Noon Watchlist: AI Power Plays & Must-See $10 Stocks

Stocks rose on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 attempting to break its four-day losing streak as investors awaited earnings from market bellwether Nvidia. Nvidia’s fourth-quarter earnings, scheduled for release after the closing bell Wednesday, could serve as the next catalyst for the market. The stock climbed more than 3% on Wednesday, adding optimism to the session.

As of 11:23 AM ET, the Dow was up 158.99 points, or 0.36448%, at $43780.16. The Nasdaq Composite added 220.447 points, or 1.0454%, at $21307.693. The S&P 500 rose 47.48 points, or 0.79728%, at $6002.73. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 10 showed positive movement, with Communication Services leading the way with a 1.83% increase.

A weaker-than-expected consumer confidence reading from the Conference Board weighed on stocks on Tuesday. A series of recent reports, including disappointing retail sales numbers and a lackluster consumer sentiment reading, have raised concerns about the economy. These factors have spurred trader worries, contributing to pressure on the major averages over the past week.

Looking ahead, the main economic data release for investors will be the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, due Friday. The PCE is the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge and will be closely watched for insights into inflation trends.

Top Movers: Under $10

Enveric Biosciences Inc (ENVB) is up 150.00% today to trade at the current level of $2.95. This comes after the company unveiled the EVM401 series of compounds with a new U.S. Patent.

Interactive Strength Inc (TRNR) zoomed 67.36% in today’s trade to $1.59. The company posted a new FAQ section on its website, noting that it was fielding many questions from interested shareholders about its recent acquisition agreement and updated pro forma revenue guidance for 2025 of more than $50M.

In current trading, Mullen Automotive Inc (MULN) stock is at $3.94 after announcing that its all-electric Mullen ONE cargo van and Mullen THREE cab chassis truck are now included in National Auto Fleet Group's Sourcewell contract, approved for immediate public sector government purchasing.

Gaotu Techedu Inc ADR (GOTU) rose 31.82% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $3.34 after announcing fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 unaudited financial results.

In the current trading session, Oncology Institute Inc (TOI) jumped 31.43% to $1.05 over a previous close of $0.80 after announcing an amendment to facility agreement and Debt Paydown.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Cathay General Bancorp (CATY) is about to trade ex-dividend tomorrow, meaning that investors who buy the stock after tomorrow will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.34 per share. It has fixed February 27 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on March 10. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.36 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, CATY has a trailing yield of 2.94% on the current stock price of $46.19.

Shares of Marriott International, Inc (MAR) will be the talk of the stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.63 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $1.89 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that MAR has a trailing yield of 0.67% on the current share price of $283.17.

PBF Energy Inc (PBF) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from PBF will amount to $0.28 per share. February 27 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for March 14. In the previous year, PBF distributed a total of $1.02 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for PBF stands at 4.63% based on the current stock price of $22.13.

TransUnion (TRU) will be paying out a dividend of $0.12 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of February 27. Over the past 12 months, TRU has paid out a total of $0.42 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, TRU boasts an impressive trailing yield of 0.43% on the current share price of $96.85.

Crypto Market Highlights

• The Pump.fun X account was compromised on Feb. 26 to promote a fake governance token called "PUMP," with ZackXBT warning users to avoid interacting with the links from the compromised account.

• MetaMask, in partnership with Transak, is expanding its fiat off-ramp services to support 10 additional blockchain networks, making it easier to convert digital assets into traditional currency.

• Hamster Kombat has launched a new layer-2 blockchain, Hamster Network, on The Open Network (TON) to support Web3 gaming and decentralized applications.

• The hacker behind the $1.4 billion Bybit exploit has laundered over $335 million in digital assets, with ongoing efforts by investigators to track the movement of the stolen funds.

• Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has proposed legislation aimed at reducing fraud at crypto ATMs in the United States.

Most Shorted Stocks

Bloom Energy Corp (BE) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 19.02% short interest. The days to cover ratio, a measure of how long it would take for all the short positions to be covered based on average trading volume, is 4.9. This represents a change of 540000 shares, which corresponds to a +1.26% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $1.03 billion. The average daily volume stands at 6.45M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $5.40B.

The Rekor Systems Inc with the symbol REKR currently has a short interest of 18.81%. The short interest has changed by 270000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 2.6. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $26.48 million. On an average day, 7.93M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $157.60M.

For the stock TeraWulf Inc (WULF), the current short interest is at 25.06%. This represents a significant short interest change of 5010000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +7.50%%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 2.1. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $272.01 million.

With the symbol CSIQ, the stock currently has a short interest of 25.57%. The short interest change is 1600000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +15.25%%. It would take approximately 6.4 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $848.32 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 1.67M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $782.50M.

The stock LUNR has a current short interest of 20.23%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +2.51%% while there was a change of 400000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 0.9. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $207.34 million. Trading activity averages at 14.92M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2.57B.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Audiocodes (AUDC) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 55. The stock's profitability and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its growth is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of performance, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies RELX Plc ADR (RELX) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 54. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score. However, it has weak financial strength. The stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd ADR (BABA) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score but weak in growth. Stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Ansys Inc (ANSS) stock has the ST Score of 53 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, financial strength, and Piotroski Score, but its weaknesses are in its growth. However, it shows a neutral outlook in performance, stock sentiment, and forecast.

International Business Machines Corp (IBM) currently has the ST Score of 52, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its growth and financial strength. The stock's stock sentiment, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck out there!

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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