As electric car giant BYD gets serious about driver-assistance systems, analysts expect its suppliers can benefit. Shares of the Hong Kong-listed automaker hit a record high in the past week after the company launched a driver-assistance system for a range of its cars, including one of its low-cost models priced below 70,000 yuan (roughly $9,600). BYD also said it’s integrating DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence capabilities. Companies that sell parts for BYD’s new driver-assist system “are likely to enjoy solid growth ahead,” Nomura analysts said in a note Tuesday. “Meanwhile, we believe more [car manufacturers] will have to accelerate their smart driving functions upgrade in order to catch up with peers, and this may result in increasing demand for smart driving-related components in the entire auto market,” the analysts said. Their picks include the automaker’s Hong Kong-listed subsidiary BYD Electronics , which makes autonomous driving components, Hong Kong-traded chipmaker Horizon Robotics and lidar developer Hesai Tech , listed in the U.S. Lidar is short for light detection and ranging. In driver-assist systems, a lidar sensor uses lasers to create a 3D map of a car’s surroundings. Driver-assist features have increasingly become a selling point for automakers in China’s competitive electric car market. Tesla , whose Full Self-Driving has yet to get China’s approval, saw its shares tumble on Tuesday following the news of BYD’s driver-assist rollout. China’s efforts to build tech self-reliance and U.S. restrictions have supported the development of a homegrown ecosystem. BYD’s driver-assist announcements Monday were focused on the China market, rather than the automaker’s export business. Beijing-based Horizon Robotics is one of BYD’s major chips suppliers. BYD’s founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu said at a Horizon Robotics event last year that the future of electric cars would rely on semiconductors. Goldman Sachs analyst Allen Chang on Monday raised his price target on Horizon Robotics to 6.95 Hong Kong dollars (89 cents), up from 6.10 HKD previously, based on expectations of higher earnings. The firm rates the stock a buy. “With another push by major car [manufacturers] to bring smart driving to lower-priced cars, we are positive on the ability of Horizon Robotics, as one of the leading smart driving chip providers in China, to obtain more design-wins with its Journey 6 new chipset series,” the report said. Chang expects the Journey 6 series to grow from 3% of the chip company’s revenue this year to 40% in 2027. Shares have already soared more than 60% year to date as of Thursday’s close at 5.88 HKD. In a separate note Monday, Goldman analyst Verena Jeng raised her price target on buy-rated BYD Electronics to 58.46 HKD, up from 51.02 HKD previously. The stock has gained more than 30% so far this year to 56 HKD as of Thursday’s close. The Goldman report noted expectations that more than 3 million BYD cars will adopt advanced driver-assist this year, and pointed out that since the systems are pricier than, say an automotive speaker, that will increase how much revenue BYD Electronics can generate per car. BYD’s “Dipilot” driver-assist system uses different components depending on price point. The most basic one uses Horizon Robotics’ chipset along with Nvidia ‘s Orin, while more advanced versions only use other Nvidia chips, according to Nomura’s research. The driver-assist versions that support driving on city streets use lidar from companies such as Hesai, Nomura pointed out. While Hesai is contesting U.S. government allegations that it supports the Chinese military, Goldman Sachs analysts in mid-January upgraded the U.S.-listed stock to a buy from neutral, citing the company’s new product cycle, according to FactSet. The analysts raised their price target on Hesai to $18.40 from $5.50. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Check out the companies making headlines after the bell : Booking Holdings — The online travel company jumped 3% after fourth-quarter results surpassed analysts’ expectations. Adjusted earnings came in at $41.55 per share and revenue clocked in at $5.47 billion. Analysts were looking for $36.03 per share in earnings and $5.18 billion in revenue, per LSEG. Akamai Technologies — The cloud computing stock shed more than 6% after the company guided for first-quarter earnings and revenue estimates that were lower than what analysts had expected. In the current quarter, Akamai sees adjusted earnings coming in between $1.54 to $1.59 per share on revenue of $1.00 billion to $1.02 billion. Analysts called for earnings of $1.65 per share on revenue of $1.045 billion, per LSEG. Dropbox — Shares slipped nearly 6%. The cloud storage company said that its non-GAAP gross margin came in at 83.1% in the fourth quarter, in line with analysts’ expectations, per StreetAccount. Dropbox reported adjusted earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street’s forecasts, however. Rivian Automotive — Shares of the electric vehicle maker advanced more than 3%. Rivian posted an adjusted loss of 46 cents per share in the fourth quarter, narrower than the 65 cent loss per share that analysts sought, per LSEG. Revenue also beat expectations, landing at $1.73 billion, versus Wall Street’s estimate of $1.40 billion. Rivian anticipates fewer deliveries in 2025 compared to last year. Block — The fintech stock dipped 6% after Block reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 71 cents per share on $6.03 billion in revenue. This missed analysts’ expectations for earnings of 87 cents per share on revenue of $6.29 billion, per LSEG. Sprouts Farmers Market — Shares slipped 2% despite the organic supermarket chain posting a fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat. Sprouts also forecasted first-quarter and full-year earnings that were above LSEG consensus estimates. Insulet — Shares shed 6%. The manufacturer of insulin delivery systems called for first-quarter revenue growth of 22% to 25%, encompassing analysts’ estimate of 23.1%, per FactSet. Fourth-quarter results beat expectations on the top and bottom line, however. Celsius Holdings — The energy drink company surged 28% in extended trading. Celsius posted adjusted earnings of 14 cents per share on revenue of $332 million in the fourth quarter, topping analysts’ expectations for 11 cents per share and $326 million, respectively, per LSEG. The company also said that it entered an agreement to acquire Alani Nutrition in a cash and stock deal. Copart — The used car auction stock added 1% after Copart posted fourth-quarter earnings of 40 cents per share, exceeding the 37 cents per share analysts polled by FactSet had expected. Copart’s revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter was also above the estimated $1.13 billion. — CNBC’s Darla Mercado contributed reporting.
