U.S. General Merchandise and Department Stores Stock News

StepStone Group (STEP) is back in focus after completing fundraising for its StepStone Secondaries Infrastructure Fund and related accounts, securing US$1.7b in commitments with about half already deployed across 26 infrastructure secondary deals. At a share price of US$50.32, StepStone Group has seen a strong 30 day share price return of 17.02%, even though the share price return year to date is down 24.46% and the 1 year total shareholder return is down 16.50%. However, the 3 year total...

Elastic entered this print on a tear after a 55% gain over the past month. The stock then jumped another 19% to about $99.90 as traders rushed to price in what looks like a cleaner growth story in search and observability software. The headline is simple: Revenue reached $478 million with current remaining performance obligations of $1.2b, and the company posted a 16.2% non GAAP operating margin. The market is treating this quarter as proof that Elastic’s growth engine and profitability can...

Lululemon Athletica recently faced renewed scrutiny after analysts flagged ongoing weak sales trends in the US and China and the likelihood of a cut to its fiscal 2026 outlook, while the company prepares for former Nike executive Heidi O’Neill to step in as CEO on September 8. The combination of potential long-term guidance reductions and a leadership transition has sharpened investor focus on how quickly Lululemon can revive growth in its largest regions. We’ll now examine how the...

The market barely flinched at Lotus Technology’s half year report. The stock slipped 0.8% to US$1.24, leaving a 30 day gain of about 43% largely intact. However, the headline numbers underline why the thesis on this high growth luxury performance car maker is still focused on financial strain. H1 2026 revenue came in at US$268.1m with gross profit improving, but the company still reported a net loss of US$150.9m and remains unprofitable on a trailing basis, with negative shareholders’ equity...

Honeywell International recently announced leadership changes across its automation portfolio, naming Billal Hammoud as President and CEO of Process Technology and appointing Juan Picon to lead Building Automation effective October 1, 2026. The appointments bring two long-tenured Honeywell leaders with records of reshaping business focus and customer engagement into roles central to the company’s automation ambitions. We’ll now explore how elevating Billal Hammoud to lead Process Technology...

Bilibili slipped just under 1% to US$16.60 today, extending a tough month for the stock, yet the latest quarter told a very different story. Q2 revenue reached RMB 7.9b and adjusted net profit came in at RMB 704m, backed by a 37.2% gross margin that has now improved for 16 straight quarters. For a video platform long treated as a pure growth story, consistent profitability and rising advertising weight in the mix change the conversation from survival to what the multi year earnings power...

Amer Sports (AS) grabbed investor attention after second quarter 2026 earnings exceeded its own guidance, with revenue and earnings expanding, direct to consumer sales strengthening and full year guidance raised twice. Despite the upbeat Q2 story, Amer Sports’ recent share price performance has been weak. The stock is at US$31.05, with a 1-month share price return of down 13.89% and a year-to-date share price return of down 17.20%, while the 1-year total shareholder return of down 21.03%...

Expedia Group recently raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to about US$16.05–US$16.22 billion after reporting a 14% year-over-year revenue increase in the second quarter, fueled by stronger consumer demand and accelerated B2B growth. Alongside higher guidance, Expedia highlighted improved profitability, solid cash generation, and ongoing share repurchases, while analysts pointed to disciplined cost management and robust B2B momentum as key contributors. We’ll now examine how Expedia’s...

In recent days, analysts have revised their earnings estimates upward for Advanced Energy Industries, and the stock now holds a top-tier Zacks Rank, reflecting strong agreement on an improved earnings outlook. This clustering of positive estimate revisions offers investors a clearer read on how closely Wall Street is tracking Advanced Energy’s evolving earnings power. We’ll now explore how this wave of upward earnings revisions could reshape Advanced Energy Industries’ existing investment...

PagerDuty stock jumped 9.5% to US$13.83 the day after earnings, which suggests traders responded positively even before reviewing the full details. The company entered this report with a relatively low 5.8x trailing P/E and investor attention focused on whether profitability was sustainable or simply a one quarter anomaly. The key theme this time is margin performance. PagerDuty reported Q2 non-GAAP operating margin of 24% and free cash flow margin of 26%, alongside revenue of US$124.4m and...

Affirm Holdings (NasdaqGS: AFRM) has expanded its global partnership with Shopify to launch Shop Pay Installments in Australia, powered exclusively by Affirm. The new offering lets Australian shoppers split purchases into instalments with transparent terms and no late or hidden fees, according to the companies. This marks Affirm's entry into the Australian market through Shopify, adding another geography to its existing international footprint. The launch targets growing demand from...

MasTec (MTZ) is in focus after recent commentary highlighted its shift toward an integrated infrastructure platform and its acquisition of The Superior Group, which expands electrical and mission-critical data center capabilities. Recent trading has been choppy for MasTec, with the share price down 4.03% over the last day, 9.49% over the past week and 16.15% over the past month. This cooling short term momentum contrasts with a 1 year total shareholder return of 32.64% and a 5 year total...

