Spotify, Sabra Health Care, Apollo Global Management, and Others Featured in CNBC's 'Final Trades'
Investment Insights: Jenny Van Leeuwen Harrington highlighted Sabra Health Care REIT's 6.3% dividend yield, supported by Wells Fargo's Overweight rating and a price target increase from $20 to $21.
Apollo Global Management: Kari Firestone selected Apollo Global Management as her final trade, with Morgan Stanley upgrading the stock from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raising the price target from $151 to $180.
ETF and Spotify Picks: Liz Thomas chose the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF, while Joseph M. Terranova expressed interest in buying Spotify, which reported strong Q3 earnings exceeding expectations.
Market Performance: On the trading day, Sabra Health Care shares fell 1.6%, Apollo Global Management rose 3.6%, the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF gained 1.4%, and Spotify jumped 3.4%.
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- MSG Sports Upgrade: Seaport upgraded Madison Square Garden Sports from neutral to buy, citing a significant 57.5% trading discount versus intrinsic value, suggesting a potential appreciation ahead of the 2025-26 season, particularly with plans to spin off the Knicks and Rangers into standalone entities.
- ServiceNow Downgrade: UBS downgraded ServiceNow from buy to neutral due to weakened confidence in the software sector, projecting a decline in 2026 free cash flow to 15x, reflecting increased budget pressures on non-AI applications that could impact future performance.
- Shake Shack Sales Growth: Mizuho upgraded Shake Shack from neutral to outperform, anticipating upside in same-store sales for Q1, driven by strong demand and improved restaurant-level margins, indicating robust market momentum and growth potential.
- Nvidia Strong Performance: Raymond James reiterated a strong buy rating on Nvidia, based on favorable trends in its Asia supply chain, with suppliers receiving increased forecasts during the quarter, reinforcing Nvidia's position as a market leader.

New Feature Announcement: Spotify has introduced a video control feature that allows users to manage video playback.
Accessibility Across Accounts: This feature is available to all users, including those with free, premium, and basic accounts.
- New Parental Controls: Spotify is introducing additional parental controls for all account types.
- Enhanced User Experience: These controls aim to provide a safer and more tailored listening experience for families.
- Strong User Growth: Spotify's fourth-quarter revenue rose 13% year-over-year to €4.5 billion, adding a record 38 million monthly active users, bringing the total to 751 million and surpassing management's guidance of 32 million, indicating robust user acquisition despite stock pullback.
- Profitability Improvement: The company expanded its fourth-quarter gross margin to 33.1%, an 83-basis-point increase from the previous year, demonstrating stronger profitability across both premium and ad-supported tiers, alleviating concerns about royalty payments capping profit potential.
- Valuation Pressure: Despite strong fundamentals, Spotify's stock has declined 17%, trading at a forward P/E ratio of about 33, reflecting high market expectations for continued revenue growth and margin expansion; however, management expects only 3 million new premium subscribers in Q1 2026, a significant drop from 9 million in Q4, which may impact market confidence.
- Increased Competitive Risks: Spotify faces intense competition from tech giants like Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon; while it currently leads the market, these companies can price their streaming services more aggressively as they do not rely on them for standalone profitability, increasing pressure on Spotify's market position.
- Record User Growth: Spotify added a record 38 million monthly active users in Q4, surpassing management's guidance of 32 million, bringing the total audience to 751 million, demonstrating the company's strong appeal amid fierce competition.
- Sustained Revenue Growth: The company's Q4 revenue rose 13% year-over-year to €4.5 billion, driven by an expanding user base and improved profitability, further solidifying its market leadership position.
- Improved Profitability: Spotify's gross margin expanded to 33.1% in Q4, an 83-basis-point increase from the previous year, indicating stronger profitability across both its premium subscribers and ad-supported free tier.
- Market Competition Pressure: Despite strong fundamentals, Spotify's stock faces pressure with a current P/E ratio of about 40, reflecting high market expectations for future growth, while competition from giants like Apple and Amazon poses significant market risks.
- Price Range Analysis: The ACWX ETF has a 52-week low of $49.33 and a high of $74.92, with the last trade at $72.21, indicating relative stability in a volatile market, which may attract investors seeking steady returns.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the current share price to the 200-day moving average can provide valuable insights for investors, helping them assess market trends and make more informed investment decisions.
- ETF Trading Mechanism: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting the fund's liquidity and market performance.
- Inflows and Outflows Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding helps identify ETFs with significant inflows or outflows, where inflows necessitate purchasing underlying assets, while outflows may lead to selling, affecting individual stock performance.










