Auto & Transport Roundup: Market Talk

The latest Market Talks covering the Auto and Transport sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

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)

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)

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)

1013 ET - Kuehne+Nagel's second-quarter results confirm that stabilization is progressing, LBBW Research analysts say in a research note. The Swiss logistics company's earnings momentum can be restored through a combination of global market leadership, market share gains in select industries, and an effective cost-cutting program, the analysts say. While the air freight unit once again drives earnings, AI could deliver additional productivity starting in 2027, they add. The stock is increasingly driven by efficiency gains and market share gains, LBBW adds. However, the analysts say continued weakness in its ocean freight unit and growing dependence on technology customers argue against a more aggressive assessment. Shares trade 1.5% lower at 201.6 Swiss francs. (nina.kienle@wsj.com)

0750 ET - There is growing competitive tension between Uber and Waymo, after the two ended their relationship in Phoenix, Waymo's first partner market, after three years, Melius Research says in a note. Waymo has increasingly sought to operate alone as it scales, according to analysts Conor Cunningham and Patrick Coleman. While some investors think Uber can serve as an autonomous vehicle marketplace connecting demand to supply, others think Waymo is one of the few autonomous-vehicle models that has proven it can scale, the analysts say.(katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

0732 ET - Uber's pending acquisition of the German food-delivery operator Delivery Hero could have a ripple effect across the rideshare industry, Melius Research analysts say. The deal would extend Uber's scale in an area where it is weakest geographically and could force smaller players such as Lyft to consider mergers and acquisitions, the analysts say. Uber's global network already carries scale, depth and breadth that a single-product platform struggles to match, the analysts say, so this deal could push competitors to try to keep up. The delivery industry has already seen a pickup in acquisitions, but nothing approaches the scale of the Delivery Hero deal, they say. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

0334 ET - Gold prices rise after the U.S. paused military strikes against Iran, sending Brent crude below $90 a barrel and easing concerns over inflationary pressures. In early European trading, New York gold futures are up 0.9% t $4,107.10 a troy ounce. "The easing in geopolitical tensions has reduced inflation concerns and could lessen pressure on the Fed to tighten policy further, providing near-term support for gold ahead of this week's closely watched Fed meeting," says Soojin Kim, analyst at MUFG. With a hold largely priced in, investors will focus on Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's remarks for clues on the policy outlook and the likely path of interest rates for the remainder of the year.(giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0138 ET - International Container Terminal Services stands to benefit from stronger demand in emerging and frontier markets in medium term, Citi Research's Kaseedit Choonnawat says in a research report. Drivers include trade diversification, continued port capacity investments and the liner industry's improved ability to pay higher port charges, the analyst says. Also, the Middle East conflict should delay pace of full-scale resumption of Suez Canal, potentially supporting container freight rates and the port manager's pricing power. Citi Research lifts its 2026-2028 core earnings forecasts for the company by 13%-18%. It raises the stock's target price to 1,079.00 pesos from 835.00 pesos, with an unchanged buy rating. Shares are 0.5% higher at 974.00 pesos. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2359 ET - Hyundai Mobis is likely to see its plant utilization normalize in 2H, driven by a ramp-up in vehicle production at parent Hyundai Motor Group, Nomura's Angela Hong says. The South Korean auto-component supplier stands to benefit in particular from the parent group's growing electric-vehicle production as models such as EV2 and Ioniq3 begin contributing to volumes, the analyst says. Hong is positive on Hyundai Mobis's evolution into a key supplier of robotics components such as actuators and sensors. She expects the company's stake in U.S.-based robotics affiliate Boston Dynamics to rise to 12.5% from 11.3% if the group exercises its call option to buy a 9.65% stake from SoftBank. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

2031 ET - CAR Group remains UBS analysts' pick of Australian online classifieds stocks, with the investment bank seeing signs of increased consumer interest in vehicle shopping. The analysts acknowledge a 21% on-year drop in private vehicle inventory for the six months through June, but point to a proprietary UBS survey that shows a rise in the number of consumers looking to buy a car over the next three months. At the same time, they say U.S. recreational-vehicle inventories are still trending upwards from cyclical lows of the past two fiscal years. They see this lowering risks around their forecast of flat dealer growth into fiscal 2027. UBS trims its target price by 3% to 32.80 Australian dollars and keeps a buy rating on the stock, which is up 2.8% at A$24.58. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 27, 2026 16:50 ET (20:50 GMT)