Market Signal Briefing

MegaETH announced that its public Ethereum L2 mainnet will launch on February 9, 2026, following a week-long stress test designed to process 11 billion transactions at a sustained 15–35K TPS.

So far, the network has processed approximately 10.3 billion transactions, with a TPS ranging from 10 to 22K. Frontend load during the tests came from applications such as Showdown TCG, Stomp GG, and Smasher, while backend load was generated using tools like Kumbaya, with ETH transfers and V3-style AMM swaps.

MegaETH raised $30 million in seed funding from DragonFly Capital, Robot Ventures, and Vitalik Buterin, as well as through an Echo round, and secured an additional $50 million through a token sale with a fully diluted valuation of $999 million.

The $MEGA token trades pre-market at around $0.20, with a fully diluted valuation of $2 billion on Hyperliquid. The network will be available for applications from launch, including those requiring high performance, such as games.

The mainnet will have scheduled network maintenance after launch and will continue to evaluate infrastructure performance based on user demand.

Source: https://x.com/megaeth/status/2016511667644064164

Disclaimer: Crypto Economy Flash News are based on verified public and official sources. Their purpose is to provide fast, factual updates about relevant events in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem.

This information does not constitute financial advice or investment recommendation. Readers are encouraged to verify all details through official project channels before making any related decisions

Bitcoin's meteoric rise has delivered huge returns for holders. Even small investments have turned into tens of thousands of dollars.

In 2016, Bitcoin (BTC 0.30%) was still an emerging technology. Trading at around $400, it was still fighting for acceptance as a legitimate alternative to fiat currency.

Fast forward 10 years, Bitcoin has arrived. Institutions own it. Financial advisors are putting it in model portfolios and client accounts. The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved ETFs for it. And it's paved the way for other cryptos, such as Ethereum (ETH 0.46%), Solana (SOL 1.55%), and XRP (XRP 0.35%), to emerge themselves.

Source: Getty Images.

Bitcoin remains highly volatile as an investment, but it's also produced huge returns for investors over the years. It's still down about 30% from its all-time highs, but long-term holders still have plenty of reason to be pleased.

Today's Change

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-270.46

Current Price

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88979.00

Over the past decade (as of 1/26/26), Bitcoin has risen by roughly 21,900%!

That means a $100 investment made into Bitcoin 10 years ago and held for the duration would have turned into $21,900.

Bitcoin Price data by YCharts

For many, Bitcoin is still more of a speculative growth asset that belongs in a diversified portfolio. It's been a reasonable diversifier when paired with both the U.S. dollar and the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.01%). Its real potential, however, remains as a fiat currency alternative.

With the AI revolution still in its early innings and the global monetary system evolving, the time for Bitcoin may still be ahead.

David Dierking has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Robert Kiyosaki expressed regret over selling bitcoin, calling it a mistake as he reaffirmed plans to accumulate more BTC and hard assets amid currency debasement concerns and long-term distrust of fiat money.

Within the XRP Ledger community, debate has emerged over whether the cryptocurrency’s utility will be driven primarily by regulatory changes or infrastructure developments within Ripple’s systems.

Summary

Routing liquidity through public decentralized exchanges raises compliance challenges for regulated institutions, while permissioned domains, credentialing, and privacy features in Ripple Prime could address these obstacles. The upcoming Permissioned Domains amendment is expected to activate on Feb. 4, 2026, following strong validator consensus. The debate coincides with Ripple and GTreasury’s launch of Ripple Treasury, an enterprise solution integrating traditional cash operations with digital-asset systems. According to NewsBTC, Community member Alex Cobb highlighted the potential of U.S. market-structure legislation, specifically the CLARITY Act, to enhance XRP’s use.

In contrast, another participant, Krippenreiter, argued that Ripple’s payment infrastructure—including Ripple Payments’ on-chain XRPL decentralized exchange liquidity and Ripple Prime’s institutional on-ledger settlement—offers greater practical utility.

Krippenreiter emphasized that this aligns with Ripple’s prior statements about institutional use of the XRP Ledger, noting that on-chain settlement ensures full transparency and efficiency.

The discussion highlighted regulatory considerations: routing liquidity through a public decentralized exchange creates compliance challenges for regulated entities, whereas using a ledger as a post-trade settlement layer presents fewer risks.

Attorney Bill Morgan commented that regulated institutions must eventually access XRPL liquidity without running afoul of compliance rules, identifying permissioned domains and DEX structures as potential obstacles. Krippenreiter proposed credentialing and permissioned solutions as remedies.

The community is watching the upcoming activation of the Permissioned Domains amendment, which has secured 88.24% validator consensus, with estimated activation on February 4.

Discussions also touched on Ripple Prime, with suggestions that privacy features may be needed to enable deeper integration with XRPL inventory on centralized exchanges.

