Stock Market Shifts: Winners and Losers of the Week

The stock market had a mixed week, with some companies seeing significant gains while others struggled. Cava Group, a fast-casual restaurant chain, saw its shares jump by over 4% after receiving a positive rating from JPMorgan analysts. This upgrade came with a price target of $110, suggesting that the stock has room to grow despite losing over 40% of its value since December. The analysts believe that Cava has plenty of room to expand its locations, potentially reaching well beyond its goal of 1, 000 locations by 2032. This optimism is not shared by all analysts, as the consensus price target is slightly higher at about $126, which is still below the stock's December high. Jabil, a circuit board maker, reported better-than-expected earnings and issued an upbeat outlook, leading to a surge in its shares. The company's adjusted earnings per share and revenue exceeded analyst expectations, driven by strong demand in capital equipment, cloud and data center infrastructure, and digital commerce. Jabil's CEO highlighted the company's success in these areas and projected continued growth for the current and full fiscal year. The company's shares were up 3% in afternoon trading and had inched back into positive territory for 2025. On the other hand, Nvidia faced mounting economic concerns that threatened to derail its AI trade, putting the stock on track for its worst quarter since 2022. Nvidia's shares were down about 12. 5% since the start of the quarter, marking the stock's worst performance since the third quarter of 2022. This decline was driven by geopolitical tensions, overspending on AI infrastructure, and a flash crash of U. S. tech stocks. Despite these challenges, Nvidia remains one of the most important companies in the world, thanks to the AI craze sparked by ChatGPT. Microchip Technology, a struggling semiconductor firm, announced plans to sell its Fab 2 wafer fabrication plant in Arizona and launched a $1. 35 billion convertible stock offering. The company's decision to offload the Tempe facility is part of its ongoing restructuring efforts to resize its manufacturing footprint. Microchip Technology has been hurt by falling demand, with third-quarter fiscal 2025 net sales tumbling 42% year-over-year. The company's shares were down about 5% Thursday afternoon and have lost more than 40% of their value over the last year. Tesla faced a "brand tornado crisis" due to a political backlash from CEO Elon Musk's work with the Department of Government Efficiency. Analysts at Wedbush Securities suggested that Musk needs to balance his role with the DOGE and his duties as Tesla CEO to prevent permanent brand damage. They also recommended that Musk provide investors with a roadmap and timing for the lower-cost EVs and details on the rollout of unsupervised full self-driving. Tesla shares have lost about half their value since hitting a record high in December, and the company has seen its sales slow in the U. S. , China, and Europe. Darden Restaurants, the parent of Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, saw its shares surge after its CEO reported that consumers are still spending at its establishments. Despite weaker-than-expected third-quarter sales, Darden's same-restaurant sales rose 0. 7% overall, with gains at both Olive Garden and LongHorn. The company kept most of its full-year outlook intact and is expanding its partnership with Uber, launching a pilot program of Uber Eats deliveries from 10 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen locations. Five Below, a discount retailer, posted better-than-expected results and issued a rosy outlook, leading to a surge in its shares. The company's fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share and net sales exceeded forecasts, driven by a successful holiday sales strategy and plans to open more locations. Despite today’s roughly 7% gain, shares of Five Below have sunk more than 60% over the past year. Accenture, a professional services firm, saw its shares fall sharply after reporting higher revenue but lower profit than analysts expected. The company's earnings per share and revenue exceeded expectations, but concerns about the company's growth prospects amid an economic slowdown and government spending cuts weighed on the stock. Accenture's shares have lost more than 20% over the past 12 months. Boeing shares turned in their best one-day performance in nearly two years after bullish remarks from the plane maker’s chief financial officer, news of a new aircraft order, and a favorable deliveries outlook from analysts. The stock gained nearly 7% Wednesday, leading advancers on both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average. Despite this surge, Boeing shares were down slightly in premarket trading Thursday at around $172.