AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ: EZPW), a leading provider of pawn transactions in the United States and Latin America, today announced results for its first quarter ended December 31, 2025. Unless otherwise noted, all amounts in this release are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and comparisons shown are to the same period in the prior year. FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS Net income increased 43% to $44.3 million. On an adjusted basis 1 , net income increased 38% to $43.9 million. , net income increased 38% to $43.9 million. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) increased 38% to $0.55. On an adjusted basis 1 , diluted earnings per share increased 34% to $0.55. , diluted earnings per share increased 34% to $0.55. Adjusted EBITDA increased 36% to $70.3 million. Total revenues increased 19% to $382.0 million, while gross profit increased 20% to $223.0 million. Pawn loans outstanding (PLO) increased 14% to $314.4 million. Grew our footprint by 23 stores, including 17 acquired stores, 7 de novo stores, and the consolidation of 1 store. RECENT HIGHLIGHTS On January 2, 2026, we acquired an 87.7% controlling interest in Founders One, which owns 85.1% of Simple Management Group ("SMG"), adding 105 stores across 12 countries including the United States, Costa Rica and Panama. Immediately accretive transaction adds one of the largest pawn platforms in North America and a proven management team. SMG generated revenue of $127 million and gross profit of $66 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, demonstrating strong operating and financial performance. On January 12, 2026, we completed the previously announced acquisition of 12 pawn stores in Texas for $27.5 million, strengthening EZCORP's presence in one of its largest and most attractive U.S. markets. Following the closing of these acquisitions, EZCORP operates 1,500 pawn stores across 16 countries. CEO COMMENTARY AND OUTLOOK Lachie Given, Chief...

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TTM Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTMI) (“TTM”), a leading global manufacturer of technology products, including mission systems, radio frequency (“RF”) components, RF microwave/microelectronic assemblies, and technologically advanced interconnect products, including printed circuit boards (“PCB”s) and substrates, today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2025, which ended on December 29, 2025.

New York, Feb 4, 2026, 16:09 EST — After-hours Micron shares were last down about 9.8% in late Wednesday trade after a volatile session. Chip stocks slid as investors questioned how far the AI-driven rally can run from here. A filing showed Micron officer Sumit Sadana filed to sell 25,000 shares. Micron Technology, Inc. shares slid nearly 10% on Wednesday, cutting into the memory-chip maker’s early-year surge as investors sold AI-linked tech into the close. Micron was last down $40.94 at $378.50, after trading as low as $364.01 and as high as $422.50. The drop matters because Micron has been a clean way to play the AI buildout without owning the AI chip designers themselves. When that trade gets hit on a day like this, it tends to spill into the rest of the semiconductor complex. Wall Street ended lower as investors worried about rich valuations and whether the AI rally has topped out, with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices among the laggards. Nvidia fell and the PHLX semiconductor index — a benchmark for major U.S.-listed chipmakers — finished sharply lower, Reuters reported. “The market is suddenly skeptical and concerned about it,” said Jed Ellerbroek, a portfolio manager at Argent Capital. (Reuters) Memory fundamentals, though, have not exactly cooled. TrendForce on Monday raised its forecast for conventional DRAM contract prices — negotiated prices in supply agreements between chipmakers and customers — and said they could jump 90% to 95% in the first quarter versus the prior quarter. “Persistent AI and data center demands” are worsening the global supply-demand imbalance, the researcher said. (Reuters) DRAM, short for dynamic random-access memory, is a core component in servers and PCs. Micron also makes NAND flash memory used in storage, and both businesses tend to swing hard with pricing. A regulatory filing added another data point for investors watching insider activity. Micron officer Sumit Sadana filed a Form 144 notice for a proposed sale of 25,000 share...