GameStop CEO and billionaire investor Ryan Cohen has increased his personal stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to roughly 7 million shares worth about $1 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said the sizable stake in Alibaba is a bullish bet on China’s economic growth in the long run.
Cohen wasn’t immediately available when CNBC reached out for comment.
The news came after the Chinese titan posted a sharp profit hike in the December quarter amid strength in its Cloud Intelligence unit and e-commerce segment. Shares of Alibaba surged 8.1% on Thursday.
In 2023, the investor urged Alibaba to increase buybacks as he believed the stock was severely undervalued, the Journal said.
Alibaba’s outspoken founder, Jack Ma, who has largely kept out of the public eye since 2020, was among the entrepreneurs who attended a rare closed-door meeting headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, during which the Beijing leader urged private businesses to “show their talents” and strengthen their confidence in a “new era” for their activity.
Cohen became CEO of meme stock GameStop after his involvement in the video game retailer partly triggered a historic trading mania on Wall Street in 2021. The investor, who co-founded Chewy, has been leading a turnaround in the brick-and-mortar retailer over the past few years.
Under Cohen’s leadership, GameStop has focused on cutting costs and streamlining operations to ensure the business is profitable even though it is not growing. Earlier this month, CNBC reported GameStop was considering investing in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Palantir — The technology stock tumbled 11.9%, on track for its worst day since May . The stock is also on pace to see back-to-back losses of 10% or more for the first time ever. Shares took a hit after the disclosure of a new stock sale plan by CEO Alex Karp and comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledging to slash defense spending. Robinhood Markets — The commission-free financial services provider briefly fell as much as 8.4% as part of a sell-off in speculative stocks such as Palantir. Walmart — The big-box discount retailer fell 6.6% after Walmart’s forward financial guidance disappointed investors. For the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2026, Walmart forecasts earnings per share ranging between $2.50 and $2.60 per share. Walmart, a barometer for U.S. consumer spending, also said it would not be “immune” to effects from proposed tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada. Klaviyo — Shares plunged 10% following the data technology company’s weaker-than-expected operating income guidance for the current quarter of between $25.5 million and $28.5 million, excluding items, below the $32 million that analysts polled by FactSet estimated. Fourth-quarter earnings and revenue beat the Street’s expectations. Alibaba — The Chinese e-commerce giant surged more than 8% after posting a sharp profit hike in the December quarter due to strength in its Cloud Intelligence unit and e-commerce business. The Alibaba CEO cited “substantial progress” in its artificial intelligence-driven strategies. Carvana — The online platform for used car sales plunged nearly 17% after gross profit per unit for retail sales came in at $6,671 in the fourth quarter, missing analysts’ calls for $6,851, per FactSet. Earnings of 56 cents per share and revenue of $3.55 billion topped analysts’ forecasts. Hasbro — The toymaker soared 11.2% after beating consensus estimates in its fourth quarter. Hasbro posted adjusted earnings of 46 cents per share on $1.1 billion in revenue, ahead of the 34 cents in earnings per share and $1.03 billion in revenue estimated by analysts, according to FactSet. Shake Shack — The hamburger chain gained 8.4% after it reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Total revenue rose 14.8% year over year as Shake Shack opened 19 company-operated locations and nine licensed Shacks in the quarter. Wayfair — The furniture retailer slipped more than 3% after it reported a larger-than-expected loss in the fourth quarter. Wayfair lost an adjusted 25 cents per share, while analysts polled by FactSet forecast a loss of 1 cent. Top-line revenue came in at $3.12 billion, topping a FactSet consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Amplitude — The software stock popped 16.6% after posting a top- and bottom-line beat in the fourth quarter. Amplitude earned 2 cents per share, excluding items, on $78.1 million in revenue, while analysts polled by FactSet called for earnings of 1 cent per share on revenue of $76.7 million. Baird upgraded its investment opinion to outperform after the release. Clearwater Analytics — Shares of the fintech company rallied 11.6% on the back of strong quarterly results. Clearwater earned an adjusted 13 cents per share on $126.5 million in revenue in the fourth quarter, topping predictions of 11 cents in earnings per share and $120.3 million in revenue from analysts surveyed by FactSet. Bausch Health — The eye-care health stock climbed more than 11%. Although Bausch’s adjusted EBITDA margin fell short of consensus estimates, revenue of $1.28 billion in its main eye-care segment topped analysts’ forecasts for $1.24 billion, according to FactSet. AppLovin — Shares of the mobile tech company sold off 10.7%. Short seller Edwin Dorsey wrote in his newsletter Thursday that AppLovin’s meteoric rise — up 656% over the past 12 months — “is fueled by low-quality revenue growth from ads that are deceptive, predatory and at times unreadable or unclickable.” — CNBC’s Pia Singh, Alex Harring, Yun Li, Sean Conlon and Scott Schnipper contributed reporting.