piranka/E+ via Getty Images In the face of AI uncertainty, Alphabet ( GOOG ) may be in the most prominent position in terms of growth catalysts given advancements made in Gemini AI and accretive growth for Google Cloud. With the expectation of momentum to continue for Google Cloud margin expansion in eQ4 2025, I believe Alphabet may exceed market expectations and realize continued share growth des...
piranka/E+ via Getty Images In the face of AI uncertainty, Alphabet ( GOOG ) may be in the most prominent position in terms of growth catalysts given advancements made in Gemini AI and accretive growth for Google Cloud. With the expectation of momentum to continue for Google Cloud margin expansion in eQ4 2025, I believe Alphabet may exceed market expectations and realize continued share growth despite the relatively high trading premium when compared to peer hyperscalers. I am reiterating my Buy rating for GOOG shares with a price target of $331/share at 20.51x eFY27 EV/EBITDA. You can review my previous coverage of Alphabet here . "Alphabet: Google Cloud Is A Force To Be Reckoned With (Upgrade)" Alphabet Q4 2025 Earnings Forecast Corporate Filings Alphabet is set to report Q4 2025 earnings on February 4, 2026 after market close. This may be a pivotal quarter for Alphabet, particularly after the major run-up in the share price in recent quarters. Of the 4 major hyperscalers, GOOG shares have far outperformed on the basis of multiple catalysts, including advanced capabilities of Gemini and expanding Google Cloud margins. This second point is exceptionally appealing given that peer hyperscalers Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) have both faced tighter cloud margins in recent quarters. TradingView I believe there will be a number of factors that will impact GOOG/GOOGL shares post-earnings, including: Gemini AI Development & Adoption Google Cloud Growth & Margin Improvement Capital Budget At the forefront of the AI development cycle, Alphabet is realizing strong wins for Gemini AI as one of the top-ranked AI applications above pure-play developers like OpenAI ( OPENAI ) ChatGPT and Anthropic ( ANTHRO ) Claude. LLM Stats From an enterprise adoption perspective, I believe Gemini AI may be one of the leading models with enterprise-ready applications like Gemini Code Assist that can be deployed to potentially improve operations. That being said, Alphabet may be walking...
(RTTNews) - Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) will host a conference call at 9:00 AM ET on January 28, 2026, to discuss Q4 25 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://ir.packagingcorp.com/presentations-and-events To listen to the call, dial (833) 816-1102 (US) or (412) 317-0684 (International). For a replay call, dial (855) 669-9658 (US) or (412) 317-0088 (International...
(RTTNews) - Packaging Corporation of America (PKG) will host a conference call at 9:00 AM ET on January 28, 2026, to discuss Q4 25 earnings results. To access the live webcast, log on to https://ir.packagingcorp.com/presentations-and-events To listen to the call, dial (833) 816-1102 (US) or (412) 317-0684 (International). For a replay call, dial (855) 669-9658 (US) or (412) 317-0088 (International). Access Code 9224969. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Rigetti Computing has become one of the faces of the AI and quantum computing revolution. But what has it actually done for investors? Rigetti Computing (RGTI +2.62%) has become one of the faces of the quantum computing revolution. As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom really took off in 2025, almost anything that was tied to the theme saw its stock price take off. Rigetti Computing's stock ros...
Rigetti Computing has become one of the faces of the AI and quantum computing revolution. But what has it actually done for investors? Rigetti Computing (RGTI +2.62%) has become one of the faces of the quantum computing revolution. As the artificial intelligence (AI) boom really took off in 2025, almost anything that was tied to the theme saw its stock price take off. Rigetti Computing's stock rose 45% last year. But how has Rigetti Computing fared as an investment over the years? If you look at the total return for the stock over the past five years, you'll see that it's returned 137%, which translates to an average annual return of about 18.8%. Not too bad. A thousand dollars invested five years ago would now be worth about $2,370. But that number doesn't really tell the whole story. From its top in the latter half of 2021 to its bottom in 2023, Rigetti stock lost more than 96% of its value. The hyperinflationary environment of 2022 and the bear market that came with it saw investors abandon companies that were more about potential than results. But as conditions stabilized, inflation started to fall, and the AI frenzy picked up steam, Rigetti made a huge comeback. From that low to its peak at the beginning of 2025, Rigetti gained 5,000%, pushing its market cap to more than $5.5 billion and making it one of the trendiest stocks in the market. Rigetti has since dropped by more than 50% from its peak, cementing its position as one of the most closely watched stocks in the world, but one that has also been incredibly volatile.
