Cybersecurity bellwether Palo Alto Networks (PANW) continues to outperform quarterly expectations, but soft guidance was where investors concentrated. The market reaction suggests investors remain highly sensitive to profitability outlooks. Palo Alto now expects fiscal 2026 (to end July) earnings per share of $3.65 to $3.70, down from its prior outlook of $3.80 to $3.90 and below the $3.87 consensus estimate. That the Santa Clara-based company upped revenue expectations were shrugged off by markets. Palo Alto raised its full-year revenue forecast to a range of $11.28 billion-$11.31 billion, up from $10.50 billion-$10.54 billion previously and ahead of market expectations. The stock…

Datadog (DDOG) has been under a lot of pressure with investors worried about the implications of AI disruption across the tech space. The stock is down 6.5% in 2026. Nerves have sparked a widespread sell-off in recent weeks, but this could be a great opportunity for retail investors to pick-off stocks unfairly discounted, and Datadog is one of them, according to analysts at both Needham and Evercore ISI. They believe the cloud and datacentre performance monitoring tech provider is well positioned to capitalise on accelerating AI opportunities following its recent analyst day in New York. Needham reiterated its ‘buy’ rating…

Intel (INTC) has been one the big story stocks of the past year, but sentiment is starting to sour and investors should be wary. Up 19% so far in 2026, the share price has gained 70% over the last 12 months. To put that into context, the ‘Sox’ is up 13.5% and 60% over the same timeframes. But sentiment is fragile. In February, Intel has largely traded lower. This is a stock priced for perfection of a recovery that may not work out. Years in decline Since 2020, overall revenue and operating margins have fallen sharply. Five years ago, Intel…

In our latest podcast, Sharesify’s Steven Frazer, Ian Conway and James Crux discuss the market mood dominated by AI. They also explore the capricious nature of daily trading and tight memory chip capacity. The chaps talk through how investors are clustering around big, boring, old skool stocks. Ian flags all-time highs for world’s biggest retailer Walmart (WMT), now a $1 trillion company. The talks then turns to… is AI going to wreck business models, jobs and become a waste of money, or is there real value to be made. Steve suggests that investors have recently taken a ‘sell first, ask…

Semiconductor technology supplier Applied Materials (AMAT) saw its stock surge around 12% in after-hours trading thanks to the accelerating AI investment wave. The near-$300 billion company’s Q1 2026 results comfortably beat market expectations. Moreover, these results underscore the growing strength of AI-driven chip demand. The Santa Clara-based company reported Q1 non-GAAP earnings per share of $2.38, ahead of the $2.21 consensus estimate, on $7.01 billion revenue, which also topped Wall Street projections ($6.87 billion). Applied Materials (AMAT)Price: $368.24 (+12%)Market cap: $292bn Record revenues Performance was supported by record activity across key business lines. The Semiconductor Systems division posted an…

Shares in data centres critical kit supplier Vertiv (VRT) have jumped 40% in a week, adding $27 billion to its market cap. The name may not be familiar to many UK investors but plenty will own it – it is a top 10 stake in both the Blue Whale Growth fund and Smithson Investment Trust (SSON). Vertiv (VRT)Price: $248.51 (+24.49%)Market cap: $95bn The stock had been heading higher into Q4 2025 earnings, but it was the publication of those results that really sent the stock into bonkers territory. Faster growth, record orders Vertiv expects full-year 2026 net sales of $13.25…

Networking equipment maker Cisco Systems (CSCO) unveiled quarterly gross margin that was short of analysts’ estimates, sending its shares down by more than 7% in extended hours trading. A key member of the Dow 30, Cisco is known for its extensive portfolio of networking hardware and services—ranging from switches and routers to wireless access points and controllers—that help enterprises build and manage complex digital infrastructure. Cisco Systems (CSCO)Price: $79.30 (-7.3%)Market cap: $312bn The $312 billion company is also viewed as a central player in helping businesses prepare their systems for artificial intelligence workloads, a trend that has boosted demand for…

In our latest podcast, Sharesify’s Steven Frazer, Ian Conway and James Crux open with Winter Olympics talk and news from ‘down The Lane’, and why Steve think’s rock band Stealers Wheels is appropriate. James then unwraps a couple of results from UK small caps Ramsdens (RFX) – not the chippy! – and PZ Cussons (PZC). The chaps then chat through London Stock Exchange (LSEG) news after its recent sell-off, and ponder what activist investor Elliott might be up to with its stakebuild. Ian walks us through, before moving on to why BP (BP.) and TotalEnergies (TTE) have back-tracked on share…

Cloudflare (NET) delivered a clear beat in Q4 2025 overnight sparking a huge surge for the stock. The share price jumped nearly 16% after the cybersecurity firm posted $614.35 billion Q4 revenue, 34% above analyst projections. Cloudflare (NET)Price: $208.27 (+15.7%)Market cap: $72.9bn Non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) EPS of $0.28 also nudged beyond expectations of $0.27, a big jump on $2024’s $0.19. Guidance above forecast Guidance was also upbeat. Cloudflare is forecasting a revenue midpoint of $2.79 billion for full year 2026, above the current analyst consensus of $2.74 billion. Revenue growth guidance is for around 30% for both Q1…

Google-owner Alphabet (GOOG) is moving deeper into global credit markets with plans for a rare 100-year sterling bond as part of a sweeping multi-currency debt programme. This cash call highlights how the AI arms race is reshaping big tech capital strategies. The century bond, an ultra-long maturity instrument seldom used by corporations, is expected to sit alongside dollar and Swiss franc bonds as the company raises billions of dollars to support escalating investment in data centres, chips and AI models. Additionally, the transaction marks the first technology sector century bond issuance in decades. It also underscores a generational structural…