10 Hot Stocks to Watch — Monday, July 13, 2026

Moderna shares cratered 10.83% Friday, extending a brutal week after June's 48% surge triggered widespread profit-taking across biotech. The healthcare sector—the S&P 500's lone laggard—fell 0.7%, with MRNA as its worst performer despite an EU RSV vaccine contract signed intraday. Yet options traders remain constructively positioned: call-to-put ratio of 8.24 shows heavy call buying, with July 2026 $70–$75 calls absorbing 26k contracts as investors bet on mean reversion. Watch the $70 support level and year-to-date gains of 148%.

Okta tumbled 6.86% today, erasing gains from its year-long 50% rally fueled by AI security demand and institutional flows. The stock's recent expulsion from Russell growth indexes has triggered selling pressure, though options markets show mixed conviction—put volume (680x) dominates the $145 strike through mid-July, signaling hedging demand, while call interest remains muted at 206x. Watch the $138–$145 support band; a breakdown below $138 could invite further technical liquidation.

Meta climbed 5.97% to $669.21 on renewed investor confidence in its artificial intelligence strategy, with options traders aggressively positioning for further upside. Call-to-put ratio of 7.36 reflects heavy bullish positioning, particularly in July 2026 contracts at $700 and $750 strikes, signaling conviction in sustained momentum. However, a $2 billion Manus acquisition reversal in China and mounting questions about AI profitability—including plans to charge for AI access—temper enthusiasm. Watch the $700 level as key technical resistance and sentiment barometer through mid-July.

CrowdStrike shares dropped 5.66% today despite a stellar 69% year-to-date run and aggressive institutional buying, signaling profit-taking after the recent 4-for-1 split and AI pivot. Options traders remain constructive, with heavy call volume concentrated at $200–$215 strikes expiring July 17, suggesting conviction in a near-term bounce above current resistance. Morgan Stanley maintains an Overweight rating at $172 target, but the stock's beta of 1.237 makes it vulnerable to broader tech volatility as investors reassess cybersecurity valuations in the AI era.

Zscaler tumbled 5.34% to $139.27 today, extending a broader selloff in enterprise software as investors digest margin pressure from rising AI infrastructure spending. The cybersecurity platform's expansion of its AI Guardian initiative with Coforge underscores growth momentum, but cost headwinds are testing near-term sentiment. Options traders are hedging downside, with $120 puts (July 2026) seeing 1,390 contracts traded, while call flow clusters around $150–$170 strikes, suggesting a 52-week range battle through mid-2026.

Lucid tumbled 4.8% to $5.55 as investor anxiety over dilutive capital raises swept the EV sector following Rivian's 75M-share offering. The selloff contradicts bullish options positioning: call volume has surged 2.12x puts, with heavy accumulation in $6.0 and $6.5 strike calls expiring mid-2026, signaling traders are betting on recovery from deeply depressed levels. Watch the $4.47 52-week low—a break below triggers technical capitulation; a hold into earnings could validate the call-heavy bet.

Marathon Digital Holdings fell 4.69% to $12.60 despite aggressive positioning around its $600M Texas data-center campus—a 2 GW facility designed to capture AI and HPC demand by 2028. Yet analyst fair-value estimates span $5.50 to $24, reflecting deep disagreement on whether the crypto-miner-turned-infrastructure play justifies current multiples after a five-year 46% decline. Options markets are signaling conviction: call buying has pushed the C/P ratio to 5.29, with heavy volume in $13–$15 July 2026 calls suggesting traders expect a rebound toward $15–$16 within 18 months.

Nike shares jumped 3.72% to $44.37 today, recouping some losses after a brutal decade of underperformance versus broader indices. The options market is signaling cautious optimism, with call-to-put ratio of 2.27 and heavy volume in $45–$46 July calls, suggesting traders are positioning for a near-term breakout above recent resistance. However, headwinds persist: China weakness, Direct channel softness, and tariff concerns continue to dampen the 2026 recovery outlook. Watch the $45 strike on July 17 expiry as the key technical inflection point.

Rivian dropped 3.53% to $17.48 despite raising full-year production guidance, a contrarian move that underscores investor skepticism about a recent capital raise. The company's dilutive funding—criticized as a Lucid-style misstep—has overshadowed operational improvements and state tax incentives supporting demand for the R2 lineup. Options flow remains mixed but skews defensive, with put volume at the $17 strike (July 2026) far exceeding calls, signaling protection bets below current levels. Watch the $18 technical floor; a break below could accelerate selling into mid-July expiration.

Netflix fell 2.78% to $73.37 on Friday as competitive pressures from a potential Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and World Cup viewership headwinds weigh on sentiment. Yet options markets flash conviction: a 2.23 call-to-put ratio and heavy buying in $80 calls expiring mid-July suggest traders are positioning for upside ahead of the July 16 earnings report. The stock trades near the lower end of its 52-week range ($70.86–$127.75), offering technicians a potential springboard if management reassures on pricing power and ad-tier growth.