Washington Post editor in chief Matt Murray on Wednesday morning announced internally a “broad strategic reset” that will result in “significant” layoffs across the company. Staffers at the Post have been on edge for weeks about the rumored cuts, which the publication would not confirm or deny. Leading up to Wednesday’s cuts, the atmosphere in the newspaper was “funereal”, one employee, who was no...
Washington Post editor in chief Matt Murray on Wednesday morning announced internally a “broad strategic reset” that will result in “significant” layoffs across the company. Staffers at the Post have been on edge for weeks about the rumored cuts, which the publication would not confirm or deny. Leading up to Wednesday’s cuts, the atmosphere in the newspaper was “funereal”, one employee, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said. Employees received an email on Wednesday morning asking them to attend a Zoom meeting at 8.30am after which they will learn their fate via email. During the meeting, Murray told employees that the Post was undergoing a “strategic reset” to better position the publication for the future, according to several employees who were on the call. Murray acknowledged that the Post has struggled to reach “customers” and talked about the competitive media marketplace. “Today, the Washington Post is taking a number of actions across the company to secure our future,” he said. Murray told employees that the Post was ending the current iteration of its popular sports desk, though some employees will remain on a new team. The Post is also restructuring its local coverage, reducing its international reporting operation, and suspending its flagship daily news podcast Post Reports. It’s not yet known how many employees will be laid off. After years of growth under owner Jeff Bezos, the tech billionaire behind Amazon, the Post has been shedding staff over the last few years. About 240 staffers left via buyouts offered at the end of 2023, and another chunk of staffers took buyouts last year, which were offered to any employee with more than 10 years of experience. Layoffs, particularly of journalists in the newsroom, have been less common. In fall 2024, the Post laid off 54 employees from the division responsible for its proprietary publishing software, and in January 2025, the Post laid off about 4% of staffers who worked in advertising, marketing and pri...
Sundry Photography Cloudflare ( NET ) shares rose 1.8% in premarket trading on Wednesday after BTIG upgraded the content security company, citing “positive checks on multiple fronts.” “Over the last couple of weeks, we spoke to five partners with a view on $100MM+ in combined annual NET sales,” analyst Gray Powell wrote in a note to clients. “Our field checks were consistently strong on multiple f...
Sundry Photography Cloudflare ( NET ) shares rose 1.8% in premarket trading on Wednesday after BTIG upgraded the content security company, citing “positive checks on multiple fronts.” “Over the last couple of weeks, we spoke to five partners with a view on $100MM+ in combined annual NET sales,” analyst Gray Powell wrote in a note to clients. “Our field checks were consistently strong on multiple fronts. We think the company’s long-term growth opportunity in its core web application protection market is underappreciated. We see NET rapidly gaining share in Zero Trust / SASE. And momentum on developer services has clearly been building throughout 2025 and into 2026. Based on our product-level analysis, we think NET can conservatively sustain high 20’s revenue growth through 2028.” Powell raised his rating on Cloudflare to Buy from Neutral and put a $199 price target on the stock. Delving deeper, Powell said that recent checks were positive “across the majority of our discussions and improved from last quarter.” He also mentioned that two of the largest partners saw an acceleration in their business with Cloudflare in the fourth quarter. “In addition, other contacts offered positive directional commentary on NET and various product initiatives,” Powell added. More on CloudFlare Cloudflare: Q4 Expectations Are On The Higher Side, While Valuations Look Concerning Cloudflare's Quiet Enterprise Inflection Cloudflare: Crashing Back To Reality Enterprise software stocks tumble as analysts mull growth acceleration amid AI impact Cloudflare soars as AI chatbot running on its infrastructure goes viral
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Meredith Kopit Levien Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — William Bardeen Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development — Anthony DiClemente Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Net New Digit...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Meredith Kopit Levien Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — William Bardeen Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development — Anthony DiClemente Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Net New Digital Subscribers -- 1,400,000 additions for the year, with 450,000 added in the fourth quarter, resulting in a total subscriber count of 12,800,000. -- 1,400,000 additions for the year, with 450,000 added in the fourth quarter, resulting in a total subscriber count of 12,800,000. Total Digital Revenues -- Surpassed $2 billion for the first time during the year. -- Surpassed $2 billion for the first time during the year. Digital Subscription Revenue Growth -- Increased approximately 14% year over year, reaching $382 million in the fourth quarter. -- Increased approximately 14% year over year, reaching $382 million in the fourth quarter. Total Subscription Revenues -- Grew approximately 9% year over year to $510 million in the fourth quarter, aligning with prior guidance. -- Grew approximately 9% year over year to $510 million in the fourth quarter, aligning with prior guidance. Digital Advertising Revenue Growth -- Increased approximately 25% in the fourth quarter to $147 million, outperforming internal guidance. -- Increased approximately 25% in the fourth quarter to $147 million, outperforming internal guidance. Total Advertising Revenues -- Rose 16% in the fourth quarter, supported by higher digital advertising and broad portfolio contribution. -- Rose 16% in the fourth quarter, supported by higher digital advertising and broad portfolio contribution. Affiliate Licensing and Other Revenues -- Grew 5.5% in the fourth quarter to $100 million, primarily due to higher licensing revenues and tracking with prior guidance. -- Grew 5.5% in the fourth quarter to $100 million, primar...