Ripple engineering lead J. Ayo Akinyele highlighted the balance between transparency and confidentiality, stressing that institutional adoption depends on privacy mechanisms that maintain regulatory compliance.

These debates coincide with Ripple and GTreasury’s announcement of Ripple Treasury, an enterprise treasury infrastructure combining traditional cash operations with digital asset systems.

Together, the discussions reflect an ongoing community focus on how both policy and infrastructure will shape XRP’s practical and regulatory utility in the financial ecosystem.

TL;DR:

ZRO’s perpetual market liquidity reached $96 million, boosting optimism among traders. The asset faces critical resistance at $2.28 after bouncing strongly from its primary demand zone. Community sentiment is mostly bullish, with 65% of voters expecting further price increases. On Wednesday, the digital asset market witnessed a rally in the price of LayerZero ZRO, positioning it as one of the top-performing cryptocurrencies. This advance is accompanied by a trading volume exceeding $130 million.

The current momentum is based on a massive increase in perpetual contract liquidity, which climbed to $96 million. Furthermore, the positive funding rate of 0.0191% confirms that long-position traders remain in control of the market.

Key Resistances and Technical Market Structure Technically speaking, the asset managed to stay above a previous descending channel, reinforcing the validity of its bullish breakout. The recent rebound occurred after touching a solid demand zone established between $1.81 and $1.88.

However, for the upward trend to last over time, the asset must overcome the psychological and technical barrier of $2.28. If successful, the path would be cleared to seek more ambitious targets located at $2.59 and, eventually, $3.67.

On the other hand, community sentiment on platforms like CoinMarketCap reflects optimism, with thousands of participants betting on a continuation of the rally. This collective conviction adds a layer of emotional support to the movement driven by liquidity data.

In summary, the outlook for ZRO is encouraging, as long as volume supports the attempt to overcome the aforementioned resistance levels. Investors should closely monitor price action at $2.28, as this level will determine the asset’s direction in the short term.

Crypto investors are increasingly turning to tokenized gold as digital asset markets remain sluggish, driving record inflows into Paxos Gold (PAXG) in January. As volatility and uncertainty weigh on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, blockchain-based gold tokens are emerging as a popular alternative for investors seeking stability and protection.

According to data from DefiLlama, Paxos Gold attracted more than $248 million in new capital during January alone, marking its highest monthly inflow on record. This surge pushed PAXG’s market capitalization above $2.2 billion, making it the second-largest tokenized gold asset in the market, behind only Tether Gold (XAUT). Paxos Gold is fully backed by physical gold stored in London vaults that meet London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) standards, giving investors confidence in its underlying value.

The strong demand for tokenized gold aligns with a powerful rally in the gold market itself. Gold prices surged past $5,300 per ounce in January, rising roughly 22% during the month and gaining more than 90% over the past year. In contrast, bitcoin has declined by over 10% year-on-year, while the broader cryptocurrency market has struggled to regain momentum. This divergence has prompted many crypto investors to reassess their portfolios.

Market participants say tokenized gold offers a unique blend of traditional safe-haven appeal and modern blockchain functionality. James Harris, CEO of crypto yield platform Tesseract Group, noted that tokenized gold has become more attractive due to its improved transferability and divisibility. Unlike physical bullion, tokens such as PAXG and XAUT can be easily transferred, traded, or held in crypto wallets, while still representing fractional ownership of real gold.

Tokenized gold allows investors to access a centuries-old store of value without the logistical challenges of storage, insurance, or transportation. This convenience, combined with growing macroeconomic uncertainty, is fueling adoption across both crypto-native and traditional investor segments.

The broader tokenized gold market has now surpassed $5.5 billion in total value, according to CoinGecko, reaching an all-time high. As gold prices climb and digital asset markets tread water, tokenized gold is increasingly positioned as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain technology, offering stability, accessibility, and liquidity in uncertain times.

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Tesla (TSLA) maintained its bitcoin holdings unchanged during the fourth quarter of 2025, keeping a total of 11,509 BTC on its balance sheet. While the number of coins remained steady, the value of Tesla’s bitcoin investment dropped sharply as the cryptocurrency market weakened toward the end of the year. Bitcoin’s price fell from around $114,000 at the start of the quarter to approximately $88,000 by year-end, significantly reducing the market value of Tesla’s digital asset holdings.

As a result of the bitcoin price decline, Tesla recorded an after-tax impairment loss of roughly $239 million related to its digital assets. The loss was disclosed in the company’s recently released fourth-quarter earnings report and reflects accounting rules that require companies to mark down the value of crypto holdings when prices fall, even if those assets are not sold. This impairment had no impact on Tesla’s bitcoin balance, but it did weigh on reported earnings for the quarter.

