U.S. Tobacco Stock News

CEO share purchase and AI focus shift investor attention Lumen Technologies (LUMN) has been back on radar after CEO Kate Johnson bought about US$500,000 of stock following a 21% drop, with the move followed by a 29% rebound the next day. The purchase came shortly after mixed fourth quarter results and alongside Lumen’s push to position its network as core infrastructure for AI. This is supported by more than US$13b in contracts with large technology customers and recent divestitures to...

Equitable Holdings (EQH) has put shareholder returns in focus by increasing its equity buyback authorization by US$1,000 million to US$4,300 million shortly after reporting weaker 2025 earnings and affirming regular common and preferred dividends. See our latest analysis for Equitable Holdings. The increased buyback authorization and affirmed dividends come after a softer earnings release and sit against a mixed share price picture, with a 1 day share price return of 1.86% but a year to date...

Visa (NYSE:V) launched Visa & Main, a new platform aimed at supporting US small businesses, alongside a $100m working capital facility with Lendistry. The company expanded its AI powered agentic commerce use cases in Asia through a collaboration with DBS. Visa also entered a cross border partnership with UnionPay to support money movement into China. Visa, trading at $314.08, is rolling out these business and technology moves while carrying mixed recent returns. The stock shows a 43.7%...

In February 2026, HubSpot reported fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of US$846.75 million and full-year revenue of US$3.13 billion, alongside sharply higher net income and earnings per share versus the prior year. Management paired these results with upbeat 2026 revenue guidance and a new US$1.00 billion share repurchase program, underscoring confidence in the company’s AI-powered, multi-hub CRM platform. Next, we’ll examine how HubSpot’s upbeat 2026 guidance and new US$1.00 billion buyback...

Himax Technologies reported past fourth-quarter 2025 results showing sales of US$203.08 million and net income of US$6.34 million, alongside guidance for a 2% to 6% sequential net revenue decline and profit of US$0.02 to US$0.04 per diluted ADS in the first quarter of 2026. Management also highlighted that first-quarter 2026 should mark the low point for the year, with expected improvement supported by lean customer inventories, accelerating automotive projects, growing non-driver IC lines...

In early February 2026, Assurant, Inc. launched its Assurant Home Warranty product through a long-term arrangement with six Compass International Holdings–affiliated real estate brands, giving approximately 300,000 agents access to new home protection offerings backed by a nationwide service network and dedicated support. The rollout embeds home warranty services directly into participating broker and agent workflows, potentially deepening customer relationships and broadening the service...

Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) is under scrutiny from consumer advocates over how it plans to allocate power costs tied to growing data center demand. The debate centers on who should bear the financial burden of electricity needs tied to AI related data center growth and how those costs flow through future rates. Portland General Electric is a regulated utility serving customers in Oregon, with its earnings and cash flows closely linked to approved rates and capital spending. As AI...

On February 11, 2026, Ingredion announced that president and CEO James P. Zallie also became chairman, while Victoria Reich was named lead director and former independent chairman Gregory Kenny remained on the board. This shift to a combined CEO-chairman role, paired with a reinforced lead director position, marks a meaningful change in how the company is overseen and managed. Next, we’ll explore how combining the CEO and chairman roles, alongside appointing a lead director, could influence...

In early February 2026, Equifax reported higher fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 revenue and earnings, issued upbeat 2026 guidance, detailed around US$1.50 billion of capital available for acquisitions and shareholder returns, and confirmed completion of a US$927.39 million share repurchase program. Beyond the headline growth, Equifax’s focus on bolt-on M&A to enhance Workforce Solutions and proprietary data, alongside expectations for margin expansion as mortgage customers gradually adopt...

In February 2026, Cadence Design Systems launched the Cadence ChipStack AI Super Agent, an agentic AI workflow that automates front-end silicon design and verification by coordinating multiple virtual engineers across its established EDA and AI platforms, while supporting both cloud-based and on-premises frontier models such as NVIDIA Nemotron and OpenAI GPT. This launch advances Cadence’s long-stated “silicon agent” vision by tightly integrating agentic AI with its Verisium, Cerebrus, and...

Barclays upgraded Pegasystems (NasdaqGS:PEGA), citing momentum in its cloud and AI offerings. The company recently secured a legal victory with the overturning of a US$2b trade secret verdict. Pegasystems expanded its share buyback program to US$1b, which signals increased confidence from management. Pegasystems builds software that helps large enterprises automate workflows, manage customer interactions, and apply AI to complex business processes. For investors watching cloud and AI...

Linde (LIN) is back in focus after its fourth quarter and full year 2025 update, combining higher annual sales and net income with fresh comments on a busy pipeline of smaller acquisitions. See our latest analysis for Linde. The recent earnings update and comments on a steady pipeline of tuck in deals come after a strong run in the share price, with a 30 day share price return of 9.58% and a 1 year total shareholder return of 6.67%. The 3 year total shareholder return of 55.59% and 5 year...

