S&P 500 Eyes 14% Quarterly Gain as Cramer Flags $900 Applied Materials Target

Q: With Comcast spinning off NBCUniversal, which entertainment giant is most likely to acquire the new content powerhouse?

Amazon appears to be the most likely buyer of a spun-off NBCUniversal, based on the analyst commentary in the provided material. The logic is strategic rather than imminent. Comcast’s planned separation of NBCUniversal is being read by Wall Street as creating a cleaner, more easily acquired content company, even though Comcast executives have said the move is not a prelude to a sale and tax considerations likely make any deal unlikely in the next year or two. Among potential suitors, Amazon stands out because NBCUniversal would fit its media ambitions unusually well. NBCU would bring a deep film and TV library, Peacock, Sky, and especially premium sports rights including the NFL, NBA and Olympics. Those assets would strengthen Amazon’s push to become a larger force in streaming and live sports, where it has already been investing heavily through Prime Video and prior content deals such as MGM. Other major media buyers look less plausible. Disney and Paramount would face major regulatory and broadcast-ownership obstacles. Netflix is often seen as less interested in taking on large linear-TV assets such as NBC and cable networks. Fox also looks like a weaker fit strategically and financially. Private equity remains a wildcard, but that is a different category from an entertainment giant. So while any takeover remains speculative, the strongest candidate in the material provided is Amazon.

1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 30

U.S. stock futures were flat into June 30, with the S&P 500 up nearly 14% for the quarter and the Nasdaq almost 20%—both on track for their best quarter since Q2 2020.
Cramer’s watchlist centered on fresh analyst calls, including Susquehanna lifting Applied Materials to a $900 target from $575, Lam Research to $475, and Wells Fargo raising AMD to $615 from $505.
Comcast rose again after Deutsche Bank upgraded it to buy, arguing the planned NBCUniversal spin-off could unlock value; shares had already jumped 4.5% on the news and were up another 2.5% early Tuesday.
AeroVironment surged more than 30% after a revenue beat driven by drones, while airlines won price-target hikes as lower fuel costs followed the return of crude traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The list also highlighted pressure points ahead of earnings, with Logitech downgraded on weakening demand and higher memory costs, and Otis hit with a short-term sell call over doubts about full-year guidance.