You could be excused for having missed the earnings reports for Archer Aviation (ACHR), Oklo (OKLO), and Plug Power (PLUG), all of which reported after market close on Aug. 11. Earnings season is a blur, for investors, traders, analysts, and writers alike. 

We are at the mercy of stock prices dropping 10%, 20%, or even 30% instantly. No stop order or pre-earnings analysis can prevent these declines if a company with high expectations doesn’t meet them. 

However, AFTER the report, while a trader might miss some giant up moves, they have a chance to pick through the wreckage. The aftermath of earnings is, to me, a much more opportunistic time to trade. That goes hand-in-hand with being a risk manager, which I certainly am. 

When it comes to the trio discussed in this article, the earnings are out, the charts are clearer, and the market has passed judgement. 

So let’s look forward, where we find that 2 of these 3 popular stocks are in danger of fading, while the other might just have a shot to appreciate strongly in the months ahead. 

Here are the 3, side by side, using Barchart’s neat stock comparison feature. OKLO and ACHR tanked on earnings, joining a long list of blood-letting at the hands of disappointed traders and speculators. PLUG fared better, which makes sense in a 2025 sort of way.

This year, stocks tend to revert to the mean more than I’ve witnessed in the past. That is, if they rise sharply for a while, as OKLO did, they are priced for perfection, and the slightest bit of “not great” news produces selling pressure. Lots of it. Like the 17% 1-week loss suffered recently. 

Other stocks tend to be given more leniency when they are down, such as PLUG, following its nearly 30% drop earlier this year. None of this is new to trading. Buy low, sell high, right? But the volatility is different. It is much higher. 

OKLO and ARCH Are Slippery Slopes

This pair has a familiar look of stocks post-earnings. They are at different stages of fading from recent highs. OKLO is hanging in better, though the combination of its 20-day moving average turning down, along with its PPO (bottom of chart below) is concerning. The stock was a “4-bagger,” rising from $20 to the $80 range since last quarter’s earnings. So it appears to likely be ahead of even the rosiest outlook.

ACHR is the company baby boomers know as the closest thing we’ve seen to the old animated TV show The Jetsons becoming a reality. Air taxis! The company’s losses widened during the quarter. And as for revenue? There is none yet. So this is all about the future, and consumer demand for that futuristic transportation method. 

The chart above shows ACHR off about 30% and threatening to break support around $9.50. Moving averages have reversed lower, all the way out to the 150-day in red. This one could be a big winner long-term, but story stocks like ACHR tend to have their first excitable move before selling off and being forgotten… which is when they are most due for close inspection again.

Finally, PLUG is not the prettiest chart, but it is the only one that appears to be hanging in there. I’ve traded this one just a bit in the past, and the optimist in me sees a potential resting point here before a potential rally to and through $2.00 a share. 

Plugging In an Option Collar

There’s no such thing as a “clean” collar with a stock like PLUG. It is so volatile and the dollar price per share is so low. The options market is liquid, but it is not like trading a Mag 7 stock. 

Still, the first one above offers 47% upside to 20% downside between now and Dec. 19. That’s par for the course with a $2.00 stock. But it does get the trader through the next quarter, which with a stock like this one, can bring a renewed bullish outlook. Traders must consider their position size and pick their spots carefully.