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Luke Kawa

Beyond Meat surges on heavy volume as retail traders position for a squeeze in the embattled plant-based meat company

Shares of Beyond Meat are soaring in early trading on Monday, with retail traders hoping for a turnaround — or more realistically, a powerful short squeeze — as the embattled plant-based meat producer scrambles to raise cash to protect its viability.

As of 7:15 a.m. ET, more money had changed hands trading the faux meat firm in the premarket than the likes of Apple, Microsoft, or Palantir.

Bloomberg Most Traded Stocks in US as of 7:15 a.m. ET
Source: Bloomberg

The stock cratered to an all-time low of $0.50 last Thursday after management completed a deal with nearly 97% of the holders of more than $1 billion in senior convertible notes due in 2027 (with a coupon of zero) to exchange those for $196 million in second lien notes due in 2030 (with a coupon of 7%) and more than 316 million shares, a massive dilution of existing shareholders that raised the company’s share count by more than 300%. Those noteholders are now far and away the biggest holders of the company’s equity.

A former Reddit user (who since appears to have been banned from the platform) with the handle capybaraSTOCKS appears to be at the genesis of this newfound wave of optimism surrounding the stock. The user has purportedly since moved to YouTube and says they own 4% of the company. They posted a video on Sunday explaining their thesis, including progress on the company reducing its debt load, its brand value, and the potential for a short squeeze.

“High community interest, social media buzz, and most importantly a near 500 million shares traded volume on Friday” suggest “Beyond is now entering meme stock territory,” per the video.

The stock was among the most highly shorted US companies heading into the month, with over half its shares sold short, per Bloomberg data. That number likely came down meaningfully in the short term thanks to the issuance of over 316 million shares as part of the aforementioned debt-for-equity-and-other-debt swap last week, which saw those who took the company up on its plans temporarily barred from transferring beneficial ownership or selling a large portion of the new shares.

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United Airlines rallies after Q4 earnings and Q1 profit guidance top estimates

Shares of United Airlines are rising after the bell on Tuesday, following the release of the carrier’s fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report.

United posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.10 in Q4, above the $2.92 per share expected by Wall Street analysts polled by Bloomberg. Sales of $15.4 billion were roughly in line with the consensus estimate.

The airline also:

  • Forecast full-year earnings per share between $12 and $14, bracketing Wall Street’s call for $13.04. For Q1, management sees EPS between $1.00 and $1.50, the midpoint of which is above the $1.16 expected by Wall Street.

  • Booked $13.93 billion in passenger revenue on the quarter, up nearly 5% year over year.

“Strong revenue momentum has continued into 2026,” according the company’s press release. “The week ending January 4th was the highest flown revenue week in United history, and the week ending January 11th was the highest ticketing week and the highest week for business sales in United history.”

UAL’s premium ticket revenue climbed 9% compared to a 7% increase in basic economy revenue. The “K-shaped economy” has become increasingly visible in travel trends at major US airlines. Last week, Delta’s revenue from first-class and business passengers eclipsed its main cabin revenue for the first time.

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POET Technologies nears multiyear high on strong call demand after flagship product wins award

POET Technologies is surging on heavy volumes and high call demand after announcing that it won a Product Innovation Award at China’s Infostone awards.

The honor went to the optical communications company’s flagship product, the Teralight, which uses light to move data between chips.

“Unveiled less than a year ago at the 2025 OFC Conference, POET Teralight has driven commercial interest in the Company because of its highly integrated design and complete optical system-on-chip architecture that simplifies module development,” per the press release.

This award may be the latest excuse to buy the stock, which is up over 40% year to date.

Call activity is elevated, with nearly 37,000 having changed hands as of 10:55 a.m. ET, well above the 20-day average of 28,030 for a full session. Shares are approaching their multi-year high of $9.41.

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