Stock Futures Flat, Morgan Stanley Up 2%
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 15 2026
0mins
Should l Buy SNAP?
Stock futures are essentially flat this morning. There are renewed signals that the U.S.-Iran talks could resume within days, and even tentative reports of a ceasefire extension. This has kept oil capped below the recent highs and prevented another spike in inflation expectations, even though the broader conflict remains unresolved.Equities seem to have stabilized near recent highs with the S&P 500 approaching record territory and the Nasdaq continuing to show relative strength. At the same time, the focus is rotating back toward fundamentals. Earnings season is now front and center, and early results from major banks like Bank of America and Morgan Stanley have been supported by elevated trading activity and resilient consumer balance sheets. This is the first real stretch where earnings are competing with geopolitics as a primary market driver.Recent producer price data came in softer than expected, suggesting that outside of energy, inflation pressures may be easing. That gives the Federal Reserve a bit more flexibility, even if oil remains an overhang. Oil prices are still elevated relative to pre-war levels.In pre-market trading, S&P 500 futures rose 0.08%, Nasdaq futures rose 0.02% and Dow futures rose 0.08%.Check out this morning's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.HIGHER -Snapup 7% after announcing changes that will impact approximately 1,000 team members, including 16% of full time employees, in addition to closing more than 300 open roles.Broadcomup 2% after reporting the company will deliver technology supporting MetaTraining and Inference Accelerator chips, with plans to extend through 2029UP AFTER EARNINGS -Morgan Stanleyup 2%Bank of Americaup 1%PNC Financialup 1%First Horizonup 1%DOWN AFTER EARNINGS -Progressivedown 1%M&T Bankdown 1%LOWER -BRP Inc.down 26% after suspending its FY27 guidance following the recent amendment of Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper imports into the U.SSolarEdgedown 3% after Goldman Sachs downgraded shares to Sell with a price target of $31, down from $36
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Analyst Views on SNAP
Wall Street analysts forecast SNAP stock price to rise
28 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
24 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 5.980
Low
7.00
Averages
9.57
High
13.00
Current: 5.980
Low
7.00
Averages
9.57
High
13.00
About SNAP
Snap Inc. is a technology company. Its flagship product, Snapchat, is a visual messaging application that enhances relationships with friends, family, and the world. Snapchat is the Company's core mobile device application and contains five tabs, complemented by additional tools that function outside the application. Snapchatters can interact with any or all the five tabs. Additionally, it offers Snapchat+, its subscription product that provides subscribers access to exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features. Snapchat+ offers a range of features, from allowing Snapchatters to customize the look and feel of their application, to giving special insights into their friendships. The Company also offers Snapchat for Web, a browser-based product that brings Snapchats calling and messaging capabilities to the Web. Its advertising products include AR Ads and Snap Ads. Snap Ads include Single Image or Video Ads, Story Ads, Collection Ads, Dynamic Ads, Commercials, and Sponsored Snaps.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Share Expansion: Morgan Stanley estimated DoorDash's online grocery and retail gross order value reached $4.1 billion in Q1, growing 32% year-over-year, while Uber's stood at $3.5 billion, up 40%, showcasing rapid expansion for both companies in the market.
- Revenue Forecast Increase: Morgan Stanley raised DoorDash's price target to $275, implying a 48% upside from its current price of $167.97, while projecting a 2027 adjusted EBITDA of $4.806 billion, reflecting strong profitability expectations.
- Competitive Landscape Analysis: Instacart's gross order value of $10.3 billion, despite only a 13% growth, dwarfs both DoorDash and Uber, with Morgan Stanley highlighting Amazon's
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See More
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- Market Share Expansion: Morgan Stanley estimated DoorDash's online grocery and retail gross order value reached $4.1 billion in Q1, growing 32% year-over-year, while Uber's stood at $3.5 billion, up 40%, showcasing rapid expansion for both companies in the market.
- Revenue Forecast Increase: Morgan Stanley raised DoorDash's price target to $275, implying a 48% upside from its current price of $167.97, while projecting a 2027 adjusted EBITDA of $4.806 billion, reflecting strong profitability expectations.
- Competitive Landscape Analysis: Instacart's gross order value of $10.3 billion, despite only a 13% growth, dwarfs both DoorDash and Uber, with Morgan Stanley highlighting Amazon's
See More
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- Settlement Review: A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has declined to expedite the approval of a $1.5 million settlement between Elon Musk and the SEC, requiring more comprehensive information to assess the agreement's fairness and its implications for public interest.
- Lawsuit Background: The SEC accused Musk of failing to timely disclose his 5% stake acquisition in Twitter in 2022, which allegedly allowed him to save approximately $150 million by purchasing shares at lower prices before revealing his 9.2% stake in April 2022.
