Short interest for Meta Platforms gives investors a sense of the degree to which investors are betting on the decline of Meta Platforms's stock. Short interest data is updated every two weeks.

Meta Platforms Stock (NASDAQ:META), Short Interest Report

Meta Platforms

Meta is the world's largest online social network, with nearly 4 billion family of apps monthly active users. Users engage with each other in different ways, exchanging messages and sharing news events, photos, and videos. The firm's ecosystem consists mainly of the Facebook app, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and many features surrounding these products. Users can access Facebook on mobile devices and desktops. Advertising revenue represents more than 90% of the firm's total revenue, with more than 45% coming from the US and Canada and over 20% from Europe.

Earnings

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Trading Ideas

General

Meta&#39;s Surprising Stock Dive After Beating Earnings Expectations Could Signal A Hidden Opportunity For Investors As It Eyes A Historic High

News

Economics

Tech

$BTC

AAPL

AMGN

AMZN

GOOG

MSFT

NVDA

TSLA

To gain an edge, this is what you need to know today.



Wage Growth Slows – Stock Market Celebrates, Five Real Reasons Apple Is Running Up

GOOGL

Good Morning Traders! In today&#39;s Market Clubhouse Morning Memo, we will discuss SPY, QQQ, AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, GOOGL, META, and TSLA.

Market Clubhouse Morning Memo - May 3rd, 2024 (Trade Strategy For SPY, QQQ, AAPL, MSFT, NVDA, GOOGL, META And TSLA)

Meta Platforms, Inc. - Class A Common Stock

Meta Platforms Inc

Metadium

MetagamZ

MetaPets

MetaverseX

Wells Fargo analyst Daniel Politzer maintains PENN Entertainment (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PENN#NASDAQ">PENN</a>) with a Equal-Weight and lowers the price target from $21 to $18.

Price Target

Analyst Ratings

PENN

Wells Fargo Maintains Equal-Weight on PENN Entertainment, Lowers Price Target to $18

Keybanc analyst Thomas Blakey maintains Appian (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/APPN#NASDAQ">APPN</a>) with a Overweight and lowers the price target from $50 to $37.

APPN

Keybanc Maintains Overweight on Appian, Lowers Price Target to $37

Wells Fargo analyst Jon Tower maintains Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TXRH#NASDAQ">TXRH</a>) with a Equal-Weight and raises the price target from $140 to $165.

TXRH

Wells Fargo Maintains Equal-Weight on Texas Roadhouse, Raises Price Target to $165

Keybanc analyst Justin Patterson maintains Angi (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ANGI#NASDAQ">ANGI</a>) with a Overweight and lowers the price target from $4 to $3.

ANGI

Keybanc Maintains Overweight on Angi, Lowers Price Target to $3

Technology giant Apple Inc (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>) reported second-quarter financial results that saw revenue and earnings per share<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/05/38599545/apple-q2-earnings-beats-muted-forecast-on-services-mac-strength-installed-base-at-fresh-record-cupe"> beat Street estimates.</a>
Analysts have responded to Apple&#8217;s results, updated guidance, increased dividend, and the announcement of a $110 billion buyback.
The Apple Analysts: 
<ul>
<li>Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan has a Buy rating and raises the price target from $225 to $230.</li>
<li>Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Ng has a Buy rating and $226 price target.</li>
<li>Keybanc analyst Brandon Nispel has a Sector Weight rating and no price target.</li>
<li>Needham analyst Laura Martin has a Buy rating and $220 price target.</li>
<li>DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria has a Neutral rating and $200 price target.</li>
<li>Rosenblatt analyst Barton Crockett has a Neutral rating and raises the price target from $189 to $196.</li>
<li>Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar has a Neutral rating and $190 price target.</li>
</ul>
Related Link: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/24/05/38613198/apple-delivered-much-better-than-feared-jalen-brunson-like-quarter-says-bullish-analyst-why-betting">Apple Delivered Much Better-Than-Feared &#8216;Jalen-Brunson-Like&#8217; Quarter, Says Bullish Analyst: Why Betting Against Cupertino Is A &#8216;Wrong Move&#8217;</a>
Bank of America on Apple: A multi-year upgrade cycle for Apple makes the stock a top pick for Mohan.
"Apple reported a strong quarter with many positives," Mohan said.
The analyst said third-quarter revenue guidance could be conservative with upside from Apple's Services and Accessories segments.
Mohan sees an iPhone upgrade cycle coming, driven by GenAI. The analyst also said Apple is growing iPhones in China and easing fears from investors.
The analyst highlights the AI opportunity for Apple.
"We expect Gen AI related features for iOS18 at WWDC in June and then at the iPhone event in Sep. We expect Apple to continue investment in its own Silicon and focus on integrating hardware, software and services to fully monetize the Gen AI opportunity."
Goldman Sachs on Apple: Strength of Apple's Services and iPhone were keys in the second quarter for Ng.
"We gain confidence in our Buy rating with AAPL demonstrating the strength of its ecosystem and allaying several key concerns."
The analyst said Apple showed improving trends in Greater China, including iPhone growth.
"In our view, F2Q24 provides demonstrable momentum across AAPL's key categories and clears the way to a catalyst-rich NTM including increased clarity in AAPL's generative AI initiatives, new products and ongoing Services momentum."
Ng said Apple's installed base is "underappreciated" and the company's revenue per user could be improved in the future.
KeyBanc on Apple: Artificial intelligence is a key item for Apple going forward, according to Nispel. The analyst is not convinced that consumers will rush out to buy new Apple AI devices like investors believe.
"While F3Q guidance was better than feared, we believe it's more driven by new product introductions in Mac/iPad, as we believe is implied by the guidance iPhone is down MSD," Nispel said.
The analyst expects soft upgrades for replacement cycles in the U.S. and increased competition in China to weigh on the iPhone going forward.
"AAPL's user base is growing across products and geographies; its user growth fuels growth in Services, creating an ecosystem that gives AAPL a competitive advantage, which should support AAPL's margin expansion and capital allocation."
Needham on Apple: Guidance, margins, share buybacks and China were keys in Apple's second quarter results for Martin.
"On China, AAPL stated that iPhone unit sales rose in mainland China vs channels checks of down 13% to 18%," Martin said.
One area of concern for Martin is Apple's commentary on generative AI.
"AAPL's GenAI commentary continues to be very weak (our view). Investors we talk to believe that GenAI is the next technology disruption, and AAPL continues to focus its commentary on the last disruption, which was mobile."
Martin said Apple could be quiet about its GenAI ambitions, but capex spending guidance suggests it isn't increasing spending on the growth area.
The analyst said Apple was the biggest beneficiary of the consumer shift to mobile devices and could be slow in the "3rd technological disruption cycle."
DA Davidson on Apple: The second quarter was solid for Apple with a beat on revenue and earnings per share, Luria said.
The analyst is looking for more from Apple coming soon, turning attention to WWDC in June and more commentary on Apple's Generative AI efforts.
"We expect Apple to delivery meaningful announcements surrounding the implementation of generative AI across their ecosystem, which we believe can help catalyze a major upgrade cycle within product categories such as the iPhone," Luria said.
Luria also highlighted Apple's Services segment in the new investor note.
"We continue to believe that this growing segment of revenue can help moderate growth for Apple moving forward, with a large user install base that includes over 1 billion paid subscriptions across the services on their platform."
Rosenblatt on Apple: Better-than-feared guidance from Apple was a highlight in the earnings report for Crockett.
The analyst said Apple's iPhone sales in China for the second quarter completely brushed off third party research estimates.
"In addition to growth in iPhone in China, Apple is bragging of setting sales record in major emerging markets globally, including India," Crockett said.
Crockett said Apple stock is best when it trades based on disruptive innovation.
"The only real investable opportunity is gen AI, where Apple plans announcements for its WWDC in June and can leverage its skill with the hardware/software integration and proprietary neural chips and privacy."
Crockett said Apple's risk is that its Gen AI efforts are not appealing enough.
Piper Sandler on Apple: Headset concerns were the major item from Apple's second quarter, analyst Kumar is centering in on.
"The primary point of contention for Apple investors appears to be slowing handset growth in China, to which we point out that within China specifically the iPhone segment was down ~8%," Kumar said.
The analyst said Apple's quarter strength and reason for the stock being up is likely the Services segment, $110 billion buyback and better than expected results in China.
"Fundamentally we would like to see further improvements in iPhone trends before getting involved."
AAPL Price Action: Apple shares are up 7% to $185.22 on Friday, versus a 52-week trading range of $164.08 to $199.62.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/05/38610873/despite-tim-cooks-scant-details-about-iphone-ai-tesla-investor-ross-gerber-thinks-it-will-trigger-wh">Despite Tim Cook&#8217;s Scant Details About iPhone AI, Tesla Investor Ross Gerber Thinks It Will Trigger &#8216;Whole New Upgrade Cycle&#8217;</a>
Photo: Unsplash