Markel Group (MKL) is back in focus after its latest quarterly report showed adjusted operating income well below estimates, with softer results in the Industrial and Financial segments weighing on overall earnings. Against this backdrop, Markel Group’s recent share price move has been subdued, with the stock down about 9.7% on a 1 month share price return and 14.6% lower year to date. However, the 5 year total shareholder return of 44.8% points to a much stronger longer term picture and...

Lanvin Group Holdings walked into this earnings day with a stock that had already slipped over the past month, yet the immediate reaction was a muted 1% move higher to €1.01. That small bounce sits against a much harsher backdrop for the luxury group. H1 revenue came in at €100.8m while the company reported a net loss of €59.3m and basic earnings per share of a €0.51 loss. The real story is not a growth surge, but a margin repair job that is starting to show through the income statement. Love...

Why Stagwell’s Investor Conference Appearance Matters Now Stagwell (STGW) is set to present at the Seaport 15th Annual Summer Investor Conference on 19 August 2026. The appearance is drawing attention to how its valuation profile and business mix align with current investor interest. The event follows recent analysis that highlights Stagwell’s value characteristics, including a lower forward P/E and a P/S ratio close to industry levels. Some investors view these factors as supportive of an...

Canadian Solar entered this earnings season already bruised, with the stock down sharply over the past three months. The latest Q2 print has added more pressure. The share price fell about 6% today as investors reacted to another quarterly net loss and a deeper hit to earnings per share. The headline is simple and uncomfortable. Canadian Solar delivered roughly US$1.2b in revenue for the quarter, close to recent run rates, yet still reported a net loss of about US$77m. For a solar...

Walmart (NasdaqGS: WMT) reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations related to unlawful opioid dispensing. The company outlined measures to strengthen its compliance and pharmacy monitoring practices following the agreement. Walmart announced a planned US$1.3b investment in a new automated fulfillment center in Georgia. The new facility is intended to expand Walmart's logistics and delivery capacity across its U.S. network. Readers looking for more ideas in...

Hormel Foods stock edged up about 1% to US$21.57 after earnings, a modest move for a company often viewed as a defensive pantry staple play. The market reaction looks calm compared with what the income statement just showed. Adjusted earnings per share dropped to about US$0.11 on reported figures, with quarterly net income near US$59.6m, well below recent quarters. The real story this time is margin pressure. Investors will want to separate the cleaner adjusted EPS of US$0.37 and a 9%...

KLA stock has delivered very strong multi year gains, yet current valuation checks suggest the shares look expensive. This raises questions about how much of the company’s prospects are already reflected in the share price. Over the past 5 years KLA has returned about 439.2%, which frames the current share price against a very strong prior run when considering potential future returns. Expectations for continued demand in semiconductor process control equipment can support the current...

With Fed Chair Kevin Warsh flagging the risk of more rate hikes as inflation holds at 3.7%, the gap between fragile balance sheets and solid cash generators becomes more important than ever. Higher borrowing costs and rising Treasury yields are already testing valuations. This article walks through three large cap quality stocks exposed to this rate shock, and explains why some investors see potential opportunity while others may prefer to stay on the sidelines. The three stocks covered below...

Materialise came into this earnings print with the stock quietly up double digits over the past month. The 3D printing specialist then dropped 5.4% on the day, even as Q2 told a cleaner story of profits and cash. Revenue reached €70.1m with adjusted EBIT of €3.9m, and management lifted full year EBIT guidance to a range of €12m to €14m. Strong free cash flow and a net cash position of €74.2m add weight to that upgrade. The gap between the softer share price and firmer profitability is where...

Lucky Strike Entertainment stock closed up 3.5% at US$6.48, a rare green day after three months of double digit share price declines. The market liked the headline, a clean revenue print of about US$304 million for the quarter, but the real story is further down the income statement. Q4 swung back to a loss with basic earnings per share of about US$0.21 and net income in the red by roughly US$28.7 million, keeping the pressure squarely on profitability and margins. Short term traders see a...

IREN has been treated as a pure play on artificial intelligence infrastructure, a stock priced for long run growth rather than clean quarterly profits. That made today’s drop of about 12.5% after earnings land with extra force. The headline is simple. Revenue in the June quarter came in at US$137.2m while the company reported a net loss of US$684m as it pushed hard into the transition from crypto mining to full stack AI data centers. Love the AI infrastructure potential at IREN but concerned...

Aviat Networks stock took a hit today, dropping about 7% to roughly US$20, even though the headline numbers point in a different direction. Q4 revenue reached about US$120.9 million and full year revenue landed near US$439.7 million, with adjusted EBITDA of US$36.7 million. The real story is not the single quarter loss or the share price move; it is the squeeze on profitability and gross margin that now sits against a rich P/E near 100x and a modelled value far above where the stock...