A record Nasdaq listing, a meme-fueled trading boom, and the largest holder of Bitcoin (BTC) holding its own coins are set to define this quarter. These five AI and cryptocurrency companies hold the stories investors will be watching throughout September.
Each faces a major test this quarter, from first earnings to defending market dominance. Here are the top 5 companies to watch.
1. SK Hynix (SKHY)
SK Hynix is South Korea The second most expensive company The world’s leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. The company has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI infrastructure boom, with demand for its advanced memory chips continuing to outpace supply.
Last year, SK Hynix He said Its entire planned 2026 supply has already been sold out, highlighting the strength of demand for AI in the long term. This momentum has helped propel its Seoul-listed shares more than 180% year-to-date.
Last week, SK Hynix It first appeared on Wall Street. The company began trading on the Nasdaq on Friday, pricing its shares at $149 to raise more than $26 billion in the largest foreign listing ever on a U.S. exchange.
ADRs debuted strongly, opening near $170, before closing the first session roughly 13% higher.
Despite strong fundamentals, volatility was also a feature. The company’s shares, listed in Seoul, fell by 15.4%. In one sitting today.
How the stock trades this quarter will be worth watching, especially after the notable decline following SpaceX’s record IPO.
Analysts remain strongly optimistic. Goldman Sachs raised its 2028 operating profit forecast for SK Hynix by 24% to 454 trillion won ($299.62 billion).
Citi raised its target to 3.1 million won in May, nearly 68% higher than the current price of 1.8 million won. Meanwhile, UBS asked its clients to purchase the new US deposit Receipts during sale Stocks traded in Seoul.
2. SpaceX (SPCX)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, an aeronautics, connectivity and artificial intelligence company, has been absorbing xAI technology before it makes its market debut. The company went public in June with its largest IPO ever.
SpaceX has priced its shares Priced at $135 and opened at $150 in June 12. The stock reached $225 in its first week before seeing a continued decline.
The decline continued despite the inclusion of the Nasdaq 100 index. A landmark attracts the negative Investment flows from index-tracking funds. It closed Friday at a record low of $145.30, down 9.7% from its first closing price.
However, at least six major brokerages, including Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and UBS, have initiated coverage with ratings equivalent to buy, Bloomberg reported. I mentioned.
Attention now turns to the company’s first earnings report as a public company. SpaceX has not announced a launch date, although analysts expect it to be in early August.
Analysts are optimistic but divergent. Morgan Stanley has set a target of $300, roughly 106% above current levels, with a bull case at $600 and a bear case at $75.
RBC and Banco BTG Pactual set a target of $225, UBS at $210, Goldman Sachs at $205, and Stifel at $190. Even the lowest means about 31% Up from Friday’s close.
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3. Robinhood (Hood)
Robinhood has evolved from a retail trading app into a global brokerage with more than 27 million funded accounts. The company expanded its cryptocurrency business with the acquisition of Bitstamp and launched its own Layer-2, Robinhood Chain, in July.
The stock has declined year to date amid the market decline. However, it has made significant gains since May with a 51% rise.
DEX volumes and agent AI payouts have also captured attention. Robinhood Chain DEX trading volume reached a record high of $893 million on July 11, per Dune Datadriven by a renewed meme The coin craze is led by Cash Cat.
At the same time, the company is… Expand its agent Artificial intelligence trading from stocks to cryptocurrencies. Prediction markets have become another driver of growth. Event contracts traded on Robinhood jumped from 300 million in the first quarter of 2025 to 8.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, According to To Artemis.
Wall Street repriced the stock remarkably quickly this month. Mizuho raised its target on HOOD shares to $130 from $115 while maintaining an outperform rating.
Barclays raised its target by 48.8% to $122 from $82, and affirmed its buy rating. Morgan Stanley also raised its target 30.5% to $124 from $95.
4. Strategy (MSTR)
Strategy or MicroStrategy is the largest holder of Bitcoin, with 843,775 BTC purchased at an average price of $75,653. With Bitcoin below $63,000, the position remains deep underwater.
The company’s famous flywheel has been reversed. The market premium to NAV has been compressed to less than 1x, resulting in lower sales of new shares. Meanwhile, MSTR, like the rest of the cryptocurrency stocks, is flashing red, down 37.7% so far in 2026.
The strategy sold 32 bitcoins in late May to Preferred Dividend FundIt is its first sale since the tax-related move in December 2022. The board then approved the Digital Credit Capital Framework on June 29, which allows the sale of up to $1.25 billion in bitcoin. additional Greater sales followed In July.
Second-quarter earnings are scheduled to be announced on July 30. Investors will be watching whether the company leans more into bitcoin sales under its $1.25 billion license.
Analysts are divided on the path to recovery. Citi maintained a buy rating but lowered its target to $136 from $260, nearly half of its forecast. Mizuho lowered its target to $213 from $340. Meanwhile, Barclays initiated coverage with an equal weight rating and a target of $130.
5. Circuit (CRCL)
Circle issues USDC (USDC), the second largest stablecoin. The company went public last year, benefiting from favorable regulatory momentum and rising cryptocurrency prices.
However, the decline in the cryptocurrency market has affected stock returns. BeInCrypto’s analysis revealed that circuit It is trading below its open price of $69.
Based on the offer price of $31, However, the circuit is still up by over 100%. This makes it one of only two recent debuts still trading above its offer prices.
The competition intensified in late June when Stripe, Visa, and BlackRock launched a competing stablecoin called Open USD, sending Circle shares crashing 17%. In one day. The stock is now down 16.6% year to date.
However, Circle received significant regulatory gains. Company Received final approval from Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to create a national trust bank.
It also carries MiCA compliance Both the USDC and EURC are euro-denominated, giving it licenses that its rival consortium lacks. Second-quarter earnings on August 12 provide the next test of whether this moat is holding up.
Analysts have the largest group of targets on this list. Goldman Sachs lowered its target to $96 with a neutral rating, roughly 47% above current levels. Bernstein reaffirmed its outperform rating with a $190 target, while Clear Street called the selling overdone.
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