Lemon_tm/iStock via Getty Images Introduction My story with Super Micro Computer, Inc. ( SMCI ) goes way back before the short report and the volatility that came afterwards. I exited my position at a small loss, for an average price of about $42, if I remember correctly, and I think it was a great decision. Since then, the stock went higher, but only briefly, and now, even after an almost 11% jum...
Lemon_tm/iStock via Getty Images Introduction My story with Super Micro Computer, Inc. ( SMCI ) goes way back before the short report and the volatility that came afterwards. I exited my position at a small loss, for an average price of about $42, if I remember correctly, and I think it was a great decision. Since then, the stock went higher, but only briefly, and now, even after an almost 11% jump on the latest earnings beat , this stock trades at less than $33. Price Before The Market The problem is that the market looks at the headlines without missing all of the red flags we see this quarter with SMCI specifically. The industry is doing great, it’s expanding with enormous speed, but SMCI is not doing that well. Today, I will explain why the stock surges, and why, in fact, it was supposed to plunge. Q2 '26 earnings Super Micro Computer has just reported Q2 '26 earnings , and the headline results look incredible - record revenue of $12.7 billion, which is a substantial improvement from $5.0 billion in Q1 '26 and $5.7 billion in Q2 '25. The management gave guidance that the market did not expect to see, either. It guided for Q3 net sales of $12.3 billion and full-year 2026 revenue of at least $40 billion. The books of SMCI look like the books of a rapidly growing business - accounts receivable (sales the company made on credit) skyrocketed since June 2025 from $2.2 billion to $11 billion, which represents a change of about 400%, and accounts payable (money the company owns to suppliers for the inventory) from $1.3 billion to $13.7 billion, which is a growth of almost 1000%. They are buying a lot more inventory and selling a lot more product, exactly as a good business should do. Q2 Press Release These numbers resulted in the stock of the company jumping 8.5% as the results first came in, but I look at this reaction with a fair amount of skepticism. The demand is absolutely there, it is growing, and why wouldn’t it grow? Hyperscalers’ CapEx goes through the roof, an...
Dragon Claws Lumentum's ( LITE ) second quarter fiscal 2026 results and outlook prompted its shares to spike as analysts noted capital expenditures related to artificial intelligence and new product lines continue to drive growth. "We see the unprecedented demand for AI network infrastructure as the key long-term growth driver," said Needham analysts, led by Ryan Koontz, in an investor note. "Deep...