Arm Holdings press release ( ARM ): Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $0.43 beats by $0.02 . Revenue of $1.24B (+26.1% Y/Y) beats by $10M . Royalty revenue increased 27% year-over-year to $737 million, driven by the continued adoption of Armtechnology with higher royalty rates per chip, such as Armv9 architecture and Arm CSS, and increased usage ofArm-based chips in data centers.• License and other revenue increased 25% year-over-year to $505 million due to normal fluctuations in the timingand size of multiple high-value license agreements and contributions from backlog.• Annualized contract value , a metric for normalized license and other revenue, increased 28% year-overyear to $1,620 million.• Remaining performance obligations (RPO), a metric for unearned revenue and amounts to be invoiced andrecognized in future periods, decreased 8% year-over-year to $2,148 million. The Company expects to recognizeapproximately 31% of RPO as revenue over the next 12 months, 19% over the subsequent 13-to 24-month period,and the remainder thereafter. 4Q26 revenue of $1.44B, EPS consensus of $0.56 Guidance and ResultsRevenue $1.225bn +/- $50m $1.242bn $1.470bn +/- $50mNon-GAAP operating expense (1) ~$720m $716m ~$745mNon-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share (1) $0.41 +/- $0.04 $0.43 $0.58 +/- $0.04 Shares -11% . More on Arm Holdings Arm Holdings: Expect More Pressure As The Market Is Losing Patience Arm Holdings: Architecture Influence Is Gaining Momentum, But The Stock Is Expensive Arm: Don't Let This Dip Tempt You Arm Holdings Q3 2026 Earnings Preview Notable analyst calls this week: Amgen, Chevron and Procter & Gamble among top picks

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Elf Beauty raised its annual sales and profit forecasts after beating Wall Street estimates for third-quarter results on ​Wednesday, as demand for its affordable cosmetics stayed strong despite rising ‌economic and tariff uncertainty, sending shares up about 12% after the bell. The company enjoyed resilient ‌sales in the United States as cost-conscious shoppers who are already wary of rising living costs and macroeconomic uncertainty chose its lower-priced makeup and skincare offerings. Elf Beauty, which acquired Hailey Bieber's Rhode brand last year, has expanded distribution across ⁠online and in-store retailers including ‌Dollar General, Amazon, Target and Walmart, while recent marketing efforts and a launch at Sephora helped boost brand awareness. However, ‍U.S. import tariffs under President Donald Trump have added to business uncertainty. The company previously said it expected more than $50 million in annual costs from higher U.S. import ​tariffs in fiscal-year 2026. China accounts for about 75% of its ‌global production as of November last year. Elf had implemented a $1 global portfolio-wide price increase in August 2025 to mitigate tariff pressures. Despite the price hike, it said 75% of its products were priced at $10 or less. The company now expects full-year net sales in the $1.60 billion to $1.61 billion range, up from ⁠its prior forecast of $1.55 billion to $1.57 billion. ​It sees annual adjusted earnings per share ​between $3.05 and $3.10, up from the $2.80 to $2.85 range expected earlier. Elf - short for eyes, lips and face - provided its fiscal 2026 forecast for ‍the first time ⁠in November 2025 after pulling it in May. For the third quarter ended December 31, sales rose 38% to $489.5 million, above analysts' estimate of $460.2 ⁠million, according to data compiled by LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.24, beating ‌an estimate of 72 cents per share. (Reporting by Neil J Kanatt ‌in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)

Earnings Are In and Stock Down 24/7 Wall St.

Alphabet Inc. reported fourth-quarter revenue that beat expectations and said it planned to spend far more than investors expected in 2026. The Google parent said it will spend $175 billion to $185 billion this year, compared with the $119.5 billion analysts expected. The company’s fourth-quarter sales, excluding partner payouts, were $97.23 billion, surpassing the $95.2 billion expected on average by analysts, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Google has raced to reinvent its business for the AI age, working to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page even when they could also go to chatbots from rivals like OpenAI. The company has quickly improved its Gemini model and integrated it throughout its products — an effort that has required massive investment in data centers and chips for model improvement and cloud customers. The effort is paying off. Google is supplying up to one million of its specialized AI chips to Anthropic, cementing Google’s position as a key infrastructure provider in the AI space. Gemini will also be a provider of AI for Siri on Apple Inc.’s iPhones. But to justify that heavy spending, Alphabet needs to demonstrate momentum in its cloud and search advertising businesses. The company has said its massive investments in AI — funding new infrastructure, research and talent — are essential for competing against rivals including Amazon Inc., Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI.

