Today's Stock News: Latest Updates on Public Companies

Air mobility advances as partnerships accelerate commercialization

Joby (JOBY) finalized its deal with Virgin Atlantic to bring electric air taxi service to the UK, keeping investor focus on near‑term commercialization and regulatory milestones.

Vertical Aerospace (EVTL) signed a strategic agreement with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation to advance certification and regulatory frameworks for air mobility (read more).

Archer (ACHR) unveiled “Halo,” a commercial variant of its dual‑use autonomous VTOL platform developed with Anduril, signaling heightened competition and product diversification (details).

Big‑cap and financial results shaping market direction

AT&T (T) reported strong second‑quarter results, highlighting the payoff from investment‑led initiatives and keeping telecom investors focused on cash flow and capital allocation.

Charter (CHTR) rolled out Spectrum Mobile Unlimited Plus Premium, a consumer push that could pressure rivals on pricing and bundled offers—watch subscriber economics and ARPU trends.

TE Connectivity (TEL) delivered results above guidance with 14% sales growth and 19% EPS growth, reinforcing demand in industrial connectors and sensing markets (more).

Wabtec (WAB) raised full‑year revenue and adjusted EPS guidance after a strong quarter, suggesting rail and transit demand is supporting margin recovery (read).

CME Group (CME) posted resilient Q2 financials, underscoring stable trading volumes and the structural value of derivatives and clearing franchises (details).

AI infrastructure, enterprise software and strategic partnerships

Axe Compute (AGPU) said it secured over $1.3 billion in global AI infrastructure customer contracts, a major commercial milestone that signals sustained enterprise demand for large‑scale compute (more).

AMD (AMD) and Anthropic announced a strategic partnership to deploy up to 2 gigawatts of AMD Instinct MI450 series GPUs, a watershed commercial tie‑up for generative‑AI scale (details).

QumulusAI (QMLS) signed an $18 million, two‑year take‑or‑pay agreement for NVIDIA Blackwell B300 capacity with a marketplace partner, offering revenue visibility for an AI services vendor.

HPE (HPE) was selected for R&D projects under the U.S. DOE‑led Genesis mission to advance AI‑driven scientific discovery (read), reinforcing public‑sector demand for specialized infrastructure.

Infleqtion (INFQ) won three Genesis Mission projects from the U.S. DOE and separately plans to deploy a fault‑tolerant neutral‑atom quantum computer in Illinois. For investors, that ties quantum ambition to government funding and could accelerate commercialization timelines for next‑gen compute.

Zoom (ZM) unveiled Revenue Accelerator, AI that aims to move teams from insight to action—an enterprise sales enablement play that could boost recurring revenue if adoption is broad (read).

Instructure (INST) announced Project Athena, an AI study coach for Canvas that may broaden subscription revenue in ed‑tech.

Semiconductors, quantum and manufacturing capacity

HUHUTECH (HUHU) began construction on its fourth Arizona semiconductor facility, with the first three projects on track for completion before year‑end 2026—capacity builds remain central to supply‑chain and equipment demand (read).

The Infleqtion quantum deployment also nudges quantum computing into the operational pipeline, a development investors should track alongside classical capacity expansions and AI GPU deals.

Energy, storage and resource plays

ESS (GWH) and Juniper Energy signed for 500+ MWh of sodium‑ion deployments, underscoring interest in alternatives to lithium chemistry at grid scale (more).

ARRAY Technologies (ARRY) announced a 60‑degree solar tracker to improve resilience in extreme weather and project economics (details).

FTAI (FTAI) announced a $1.465 billion gas turbine generator set order through J&F Power Systems, a material backlog win that may underpin near‑term industrial revenue (more).

Highway Holdings (HIHO) signed an LOI to launch a majority‑owned energy storage venture with the owner of the WowTiger brand (details).

Biotech and pharma: approvals, launches and clinical updates

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) received FDA market authorization for its OTTAVA™ robotic surgical system, a med‑tech regulatory win that could recalibrate competition in surgical robotics.