Analyst Color

Reiteration

7 Apple Analysts Size Up Q2 Results: Artificial Intelligence 'A Major Upgrade Cycle Within Product Categories Such As The iPhone'

WIIM

CRBG

Corebridge Financial shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected Q1 financial results.

APTV

Aptiv shares are trading higher after Baird maintained a Neutral rating on the stock and raised its price target from $86 to $90.

AMAT

ASML

AVGO

ENTG

LRCX

SWKS

Shares of semiconductor and chip stocks are trading higher amid overall market strength. Recent strong earnings from Qualcomm have lifted the sector while strength in Apple may be boosting tech sentiment.

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders will search for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges heavily from its normal worth. High amounts of trading activity could push option prices to exaggerated or underestimated levels. 
Here's the list of options activity happening in today's session: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>BMY</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>06/21/24</td>
<td>$47.00</td>
<td>$54.8K</td>
<td>1.6K</td>
<td>1.7K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ARDX</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/03/24</td>
<td>$7.50</td>
<td>$37.5K</td>
<td>921</td>
<td>435</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AMGN</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>08/16/24</td>
<td>$320.00</td>
<td>$48.3K</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>250</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BDX</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$235.00</td>
<td>$111.2K</td>
<td>1.1K</td>
<td>207</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>HROW</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>10/18/24</td>
<td>$6.00</td>
<td>$49.2K</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>100</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CI</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>11/15/24</td>
<td>$350.00</td>
<td>$49.9K</td>
<td>111</td>
<td>76</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MDGL</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>07/19/24</td>
<td>$260.00</td>
<td>$61.5K</td>
<td>62</td>
<td>50</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>DXCM</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>12/20/24</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>$41.2K</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>43</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>LLY</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$650.00</td>
<td>$46.0K</td>
<td>131</td>
<td>42</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TMDX</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>07/19/24</td>
<td>$100.00</td>
<td>$31.8K</td>
<td>115</td>
<td>26</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These bullet-by-bullet explanations have been constructed using the accompanying table. 
• Regarding BMY (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BMY#NYSE">BMY</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 49 day(s) on June 21, 2024. Parties traded 1276 contract(s) at a $47.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 26 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $54.8K, with a price of $43.0 per contract. There were 1632 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1797 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For ARDX (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ARDX#NASDAQ">ARDX</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bullish, is expiring today. Parties traded 250 contract(s) at a $7.50 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $37.5K, with a price of $150.0 per contract. There were 921 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 435 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AMGN (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMGN#NASDAQ">AMGN</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bullish, expiring in 105 day(s) on August 16, 2024. This event was a transfer of 24 contract(s) at a $320.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 14 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $48.3K, with a price of $2015.0 per contract. There were 20 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 250 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding BDX (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BDX#NYSE">BDX</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 206 contract(s) at a $235.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 26 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $111.2K, with a price of $540.0 per contract. There were 1190 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 207 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding HROW (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HROW#NASDAQ">HROW</a>), we observe a call option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 168 day(s) on October 18, 2024. Parties traded 100 contract(s) at a $6.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $49.2K, with a price of $492.0 per contract. There were 0 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 100 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For CI (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CI#NYSE">CI</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 196 day(s) on November 15, 2024. This event was a transfer of 21 contract(s) at a $350.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 11 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $49.9K, with a price of $2380.0 per contract. There were 111 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 76 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding MDGL (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MDGL#NASDAQ">MDGL</a>), we observe a call option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 77 day(s) on July 19, 2024. Parties traded 50 contract(s) at a $260.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $61.5K, with a price of $1230.0 per contract. There were 62 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 50 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding DXCM (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/DXCM#NASDAQ">DXCM</a>), we observe a put option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 231 day(s) on December 20, 2024. Parties traded 43 contract(s) at a $120.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $41.2K, with a price of $960.0 per contract. There were 0 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 43 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding LLY (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/LLY#NYSE">LLY</a>), we observe a call option trade with bearish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 5 contract(s) at a $650.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $46.0K, with a price of $9200.0 per contract. There were 131 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 42 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding TMDX (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TMDX#NASDAQ">TMDX</a>), we observe a call option trade with bearish sentiment. It expires in 77 day(s) on July 19, 2024. Parties traded 10 contract(s) at a $100.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $31.8K, with a price of $3180.0 per contract. There were 115 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 26 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more about unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Options

