Why These 10 Stocks Were in the Spotlight This Week

Published October 30, 2021 at 2:33 pm EDT Updated September 7, 2026 at 1:05 pm EDT

In this article we will take a look at the some notable stocks that trended this week.

Some stocks that trended this week include Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET), and Twitter, Inc. (NYSE:TWTR). Let’s analyze why each stock was in the spotlight and how elite funds were positioned among them.

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10. Apple Inc. trended this week after the company reported in-line earnings for the fourth quarter of $1.24 per share and sales of $83.36 billion versus estimates of $84.85 billion. iPhone sales for the period was $38.87 billion versus $26.44 billion in the same period last year. Despite the sales miss, Jim Suva of Citi has a ‘Buy’ rating and a $170 price target on Apple Inc., writing the results weren’t a ‘thesis changer’. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was long 887,135,554 shares of Apple Inc. at the end of Q2.

9. Microsoft Corporation ended the week as the world’s most valuable tech company with a market cap of $2.49 trillion versus Apple’s $2.48 trillion. Microsoft did so with a rally of 7.24% this week thanks in part due to strong earnings for the first quarter. For the period, MSFT earned an adjusted EPS of $2.27 versus the consensus of $2.07. Revenue was $45.3 billion versus the consensus of $43.97 billion. Microsoft Corporation was one of the most widely held stocks among smart money funds in our database at the end of the second quarter.

8. NVIDIA Corporation rallied 11.29% thanks in part to the news this week that Facebook will substantially increase its capital expenditure budget for 2022 to make the metaverse a reality. If Facebook spends more, NVIDIA Corporation could find it easier to sell more chips for machine learning. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management was long 4.84 million shares of NVIDIA Corporation at the end of September.

7. Arista Networks, Inc. rose 4.95% this week also thanks in part to the news that Facebook is increasing its capital expenditure plans next year. If Facebook spends substantially more, Arista Networks, Inc. could find it easier to sell more products. Steve Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management was long 282,000 shares of Arista Networks, Inc. at the end of June.

6. Twitter, Inc. fell almost 13% this week as weak U.S. user growth numbers and analyst price target cuts weighed on the stock. According to its third quarter earnings result, Twitter’s userbase in the U.S. only grew by one million from a year ago. Brent Thill of Jefferies cut his price target on Twitter, Inc. to $70 from $80. Catherine D. Wood’s ARK Investment Management was long more than 12.4 million shares of Twitter, Inc. at the end of June.

Like Apple Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Arista Networks, Inc., and Twitter, Inc., Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated also trended.

5. Visa Inc. was in the spotlight after reporting an adjusted EPS of $1.62 for the fourth quarter, versus the consensus of $1.54. Sales for the period was $6.6 billion versus the average estimate of $6.53 billion. Despite the results, Daniel Perlin of RBC Capital trimmed his price target to $284 from $297 but kept his ‘outperform’ rating on Visa Inc.. Of the 873 elite funds we track, Visa Inc. was in 162 elite funds’ portfolios at the end of the second quarter of 2021. The all time high for this statistic is 166.

4. Mastercard Incorporated trended after the company reported third quarter adjusted EPS of $2.37 on sales of $4.99 billion versus the consensus of $2.19 and $4.95 billion. Although there was continued strength in spending in many markets, shares of Mastercard Incorporated nevertheless fell 7.4% this week. Mastercard Incorporated was one of the most widely held stocks among the smart money funds we track at the end of Q2.

3. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) was in the spotlight this week after the company reported Q3 EPS of $2.21 on sales of $16 billion, versus the consensus of $1.97 and $17.12 billion. Management sees FY22 net sales of $66 billion, which is weaker than the average estimate of $70.5 billion. Citadel Investment Group was long 616,667 shares of Lockheed Martin Corporation at the end of June.

2. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) trended this week after the automaker reported third quarter adjusted EPS of $0.51 per share versus the consensus of $0.27 per share. The company’s sales for the period was $35.7 billion versus the average estimate of $32.54 billion. D E Shaw owned 45,367,521 shares of Ford Motor Company at the end of Q2.

1. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) trended this week after the company reported adjusted EPS for the third quarter of $1.52 versus the average estimate of $0.96. Revenue was $26.78 billion, exceeding the estimate of $26.51 billion. Overall, General Motors Company shares fell 6.3% this week. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owned 60 million shares of General Motors Company at the end of June.

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