Retail investors talked up five hot stocks during the week (July 20 to July 24) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate news flow.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), and ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE:NOW), spanning cloud, semiconductor, automotive, AI, and consulting, reflected strong retail interest.
Intel
- INTC was dominating headlines this week after its second-quarter earnings on July 23. The company reported strong results with $16.1 billion in revenue, up 25% year-over-year, beating estimates, driven by a 59% surge in data center/AI sales to $6.3 billion, expanded margins, and a raised $20 billion capital spending outlook. Other updates included a Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) security processor collaboration, long-term CPU deals in China, and rumors/layoff plans in the data center group.
- A few retail investors were bullish on INTC, following its earnings.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $18.97 to $142.35, trading around $99 to $104 per share, as of the publication of this article. It surged by 326.69% over the year and 122.39% in the last six months. The stock was also higher by 171.63% year-to-date.
- INTC had a strong price trend in the medium and long terms but a weak trend in the short term, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Tesla
- TSLA was heavily in focus this week due to its second quarter 2026 earnings released after market close on July 22. The company beat revenue expectations at $28.24 billion, up 26% year-over-year, with record deliveries and strong energy storage/services growth, but reported weaker-than-expected EPS, 33 cents adjusted vs. higher forecasts, margin pressure, and negative free cash flow from heavy AI/Cybercab/Optimus capex. Commentary focused on Robotaxi/FSD progress and future margins.
- Most retail investors were bearish on TSLA following its earnings this week.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $297.82 to $498.83, trading around $318 to $323 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 3.87% over the year and dropped 28.81% in the last six months. The stock was down 28.91% YTD.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that TSLA had a weak price trend in the long, short, and medium terms, with a moderate quality score.
Alphabet
- Alphabet reported strong second quarter 2026 results on July 22, with revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24% YoY, beating estimates, driven by Google Cloud surging 82% to $24.8B on AI demand. Operating income rose 30% with margin expansion, while net income was boosted by a large equity gain, with EPS of $9.11. However, shares sold off post-earnings on raised 2026 capex guidance, ~$195-205 billion for AI infrastructure amid broader concerns over Big Tech spending. Earlier in the week, a reported delay in Gemini 3.5 Pro weighed on sentiment.
- Despite several bullish retail investors, many were still skeptical about GOOG’s trajectory.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $188.70 to $404.47, trading around $317 to $320 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 66.23% over the year and dropped 3.07% in the last six months. The stock was up 1.45% YTD.
- GOOG maintains a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term, with a moderate value score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
International Business Machines
- IBM’s second quarter 2026 earnings on July 22 saw its revenue of $17.2 billion, up 1% YoY, matching lowered expectations after an early July pre-announcement and sharp stock drop. Software grew 5%, but infrastructure fell 7% as clients shifted to AI spending; the company cut its full-year constant currency revenue growth outlook to 4-5%. Shares rose modestly post-earnings as results aligned with the warning. CEO Arvind Krishna cited delayed big deals amid the AI transition.
- Some retail investors called out IBM’s CEO future-looking commentary on the quantum computing outlook.
- The stock had a 52-week range of $204.44 to $332.46, trading around $203 to $206 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 27.02% over the year, 30.17% over the last six months, and 30.57% YTD.
- According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, IBM was maintaining a weak price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a good quality score.
ServiceNow
- NOW reported second-quarter 2026 earnings after the close on July 22, amid heightened scrutiny on AI monetization and IT spending shifts. The stock faced pre-earnings pressure from sector concerns, but exact results focused on subscription growth, cRPO, and Now Assist AI traction under the new licensing model. Broader context included analyst views on valuation reset and long-term $1 trillion market cap ambitions from CEO Bill McDermott.
- Some retail investors were questioning the drop in NOW despite its strong earnings, questioning what would have happened if it missed any estimate.
- The stock had a 52-week trading range of $81.24 to $210.20, trading around $90 to $94 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 51.94% over the year, 30.93% over the last six months, and 39.89% YTD.
- According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, NOW was maintaining a weak price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a good growth score.
Retail focus comprised AI infrastructure momentum, earnings, and corporate news-driven narratives with broader market action during the week.
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