Friday’s Insider Trades: Top Buys and Sells in US Stocks Revealed

Investing.com -- RBC Capital Markets started coverage of Comcast Corp with a Sector Perform rating and $38 price target, saying company’s solid execution has not been able to offset intense competitive pressures in broadband. The brokerage also said there was a lack of near-term growth drivers.

Comcast faces challenges from fiber and fixed wireless providers that continue to take market share, putting pressure on subscriber numbers and pricing.

“Our residential broadband subscriber estimates imply annual declines through 2030 and an internet penetration decline of 7 points through 2030,” the analysts wrote.

RBC’s $38 price target assumes largely flat profit margins over the next several years. Shares are down 3.9% at $32 in Monday premarket trading.

Comcast has recently adjusted pricing to better defend its position, but said the expansion of rivals’ networks will remain a “significant challenge” as promotional deals expire and consumers weigh alternatives.

A survey found only 32% of Comcast broadband users considered cable the preferred technology, compared with 33% for fiber and 18% for fixed wireless.

While RBC called Comcast’s network strategy efficient, it flagged longer-term risks tied to the company’s reliance on the DOCSIS upgrade path and the potential need for more costly fiber deployments if competition intensifies.

There is also the issue with financial discipline, given a leverage ratio below 2.5 times. But analysts said management has opted for a cautious stance on share buybacks given revenue and profit headwinds.

“Risk-reward profile appears favorable, but we see few near-term catalysts,” RBC said, adding that limited visibility on subscriber trends is likely to prevent a re-rating of the stock in the near future.

Investing.com -- Mizuho Securities cut its price target on Adobe to $460 from $530 but kept an Outperform rating, arguing that despite persistent investor skepticism, the company’s enterprise business looks healthy and valuation compelling.

The brokerage firm expects Adobe to report fiscal third-quarter results Thursday, with “modest upside to total revenue, slight Digital Media annual recurring revenue (ARR) upside," and to reiterate full-year 2025 (FY25) ARR guidance of 11% year-over-year constant currency.

Analyst Gregg Moskowitz said enterprise checks came in strong, particularly in large-deal activity that should lift remaining performance obligations (RPOs), though web traffic trends remain soft.

Negative investor sentiment, he added, continues to be tied to “ongoing concerns around competitive intensity, and the pace of AI monetization.”

Mizuho’s data showed Adobe’s web traffic declined 3% year-over-year for a second straight quarter, though unique visitors rose 3%. Including a currency tailwind, analysts see some revenue upside versus Wall Street’s $5.9 billion forecast, which implies about 9% growth.

Moskowitz emphasized that Adobe is starting to “meaningfully monetize its Generative AI innovations,” supported by recent price increases across Creative Cloud tiers. Firefly adoption has been strong, generating more than 24 billion assets since launch, with paid subscriptions nearly doubling last quarter.

The combined ARR from standalone and add-on AI products is already tracking ahead of the company’s $250 million target for FY25.

On the valuation front, Moskowitz said Adobe is valued at just 14 times estimated 2026 free cash flow (FCF), a steep discount to the broader enterprise software group. "We find valuation very attractive," he wrote.

While risks from heightened competition and potential macro pressures persist, Moskowitz argues that Adobe’s breadth of AI monetization — spanning Firefly premium plans, Acrobat AI Assistant, and enterprise services — remains underappreciated and “should become more apparent" in the second half of the year. 

Mizuho’s base case assumes modest Firefly monetization in fiscal 2025–26, with the $460 price target reflecting updated discounted cash flow analysis and multiples of 21x and 18–19x forward FCF.

Its bull case valuation stands at $550, while a bear case scenario could push shares down to $300.

Despite negative sentiment and intense competition, Moskowitz said Adobe’s ability to grow double digits at scale with stable margins supports its view.

“The market treatment of the stock right now is overly punitive, in our view,” the analyst added.

Investing.com -- UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) stock rose 2.3% after the healthcare giant reaffirmed its previously disclosed 2025 earnings outlook during investor meetings scheduled for this week.

The company disclosed in an SEC filing that senior leaders will be meeting with investors and analysts between September 8-10, during which they plan to stand by the adjusted earnings per share expectations that were initially shared on July 29.

