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Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) shares suffered the steepest daily loss of any stock in the S&P 500 on Tuesday, plunging more than 7% after the provider of enterprise technology solutions announced a $1.5 billion convertible stock offering.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), HPE plans to use the proceeds from the offering — of 27 million shares of mandatory convertible preferred stock — to cover fees and expenses related to its acquisition of the networking equipment maker Juniper Networks (JNPR).

HPE in January said it would purchase Juniper in an all-cash deal worth around $14 billion, aiming to and improve its position in artificial intelligence (AI) networking markets.

The offering of additional shares often causes downward pressure on stock prices because it results in dilution—a reduction in the value of the shares held by existing investors as their proportional ownership in the company diminishes.

In this transaction, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is offering preferred shares, a class of stock that provides priority dividend payouts compared with common shares. Preferred shareholders also have the option to convert their holdings into common stock.

The preferred shares offered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise will automatically convert to common stock around Sept. 1, 2027 unless shareholders redeem or convert their shares prior to that date.

In its most recent earnings report, released Sept. 4, Hewlett Packard Enterprise posted better-than-expected sales. An increase in server revenue, boosted by AI demand, helped drive the performance. However, diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell shy of forecasts, and the stock has been trending downward in the week following the release.

Following Tuesday's losses, HPE shares fell into negative territory for 2024, currently down around 4% year to date.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) with making inaccurate statements about the recyclability of its single-use K-Cup pods.

Keurig agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle the case, the regulator said.

According to the SEC, Keurig said in its fiscal 2019 and 2020 annual reports that its testing had found the K-Cup pods could be “effectively recycled.”

But the coffee maker and beverage firm failed to mention that two of the largest recycling firms in the U.S. had expressed doubts about the commercial feasibility of curbside recycling of the pods and wouldn’t accept them for recycling, the SEC said. 

In fiscal year 2019, sales of K-Cup pods made up a “significant percentage” of Keurig’s coffee systems operations, the SEC said. Keurig's own research had cited consumer environmental concerns as a consideration when buying  a Keurig brewing system. K-Cup pods have been made of recyclable polypropylene plastic since 2020, the company said.

Keurig agreed to a cease-and-desist order, the SEC said, without admitting or denying the order's findings.

"We continue to encourage consumers to check with their local recycling program to verify acceptance of pods, as they are not recycled in many communities," a company spokesperson said in e-mailed comments. "We remain committed to a better, more standardized recycling system for all packaging materials through KDP actions, collaboration and smart policy solutions."

Keurig shares were down slightly Tuesday afternoon but are up more than 10% this year. The Keurig company merged with Dr Pepper Snapple in 2018.

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Analysts are largely bullish Apple (AAPL) could see an AI-fueled upgrade cycle after the tech giant revealed the AI-charged iPhone 16 on Monday, though some warned a slow rollout of new AI features could hold back sales in the near term.

Most Apple analysts tracked by Visible Alpha hold a "buy" or equivalent rating for the stock after Apple unveiled its latest iPhone with AI-powered capabilities, along with new versions of its smartwatch and AirPods.

A number of analysts including those from JPMorgan, Jefferies, and Wedbush said Monday and Tuesday that they anticipate an AI-driven upgrade cycle following Monday's launch event. However, the lack of a "specific timeline" for the rollout of many AI features leaves some uncertainty around Apple's AI plans, JPMorgan analysts said, which could delay sales.

Jefferies analysts said the vague timeline for AI feature releases could turn the coming upgrade cycle into a multi-year cycle that includes releases of the iPhone 17 and beyond once more useful features are broadly available, rather than massive upgrades to the iPhone 16.

JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley analysts also said other improvements important to consumers like camera and battery life could drive upgrades, along with "attractive" trade-in offers from Apple and cellular carriers.

Several analysts said their focus has now shifted to pre-order data this Friday and early sales data following the Sept. 20 launch to provide insight into how consumers view the new phones.

Bank of America analysts added that health features of the new smartwatch and AirPods could broaden markets for the products, “driving more users” to Apple's ecosystem. The Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods Pro 2 both have features pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, with the watch offering a new sleep apnea detection program and the AirPods able to function as a hearing aid.

Given the connection Apple looks to foster between its products, Needham analysts said sales of the wearable products driven by the health updates could help boost future sales of iPhones once more definitive AI capabilities are added.

Apple shares were little changed at $220.49 in intraday trading Tuesday, and have gained over 14% since the start of the year.

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A man has revealed the surprising reason he’s considering breaking up with his girlfriend.

The man wanted to break up with his girlfriend because she was squatting on a moving tricycle, probably because of the hike in fuel.

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The best time to buy a home is rapidly approaching, according to a report released Tuesday.

Realtor.com found that the week of Sept. 29 through Oct. 5 is the optimal time to buy a home this year. The real estate website said home shoppers could save more than $14,000 during that week and that the following two weeks would be nearly as good for buyers. Researchers said a slower market pace, more listings, and less competition will give buyers the advantage.

For about two years, high interest rates have gridlocked the housing market. Many homeowners have been reluctant to sell their homes and give up low mortgage rates, decreasing inventory and pushing prices to unaffordable levels.

Potential homebuyers may be able to get off the sidelines at the end of September and into early October, Realtor.com said. Based on historical trends, the first week of October will likely see 37% more active listings than the beginning of the year.

Combined with the continuing drops in mortgage rates, the best week of the year could kick off a trend of better affordability for buyers.

According to calculations by Freddie Mac, the average interest on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage has been moving downward since May and has decreased for the past three weeks in a row.

As mortgage rates have fallen, more homeowners are willing to list their homes, and for-sale inventory has climbed over the past year. According to Realtor.com, there were 35.8% more homes for sale in August than at the same time last year.

Previously, home buyers fought for the few homes on the market, driving home prices up by more than 36% since July 2019. However, prices have been easing; the median price of homes for sale in August decreased by 1.3% compared with last year.

These trends are likely to continue. As the Federal Reserve eyes a cut to its influential fed funds rate, many economists expect that new-mortgage and refinance rates will follow suit and decrease even more.

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