Global Equities Roundup: Market Talk

The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1352 ET - As AI upends established industries, Piper Sandler is optimistic about companies that are building next-generation machines--like robotaxis, reusable rockets and humanoid robots--using in-house expertise. Analysts Alexander Potter and Ben Johnson point in particular to Rivian and Mobileye, whose vertically integrated models allow them to build next-generation models without relying on suppliers or supply chains that don't exist yet. The analysts upgrade both to overweight from neutral, and raise the price target to $20 from $18 for Rivian, and to $12 from $10 for Mobileye. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1342 ET - Investor sentiment around Bumble hinges largely on whether its planned app relaunch can successfully stabilize the business, Morgan Stanley analysts say, noting the company's stock is near an all-time low. The dating app has been looking to launch an overhauled app in 4Q in select markets, with plans to move away from the swipe model with a new approach that emphasizes closing the gap between digital and in-person connections, the analysts say. Still, given the relaunch isn't until later this year, the analysts say they don't expect much will change for investors' key debates around the stock heading into Bumble's quarterly results. Instead, the focus will be on specific products, timing and upside, they say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1317 ET - A survey by D.A. Davidson shows the cyclospora outbreak hasn't scared consumers off from chains like Cava, Chipotle and Sweetgreen. Produce-heavy restaurant stocks have fallen since the outbreak emerged and was linked to Taco Bell, but consumers seem less concerned than investors, analysts Matt Curtis and Andrew Tompkins say in a report. While 87% of respondents had heard of the outbreaks associated with restaurant food, nearly 80% said they were buying restaurant food as often or more often than a month earlier. Visits to Taco Bell appear to have slowed down the most, while Cava and Sweetgreen are performing better, suggesting the impact could be limited to Taco Bell, the analysts say. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1306 ET - Morgan Stanley analysts say they are keeping a watchful eye on two of Match Group's newer offerings over the second half of the year. Tinder, Match's biggest dating app, is set to test a video speed dating feature, adding a new mechanism to engage users alongside swiping, the analysts say. Meanwhile, in-person events could help boost monetization and brand perception in local markets, however, it's unclear how quickly the company can scale up the offering, they say. The analysts say they're also watching for new product announcements during Match's quarterly earnings report, given the company has suggested it would take some bigger swings in the back half of the year. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1256 ET - The expanded partnership between AT&T and D-Wave Quantum should further reduce customer downtime, D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz tells CNBC. The partnership is building on AT&T's success using D-Wave's quantum computing power to optimize responses to network outages, which cut down AT&T's computation time from more than an hour to less than 15 seconds. The partnership also covers using quantum computing in concert with AT&T's AI agents, a push toward the long-held goal of combining the two frontier technologies. "From their perspective, leveraging their AI technology today, they've seen a dramatic improvement in uptime," Baratz says. "And now, bringing quantum into the picture, the expectation is that that will be even better." D-Wave gains 17% to $18.95, while AT&T ticks up 1.1% to $24.37. Other quantum stocks rally as well. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1243 ET - The computing demand at the center of the AI boom isn't going to let up anytime soon, Morgan Stanley analysts write in a note addressing a volatile month for tech stocks. They see compute demand remaining high long-term even as companies limit "tokenmaxxing" and turn to Chinese open-weight AI options, writing that the economics of AI usage are already attractive and improvement in model efficiency will drive demand even higher. "Given the recent market pullback affecting a range of AI Infrastructure stocks, we believe this point in time represents an unusually attractive buying opportunity," the analysts write, suggesting investments in data-center energy systems, Chinese AI solutions, hyperscalers, and the compute manufacturing ecosystem. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1240 ET - The $1.25 billion that Expand Energy has agreed to pay for marketing concern Twin Eagle in its bid to become fully integrated across the natural gas supply chain looks appropriate for such businesses, Neal Dingmann and Bert Donnes of William Blair say in a note. But "while we understand the strategy behind today's acquisition, paying over a billion dollars for anything with minimal assets is tough to incorporate into our model versus organically growing such a business." Expand's integration strategy could become even more costly if the company is able to add midstream assets, they add. Expand shares are off 0.2%. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1237 ET - CN Rail is operating in an improving freight environment, and 2H may still hold some opportunity for extra growth. In an RBC report, Walter Spracklin says that the magnitude of the recent raise came in higher than expected, and notes that "if we assume the EPS guide equates to 7% y/y growth, this implies EPS of $8.16, well above consensus of $7.94 and our $8.05." Spracklin says the low-single-digit volume guide implies no acceleration in growth in 2H, but "giving further potential upside if conditions continue to improve (which we believe they will)." Spracklin adds that CN Rail is achieving this growth without increasing its capital spending, as past investments created enough capacity to support higher volumes which could boost free cash flow. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1154 ET - Hochtief's data center-driven earnings momentum is backed by long-term order visibility, Jefferies analysts write. The German construction group raised its operational net profit guidance for 2026 ahead of first-half earnings Monday. The company is demonstrating longer-term visibility through project wins such as Meta Platforms's $50 billion AI data center expansion in Louisiana, they say. The potential for U.S. subsidiary Turner to expand margins and the strength of its order backlog are crucial for Hochtief's share price performance, they say. The analysts highlight an increase in data center exposure within the group's order backlog, rising from 37% of the backlog in 2025 to 42% in the first half of 2026. Shares fall 2.95%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

1146 ET - Saudi crude exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have fallen sharply following attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to Kpler data. Since July 22, when the group attacked two Saudi-linked tankers, confirmed crossings of Saudi-loaded crude from Yanbu have dropped to six vessels, transporting an average of about 1.5 million barrels per day, said Ying Cong Loh from Kpler. In the weeks before the attacks, weekly crude transit volumes through Bab el-Mandeb from Saudi Arabia's west coast averaged around 3 million barrels a day. While the reduction is significant, exports have not stopped, with Saudi crude continuing to move through the strategic waterway. "Vessel crossings have continued since the attacks, with no confirmed suspension of Saudi crude loadings through the strait," the analyst says. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

1140 ET - Setting aside the recent investor focus on food safety from the Taylor Farms lettuce recall, Yum Brands is set to show off its accelerating growth trajectory when it reports 2Q results this week, UBS analysts say in a research note. Both KFC and Taco Bell are well positioned for further gains, they say. The pair of restaurants are showing progress on strategic initiatives despite being affected by higher gas prices and broader macro pressures, the analysts say. Investor expectations for 2Q include 6% growth in same store sales at Taco Bell, they say. Management will likely provide some commentary on the impact of the cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to the recall, which may have some impact on core operating profit growth for the year, the analysts say. But pressures will prove to be temporary and not have a lasting impact on brand perceptions, they say. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

1131 ET - CN Rail's 2Q beat shows last year's reset on targets, messaging and capex are paying off, says Morgan Stanley's Ravi Shanker. In a report, the analyst points to CN Rail's "biggest clean rail beat of the season with EBIT of 6% above" expectations. The company also raised its guidance, "which "signals management is becoming more constructive on the cycle, despite still-conservative assumptions," Shanker thinks there is still room for future guidance upgrades as fuel costs and foreign exchange provide incremental support in 2H. "Last fall, the market was enthused by CNR's reset on targets, messaging and capex, and today's beat and raise is the first real sign of the new plan in action," Shanker adds. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 27, 2026 13:52 ET (17:52 GMT)