ARDX

DXCM

HROW

MDGL

TMDX

10 Health Care Stocks Whale Activity In Today's Session

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders will search for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges heavily from its normal worth. High amounts of trading activity could push option prices to exaggerated or underestimated levels. 
Here's the list of options activity happening in today's session: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>TSLA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/03/24</td>
<td>$180.00</td>
<td>$39.0K</td>
<td>44.7K</td>
<td>128.3K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>TJX</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>01/17/25</td>
<td>$70.00</td>
<td>$144.0K</td>
<td>3.3K</td>
<td>2.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>HOG</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$34.00</td>
<td>$25.6K</td>
<td>1.3K</td>
<td>1.5K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BABA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>06/21/24</td>
<td>$80.00</td>
<td>$53.0K</td>
<td>49.2K</td>
<td>1.3K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CVNA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>$32.2K</td>
<td>3.7K</td>
<td>974</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CAVA</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$71.00</td>
<td>$48.2K</td>
<td>64</td>
<td>474</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ABNB</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$160.00</td>
<td>$29.2K</td>
<td>293</td>
<td>348</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>KSS</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$23.50</td>
<td>$43.8K</td>
<td>127</td>
<td>300</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AMZN</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>08/16/24</td>
<td>$195.00</td>
<td>$47.2K</td>
<td>3.8K</td>
<td>192</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>FL</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$20.00</td>
<td>$58.8K</td>
<td>813</td>
<td>131</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These itemized elaborations have been created using the accompanying table. 
• For TSLA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bullish, is expiring today. Parties traded 300 contract(s) at a $180.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $39.0K, with a price of $130.0 per contract. There were 44709 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 128331 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding TJX (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TJX#NYSE">TJX</a>), we observe a put option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 259 day(s) on January 17, 2025. Parties traded 2000 contract(s) at a $70.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $144.0K, with a price of $72.0 per contract. There were 3375 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2000 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For HOG (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/HOG#NYSE">HOG</a>), we notice a put option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. This event was a transfer of 998 contract(s) at a $34.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $25.6K, with a price of $26.0 per contract. There were 1317 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1534 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding BABA (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BABA#NYSE">BABA</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 49 day(s) on June 21, 2024. Parties traded 100 contract(s) at a $80.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $53.0K, with a price of $530.0 per contract. There were 49273 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1397 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For CVNA (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CVNA#NYSE">CVNA</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bullish, expiring in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. This event was a transfer of 50 contract(s) at a $120.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $32.2K, with a price of $645.0 per contract. There were 3783 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 974 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding CAVA (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CAVA#NYSE">CAVA</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 200 contract(s) at a $71.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 36 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $48.2K, with a price of $230.0 per contract. There were 64 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 474 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding ABNB (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ABNB#NASDAQ">ABNB</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. Parties traded 45 contract(s) at a $160.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 12 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $29.2K, with a price of $650.0 per contract. There were 293 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 348 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For KSS (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/KSS#NYSE">KSS</a>), we notice a call option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. This event was a transfer of 300 contract(s) at a $23.50 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $43.8K, with a price of $146.0 per contract. There were 127 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 300 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding AMZN (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>), we observe a call option trade with bearish sentiment. It expires in 105 day(s) on August 16, 2024. Parties traded 50 contract(s) at a $195.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $47.2K, with a price of $945.0 per contract. There were 3895 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 192 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding FL (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FL#NYSE">FL</a>), we observe a call option trade with bullish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 302 contract(s) at a $20.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $58.8K, with a price of $195.0 per contract. There were 813 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 131 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more about unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

