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Investors / stance tracking

What Stephanie Link (Hightower) is saying

Chief Investment Strategist, Hightower

41 dated public stances tracked since 2021-05-05, most recently 2026-08-18. Each line carries the date and the venue it came from; quotation marks mean verbatim. Methodology.

The stances below are c8alpha's editorial distillation of Stephanie Link (Hightower)'s public commentary — television, podcasts, and interviews — compiled by automated transcript analysis and dated to the episode they came from. They may lag the speaker's current view and may contain extraction errors. Text in quotation marks is verbatim from the episode; everything else is our paraphrase. Stephanie Link (Hightower) is not affiliated with c8alpha and has not endorsed this page. Nothing here is investment advice.

Think we got something wrong? Report a misattribution — we correct it or take it down.

41
tracked stances
28
themes
2
side flips
2026-08-18
last heard
Returns  90d +5.5% (n=14) · 180d +8.1% (n=10) · 1y +25.2% (n=6)

Raw direction-aware returns on public statements — long calls credited when the price rose, shorts when it fell, shorts capped at −100% — in a rising market this mostly measures who was long, not who has skill. Returns run from the stance date; calls are rarely closed publicly, so fixed 90-day / 180-day / 1-year horizons are used. A horizon shows only once it has fully matured, and only at 5+ scored stances.

View flips

Where the tracked view on a theme reversed between appearances — bullish to bearish or back. Dates are the episodes on each side of the turn.

META — bullish2025-12-22 → bearish2026-06-25
UBER — bullish2025-09-05 → bearish2025-12-11

Most-argued themes

ThemeStancesLeanMixLast
META31 bullish / 2 bearish2026-08-18
FINANCIALS SECTOR22 bullish2026-07-06
INDUSTRIALS22 bullish2026-07-06
MU22 bullish2026-08-13
NOW22 bullish2026-08-18
PWR22 bullish2026-07-28

Tracked stances

bullish / bearish is a view they argued; owns / short is a position they said they hold.

