AI Surge Watch: Smart $10 Picks Catching Fire

U.S. stocks edged lower early Wednesday as investors awaited a highly anticipated earnings report from Nvidia, seen as a key test for Big Tech amid ongoing tariff uncertainty. Wall Street is hoping the AI leader will deliver strong results and reinforce confidence in megacap tech’s ability to lead markets higher—even as trade tensions persist.

As of 11:27 AM ET, the Dow was down -112.78 points, or -0.2663%, at $42,230.87. The Nasdaq Composite lost -6.2 points, or -0.03%, at $21,408.79. The S&P 500 declined -13.13 points, or -0.22%, at $5,908.41. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 7 showed negative movement, with Energy leading the way with a -0.85% decrease.

Nvidia’s performance has become a bellwether for sentiment around AI-driven growth, with investors eager for signs that demand remains strong despite global headwinds.

Later today, the Federal Reserve will release minutes from its May policy meeting. Traders will be scanning for clues on how officials view the economy and the evolving impact of President Trump’s aggressive trade stance.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Spero Therapeutics Inc (SPRO) is up 254.84% today to trade at the current level of $2.42. This comes after its investigational oral treatment for cUTIs met primary endpoint.

Aspire Biopharma Holdings Inc (ASBP) zoomed 86.19% in today’s trade to $0.44. This rally can be attributed to news of brand name BUZZ BOMB and anticipated market launch for its novel sublingual pre-workout supplement.

In current trading, Signing Day Sports Inc (SGN) stock is at $2.29 following news of a definitive business combination agreement to acquire 100% membership interest of One Blockchain LLC.

Hyliion Holdings Corporation (HYLN) rose 40.42% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $1.60. The strong performance of HYLN stock came as investors were encouraged as its KARNO power module was selected for USAF’s multi-fuel initiative.

In the current trading session, Brooge Energy Limited (BROG) jumped 19.12% to $3.80 over a previous close of $3.19 as the company entered a conditional sale and purchase agreement for the proposed sale of shared capital of its assets in UAE.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Xylem Inc (XYL) 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 $0.4 per share. It has fixed May 29 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on June 26. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.48 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, XYL has a trailing yield of 1.17% on the current stock price of $126.15.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Navigator Holdings Ltd (NVGS), having a market capitalization of $983.86M. It will pay a dividend of $0.05 per share, the payment date of which is June 17. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.41%.

Shares of Popular Inc (BPOP) will be the talk of stock market on Thursday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.7 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $2.64 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that BPOP has a trailing yield of 2.54% on the current share price of $103.78.

International Game Technology PLC (IGT) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from IGT will amount to $0.2 per share. May 29 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for June 12. In the previous year, IGT distributed a total of $0.80 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for IGT stands at 5.13% based on the current stock price of $15.61.

RB Global Inc (RBA) will be paying out a dividend of $0.29 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of May 29. Over the past 12 months, RBA has paid out a total of $1.14 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, RBA boasts an impressive trailing yield of 1.09% on the current share price of $104.45.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Unique NFT buyers surged by 50% in May, rising to 936,000 from 622,000, as monthly NFT sales jumped 15% to $430 million, marking the first increase of 2025 and signaling renewed interest in digital collectibles.

• The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has opened a consultation on proposed regulations for stablecoin issuers and crypto custody providers, seeking public feedback.

• xAI’s chatbot Grok is now integrated into Telegram, offering threaded chats, smart text editing, chat summaries, document digests, inbox agents, and group chat moderation features.

• Metalayer Ventures, led by former Chainlink and Two Sigma executives, has launched a $25 million fund targeting early-stage blockchain projects focused on stablecoins, tokenization, and crypto infrastructure.

• GameStop has made its first Bitcoin investment, acquiring 4,710 BTC as part of its strategic shift into alternative assets announced earlier this year.

 Most Shorted Stocks

Heron Therapeutics Inc (HRTX) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 21.83% 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 17.9. This represents a change of 340,000 shares, which corresponds to a +1.03% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $61.94 million. The average daily volume stands at 1.78M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $283.01M.

The Coherus Biosciences Inc with the symbol CHRS currently has a short interest of 28.09%. The short interest has changed by -460,000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 18.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $25.4 million. On an average day, 1.88M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $90.07M.

For the stock PureCycle Technologies Inc (PCT), the current short interest is at 30.37%. This represents a significant short interest change of 3,120,000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +6.67%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 18.6. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $508.08 million.

With the symbol BMO, the stock currently has a short interest of 1.57%. The short interest change is -2,240,000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -16.41%. It would take approximately 15.7 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $5.36 billion. The company boasts an average daily volume of 712.88K shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $78.23B.

The stock OCGN has a current short interest of 23.36%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -0.64% while there was a change of -440,000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 18.1. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $10.38 million. Trading activity averages at 4.13M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $266.45M.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, RELX Plc ADR (RELX) 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. However, its financial strength is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Ansys Inc (ANSS) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 58. 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, iRhythm Technologies Inc (IRTC) has the ST Score of 55, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in performance, and financial strength. Profitability, growth, stock sentiment, piotroski score, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Audiocodes (AUDC) stock has the ST Score of 52 which implies that the AI company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, and Piotroski Score, but its weaknesses are in its growth. However, it shows a neutral outlook in performance, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast.

ServiceNow Inc (NOW) currently has the ST Score of 50, 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 financial strength. 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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