UBS believes that Texas Instruments ' free cash flow has now reached an inflection point. The bank maintained its buy rating on the semiconductor stock and lifted its 12-month price target to $260 from $245. That is approximately 32% above Texas Instruments' current valuation. The change comes after the company issued better-than-expected guidance for the current quarter, sending shares up 7% in t...
UBS believes that Texas Instruments ' free cash flow has now reached an inflection point. The bank maintained its buy rating on the semiconductor stock and lifted its 12-month price target to $260 from $245. That is approximately 32% above Texas Instruments' current valuation. The change comes after the company issued better-than-expected guidance for the current quarter, sending shares up 7% in the premarket. TXN 1Y mountain TXN 1Y chart Texas Instruments now sees its earnings coming in between $1.22 and $1.48 per share, with the higher end of this range above the $1.26 analysts polled by LSEG expected. The company expects revenue between a range of $4.32 billion and $4.68 billion, with the high end also above the $4.42 billion consensus estimate. UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri noted that his price target increase comes at a time when Texas Instruments' free cash flow is about to inflect. The analyst added that historically, this has been the most important metric. "Specific to TXN, it is already annualizing ~$6/share in FCF which we think is more like ~$8.5 when adjusting for capex coming down substantially over next 4-6 quarters based on TXN's commentary," he wrote. "From this baseline, it is no longer hard to see how FCF could approach $10/share this year and ~$12/share next year with revenue only growing mid-teens/yr in C2026E/2027E and we have shown many times that this stock is more correlated to FCF than gross margin." An additional catalyst could come from further positive commentary about free cash flow in another month at the company's annual Capital Management call. Arcuri expects this will support some of his numbers.
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of F5 ( FFIV ) surged about 8% premarket on Wednesday after fiscal first quarter results beat estimates, drawing positive reactions from analysts. Morgan Stanley kept its Equal-weight rating but increased the price target to $305 from $296 on the shares of F5 — which provides multicloud application security and delivery solutions. "FFIV h...
Sundry Photography/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Shares of F5 ( FFIV ) surged about 8% premarket on Wednesday after fiscal first quarter results beat estimates, drawing positive reactions from analysts. Morgan Stanley kept its Equal-weight rating but increased the price target to $305 from $296 on the shares of F5 — which provides multicloud application security and delivery solutions. "FFIV had a very strong FQ1, managing to see little to no impact from security breach noted at the beginning of the Q [quarter], or from the government shutdown. Will still be a challenge to measure growing use cases against refresh impact, keeping us EW, but walked away from the Q encouraged," said analysts led by Meta Marshall. The analysts said Systems revenue of +37% year-over-year was significantly better than expected, with regulation and Enterprise AI driving incremental demand and minimal impacts from the security breach. Marshall and her team noted that there were more use cases given AI, with F5 seeing nearly as many AI customers in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 as all of fiscal 2025. The analysts added that Hybrid cloud/multi-cloud management use cases are becoming an area F5 is finding increased differentiation in. "Need a greater sense of software growth picking up and AI use cases becoming more sizeable to turn positive at AH valuation, but walked away from Q encouraged," said Marshall and her team. Evercore maintained an In Line rating on F5's stock but raised the price target to $320 from$280. "FFIV reported upside to Dec-qtr results that were well ahead of street expectations with a print of $822M/4.45 vs. street at $758M/3.66 – with growth driven by Systems (Hardware segment) being up +37%, while Software was down 8% and Services up +4%. Revenue upside was driven by limited impact from the prior security breaches coupled with sizeable tailwinds from multi cloud/hybrid deployments and AI ramps at enterprise level," said analysts led by Amit Daryanani. The analy...
V.F. Corp ( VFC ) declares $0.09/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 1.78% Payable March 19; for shareholders of record March 10; ex-div March 10. The company has now announced a dividend of $0.09 for ten consecutive quarters. See VFC Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on V.F. Corp V.F. Corporation (VFC) Presents at ICR Conference 2026 Transcript V...