2026-08-18 HOUSING bearish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
30-year fixed mortgage at 6.8% is far above the 5–5.5% threshold needed to unlock demand, and the housing market is frozen with single-family starts down 16% year-over-year, destroying the bull case for earnings re-rating
“when Home Depot says that the housing market is frozen, that's the reality”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 BANKS bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Bank of America posted an exceptional quarter with 15% revenue growth, 17% ROCE, and 660bps of operating leverage, winning on both net interest income and fee diversification including 50% growth in investment banking fees
“I haven't seen 15% revenue growth, ROCE, 17%, operating leverage 660 basis points”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 NOW bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Service Now is growing subscriptions 24%, revenue 20%, and RPOs 20% while trading at only 25x forward, and its shift to 50% consumption-based revenue should drive margin expansion and multiple re-rating
“it's really pretty attractive here. Great management team”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 TGT bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Target's new CEO is demonstrably improving operations, product mix, and cost controls, with the operating margin at a 4.5% trough versus the 8%+ seen in 2022, creating significant room for recovery as traffic builds
“I do think they are making progress”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 EL bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
The 'Beauty Reimagined' restructuring is expected to deliver 3–5% organic growth and 12.5–13% operating margins in fiscal 2027 guidance, while depressed expectations (stock down significantly YTD) provide a low-risk entry
“I feel pretty good at least on the long term”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 META bearish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Meta is spending excessively with no clear path to operating leverage, and faces a significant legal overhang from a 29-state child safety lawsuit seeking up to $1.4 trillion in damages that could take years to resolve
“they're spending like a drunken sailor and I just don't know when they're ever going to see operating leverage”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-18 INFL bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
INFL ETF provides simultaneous offensive and defensive inflation exposure through holdings in exchanges, metals, and low-capex energy companies, offering balance across different rate and commodity scenarios
“I like this for offense and defense. It owns the exchanges with Joe — metals and low capex energy names”
TOM LEE'S NEW PREDICTIONS FOLLOWED BY HALF TIME AND ICHIMOKU ANALYSIS 08/18
2026-08-13 MU bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Micron has $100B in take-or-pay bookings through end of decade, demand will exceed supply at least through end of 2027, and ~$40 in earnings power makes the stock cheap despite being still 30% off highs
“I think as a result this company has something like $40 in earnings power, making the stock awfully cheap with very good visibility”
CNBC halftime report August 13, 2026 | Nvidia, Micron, Amazon, Microsoft, Cerebras Systems & more
2026-08-13 TKR bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Timken is a new buy down 11% with early-innings automation and robotics exposure, an industry leadership position, a self-help restructuring targeting 700bps gross margin expansion, and a path to 55% earnings growth by 2028 at 15x forward estimates
“I think we're in very early innings in that particular theme with huge total addressable market. They're the industry leader.”
CNBC halftime report August 13, 2026 | Nvidia, Micron, Amazon, Microsoft, Cerebras Systems & more
2026-08-13 SPACEX owns CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
SpaceX posted 92% revenue and 191% EBITDA growth with all segments beating, the connectivity division doubled subscribers and generated $14B in quarterly AI commitments, and connectivity alone is on track to become a $60B annual business
“I just keep buying. It's very compelling given the growth. And my time horizon is long-term.”
CNBC halftime report August 13, 2026 | Nvidia, Micron, Amazon, Microsoft, Cerebras Systems & more
2026-07-28 PWR bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Quanta Services is down 25% from highs and is expected to beat and raise estimates driven by its electrical business, with better margins and a book-to-bill of one
“It's down 25% from its highs. I expect to beat in a raise led by their electrical business”
Final Trades: Netflix, Quanta Services and Raymond James
2026-07-21 NVDA bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Nvidia has underperformed its peer group by 53% YTD and trades at 18x forward earnings—its cheapest since 2019—while revenues grow in the 80s%, gross margins hold in the 70s%, and free cash flow is set to double by end of next year, with GPU market dominance…
“It trades at 18 times forward estimates. That's the cheapest it's traded at since 2019”
Trade Tracker: Stephanie Link buys Micron and more Nvidia
2026-07-21 MU bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Micron is down 24% from highs while fundamentals remain strong—16 deals signed last quarter generating $100B in RPO give visibility, the market is structurally short memory and compute which sustains pricing power, and the company has ~$40/share in earnings…
“I think it's going to be stronger for longer... we are short memory, we are short compute”
Trade Tracker: Stephanie Link buys Micron and more Nvidia
