Hot or Not, Stock Market Edition: 09/08/2026

Happy Tuesday. Here's what the Zen Ratings are buying into and passing on today:

• Hot: Retail giant Target (TGT) is up nearly 70% and still hitting the bullseye; precious metals miner Sibanye Stillwater (SBSW) has insiders buying hand over fist
• Not: EV maker VinFast (VFS) is running on empty; battery developer QuantumScape (QS) still hasn't delivered a charge

P.S. For more stocks making moves, check out our Zen Ratings Upgrades & Downgrades screener.

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🔥 HOT: General merchandise retailer Target (TGT) is finally giving investors reason to believe in the turnaround. Beauty is getting a major reset with 600 new in-store studios, digital growth is being supported by same-day delivery, and margins have improved from 3.7% to 4.1%. Strong cash flow adds another layer of support. The stock has surged nearly 70% in 2026, but the valuation still looks surprisingly reasonable at under 17x earnings, well below both the broader market and its industry. 

TGT earns a Zen Rating of A (highest possible, a Strong Buy recommendation), ranks #1 in its A-rated industry, and posts B grades in six of seven Components, including Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Financials, and AI. The only weak spot is Safety at D, so expect volatility. But six B grades, improving fundamentals, and a sub-17x multiple after a huge run make this one of the more compelling turnaround stories in retail.

🥶 NOT: Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast (VFS) is expanding globally while its finances deteriorate. The Vietnamese EV maker posted a Q1 loss and revenue miss, Reuters reports that production of certain vehicles in India has been halted, and the balance sheet is deeply strained. VinFast holds about $7 billion in assets against $10.8 billion in liabilities, while just $348 million in cash sits against an estimated $1.87 billion in annual cash burn.

The stock is down more than 40% from its 52-week high and roughly 70% below its listing price. VFS earns an F Zen Rating, with Value and Financials failing outright and every other component stuck at D. It also ranks dead last, #24 of 24, in an F-rated Auto industry.Global expansion sounds impressive, but when liabilities overwhelm assets and cash burn dwarfs the bank account, opening new markets does not fix the underlying problem.

🔥 HOT: Precious metals miner Sibanye Stillwater (SBSW) is turning a survival story into a recovery story. The precious metals miner’s first-half results showed margins improving from -6.5% to -4%, while about $1.3 billion in operating cash flow provides solid support against $2.66 billion in debt. Analysts see meaningful turnaround upside, and insiders appear to agree. The company has been a net insider buyer for the past year, with the CFO and several directors adding shares. SBSW is up more than 60% from its low but still roughly 40% below its 52-week high, leaving plenty of room if the recovery continues. 

It earns a Zen Rating of A, with underlying B grades in Value, Growth, Sentiment, and Financials, and ranks #1 out of 46 Gold industry stocks. Profitability is still negative and its due diligence score remains weak, so this turnaround is far from complete. But improving fundamentals, sustained insider buying, a top industry ranking, and significant distance from its highs make the upside case increasingly difficult to ignore.

🥶 NOT:  Solid-state battery developer QuantumScape (QS) is still selling the promise of a solid-state battery breakthrough, but the numbers are getting harder to defend. The company remains essentially pre-revenue, lost about $98 million in the latest period, and shares have been hammered. The biggest red flag came from insiders, with multiple C-suite executives selling stock in August and the co-founder and CTO clearing out his trust’s remaining position.

Right now, QS sits more than 70% below its 52-week high. It earns an F Zen Rating, with D grades in Value, Momentum, Safety, Financials, and AI, ranks #41 of 42 in Auto Parts, and clears just 6 of 33 due diligence checks. Our DCF model puts fair value at just $0.28.

The balance sheet is not the immediate problem. The risk is time, dilution, and a valuation still built on future success. The technology may eventually work, but with no meaningful revenue and insiders selling heavily, QS still looks more like a story stock than an investable business.

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