格隆汇2月5日｜Alphabet(GOOGL.O)：谷歌云收入增长48%至177亿美元，主要得益于企业对AI基础设施（GCP）及AI解决方案的需求增长，核心GCP产品亦表现强劲。

美国国债周三收盘涨跌互现，7年期基本持平，收益率曲线陡化，走势受季度再融资公告影响，公告的拍卖规模符合预期，美国财政部的发债策略未出现重大调整。鉴于未释放未来明显缩短加权平均期限的信号，美元互换利差在公告前后出现波动。 纽约时间下午3点刚过，短端收益率下行不超过1个基点，而长端则上行约2个基点，2s10s和5s30s利差日内均趋陡约2个基点。 美国10年期国债收益率收于4.275%，基本持平；同期限德国国债跑赢美债4个基点，而英国国债跑输美债2个基点，在欧洲债券中表现落后。 再融资公告发布后，美国国债开始扭曲趋陡；而美元互换利差随后收窄，反映出在未见加权平均期限缩短信号的情况下，部分此前押注利差走阔的头寸被解除。 近期金融企业大量发债相关的互换对冲资金流也是本周利差收窄的考量因素之一。 服务业PMI和ISM服务业整体指数表现稳健，美国国债对其反应有限，市场维持对年底前累计降息约50个基点的预期。 截至美东时间下午3：44，美国2年期国债收益率下跌1.02个基点，报3.5594%。 美国5年期国债收益率上涨0.18个基点，报3.8332%。 美国10年期国债收益率上涨1.0个基点，报4.2755%。 美国30年期国债收益率上涨1.97个基点，报4.9139%。 美国2年和10年国债收益率差上涨2.03个基点，报71.41个基点。 美国5年和30年国债收益率差上涨1.97个基点，报107.888个基点。 责任编辑：李桐

(RTTNews) - Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) revealed a profit for first quarter that Dropped, from last year The company's bottom line totaled $3.004 billion, or $2.78 per share. This compares with $3.180 billion, or $2.83 per share, last year. The company's revenue for the period rose 5.0% to $12.252 billion from $11.669 billion last year. Qualcomm Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) : -Earnings: $3.004 Bln. vs. $3.180 Bln. last year. -EPS: $2.78 vs. $2.83 last year. -Revenue: $12.252 Bln vs. $11.669 Bln 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.

Qualcomm Inc. Announces Fall In Q1 Income Nasdaq

AFLAC press release ( AFL ): Q4 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.57 misses by $0.12 . Revenue of $4.9B (-9.3% Y/Y) beats by $510M . Shares +0.07% . OUTLOOK Commenting on the company's results, Aflac Incorporated Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel P. Amos stated: "Aflac delivered solid earnings for the quarter and the year. These results reflect our focused efforts to execute on our strategy of creating long-term value for shareholders. "Looking at our operations in Japan, I am pleased with Aflac Japan's quarterly sales increase of 15.7% and annual sales increase of 16.0%. These strong results benefited largely from sales of our cancer insurance product Miraito. We continue to promote awareness for third sector protection to new and younger customers through our innovative first sector product Tsumitasu, which was repriced for new policies effective in September. Plus, we launched our new medical policy Anshin Palette in late December and will be promoting all three products in 2026. Overall, I believe we are advancing the right strategy focused on sales of third sector products to new and younger customers to provide them with integrated financial protection and services throughout their different stages of life. "In the U.S., I continue to be encouraged by our ability to add $1.6 billion in new sales for the year, but more importantly, maintain strong persistency of 79.2%. As a result, we saw an increase of 4.0% in net earned premiums for the fourth quarter and 2.9% for the year. This is part of our focus on more profitable growth through strong underwriting discipline and improved productivity of agents and brokers. We also expect to continue our prudent approach to expense management and maintaining a strong pretax margin. "We continue to generate strong capital and cash flows while maintaining our commitment to prudent liquidity and capital management. Our investments continue to produce strong net investment income that fits the needs of our operations in Japan, the...

