Benzinga Bulls and Bears: Palantir, IonQ, DraftKings

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.

U.S. stocks ended the week lower as a sharp selloff in technology and artificial intelligence shares erased gains from a post-election rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 3% Wednesday after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, while oil prices fell on hopes of reduced tensions with Iran. However, the rally quickly reversed as investors weighed the potential impact of new regulations and restrictions on data center construction. The Nasdaq-100 plunged 6.4% Thursday, its worst session since March 2020, while the S&P 500 fell 4.4%. A rebound Friday helped limit losses, but the S&P 500 was still down about 3% for the week, the Nasdaq Composite fell 4.4% and the Dow lost 0.5%.

AI-related stocks led the decline as investors reassessed the outlook for data center investment following the Democratic election victories. Several winning candidates had campaigned on limiting new data center construction, raising concerns about the industry’s expansion. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 12% Thursday, while Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) lost about $450 billion in market value in one session. Memory stocks also came under pressure, with SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) falling 22%.

Friday’s October jobs report added to uncertainty over Federal Reserve policy. Employers added 165,000 jobs, well above the 65,000 economists expected, while the unemployment rate declined to 4.1% from 4.2%. The stronger report prompted traders to raise the probability of a December rate hike to about 80%, from roughly 70% before the data. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to around 4.86% after falling to its lowest level since early September during Thursday’s market selloff.

Benzinga provides daily reports on 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

Palantir Posts Q3 Double Beat, Lifts Guidance — ‘Extraordinary’ Is an ‘Understatement’, by Adam Eckert, reports that Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) beat Wall Street expectations for both revenue and earnings in the third quarter and raised its full-year outlook, driven by strong demand for its AI software. Revenue surged 96% year over year to $2.31 billion, topping estimates of $2.18 billion, while adjusted earnings reached 44 cents per share, above the 41-cent consensus. U.S. revenue climbed 119% to $1.94 billion, with commercial revenue jumping 148% to $984 million and government revenue rising 96% to $953 million. CEO Alex Karp said demand for AI solutions is accelerating across businesses and government agencies.

AMD Posts Q3 Double Beat as Data Center Segment Shines, Growth Expected to ‘Accelerate’ in Q4, by Adam Eckert, reports that Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) beat Wall Street expectations for both revenue and adjusted earnings in the third quarter, as strong demand for AI data-center chips drove sales higher. Revenue climbed 45% year over year to $13.38 billion, topping estimates of $13.09 billion, while adjusted earnings reached $2.09 per share, above the $1.95 consensus. Data Center revenue nearly doubled to $8.5 billion, up 97% from a year earlier, while Embedded revenue increased 29% to $1.1 billion. CEO Lisa Su said demand for AMD’s Instinct AI accelerators and EPYC server processors continued to strengthen, with growth expected to accelerate in the fourth quarter as the company ramps up production of its Helios and Venice platforms.

IonQ Tops Estimates in Q3, Raises 2026 Outlook, by Adam Eckert, reports that IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) beat Wall Street expectations for both revenue and adjusted earnings in the third quarter and raised its full-year outlook, driven by growing demand for its quantum computing technology. Revenue surged 336% year over year to $173.83 million, topping analyst estimates of $141.63 million, while the company reported an adjusted loss of 29 cents per share, narrower than the expected loss of 38 cents. IonQ attributed the growth to global deployments of its Tempo quantum computers, deliveries of quantum sensing and space-based solutions, and the completion of its acquisition of SkyWater Technology.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

AppLovin Has 47% Upside After a Brutal Year, JPMorgan Defies the Gloom

Bloom Energy Stock Jumps After the Bell: Here’s Why

MP Materials Posts Q3 Double Beat, Reaches Magnetics ‘Inflection Point’

The Bears

SoundHound AI Stock Slides on Q3 Earnings, by Adam Eckert, reports that SoundHound AI Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN) shares fell despite the conversational AI company beating Wall Street expectations for both revenue and adjusted earnings in the third quarter. Revenue climbed 48.5% year over year to $62.43 million, topping analyst estimates of $61.71 million, while the company reported an adjusted loss of 5 cents per share, narrower than the expected loss of 6 cents. SoundHound posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $20.7 million and ended the quarter with $207.6 million in cash and cash equivalents. CEO Keyvan Mohajer called it a milestone quarter, highlighting the completion of the company’s acquisition of LivePerson and its outlook for adjusted EBITDA profitability in the second half of 2027.

Dutch Bros Stock Drops After Narrow Q3 Earnings Beat: What You Need to Know, by Erica Kollmann, reports that Dutch Bros Inc. (NYSE:BROS) shares fell after the coffee chain’s third-quarter results narrowly beat analyst expectations but its full-year outlook disappointed investors. Dutch Bros reported earnings of 25 cents per share, compared with the 24-cent consensus, while revenue rose 29.8% year over year to $549.8 million, slightly above estimates of $547.41 million. The company opened 48 new shops during the quarter, including 42 company-operated locations.

DraftKings Stock Dives on Q3 Miss, Lower Guidance: Company Sees Up to $750M in 2027 Prediction Markets Revenue, by Chris Katje, reports that DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG) shares plunged after the sports betting company missed third-quarter revenue and earnings expectations and cut its 2026 outlook. Revenue increased 16% year over year to $1.329 billion, below the $1.398 billion analyst consensus, while the company reported an adjusted loss of 53 cents per share, wider than the expected loss of 39 cents. CEO Jason Robins said more than 1.6 million customers had used DraftKings Predictions in 2026, highlighting the company’s growing focus on event-based trading.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Figma Stock Falls After Q3 Earnings

Marvell Stock Takes Two Hits in One Morning: Both Blame the Lumentum Deal

Micron Technology Stock Slides Again Thursday: What’s Going On?

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.