Catalyst watch for next week: Ford EV watch, Nikola earnings, Zendesk drama and Zuck talks AI/metaverse
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Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Catalyst Watch - a breakdown of some of next week's actionable events that stand out. Check out Saturday morning's regular Stocks to Watch article for a full list of events planned for the week or the Seeking Alpha earnings calendar for companies due to report.
February 21


All day - The U.S. stock market is closed for the President's Day holiday.

Tuesday - February 22


Volatility watch - Options trading spiked higher again on HOOKIPA Pharma (NASDAQ:HOOK) and SOS Limited (NYSE:SOS). Stocks generating strong interest on Reddit's WallStreetBets include Ryder (NYSE:R) and Rocket Companies (NYSE:RKT). On Stocktwits, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) are buzzing following their earnings reports. Meanwhile, short interest positions as a percentage of total float moved higher again on Blink Charging (NASDAQ:BLNK) and Citi Trends (NASDAQ:CTRN) heading into the new week. Analyst also say Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) should be watched with the expiration of the company's lock-up period a potential negative catalyst if a significant portion of shareholders decide to sell.

All week - Notable conferences in the week ahead include the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference, the Baird Sustainability Conference, the Citi Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference, the Aegis Virtual Conference, Barclays Industrial Select Conference and Citi's Virtual Healthcare Conference.

9:10 a.m. Altria (NYSE:MO) CEO Billy Gifford and CFO Sal Mancuso are scheduled to present at the CAGNY Conference. The company recently initiated its 2022 EPS guidance range of $4.79 to $4.93 (+4 to +7% growth). Updates on volume trends, inflation implications and the buyback program could be part of the Altria presentation.

Wednesday - February 23


All day - Cummins (NYSE:CMI) will hold its first investor day in several years. Bank of America is positive on Cummins ahead of the event, saying it expects more color on long-term targets and the new power segment to bring buyers into the stock.

All day - Merck (NYSE:MRK) execs are scheduled to discuss Environmental, Social & Governance priorities during a webcast. ESG profiles have added significance this year with institutional investors.

All day -  Ford Motor (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley will participate in a virtual fireside chat with Wolfe Research as part of appearance at the firm's Global Auto, Auto Tech, and Mobility Conference. Farley is scheduled to discuss Ford's growth opportunities in 2022 and beyond, including optimizing the transition from internal-combustion to battery-electric vehicles, software and services and Ford Pro. The talk will be watched closely for any commentary on Friday's report that the automaker is weighing options to have the EV business be a standalone.

All day -  Poseida Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PSTX) will host a virtual R&D Day with presentations focused on the company's differentiated genetic engineering platform technologies, novel approach to cell and gene therapy, and emerging discovery programs.

9:00 a.m. Xerox (NASDAQ:XRX) will hold its Investor Day. The last time Xerox held an investor day event, the bright outlook set shares up for +20% 90-day rally.

11:00 a.m. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg will give a speech on AI in the Metaverse. The talk will cover Meta's current breakthrough research and future big bets that it says will lay the groundwork for a new class of creative and immersive experiences today and in the metaverse tomorrow.

11:30 a.m. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) CEO Ramon LaGuarta is scheduled to present at the CAGNY Conference. PEP is entering FY22 with significant momentum and brand support, capable of reaching the high end of its long-term financial outlook.

3:00 p.m. Calix, Inc. (NYSE:CALX) will host its 2022 Investor Day.

Postmarket - Watch Skillz (NYSE:SKLZ), Hertz Global (NASDAQ:HTZ) and fuboTV (NYSE:FUBO) for volatility after their earnings reports are released. Options trading suggests double-digit moves for all three stocks after the reports drop. Skillz and fuboTV both traded sharply lower immediately following their last earnings report, while Hertz is going into the earnings confessional for the first time since going public again.

Thursday - February 24


All day - Polaris (NYSE:PII) has an analyst meeting planned to outline revised long-term strategies for driving accelerated growth and profitability in an expanding powersports market. Morgan Stanley said the event will likely include details on the company's electrification strategy and long-term targets.

All day - Shareholders with East Stone Acquisition (NASDAQ:ESSC) meet to vote on extending the SPAC deal to take JHD Holdings public. JHD is a Chinese merchant enablement services provider. Shares of ESSC have been volatile amid an elevated level of social media mentions and a potential gamma squeeze.

All day - PDS Biotechnology Corporation (NASDAQ:PDSB) will present Phase 2 initial data at the three-day Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium.

All day - The go-shop period on the acquisition deal between Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) expires.

Premarket - Nikola (NASDAQ:NKLA) will report earnings with options trading implying a swing up or down of 14%. Shares of Nikola rose more than 20% the last time the electric vehicle maker reported earnings.

8:00 a.m. Hillstream BioPharma (NASDAQ:HILS) will hold a R&D Day event to highlight emerging pipeline assets and anticipated milestones.

8:30 a.m. The second estimate for GDP will be released to expectations for an upward revision to the preliminary estimate of 6.9%. Bank of America thinks strong real consumption could take the GDP growth rate to 7.5%, which could create a ripple in the market. The core PCE number will also be closely watched for a revision from +4.9% Q/Q.

9:10 a.m. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) CEO Jon Mueller is scheduled to present at the CAGNY Conference. Analysts will be watching closely the update on labor, freight and logistics costs, as well as overall inflation expectations for the back half of the year.

11:10 a.m. Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic will discuss banking in a digital era in a scheduled speech. Bostic is on the hawkish side of the FOMC dove-hawk spectrum.

Postmarket - Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) will report earnings. Options trading suggests a swing up or down of 15% after the report drops. Shares of Beyond Meat (BYND) fell 13% after the last earnings report. Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:OXY) is also due to report earnings as investors look for a third consecutive double beat. Pioneer Natural (NYSE:PXD) trades in tandem with OXY on earnings day 88% of the time.

Friday - February 25


All day - The shipping industry gets its day in the sun with the Capital Link's Jones Act & U.S. Flag Shipping Forum taking place. Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel will make a presentation and top execs from Seabulk Tankers, Overseas Shipholding Group (NYSE:OSG), Matson (NYSE:MATX) and Maersk (OTCPK:AMKBY) will also be featured. The marine shipping stocks with the biggest YTD gainers so far this year are Danaos Corporation (NYSE:DAC) +32%, Golden Ocean Group Limited (NASDAQ:GOGL) +28%, Navios Maritime Partners L.P. (NYSE:NMM) +27%, Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SHIP) +26% and Castor Maritime Inc. (NASDAQ:CTRM) +26%.

All day - R.R. Donnelley's (NYSE:RRD) sale to Chatham Asset Management could close. The company said in its Q4 earnings release that all regulatory approvals for its sale to Chatham have been received.

10:00 a.m. Shareholders with Momentive Global (NASDAQ:MNTV) and Zendesk (NYSE:ZEN) will vote on the proposed merger between the two companies. The deal is seeing a lot of pushback from activist investors and some recommendations from proxy firms to vote against it.