Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (Jan. 26 to Jan. 30) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, AI buzz, and corporate news flow.
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), spanning AI, software, data center, storage, semiconductor, social media, tech, and insurance, reflected diverse investor interests.
Microsoft
- MSFT news this week centered on its fiscal second-quarter earnings release on Jan. 28. The company reported strong results, with revenue of $81.27 billion (beating expectations), EPS of $4.14 adjusted, and Microsoft Cloud revenue surpassing $50 billion for the first time, driven by robust Azure growth (around 38-39%) and AI demand. However, investors focused on a massive $37.5 billion in capital expenditures, sparking concerns over margin pressure, sustainability of heavy spending, and slower-than-hoped cloud acceleration.
- Despite all the negative sentiment this week, some retail investors were still optimistic about MSFT’s growth.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $344.79 to $555.45, trading around $433 to $435 per share, as of the publication of this article. It rose 4.46% over the year and declined by 15.54% over the last six months.
- The stock had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid quality ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
SanDisk
- SNDK revolved around its fiscal second quarter earnings reported after market close on Jan. 29. The company delivered a massive beat, with adjusted EPS of $6.20, far exceeding estimates around $3.49–$3.62 on the revenue of $3.03 billion, up 61% year-over-year and beating ~$2.67–$2.69 billion in expectations. It was driven by explosive AI-fueled demand for data center storage—data center sales jumped 76% YoY and 64% sequentially to $440 million amid NAND supply constraints and pricing power. The company also extended its Yokkaichi joint venture with Kioxia through 2034.
- Some retail investors said MSFT should be replaced by SNDK within the Magnificent 7 stocks after its stellar rally.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $27.90 to $546.75, trading around $539 to $546 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 1,398.06% over the year and 1,142.91% in the last six months.
- The stock had a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long term, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Meta Platforms
- META news centered on its fourth-quarter earnings release. The company delivered a strong beat with revenue of $59.89 billion and adjusted EPS of $8.88, fueled by robust advertising demand, holiday momentum, and early AI-driven performance gains in ads and user engagement. Guidance impressed with first-quarter 2026 revenue projected at $53.5–$56.5 billion, with full-year 2026 expenses $162–$169 billion and capital expenditures sharply higher at $115–$135 billion.
- Some retail investors regretted missing the upside in META this week.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $479.80 to $796.25, trading around $730 to $739 per share, as of the publication of this article. It returned 7.47% over the year and 6.20% in the last six months.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that the stock had a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate value score.
Apple
- AAPL delivered a blockbuster beat with record revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16% YoY, surpassing estimates around $138–$139 billion and diluted EPS of $2.84, propelled by unprecedented iPhone demand that set records across every geographic segment. Services growth remained solid, active installed base crossed 2.5 billion, and guidance impressed with March quarter revenue expected up 13–16% YoY and gross margins in the 48–49% range. Apple unveiled a second-generation AirTag with expanded range, a louder speaker, and improved Precision Finding. –
- Some retail investors were mocking Apple for decoratively stating their iPhone sales numbers.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $169.21 to $288.61, trading around $258 to $260 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up by 8.71% over the year and 23.55% over the last six months.
- It maintains a stronger price trend over the long term but a weak trend in the short and medium terms, with a solid quality score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
UnitedHealth
- UNH was dominated by its full-year and fourth-quarter earnings release, combined with a restrictive Medicare Advantage proposal this week. The company reported full-year 2025 revenues of $447.6 billion, adjusted EPS of $16.35, but fourth quarter results were mixed with revenue of $113.22 billion and adjusted EPS of $2.11. This followed a Jan. 26 proposal for a near-flat 0.09% net Medicare Advantage rate increase for 2027. The combo triggered a massive sell-off.
- Retail investors were still hoping for a bounce-back in UNH calls.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $234.60 to $606.36, trading around $291 to $293 per share, as of the publication of this article. It dropped by 46.42% over the year and up 9.87% over the last six months.
- According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, it was maintaining a weaker price trend over short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate value ranking.
Retail focus blended meme-driven narrative with earnings outlook and corporate news flow, as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq largely mixed market action during the week.
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