2026-07-06 INDUSTRIALS bullish CNBC Television · video
AI-driven earnings broadening is lifting sectors beyond tech, with industrials participating in above-average growth as seven of eleven sectors posted double-digit earnings last quarter
“you want to own tech, but you also want to own industrials, financials”
Hightower's Stephanie Link: We're in the early stages of the AI boom
2026-07-06 CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY SECTOR bullish CNBC Television · video
Oil prices down 40% from highs reduces input costs for consumer discretionary companies while the employed consumer with 4–4.5% wage growth sustains spending
“especially discretionary with oil prices down 40% from the highs”
Hightower's Stephanie Link: We're in the early stages of the AI boom
2026-07-06 TECHNOLOGY SECTOR bullish CNBC Television · video
We are in the early stages of the AI boom and technology is the primary beneficiary, with the sector driving 20%+ earnings growth this year
“I think we are in the early stages of the AI boom”
Hightower's Stephanie Link: We're in the early stages of the AI boom
2026-07-06 FINANCIALS SECTOR bullish CNBC Television · video
Peak inflation and a healthy consumer economy create a favorable backdrop for financials as earnings broaden beyond technology
“you want to own tech, but you also want to own industrials, financials”
Hightower's Stephanie Link: We're in the early stages of the AI boom
2026-07-03 INDUSTRIALS bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
These sectors trade at attractive valuations relative to history and should lead the market into year-end, supported by above-trend economic growth, a resilient consumer, 8% loan growth (best in 3 years), and AI-adjacent infrastructure demand
“the valuations in industrials in financials especially in discretionary are very attractive”
CNBC HOST PUTS TOM LEE ON THE HOT SEAT + Josh Brown's Top picks in 1st segment(07/02)
2026-07-03 NOW bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
ServiceNow has derated to 23x forward estimates versus its 5-year average of 54x while still growing revenues 20%, subscription revenue 21%, and EPS 20% with mid-70s gross margins — mission-critical workflow automation that enterprises cannot cut
“the riskreward is so good here now”
CNBC HOST PUTS TOM LEE ON THE HOT SEAT + Josh Brown's Top picks in 1st segment(07/02)
2026-07-03 AMZN bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Amazon has derated to 23x forward earnings (vs 5-year avg 34x, 10-year avg 45x) and 11x EBITDA while AWS grows 28%, the ad business targets $100B revenue by 2030, and a custom-chip business adds a potential new $100B revenue stream
“it's strictly on valuation. It is derated. It's at 23 times forward estimates”
CNBC HOST PUTS TOM LEE ON THE HOT SEAT + Josh Brown's Top picks in 1st segment(07/02)
2026-07-03 TGT bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
First-hand channel checks in LA confirm strong product quality and store traffic; same-store sales are positioned to grow mid-single digits; the stock trades at only 16x forward estimates after prolonged underperformance
“the product is great. The traffic is strong”
CNBC HOST PUTS TOM LEE ON THE HOT SEAT + Josh Brown's Top picks in 1st segment(07/02)
2026-06-29 long SEMICONDUCTOR STOCKS / long SOFTWARE STOCKS basket CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Tech sector leadership oscillates between semis and software on a near-daily basis, so owning both avoids whipsaw while capturing AI-driven growth across the full stack
“I think you just call it a day and own both of them, have a basket”
'Halftime' traders debate the market setup for the next half of 2026
2026-06-29 long SBUX / long DKS basket CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Best-in-class discretionary names like Starbucks and Dick's are being indiscriminately sold in a sector-wide drawdown, creating entry opportunities in high-quality franchises
“I think you're getting opportunities to get some really best-in-class companies, like Starbucks or Dick's”
'Halftime' traders debate the market setup for the next half of 2026
2026-06-25 PWR bullish Tom Lee · video
Quanta Services' total addressable market has expanded from $960B to $2.4T between now and 2030; 70% of its customers are utility companies providing revenue stability; conservative management is underpricing its own opportunity
“their total addressable market has gone from 960 billion between now and 2030 to 2.4 trillion dollars”
CNBC HOST GRILLS TOM LEE (06/25) Stock Market Analysis by Blue Cloud Trading
2026-06-25 META bearish Tom Lee · video
Meta's free cash flow is falling as the company accelerates AI spending and taps both debt and equity markets to fund it — the path to shareholder return has deteriorated, reducing this from a core to a small residual position
“I actually sold Meta... after more rumors were that they were going to spend more and more... Free cash flow is falling”
CNBC HOST GRILLS TOM LEE (06/25) Stock Market Analysis by Blue Cloud Trading
2026-06-25 GEV bullish Tom Lee · video
Hyperscalers are spending $800B on CapEx in 2026 rising to $1.6T in 2027; data centers take 3 years to build and the grid is decades old — companies with record backlogs growing 35-40% YoY versus the historical 5-10% norm are structural winners regardless of…
“backlogs have never been larger... on average up 35 to 40% in backlog growth and it's only going higher”
CNBC HOST GRILLS TOM LEE (06/25) Stock Market Analysis by Blue Cloud Trading
2026-05-21 ROK bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Nvidia's physical AI revenue hit $9B and AI/industrial enterprise revenue rose 74% YoY, directly driving demand for industrial automation where average backlogs are up 34% YoY versus the historical 3-5% norm
