AppLovin Corporation Rated Among Top Meme Stocks to Buy Now
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 9 hours ago
0mins
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Earnings Beat: AppLovin Corporation reported Q4 sales of $1.66 billion, a 66% year-over-year increase that surpassed analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion, demonstrating strong performance in a competitive advertising landscape despite margin compression risks.
- Significant Net Income Growth: The company's net income rose 84% year-over-year to $1.10 billion, with diluted EPS at $3.24, exceeding market expectations of $2.95, indicating sustained profitability and boosting investor confidence.
- Analyst Rating Adjustments: Jefferies cut AppLovin's price target from $860 to $700 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the company's future performance despite competitive pressures.
- Positive Market Outlook: Morgan Stanley also lowered its target to $720 but retained an Overweight rating, with expectations of a 2% increase in EBITDA for FY26 and FY27, indicating confidence in the company's growth trajectory.
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Analyst Views on JEF
Wall Street analysts forecast JEF stock price to rise
5 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 54.080
Low
55.00
Averages
72.79
High
97.00
Current: 54.080
Low
55.00
Averages
72.79
High
97.00
About JEF
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. is a global, full-service investment banking and capital markets company. The Company provides financial advisory, equity underwriting and debt underwriting services. Its business segments include Investment Banking and Capital Markets and Asset Management. The Investment Banking and Capital Markets segment includes its securities, commodities, futures, and foreign exchange capital markets activities and its investment banking business, which provides underwriting and financial advisory services to clients across various industry sectors in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. The Asset Management segment provides alternative investment management services to investors in the United States and overseas and generates investment income from capital invested in and managed by the Company or its affiliated asset managers. It provides mergers and acquisition, debt advisory and restructuring and private capital advisory services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
AppLovin Corporation Rated Among Top Meme Stocks to Buy Now
- Earnings Beat: AppLovin Corporation reported Q4 sales of $1.66 billion, a 66% year-over-year increase that surpassed analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion, demonstrating strong performance in a competitive advertising landscape despite margin compression risks.
- Significant Net Income Growth: The company's net income rose 84% year-over-year to $1.10 billion, with diluted EPS at $3.24, exceeding market expectations of $2.95, indicating sustained profitability and boosting investor confidence.
- Analyst Rating Adjustments: Jefferies cut AppLovin's price target from $860 to $700 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the company's future performance despite competitive pressures.
- Positive Market Outlook: Morgan Stanley also lowered its target to $720 but retained an Overweight rating, with expectations of a 2% increase in EBITDA for FY26 and FY27, indicating confidence in the company's growth trajectory.
See More
2026 S&P 500 Outlook and Risk Analysis
- Economic Slowdown: The U.S. added only 181,000 jobs in 2025, a sharp decline from 1.2 million in 2024, indicating weak economic growth that may put additional downward pressure on the S&P 500.
- Optimistic Market Expectations: Despite the economic slowdown, Wall Street analysts predict a roughly 10% increase in the S&P 500 for 2026, primarily driven by economic growth supported by tax cuts and artificial intelligence spending.
- Significant Valuation Risks: The S&P 500 currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 22, well above the 10-year average of 18.8, having only maintained such high valuations during the dot-com bubble and the pandemic, suggesting potential bear market risks ahead.
- Midterm Election Impact: Historical data shows that since 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged only a 4.6% return in midterm election years, with an average intra-year drawdown of 17%, increasing uncertainty for the market in 2026.
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Concerns Over AI Impact Financial Stocks, Including Charles Schwab: Reasons to Invest Now.
- AI Fears in Financial Stocks: Concerns regarding artificial intelligence's impact on financial stocks are perceived as exaggerated.
- Market Sentiment: The current market sentiment suggests that the potential threat of AI is not as significant as some investors believe.
- Investment Perspective: Investors may be overreacting to AI developments, which could lead to mispricing in financial stocks.
