Dow Jones Today: Stock Futures Point Mostly Higher After S&P 500, Dow Snap 4-Session Skids

Technology Shares Lead S&P 500; Utilities, Consumer Staples Only Sectors in Red

7 minutes ago

Technology shares are having a great day. That is not the case for utilities and consumer staples stocks.

The S&P 500 Information Technology sector is the best performer of the 11 industries tracked by the benchmark index, with shares up roughly 1.7%.

Sandisk (SNDK), Oracle (ORCL), Micron Technology (MU), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are leading the tech sector with respective advances of 8.5%, 8%, 7%, and 6%.

Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Utilities and Consumer Staples sectors are the only ones in the red Friday, down roughly 0.3% each.

Nike’s Profits Topped Estimates. Here’s Why the Stock Is Tumbling Anyway

1 hr 40 min ago

Nike shares tumbled Friday, despite quarterly profits that topped estimates, as a weaker-than-expected outlook and headwinds in China weighed on sentiment.

The shares were down nearly 10% to about $59 in recent trading, making Nike (NKE) one of the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 Friday, at a time when broader markets gained.

The athletic apparel giant posted earnings per share of $0.53 for the fiscal second quarter, well above the $0.38 analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha anticipated. Revenue climbed 1% year-over-year to $12.4 billion, ahead of projections. Nike benefited from a 9% jump in sales in North America, but its sales in China sank 17%, with a 21% drop in shoe sales.

CFO Matt Friend told investors on Thursday’s earnings call that the company expects sales headwinds in China could continue for the rest of the fiscal year before Nike returns to growth, according to a transcript provided by AlphaSense. Friend said Nike expects third-quarter revenue to drop by low-single digits, while analysts had expected a gain, with growth in North America offset by continued weakness in China.

Read the full article here.

–Aaron McDade

Lamb Weston Stock Plummets as Company Does Not Raise Full-Year Outlook Despite Stronger-Than-Expected Results

2 hr 24 min ago

Lamb Weston Holdings (LW) beat fiscal 2026 second-quarter estimates for profit and sales. Its decision not to lift its full-year guidance is sending shares sharply lower Friday morning.

Shares of the Eagle, Idaho-based supplier of frozen potato products sank 22%, easily the worst performance among S&P 500 stocks in early trading.

Lamb Weston reported adjusted earnings of $0.69 per share on sales that rose 1% year-over-year to $1.62 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $0.65 and $1.59 billion, respectively.

However, the company merely affirmed its prior guidance for fiscal 2026, projecting sales of $6.35 billion to $6.55 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $1.00 billion to $1.20 billion. The midpoints of those ranges are below Visible Alpha consensus forecasts of $6.52 billion and $1.17 billion.

“Given the price/mix dynamics and higher manufacturing costs in our international segment, we believe maintaining our adjusted EBITDA guidance range of 1 to 1.2 billion is the most prudent approach,” Lamb Weston CFO Bernadette Madarieta said on the earnings call, according to a transcript provided by AlphaSense. “We currently expect to finish closer to the midpoint.”

Including today’s sharp declines, shares of Lamb Weston have lost roughly a third of their value this year.

Carnival Reinstates Dividend, Issues Rosy Profit Outlook After ‘Phenomenal Year’

3 hr 19 min ago

Carnival Corp. (CCL) CEO Josh Weinstein said after the cruise operator’s fiscal fourth quarter that “2025 was a truly phenomenal year.” Its fiscal 2026 looks to be off to a promising start, too.

Shares of the Miami-based company surged 8% Friday morning after it reported solid quarterly results and issued rosy fiscal 2026 guidance.

Carnival reported adjusted earnings of $0.34 per share, while analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $0.25 per share. Revenue of $6.33 billion was a record for the company but came in just below estimates.

For fiscal 2026, Carnival sees adjusted net income of $3.5 billion, above record 2025 levels and Visible Alpha consensus of $3.37 billion.