Dragon Claws Lumentum's ( LITE ) second quarter fiscal 2026 results and outlook prompted its shares to spike as analysts noted capital expenditures related to artificial intelligence and new product lines continue to drive growth. "We see the unprecedented demand for AI network infrastructure as the key long-term growth driver," said Needham analysts, led by Ryan Koontz, in an investor note. "Deep vertical integration from its own production infrastructure and global scale provides strong operating leverage … Shares should continue to trend higher as AI momentum persists and the company capitalizes on multiple growth vectors." Needham also highlighted additional growth opportunities through new product lines, including optical circuit switches and co-packaged optics. "Among new product lines, OCS systems and CPO laser orders saw material order increases and accelerated availability to C2H26 and C1H27, respectively," Koontz added. Needham bulked up its price target to $550 from $470 and reiterated its Buy rating. Meanwhile, B. Riley Securities upgraded Lumentum to Buy from Neutral and nearly quadrupled its price target to $526 from $147. "The strength was across the board, including EMLs, pumps, and ITLAs," said B. Riley analyst Dave Kang in a note. "With demand for laser chips exceeding supply by 25–30%, LITE has strategically front-loaded a 40% expansion of its InP capacity. Management indicated that this is only the initial phase, with further modular expansions planned throughout CY26." "While LITE already benefits from several secular tailwinds, we see a path for outsized growth driven by two specific near-term catalysts: the rapid scaling of OCS in C2H26, followed by the rapid CPO ramp beginning in early CY27," he added. Finally, GF Securities maintained its Buy rating and also highlighted the new opportunities emerging through OCS and CPO. "We previously identified three primary catalysts for Lumentum's future growth: cloud transceivers, optical circuit switch...
This year's software stock sell-off, which accelerated Tuesday, has alarmed investors, traders and analysts who worry the slide has further to go. Software stocks have been under pressure for some time, starting in the latter half of 2025, as fears of artificial intelligence disrupting the industry took hold. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) has tumbled nearly 20% this year, and...
This year's software stock sell-off, which accelerated Tuesday, has alarmed investors, traders and analysts who worry the slide has further to go. Software stocks have been under pressure for some time, starting in the latter half of 2025, as fears of artificial intelligence disrupting the industry took hold. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) has tumbled nearly 20% this year, and is more than 27% off its most recent high. It's down more than 5% just this week. But Tuesday's pullback has investors worrying the negative sentiment in the sector could persist for some time. The S & P 500 tumbled nearly 1% Tuesday, with shares of ServiceNow and Salesforce dropping close to 7%, each. Not even the Magnificent Seven stocks were immune, with Nvidia sliding roughly 3%. The shares were looking at a weaker open again on Wednesday. Vital Knowledge's Adam Crisafulli wrote in his daily market analysis note: "We think the software narrative is extremely overdone, and rarely has an industry been so oversold, but it will take some time for the sector to move out of the current morass of gloom." IGV YTD mountain IGV, ytd performance He pointed out that the overnight earnings action has done little to relieve investor fears. Automated data security company Varonis Systems is down more than 14% in the premarket on Wednesday, in spite of a beat on the top and bottom lines, adding to worries in the software space. Even Super Micro Computer's results overnight could be a "red flag" for the sector, Crisafulli said. While shares are higher in the premarket following Super Micro's beat, he noted that the company's reported gross margins of roughly 6.5% during a period of unprecedented demand is worrying. "The question is whether all this infrastructure will be utilized in an economic fashion, generating free cash flow and healthy margins for all the major participants, and that remains a big unknown," he wrote. NOW YTD mountain ServiceNow, YTD JPMorgan analyst Mark Murphy wr...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Scott Huckins Chief Financial Officer — Nathan Lowe TAKEAWAYS Net Revenues -- $1.03 billion for the quarter, representing 1% growth compared to $1.02 billion in the prior year. -- $1.03 billion for the quarter, representing 1% growth compared to $1.02 billion in the prior year. Full-Year Net Revenu...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Feb. 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Scott Huckins Chief Financial Officer — Nathan Lowe TAKEAWAYS Net Revenues -- $1.03 billion for the quarter, representing 1% growth compared to $1.02 billion in the prior year. -- $1.03 billion for the quarter, representing 1% growth compared to $1.02 billion in the prior year. Full-Year Net Revenues -- $3.7 billion, up 1% year over year. -- $3.7 billion, up 1% year over year. Retail Volumes -- Exceeded overall category trends and outperformed by two points in the quarter. -- Exceeded overall category trends and outperformed by two points in the quarter. Non-Retail Net Revenues -- Increased by $24 million relative to the same quarter in 2024. -- Increased by $24 million relative to the same quarter in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA -- $220 million in the quarter, up 3% compared to the prior year, and only quarter of EBITDA growth in 2025. -- $220 million in the quarter, up 3% compared to the prior year, and only quarter of EBITDA growth in 2025. Full-Year Adjusted EBITDA -- $670 million compared to $678 million in 2024. -- $670 million compared to $678 million in 2024. Segment Performance -- Hefty Waste & Storage and Presto delivered strong volume growth and share gains, while Hefty Tableware showed slight sequential volume improvement but top-line pressure from foam declines. -- Hefty Waste & Storage and Presto delivered strong volume growth and share gains, while Hefty Tableware showed slight sequential volume improvement but top-line pressure from foam declines. Adjusted EPS -- $0.59 for the quarter versus $0.58 in 2024; full-year adjusted EPS of $1.66 compared to $1.67 in 2024, lapping a one-time $0.05 tax benefit. -- $0.59 for the quarter versus $0.58 in 2024; full-year adjusted EPS of $1.66 compared to $1.67 in 2024, lapping a one-time $0.05 tax benefit. SG&A -- Down 19% in the quarter versus 2024, and down 11% for the full year, linked to organizational delayering, and...
