Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Apple, Tesla, Virgin Galactic, Wells Fargo And More

• Benzinga has examined the prospects for many investor favorite stocks over the past week.
• Last week's bullish calls included the iPhone maker, the EV leader and a big bank.
• A top automaker, a casino stock and a REIT were among the bearish calls seen.

The second-quarter earnings-reporting season began this past week, with the big banks mostly crushing expectations. That did little to lift their stocks though, partly due to the latest Consumer Price Index reading revealing stronger than expected inflation, and also because investors were waiting to hear from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Powell's commentary was reassuring, still insisting that currently inflationary pressures are transitory. Yet, markets began to retreat from all-time highs late in the week. Even big tech, which had been supporting the markets, began to lose steam.

So the three main U.S. indexes ended the week in the red. The Dow Jones industrials were only fractionally lower, while the S&P 500 was down about 1% and the Nasdaq pulled back around 2%.

The iPhone maker was all over the news in the past week, from plans to increase production due to high demand to post-pandemic labor issues, and even rumors about abandoning big markets and investing in cryptocurrency.

The week's other big news was House Democrats introducing a federal marijuana legalization bill.

Through it all, Benzinga continued to examine the prospects for many of the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

Nikhil Dayal's "How The iPhone 13 Is Driving Morgan Stanley's Apple Bull Case" discusses why one top analyst is positive on Apple Inc. AAPL stock despite its lackluster start to the year. See what has driven recent gains.

Also read Apple Stock Consolidates For Another Bullish Break: A Technical Analysis.

In "8 Key Upcoming Catalysts That Could Drive Tesla Shares To $1,000," Shanthi Rexaline reveals why one key analyst still believes in Tesla, Inc. TSLA though shares have been range bound since February.

Be sure to check out Has Tesla Stock Decoupled From Big Tech Stocks Like Apple, Facebook Due To Bitcoin? as well.

"Why Wells Fargo Still Has Plenty More Upside" by Wayne Duggan examines why a Wells Fargo & Co WFC rally may be just getting started after last week's big second-quarter earnings beat. Is a big catalyst coming?

Despite the current headwinds, limited competition and high demand means Boeing Co BA is well positioned in the long run. So says Adam Eckert's "Why Boeing Is A Bad Trade, But A Good Investment."

In Chris Katje's "3 Reasons Why Electronic Arts Is The Best Video Game Stock," discover what could help Electronic Arts Inc EA close the gap on rivals and prompted one analyst to raise earnings and revenue estimates.

The Bears

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc SPCE may be close to achieving space tourism, but the prospects are already reflected in its stock valuation, according to "Why This Virgin Galactic Analyst Remains Bearish" by Priya Nigam.

Why It's Still 'Too Early To Bottom Fish' In Virgin Galactic Stock offers more on this aerospace stock.

"Tesla, Ford's 'Tight Inventory' Woes To Continue, Says Munster" by Rachit Vats explores how global chip and component shortages could continue to be a drag on Ford Motor Co F and other automakers.

On the other hand, see Why This Analyst Is Optimistic Ahead Of Ford, GM, Tesla Earnings.

In Wayne Duggan's "Analyst Cuts Price Targets For Wynn, Las Vegas Sands As Macau Gaming Recovery Lags," find out why one analyst has low expectations for Las Vegas Sands Corp. LVS.

In "Why This Peloton Analyst Is Pumping The Brakes," Shanthi Rexaline looks at whether shares of fitness equipment maker Peloton Interactive, Inc. PTON finally have come down to earth. Will 2022 guidance tell the tale?

Alexander Mansour's "Is Realty Income The Best Retail REIT to Buy?" shows how dividend stalwart Realty Income Corp O has had stellar past performance but other retail real estate investment trusts may be better positioned for the future.

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