V.F. Corp ( VFC ) declares $0.09/share quarterly dividend , in line with previous. Forward yield 1.78% Payable March 19; for shareholders of record March 10; ex-div March 10. The company has now announced a dividend of $0.09 for ten consecutive quarters. See VFC Dividend Scorecard, Yield Chart, & Dividend Growth. More on V.F. Corp V.F. Corporation (VFC) Presents at ICR Conference 2026 Transcript V.F. Corp.: Continued Drag From Lackluster Brand Power V.F. Corp.: Turnaround Increasingly Distant And Uncertain V.F. Corporation trades higher after a solid quarter for The North Face and Timberland businesses V.F. Corp beats top-line and bottom-line estimates; initiates Q4 and FY26 outlook
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly testing new paid subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that would unlock premium features and expanded AI tools while keeping the core apps free. Meta Tests Subscription Model Across Core Apps Meta plans to roll out optional subscriptions that offer users a more advanced experience across its social apps, the company told TechCrunch...
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly testing new paid subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that would unlock premium features and expanded AI tools while keeping the core apps free. Meta Tests Subscription Model Across Core Apps Meta plans to roll out optional subscriptions that offer users a more advanced experience across its social apps, the company told TechCrunch. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company said it will test different subscription features and bundles, with each app offering a distinct set of paid tools aimed at productivity, creativity, and control. Don't Miss: The AI Marketing Platform Backed by Insiders from Google, Meta, and Amazon — Invest at $0.85/Share If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it? Meta said that free versions of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp will remain available, with subscriptions positioned as optional upgrades rather than replacements. Exclusive Features And Greater User Control While Meta has not finalized the full feature list, early indications suggest Instagram subscribers may gain access to unlimited audience lists, insights into followers who do not follow back, and the ability to view Stories anonymously. Paid features for Facebook and WhatsApp have not yet been disclosed. The company said it will experiment with multiple offerings and adjust based on user feedback as subscriptions begin rolling out in the coming months. Trending: Blue-chip art has historically outpaced the S&P 500 since 1995, and fractional investing is now opening this institutional asset class to everyday investors. AI Takes Center Stage With Manus and Vibes Artificial intelligence is expected to be a major draw. Meta plans to scale Manus, an AI agent it recently acquired for a reported $2 billion, by integrating it into Meta products while continuing to sell standalone subscriptions to businesses. Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi has already...
Narcissus Studio/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I am assigning a Hold rating to HSBC Holdings ( HSBC ) stock. My rationale is that HSBC is having a once-in-a-generation shift from a global lender to a pan-Asian wealth integrator. The Hold thesis is based on the velocity of capital. By privatizing Hang Seng Bank, HSBC is trapping domestic liquidity and redeploying it into high-velocity fee-gener...
Narcissus Studio/iStock Editorial via Getty Images I am assigning a Hold rating to HSBC Holdings ( HSBC ) stock. My rationale is that HSBC is having a once-in-a-generation shift from a global lender to a pan-Asian wealth integrator. The Hold thesis is based on the velocity of capital. By privatizing Hang Seng Bank, HSBC is trapping domestic liquidity and redeploying it into high-velocity fee-generating Wealth and Trade business ( fee income +29% YoY ). The structural hedge ($585 billion) insulates the NII against falling rates. Moreover, AI deals (Mistral/Harvey) lower the cost to serve in mass-affluent banking. I am not ignoring the major risks to the thesis. The primary risk is a Collateral-Trade Lock as steep US tariffs ( Downside 2 scenario: 33% ) can continue to shrink global trade volumes and simultaneously depress HK commercial real estate values. Along with that, leaving HSBC with illiquid collateral that it cannot exit. Edge of Trapped Liquidity Integration Through Privatization The bullish catalyst I observe that is capable of driving HSBC’s stock price higher is the efficiency pace derived from the complete internalization of Hang Seng Bank’s [HSB] balance sheet. I am mainly targeting the arbitrage between HSB’s depressed efficiency ratio and HSBC’s global wholesale capabilities. I do not consider the $13.6 billion privatization primarily as a consolidation of earnings only. The value driver is in the unlocking of HSB’s $1.737 trillion customer deposit base. Mainly, the 50% growth in deposits is based on non-resident flows since January 2023. This privatization scales HSBC’s higher-margin cross-border wealth business. As of now, a capital inefficiency is there, as HSB’s excess liquidity is trapped within a separate listed entity. Thus, this liquidity is earning suboptimal returns relative to HSBC’s global deployment capabilities. By privatizing, HSBC can eliminate the minority interest leakage and gain friction-free access to redeploy HSB’s liquidity into...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images General Motors Company ( GM )’s shares surged 8.75% on Tuesday to new all-time highs after the automaker beat analysts’ consensus estimates for fourth-quarter earnings by a large margin. The company benefited from strong sales results in its core gas-powered vehicle business and submitted an inspiring guidance for adjusted EBIT in FY 2026. General Mot...
