Taco Bell Parent, Data Center Play And Two Other Stocks Weather War Storm, Hover Near Highs

Building construction play Argan (AGX) and three other stocks are notable for scoring new highs amid recent market volatility.

Argan touched an all-time high of 469.88 in Wednesday’s stock market before pulling back to its 21-day moving average. The building and heavy construction stock has surged as artificial intelligence data centers drive up demand for power plants.

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Argan provides construction and other services to the power and telecommunications industries and reported a $3 billion backlog in the third quarter ended Oct. 31.

Earnings growth at Argan decelerated by 9% to $2.17 per share year over year, but exceeded expectations. Sales declined 2% to $251.2 million. The stock’s Relative Strength Rating of 97 highlights its outperformance over a 52-week time frame when compared with other stocks in the Investor’s Business Daily database.

Stock Market: Taco Bell Parent Near Highs

Yum Brands (YUM) has retreated from a buy zone above a buy point of 163.30. The stock scored an all-time high of 169.39 in late February. Shares of the Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC parent have fallen just below their 50-day moving average.

The company last month delivered fourth-quarter earnings of $1.73 per share on $2.5 billion in global sales, with Taco Bell and KFC logging same-store sales growth. The company added a total of 1,814 new restaurants across its brands during the quarter.

However, the retail-restaurants group lags among IBD’s 197 industry groups, ranking 92nd. Yum Brands has a Composite Rating of 67, below the recommended threshold of 80.

Stock Market Today: Get The Latest News And Analysis

In the utility-electric power group, PPL Corp. (PPL) is also retreating after touching levels last seen in 2017. Shares broke out from a flat base at a buy point of 38.27 in February and have fallen below that entry now. For its fourth quarter, the company reported accelerating growth in earnings, to 41 cents per share with sales of $2.3 billion.

PPL operates through its subsidiaries to provide electricity in Kentucky, Rhode Island and other states. It projected 2026 earnings of $1.94 per share at the midpoint while extending its annual earnings growth target of 7% at the midpoint through 2029.

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Jazz Is Healthy Despite Wavering Market

Meanwhile,** Jazz Pharmaceuticals** (JAZZ) presents a healthy chart despite ongoing market weakness. The stock hit its all-time high of 198 in February after breaking out of a flat base on an earnings gap-up. Shares are just below the buy point of 182.99 on Friday.

For its fourth quarter ended in December, the drug company posted earnings of $6.64 per share and sales of $1.2 billion. Sales growth picked up for the third straight quarter. Jazz makes drugs to treat epilepsy and certain cancers.

The company’s 2026 sales outlook came in at $4.38 billion at the midpoint. The stock has outperformed 89% of other stocks in the IBD database over the past 52 weeks.

Please follow VRamakrishnan on X/Twitter for more news on the stock market today.

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