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Southwest climbs to highest since 2022 on a double upgrade and 66% price target hike from JPMorgan

A rare double upgrade from JPMorgan has Southwest Airlines taking off on Friday morning, with shares up 4% shortly after the market opened.

The firm upgraded Southwest from “underweight” to “overweight” and hiked its price target from $36 to $60. According to analyst Jamie Baker, the potential for earnings-per-share guidance of $5 is “attractively probable” in 2026 — a figure that would “handily dwarf” the Wall Street consensus.

“Southwest possesses the industry’s deepest track record of profitability, an investment grade balance sheet, and a loyal customer base,” Baker wrote, adding that recent hiccups and slow adaptation is stabilizing, and revenue-driving initiatives like bag fees are “progressing as planned.”

Bag fees helped drive the airline to record third-quarter revenue in October. Later this month, the carrier will roll out assigned seating, which will open up new seating tier categories (and more premium ticket options).

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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