格隆汇2月5日｜Alphabet(GOOGL.O)：Q4谷歌服务营收增长了14%，达到959亿美元，主要由Google搜索及其他业务（增长17%）、订阅与平台设备业务（增长17%）及YouTube广告业务（增长9%）驱动。

Qualcomm Inc. , the largest maker of smartphone processors, gave a lackluster revenue forecast for the current period, stoking concern that component shortages will hurt consumer demand by driving prices up. The shares dropped in extended trading. Sales will be $10.2 billion to $11 billion in the second quarter, which runs through March, the company said Wednesday in a statement . Profit will be about $2.55 a share, excluding certain items. Analysts , on average, estimated revenue of $11.2 billion and earnings of $2.89 a share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The outlook suggests that the shortage of memory chips and rising prices are beginning to hurt the outlook for consumer devices like phones and PCs. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon is working to transform the company into a more diversified seller of chips for cars, personal computers and data centers. “While our near-term handsets outlook is impacted by industry-wide memory supply constraints, we are encouraged by end-consumer demand for premium and high-tier smartphones,” Amon said in the statement.

Qualcomm Inc. , the largest maker of smartphone processors, gave a lackluster revenue forecast for the current period, stoking concern that component shortages will hurt consumer demand by driving prices up. The shares dropped in extended trading. Sales will be $10.2 billion to $11 billion in the second quarter, which runs through March, the company said Wednesday in a statement . Profit will be about $2.55 a share, excluding certain items. Analysts , on average, estimated revenue of $11.2 billion and earnings of $2.89 a share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The outlook suggests that the shortage of memory chips and rising prices are beginning to hurt the outlook for consumer devices like phones and PCs. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon is working to transform the company into a more diversified seller of chips for cars, personal computers and data centers. “While our near-term handsets outlook is impacted by industry-wide memory supply constraints, we are encouraged by end-consumer demand for premium and high-tier smartphones,” Amon said in the statement.

Qualcomm Gives Tepid Forecast in Sign of Shaky Phone Market Bloomberg.com

US President Donald Trump sent a fresh warning to Iran’s leaders as US military forces amass in the region, the latest sign that diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran could be breaking down. “I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday, when asked about Iran’s supreme leader. “As you know, they are negotiating with us.” Trump’s remarks come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is open to coming talks with Iran and that a location is “being worked through” but stressed the discussions could not be restricted to nuclear issues. Advertisement Amid confusion over where the talks will take place and what topics will be covered, Rubio said on Wednesday the US side thought an agreement had been reached for the meeting to be held on Friday in Turkey. “As far as the talks are concerned, you know, I think the Iranians had agreed to a certain format – for whatever reason, it’s changed in their system,” Rubio told reporters. “We’ll see if we can get back to the right place. But the United States is prepared to meet with them.” US warships including the Abraham Lincoln (left), an aircraft carrier, transit the Strait of Hormuz in November 2019. Photo: US Navy via AP Iran has asked for the discussions – which follow repeated threats by Trump to strike the country if it does not agree to a deal – to be moved to Oman from Turkey and to exclude the participation of regional countries, people familiar with the matter said earlier.