BridgeBio (BBIO) said the FDA accepted the NDA for encaleret for ADH1, advancing a regulatory path that would add a commercial therapy to a pipeline‑driven biotech name.

Medtronic MiniMed (MMED) announced MiniMed Flex™ availability for Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, a reimbursement expansion that can materially broaden the addressable market for the device (details).

M&A, capital moves and corporate strategy

Repligen (RGEN) agreed to acquire BioLife Solutions, strengthening cell‑therapy supply chain exposure and recurring revenue prospects.

Royalty Pharma (RPRX) completed a royalty purchase tied to AstraZeneca’s cliramitug for up to $425 million, reflecting active monetization strategies across late‑stage biopharma (details).

Zhibao Technology (ZBAO) signed a non‑binding term sheet to receive approximately 3,500 bitcoins as consideration for a PIPE financing (read), a high‑volatility capital move that shifts valuation drivers.

Public listings, market moves and corporate notices

MicroVision (MVIS) announced a reverse split of common stock to support continued Nasdaq listing and long‑term strategy.

Empro Group (EMPG) announced receipt of a Nasdaq delisting determination notice, a material market‑access development that investors should watch (read).

DataMEDS (MEDS) began trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under MEDS, a fresh listing to watch for early liquidity and float dynamics (read).

Gambling.com Group (GAMB) rebranded as Grandstand, a corporate identity change that may accompany strategic shifts in product positioning and monetization.

Indexes, ETFs and market‑structure moves

Morningstar (MORN) launched the US Capital Allocation Leaders Index, offering exposure to companies with exemplary capital allocation practices—indexes like this can drive passive flows into shareholder‑friendly names.

Global X (CPTL) announced adoption of a new Morningstar index for fund enhancements (details), signaling product tweaks that may shift ETF weightings.

Financial services, consumer and mobility expansions

Root (ROOT) launched behavior‑based car insurance in New Jersey, expanding its footprint to 37 states (read).

UBS (UBS) expanded its Wealth Advice Center footprint with a new hub at 23Springs in Uptown Dallas, part of a broader push to grow advisory reach (more).

Whirlpool (WHR) will collaborate with GrowthLoop on a direct‑to‑consumer strategy, highlighting the ongoing shift by appliance makers to own customer relationships and margins.

Small‑cap, insider moves and secondary financing

• OKYO Pharma (OKYO) disclosed share purchases by its Chief Development Officer and a director, signaling insider conviction (details).
• China Pharma (CPHI) announced pricing of a $5 million registered direct offering—small raises that can extend runway for development programs (read).
• Norwood Financial (NWFL) released its second‑quarter results, an update investors will parse for margin and loan trends.

Security, defense and connectivity wins

Ondas (ONDS) secured $70 million in new orders across its autonomous defense and security platform—an operations‑scale contract that underlines defense spending tailwinds (read).

LightPath (LPTH) received $13 million in follow‑on optical assembly orders from a leading C‑UAS and defense supplier, reinforcing defense procurement demand for sensor optics (more).

Selected corporate and sector updates

• 5E Advanced Materials (FEAM) added new chemical offtake agreements for Fort Cady boric acid, expanding its offtake portfolio and supporting project cash flow (details).
• flyExclusive (FLYX) reported record Jet Club momentum as membership growth accelerates, reflecting demand in private aviation services (read).
• Strive (ASST) announced a Bitcoin stewardship commitment and initial support through Brink—an example of corporate treasury or branding aligning with crypto development (details).

Smaller but notable press and corporate moves

Artelo Biosciences (ARTL) highlighted an analysis claiming non‑prescription CBD products fell short of therapeutic efficacy and reiterated the case for its optimized ART12.11 composition.

Treasure Global (TGL) said subsidiary Tadaa Capital acquired Cigar Secret to build an AI‑powered lifestyle membership ecosystem (read).

What to watch through the session

E