lixu/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Generative AI is coming for software margins. But the market has chosen to punish Microsoft ( MSFT ) stock. While MSFT has a large software business, I expect it to be a long-term winner in the space as it continues consolidating due to its wide product portfolio. The company’s growing partnership with OpenAI is catalyzing aggressive growth in Azure, but the...
lixu/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Generative AI is coming for software margins. But the market has chosen to punish Microsoft ( MSFT ) stock. While MSFT has a large software business, I expect it to be a long-term winner in the space as it continues consolidating due to its wide product portfolio. The company’s growing partnership with OpenAI is catalyzing aggressive growth in Azure, but the market may be wary of the growing concentration. It is times like this, when negative sentiment runs rampant, that we often can find the best buying opportunities. I am upgrading MSFT to a strong buy rating. MSFT Stock Price I last covered MSFT in November , where I rated the stock a buy as one of the higher-quality names that still traded at reasonable valuations. The stock has surprisingly dipped double digits since. Data by YCharts I find this latest bout of volatility to provide an attractive buying opportunity. While the market is afraid about generative AI threats to software, I instead am buying MSFT as the likely long-term beneficiary from any such threats. MSFT Stock Key Metrics If one looked at the numbers alone, they would likely be surprised why MSFT has fallen so precipitously. The company delivered 17% YoY revenue growth, which is a stunning result given the large revenue base. Operating income jumped even faster in spite of the company’s aggressive investments in AI. FY26 Q2 Presentation Investors may be concerned that the rise of vibe-coding products may pose a long-term threat to MSFT’s software platform. These threats did not show up in the quarter, with the company delivering $34.1 billion in revenue across its software portfolio, representing 16% YoY growth and exceeding guidance for $33.6 billion. On the conference call , management guided the third quarter to see between $34.25 billion and $34.55 billion in revenue in this segment, representing sustained strong growth of between 14% and 15%. FY26 Q2 Presentation I suspect that investors were disappoin...
lixu/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Generative AI is coming for software margins. But the market has chosen to punish Microsoft ( MSFT ) stock. While MSFT has a large software business, I expect it to be a long-term winner in the space as it continues consolidating due to its wide product portfolio. The company’s growing partnership with OpenAI is catalyzing aggressive growth in Azure, but the...
lixu/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Generative AI is coming for software margins. But the market has chosen to punish Microsoft ( MSFT ) stock. While MSFT has a large software business, I expect it to be a long-term winner in the space as it continues consolidating due to its wide product portfolio. The company’s growing partnership with OpenAI is catalyzing aggressive growth in Azure, but the market may be wary of the growing concentration. It is times like this, when negative sentiment runs rampant, that we often can find the best buying opportunities. I am upgrading MSFT to a strong buy rating. MSFT Stock Price I last covered MSFT in November , where I rated the stock a buy as one of the higher-quality names that still traded at reasonable valuations. The stock has surprisingly dipped double digits since. Data by YCharts I find this latest bout of volatility to provide an attractive buying opportunity. While the market is afraid about generative AI threats to software, I instead am buying MSFT as the likely long-term beneficiary from any such threats. MSFT Stock Key Metrics If one looked at the numbers alone, they would likely be surprised why MSFT has fallen so precipitously. The company delivered 17% YoY revenue growth, which is a stunning result given the large revenue base. Operating income jumped even faster in spite of the company’s aggressive investments in AI. FY26 Q2 Presentation Investors may be concerned that the rise of vibe-coding products may pose a long-term threat to MSFT’s software platform. These threats did not show up in the quarter, with the company delivering $34.1 billion in revenue across its software portfolio, representing 16% YoY growth and exceeding guidance for $33.6 billion. On the conference call , management guided the third quarter to see between $34.25 billion and $34.55 billion in revenue in this segment, representing sustained strong growth of between 14% and 15%. FY26 Q2 Presentation I suspect that investors were disappoin...
Ask any long-term PC tech enthusiast or hardware journalist what they think about AMD, and you'll probably be met with endless praise for its products and engineering know-how. Prod them for the negative aspects, and they'll probably grumble about its marketing decisions, but perhaps that's all set to change, as there's a new bod in charge, freshly poached from Salesforce. When I say 'freshly poac...
