Hot or Not, Stock Market Edition: 02/28/2025

Nvidia (NVDA) isn’t the only stock making waves in the market right now. Here’s what we’re following: 

• HOT: Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN) smashes 4th quarter earnings; General Motors (NYSE: GM) gets love from investors on dividend news 
• NOT: Bad news for the home of the Bloomin’ Onion, Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ: BLMN); Advanced Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) falls after a big earnings loss 

📈 Want more? Check out the biggest winners and biggest losers on WSZ. 

🔥 HOT: Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN) smashed its fourth-quarter earnings expectations, reporting a profit of $1.90 per share, 24.8% higher than the consensus estimate of $1.52. The company’s fourth-quarter profit of $34 million shows significant growth over the same quarter last year when its profit was just $2.8 million. The company said that its growth was due to a 19% uptick in its throughput for its consulting services and an 8.6% increase in its digital bandwidth. We agree with the bull case for HURN and feel that its solid balance sheets, good word of mouth, and recent momentum make it a solid Buy. We give HURN a B Zen Rating.

🥶 NOT: Shares of Advanced Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) fell by 17.8% on Wednesday after the company reported its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024. The company’s loss for the quarter was $6.92 per share, nearly six times the $1.26 loss the market had priced in. The company also said that it expects same-store sales to decline by around 2% through the first quarter of 2025. AAP is down 20.4% YTD and has lost 38.1% over the last year. We don’t see much cause for optimism given the company’s grim earnings call and give the stock a D Zen Rating and a Sell recommendation.

🔥 HOT: Shares of General Motors (NYSE: GM) gained 3.6% on Wednesday after the company announced that it was increasing its dividend by $0.03 per share, bringing it to $0.15 per share per quarter. The move is a signal to investors that the company is confident in its ability to continue turning a profit even amidst the uncertainty of President Trump’s potential tariffs. We like GM and give it a B Zen Rating and a Buy recommendation. We feel that the company’s recent performance — gaining 22.3% over the last year — combined with its strong financials and stability make it a solid pick for virtually any portfolio.

🥶 NOT: Owner of Outback Steakhouse, Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ: BLMN), fell by 16.8% after its most recent earnings report revealed that the company missed its revenue projections for the sixth straight quarter. The company’s CEO, Mike Spanos, attributes the company’s recent struggles to lower-income families tightening their belts due to macroeconomic uncertainty. BLMN is down 64.8% over the last year and lacks the growth potential and momentum to make any big moves in the near term. We give BLMN a D Zen Rating and a Sell recommendation.

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