rewrite this title Growth & Total Return Weekly Chat

This is the forum for Growth & Total Return discussion on Seeking Alpha. A new chat begins every two weeks, and all previous blogs are listed in chronological succession on the main chat page. We won’t be doing any comment cleanup in the new chat, and users will always be able to refer back to previous discussions.

More on Today’s Markets:

Micron reported another superb earnings report less than two weeks ago, showing a dramatic ramp-up in its top-and-bottom-line numbers. Foremost, it reported sales of $13.64 billion, up 57% year-over-year (and over 21% quarter-over-quarter). For a little color, that was Micron’s third consecutive all-time high quarterly sales number, having blown past sales estimates for the 11th straight quarter. It did the same on the bottom-line front, where gross margins soared to 56.8% (from the mid-40s in the previous quarter), the highest in the company’s history.

Although Palantir’s shares have been losing momentum lately, the business itself was nevertheless growing. The Q3 report that was released last month showed that revenues increased by an impressive 62.6% Y/Y to $1.18 billion, and the company closed the quarter with $2.76 billion in total contract value, up 151% Y/Y.

Several specific catalysts could drive the stock to $120 or even higher over the next 6-12 months. Foremost is a potential narrative flip on robotaxis: as Uber continues deploying autonomous vehicles globally, the market may begin to re-price the company not as a disruption victim, but with as a premium robotaxi winner with a multiple well above 20x. Additionally, the $20 billion buyback program acts as a powerful accelerant. By allocating 50%+ of FCF to buybacks, management mechanically accelerates FCF-per-share growth by opportunistically buying back shares at discounted valuations. Finally, recent quarters have shown strong growth acceleration which management expects to continue into 2026. If this momentum persists, Uber should beat analyst estimates, moving the stock price higher.

Plains All American (PAA) performed well in 2025. The unit price is up 5.2%, which, while modest, still beats the Alerian MLP Index ETF (AMLP). Thanks to its low valuation and generous distributions, total returns reached close to 14.5%. That’s a few percentage points below the 17.7% total return of the S&P 500 Index ETF (SPY), but with much return visibility.

SoFi Technologies, Inc.’s (SOFI) 2026 bull case is reinforced by strong market performance and a timely reset. The stock delivered around 70% returns in 2025, materially outperforming the broader market. Since my last coverage, SOFI has pulled back roughly 12%, which I view as a constructive consolidation rather than a breakdown. Combined with the launch of SoFiUSD and its capital-light, high-margin revenue potential, this pause may be setting the foundation for the next leg higher as fundamentals expand.

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