Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (Dec. 15 to Dec. 19) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by earnings, retail hype, AI buzz, and corporate news flow.
The stocks, PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (NASDAQ:DJT), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN), and Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE), spanning finance, crypto, semiconductors, AI, automotive, and sports, reflected diverse retail interests.
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PayPal’s key developments centered on its Dec. 15 announcement of applications to establish “PayPal Bank,” a Utah-chartered industrial loan company, aiming to directly accept deposits and issue loans amid a more open U.S. regulatory environment for fintechs. This sparked mixed reactions, with shares dipping slightly mid-week before Morgan Stanley’s Dec. 18 downgrade, citing sluggish growth prospects through 2028.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
The stock had a 52-week range of $55.85 to $93.24, trading around $58 to $60 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 31.03% year-to-date and 31.50% over the year.
The stock had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate value ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.
DJT announced a $6 billion all-stock merger with nuclear fusion company TAE Technologies, aimed at developing utility-scale fusion power plants to meet AI-driven energy demands. The deal, expected to close in mid-2026, would make shareholders of each company own about 50% of the combined entity, with TMTG as the holding company for Truth Social and TAE’s operations.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
The stock had a 52-week range of $10.18 to $43.45, trading around $14 to $16 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 56.32% year-to-date and 58.03% over the year.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that the stock had a weaker price trend in the short, medium, and long terms. Additional performance details are available here.
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MU was dominated by pre-earnings anticipation followed by its fiscal first quarter 2026 results on Dec. 17, where the company reported strong beats on revenue and EPS, driven by soaring AI-related memory demand and tight supply.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
The stock had a 52-week range of $61.54 to $264.75, trading around $248 to $252 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up 184.61% year-to-date and 184.61% over the year.
The stock had a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a solid quality ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings. Other performance details are available here.
RIVN focused on continued market reaction to its Dec. 11 Autonomy & AI Day revelations, including the in-house autonomy chip and software subscription plans, with shares fluctuating amid mixed analyst views. Later in the week, it expanded hands-free assisted driving and rolled out new software updates that give drivers more control and customization across Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
The stock had a 52-week range of $10.36 to $20.33, trading around $20 to $22 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up 53.06% YTD and 55.28% over the year.
According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, it was maintaining a stronger price trend over short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate growth ranking. Additional performance details are available here.
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NKE shares plummeted after reporting the second-quarter results on Thursday despite beating estimates. Management issued a cautious outlook defined by shrinking margins and deepening struggles in China during the second-quarter earnings call.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
The stock had a 52-week range of $52.28 to $82.44, trading around $58 to $65 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was down 10.91% year-to-date but 14.88% over the year.
It maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a strong growth score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings. Additional performance details are available here.
Retail focus blended meme-driven narrative with earnings outlook and corporate news flow, as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq largely witnessed mixed market action during the week.
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This article PYPL, DJT, MU And More: 5 Stocks Investors Couldn’t Stop Buzzing About This Week originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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