Feb 4 (Reuters) - Tesla sold less than half the number of battery-electric vehicles recorded by Chinese rival BYD in the UK last month, data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday, pointing to mounting competitive pressures on the U.S. automaker. UK car sales of Tesla plunged more than 57% over the year earlier to 647 vehicles in January, the research group said. The decline was the steepest a...
Feb 4 (Reuters) - Tesla sold less than half the number of battery-electric vehicles recorded by Chinese rival BYD in the UK last month, data from New Automotive showed on Wednesday, pointing to mounting competitive pressures on the U.S. automaker. UK car sales of Tesla plunged more than 57% over the year earlier to 647 vehicles in January, the research group said. The decline was the steepest among major manufacturers, and far exceeded the 6.4% fall seen in the overall UK battery-electric car sales in the month. The Elon Musk-led company has been losing ground in the UK as its ageing line up grapples with intense competition from Chinese brands such as BYD and MG, with the CEO's backing of far-right figures also contributing to the brand's market share losses across Europe. Tesla launched its cheaper Model Y and Model 3 variants to jump-start UK sales, but BYD pressed ahead, selling 1,326 battery-electric vehicles last month, up nearly 21% over the year earlier, New Automotive data showed. U.S. peer Ford led UK's battery-electric vehicle market, more than doubling its sales in January to 2,271 units. Overall, total UK car registrations across fuel types fell 4.6% to 133,571 vehicles in January, the data showed. "British consumers are still moving towards cars with plugs, and away from those without," said Tanya Sinclair, CEO, Electric Vehicles UK. Month-to-month battery-electric vehicle figures can be volatile, especially after an unusually strong December and as manufacturers manage their early year product mix and compliance pathways, Sinclair said. (Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru and Alessandro Parodi; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
Key Points UiPath's robotic process automation platform could be displaced by sophisticated AI tools. UiPath has embraced AI, integrating it into its platform and mitigating the downsides. UiPath could emerge as a winner in the automation market, but uncertainty is running high. 10 stocks we like better than UiPath › Shares of robotic process automation specialist UiPath (NYSE: PATH) slumped 23.2%...
