MarketBeat Week in Review – 1/29 - 2/2

Key Points

• Markets remained resilient despite a one-two punch from Apple and the jobs report. 
• Next week, companies like Chipotle and Pepsi will give more insight into the health of the consumer. 
• Here are some of our most popular articles from this week.

Markets remained resilient despite the one-two punch it received from Apple Inc. NASDAQ: AAPL and the jobs report. Apple stock, a bellwether for the broader market, was down 2% in early trading on Friday after it disclosed softening China sales in its quarterly earnings report. And the economy created significantly more jobs than expected, which, at face value, puts any lingering hopes of a March rate cut to bed.  

Still, companies have been generally outperforming this earnings season. And in the coming week, investors will hear from names like Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. NYSE: CMG, McDonald's Corp. NYSE: MCD and PepsiCo Inc. NASDAQ: PEP, which will provide more data about the health of the consumer. 

And just like you can count on the groundhog seeing its shadow or not, the MarketBeat team will stay on top of the stocks and stories that are moving the market. Here are some articles that got the most views on MarketBeat.com this past week.  

Articles by Jea Yu 

One of the easiest ways to invest in artificial intelligence stocks is to look at chip stocks. This week, Jea Yu highlighted two companies that are the undisputed market share leaders in the sector and explained why each stock has more growth to come.   

Investors also continue to see an upside in travel stocks. As Yu points out, this is particularly true of Marriott International Inc. NASDAQ: MAR. With the global hospitality industry expecting a full recovery in 2024, Yu explains why MAR stock merits consideration even as the company lowered its guidance.  

However, investors aren't shaking off the weak guidance from Humana Inc. NYSE: HUM. The health insurer's stock is under pressure and is raising questions about the rising costs of Medicare Advantage plans.  

Articles by Thomas Hughes 

One of the biggest stories from this earnings season came from Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META). The report dropped on Thursday night, but Thomas Hughes was hot on the case with an analysis of the company's report. With META stock reaching a critical inflection point, you'll want to see where Hughes believes the stock could be headed. 

Hughes also wrote about the stellar earnings report from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. NASDAQ: AMD. The company recently launched its MI300 chips to compete with Nvidia Corporation NASDAQ: NVDA. And the early reports show that AMD will be a worthy competitor.  

However, not all tech stocks are getting high marks this earnings season. That's the case with Intel Corporation NASDAQ: INTC. As Hughes writes, the company delivered a strong fourth quarter but is trading lower after the company guided for a weaker-than-expected first quarter.  

Articles by Sam Quirke 

If you're surprised that bank stocks were among the best-performing stocks in the last quarter, you're not alone. But with the rate of inflation growing and optimism for interest rate cuts at some point in 2024, bank stocks have been on the move. This week, Sam Quirke highlights three big bank stocks that just got analyst upgrades, which means investors who want to get in may still have an opportunity.  

Another stock that's been having a revival of late is Spotify Technology S.A. NYSE: SPOT. Quirke writes that SPOT stock is still well below its all-time high of over $360 in 2021. But the stock is up over 80% in the last 12 months, and with several catalysts in place, the stock may have further to run. 

Dollar Tree Inc. NASDAQ: DLTR is another stock rallying hard since October 2023. Discount retailers tend to do better when consumers feel the pinch of inflation. Yet, Quirke reminds investors that DLTR stock has been doing better since the rate of inflation has eased. And with analysts issuing upgrades, the stock may not be trading at a discount much longer.  

Articles by Kate Stalter  

Kate Stalter wrote about the recent earnings report from International Business Machines NYSE: IBM and explains why the stock is trading near 10-year highs (hint: it's an AI story), and she explains why the company's status as a dividend aristocrat makes this a growth and income story.  

IBM was also one of the stocks Stalter wrote about in an article about three Dow stocks that are helping push the index to new highs. If you're a fan of large, blue-chip stocks, you'll want to see how Stalter analyzes the role the Dow stocks may have in how those stocks are moving.  

Stalter also gave investors three reasons to be bullish on airline stocks. The sector has been making a lot of headlines, mostly negative. But as long as consumers continue to fly, this sector should continue to have tremendous upside.  

Articles by Ryan Hasson 

If you believe in skating where the puck is moving, you'll look for the sectors where growth is likely to be the strongest. In that case, Ryan Hasson offers two suggestions. The first would come from Industrials stocks. As Hasson writes, a popular industrials sector ETF is up more than 16% in the last three months. But if individual stocks are more your thing, Hasson analyzes three industrial stocks that are some of that fund's largest components.   

Hasson is also looking at homebuilder stocks. This sector has been resilient in 2023 and is likely to have more upside if the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates, as expected, at some point in 2024.  

And if you have a more speculative eye, Hasson explains why the software company AppLovin Corp. NYSE: APP is worth a closer look. Despite the stock being up 260% in the last 12 months, Hasson explains why higher growth could be ahead.  

Articles by Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli 

The U.S. government is about to release the next tranche of grant money from the Chips Act. And Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli points you toward three chip stocks that are likely beneficiaries of these grants but are undervalued at their current prices. 

And as geopolitical tensions continue to pop up across the globe, particularly in the Middle East, it's a good idea for investors to consider defense stocks. Osorio-Mazilli writes about three defense stocks that are in line to receive new contracts from the U.S. government.  

Osorio-Mazilli also wrote about the recent sell-off in Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE WSM). While drops like this can be upsetting to long-time shareholders, it's important to check if your fundamental case for owning the stock is still intact. That appears to be the case with WSM stock, and maybe that's why Warren Buffett is buying the dip.  

Articles by MarketBeat Staff 

When a company like Netflix Inc. NASDAQ: NFLX delivers a blowout report, it has ripple effects. One of those ripple effects is happening with the share price of TKO Group Holdings Inc. NYSE: TKO, which is up sharply after its latest deal with the streaming giant.  

The MarketBeat staff was also writing about Celsius Holdings Inc. NASDAQ: CELH. The story here seems to be that even bad news is good news for this stock, which continues to garner positive analyst sentiment even after one notable analyst issued a downgrade.  

And if your guilty pleasure comes in the form of chocolate and other confections or a greasy fast-food burger, you'll want to look at the staff's article on two food stocks that just got upgraded and could be ready to move higher.