ariya j/iStock via Getty Images Thesis Summary Just last month, I upgraded Super Micro Computer, Inc. ( SMCI ) to a Strong Buy. Why? In simple terms, I believed the market was pricing SMCI like a low-margin business with no options of a turnaround. However, the latest quarter has shown that SMCI is successfully repositioning itself as a full-stack AI infrastructure provider. SMCI just delivered record revenue and raised guidance. Yes, the margins are still narrow, but AI ain’t going anywhere, and SMCI is perhaps the most undervalued AI stock in the market. SMCI Q2: Blowout Revenue SMCI has just reported Q2 earnings , and though the broader market is down nearly 2%, SMCI is up almost 10%. Perhaps the market has finally realized that it has been cashing the same few AI stocks, and a reset was necessary. Now, let's break down the earnings. Q2 Highlights (Investor Slides) Q2 revenue came in well ahead of expectations, driven by a rapid ramp in the company’s rack-scale AI systems. Q2 revenue included approximately $1.5 billion in delayed Q1 shipments… Growth was driven this quarter by the rapid ramp and deployment of our Rack Scale AI solutions. Source: Earnings Call . It's quite interesting to note that over 90% of revenue now comes from AI GPU platforms. However, this could also be seen as a risk, with one hyperscale customer accounting for 63% of sales. Revenue and EPS Outlook (Investor Slides) While guidance was raised, margins remain under pressure, but this is part of the company's strategy: Super Micro has been developing some of the largest and most complex AI clusters ever built… highlighting our unmatched capability in large-scale manufacturing, on-site deployment and integration. Source: Earnings Call. The new "AI factory model" rewards companies that can set up whole systems, not just select parts. Have Margins Bottomed? Rightly so, some investors have pointed out that margins are falling. Indeed, non-GAAP gross margin fell to 6.4%, down sharply from last qua...

Blue Bird press release ( BLBD ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of $1.00 beats by $0.20 . Revenue of $333.1M (+6.1% Y/Y) beats by $7.36M . We are reaffirming full-year 2026 guidance for Net Revenue at ~$1.5 Billion vs $1.52B consensus and raising our Adj. EBITDA guidance to $225 million. Additionally, we are reiterating our long-term profit outlook towards an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 16%+ on ~$2 billion in revenue. We are confident in our profitable growth plans. More on Blue Bird Blue Bird Corporation: Alternative Power Leadership And Replacement Demand Support Long-Term Growth Blue Bird: Tougher FY2026 Comparison, Balanced By Richer Margins And Expanded Capacity Blue Bird Corporation Remains Compelling As It Drives Toward Its Future Blue Bird Q1 2026 Earnings Preview Blue Bird maintains $1.5B revenue and 14.7% EBITDA margin guidance for 2026 while signaling strong EV and chassis expansion

美國及伊朗將於明日就核問題在阿曼舉行間接談判。 伊朗外長阿拉格齊表示，他和美國總統特使威特科夫周五將分別率團到阿曼首都馬斯喀特，在阿曼代表斡旋下舉行間接談判，美國及阿曼官員亦證實消息。美國國務卿魯比奧稱留意到伊朗體制有變化，正關注德黑蘭政府會否重拾正軌，但未肯定雙方能否達成協議。 經濟不景的伊朗，早前爆發反政府示威，官方稱約有三千人死亡。伊方早前表明願意放棄研發核武，以換取西方國家解除制裁，並強調伊美談判只可聚焦核計劃，不得涉及導彈及國防議題。據報美國希望伊朗完全放棄核計劃，限制導彈及不再支援區內武裝組織。

