HCWC News & Events

The major averages finished the first day of the first full trading week of the new year broadly higher as energy and defense stocks were among the leaders after a dramatic weekend in geopolitics. The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and traders appear to be pricing in potential long-term implications for U.S. oil access and defense spending, even as oil prices themselves have been mixed.The geopolitical shock has added a dose of uncertainty, but did not trigger any type of broad market panic. Instead, some investors are seeing it as a catalyst for sector rotation. Precious metals continue drawing interest, with gold climbing nearly 3% towards a record high, reflecting traditional haven demand as geopolitical risk re-enters the picture.At the same time, traders may have been looking past this weekend's developments toward a busy week of economic data, including employment and manufacturing reports that could reshape the outlook for Federal Reserve policy in 2026.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Shares of oil majors Chevron, Halliburton, Exxon Mobil, and Baker Hugheswere rising af the U.S. is expected to bein Venezuela's oilVersanthasfrom Comcastand has commenced trading on NasdaqNovo Nordisk'sWegovy pill isQXOannounced a $1.2B convertibleled by Apollo GlobalToyotareported Q4 North America2. WALL STREET CALLS:IBMto Buy from Hold at JefferiesFortiveto Underperform from Outperform at MizuhoCostcoto Outperform at MizuhoAdobeto Hold at JefferiesDuolingoto Buy at BofA on underappreciated entertainment value3. AROUND THE WEB:Omnicomis working with Googleto create a new agent, Digiday reportsSamsungplans to double the number of mobile devices it produces with the "Galaxy AI" feature, which is powered by Google'sGemini, Reuters saysLondon is set to become the first city where both U.S. and Chinese robotaxis operate, as Waymoand Baiduprepare to launch their robotaxis in the city in 2026, FT reportsCiscois in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity company Axonius for $2B, CTech reportsPalo Alto Networksis in talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Koi for $400M, CTech reports4. MOVERS:GH Researchincreases after U.S. FDAon its Investigational New Drug Application for GH001Altimmunegains after receiving the U.S. FDAfor pemvidutideKosmoshigher afterZenas BioPharmalower after announcing its Phase 3met its primary endpointOmnicomfalls after BofAthe stock to Underperform5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCEAmpliTech Groupfor FY25 and FY26Healthy Choice WellnessCrineticsreported Q4 PALSONIFY U.S.Commercial Metalson January 8, 2026PriceSmarton January 7, 2026INDEXES:The Dow rose 594.79, or 1.23%, to 48,977.18, the Nasdaq gained 160.19, or 0.69%, to 23,395.82, and the S&P 500 advanced 43.58, or 0.64%, to 6,902.05.

The major averages were broadly higher near noon as the markets begin their first full trading week of the year. Energy and defense stocks have been among the early leaders after a dramatic weekend in geopolitics. The United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and traders appear to be pricing in potential long-term implications for U.S. oil access and defense spending, even as oil prices themselves have been mixed.The geopolitical shock has added a dose of uncertainty but has not triggered broad market panic. Instead, some investors are seeing it as a catalyst for sector rotation. Major U.S. oil companies and energy services firms are outperforming, while safe-haven assets like gold have jumped to multi-week highs as uncertainty rises. Precious metals are drawing renewed interest, with gold climbing nearly 3% towards a record high, reflecting traditional haven demand as geopolitical risk reenters the market picture.At the same time, the U.S. dollar has strengthened against major currencies as traders look past weekend developments toward a busy week of economic data including employment and manufacturing reports that could reshape the outlook for Federal Reserve policy in 2026.Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Shares of oil majors Chevron, Halliburton, Exxon Mobil, and Baker Hugheswere rising af the U.S. is expected to bein Venezuela's oilVersanthasfrom Comcastand has commenced trading on NasdaqNovo Nordisk'sWegovy pill is nowQXOannounced a $1.2B convertibleled by Apollo GlobalToyotareported Q4 North America2. WALL STREET CALLS:IBMto Buy from Hold at JefferiesFortiveto Underperform from Outperform at MizuhoCostcoto Outperform at MizuhoAdobeto Hold at JefferiesDuolingoto Buy at BofA on underappreciated entertainment value3. AROUND THE WEB:Australia's BlueScope Steelsaid on Monday it received an $8.78B takeover proposal from an investor group comprising billionaire Kerry Stokes-owned SGH and Steel Dynamics, Reuters reportsSamsungplans to double the number of mobile devices it produces with the "Galaxy AI" feature, which is powered by Google'sGemini, Reuters saysLondon is set to become the first city where both U.S. and Chinese robotaxis operate, as Waymoand Baiduprepare to launch their robotaxis in the city in 2026, FT reportsCiscois in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity company Axonius for $2B, CTech reportsPalo Alto Networksis in talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity startup Koi for $400M, CTech reports4. MOVERS:GH Researchincreases after U.S. FDAon its Investigational New Drug Application for GH001Altimmunegains after receiving the U.S. FDAfor pemvidutideKosmoshigher afterZenas BioPharmalower after announcing its Phase 3met its primary endpointOmnicom (OMC) falls after BofAthe stock to Underperform5. EARNINGS/GUIDANCEAmpliTech Groupfor FY25 and FY26Healthy Choice WellnessCrineticsPALSONIFY U.S. preliminary net product revenueCommercial Metalson January 8, 2026PriceSmarton January 7, 2026INDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was up 1.50%, or 725.13, to 49,107.52, the Nasdaq was up 0.91%, or 211.90, to 23,447.53, and the S&P 500 was up 0.85%, or 58.33, to 6,916.80.

The Company generated approximately $30 million in gross profit for the full year. This represents an annual gross profit increase of roughly $3.5 million over the prior year. HCWC successfully managed and optimized 19 natural and organic grocery locations across six states, leveraging economies of scale to drive gross margin improvement. Full-year 2025 gross margin percentage amounted to approximately 39%. Jeffrey Holman, CEO and Chairman of Healthy Choice Wellness Corp., stated: "2025 was a transformative year for HCWC. Achieving record sales and significant gross margin expansion validates our fundamental thesis: that there is a massive, underserved market for high-quality, organic nutrition delivered through a disciplined, local-first operational model. Our 13% annual revenue growth is a direct result of our ability to integrate acquisitions effectively while maintaining the authentic connection our stores have with their communities. Looking ahead to 2026, we remain aggressively focused on our 'Buy and Build' strategy. With a strengthened balance sheet and proven operational efficiencies, we are well-positioned to capitalize on a rich pipeline of acquisition opportunities. We are confident that our strategic roadmap will continue to drive compounding value for our shareholders as we scale our footprint across the United States."

Jeffrey Holman, Chief Executive Officer of HCWC, expressed his enthusiasm about the company's outstanding performance in the first quarter. "Our revenue has reached $20.3 million, setting a new record for the first quarter. This impressive growth has been largely fueled by the completion of the successful acquisitions throughout the past couple of years and has been complemented by same store sales increases as well as ongoing growth of our co-op vendor programs throughout all 19 stores . Additionally, our gross profit has soared to nearly $8 million, thanks in part to improvement in buying efficiencies, resulting in lower shrinkage and spoilage. We are steadfast in our commitment to our expansion strategy and are optimistic about achieving another year of robust growth. Our focus remains on leveraging synergies across our brands to drive continued bottom-line profitability. These efforts are central to our mission of delivering sustained value to our shareholders."