Key Points UiPath's robotic process automation platform could be displaced by sophisticated AI tools. UiPath has embraced AI, integrating it into its platform and mitigating the downsides. UiPath could emerge as a winner in the automation market, but uncertainty is running high. 10 stocks we like better than UiPath › Shares of robotic process automation specialist UiPath (NYSE: PATH) slumped 23.2% in January, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. While there was no major news during the month, growing fear about the impact of artificial intelligence on the enterprise software industry was the likely culprit behind the crash. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » A risk and an opportunity UiPath's RPA platform enables enterprises to automate workflows on a PC. Many legacy PC applications that businesses still rely on are difficult or impossible to integrate directly with other applications. UiPath's platform allows users to create rules-based workflows that overcome these limitations by interacting with applications, browsers, and data. The AI industry has advanced rapidly, and it's now coming for exactly the kind of use cases that UiPath targets. Anthropic's Cowork, a research preview of an AI agent that can access files, use web browsers, and interact with applications via a growing ecosystem of plugins, poses a real threat to UiPath's business model. While investors are right to be concerned, UiPath has been embracing AI and integrating the technology into its RPA platform. The downside of a pure RPA platform is that workflows are rigid and inflexible. If a website's interface changes, an entire workflow could break. An AI agent can adapt, making AI potentially more robust. Where AI fails, though, is consistency. AI isn't deterministic, meaning that the same inputs can yield different outputs. While an RPA workflow will do the same thing every t...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Dara Khosrowshahi Chief Financial Officer — Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah Incoming Chief Financial Officer — Balaji Krishnamurthy Senior Director of Investor Relations — Alex Wong Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Gross Bookings -- Up 22% year over ye...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Dara Khosrowshahi Chief Financial Officer — Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah Incoming Chief Financial Officer — Balaji Krishnamurthy Senior Director of Investor Relations — Alex Wong Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] TAKEAWAYS Gross Bookings -- Up 22% year over year to a $15 billion annual run rate, marking the fifth consecutive year with annual gross bookings greater than 20% growth. -- Up 22% year over year to a $15 billion annual run rate, marking the fifth consecutive year with annual gross bookings greater than 20% growth. Monthly Active Platform Consumers (MAPC) -- Exceeded 202 million, with MAPC growth accelerating from 14% at the start of the year to 18% by year-end. -- Exceeded 202 million, with MAPC growth accelerating from 14% at the start of the year to 18% by year-end. Adjusted EBITDA -- Totaled $8.7 billion, representing 35% year-over-year growth. -- Totaled $8.7 billion, representing 35% year-over-year growth. Free Cash Flow -- Reached $9.8 billion, up 42% year over year. -- Reached $9.8 billion, up 42% year over year. Membership Program Growth -- Uber One membership grew 55% year over year, with 46 million members at year-end, nearing 50% of total gross bookings. -- Uber One membership grew 55% year over year, with 46 million members at year-end, nearing 50% of total gross bookings. Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Expansion -- AV trips per vehicle per day were 30% higher on Uber's platform than standalone AV competitors, and AV operations are expected in 15 cities by the end of the year. -- AV trips per vehicle per day were 30% higher on Uber's platform than standalone AV competitors, and AV operations are expected in 15 cities by the end of the year. Geographic Revenue Mix -- 60% of mobility gross bookings originated outside the U.S., and nearly 75% of U.S. profits came from outside the top 20 largest cities. -- 60% of mobi...
ricochet64/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Johnson Controls International plc ( JCI ) shares jumped 7.2% in premarket trading Wednesday after the building systems company reported quarterly results that topped expectations and lifted its full-year outlook. Adjusted earnings were $0.89 a share for its fiscal first quarter, beating analysts’ estimates of $0.84 a share. Revenue rose 7% from a year ...
ricochet64/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Johnson Controls International plc ( JCI ) shares jumped 7.2% in premarket trading Wednesday after the building systems company reported quarterly results that topped expectations and lifted its full-year outlook. Adjusted earnings were $0.89 a share for its fiscal first quarter, beating analysts’ estimates of $0.84 a share. Revenue rose 7% from a year earlier to $5.8 billion, topping the Wall Street consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. Net income rose to $555 million, or $0.90 a share, from about $397 million, or $0.65 a share, a year earlier. Orders accelerate and backlog expands Johnson ( JCI ) said organic orders jumped 39% year over year, more than double the pace seen a year earlier, driven by strong demand in the Americas and momentum in its systems business, including commercial heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment. Backlog climbed 20% organically to $18.2 billion. “Johnson Controls delivered a strong start to the year, with solid revenue growth, meaningful margin expansion, and adjusted EPS up nearly 40%,” Chief Executive Joakim Weidemanis said in the earnings announcement. The surge in orders helped drive what the company described as its fastest adjusted earnings growth rate in a decade, supported by improving execution and a broader rollout of its operating system. Regional performance shows broad strength In the Americas, Johnson ( JCI ) reported sales of $3.8 billion, up 6% from a year earlier, with organic growth led by applied HVAC and controls. Orders in the region rose 56% year over year, supported by customer investments in data center projects. Sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa increased 9% to $1.3 billion, with growth led by services, while Asia Pacific revenue climbed 8% to $693 million on higher volumes in products and systems. Across the business, margin performance improved, supported by pricing actions, productivity gains and operating leverage. The company cited continue...