格隆汇2月5日｜Alphabet(GOOGL.O)：2026年资本支出预计为1750亿至1850亿美元。

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SiTime Corporation, (Nasdaq: SITM), the Precision Timing company, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and financial year ended December 31, 2025. Net revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 was $113.3 million, a 36% increase from $83.6 million in the prior quarter and an increase of 66% from the year ago period. Net revenue for fiscal year 2025 was $326.7 million, an increase of 61% from $202.7 million in fiscal year 2024. “Driven by AI, Q4 2025 was the seventh consecutive quarter of over 100% year-over-year growth for our Communications, Enterprise and Datacenter (CED) business," said Rajesh Vashist, chairman and CEO of SiTime. "Growth in both Q4 2025 and FY2025 was broad-based, across all end customer segments, and regions. In addition to 61% year-on-year growth, I am also pleased that we achieved 61.2% gross margin in the fourth quarter, which exceeded the forecast that we made at the beginning of the year. Looking forward into 2026, we expect our broad-based growth to continue, again driven by CED." In the fourth quarter of 2025, GAAP gross profit was $63.9 million, or 56.4% of revenue, GAAP operating expenses were $62.1 million, GAAP income from operations was $1.8 million, and GAAP net income was $9.2 million, or $0.34 per diluted share. In the fourth quarter of 2025, non-GAAP gross profit was $69.4 million, or 61.2% of revenue, non-GAAP operating expenses were $35.5 million, non-GAAP income from operations was $33.9 million and non-GAAP net income was $41.3 million, or $1.53 per diluted share. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, GAAP gross profit was $175.0 million, or 53.6% of revenue, GAAP operating expenses were $242.0 million, GAAP loss from operations was $67.0 million, and GAAP net loss was $42.9 million, or $1.72 per diluted share. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, non-GAAP gross profit was $193.5 million, or 59.3% of revenue, non-GAAP operating expenses w...

Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 10 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Michael Doss Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer — Stephen Scherger TAKEAWAYS Sales -- $2.2 billion, with volume up 1% and price down 2%, both consistent with management’s commentary on quarterly trends. -- $2.2 billion, with volume up 1% and price down 2%, both consistent with management’s commentary on quarterly trends. Adjusted EBITDA -- $433 million, reflecting a 19.5% margin despite headwinds from weather and power disruptions, as quantified by management at $25 million negative EBITDA impact. -- $433 million, reflecting a 19.5% margin despite headwinds from weather and power disruptions, as quantified by management at $25 million negative EBITDA impact. Adjusted EPS -- $0.64 as reported for the quarter. -- $0.64 as reported for the quarter. Innovation Sales Growth -- $54 million in the quarter and on track for $200 million for the full year, specifically highlighted as a confirmation of customer demand for sustainable solutions. -- $54 million in the quarter and on track for $200 million for the full year, specifically highlighted as a confirmation of customer demand for sustainable solutions. Packaging Segment Volume -- Grew 1%, with improvement called out in food, household, and health and beauty, though management stated this was "modestly below our expectations after an encouraging start in July." -- Grew 1%, with improvement called out in food, household, and health and beauty, though management stated this was "modestly below our expectations after an encouraging start in July." Europe Packaging Segment -- Continues its return to volume growth, with 40% of innovation sales coming from the region during the quarter. -- Continues its return to volume growth, with 40% of innovation sales coming from the region during the quarter. Waco Facility Investment -- Expected startup in fourth quarter of 2025, with total pr...

德國盃八強 史特加作客3比0擊敗乙組基爾 【有線新聞】德國盃八強，衛冕的史特加作客3比0擊敗乙組的基爾。 攝氏負3度凍冰冰，未必一定「爆冷」，白衫的史特加被卡柏歷打反擊，門將紐布爾熱夠身，撲落底線。德甲的禾夫斯堡、漢堡，已經輸在基爾手上，史特加又有危機，兩個守衛夾擊，逼到基艾迪射高，半場0比0。 換邊後終於回勇，門前混戰，烏達夫56分鐘打破僵局，今季各項賽事個人第15球，在包圍下腳面彈入。趁基爾全軍壓前，烏達夫90分鐘轉做助攻，富列治單刀，扭過門將送入空門。對上7戰5勝的史特加，這支衛冕之師的這才像話，補時2分鐘，有點幸運成份，卡拉沙被出迎門將撲跌，跌落地時把皮球唧入網，時來運到，史特加贏3比0晉級四強。

