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The merger of Paramount (NASDAQ:PARA) and Skydance Media got the nod from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yesterday, with commissioners voting 2-1 to approve the $8 billion deal. It paves the way for Skydance CEO David Ellison to take control.

• “Commitment to unbiased journalism”: Paramount recently settled a legal claim by President Trump over a Kamala Harris interview, as FCC head Brendan Carr says he welcomes Skydance's ideas for change.
• “Purely a financial decision”: CBS, owned by Paramount, last week announced the ending of The Late Show – hosted by Trump critic Stephen Colbert – due to a “challenging backdrop” in late-night TV.

Ranked 11th across all TMF recommendations for its ability to beat the market over the next five years, Kinsale Capital (NYSE:KNSL) reported its highest net income ever in yesterday’s second-quarter earnings release, after a previous quarter hit by disaster losses.

• “Disciplined underwriting and technology-enabled expense management”: CEO Michael P. Kehoe stressed careful financial control, as the specialty insurer returned a modest $10 million in buybacks in the quarter.
• Down 4% in pre-market trading: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) beat Q2 revenue estimates but missed on earnings, and warned it may suspend its leading-edge 14A chip project if it doesn’t find a major customer.

Stock Advisor rec HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA) will post Q2 earnings after beating Wall Street expectations in Q1. Watch for expected advances in AI technology, as analysts predict a 5.6% revenue rise year over year.

• Recommended by Dividend Investor in May: Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) posted $2.38 adjusted Q2 earnings per share, with the oil refiner operating at 98% capacity. The company returned $906 million to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.
• Record $38 billion backlog: Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH) hit Q1 revenue and earnings estimates with adjusted earnings per share up 7.2%. The record backlog means a book-to-bill ratio of 1.42x.

The week saw a new wave of meme stock gains, as Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT), Opendoor Technologies (NASDAQ:OPEN), Rocket (NYSE:RKT), and Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) – which pundits dubbed DORK based on ticker initials – all briefly doubled in value Tuesday, led by Reddit’s (NYSE:RDDT) r/WallStreetBets traders again.

• Ending the week ahead: They fell back, but – by close Thursday – all bar Rocket were still around 40% ahead over five trading days.
• “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”: News of the A-list actress starring in a new promotion prompted American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) to join the DORK four, up 12%.

Rule Breakers rec Uber (NYSE:UBER) will allow female passengers and drivers to opt for women-only rides, following lawsuits from a number of customers claiming sexual assault and harrassment.

• “It’s about giving women more choice”: Camiel Irving, vice president of U.S. and Canada operations, said trials will take place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit “in the next few weeks.”
• Robotaxi revolution: Uber, meanwhile, has partnered with Lucid (NASDAQ:LCID) and Nuro to take on Elon Musk’s ambitious plan for Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) robotaxi service to reach “half the population of the U.S.” by the end of 2025.

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