AI Top Picks: Midday Gainers & $10 Picks Accelerating

U.S. stocks posted modest gains on Wednesday, held in check by weaker-than-expected private sector hiring. A report from ADP showed just 37,000 jobs were added in May, well below the consensus estimate of 110,000 and the revised 60,000 in April.

As of 11:28 AM ET, the Dow was up 53.11 points, or 0.1249%, at $42572.75. The Nasdaq Composite added 68.46 points, or 0.32%, at $21731.04. The S&P 500 rose 12.34 points, or 0.21%, at $5982.71. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 7 showed positive movement, with Communication Services leading the way with a 1.42% increase.

The data, the weakest in over two years, raised fresh concerns that trade policy uncertainty may be dampening economic momentum. President Trump responded by criticizing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, urging immediate rate cuts.

Despite the disappointing jobs data, investor sentiment remained relatively resilient, buoyed by continued strength in tech stocks. Nvidia rose nearly 3%, reclaiming its position as the world’s most valuable public company.

Recent market gains and a belief that tariff threats are largely a negotiation tactic have helped offset economic worries. Still, all eyes now turn to Friday’s key government jobs report, which could further shape the outlook for interest rates and market direction.

Top Movers: Under $10 

K Wave Media Ltd (KWM) is up 136.46% today to trade at the current level of $4.54. This comes after the company announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with Bitcoin Strategic Reserve KWM LLC, providing for the sale by the Company of up to $500 million of ordinary shares.

Cellectar Biosciences Inc (CLRB) zoomed 106.04% in today’s trade to $0.57 after announcing that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to iopofosine I 131, a new cancer treatment, for relapsed/refractory Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (r/r WM).

In current trading, Sharps Technology Inc (STSS) stock is at $6.09 after announcing the initiation of shipments for previously announced purchase orders across three customer orders.

ModivCare Inc (MODV) rose 27.84% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $2.45 following the company's recognition of DAB Transport's exceptional service in central Georgia, highlighting its compassionate and flexible approach.

In the current trading session, Bon Natural Life Ltd (BON) jumped 23.39% to $2.11 over a previous close of $1.71. The company announced a share repurchase program for up to US$1.0 million.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

AMKOR Technology Inc (AMKR) 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 $0.08 per share. It has fixed June 05 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on June 25. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.32 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, AMKR has a trailing yield of 1.69% on the current stock price of $19.00.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Qualcomm, Inc (QCOM), having a market capitalization of $163.71B. It will pay a dividend of $0.89 per share, the payment date of which is June 26. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 2.28%.

Shares of Old National Bancorp (ONB) 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 $0.14 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.56 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that ONB has a trailing yield of 2.68% on the current share price of $20.88.

SLM Corp (SLM) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from SLM will amount to $0.13 per share. June 05 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for June 16. In the previous year, SLM distributed a total of $0.48 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for SLM stands at 1.48% based on the current stock price of $32.49.

Hancock Whitney Corp (HWC) will be paying out a dividend of $0.45 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of June 05. Over the past 12 months, HWC has paid out a total of $1.65 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, HWC boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.03% on the current share price of $54.39.

Crypto Market Highlights

• K Wave Media has signed a securities purchase agreement worth up to $500 million to support a Bitcoin-focused crypto treasury strategy.

• Bybit announced a major security overhaul in response to a $1.4 billion hack that occurred in February 2025.

• WazirX is relocating operations to Panama after Indian courts rejected its restructuring plan.

• Moscow Exchange (MOEX) has started trading futures for BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT), which is now among the top 25 ETFs globally by AUM.

• Binance has taken action to restrict bots that were exploiting Alpha, its early-access token distribution system.

 Most Shorted Stocks

Capricor Therapeutics Inc (CAPR) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 34.44% 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 6.7. This represents a change of 3440000 shares, which corresponds to a +33.27% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $162.19 million. The average daily volume stands at 2.08M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $537.98M.

The Lichen International Ltd with the symbol LICN currently has a short interest of 36.26%. The short interest has changed by 208900 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 0.4. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.11 million. On an average day, 594.45K shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $3.42M.

For the stock AnaptysBio Inc (ANAB), the current short interest is at 33.35%. This represents a significant short interest change of -130000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -1.45%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 12.3. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $179.51 million.

With the symbol EOSE, the stock currently has a short interest of 32.20%. The short interest change is 2180000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +3.34%. It would take approximately 9.7 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $33.02 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 9.23M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $922.55M.

The stock NTLA has a current short interest of 31.14%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +6.78% while there was a change of 1950000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 8.7. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $515.7 million. Trading activity averages at 4.01M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $791.90M.

AI Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Zoom Communications Inc (ZM) emerges as a high-quality stock in the AI industry, attaining an impressive score of 62. The stock's profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR) as a high-quality AI stock today, presenting a Score of 61. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The growth, stock sentiment, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score. Growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Meta Platforms Inc (META) stock has the ST Score of 58 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, but its weaknesses lie in its growth. However, it shows neutral outlook in stock sentiment, and forecast.

Sap SE ADR (SAP) currently has the ST Score of 58, 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. The stock's financial strength, 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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