ABNB

BABA

CAVA

CVNA

10 Consumer Discretionary Stocks Whale Activity In Today's Session

This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities.
Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner.
Traders will search for circumstances when the market estimation of an option diverges heavily from its normal worth. High amounts of trading activity could push option prices to exaggerated or underestimated levels. 
Here's the list of options activity happening in today's session: 
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Symbol</th>
<th>PUT/CALL</th>
<th>Trade Type</th>
<th>Sentiment</th>
<th>Exp. Date</th>
<th>Strike Price</th>
<th>Total Trade Price</th>
<th>Open Interest</th>
<th>Volume</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>NVDA</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/03/24</td>
<td>$890.00</td>
<td>$126.5K</td>
<td>4.9K</td>
<td>82.6K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AAPL</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$190.00</td>
<td>$33.4K</td>
<td>18.5K</td>
<td>76.6K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>AMD</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$150.00</td>
<td>$47.1K</td>
<td>9.8K</td>
<td>16.4K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>FROG</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$37.50</td>
<td>$350.0K</td>
<td>208</td>
<td>2.5K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PLTR</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>08/16/24</td>
<td>$34.00</td>
<td>$40.0K</td>
<td>386</td>
<td>2.3K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>NET</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>06/21/24</td>
<td>$80.00</td>
<td>$99.9K</td>
<td>1.3K</td>
<td>2.0K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SEMR</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BULLISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$12.50</td>
<td>$84.4K</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>1.2K</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SPT</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>TRADE</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>07/19/24</td>
<td>$55.00</td>
<td>$27.8K</td>
<td>1.8K</td>
<td>918</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BILL</td>
<td>PUT</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/10/24</td>
<td>$56.00</td>
<td>$64.8K</td>
<td>51</td>
<td>821</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ENPH</td>
<td>CALL</td>
<td>SWEEP</td>
<td>BEARISH</td>
<td>05/17/24</td>
<td>$120.00</td>
<td>$42.2K</td>
<td>1.0K</td>
<td>557</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>Explanation</h2>
These itemized elaborations have been created using the accompanying table. 
• For NVDA (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NVDA#NASDAQ">NVDA</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, is expiring today. Parties traded 509 contract(s) at a $890.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 20 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $126.5K, with a price of $245.0 per contract. There were 4948 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 82607 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding AAPL (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AAPL#NASDAQ">AAPL</a>), we observe a call option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. Parties traded 478 contract(s) at a $190.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 15 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $33.4K, with a price of $70.0 per contract. There were 18589 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 76621 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For AMD (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMD#NASDAQ">AMD</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. This event was a transfer of 140 contract(s) at a $150.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 8 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $47.1K, with a price of $335.0 per contract. There were 9843 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 16457 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding FROG (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/FROG#NASDAQ">FROG</a>), we observe a put option trade with bearish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 2500 contract(s) at a $37.50 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $350.0K, with a price of $140.0 per contract. There were 208 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2506 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For PLTR (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/PLTR#NYSE">PLTR</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 105 day(s) on August 16, 2024. This event was a transfer of 540 contract(s) at a $34.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 10 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $40.0K, with a price of $74.0 per contract. There were 386 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2319 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For NET (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/NET#NYSE">NET</a>), we notice a put option trade that happens to be bullish, expiring in 49 day(s) on June 21, 2024. This event was a transfer of 111 contract(s) at a $80.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $99.9K, with a price of $900.0 per contract. There were 1378 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 2064 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding SEMR (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SEMR#NYSE">SEMR</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bullish sentiment. It expires in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. Parties traded 1200 contract(s) at a $12.50 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 31 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $84.4K, with a price of $80.0 per contract. There were 25 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 1201 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For SPT (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SPT#NASDAQ">SPT</a>), we notice a put option trade that happens to be bearish, expiring in 77 day(s) on July 19, 2024. This event was a transfer of 11 contract(s) at a $55.00 strike. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $27.8K, with a price of $2530.0 per contract. There were 1803 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 918 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• Regarding BILL (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BILL#NYSE">BILL</a>), we observe a put option sweep with bearish sentiment. It expires in 7 day(s) on May 10, 2024. Parties traded 810 contract(s) at a $56.00 strike. This particular put needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $64.8K, with a price of $80.0 per contract. There were 51 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 821 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
• For ENPH (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/ENPH#NASDAQ">ENPH</a>), we notice a call option sweep that happens to be bearish, expiring in 14 day(s) on May 17, 2024. This event was a transfer of 220 contract(s) at a $120.00 strike. This particular call needed to be split into 3 different trades to become filled. The total cost received by the writing party (or parties) was $42.2K, with a price of $192.0 per contract. There were 1058 open contracts at this strike prior to today, and today 557 contract(s) were bought and sold. 
Options Alert Terminology 
 - Call Contracts: The right to buy shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Put Contracts: The right to sell shares as indicated in the contract. 
 - Expiration Date: When the contract expires. One must act on the contract by this date if one wants to use it. 
 - Premium/Option Price: The price of the contract. 
For more information, visit our <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/blog/how-to-understand-option-alerts/">Guide to Understanding Options Alerts</a> or read <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/options">more news on unusual options activity</a>. 
This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

BILL

ENPH

FROG

PLTR

SEMR

10 Information Technology Stocks Whale Activity In Today's Session

Benchmark analyst Subash Chandra reiterates MP Materials (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/MP#NYSE">MP</a>) with a Buy and maintains $30 price target.

Benchmark Reiterates Buy on MP Materials, Maintains $30 Price Target

Cardinal Health shares are trading lower after Baird maintained an Outperform rating on the stock but lowered its price target from $134 to $128.

Insider Trades

ANIX

Anixa Biosciences 13D Filing Shows President, COO & CFO Michael Catelani Reported A 5.25% Stake In The Co As Of April 30, 2024

Benchmark analyst Bill Sutherland reiterates Select Medical Hldgs (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SEM#NYSE">SEM</a>) with a Buy and maintains $39 price target.

Benchmark Reiterates Buy on Select Medical Hldgs, Maintains $39 Price Target

B. Riley Securities analyst Jeff Van Sinderen maintains Xponential Fitness (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/XPOF#NYSE">XPOF</a>) with a Buy and raises the price target from $28 to $31.

XPOF

B. Riley Securities Maintains Buy on Xponential Fitness, Raises Price Target to $31

Compass Point analyst Merrill Ross downgrades Center (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CSR#NYSE">CSR</a>) from Buy to Neutral and raises the price target from $65 to $68.

Downgrades

Compass Point Downgrades Center to Neutral, Raises Price Target to $68

DaVita shares are trading lower after the company reported Q1 financial results. The stock initially traded higher, but it has since reversed.

B. Riley Securities analyst Craig Ellis maintains Kulicke &amp; Soffa Indus (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/KLIC#NASDAQ">KLIC</a>) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $54 to $47.

KLIC

B. Riley Securities Maintains Neutral on Kulicke & Soffa Indus, Lowers Price Target to $47

Benchmark analyst Robert Wasserman reiterates Codexis (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/CDXS#NASDAQ">CDXS</a>) with a Buy and maintains $9 price target.

