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DraftKings reports Q2 earnings
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Still lagging FanDuel, DraftKings reports better-than-expected Q2 revenue

Despite all that marketing, profitability has been patchy.

Matt Phillips

Sports betting app DraftKings reported Q2 earnings Wednesday after the close, beating revenue expectations and sending shares up over 4% in after-hours trading.

The sportsbook, the second-biggest in terms of US market share, reported:

  • Non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.38 vs. Wall Street expectations for $0.39.

  • Revenue of $1.51 billion vs. the $1.42 billion expected by analysts.

  • It kept full-year 2025 revenue guidance stable at the midpoint of $6.3 billion, which it offered last quarter.

DraftKings has lagged Flutter Entertainment, parent company of archrival FanDuel, for much of the year. But the two are, essentially, the well-entrenched big dogs of the online sports betting business.

As such, they both face headwinds from a recent push from state governments to lift taxes on sports bets to offset rising fiscal strain.

States like Illinois, Maryland, Louisiana, and New Jersey — the third-largest state for commercial sports betting revenue, according to Fitch Ratings — all lifted taxes on the sector recently.

Analysts will be eagerly awaiting any color from DraftKings execs on how they plan to pass tax increases along to gamblers and how those plans may be impacting betting activity.

Another key question for sports betting stocks is whether their run of bad luck has ended. A string of bettor-friendly results (essentially favorites winning big games) had suppressed the “hold” these companies have reported — that is, the amount of the total cash they keep after paying out winnings to those who bet right.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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