Investing.com — U.S. stocks were somewhat mixed on Friday just after midday. However, the S&P, Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average are on course for weekly gains. We have also seen some interesting moves by individual stock names.
Here are Investing.com’s stocks of the week.
Despite pulling back over the past two sessions, Oracle shares are still up significantly after an almost 36% surge on Wednesday.
The move was a result of the company’s latest earnings release, showcasing a strong AI pipeline.
Following the earnings release, which actually saw Oracle miss consensus estimates, analysts at Piper Sandler said the results “underscore [Oracle’s] AI momentum.”
“The transformation of ORCL from technology stalwart into a secular winner in AI infrastructure was on full display as contracted backlog surged by $317 billion in a single quarter with RPO rising to $455B with upside driven by four multi-billion dollar contracts with three different customers,” wrote the firm.
Oracle shares are up 26.3% in the last week.
Warner Bros. Discovery was another stock that surged after reports said that Paramount Skydance may bid for Warner Bros. Discovery next week.
WBD rallied close to 29% on Thursday, while it has added a further 17% so far on Friday.
Needham & Company said a potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by PSKY “makes sense for both strategic and economic reasons” and believes a deal can clear the threshold price required under WBD CEO David Zaslav’s contract.
“We think a deal can get done above $16.80 per WBD share, as per CEO David Zaslav’s employment contract,” added the firm.
WBD shares have rallied 59.4% in the last seven days.
Synopsys shares were an outlier in this list, plummeting 35.8% on Wednesday after its earnings, revenue, and guidance significantly disappointed investors.
The stock has declined 30.4% over the past week.
“Synopsys’ reported Q3 results below expectations largely due to a weaker IP business,” said Rosenblatt analyst Blair Abernethy. “With the lowered estimates and increased uncertainty, we are cutting our price target ~5% to $605 (was $650) and moving to a Neutral rating.”
UNH has gained around 14.5% in the last week, with the company having met with investors and analysts, reaffirming its adjusted 2025 earnings per share expectations that were previously disclosed on July 29, 2025.
It was also revealed that, based on UnitedHealth’s preliminary review of data regarding preliminary Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Advantage star ratings for Star Year 2026 and Payment Year 2027, it estimates approximately 78% of its membership will be in 4-star or higher plans.
