👀 Investors Are Watching These 5 Stocks Very Closely Today

U.S. stocks declined Thursday as rising oil prices and escalating Middle East tensions weighed on markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 1.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.6% and the S&P 500 slipped 1.2%.

Oil briefly surged above $100 per barrel as Iran expanded attacks on regional energy infrastructure, pushing up Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate despite a record reserve release by the International Energy Agency.

Meanwhile, jobless claims came in at 213,000, below expectations, and investors are awaiting key inflation data, while Dollar General shares fell despite strong earnings, and Adobe is set to report results after the close.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Agape ATP Corp (ATPC) is up 36.57% today to trade at the current level of $5.7 after announcing today that it has received confirmation from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC that the Company has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

Vera Bradley Inc (VRA) zoomed 30.96% in today’s trade to $3.26 after announcing fourth quarter fiscal year 2026 results and leadership appointments.

In current trading, Codexis Inc (CDXS) stock is at $1.69 after reporting fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 financial results.

Bumble Inc (BMBL) rose 36.62% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $3.88 after the company posted upbeat fourth-quarter revenue ‌and unveiled an AI‑driven overhaul of its apps to lure back younger ‌users.

In the current trading session, Turbo Energy S.A. ADR (TURB) jumped 28.13% to $4.79 over a previous close of $3.74 after announcing $3.25 million registered direct offering with a single global institutional investor.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Automatic Data Processing Inc (ADP) 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 $1.7 per share. It has fixed March 13 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on April 01. Last year, the company distributed a total of $6.32 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, ADP has a trailing yield of 2.96% on the current stock price of $213.29.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Ares Capital Corp (ARCC), having a market capitalization of $13.12B. It will pay a dividend of $0.48 per share, the payment date of which is March 31. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 10.51%.

Shares of Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund (CSQ) will be the talk of the stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.12 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $1.26 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that CSQ has a trailing yield of 7.01% on the current share price of $18.03.

Dominos Pizza Inc (DPZ) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from DPZ will amount to $1.99 per share. March 13 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for March 30. In the previous year, DPZ distributed a total of $6.96 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for DPZ stands at 1.78% based on the current stock price of $391.7.

Gilead Sciences, Inc (GILD) will be paying out a dividend of $0.82 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of March 13. Over the past 12 months, GILD has paid out a total of $3.16 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, GILD boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.18% on the current share price of $144.79.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Ark Invest says most of the Bitcoin supply is already protected from potential quantum computing breakthroughs, giving developers time to secure the remaining portion.

• The Financial Action Task Force warns that offshore crypto service providers could increase risks of money laundering, sanctions evasion, and other illicit financial activities.

• BlackRock is expanding its crypto offerings with a new Nasdaq-listed investment product linked to Ethereum staking.

• Binance Research says upcoming US midterm elections could help drive a rebound in Bitcoin and stocks, though oil shocks and Middle East tensions may weigh on markets in the short term.

• South Korea’s tax authority plans to use artificial intelligence to track cryptocurrency investment gains as it moves toward implementing a long-delayed digital asset tax.

Most Shorted Stocks

Kohl's Corp (KSS) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 23.85% 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 7.9. This represents a change of -276568 shares, which corresponds to a -1.03% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $352.62 million. The average daily volume stands at 4.15M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $1.49B.

The Xerox Holdings Corp with the symbol XRX currently has a short interest of 19.48%. The short interest has changed by 1770000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 4.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $39.18 million. On an average day, 3.69M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $222.39M.

For the stock IonQ Inc (IONQ), the current short interest is at 24.71%. This represents a significant short interest change of 3081407 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of 3.72%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 3.6. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $2.87 billion.

With the symbol JACK, the stock currently has a short interest of 23.57%. The short interest change is -70460 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -1.57%. It would take approximately 5.8 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $1.13 billion. The company boasts an average daily volume of 628.20K shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $250.17M.

The stock RUN has a current short interest of 24.04%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -7.48% while there was a change of -4406158 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 4.4. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $53.35 million. Trading activity averages at 9.20M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2.83B.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, ImmunityBio Inc (IBRX) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 60. The stock's performance and financial strength are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of profitability, growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc (ORMP) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 60. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of performance and financial strength. However, it has weak stock sentiment and a forecast. The profitability, growth, and Piotroski Score are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Argen X SE ADR (ARGX) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, financial strength, and the Piotroski Score. Performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc (CPRX) stock has the ST Score of 59, which implies that the Biotech 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 a neutral outlook in stock sentiment and forecast.

Corvus Pharmaceuticals Inc (CRVS) currently has the ST Score of 59, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its performance and financial strength, while its weak points are its Piotroski Score. The stock's profitability, 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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