Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Virgin Galactic, Applied Digital, Beyond Meat — And Markets Rebound On Iran Optimism

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.

U.S. stocks snapped a five-week losing streak with a strong rebound, as shifting signals from President Donald Trump around a potential Iran ceasefire briefly lifted investor sentiment. The S&P 500 posted its best weekly performance in months, recovering from a prolonged selloff even as volatility remained elevated. Optimism around diplomatic progress initially pushed oil prices lower and fueled a sharp rally, but markets quickly turned choppy as mixed messaging on the conflict reintroduced uncertainty.

Energy markets remained the dominant force, with crude surging back above $110 per barrel and triggering unusual pricing dynamics. The spike — driven by ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and strong domestic refining demand — reinforced concerns about persistent inflation and its impact on economic growth. Despite the rebound in equities, elevated oil prices continued to cap upside and keep investors cautious.

Sector performance reflected the uneven recovery, with consumer-focused names under pressure as the war's economic effects began to filter through earnings. Investors are now balancing signs of technical recovery against ongoing risks from geopolitics, inflation and energy markets, suggesting volatility is likely to persist in the near term.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week’s most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"EXCLUSIVE: Xanadu Jumps In Nasdaq Debut — Meet The Newest Quantum Stock," by Erica Kollmann, reports that Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:XNDU) shares surged in their Nasdaq debut, jumping about 15% as investors cheered the company's entry into public markets, with the photonic quantum computing firm highlighting its full-stack approach spanning hardware, software and quantum machine learning, positioning itself for long-term growth through scalable, light-based quantum systems and future quantum data center deployments.

"Virgin Galactic Stock Rises On Q4 Earnings, First SpaceShip Nears Completion," by Adam Eckert, reports that Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (NYSE:SPCE) shares moved higher after the company reported fourth-quarter results that beat earnings expectations with a loss of 98 cents per share but missed on revenue at $312,000, while investors focused on progress toward commercialization as its first next-generation SpaceShip nears completion with ground testing set to begin in April and a second spacecraft expected to enter service in late 2026 to early 2027.

"Applied Digital Stock Jumps As CoreWeave Lease Deal Locks In Massive Credit Support," by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) shares rose after the company restructured key data center lease agreements with CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV), securing additional credit backing including a $50 million letter of credit and guaranty support, which strengthens tenant obligations and improves the credit profile of its data center assets, even as the stock continues to show mixed technical momentum ahead of its upcoming earnings report.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

As Rock ‘n’ Roll Era Bombers Head To Iran, Boeing’s Stock Is Taking Off Too

SEALSQ Stock Climbs After Earnings: Here’s Why

This Space Stock Is Up 100% In Five Days On A Naval Contract (Hint: Not Rocket Lab)

The Bears

"Beyond Meat Stock Stumbles As Q4 Earnings Come Up Short," by Adam Eckert, reports that Beyond Meat Inc. (NASDAQ:BYND) shares fell after the plant-based meat company posted a fourth-quarter double miss, with revenue of $61.59 million coming in below estimates of $62.57 million and an adjusted loss of 29 cents per share wider than expectations, as ongoing weakness in category demand and declining sales volumes continued to pressure results while the company guided for first-quarter revenue of $57 million to $59 million, also below Wall Street forecasts.

"Blink Charging Stock Stalls After Reporting Q4 Results," by Adam Eckert, reports that Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ:BLNK) shares traded flat after the electric‑vehicle charging provider posted mixed fourth‑quarter results, with revenue missing expectations and adjusted losses narrowing, while investors weighed slower deployment growth and cautious 2026 guidance against improving service‑revenue margins and recent strategic partnerships.

"VCX Stock Crashes Nearly 50% As Citron Drops Brutal Short Call," by Kaustubh Bagalkote, reports that VCX Inc. (NYSE:VCX) shares plunged nearly 50% after short‑seller Citron Research issued a stark downgrade calling the stock "damaged goods," criticizing the company's fundamentals, product penetration and competitive stance in the virtualization/cloud market, with traders citing heightened selling pressure and liquidity concerns as the downgrades reverberated through the thinly traded security.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Cramer Dunks on Microsoft — Meme Traders Reply, ‘Thank You for Saving MSFT’

Magnificent Seven Stocks Not So Magnificent In 2026 — Apple Surprises, Microsoft Craters

Why Is Nike Stock Falling Thursday?

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Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.