UnitedHealth noted that its outlook factors in the acquisition of Amedisys, which closed in August 2025. The company expects this acquisition to be "modestly dilutive" to adjusted earnings per share due to financing costs and integration-related investments.

The meetings with investors may also include discussions about UnitedHealth’s strategy, market positions, and recent results that have been previously disclosed, according to the filing.

The positive market reaction suggests investors are encouraged by the company’s confidence in maintaining its earnings guidance despite the short-term financial impact of the Amedisys acquisition.

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Investing.com – Saudi Arabia stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Energy & Utilities, Agriculture & Food and Real Estate Development sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Saudi Arabia, the Tadawul All Share lost 0.91% to hit a new 52-week low.

The best performers of the session on the Tadawul All Share were Lazurde for Jewelry Co (TADAWUL:4011), which rose 6.11% or 0.75 points to trade at 13.02 at the close. Meanwhile, Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Company CJSC (TADAWUL:1322) added 3.69% or 2.35 points to end at 65.95 and Ataa Educational Co (TADAWUL:4292) was up 3.46% or 2.15 points to 64.30 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Thimar Development Holding Co (TADAWUL:4160), which fell 9.97% or 4.99 points to trade at 45.06 at the close. Saudi Real Estate Co. (TADAWUL:4020) declined 6.20% or 1.09 points to end at 16.49 and Saudi Cable Company (TADAWUL:2110) was down 5.50% or 8.20 points to 141.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Saudi Arabia Stock Exchange by 256 to 87 and 20 ended unchanged.

Shares in Saudi Real Estate Co. (TADAWUL:4020) fell to 52-week lows; down 6.20% or 1.09 to 16.49.

Crude oil for October delivery was up 2.00% or 1.24 to $63.11 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in November rose 2.03% or 1.33 to hit $66.83 a barrel, while the December Gold Futures contract rose 0.17% or 6.10 to trade at $3,659.40 a troy ounce.

EUR/SAR was unchanged 0.11% to 4.40, while USD/SAR unchanged 0.00% to 3.75.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.16% at 97.57.

Investing.com -- Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Oracle to $246 from $175 ahead of the company’s earnings and analyst day this week, citing strong momentum in its artificial intelligence infrastructure business and expectations for higher long-term revenue.

The bank maintained an Equal-weight rating on the shares.

Analysts said Oracle’s fiscal 2029 (FY29) revenue target could be lifted from $104 billion to about $125 billion at the upcoming analyst day on September 12, supported by recent contract wins and surging backlog growth. Morgan Stanley’s revised model embeds a revenue compound annual growth rate of more than 20% through FY29.

In fiscal fourth-quarter 2025, Oracle projected more than 100% growth in remaining performance obligations (RPOs), implying a backlog of roughly $280 billion by fiscal 2026.

Shortly after, the company announced a $30 billion annualized contract, “presumably with OpenAI – which likely underpins the majority of management’s bullish bookings expectations,” analyst Keith Weiss wrote.

While top-line growth prospects have improved, Weiss flagged uncertainty around profitability. Oracle refrained from reiterating its 45%-plus operating margin target for fiscal 2026, with Morgan Stanley now forecasting FY29 margins at about 39%.

The bank’s revised model suggests earnings per share in 2029 of $11.50 to $12.00, compared with the consensus of $12.29.

“Assuming a MSFT-type multiple and an 8.7% WACC, the upside has largely been priced in,” Weiss said.

He also flagged risks tied to customer concentration. Morgan Stanley’s base case assumes that OpenAI could account for roughly 30% of Oracle’s 2029 revenue, making results heavily reliant on the pace and durability of AI infrastructure demand.

The Wall Street firm sees Oracle’s base case supporting the new $246 target, with a bull scenario pointing to $347 if revenue rises toward $135 billion and margins hold above 40%, but a bear case of $147 if growth underwhelms and margins compress.

Oracle is set to release fiscal first-quarter results after Tuesday’s close, with Wall Street forecasting earnings of $1.48 per share on sales of $15.04 billion, up 6% and 13% from a year earlier.

The stock has been one of the strongest performers in the software sector, advancing about 40% since the start of the year and more than 60% over the past 12 months, far outpacing the broader large-cap software group.