable smoke-free products, primarily centered on IQOS, exceeded $3 billion in quarterly net revenues. 
The company reported a reacceleration of HTU (Heated Tobacco Unit) adjusted in-market sales (IMS) volume, which excludes distributor and wholesaler inventory movements, back to double-digit growth of 11.4%. 
This was driven by commercial initiatives and a notable improvement in Europe as the impact of the characterizing flavor ban subsides in affected markets.
The e-vapor category, particularly the VEEV brand, continued its increasingly profitable growth, with shipment volumes more than doubling, primarily fueled by strong performance in Europe. 
In a significant statement on the potential of its next-generation products, Reuters cited Philip Morris International CFO Emmanuel Babeau as saying, &#8220;We think vape brand VEEV can have a similar level of profitability as cigarettes.&#8221; 
This indicates the company&#8217;s strong belief in the financial viability and long-term potential of its e-vapor offerings to contribute substantially to overall profitability, mirroring the margins traditionally associated with its legacy combustible products.
In the oral smoke-free products segment, shipment volumes increased by 23.8% in pouches or pouch equivalents (26.5% in cans), primarily driven by nicotine pouches. These more than doubled outside the U.S. and Nordics and grew by over 40% to 190 million cans in the U.S., further diversifying the company&#8217;s smoke-free revenue streams.
Despite the focus on smoke-free alternatives, the combustibles business also demonstrated resilience. Combustibles net revenues grew by 2.1% (up 2.0% organically), driven by strong pricing, partly offset by negative mix dynamics. 
Gross profit for this segment grew by 5.0% (4.8% organically), and Marlboro continued to gain market share, achieving its highest quarterly market share since the 2008 spin-off. Overall, the cigarette category share remained broadly stable.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Outlook</h2>
Looking ahead, Philip Morris raised its fiscal year 2025 adjusted earnings per share outlook from <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/25/04/44949808/zyn-gum-makers-smoke-free-business-revenue-jumps-15-raises-annual-profit-outlook">$7.36-$7.49</a> to $7.43-$7.56, aligning with the $7.46 consensus estimate. 
The company projects fiscal 2025 net revenue growth of approximately 6% to 8% on an organic basis and organic operating income growth of 11% to 12.5% (up from prior guidance of 10.5% to 12.5%). Capital expenditures for fiscal year 2025 are estimated at around $1.6 billion.
The company anticipates a total international industry volume decline of around 1% for cigarettes and HTUs in 2025, excluding China and the U.S. For PMI specifically, total cigarette and smoke-free product shipment volume growth is expected to be around 1%, with smoke-free product volume growth of 12% to 14%, partly offset by a forecasted cigarette volume decline of approximately 2%.
For the third quarter, Philip Morris expects adjusted earnings per share of $2.08-$2.13, compared to the consensus of $2.12.
Adding another layer to its future strategy, Reuters also cited Babeau saying that the U.S. FDA response to the IQOS ILUMA application may not come until 2026. 
This indicates that while the company is heavily investing in its next-generation products, the regulatory approval process in key markets like the U.S. can introduce delays, impacting the speed of market penetration for advanced heated tobacco systems like IQOS ILUMA.
Price Action: PM stock is trading lower by 7.21% to $167.47 at last check Tuesday.
Read Next:
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</ul>
Image by NguyeningMedia via Shutterstock

Earnings

Large Cap

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Movers

General

Marlboro Parent Philip Morris International's Smoke-Free Segment Powers Q2 Gains

Supports continued delivery of resilient infrastructure and reliable water and wastewater service
DALLAS, July 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=4260298674&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2F&amp;a=Jacobs">Jacobs</a> (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/J#NYSE">J</a>) has secured multiple contract wins and renewals for <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=2507326891&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fwhat-we-do%2Foperations-facility-management&amp;a=operations+and+maintenance+(O%26M)+services">operations and maintenance (O&amp;M) services</a>, reinforcing its roots in the Northwest U.S. and growth in the wider water and wastewater utility O&amp;M industry in the Western U.S.
Jacobs was recently awarded new water and wastewater O&amp;M contracts with <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=1796245624&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fpress-release%2Fjacobs-operate-and-maintain-advanced-water-reuse-facility-california&amp;a=Soquel+Creek+Water+District">Soquel Creek Water District</a>, <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=3571172057&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fpress-release%2Fjacobs-operate-and-maintain-largest-water-recycling-system-southern&amp;a=West+Basin+Water+District">West Basin Water District</a> and <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=1831363707&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fpress-release%2Fjacobs-deliver-data-driven-operations-and-maintenance-california-wastewater&amp;a=Lincoln-Sewer+Management+District+1+Wastewater+Authority">Lincoln-Sewer Management District 1 Wastewater Authority</a> in California. Jacobs also renewed existing O&amp;M contracts in <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=2713073294&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fnews%2Fjacobs-celebrates-40-years-dedication-innovation-and-excellence-oregon&amp;a=Hood+River%2C+Oregon">Hood River, Oregon</a>; <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=1118550571&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fnews%2Fjacobs-operate-walla-wallas-wastewater-facilities-another-five-years&amp;a=Walla+Walla%2C+Washington">Walla Walla, Washington</a>; <a href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4473043-1&amp;h=2938672697&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacobs.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fnews%2Fdecades-making-jacobs-celebrates-legacy-collaboration-transparency-and-efficiency&amp;a=Twin+Falls%2C+Idaho">Twin Falls, Idaho</a>; Cutter and Rio Rancho in New Mexico; and Red Bluff and Crescent City in California, which together span more than 144 years of collaboration.