- Long-term Outlook: The long-term outlook for financial stocks remains positive despite the ongoing discussions about AI.
See More
AppLovin Shares Rise as Market Sentiment Improves Ahead of Earnings
- Stock Rebound: AppLovin shares rose 2.15% to $9.92 today, driven by improved market sentiment following last week's sell-off and the anticipation of its upcoming fourth-quarter earnings report.
- Short-Seller Accusation Withdrawn: The stock surged yesterday after short-seller CapitalWatch retracted its money laundering allegations against AppLovin, indicating a restoration of market confidence in the company.
- Analyst Rating Changes: UBS lowered its price target for AppLovin from $840 to $686 while maintaining a buy rating, highlighting the strong return on ad spend from its AI engine, Axon 2.0.
- Optimistic Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect AppLovin to report $1.61 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter, a 48.1% increase year-over-year, with adjusted earnings per share projected to rise from $2.07 to $3.07, indicating strong growth potential.
See More
Jefferies Upgrades Vistra Corp to Buy, Sees 30% Upside
- Rating Upgrade: Jefferies upgraded Vistra Corp from hold to buy, arguing that the current share price does not accurately reflect the likelihood of future data center deals, indicating a potential undervaluation in the market.
- Price Target Increase: The investment bank raised Vistra's 12-month price target from $191 to $203, suggesting about a 30% upside from Monday's close, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the company's future growth prospects.
- Market Reaction: Vistra shares rose as much as 5.5% in early trading on Tuesday, indicating a positive market response to the upgrade, despite the stock being down approximately 25% since announcing a 1,200 megawatt power supply deal last September.
- Attractive Investment Opportunity: Jefferies analysts noted that while it is impossible to 'call bottom', the current market valuation of around $52 billion presents an attractive entry point for investors, especially given the strong demand for nuclear power from data center developers.
See More
AppLovin Shares Surge 15.1% Amid Analyst Optimism
- Analyst Optimism: Jefferies analyst James Heaney reiterated a price target of $860 per share, nearly 90% above the current price, calling the 45% pullback from December's high a 'great buying opportunity,' which significantly supports AppLovin's stock price surge.
- Positive Market Reaction: AppLovin's shares rose 15.1% on Monday to $64.72, with a total market capitalization of $137 billion, reflecting investor confidence in future growth despite the stock's inherent volatility risks.
- Negative News Reversal: Independent investigative entity CapitalWatch corrected and apologized for a money-laundering accusation against a key shareholder, potentially reversing the selling pressure caused by the initial report and boosting market confidence in the company.
- Competitive Advantage Outlook: While concerns about competition persist, an independent analyst believes that AppLovin can leverage new digital advertising tools from Alphabet and CloudX to enhance its market position, thereby driving a potential stock recovery.
See More
AppLovin Corporation Rated Among Top Meme Stocks to Buy Now
- Earnings Beat: AppLovin Corporation reported Q4 sales of $1.66 billion, a 66% year-over-year increase that surpassed analysts' expectations of $1.60 billion, demonstrating strong performance in a competitive advertising landscape despite margin compression risks.
- Significant Net Income Growth: The company's net income rose 84% year-over-year to $1.10 billion, with diluted EPS at $3.24, exceeding market expectations of $2.95, indicating sustained profitability and boosting investor confidence.
- Analyst Rating Adjustments: Jefferies cut AppLovin's price target from $860 to $700 while maintaining a Buy rating, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the company's future performance despite competitive pressures.
- Positive Market Outlook: Morgan Stanley also lowered its target to $720 but retained an Overweight rating, with expectations of a 2% increase in EBITDA for FY26 and FY27, indicating confidence in the company's growth trajectory.
See More
2026 S&P 500 Outlook and Risk Analysis
- Economic Slowdown: The U.S. added only 181,000 jobs in 2025, a sharp decline from 1.2 million in 2024, indicating weak economic growth that may put additional downward pressure on the S&P 500.