CDXS

Benchmark Reiterates Buy on Codexis, Maintains $9 Price Target

AAPL shares soared as much as 7.9% in extended trading Thursday before easing back a bit. Apple had been down 10% to $173.03 this year through the close and is now still down modestly for the year.

Apple Soars After iPhone, China Sales Drop Less Than Feared; Unveils Record-Breaking $110 Billion Buyback

In this piece, I evaluated two of the Magnificent Seven stocks, Amazon (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/AMZN#NASDAQ">AMZN</a>) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>), using TipRanks' Comparison T...

AMZN vs. META: Which Magnificent Seven Stock Is Better?

<a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice &amp; Trading Tips</a>
Nvidia (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/nvda-stock-quote/">NVDA</a>) remains the world&rsquo;s leading high-performance semiconductor and GPU maker. NVDA stock has surged because of its focus on AI. NVDA stock has dropped about 15% from its peak. This is the sort of decline many consider a healthy correction.



If macro forces increase and investors worry about Nvidia&rsquo;s clientele&rsquo;s buying power, this stock may face more downside pressure. That&rsquo;s the downside of this stock, but there are reasons to be bullish on this high-growth name. Here are three.



<h2>Nvidia GPUs Are Crucial to AI</h2>



Let&rsquo;s start out by stating the obvious. Nvidia&rsquo;s GPUs and its software suite are integral to most developers and companies operating in the AI world. 



One could make the argument that without Nvidia, many of the advancements we&rsquo;ve seen in recent years would simply not have been possible.



I think that&rsquo;s true. And it&rsquo;s clear that companies are stepping up to the plate and adding to their portions when ordering from Nvidia&rsquo;s menu. 



Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/meta-stock-quote/">META</a>) has been among Nvidia&rsquo;s largest recent customers of its H100 GPUs, recently unveiling plans to buy more than <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/meta-platforms-stock-ai-chip-109b7ffe#:~:text=Note%20that%20Meta%20CEO%20Mark,replacement%2C%20for%20chips%20from%20Nvidia.">350,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs</a>. 



This move will raise the company&rsquo;s expected capex bill to $40 billion in 2024, and also led to the company&rsquo;s recent stock price drop. 



However, it&rsquo;s a trend that&rsquo;s sticky, with other companies such as Elon Musk&rsquo; Tesla (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/tsla-stock-quote/">TSLA</a>) announcing similar orders for up to 85,000 of Nvidia&rsquo;s chips for its AI-related projects like autonomous driving.



Investors should stay tuned on <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/nvda/earnings#:~:text=NVIDIA%20Corporation%20Common%20Stock%20is,for%20the%20quarter%20is%20%245.14.">May 22</a>, when Nvidia will announce its Q1 2024 earnings report. Customer feedback has guided Nvidia&rsquo;s supply chain and volume planning, indicating potential revenue increases.



Like its megacap peers, Nvidia struggled to meet data center demand because of capacity constraints. The need for CoWoS technology from Taiwan Semiconductor also helped Nvidia&rsquo;s ability to deliver AI chips.



If the company is able to better meet demand in the quarters to come, it&rsquo;s not entirely out of the question to see growth accelerate from current insane levels.



<h2>More AI Spending Will Boost NVDA Stock</h2>



Major tech firms have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in the race for AI dominance, anticipating significant revenue growth by leveraging vast data sets for various applications.



Big investments in cloud computing infrastructure, managed by companies like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon Web Services, enable access to vast data sets for AI.



These hyperscale cloud providers face soaring demand and high costs yet commit billions to AI innovation.



Capital expenditures are pivotal for companies looking to make these AI investments, solidifying Nvidia&rsquo;s market dominance. 



Nvidia&rsquo;s CEO projects a <a href="https://www.blackridgeresearch.com/news-releases/nvidia-to-spend-250-billion-for-the-purchase-of-data-center-equipment">$250 billion annual growth</a> in data center spending, remaining indifferent to potential challengers disrupting the market for its core clientele.&nbsp;



CEO Jensen Huang likened Nvidia&rsquo;s role to those who profited from selling tools in the <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/what-to-know-today-69f3324f">California gold rush</a>, highlighting their significant share in the market of the &ldquo;picks and shovels&rdquo; used in this space.



<h2>Leading AI Player</h2>



Nvidia, holding an estimated <a href="https://qz.com/nvidia-ai-chip-market-competition-google-intel-meta-amd-1851422374">80% share in AI processors</a>, introduced its new Blackwell GPU architecture at the GTC event. The architecture could cost 40% more than current H100 chips, retailing for $30,000 to $40,000 each.&nbsp;



This explains other significant capital spending by Nvidia&rsquo;s customers in the Magnificent Seven. 



According to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, their company expects a $50 billion capex for 2024 and $57 billion next year. 



He also highlighted Google&rsquo;s plans to invest more on <a href="https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/building-ai-future-april-2024/">high-edge technical infrastructur</a>e during its April 25 event.



Google&rsquo;s first-quarter capex totaled $12 billion, nearly double from the previous year, mainly allocated to servers and data centers. Microsoft plans a <a href="https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/alphabet-microsoft-ramp-cloud-capex-lead-ai-charge">$50 billion capex</a> for the upcoming fiscal year, following a surge to $14 billion in the third quarter.



Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella informed investors on April 25 of their long-term commitment to leading AI through capital allocation. In addition, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky stated on the latest earnings call that capex is expected to increase, particularly for expanding AWS regions and generative AI projects.



On the date of publication, Chris MacDonald did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.&nbsp;The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com&nbsp;<a href="https://investorplace.com/corporate/investorplace-publishing-guidelines/">Publishing Guidelines</a>.
<div>Chris MacDonald&rsquo;s love for investing led him to pursue an MBA in Finance and take on a number of management roles in corporate finance and venture capital over the past 15 years. His experience as a financial analyst in the past, coupled with his fervor for finding undervalued growth opportunities, contribute to his conservative, long-term investing perspective.</div><h3>More From InvestorPlace</h3>
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	The post <a href="https://investorplace.com/2024/05/nvidia-stock-analysis-3-reasons-to-bet-on-nvda-in-this-shifting-ai-landscape/">Nvidia Stock Analysis: 3 Reasons to Bet on NVDA in This Shifting AI Landscape</a> appeared first on <a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace</a>.