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images General Motors Company ( GM )’s shares surged 8.75% on Tuesday to new all-time highs after the automaker beat analysts’ consensus estimates for fourth-quarter earnings by a large margin. The company benefited from strong sales results in its core gas-powered vehicle business and submitted an inspiring guidance for adjusted EBIT in FY 2026. General Motors is suffering headwinds in the EV segment in 2025, which led to a down-sizing of the automaker’s electric vehicle operations and $6.0B in charges in the fourth-quarter. Further, General Motors guided for significant capital returns in 2026, including a $6.0B stock buyback , and the company raised its dividend by 20%. From a valuation and capital return point of view, General Motors is a Buy despite trading near all-time highs. Data by YCharts Previous rating I rated shares of General Motors a strong buy in October -- Soaring Growth, Raised Outlook, And 6x P/E -- because the company had massive selling success with vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks which are among the best-selling vehicles in the U.S. The new capital return plan for GM makes shares attractive for investors, including at all-time highs, in my opinion. General Motors’ shares are still undervalued, and I believe the increased dividend will make the stock more appealing to investors from a capital return perspective. General Motors beat Q4 ’25 EPS expectations The automaker reported adjusted earnings of $2.51 per-share for the fourth-quarter which beat the consensus estimate by a solid $0.24 per-share. The revenue figure was published at $45.3B, which fell short of the consensus estimate by $740M. Seeking Alpha General Motors saw top line pressure in the fourth quarter due to consumers scaling back purchases of EV vehicles. In total, the automaker reported $45.3B in revenue for Q4 '25, showing a 5.1% year-over-year drop-off. Despite negative special items affecting General ...
Government proposals to overhaul England’s planning system fail to mention women or girls and ignore official recommendations to keep women safe made after the death of Sarah Everard, experts have told the Guardian. Draft planning proposals – published two days before the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) – are likely to “embed risk and inequality” despite the...
Government proposals to overhaul England’s planning system fail to mention women or girls and ignore official recommendations to keep women safe made after the death of Sarah Everard, experts have told the Guardian. Draft planning proposals – published two days before the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) – are likely to “embed risk and inequality” despite the strategy’s insistence that “design and planning are critical tools” in keeping women safe, MPs campaigners and urban planners have said. The VAWG strategy and part 2 of the Angiolini inquiry, commissioned after the murder of Everard – both published in the same month as the planning proposals – call for women’s safety to be embedded into the planning of public spaces. But the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which sets out the government’s intent to massively increase housebuilding, has “no references whatsoever to women, girls, gendered safety, or violence against women in the built environment”, the Liberal Democrat MPs Anna Sabine and Gideon Amos said. In a letter to the housing minister Matthew Pennycook and the safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, as first reported in the Planner, they wrote: “Planning policy is one of the most powerful structural tools the state has to prevent harm before it occurs. If the NPPF is silent on gendered safety, we embed risk and inequality into the fabric of every new development.” When contacted by the Guardian about the letter, a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson said: “The NPPF is a planning document. It sets out guidelines for housebuilding and planning in England. The VAWG strategy is about protecting women and girls from violence and misogyny.” They said it was “unclear as to why anyone would expect the two things to be combined” and therefore it was difficult to respond to the criticism. It is understood the ministers have not yet formally responded. It was, said Sabine, an ...