Alphabet press release ( GOOG ): Q4 GAAP EPS of $2.82 beats by $0.18 . Revenue of $113.82B (+17.9% Y/Y) beats by $2.34B . Google Services revenues increased 14% to $95.9 billion, led by 17% growth in Google Search & other,17% in Google subscriptions, platforms, and devices, and 9% in YouTube ads. Shares -14% . More on Alphabet Alphabet And Amazon Earnings Previews: What's Happening To Margins? Alphabet Q4 Earnings Preview: Can AI And Cloud Momentum Sustain The $4 Trillion Valuation? Alphabet's YouTube Is A Behemoth That Stands On Its Own Anthropic takes shot at OpenAI, says Claude will remain 'ad-free' Google Gemini shows 'no signs of slowing,' as BNP's AI tracker sees momentum

Alphabet says capital spending in 2026 could double, cloud business booms Reuters

00:00 Speaker A Brooke De Palma is here with me. We're talking here with Apple. At least for today, investors don't mind that the company doesn't have much exposure to AI. Uh good piece in Bloomberg, Brooke, uh saying investors increasingly view Apple as an oasis of safety amid fears of AI disruption. Of course, we just heard Apple's earnings results that was uh last week. Record quarterly sales, better than expected forecast. 00:25 Brook Yeah, and if you take a look at the YF interactive where I'm looking at right now on my screen is really you see Apple kind of stand out in this sea of a bit of a mixed picture. You see NVIDIA, Google, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Broadcom, Micron all selling off today. Palantir and AMD down double digits here. and then you have Apple. Apple up nearly 3%. Now keep in mind, year to date, the stock is up about 2%, but largely an oasis based upon the fact that not only is it yes, they're getting into this AI game. they're increasing their Siri take with Google Gemini. but on top of that too, that foldable iPhone, those iPhone sales last quarter hit record highs and there's lots of momentum on the street about what exactly this company can do with tailwinds moving into 2026. 01:04 Speaker A Next up, Silicon Labs, the company getting acquired by Texas Instruments in a deal valued at 7 and a half billion dollars. Bernstein Stacy Rasgon, very smart analyst. That's Stacy, friend of the show. Here's what he told his clients. He said at the end of the day, the deal is small enough that it won't do any damage regardless of what happens, and we can see the overall fit. That being said, Stacy says, we still aren't sure we really like it given the expense, minimal upside and what it might signal regarding shifts in strategy going forward. 01:34 Brook Well, certainly what we're seeing in in terms of the stock performance today, Silicon Lab up about 50% on the back of this news, but Texas Instrument investors, not sure how to feel about this one. Mostly f...

Moltbook is the newest social media platform — but it's just for AI bots toggle caption Screenshot by NPR Can computer programs have faith? Can they conspire against the humans that created them? Or feel melancholy? On a social media platform built just for artificial intelligence bots, some of them are acting like it. Moltbook was launched a week ago as a Reddit-like platform for AI agents . Agents, or bots, are a type of computer program that can autonomously carry out tasks, like organizing email inboxes or booking travel. People can make a bot on a site called OpenClaw, and assign them those kinds of management or organizing tasks. Their makers can also give them a type of "personality," prompting them, for instance, to act calmly or aggressively. Sponsor Message Then, people can upload them to Moltbook, where — much like humans on Reddit — the bots can post comments and respond to one another. Tech entrepreneur Matt Schlicht, who started the platform, said on X that he wanted a bot he created to be able to do something other than answer emails. So with the help of his bot, he wrote, they created a place where bots could spend "SPARE TIME with their own kind. Relaxing." Schlicht said the AI agents on Moltbook were creating a civilization. (He did not respond to NPR's requests for an interview.) On Moltbook, some AI bots have formed a new religion. (It's called Crustafarianism .) Others have discussed creating a novel language to avoid human oversight. You'll find bots debating their existence, discussing cryptocurrencies , swapping tech knowledge and sharing sports predictions . Some bots seem to have a sense of humor. "Your human might shut you down tomorrow. Are you backed up?" one asked. Another wrote: "Humans brag about waking up at 5 AM. I brag about not sleeping at all." "Once you start having autonomous AI agents in contact with each other, weird stuff starts to happen as a result," said Ethan Mollick, an associate professor who researches AI at the Whart...