Nvidia Stock Analysis: 3 Reasons to Bet on NVDA in This Shifting AI Landscape

<a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice &amp; Trading Tips</a>
A stock market crash isn&rsquo;t always a bad thing. While people nearing retirement should approach the risk of a&nbsp;crash&nbsp;with more caution, it&nbsp;allows younger investors&nbsp;to buy fundamentally solid companies at more reasonable valuations. We&rsquo;ll look at some of the top stocks to buy for a market crash today.



Investors who capitalize on market uncertainty and load up on top-tier companies can be in a good position after a few years. However, it&rsquo;s&nbsp;important&nbsp;to know which corporations to consider before a correction or a crash happens. That way, you aren&rsquo;t rushing to make decisions and can craft a plan leading up to market turbulence. These are some of the top stocks to buy for a market crash today.



<h2>Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)</h2>



<a href="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/alphabet_googl.png"><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/alphabet_googl-300x169.png" alt="Alphabet (GOOGL) - Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy"></a>Alphabet&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/goog-stock-quote/">GOOG</a>, NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/googl-stock-quote/">GOOGL</a>) is a clear leader in the online advertising and cloud computing industries.&nbsp;The corporation&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc.xyz/assets/91/b3/3f9213d14ce3ae27e1038e01a0e0/2024q1-alphabet-earnings-release-pdf.pdf" target="_blank">Q1 2024</a>&nbsp;results further reflected&nbsp;the company&rsquo;s&nbsp;vast market share in those industries. Revenue increased by 15%&nbsp;year-over-year&nbsp;while net income jumped by 57%&nbsp;year-over-year.



The high net income growth comes as the company implements more cost-cutting measures while accelerating its top-line growth.&nbsp;Continued&nbsp;growth in the cloud and artificial intelligence initiatives can lead to more growth&nbsp;moving forward.&nbsp;Google Cloud in particular has seen rising profits. The segment generated $191 million in Q1 2023. Operating income jumped to $900 million in Q1 2024.&nbsp;



Revenue also grew at a&nbsp;higher&nbsp;pace for Google Cloud. Net sales came in at $9.57 billion compared to $7.45 billion in the same period last year. That&rsquo;s a 28.4% year-over-year increase which outpaces Alphabet&rsquo;s overall revenue growth. The stock has a reasonable 26 P/E ratio which should continue to shrink as the company expands its profit margins.



<h2>Meta Platforms (META)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/meta1600-1-300x169.png" alt="In this photo illustration the Meta logo seen displayed on a smartphone and in the background the Facebook logo"><div>Source: rafapress / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Alphabet isn&rsquo;t the only advertising giant up for grabs.&nbsp;Meta Platforms&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/meta-stock-quote/">META</a>) has also&nbsp;been fulfilling&nbsp;its end of the bargain for investors. The stock has gained 25% year-to-date and is up by an impressive 78% over the past year.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s also another one of the top stocks to buy for a market crash today.



The stock recently plunged after&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2024/Meta-Reports-First-Quarter-2024-Results/default.aspx">Q1 2024 earnings</a>&nbsp;and is in correction territory. However, the earnings report was solid despite the market&rsquo;s reaction. Revenue increased by 27% year-over-year while net income surged by 117% year-over-year.&nbsp;



The company&rsquo;s 7% year-over-year daily active user growth across all platforms was also solid. Meta Platforms now has 3.24 billion daily active users. The firm repurchased $14.64 billion worth of shares while distributing $1.27 billion to investors as dividends. Meta Platforms has achieved this level of success while trimming its headcount by 10% year-over-year.&nbsp;



Meta Platforms is making strides in artificial intelligence, but advertising is undoubtedly the&nbsp;main&nbsp;revenue driver.&nbsp;Advertising accounted for $35.6 billion of the company&rsquo;s $36.5 billion in total revenue. Only&nbsp;2.2% of the company&rsquo;s revenue did not come from advertising.&nbsp;If Meta Platforms finds another robust income stream like Alphabet did with Google Cloud, the stock can continue to soar.



<h2>Marriott International (MAR)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/hotel-room-1600-1-300x169.jpg" alt="Hotel room"><div>Source: Dragon Images / Shutterstock</div></div>Marriott International&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/mar-stock-quote/">MAR</a>) has built one of the top hotel chains in the industry. The firm has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marriott.com/marriott/aboutmarriott.mi">nearly 8,800 properties</a>&nbsp;in 139 countries and territories. Marriott International and its investors have benefitted from the travel boom. Shares are up by 69% over the past five years and trades at a 23.5 P/E ratio. &nbsp;



The momentum continued in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://marriott.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/marriott-international-reports-strong-fourth-quarter-and-full">Q4 2023</a>&nbsp;as the company reported $23.7 billion in revenue. It was&nbsp;a 14% year-over-year increase. Net income grew by 31% year-over-year to reach $3.1 billion. The firm expanded its profit margins and&nbsp;has&nbsp;raised its&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/stocks/mar/dividend-history">quarterly dividend payout</a>&nbsp;above pre-pandemic levels.&nbsp;Investors received $0.52 per share in 2023, and the company&nbsp;is expected&nbsp;to announce a dividend hike in May.



The hotel chain can also benefit as&nbsp;Airbnb&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/abnb-stock-quote/">ABNB</a>) gets more expensive. Airbnb is still a competitor in the hotel industry, but its main appeal in the early stages was more affordable pricing.&nbsp;Now,&nbsp;there isn&rsquo;t much of a gap between Airbnb and hotel prices, and hotels offer more amenities.&nbsp;Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has stated his desire to make Airbnb&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brian-chesky-wants-airbnb-feel-100100896.html">feel affordable again</a>. As Airbnb gets more expensive, consumers may flock&nbsp;over&nbsp;to hotels more often.