Carnival’s board reinstated the company’s quarterly dividend, declaring an initial $0.15-per-share dividend with a record date of Feb. 13, 2026, payable on Feb. 27, 2026. “This decision highlights confidence in our future performance and continued commitment to delivering value to shareholders,” Bernstein said.

Shares of Carnival’s rivals Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) also advanced Friday morning, rising a respective 4.5% and 2.5%.

What Is the ‘Warrior Dividend’? Trump’s Proposed $1,776 Checks for Military Personnel, Explained

4 hr 49 min ago

Select military members will be eligible to receive one-time checks worth $1,776 from the federal government this holiday season.

On Wednesday evening, President Trump unveiled a $1,776 tax-free benefit, known as the ‘Warrior Dividend,’ for 1.45 million military service members. The benefit amount is intended to pay homage to the year the nation was founded: 1776.

“We made a lot more money than anyone thought because of tariffs. And the bill [the One Big Beautiful Bill] helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military,” said Trump in the announcement.

The details of exactly how the ‘Warrior Dividend’ will be funded are scarce.

President Trump said Wednesday night that the ‘Warrior Dividends’ will be paid for with revenue collected from tariffs as well as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Likewise, in a video posted on the Department of War’s (formerly known as the Department of Defense) website, Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, implies that the benefit will be funded by provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Read the full article here.

–Trina Paul

What to Know About the Deal Giving American Investors a Big Stake in TikTok

5 hr 17 min ago

TikTok finally has a deal.

CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees in an internal memo that ByteDance, the social media platform’s Chinese parent company, has agreed to create a joint venture granting a group of American investors a controlling stake in TikTok, Axios and Bloomberg reported late Thursday.

The joint venture’s investors will reportedly include cloud computing giant Oracle (ORCL), private equity firm Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, which combined are set to own a 45% stake.

ByteDance will retain a 20% stake, with close to one-third held by affiliates of ByteDance investors. The agreement is expected to close on Jan. 22.

Oracle declined to comment. TikTok, Silver Lake, and MGX did not respond to Investopedia’s requests for comment in time for publication.

Read the full article here.

–Kara Greenberg

Winnebago Industries Sees Benefits of Portfolio ‘Increasingly Aligned to Where Consumers Are Spending’

5 hr 59 min ago

Winnebago Industries (WGO) found a way to overcome what its chief executive said was “macroeconomic uncertainty persisting and industry short-term retail demand still tempered.”

The RV maker easily topped analysts’ expectations in its fiscal 2026 first quarter and lifted its full-year outlook, sending shares soaring 12% in premarket trading Friday.

Winnebago reported adjusted earnings of $0.38 per share, nearly quadruple the $0.10 per share Visible Alpha consensus estimate. It also reported a GAAP profit of $0.19 per share when analysts were expecting a loss of $0.04 per share. Revenue of $702.7 million increased 12% year-over-year and comfortably topped projections of $633.5 million.

“Winnebago Industries performed ahead of our expectations in the first quarter and demonstrated clear progress on our priorities,” CEO Michael Happe said. “Although the retail demand environment is dynamic and dealer order patterns remain highly seasonal, we delivered meaningful top-line growth and margin expansion in both our Motorhome and Towable RV segments.”

Following the strong quarter, Winnebago lifted its guidance for revenue, EPS, and adjusted EPS. “As industry demand gradually recovers, the margin and efficiency improvements we are executing, together with new product offerings, enhance our competitive position and provide a solid foundation for second half success in Fiscal 2026, which is reflected in our positive, but still disciplined guidance outlook,” Happe said.

Entering Friday, Winnebago Industries shares were down about 15% this year.

Stock Futures Point Higher After S&P 500, Dow Snap 4-Session Skids

6 hr 45 min ago

Futures contracts associated with the Dow Jones Industrial Average were little changed.

S&P 500 futures were up 0.2%.

Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.4%.