Jacobs Secures Multiple Contract Wins And Renewals For O&M Services, Reinforcing Regional Presence In Northwest And Western U.S.

Genuine Parts shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 financial results.

SFST

Southern First shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 financial results.

DA Davidson analyst Michael Shlisky maintains REV Group (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/REVG#NYSE">REVG</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $51 to $55.

REVG

DA Davidson Maintains Buy on REV Group, Raises Price Target to $55

<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-22/trump-trade-war-ontario-premier-says-power-export-tax-on-us-is-possible?embedded-checkout=true">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-22/trump-trade-war-ontario-premier-says-power-export-tax-on-us-is-possible?embedded-checkout=true</a>

'Ontario Premier Says Electricity Export Tax Is Possible If Trade Talks Fail'- Bloomberg

HBCP

Home Bancorp shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 financial results and increased its quarterly dividend from $0.27 to $0.29 per share.

Pentair shares are trading lower after the company reported Q2 financial results and issued Q3 sales guidance below estimates.

Raymond James analyst Rick Patel reiterates Tapestry (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TPR#NYSE">TPR</a>) with a Outperform and raises the price target from $85 to $115.

Raymond James Reiterates Outperform on Tapestry, Raises Price Target to $115

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6unorCgKEo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6unorCgKEo</a>
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Macro Economic Events

Economics

LIVE: During Senate Hearing, Trump Administration Reports Over 3,000 Drone Events In 2025 Near U.S. Airports, Including 11 Aircraft That Reported Taking Invasive Action To Avoid Colliding With Drones

EVLV

Evolv Technologies shares are trading higher after announcing that Columbus Crew has renewed their subscrption with the company.

Sublingual nano technology delivers 50mg of caffeine rapidly to the body, bringing its unique benefits to the pre-workout market
ESTERO, FL / <a href="https://www.accessnewswire.com/">ACCESS Newswire</a> / July 22, 2025 / Aspire Biopharma Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ASBP#NASDAQ">ASBP</a>) ("Aspire" or the "Company"), developer of a multi-faceted patent-pending supplement delivery technology, today announced it plans to launch its newsublingual pre-workout supplement, BUZZ BOMB&#x2122;, at FitCon and FitExpo, two of the largest fitness conventions held annually in Salt Lake City, Utah (August 1-2) and Anaheim, CA, (August 2-3), respectively.
Featuring 50mg of caffeine and designed to support sustained energy and mental focus, BUZZ BOMB&#x2122; is bringing its unique delivery technology benefits to the multi-billion-dollar pre-workout market to help athletes and fitness enthusiasts maximize their performance potential. Buzz BOMB&#x2122;, offered in four flavors, provides nearly instant energy, in easy-to-use small sublingual packets, which can be taken right before and during work out as needed. Unlike pre-workout products that are mixed with water and taken well before a workout, BUZZ BOMB&#x2122; is sprinkled under the tongue for immediate effect.

ASBP

Aspire Biopharma Plans To Launch Newsublingual Pre-Workout Supplement, BUZZ BOMB, At FitCon And FitExpo

DA Davidson analyst Michael Shlisky maintains Oshkosh (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/OSK#NYSE">OSK</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $111 to $148.