Ask any long-term PC tech enthusiast or hardware journalist what they think about AMD, and you'll probably be met with endless praise for its products and engineering know-how. Prod them for the negative aspects, and they'll probably grumble about its marketing decisions, but perhaps that's all set to change, as there's a new bod in charge, freshly poached from Salesforce. When I say 'freshly poached', I really do mean that, because Ariel Kielman was listed in Salesforce's executive team as recently as yesterday. Not any more, though, because AMD has snapped him up as its senior vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO) with immediate effect. Kelman has a history of working with tech companies, having been the CMO at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle, though he's most well-known for being at Salesforce. He's not the only person to have left that company, as there has been a bit of a reshuffling of executives at the top. But why did AMD want to employ him? "Ariel is a proven marketing leader with deep experience building brands, driving marketing impact at scale and connecting innovation to customer value," said Ruth Cotter, AMD's chief administrative officer. "As AMD continues to expand our portfolio and deliver industry-leading high-performance and AI solutions across data center, embedded, client and gaming, Ariel’s leadership will be instrumental in sharpening our storytelling, advancing our marketing organization and accelerating our momentum." (Image credit: Salesforce) In AMD's press announcement about the new hire, Kelman is quoted as saying, "I’m thrilled to join AMD at such an exciting moment in the company’s journey. I’m looking forward to working with the team to elevate the AMD brand, deepen engagement with customers and partners and capture the massive AI data center opportunity enabled by AMD’s uniquely differentiated products. That combination is what energizes me most." Ah, of course. AI. Salesforce went all in on it right from the start of...
Uniguest. The Art of Possible: How one Hub serves every market need Uniguest discusses its industry-focused Hub strategy, delivering tailored AV and digital engagement solutions across hospitality, sport, healthcare, education, enterprise, and many other sectors. The interview explores how a single, scalable platform supports global growth, local market needs, and consistent, high-impact experienc...
Uniguest. The Art of Possible: How one Hub serves every market need Uniguest discusses its industry-focused Hub strategy, delivering tailored AV and digital engagement solutions across hospitality, sport, healthcare, education, enterprise, and many other sectors. The interview explores how a single, scalable platform supports global growth, local market needs, and consistent, high-impact experiences for organisations worldwide. uniguest.com facebook.com/uniguestengagement linkedin.com/company/uniguest x.com/uniguest youtube.com/@uniguest instagram.com/uniguest_official
(RTTNews) - CTS Corp (CTS) revealed a profit for its fourth quarter that Increases, from last year The company's bottom line came in at $19.74 million, or $0.67 per share. This compares with $11.56 million, or $0.38 per share, last year. Excluding items, CTS Corp reported adjusted earnings of $18.2 million or $0.62 per share for the period. The company's revenue for the period rose 8.5% to $137.27...
(RTTNews) - CTS Corp (CTS) revealed a profit for its fourth quarter that Increases, from last year The company's bottom line came in at $19.74 million, or $0.67 per share. This compares with $11.56 million, or $0.38 per share, last year. Excluding items, CTS Corp reported adjusted earnings of $18.2 million or $0.62 per share for the period. The company's revenue for the period rose 8.5% to $137.27 million from $126.46 million last year. CTS Corp earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings: $19.74 Mln. vs. $11.56 Mln. last year. -EPS: $0.67 vs. $0.38 last year. -Revenue: $137.27 Mln vs. $126.46 Mln last year. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
alexsl/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Meta's popular messaging platform WhatsApp ( META ) on Tuesday won backing from Europe's top court to challenge a fine that was increased to €225M ($268M) by the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, according to a report by Reuters . The DPC penalized WhatsApp following complaints about its use of personal data in the country, later bumping up the fine i...
