Retail investors talked up five hot stocks during the week (Oct. 19 to Oct. 23) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate news flow.

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV), Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX), spanning the electric vehicles/clean energy, aerospace/space technology, digital infrastructure/AI cloud computing, entertainment/streaming media, and semiconductor memory sectors, reflected strong retail interest.

Tesla

• TSLA was in focus this week after reporting third-quarter results on Oct. 21 that beat estimates, with EPS of 48 cents versus a 40-cent estimate; Tesla reported the highest passenger-vehicle backlog in four years. Attention quickly shifted to growing Tesla-SpaceX merger speculation, with analysts debating whether a combination would offer meaningful upside. SpaceX also disclosed that it bought $151 million of Tesla Megapack products in the third quarter and $480 million over the first nine months of 2026. On Oct. 22, several firms raised Tesla price targets, including Piper Sandler to $475, Canaccord to $442, and JPMorgan to $430, while RBC reiterated Outperform with a $480 target.

• Despite its earnings this week and the launch of its next-generation Tesla Roadster last week, some retail investors were questioning the negative stock movement.

• The stock has traded in the 52-week range of $297.38 to $498.83, being around $373 to $376 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined by 14.67% over the last year and 3.34% over the last six months. The stock was down 16.71% year-to-date.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings showed that TSLA had a strong price trend in the short and medium terms, but a weak trend in the long term, with a poor value score.

Micron Technology

• MU was in focus this week on investment plans, memory-scaling confidence, and renewed AI-spending concerns. On Oct. 20, Micron said it would invest in critical minerals under a $3 billion investment plan, while shares also moved higher amid continued AI-memory optimism. On Oct. 21, Micron said it had "more confidence in the next several years of scaling on both DRAM and NAND than we have in quite some time," supporting further cost and performance improvements. By Oct. 22, attention shifted to concerns that rising AI infrastructure costs could slow chip demand, though Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang downplayed fears of a memory glut. Micron’s CTO also called a new memory-chip design "complex and costly" as Chinese rival CXMT advanced DRAM technology. Rosenblatt maintained Buy with a $1,900 target, while Needham reiterated Buy with a $1,650 target.

• Retail investors had mixed reactions to MU’s trade and stock performance this week.

• The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $192.59 to $1,255.00, trading around $855 to $871 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 331.55% over the last year and 75.70% over the last six months. The stock was up 200.09% year-to-date.

• According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, MU was maintaining a strong price trend over the long term but a weak trend in the short and medium terms, with a good quality score.

CoreWeave

• CRWV was in focus this week as concerns over its debt-heavy AI infrastructure model intensified. On Oct. 20, the stock fell to a 52-week low, with HSBC reiterating a Reduce rating and a $39 target, while Goldman Sachs had upgraded CoreWeave to Buy with a $106 target a day earlier. On Oct. 21, Wall Street’s divide widened, with Piper Sandler maintaining Overweight but cutting its target to $124, while Benzinga highlighted price targets ranging from $39 to $150 amid AI-debt concerns. On Oct. 22, shares continued to slide as investors weighed financing risks across the neocloud sector, and by Oct. 23 Morgan Stanley maintained Equal-Weight while lowering its target to $70.

• After its debt concerns, several retail investors had turned bearish on CRWV.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $53.50 to $141.79, trading around $54 to $56 per share, as of the publication of this article. It fell by 54.25% over the year and 54.63% in the last six months. The stock was down 22.36% YTD.

• CRWV maintains a weak price trend over the long, medium, and short terms, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.

Netflix

• NFLX was in focus this week after reporting third-quarter earnings on Oct. 20 that beat estimates, with EPS of 87 cents versus 82 cents expected, but weaker fourth-quarter guidance pressured the stock. Netflix also cut its 2026 free cash flow forecast to about $12 billion from $12.5 billion and said it plans to expand its advertising tier to 15 new countries in 2027. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the company needs "better execution in the US," while management still expects strong revenue growth into 2027. The post-earnings selloff pushed Netflix to a 52-week low, prompting several analysts to cut price targets; UBS lowered its target to $100, JPMorgan to $81 and Morgan Stanley to $77, while Wolfe Research downgraded the stock to Peer Perform.

• Some retail investors were buying the dip in NFLX stock.

• The stock had a 52-week range of $64.10 to $116.73, trading around $65 to $68 per share, as of the publication of this article. It fell by 39.94% over the year, 28.09% over the last six months, and is down 28.49% YTD.

• According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, NFLX was maintaining a weak price trend over the short, long, and medium terms, with a moderate growth score.

Space Exploration Technologies

• SPCX was in focus this week after reporting third-quarter earnings on Oct. 20 that beat expectations, with EPS of 35 cents versus a 16-cent estimate, prompting several analysts to raise price targets, including JPMorgan to $500, Barclays and Evercore ISI to $300, and Bank of America to $275. Attention then shifted to the company’s financing needs and closer ties with Tesla: reports said SpaceX’s planned $40 billion debt deal was becoming more expensive amid broader AI-funding concerns, while the company disclosed it bought $151 million of Tesla Megapacks in the third quarter and $480 million over the first nine months of 2026. SpaceX also said any potential combination with Tesla would require additional approval from its special committee, board and controlling shareholder.

• Some retail investors were questioning SPCX’s valuation.

• The stock has traded in the range of $104.83 to $225.64 since its listing, trading around $143 to $148 per share, as of the publication of this article. It fell by 3.50% since June and 6.44% over the last month.

• According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, SPCX was maintaining a strong price trend over the long and medium terms but a weak trend in the short term.

Retail focus comprised AI infrastructure momentum, earnings, and corporate news-driven narratives, with broader market action during the week.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Disclaimer:This article represents the opinion of the author only. It does not represent the opinion of Webull, nor should it be viewed as an indication that Webull either agrees with or confirms the truthfulness or accuracy of the information. It should not be considered as investment advice from Webull or anyone else, nor should it be used as the basis of any investment decision.