DA Davidson Maintains Buy on Oshkosh, Raises Price Target to $148

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/22024742/Qidian.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-16231" srcset="https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/22024742/Qidian.jpeg 900w,https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/22024742/Qidian-300x200.jpeg 300w,https://contributor-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/22024742/Qidian-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /></figure>
The company, which is developing an online-merge-offline (OMO) new consumption platform, swung to a 2.23 billion yuan loss last year on asset impairments&nbsp;
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Key Takeaways:</h4>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Qidian Guofeng has signed a letter of intent to acquire an AI technology company, sparking a rally for its shares</li>
<li>The company, which mostly engages in appliance and liquor trading, is making the move even as most AI operators continue to lose money</li>
</ul>
The "AI halo" is proving quite a draw for many traditional companies these days, attracted by the technology's potential to transform them from their otherwise ordinary roots.
The latest to jump on that bandwagon is&nbsp;China Qidian Guofeng Holdings Ltd.&nbsp;(1280.HK), which this month&nbsp;<a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2025/0710/2025071000809.pdf">announced</a>&nbsp;it had signed a letter of intent to acquire an AI technology company. The news had the desired effect the next day, as Qidian Guofeng's shares jumped nearly 30%, before paring those gains to close up a more modest 7.6%.
With a market capitalization of less than HK$10 billion ($127 million), Qidian Guofeng is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, mainly engaged in home appliance and traditional Chinese liquor sales, as well as education training services. Home appliance sales were its biggest breadwinner last year, contributing 61.5% of revenue, followed by liquor at 23.1% and education training services at 15.4%. Such core activities give little or no indication of any direct connection to or expertise in the AI or information technology it's now pursuing with the latest acquisition plan.
But that may be beside the point, as far as the Qidian Guofeng is concerned. It said the company it plans to buy primarily provides AI-driven "enablement services," which align highly with Qidian Guofeng's own strategy of developing an online-merge-offline (OMO) new consumption platform. Qidian Guofeng believes the acquired company could help other companies accelerate their online-offline channel integration and expand their user reach. It also believes the acquisition will provide a sustainable growth engine for its own business.
Enablement services like the ones provided by the acquisition target generally refer to support services provided to enterprise customers to run their businesses more efficiently. AI-driven enablement services help businesses do that by supplying tools like AI chatbots, incorporating AI elements, and supplying machine learning, generative AI and data analytic tools and technology.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Agreement finalization deadline</h4>
While the deal looks good on paper, we should note that the signed document is simply a non-legally binding letter of intent and not a definitive agreement. The announcement explicitly states a formal agreement must be signed within three months, or the acquisition will be terminated.
Qidian Guofeng plans to acquire the AI technology company for HK$350 million to HK$500 million by issuing new shares. Such share-based acquisitions appear to be the norm for Qidian Guofeng, allowing it to make acquisitions without using any cash. Just a year ago, the company announced another HK$340 million acquisition of Shengshang Entrepreneurial Services, a training services provider for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). That announcement sparked an even larger jump in Qidian Guofeng's shares, which doubled the next day.&nbsp;
That acquisition boosted the company's revenue by 38.2% to 441 million yuan last year, and lifted its gross profit by an even larger 90.6% to 117.8 million yuan. Still, Qidian Guofeng ended up with a massive loss of 2.23 billion yuan, primarily due to a goodwill impairment related to the Shengshang acquisition. Given that track record, there's a risk that another goodwill impairment could follow the AI acquisition, should that deal go through.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">In search of AI profits</h4>
AI has become all the rage among companies looking to attract investors since ChatGPT ignited the AI frenzy in late 2023, leading to major spending spree by companies trying to boost their AI credentials. But apart from well-established chipmakers like Nvidia and TSMC, few have found ways to improve their business from AI maneuvers, especially on their bottom lines. Some observers have even begun questioning whether AI can truly help companies improve their efficiency.
The current crop of top AI investors are primarily major tech companies like Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Tencent, and Alibaba. But all of those get most of their revenue from other sources, with Alphabet and Meta relying heavily on advertising, Amazon and Alibaba on e-commerce, and Tencent on gaming. AI remains a development area for all of them, with AI revenue contributions still relatively small. All of those giants share a common factor of strong free cash flow, which they can use to support their hefty AI spending.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Big R&amp;D spending</h4>
By comparisont ChatGPT developer OpenAI, which is owned by Microsoft, reportedly remained in the red in 2024, even as it generated substantial revenue. CNBC reported that despite earning $3.7 billion in revenue, OpenAI still posted a $5 billion loss for the year, making it unlikely the company will become profitable in the near term. Hong Kong-listed SenseTime's 2024 revenue rose 10.8% year-on-year to 3.77 billion yuan, but its gross profit grew by a slower 7.9% to 1.62 billion yuan, and the company reported a massive 4.28 billion yuan loss.
Like many AI companies, SenseTime's huge loss was mainly due to high R&amp;D spending, which amounted to 4.13 billion yuan last year, equal to 360 million yuan more than its total revenue. A similar pattern was present in 2023, when its 3.41 billion yuan in revenue lagged its 3.47 billion yuan in R&amp;D expenses.
Another Hong Kong-listed AI firm, Fourth Paradigm, reported lighter 2024 R&amp;D spending of 2.17 billion yuan, but even that was still 41.7% of its 5.26 billion yuan in total revenue. Such high costs also led to continued losses for the company. The examples of OpenAI, SenseTime, and Fourth Paradigm all highlight the necessity for massive R&amp;D spending by any company that dreams of becoming a major AI company.
That could be problematic for Qidian Guofeng's AI plans. The company's plan to fund the acquisition by issuing new shares will also result in share dilution, possibly leading to more volatility for the stock. Accordingly, jumping on the AI bandwagon when the technology is still in an early stage of development may not be the most prudent strategy.
Benzinga Disclaimer: This article is from an unpaid external contributor. It does not represent Benzinga&#8217;s reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.

Asia

Global

Opinion

Qidian Guofeng: The Latest Chinese Company To Jump On The 'AI Halo' Bandwagon

Raymond James analyst Rick Paterson maintains Revolve Gr (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/RVLV#NYSE">RVLV</a>) with a Outperform and raises the price target from $21 to $25.

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