alexsl/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images Meta's popular messaging platform WhatsApp ( META ) on Tuesday won backing from Europe's top court to challenge a fine that was increased to €225M ($268M) by the Data Protection Commission in Ireland, according to a report by Reuters . The DPC penalized WhatsApp following complaints about its use of personal data in the country, later bumping up the fine it imposed after the European Data Protection Board intervened in 2021, the report said. Meta had lost its initial appeal against the higher penalty after judges at a lower tribunal said it had no legal standing to sue the authority, as the EDPB's decision was directed to the Irish watchdog and not to the company. The Court of Justice of the European Union disagreed, saying that WhatsApp's action is admissible and telling the lower tribunal to examine the case on its merits. "The EDPB's decision is indeed an act open to challenge before the Courts of the European Union," the Luxembourg-based institution said. "That decision was of direct concern to WhatsApp, since it brought about a distinct change in the legal position of that undertaking, without leaving any discretion to its addressees," judges said. A WhatsApp spokesperson welcomed the judgment. "(It) upholds our argument that those businesses and people should be able to challenge decisions the EDPB makes against them, so that it can be held fully accountable by the EU courts." The DPC has only collected €17.5M of the more than €4B in fines imposed on large tech companies for GDPR breaches since 2020 due to all but two of its completed investigations being subjected to lengthy legal challenges. With many of the fines increased by similar EDPB interventions, a number of the appeals can only progress once there is clarity from the European courts on how WhatsApp's 2021 penalty was calculated. The case is C-97/23P WhatsApp Ireland v. EDPB. More on Meta Meta: Spending Plans Have One More Punch Before I'll Buy Meta's AI Str...
Elon Musk has long emphasized SpaceX‘s mission to colonize Mars as essential for humanity’s survival. However, on Sunday, Elon Musk dropped a pretty big update on X: SpaceX is now zeroing in on building a self-growing city on the Moon, something he thinks could happen in under 10 years. Although Mars is still the dream ... SpaceX Is Targeting a Moon City — Here’s Why Tesla Should Soar
Elon Musk has long emphasized SpaceX‘s mission to colonize Mars as essential for humanity’s survival. However, on Sunday, Elon Musk dropped a pretty big update on X: SpaceX is now zeroing in on building a self-growing city on the Moon, something he thinks could happen in under 10 years. Although Mars is still the dream ... SpaceX Is Targeting a Moon City — Here’s Why Tesla Should Soar
Clare Connor, the managing director of England women, will leave the England and Wales Cricket Board after this summer's home Women's T20 World Cup. Connor, who is also the ECB's deputy chief executive, has been with the organisation for 18 years. Prior to that, the 49-year-old won 111 caps across formats in a 10-year England career, famously captaining them to victory in the 2005 Ashes. She combi...
Clare Connor, the managing director of England women, will leave the England and Wales Cricket Board after this summer's home Women's T20 World Cup. Connor, who is also the ECB's deputy chief executive, has been with the organisation for 18 years. Prior to that, the 49-year-old won 111 caps across formats in a 10-year England career, famously captaining them to victory in the 2005 Ashes. She combined playing with a job as a teacher. Connor, one of the most influential administrators in the game, became the first female president of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2021-22. She became the first woman to sit on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) cricket committee and remains the chair of the governing body's women's cricket committee. Connor also served as the ECB's interim chief executive between 2022 and 2023. The Ashes triumph she led in 2005 was the first time England women had beaten Australia for 42 years. She retired from playing at the age of 29 and has arguably had an even greater impact on the game in the boardroom than on the field. In Connor's time with the ECB, English women's cricket has moved from an amateur game into the professional era, including multiple changes to the domestic structure. The decision to depart is a personal one, and Connor's exit will come after the World Cup, which ends with the final at Lord's on 5 July. "Helping to grow women's cricket for the past 18 years has been an absolute privilege," said Connor. "Having fallen in love with the game in a quite different era from the one we are in now, my goals as an administrator have been firmly rooted in making cricket more equal for women and girls. "For it to be as normal for a girl to pick up a cricket bat as a boy. For a young woman to know - not just dream - that she can become a professional cricketer. "To have played a part in removing some of the barriers that were preventing those things from being possible and to know that cricket is now a more inclusive and more gender ba...
Ecolab press release ( ECL ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.08 beats by $0.01 . Revenue of $4.2B (+5.0% Y/Y) in-line. 2026: Expect adjusted diluted EPS in the $8.43 to $8.63 range vs $8.48 consensus, +12% to 15%. This outlook includes an approximate $0.13 per share impact from non‑cash amortization related to the acquisition of Ovivo Electronics. 1Q 2026: Expect adjusted diluted EPS in the $1.67 to $1.73 ...
