Dear Readers,

Thursday saw the S&P 500 reaching unprecedented heights following the release of Nvidia's quarterly results, which surpassed expectations by a large margin, thereby propelling the broader tech sector. 

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and Amazon both experienced gains exceeding 3% and 2%, respectively, while Microsoft and Netflix also saw increases of over 1%. 

The remarkable surge in Nvidia, fueled by enthusiasm for AI, along with other leading tech companies, has significantly contributed to the market's overall upward trajectory over the past year. Nvidia's exceptional performance in the latest quarter is poised to further instill confidence in the tech sector, benefiting the broader market as a whole.

As of 12:02 PM ET, the Dow was up 249.7305 points, or 0.6468%, at $38861.97. The Nasdaq Composite added 423.9004 points, or 2.4252%, at $17902.809. The S&P 500 rose 80.6304 points, or 1.6185%, at $5062.43. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 8 showed positive movement, with Financials leading the way with a 0.3% increase.

Top Movers: Under $10

La Rosa Holdings Corp. (LRHC) is up 156.49% today to trade at the current level of $3.38. This comes after the company announced that it has acquired a 100% interest in the Company’s franchisee - La Rosa Realty Winter Garden LLC located in Winter Garden, Florida.

BuzzFeed Inc (BZFD) zoomed 71.77% in today’s trade to $0.38 after the company sold its Complex division to NTWRK.

In current trading, Monopar Therapeutics Inc (MNPR) stock is at $1.14 following the declaration of promising preclinical imaging and therapeutic efficacy data for its MNPR-101 radiopharmaceutical program.

Venus Concept Inc (VERO) rose 19.67% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $1.46. The company announced that it has received the CE Mark from DEKRA Certification B.V. to market the Venus Versa Pro system in the European Union.

In the current trading session, Ocular Therapeutix Inc (OCUL) jumped 28.46% to $9.66 over a previous close of $7.52 after announcing that it has granted inducement equity awards to its newly appointed Executive Chairman, Pravin U. Dugel, MD and to its newly appointed Chief Strategy Officer, Sanjay Nayak, MBBS, PhD.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) 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 $0.1 per share. It has fixed February 26 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on March 18. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.20 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, DAL has a trailing yield of 0.47% on the current stock price of $42.17.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Chemours Company (CC), having a market capitalization of $4.41B. It will pay a dividend of $0.25 per share, the payment date of which is March 15. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 3.36%.

Shares of Atmos Energy Corp. (ATO) will be the talk of stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.81 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $2.29 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that ATO has a trailing yield of 2.01% on the current share price of $113.75.

Tomorrow, Clear Secure Inc (YOU) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from YOU will amount to $0.09 per share. February 26 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for March 05. In the previous year, YOU distributed a total of $0.16 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for YOU stands at 0.86% based on the current stock price of $18.41.

Radian Group, Inc. (RDN) will be paying out a dividend of $0.24 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of February 26. Over the past 12 months, RDN has paid out a total of $0.90 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, RDN boasts an impressive trailing yield of 3.29% on the current share price of $27.33.

Crypto Market Highlights

Most Shorted Stocks

CompoSecure Inc (CMPO) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 31.36% 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 35.8. This represents a change of -80000 shares, which corresponds to a -1.87% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $19.48 million. The average daily volume stands at 122.77K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $88.58M.

The Carvana Co. with the symbol CVNA currently has a short interest of 16.77%. The short interest has changed by -80000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 4.1. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.74 billion. On an average day, 7.92M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $5.93B.

For the stock Phathom Pharmaceuticals Inc (PHAT), the current short interest is at 32.43%. This represents a significant short interest change of 440000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 5.37%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 14.9. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $93.12 million.

With the symbol DM, the stock currently has a short interest of 34.86%. The short interest change is 3000000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +4.41%. It would take approximately 19.2 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $N/A. The company boasts an average daily volume of 3.85M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $157.09M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, MEI Pharma Inc (MEIP) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 61.0. The stock's valuation, profitability, and stock sentiment are strong. However, its performance are weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of growth, financial strength, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Protara Therapeutics Inc (TARA) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 59.0. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of valuation, performance, financial strength, and stock sentiment. However, it has weak profitability, and Piotroski Score. The growth, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Third Harmonic Bio Inc (THRD) has the ST Score of 52.0, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, and financial strength. Value, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Structure Therapeutics Inc ADR (GPCR) stock has the ST Score of 52.0 which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its performance, financial strength, and stock sentiment, but its weaknesses are in its value. However, it shows neutral outlook in profitability, growth, and forecast.

Omeros Corporation (OMER) currently has the ST Score of 59.0, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its valuation, performance, and stock sentiment, while its weak points are its financial strength. The stock's profitability, growth, Piotroski Score, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.