- Judge's Concerns: Judge Sooknanan emphasized her role in ensuring the settlement is not tainted by improper collusion or corruption, ordering both the SEC and Musk's legal team to appear in court on May 13 to propose a timeline for justifying the agreement's fairness and transparency.
- Political Motivation Controversy: Musk has characterized the legal action as politically motivated, arguing that the delayed filing was an inadvertent error, reflecting the SEC's shift in enforcement priorities under current Chairman Paul Atkins.
See More
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- Strong User Base: Snap Inc reported 483 million daily active users in Q1, indicating a substantial user base; however, the company failed to translate this into expected advertising revenue, highlighting its vulnerability in market competition.
- Declining Ad Spend: Due to macroeconomic factors and advertisers' cautious spending, Snap faces pressure on advertising revenue, resulting in market share erosion to competitors like Google and Facebook, which negatively impacts the company's financial performance.
- Young User Demographic: Over 40% of Snap's users are aged 18 to 25, and while this demographic is highly active, the company has struggled to effectively convert these users into a stable revenue source, reflecting challenges in its business model.
- Turnaround Strategy Under Scrutiny: Despite Snap's potential in its user base, execution missteps and macroeconomic fluctuations over the past 18 months have put its turnaround strategy to the test, making the next 24 months critical for its performance.
See More
Midday Stock Movements of Major Companies
- Planet Fitness Earnings Downgrade: Planet Fitness shares fell nearly 33% after the gym operator lowered its full-year earnings outlook, now projecting only a 4% year-over-year growth, down from a previous forecast of 9%-10%, which negatively impacts market confidence.
- Vital Farms Surprise Loss: Vital Farms, the egg producer, dropped 20% following a surprise loss of 3 cents per share in Q1, against analyst expectations of a 6-cent profit, and the company also cut its full-year earnings outlook, indicating increasing industry pressures.
- Datadog Exceeds Expectations: Datadog shares surged 28% after reporting Q1 earnings of 61 cents per share, surpassing the 51-cent consensus, with Q2 revenue guidance between $1.07 billion and $1.08 billion, reflecting strong market demand.
- AAON Revenue Surge: AAON, the air conditioning and heating equipment manufacturer, saw its shares soar 40% after Q1 earnings, EBITDA, and revenue all exceeded Wall Street estimates, raising its full-year revenue guidance by as much as 45%, showcasing robust growth potential.
See More
Fast Food Giants Show Mixed Earnings Results
- Shake Shack's Poor Performance: Shake Shack reported first-quarter revenue of $366.7 million, falling short of the $372 million consensus estimate, leading to a 17% drop in shares and an operating loss of $2.6 million, highlighting pressures in the competitive fast-food market.
- McDonald's Beats Expectations: McDonald's posted adjusted earnings of $2.83 per share for the first quarter, exceeding the $2.74 expected by analysts, with revenue of $6.52 billion slightly above the $6.47 billion consensus, resulting in a 3.2% increase in shares, reflecting strong market performance.
- Whirlpool Cuts Guidance: Whirlpool lowered its full-year adjusted earnings forecast to a range of $3 to $3.50 per share on revenue of approximately $15 billion, down from previous guidance of $6 per share and $15.3 billion to $15.6 billion, causing an 18% drop in shares and indicating industry challenges.
- DoorDash's Optimistic Guidance: DoorDash anticipates second-quarter marketplace gross order value between $32.4 billion and $33.4 billion, surpassing the $32.43 billion expected by analysts, with first-quarter earnings of $0.42 per share exceeding the $0.36 forecast, leading to a 10% rise in shares and showcasing growth potential.
See More
U.S. Futures Near All-Time Highs Amid Oil Price Retreat
- Oil Price Retreat: Oil prices have fallen below $100 a barrel as the U.S. and Iran edge toward a limited peace agreement, potentially normalizing crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, which could lift global stocks to record highs.
- Stable Job Market: U.S. private payrolls rose by 109,000 jobs in April, marking the largest increase in 15 months, indicating continued labor market stability despite heightened global tensions, which boosts investor confidence in the economy.
- Fed Policy Expectations: Traders are betting that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady through the end of the year due to signs of a resilient labor market and elevated energy prices, a stark shift from earlier expectations of rate cuts before the conflict.
- Significant Stock Movements: Snap tumbled 10% in premarket trading after reporting that its Q1 advertising revenue was impacted by the Middle East conflict, while Whirlpool slumped 16.6% after missing sales estimates and suspending its dividend, reflecting growing concerns over individual company performance.
See More
