Stocks Retreat from Record Highs—Is the Rally Over?

Stocks slipped on Friday as investors locked in profits following a strong week. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each dipped 0.2%, pulling back from record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 31 points, or 0.1%, boosted by a 12% surge in UnitedHealth, though it too retreated from earlier highs.

Weakness in semiconductor stocks weighed on the market, with Applied Materials plunging 12%, dragging the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) down the same amount. Nvidia also declined 1%. Adding to the pressure, consumer sentiment dipped in August, with the University of Michigan’s index falling to 58.6 from 61.7, reflecting inflation concerns.

Despite Friday’s pullback, all major indexes posted solid weekly gains. The Dow led, rising 2%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq added over 1% each. Optimism over potential Fed rate cuts grew after encouraging consumer inflation data. Additionally, July’s retail sales rose 0.5%, in line with expectations, reinforcing the strength of U.S. consumer spending.

Top Movers: Under $10 

Precigen Inc (PGEN) is up 68.65% today to trade at the current level of $3.12. This comes after the company announced that the FDA has approved PAPZIMEOS™ for the treatment of adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP).

Tivic Health Systems Inc (TIVC) zoomed 24.51% in today’s trade to $4.36 after announcing it is in advanced talks with key U.S. government agencies following its participation in the 2025 Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), held August 4–7 in Kissimmee, Florida.

In current trading, SRX Health Solutions Inc (SRXH) stock is at $0.56 following news of the cancellation of approximately 18.8 million shares of company’s capital stock.

Sigma Lithium Corporation (SGML) rose 28.50% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $7.26 after reporting its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025.

In the current trading session, Perfect Moment Ltd (PMNT) jumped 97.93% to $0.57 over a previous close of $0.29 after strong Q1 2026 results, with revenue up 51% year-over-year and a record gross margin of 60.4%.

Ex-Dividend Stocks

Enact Holdings Inc (ACT) is about to trade ex-dividend Monday, meaning that investors who buy the stock after Monday will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.21 per share. It has fixed August 18 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on September 08. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.95 to its shareholders. Based on last year's worth of payments, ACT has a trailing yield of 2.52% on the current stock price of $37.65.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends on Monday is ARKO Corp (ARKO), having a market capitalization of $551.88M. It will pay a dividend of $0.03 per share, the payment date of which is August 29. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 2.45%.

Shares of Iradimed Corp (IRMD) 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 $0.17 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.64 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that IRMD has a trailing yield of 0.90% on the current share price of $70.74.

KLA Corp (KLAC) is also set to go ex-dividend on Monday. The next dividend payment from KLAC will amount to $1.9 per share. August 18 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for September 03. In the previous year, KLAC distributed a total of $6.75 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for KLAC stands at 0.75% based on the current stock price of $895.02.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (REGN) will be paying out a dividend of $0.88 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of August 18. Over the past 12 months, REGN has paid out a total of $1.76 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, REGN boasts an impressive trailing yield of 0.31% on the current share price of $576.99.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Top Win International, Taiwan’s first publicly traded corporate Bitcoin treasury, raised $10 million to begin accumulating BTC.

• Galaxy Digital, led by Mike Novogratz, secured a $1.4 billion loan to develop its Helios AI datacenter campus in Texas.

• Hong Kong SFC issued new crypto custody rules, enforcing strict security measures and banning smart contracts in cold wallets.

• New York State may begin taxing crypto and NFT sales and transfers, according to a new bill in the State Assembly.

• Crypto and fintech leaders urged Donald Trump to ban banks from charging fees for access to customer data, claiming it limits consumer choice.

Most Shorted Stocks

Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ) was one of the most shorted stocks as of the latest short interest figures, with 19.10% 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 6.8. This represents a change of -2260000 shares, which corresponds to a -3.81% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $297.49 million. The average daily volume stands at 7.64M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $1.62B.

The Upstart Holdings Inc with the symbol UPST currently has a short interest of 21.86%. The short interest has changed by -1080000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 2.8. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $1.1 billion. On an average day, 6.27M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $6.05B.

For the stock Serve Robotics Inc (SERV), the current short interest is at 26.19%. This represents a significant short interest change of 500000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +4.87%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 1.7. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $106.42 million.

With the symbol PTON, the stock currently has a short interest of 18.45%. The short interest change is 30000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +0.04%. It would take approximately 4.7 days to cover all the short positions. The shares' short value is estimated to be around $92.43 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 14.49M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $3.50B.

The stock XRX has a current short interest of 18.80%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -0.36% while there was a change of -80000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 5.4. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $293.9 million. Trading activity averages at 3.96M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $520.30M.

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 63. The stock's performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of profitability, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies CKX Lands Inc (CKX) as a high-quality Energy stock today, presenting a Score of 57. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, and financial strength. However, it has weak growth. The stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Mexco Energy Corp (MXC) has the ST Score of 61, 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.

Precision Drilling Corp (PDS) stock has the ST Score of 57 which implies that the Energy company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, and Piotroski Score, but its weaknesses are in its growth, and financial strength. However, it shows a neutral outlook in stock sentiment and forecast.

Star Group L.P (SGU) currently has the ST Score of 53, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Energy stock's strong points are its profitability and Piotroski Score, while its weak points are its performance and 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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