Ecolab press release ( ECL ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.08 beats by $0.01 . Revenue of $4.2B (+5.0% Y/Y) in-line. 2026: Expect adjusted diluted EPS in the $8.43 to $8.63 range vs $8.48 consensus, +12% to 15%. This outlook includes an approximate $0.13 per share impact from non‑cash amortization related to the acquisition of Ovivo Electronics. 1Q 2026: Expect adjusted diluted EPS in the $1.67 to $1.73 range vs $1.69 consensus, +11% to 15%. More on Ecolab Ecolab: The "Pick-And-Shovel" Play Of The Data Center Boom Ecolab Q4 2025 Earnings Preview Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Ecolab Historical earnings data for Ecolab Dividend scorecard for Ecolab
Sutro Biopharma ( STRO ) priced an underwritten offering of 7.87M shares of common stock at $13.98/share. The offering is expected to generate ~$110M in gross proceeds before fees and expenses. All shares in the offering are being sold by Sutro, with closing expected on or about February 11, 2026. Sutro plans to use the net proceeds, along with existing cash, primarily for general corporate purpos...
Sutro Biopharma ( STRO ) priced an underwritten offering of 7.87M shares of common stock at $13.98/share. The offering is expected to generate ~$110M in gross proceeds before fees and expenses. All shares in the offering are being sold by Sutro, with closing expected on or about February 11, 2026. Sutro plans to use the net proceeds, along with existing cash, primarily for general corporate purposes, including R&D, clinical development, manufacturing, working capital, and potential acquisitions or investments. STRO shares up 4.5% premarket. More on Sutro Biopharma Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (STRO) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference - Slideshow Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (STRO) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Transcript Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (STRO) Discusses Strategic Reset and Progress in Next-Generation ADC Pipeline and Platform Innovation - Slideshow Sutro Biopharma falls as it announces 1-for-10 reverse stock split Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on Sutro Biopharma
The outcome of Super Bowl LX appears to have been favorable to online sportsbook operators. The relatively low-scoring game and lack of high-volume parlays and prop bets hitting both worked in favor of the House. While most states have not yet released gaming revenue reports that include the Super Bowl, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported the lowest Super Bowl handle since 2016. On the positi...
The outcome of Super Bowl LX appears to have been favorable to online sportsbook operators. The relatively low-scoring game and lack of high-volume parlays and prop bets hitting both worked in favor of the House. While most states have not yet released gaming revenue reports that include the Super Bowl, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported the lowest Super Bowl handle since 2016. On the positive side, the hold rate in Nevada of 7.4% was the second best of the last five years. However, analysts warned the Nevada results could be an outlier. Of course, prediction markets were one of the biggest stories of the Super Bowl. Notably, Kalshi ( KALSHI ) weekly volumes surged the week of Super Bowl Sunday, according to Needham. Total Kalshi ( KALSHI ) volume last week was up 28% week-over-week to $2.8B. Kalshi ( KALSHI ) reached $871M in total volume on Sunday, topping its prior daily record of $543M by 60%. Analyst Bernie McTernan noted that Kalshi ( KALSHI ) users are different from typical online sports betting app users. "While Kalshi users tend to bet more on ML bets vs. props or parlays, Kalshi users also favor the non-sports bets around sports. Data shows that of the top 7 Kalshi markets on the Super Bowl, 4/7 were not involved with the game. These four include First Halftime Song, Ads during the game, Halftime Performers, and Super Bowl Guests," highlighted McTernan. Some of those bets are not available on traditional online sports betting apps and drove significant Super Bowl volume for Kalshi ( KALSHI ). Interestingly, Super Bowl bettors looked at new options for the big game on Sunday. Daily fantasy sports platform PrizePicks was the number two sports app downloaded during the day, while Underdog was number four. As for value on a moneyline bet on the Seattle Seahawks winning the game. Bank of America reported that the most profitable site to place a bet on the Seahawks was Polymarket US ( POLYMARKET ), where a $10 wager would pay out $14.64, followed closely ...