- Optimistic Market Expectations: Despite the economic slowdown, Wall Street analysts predict a roughly 10% increase in the S&P 500 for 2026, primarily driven by economic growth supported by tax cuts and artificial intelligence spending.
- Significant Valuation Risks: The S&P 500 currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 22, well above the 10-year average of 18.8, having only maintained such high valuations during the dot-com bubble and the pandemic, suggesting potential bear market risks ahead.
- Midterm Election Impact: Historical data shows that since 1950, the S&P 500 has averaged only a 4.6% return in midterm election years, with an average intra-year drawdown of 17%, increasing uncertainty for the market in 2026.
See More
Concerns Over AI Impact Financial Stocks, Including Charles Schwab: Reasons to Invest Now.
- AI Fears in Financial Stocks: Concerns regarding artificial intelligence's impact on financial stocks are perceived as exaggerated.
- Market Sentiment: The current market sentiment suggests that the potential threat of AI is not as significant as some investors believe.
- Investment Perspective: Investors may be overreacting to AI developments, which could lead to mispricing in financial stocks.
- Long-term Outlook: The long-term outlook for financial stocks remains positive despite the ongoing discussions about AI.
See More
AppLovin Shares Rise as Market Sentiment Improves Ahead of Earnings
- Stock Rebound: AppLovin shares rose 2.15% to $9.92 today, driven by improved market sentiment following last week's sell-off and the anticipation of its upcoming fourth-quarter earnings report.
- Short-Seller Accusation Withdrawn: The stock surged yesterday after short-seller CapitalWatch retracted its money laundering allegations against AppLovin, indicating a restoration of market confidence in the company.
- Analyst Rating Changes: UBS lowered its price target for AppLovin from $840 to $686 while maintaining a buy rating, highlighting the strong return on ad spend from its AI engine, Axon 2.0.
- Optimistic Earnings Expectations: Analysts expect AppLovin to report $1.61 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter, a 48.1% increase year-over-year, with adjusted earnings per share projected to rise from $2.07 to $3.07, indicating strong growth potential.
See More
Jefferies Upgrades Vistra Corp to Buy, Sees 30% Upside
- Rating Upgrade: Jefferies upgraded Vistra Corp from hold to buy, arguing that the current share price does not accurately reflect the likelihood of future data center deals, indicating a potential undervaluation in the market.
- Price Target Increase: The investment bank raised Vistra's 12-month price target from $191 to $203, suggesting about a 30% upside from Monday's close, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the company's future growth prospects.
- Market Reaction: Vistra shares rose as much as 5.5% in early trading on Tuesday, indicating a positive market response to the upgrade, despite the stock being down approximately 25% since announcing a 1,200 megawatt power supply deal last September.
- Attractive Investment Opportunity: Jefferies analysts noted that while it is impossible to 'call bottom', the current market valuation of around $52 billion presents an attractive entry point for investors, especially given the strong demand for nuclear power from data center developers.
See More
AppLovin Shares Surge 15.1% Amid Analyst Optimism
- Analyst Optimism: Jefferies analyst James Heaney reiterated a price target of $860 per share, nearly 90% above the current price, calling the 45% pullback from December's high a 'great buying opportunity,' which significantly supports AppLovin's stock price surge.
- Positive Market Reaction: AppLovin's shares rose 15.1% on Monday to $64.72, with a total market capitalization of $137 billion, reflecting investor confidence in future growth despite the stock's inherent volatility risks.
- Negative News Reversal: Independent investigative entity CapitalWatch corrected and apologized for a money-laundering accusation against a key shareholder, potentially reversing the selling pressure caused by the initial report and boosting market confidence in the company.
- Competitive Advantage Outlook: While concerns about competition persist, an independent analyst believes that AppLovin can leverage new digital advertising tools from Alphabet and CloudX to enhance its market position, thereby driving a potential stock recovery.
See More