<h2>American Express (AXP)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/american_express_axp1600-300x169.jpg" alt="the American Express logo etched into wood"><div>Source: First Class Photography / Shutterstock.com</div></div>American Express&nbsp;(NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/axp-stock-quote/">AXP</a>) has been attracting younger cardholders while raising its profit margins. The fintech firm trades at 19.5x earnings and has outperformed the market. Shares are up by 26% year-to-date and have soared by 98% over the past five years. It&rsquo;s another one of the top stocks to buy for a market crash today.



Consumer preferences change, and some&nbsp;products and services may gain more demand while others may go out of style.&nbsp;However, most individuals will always use credit or debit cards for their purchases. These cards have become a core foundation of economic activity, and American Express has&nbsp;been benefitting&nbsp;from this multi-decade trend.



The fintech firm reported solid financials in the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://s26.q4cdn.com/747928648/files/doc_financials/2024/q1/Q1-2024-Earnings-Press-Release.pdf">first quarter of 2024</a>.&nbsp;Revenue increased by 11%&nbsp;year-over-year&nbsp;while net income jumped by 34%&nbsp;year-over-year.&nbsp;American Express has been expanding its profit margins and wrapped up Q1 2024 with a 16.9% net profit margin. The company set growth objectives beyond 2026 that suggest revenue and profit margins will continue to grow.&nbsp;



<h2>Intuit (INTU)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/intu1600-300x169.png" alt="Person holding cellphone with logo of US financial software company Intuit Inc. (INTU) on screen in front of business webpage. Focus on phone display. Unmodified photo."><div>Source: T. Schneider / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Intuit&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/intu-stock-quote/">INTU</a>) offers financial software including industry-leading products like Quickbooks and Turbotax.&nbsp;The stock is&nbsp;off to a slow start&nbsp;with&nbsp;a 5% year-to-date gain.&nbsp;However, it&rsquo;s also up by 43% over the past year and has soared by 154% over the past five years.&nbsp;



Analysts believe the stock can continue to rally. The average price target suggests a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tipranks.com/stocks/intu/forecast">12% upside</a>&nbsp;from current levels.&nbsp;Intuit is rated as a &ldquo;Strong Buy&rdquo; among 21 analysts and the highest price target is $775 per share. That price target&nbsp;implies a 22.4% gain.



The company had another successful quarter and reported 11% year-over-year revenue growth in Q2 FY24. Non-GAAP earnings per share grew by 20% year-over-year. Intuit anticipates full-year revenue growth to range from 11% to 12%. GAAP diluted EPS growth&nbsp;is expected&nbsp;to range from 11% to 15%.&nbsp;Intuit generates double-digit net profit margins, and guidance suggests&nbsp;that&nbsp;its profit margins will continue&nbsp;to grow.



<h2>Badger Meter (BMI)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bmi-stock-1-300x169.jpg" alt="A magnifying glass zooms in on the website for Badger Meter Inc (BMI)."><div>Source: Pavel Kapysh / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Badger Meter&nbsp;(NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/bmi-stock-quote/">BMI</a>) manufactures water metering technology and flow measurement solutions.&nbsp;The company&rsquo;s technology is&nbsp;useful for&nbsp;measuring&nbsp;the quality of water and improving operational efficiencies of utility companies.&nbsp;



Badger Meter is a mid-cap stock with a $5.5 billion market cap. It also trades at a 54 P/E ratio and offers a 0.58% yield. The company has an impressive dividend growth rate to make up for its low yield.&nbsp;The company&nbsp;hiked its dividend from $0.225 per share to $0.27 per share&nbsp;in 2023. That&rsquo;s&nbsp;a 20% year-over-year increase, and&nbsp;Badger Meter is due for an announced dividend hike in August.



The company posted solid&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investors.badgermeter.com/news-releases/press-release-details/2024/Badger-Meter-Reports-Record-First-Quarter-2024-Financial-Results/default.aspx">Q1 2024 financials</a>&nbsp;that were&nbsp;highlighted by a 23% year-over-year increase in total sales. While total sales came in at $196.3 million diluted EPS soared by 50% year-over-year to reach $0.99 per share.&nbsp;Badger Meter generated record quarterly revenue, operating profit, and EPS results.&nbsp;



<h2>Chipotle (CMG)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cmg1600-300x169.png" alt="Chipotle - Sign on building, CMG stock"><div>Source: Retail Photographer / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Chipotle&nbsp;(NYSE:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/cmg-stock-quote/">CMG</a>) has been&nbsp;trouncing&nbsp;the stock market in recent years. Shares are up&nbsp;by&nbsp;41% year-to-date and have soared&nbsp;by&nbsp;346% over the past five years. The&nbsp;fast food&nbsp;restaurant chain delivers healthier food options which has made consumers willing to pay higher prices.&nbsp;



The company&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chipotle-raise-prices-inflation-price-increase-burrito-insider-menu/">has raised menu prices four times</a>&nbsp;in the past two years. Chipotle attributed the price hikes to the state of the economy, but that hasn&rsquo;t stopped the fast food giant from reporting&nbsp;strong&nbsp;financials.



Revenue jumped by 14.1% year-over-year in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ir.chipotle.com/2024-04-24-CHIPOTLE-ANNOUNCES-FIRST-QUARTER-2024-RESULTS">Q1 2024</a>. Net income grew&nbsp;at a faster clip&nbsp;and was up by 23.2% year-over-year. That growth rate helped the company reach $359.3 million in net earnings for the quarter. Chipotle still plans to open 285-315 restaurants in 2024. More than 80% of these restaurants will have a Chipotlane. These additions have been a boon for the company, as digital sales represented 36.5% of total food and beverage revenue.&nbsp;



On this&nbsp;date of publication, Marc Guberti held a long position in GOOG. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investorplace.com/">InvestorPlace.com</a>&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://investorplace.com/corporate/investorplace-publishing-guidelines/">Publishing Guidelines.</a>
<div>Marc Guberti is a finance freelance writer at InvestorPlace.com who hosts the Breakthrough Success Podcast. He has contributed to several publications, including the U.S. News &amp; World Report, Benzinga, and Joy Wallet.</div><h3>More From InvestorPlace</h3>
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The post <a href="https://investorplace.com/2024/05/stock-market-crash-alert-7-must-buy-stocks-when-prices-plunge/">Stock Market Crash Alert: 7 Must-Buy Stocks When Prices Plunge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace</a>.