Northrop Grumman recently expanded its board to 13 members, appointing retired four-star Admiral Christopher W. Grady, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the Audit and Risk and Policy Committees, while also naming James S. Turley as future Lead Independent Director and declaring a US$2.31 quarterly dividend payable on March 11, 2026. These boardroom changes bring deep front-line defense experience into Northrop Grumman’s governance at a time when investors are closely...

Earlier this month, BankUnited, Inc. appeared at the KBW 2026 Winter Financial Services Conference in Boca Raton, sharing an updated investor presentation on its business mix and funding profile. The bank emphasized its shift toward core relationship deposits, growth in noninterest-bearing accounts, and a higher-yielding commercial and specialty lending focus, framed alongside tight expense control. Next, we’ll examine how this renewed emphasis on relationship-based funding could influence...

If you are wondering whether Micron Technology’s current share price still offers value after a strong run, this article will walk through what the numbers say about where the stock stands today. The share price recently closed at US$411.66, with returns of 4.3% over the last 7 days, 13.5% over the last 30 days, 30.5% year to date and 315.0% over the last year. Recent headlines have focused heavily on Micron’s role in memory and storage for AI related workloads and data center build outs, as...

Public Storage (PSA) is in the spotlight after announcing CEO Joe Russell’s planned retirement, promoting CFO Tom Boyle to CEO, and rolling out its PS4.0 plan focused on operations, technology, and portfolio growth. See our latest analysis for Public Storage. These leadership changes and the PS4.0 plan come as the share price trades at US$300.35, with a 90 day share price return of 11.13% and a 5 year total shareholder return of 58.62%. This points to momentum that has built over time rather...

General Motors (NYSE:GM) has filed a new patent infringement lawsuit targeting aftermarket parts suppliers, escalating its efforts to protect key components used in its vehicles. At the same time, recent changes to US climate regulations and EV policy have removed federal greenhouse gas standards and the legal push for mandatory electric vehicles. These shifts could affect GM’s approach to intellectual property, aftermarket revenue, compliance obligations and long term product planning. GM...

Prestige Consumer Healthcare (PBH) has drawn investor attention after its latest quarterly results showed lower sales and net income versus the prior year, along with a slightly narrowed full year revenue outlook. See our latest analysis for Prestige Consumer Healthcare. Those earnings and the slightly tighter revenue outlook come after a solid 90 day share price return of 13.24% and a 5 year total shareholder return of 61.60%, set against a weaker 1 year total shareholder return decline of...

If you are wondering whether Lumentum Holdings is still reasonably priced after its big run, this article walks through what the current share price might be implying about value. The stock recently closed at US$562.74, with returns of 1.9% over 7 days, 73.6% over 30 days and 45.7% year to date. The 1 year and 3 year returns are very large and the 5 year return is also very strong. Recent coverage has focused on Lumentum as a key name in optical and photonics technology, with investors...

On February 9, 2026, Expand Energy Corporation announced that Chairman Michael Wichterich would become interim CEO following Nick Dell’Osso’s departure, while also confirming plans to shift its corporate headquarters from Oklahoma City to Houston later in the year. This combination of a leadership handover to a highly experienced Permian Basin operator and a relocation to Houston’s energy hub signals a meaningful shift in how Expand Energy intends to align with industry partners and...

Why Photronics Earnings Are Drawing Fresh Investor Attention Photronics (PLAB) recently released quarterly results that highlighted steady revenue growth from foundry, logic, and high-end display customers, while pairing that with cautious guidance around inventory digestion and new technology ramp timing. See our latest analysis for Photronics. That mixed earnings message is landing against a backdrop of strong momentum, with the share price at $38.80 and a 90 day share price return of...

Dollar General (DG) is drawing fresh attention after announcing plans for about 4,730 real estate projects in fiscal 2026, alongside an expanded delivery push and growing interest from technical traders. See our latest analysis for Dollar General. The recent real estate expansion plans and delivery push come on top of a sharp run in the shares, with a 90 day share price return of 49.14% and a 1 year total shareholder return of 116.69%. However, the 3 year and 5 year total shareholder returns...

Qualys (QLYS) recently reported fourth quarter and full year 2025 results that met revenue expectations while delivering higher non GAAP profitability, highlighting its AI powered risk management platform and growing partner led sales efforts for investors. See our latest analysis for Qualys. Despite the earnings beat on profitability and the expanded US$1.6b buyback plan, Qualys’ recent momentum has cooled. The 30 day share price return of 22.04% and the 1 year total shareholder return of...

Dana Incorporated has appointed Byron Foster as CEO and President, with board membership already effective, while also lifting its quarterly dividend to US$0.12 and expanding its share repurchase authorization to US$2.00 billion through 2030. The combination of an internally sourced leadership transition, a 20% dividend increase, and a materially larger, longer-dated buyback program underscores Dana's focus on shareholder returns and governance continuity. Next, we'll examine how the...