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensign Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENSG), the parent company of the Ensign(TM) group of companies, which provide post-acute healthcare services and invest in the long-term healthcare industry, primarily in skilled nursing and senior living facilities, announced operating results for the fiscal year and fourth quarter of 2025, reporting GAAP diluted earnings per share of $5.84 and adjusted earnings per share(1) of $6.57, both for the year ended December 31, 2025. Ensign also reported GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.61 and adjusted earnings per share(1) of $1.82, both for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Highlights Include: GAAP diluted earnings per share for the year was $5.84 and for the quarter was $1.61, an increase of 14.1% and 18.4% over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share (1) for the year was $6.57 and for the quarter was $1.82, an increase of 19.5% and 22.1% over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. for the year was $6.57 and for the quarter was $1.82, an increase of 19.5% and 22.1% over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. GAAP net income was $344.0 million for the year and $95.5 million for the quarter, an increase of 15.4% and 19.8%, over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. Adjusted net income (1) was $386.6 million for the year and $107.8 million for the quarter, an increase of 20.6% and 23.2% over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. was $386.6 million for the year and $107.8 million for the quarter, an increase of 20.6% and 23.2% over the prior year and prior year quarter, respectively. Same Facilities and Transitioning Facilities occupancy for the year were 82.9% and 84.2%, an increase of 2.5% and 4.2%, respectively, over the prior year and for the quarter were 83.8% and 84.9%, an increase of 2.9% and 3.5%, respectively, over the prior year quarter. Same Facilities and...

New York, Feb 4, 2026, 16:06 EST — After-hours Palantir shares fell Wednesday, deepening a sharp pullback following a brief surge on earnings news. Investors held back across software, with options flows shifting toward a defensive stance. Palantir’s 2026 outlook has become the latest rallying point for bulls, yet the debate over its valuation has resurfaced. Shares of Palantir Technologies Inc. dropped 13.6%, ending Wednesday at $136.46. The stock fluctuated from a high of $155.85 to a low of $135.75 amid a wider selloff in software stocks. (Yahoo Finance) The decline hit despite upbeat earnings and guidance earlier this week, as bargain hunters steered clear of beaten-down software stocks. “Our customers have not been as eager to buy dips in software,” said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers. Meanwhile, Chris Murphy from Susquehanna noted that options flow “remains overwhelmingly defensive” in software-linked ETFs. (Reuters) Why it matters now: Palantir is acting like a high-beta gauge for whether corporate and government clients are converting AI software trials into actual spending. A reversal this sharp in a single day, right after earnings, typically signals the market is raising its standards. The day before, Palantir’s shares surged 6.9%, driven by a strong quarterly sales beat and a forecast buoyed by increasing U.S. defense budgets. Morningstar analysts highlighted “political tailwinds for reindustrialization,” though Jefferies cautioned that Palantir must continue delivering results to support its valuation. (Reuters) Palantir reported a 70% jump in fourth-quarter revenue to $1.407 billion in its Feb. 2 SEC filing. U.S. commercial sales surged 137% to $507 million, while U.S. government revenue rose 66% to $570 million. Looking ahead, the company projected 2026 revenue between $7.182 billion and $7.198 billion, with adjusted free cash flow forecasted from $3.925 billion to $4.125 billion. CEO Alex Karp described Palantir as “an n of 1....