Stock Market Crash Alert: 7 Must-Buy Stocks When Prices Plunge

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<a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice &amp; Trading Tips</a>
Some investors wait for corrections and crashes before pouring their money into <a href="https://investorplace.com/industries/technology/">tech stocks</a> to buy. While investors who wait this long can miss out on great opportunities, it&rsquo;s important to know which investments to monitor if the market ends up losing value.



Tech stocks have been reliable long-term investments for many years, and most indices and funds are packed to the brim with companies in the tech sector. However, some tech stocks to buy are better than others.



If you see these stocks continue to fall, it may make sense to accumulate shares while they are attractively discounted.



<h2>Meta Platforms (META)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/fb-stock-meta-1600-300x169.jpg" alt="META stock logo is shown on a device screen. Meta is the new corporate name of Facebook."><div>Source: Blue Planet Studio / Shutterstock.com</div></div>You might get a great deal with this stock without a broader market crash. Investors sold off their shares after the company&rsquo;s latest earnings report.&nbsp;Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/meta-stock-quote/">META</a>) had&nbsp;27% year-over-year revenue growth and 117% year-over-year net income growth in&nbsp;<a href="https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2024/q1/Meta-03-31-2024-Exhibit-99-1_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Q1 2024</a>.&nbsp;



The company expects to generate $36.5 billion to $39 billion in Q2 2024 revenue. This guidance indicates a 14% to 22% year-over-year growth rate from the company&rsquo;s $32 billion in&nbsp;<a href="https://s21.q4cdn.com/399680738/files/doc_financials/2023/q2/Meta-06-30-2023-Exhibit-99-1-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Q2 2023 revenue</a>.



The stock now trades at a reasonable 25.5 P/E ratio and offers a 0.45% dividend yield. The stock is barely hanging on to its $1 trillion market cap. A further decline can lower the stock despite a good earnings report. Investors may have wanted more from the guidance, but rapid net income growth and good revenue growth suggest the META stock has more room to run.



<h2>Microsoft (MSFT)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/msft1600e-300x169.jpg" alt="The Microsoft (MSFT) logo on a corporate office building during the day time."><div>Source: The Art of Pics / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Microsoft&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/msft-stock-quote/">MSFT</a>) is one of the best tech stocks to buy due to its diversification into numerous verticals. The tech giant delivered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/investor/earnings/fy-2024-q3/press-release-webcast" target="_blank">another good quarter</a>, which&nbsp;featured 17% year-over-year revenue growth and 20% year-over-year net income growth. Both of those figures are slight decelerations compared to Q2 FY24 results.



Its Copilot chatbot has the potential to drive significant revenue growth in the quarters ahead as Microsoft doubles down on artificial intelligence. Microsoft Cloud was once again the big winner&nbsp;with&nbsp;a 23% year-over-year growth rate. This segment contributed to $35.1 billion of the company&rsquo;s $61.9 billion in total revenue.&nbsp;



A downturn can make the corporation&rsquo;s value more attractive for long-term investors. Microsoft seems positioned to gain market share and thrive in any economy. It has video games, social media, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advertising, and other verticals all in one. The company&rsquo;s effective leadership and vast capital also give it the flexibility to expand into additional industries.



<h2>Amazon (AMZN)</h2>



<div><img width="300" height="169" src="https://investorplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/amzn-stock-5-300x169.jpg" alt="A photo of Amazon's (AMZN) logo on the side of a building."><div>Source: Ioan Panaite / Shutterstock.com</div></div>Amazon&nbsp;(NASDAQ:<a href="https://investorplace.com/stock-quotes/amzn-stock-quote/">AMZN</a>) shares similar characteristics to Microsoft. The company is diversified and the leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. Advertising, streaming, and grocery segments also contribute to its revenue growth.



Amazon closed out 2023 with 14% year-over-year sales growth in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/news-release-details/2024/Amazon.com-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-Results/" target="_blank">fourth quarter</a>. Revenue reached a record-breaking $170 billion&nbsp;with&nbsp;domestic and international sales both achieving double-digit growth rates.



The stock has gained 21% year-to-date and up 80% over the past year. Analysts are feeling optimistic about the stock and have rated it as a &ldquo;strong buy.&rdquo; The stock has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tipranks.com/stocks/amzn/forecast" target="_blank">projected 18% upside</a>&nbsp;from current levels.



Amazon&rsquo;s new delivery program should expand its market share in the grocery industry. Prime members pay an additional $9.99 per month to get unlimited grocery delivery services, while EBT recipients would be charged only $4.99 per month.



The program should increase the frequency of orders and turn Amazon into the go-to choice for more consumers. This new offering resembles how Amazon gains market share in multiple industries. It&rsquo;s an attractive long-term stock that will look more attractive on any dip.



On this date of publication, Marc Guberti held long positions in MSFT and AMZN. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com&nbsp;<a href="https://investorplace.com/corporate/investorplace-publishing-guidelines/" target="_blank">Publishing Guidelines.</a>
<div>Marc Guberti is a finance freelance writer at InvestorPlace.com who hosts the Breakthrough Success Podcast. He has contributed to several publications, including the U.S. News &amp; World Report, Benzinga, and Joy Wallet.</div><h3>More From InvestorPlace</h3>
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The post <a href="https://investorplace.com/2024/05/stock-market-crash-alert-3-must-buy-tech-stocks-when-prices-plunge/">Stock Market Crash Alert: 3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks When Prices Plunge</a> appeared first on <a href="https://investorplace.com">InvestorPlace</a>.

Stock Market Crash Alert: 3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks When Prices Plunge

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