Midday Update: Top Energy stocks & $10 Value Contenders

The Dow was once again trailing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite on Friday, weighed down by another sharp decline in UnitedHealth Group shares.

At 11:50 AM ET, the Dow was down -31.62 points, or -0.0706%, at $44734.1. The Nasdaq Composite added 158.55 points, or 0.74%, at $21583.7771. The S&P 500 rose 13.26 points, or 0.2183%, at $6088.36. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 7 showed positive movement, with Communication Services leading the way with a 1.49% increase.

UnitedHealth’s stock is down 5% today, dragging the Dow by 178 points on its own. As the highest-priced stock in the Dow—currently just above $555 even after its latest slide—UnitedHealth wields outsized influence in the price-weighted index. This follows a 5.2% drop on Thursday.

The continued sell-off comes after the tragic murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit. Wall Street is reacting to the intense backlash on social media platforms like X, Bluesky, and Reddit, where users have voiced frustration over claims denial practices at major insurers, including UnitedHealthcare.

Top Movers: Under $10

Gaxos.AI Inc (GXAI) is up 83.80% today to trade at the current level of $2.61. This comes after the company released a visual editor for Godot Engine for their artificial intelligence solution for game developers and publishers, Gaxos Labs.

SMX (Security Matters) Plc (SMX) zoomed 61.74% in today’s trade to $0.48 after reporting that it has signed a non-binding Heads of Agreement with Ybyra Capital (B3:YBRA4).

In current trading, Adc Therapeutics SA (ADCT) stock is at $2.64 following news that

Nano X Imaging Ltd (NNOX) rose 27.00% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $7.92 after receiving FDA clearance for general use, including Pulmonary Indication.

In the current trading session, D-Wave Quantum Inc (QBTS) jumped 21.22% to $4.57 over a previous close of $3.77 after announcing that CEO Dr. Alan Baratz was interviewed on Fox Business' Making Money with Charles Payne, where he discussed the state of the quantum industry and the real-world impact D-Wave’s annealing quantum computing is delivering for businesses.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Analog Devices Inc (ADI) is about to trade ex-dividend Monday, 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 $0.92 per share. It has fixed December 09 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on December 20. Last year, the company distributed a total of $3.62 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, ADI has a trailing yield of 1.67% on the current stock price of $216.12.

Shares of Fedex Corp (FDX) will be the talk of the stock market on Monday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $1.38 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $5.28 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that FDX has a trailing yield of 1.89% on the current share price of $279.65.

Tomorrow, Alphabet Inc (GOOG) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from GOOG will amount to $0.2 per share. December 09 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for December 16. In the previous year, GOOG distributed a total of $0.40 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for GOOG stands at 0.23% based on the current stock price of $176.60.

Union Pacific Corp (UNP) will be paying out a dividend of $1.34 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of December 09. Over the past 12 months, UNP has paid out a total of $5.24 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, UNP boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.23% on the current share price of $234.60.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Court documents from a FOIA lawsuit against the FDIC reveal the agency instructed certain financial institutions to halt crypto banking activities.

• The SEC is expected to reject applications for spot Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 

• US spot Bitcoin ETFs reach a milestone, surpassing the total BTC holdings of Satoshi Nakamoto.

• Sky, previously known as MakerDAO, faces criticism for managing $756 million in USD Coin reserves through an externally owned account (EOA) within its lite peg stability module (PSM).

• Former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers criticized President-elect Donald Trump's plan for a strategic Bitcoin reserve, calling it "crazy" and a tactic to appeal to crypto donors.

Most Shorted Stocks

Intuitive Machines Inc (LUNR) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 36.34% 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 1.0. This represents a change of 2580000 shares, which corresponds to a +14.84% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $245.03 million. The average daily volume stands at 19.81M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $1.72B.

The Aehr Test Systems with the symbol AEHR currently has a short interest of 22.00%. The short interest has changed by 270000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 5.6. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $75.18 million. On an average day, 1.16M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $341.75M.

For the stock Applied Optoelectronics Inc (AAOI), the current short interest is at 21.81%. This represents a significant short interest change of -980000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -9.07%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 3.0. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $396.15 million.

With the symbol FCEL, the stock currently has a short interest of 21.36%. The short interest change is -30000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -0.69%. It would take approximately 3.4 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $104.0 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 1.37M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $215.51M.

The stock RUN has a current short interest of 20.69%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +3.04% while there was a change of 1370000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 5.2. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $45.48 million. Trading activity averages at 9.01M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2.35B.

Energy Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, NCS Multistage Holdings Inc (NCSM) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Energy industry, attaining an impressive score of 69. 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 Dynagas LNG Partners LP (DLNG) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 67. 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, PrimeEnergy Resources Corp (PNRG) has the ST Score of 65, 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.

Dorchester Minerals LP (DMLP) stock has the ST Score of 63 which implies that the Energy 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.

Star Group L.P (SGU) currently has the ST Score of 61, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its performance, and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its financial strength. 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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