“I am inclined to buy more Rockwell Automation or Teradyne in the technology world.”
90d -1.3%
How investors can trade AI after Nvidia's earnings report
2026-05-21 VST bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Vistra Energy has significantly lagged the AI infrastructure build-out despite power demand from data centers being a structural tailwind, making it an attractive catch-up candidate in the space
“That stock actually has lagged this space in a big way and it's certainly on my radar screen.”
90d -4.1%
How investors can trade AI after Nvidia's earnings report
2026-05-21 TER bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Post-Nvidia earnings AI capex visibility extends into semiconductor test equipment as physical AI and robotics production ramps, with industrial backlogs broadly running at multi-decade highs
“I am inclined to buy more Rockwell Automation or Teradyne in the technology world.”
90d +7.4%
How investors can trade AI after Nvidia's earnings report
2026-05-21 long PWR / long ETN / long CAT / long VRT basket CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Nvidia's earnings confirm AI hyperscale capex is accelerating (up 115% YoY), lifting power, infrastructure, and industrial names whose combined average backlogs rose 34% YoY—far above the historical 3-5% rate—making them the cleaner derivative trade on AI…
90d -4.7%
How investors can trade AI after Nvidia's earnings report
2025-12-22 META bullish Tom Lee · video
Meta is still 6% off highs, wins from AI in its ad and messaging businesses, metaverse cost cuts add ~$2/share in earnings, and the stock trades at only 18x 2027 estimated EPS of $36-$38 while growing earnings 20% and revenues 26%
“I think this company can actually deliver 36 to $38 a share by 2027”
90d -8.6% · 180d -14.6%
Tom Lee: What 2026 Could Mean for Your Portfolio?
2025-12-22 FINANCIALS SECTOR bullish Tom Lee · video
Deregulation and excess capital return are not priced in, a steepening yield curve boosts net interest income, and loan growth is at a 9-week high, while stocks like Capital One trade at 12x and Bank of America at 1.4x book
“financials are going to be the sector leader next year”
Tom Lee: What 2026 Could Mean for Your Portfolio?
2025-12-11 UBER bearish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Waymo and Tesla robo-taxi competition creates persistent stock overhang while Uber must aggressively spend to keep up, and another EBITDA miss next quarter would send the stock materially lower
“I think short term the overhang is going to be continued to be the competition and robo taxis”
90d +12.3% · 180d +17.6%
Trade Alert: Stephanie Link sells Uber
2025-12-11 ROK bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Rotated proceeds from Uber into Rockwell Automation, seeing more near-term upside potential over the next 6–12 months versus Uber's competitive headwinds
“I think there's just a lot more upside in a Rockwell Automation for the next, say, 6 to 12 months”
90d -9.3% · 180d +12.2%
Trade Alert: Stephanie Link sells Uber
2025-10-03 COF bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Capital One offers value with the pending Discover Financial acquisition providing a strategic catalyst
“Capital One. And I like the discover financial”
90d +16.1% · 180d -13.3%
Final Trades: Archer Aviation, JPMorgan Chase, Shell and Capital One
2025-09-05 UBER bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Uber dominates a $5.7 trillion total addressable market and is expanding via new products and new end markets
“Total addressable market of 5.7 trillion. They dominate the space.”
90d +0.0% · 180d -15.8% · 1y -19.6%
Final Trades: Uber, Home Depot, Rocket Companies, Citigroup
2025-08-29 AVGO owns CNBC Halftime Committee · video
Broadcom's diversified revenue mix—roughly 31% AI data center, 41% high-margin recurring VMware software, and a cyclically-troughing enterprise networking segment that Marvell confirmed is bottoming—provides better risk-adjusted AI exposure than pure-play…
“the reason why I own Broadcom over Nvidia is because of the diversified total revenue mix”
90d +35.7% · 180d +12.1% · 1y +25.4%
'Halftime Report' Investment Committee debate the AI trade
2023-03-07 WFC bullish CNBC Halftime Committee · video
Diversified revenue mix with capital markets and wealth management bottoming, stock is cheap at 1.2x book, capital levels strong, and a decade of tech investment should drive efficiency gains
“this stock is very cheap at 1.2 times Book value”
90d -8.3% · 180d -5.1% · 1y +32.6%
The CNBC ‘Halftime Report’ investment committee weighs in on recent market calls
2022-09-28 AAPL bearish CNBC Halftime Committee · video
At 24x earnings with flat-to-2% iPhone unit sales growth expected, Apple's valuation is too rich relative to fallen FANG peers trading at steep discounts
“flat unit sales for iPhones...is that worth 24 times to me not so much”
The ‘Halftime Report’ investment committee weighs in on Apple iPhone production fears
2021-10-19 HAL bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Halliburton posted an inline quarter but management guided positively on cycle strength, pricing power, and $360M free cash flow, and is expected to increase its buyback
“very positive on the conference call about cycle strength pricing power and free cash flow of 360 million”
90d +9.8% · 180d +60.5% · 1y +24.0%
Final Trades: Uber, Tilray, Halliburton & Raytheon
2021-05-05 CTVA bullish CNBC Halftime Final Trades · video
Corteva is down on the day, presenting a buying opportunity on weakness.
“Corteva down today. I'm taking the advantage”
90d -9.4% · 180d -9.3% · 1y +23.1%
Final Trades: Marathon Petroleum, Corteva, Pfizer & more

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