Biopharma stock Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SRPT) is soaring today, up 20.6% at $22.17 at last glance. The biopharmaceutical company announced a strategic restructuring plan, laying off about 500 employees -- more than a third of its workforce -- after two deaths following treatment with its gene therapy for fatal muscle disorder, Elevidys. The treatment will stay on the market with warnings about the potential for liver failure. 

Three analysts trimmed their price targets and two hiked theirs in response, with mixed sentiment regarding the positive update but "narrowing" Elevidys market. Of the 27 analysts in coverage, 14 carry a "buy" or better rating, 12 a "hold," and one a "sell." The 12-month consensus price target of $47.96 is a whopping 113% premium to current levels.

Today's pop has SRPT headed for its best day since June 21, 2024 and moving further off a July 1, nine-year low of $16.88. The stock has suffered several bear gaps in the last year and is down roughly 82% year-to-date. 

Options traders are chiming in today, with 9,856 calls and 6,194 puts exchanged so far, five times the overall options volume typically seen at this point in the day. The September 12.50 put is the most popular, followed by the August 30 call, with new positions opening at the July 22 call that expires tomorrow. 

Stocks are a volatile bunch today, with Wall Street suffering from whiplash amid Trump's Fed Chair rhetoric. Two stocks that are weathering the storm -- and then some -- are Joby Aviation Inc (NYSE:JOBY) and Rigetti Computing Inc (NASDAQ:RGTI). 

JOBY is up 15.3% to trade at $16.08. Yesterday, the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft makers announced plans to double production in their Dayton, Ohio and Marina, California locations. The shares are up 34.5% this week alone, and are now over 117% higher year-over-year. 

There's massive contrarian potential still. Of the nine brokerages covering the stock, six maintain "hold" or "strong sell" ratings, while amongst short sellers, a healthy 12.6% of JOBY's total available float is sold short.

RGTI is 30% higher to trade at $16.57, on pace for its best single-session gain since Jan. 14. The quantum computing company unveiled that its 36-Qubit system achieved a mid-year performance of 99.5% median two-qubit gate fidelity, a massive step forward for the speculative technology. RGTI is trading at its highest level since a Jan. 7 bear gap, and is now 1,183% higher year-over-year.

While analysts are all in on Rigetti, options traders and short sellers are not. The stock’s 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.85 over at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) sits higher than 96% of readings from the past year. So while calls still outflank puts on an absolute basis, the high percentile means options traders have been much more pessimistic than usual.

And with 18% of RGTI's total available float sold short, an unwinding of these bearish bets could keep the wind at the equity's back. 

Shares of language learning platform Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) were last seen down 4.7% at $360.67, looking to extend their recent slide. The security marked its eighth-straight weekly loss this past Friday, moving sharply away from its May 14 record high of $544.93, though its still sporting an 11% year-to-date lead. 

For those looking to buy in on the dip, DUOL is currently flashing a historically bullish signal. Per Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White, the recent pullback has Duolingo stock within striking distance of its 200-day moving average.

More specifically, the stock is within 0.75 of the trendline's 20-day average true range (ATR) after spending at least 80% of the last 10 days and 80% of the last two months above it. Within these parameters, four other signals occurred in the past three years. DUOL was higher one month later three of those times, averaging a large 26.2% gain. A move of similar magnitude would put the shares back up at $455. 

Furthermore, short interest has been building amid the negative price action, and now represents 6.1% of the stock's available float, leaving some short squeeze potential in the event of a rebound. 

An unwinding of pessimism amongst options traders could provide tailwinds as well. DUOL's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.67 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) ranks higher than 93% of readings from the past year. 

Data software analytics stock Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) is up 0.9% to trade at $149.86 at last check, after an upgrade at Mizuho to "neutral" from "underperform," and a price-target hike to $135 from $116. The analyst in coverage waxed bullish on the Peter Thiel-backed firm ahead of earnings, noting: "Palantir has legitimate chance to accelerate revenue growth for a fifth consecutive quarter when reporting Q2 results in early August."

The security added 96.3% so far in 2025, and boasts a whopping 417.7% year-over-year lead. The shares yesterday hit a record high of $150.62, while their 40-day moving average has been a reliable source of support since mid-April.

Despite this outstanding run up the charts, there is plenty of room for additional bull notes, as 17 of the 20 analysts in coverage rate the equity a "hold" or worse, while the 12-month consensus target price of $106.46 is a 28.2% discount to current levels.

It's also worth noting the equity has tended to outperform analysts' volatility expectations during the past year. This is per its Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 84 out of 100. 

Netherlands-based semiconductor stock ASML Holding NV (NASDAQ:ASML) is weighing on the chip sector today. The shares were last seen down 10.3% at $738.53, brushing off upbeat second-quarter results, after the company warned that it may see no growth in 2026 due to macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns. 

On the charts, today's drop has ASML breaking below the 40-day moving average, which recently helped guide it higher. Support at the $737 level, which has been in place since mid-May, appears to be keeping losses in check, however. Since the start of the year, the equity is up 6.2%. 

Options traders are targeting ASML after the news. So far, 24,000 calls and 25,000 puts have been exchanged, which is already 11 times the overall options volume typically seen in a session. The July 700 put is the most popular, followed by the July 770 call, with new positions opening at both. 

These options are cheaper than usual at the moment, too. The security's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 39% ranks in the low 13th percentile of its annual range. 

Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN) stock is charging higher today, up 4.3% to trade at $80.92 at last look, after reports surfaced that activist investor Elliott Management has built a "sizeable" stake in the payment technology name. Today's advancement is pushing the shares to their best day since late-April, though they're still down 27.9% year-to-date. 

There is plenty of room for bull notes, should the bearish analyst sentiment surrounding Global Payments stock begin to unwind. Of the 32 analysts in coverage, 22 sport a "hold" or worse recommendation.

Short sellers have been retreating, with short interest down 25.5% during the past two reporting periods. Short interest still accounts for 3.7% of the stock's total available float, however, or just over two days' worth of pent-up buying power.