What Happened?
A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation holding steady, bolstering investor optimism for a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The data, which revealed that inflation remained at 2.7% for the year ending in July, was seen as a positive sign by investors. This stability increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve might lower interest rates at its upcoming September meeting. Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy by making borrowing cheaper for both consumers and businesses, which often translates into higher consumer spending. This is particularly beneficial for the Consumer Discretionary sector, which includes companies selling non-essential goods and services like apparel, travel, and electronics.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Real Estate Services company Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE:CWK) jumped 4.3%. Is now the time to buy Cushman & Wakefield? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Wireless, Cable and Satellite company Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) jumped 3%. Is now the time to buy Comcast? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Casino Operator company MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM) jumped 3.2%. Is now the time to buy MGM Resorts? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On Cushman & Wakefield (CWK)
Cushman & Wakefield’s shares are quite volatile and have had 17 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 4 days ago when the stock gained 3.5% on the news that it received a significant upgrade from Goldman Sachs, which moved its rating to Buy from Sell and set a price target of $17.50. The upgrade from Sell to Buy follows the company's strong second-quarter 2025 financial results, which surpassed Wall Street expectations. Cushman & Wakefield reported earnings per share of $0.30, beating forecasts of $0.22, on revenue that also topped estimates. Goldman Sachs cited several factors for the rating change, including meaningful improvement in services revenue and enhanced profitability after restructuring. The firm's performance was bolstered by a 27% increase in capital markets revenue. Following the strong results, management raised its full-year adjusted EPS growth guidance to a range of 25-35% and announced an additional $150 million debt repayment, signaling confidence in its outlook. The positive sentiment is shared by other analysts, with firms like JMP Securities also raising their price targets.
Cushman & Wakefield is up 12% since the beginning of the year, and at $14.10 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $15.48 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Cushman & Wakefield’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,229.
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