AI Sparks & $10 Rockets: Midday Stock Highlights

Tech stocks helped lift the S&P 500 on Wednesday, with Nvidia hitting a major milestone and investors appearing to shrug off the latest tariff threats from President Trump.

As of 11:12 AM ET, the Dow was up 33.79 points, or 0.0764%, at $44274.56. The Nasdaq Composite added 58.05 points, or 0.26%, at $22760.3. The S&P 500 rose 12.28 points, or 0.2%, at $6237.8. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 8 showed negative movement, with Consumer Defensive leading the way with a -1.13% decrease.

Despite heightened trade tensions, markets moved higher as traders bet that the worst of the tariff impact may already be priced in. Attention also turned to the Federal Reserve, with investors awaiting the release of minutes from the central bank’s most recent policy meeting for further clues on the interest rate outlook.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Evoke Pharma Inc (EVOK) is up 172.35% today to trade at the current level of $7.24. This comes after the company announced it received a Notice of Allowance from the USPTO for a patent on using GIMOTI® to treat moderate to severe gastroparesis.

SU Group Holdings Ltd (SUGP) zoomed 162.04% in today’s trade to $1.18 after announcing that it has been awarded the largest contract in the Company's history, valued at HK$88.5 million (approximately US$11.3 million).

In current trading, Moleculin Biotech Inc (MBRX) stock is at $0.58 following news that Georgia’s RAMPA has approved its Clinical Trial Application to start a Phase 2B/3 study of Annamycin with cytarabine (AnnAraC) for adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Kazia Therapeutics Limited ADR (KZIA) rose 16.95% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $7.98 after announcing preliminary results from the first patient in its Phase 1b trial evaluating a combination regimen of Paxalisib, pembrolizumab, and standard chemotherapy after completing Cycle 1 (21 days) of dosing.

In the current trading session, Plug Power Inc (PLUG) jumped 20.42% to $1.71 over a previous close of $1.42 after announcing a new multi-year enhanced supply agreement with a leading U.S.-based industrial gas company and longtime hydrogen partner through 2030.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

CVB Financial Corp (CVBF) 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 $0.2 per share. It has fixed July 10 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on July 24. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.80 to its shareholders. Based on last year's payments, CVBF has a trailing yield of 3.84%, and the current stock price is $20.85.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Johnson Outdoors Inc (JOUT), having a market capitalization of $326.60M. It will pay a dividend of $0.33 per share, the payment date of which is July 24. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 4.13%.

Shares of Riverview Bancorp, Inc (RVSB) 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 $0.02 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.08 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that RVSB has a trailing yield of 1.41% on the current share price of $5.69.

Marvell Technology Inc (MRVL) is also set to go ex-dividend Friday. The next dividend payment from MRVL will amount to $0.06 per share. July 11 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for July 31. In the previous year, MRVL distributed a total of $0.24 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for MRVL stands at 0.33% based on the current stock price of $72.31.

Morningstar Inc (MORN) will be paying out a dividend of $0.46 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of July 11. Over the past 12 months, MORN has paid out a total of $1.72 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, MORN boasts an impressive trailing yield of 0.57% on the current share price of $302.53.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Tokyo-based energy firm Remixpoint raised ¥31.5 billion (~$215 million) to grow its Bitcoin holdings.

• Emirates signed an MoU with Crypto.com to integrate Crypto.com Pay into its payment systems by next year.

• South Korea plans to lift restrictions that currently bar crypto-related businesses from being recognized as venture companies.

• Circle and OKX partnered to boost USDC-to-USD liquidity and streamline conversions.

• New Zealand banned crypto ATMs and limited international cash transfers to combat money laundering and financial crime.

Most Shorted Stocks

Hims & Hers Health Inc (HIMS) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 31.94% 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 1.4. This represents a change of 810000 shares, which corresponds to a +1.33% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $3.03 billion. The average daily volume stands at 45.99M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $10.99B.

The MARA Holdings Inc with the symbol MARA currently has a short interest of 27.74%. The short interest has changed by 9310000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 2.2. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.7 billion. On an average day, 44.71M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $6.19B.

For the stock Novavax, Inc (NVAX), the current short interest is at 27.74%. This represents a significant short interest change of -220000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -0.49%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 5.1. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $316.25 million.

With the symbol IOVA, the stock currently has a short interest of 33.50%. The short interest change is 4600000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +5.33%. It would take approximately 6.9 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $83.62 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 13.49M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $626.12M.

The stock SEDG has a current short interest of 27.16%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -12.33% while there was a change of -2240000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 3.0. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $2.33 billion. Trading activity averages at 5.90M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $1.52B.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 59. The stock's profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Meta Platforms Inc (META) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 56. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. However, it has weak growth. The stock sentiment and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Autodesk Inc (ADSK) has the ST Score of 54, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score but weak in growth, and financial strength. Stock sentiment and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR) stock has the ST Score of 57 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Zoom Communications Inc (ZM) currently has the ST Score of 57, which signifies a huge upward potential. The AI stock's strong points are its profitability, financial strength, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its performance. The stock's growth, 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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