Tesla’s relationship with bitcoin dates back to early 2021, when the Elon Musk-led company revealed it had purchased 43,200 BTC for about $1.7 billion. At the time, the move was seen as a major endorsement of bitcoin by a large publicly traded company. Shortly after the initial purchase, Tesla sold a small portion of its holdings to test market liquidity. However, in 2022, amid a broader crypto bear market, Tesla sold approximately 75% of its bitcoin near market lows, significantly reducing its exposure.

Since that large sale, Tesla’s bitcoin holdings have remained relatively stable, with no major buying or selling activity reported. Despite the impairment charge, Tesla’s core business performance showed mixed results in the fourth quarter. The company reported revenue of $24.9 billion, slightly below market expectations of $25.1 billion. However, adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.50, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45.

Investors appeared to focus on the earnings beat, sending TSLA shares up 3.4% in after-hours trading. Tesla’s experience highlights both the potential and the volatility of holding bitcoin on corporate balance sheets, especially during periods of sharp price swings in the cryptocurrency market.

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World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin, saw its native WLD token surge more than 27% on Wednesday following a Forbes report that linked the controversial crypto project to OpenAI’s broader strategy to combat bots and AI-generated accounts online. The sudden price spike pushed WLD into the spotlight, briefly allowing it to outperform many major cryptocurrencies, according to CoinDesk data.

The report revealed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is exploring the idea of building a “biometric social network” aimed at helping digital platforms verify real human users and reduce the spread of automated or AI-driven accounts. Sources familiar with the discussions told Forbes that OpenAI has considered leveraging biometric technologies such as Apple’s Face ID or World Network’s Orb device, which scans an individual’s iris to create a unique digital identity. While the report did not confirm a formal partnership between OpenAI and World Network, the market reacted strongly to the potential connection.

World Network is a crypto project co-founded by Sam Altman and is best known for its World ID system, a decentralized and privacy-focused digital identity solution. The project raised $135 million in a token sale last year, with backing from prominent investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Bain Capital Crypto. Its core technology relies on the Orb, a custom-built biometric device that scans users’ irises and converts that data into unique identifiers designed to comply with privacy standards.

Since its launch, World Network has attracted both interest and controversy. The project claims to have verified millions of users globally, positioning itself as a solution to the growing problem of fake accounts and online misinformation fueled by generative AI. However, it has also faced regulatory scrutiny, including a temporary suspension of operations in Kenya and investigations in the United Kingdom over how it collects and processes biometric data.

Despite ongoing criticism, the concept of biometric verification continues to gain traction as governments, tech companies, and crypto projects search for ways to distinguish humans from bots online. The recent WLD price surge highlights how closely investors are watching any potential overlap between World Network, OpenAI, and the future of digital identity in an AI-dominated internet.

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Ethereum (ETH) is showing clear signs of stabilization after weeks of volatile and erratic price action, suggesting an early-stage recovery may be underway. Following multiple defensive rebounds from the critical $2,800 support zone, Ethereum has begun forming higher lows and reclaiming short-term momentum. While the broader trend is still in a recovery phase rather than a full reversal, the near-term market structure has turned cautiously bullish.

One of the most notable shifts in Ethereum price behavior is the change in seller dynamics. Previous relief rallies were aggressively sold, often leading to sharp pullbacks. That pattern has weakened significantly. Sellers are no longer able to force steep declines after minor rejections, indicating reduced downside pressure. Buyers are stepping in faster on pullbacks, allowing ETH to grind higher rather than rely on speculative spikes. This is further supported by steady volume, which favors gradual upside continuation instead of short-lived volatility.

Ethereum is now steadily pressing toward key resistance levels, with the 50-day exponential moving average acting as the main technical barrier. This moving average previously capped multiple recovery attempts during the broader decline and now serves as a gatekeeper for trend confirmation. A clean breakout and sustained hold above the 50 EMA could confirm a structural shift, opening the door for accelerated upside momentum. If that occurs, Ethereum price could advance toward the $3,300 to $3,450 range, where stronger resistance and longer-term moving averages align.

Momentum indicators also support the bullish case. The Relative Strength Index has lifted out of weak territory without entering overbought conditions, a setup commonly seen during sustainable recoveries. This suggests Ethereum is regaining strength in a healthy manner rather than overheating.

Downside risk remains. Failure to break above the 50 EMA could result in renewed consolidation, with $2,800 continuing to act as the primary support level. A decisive breakdown below that zone would invalidate the bullish outlook. For now, Ethereum is holding structure, building momentum, and applying consistent pressure on resistance, keeping ETH firmly back on course in the near term.

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C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW - Free Report) reported $3.91 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2025, representing a year-over-year decline of 6.5%. EPS of $1.23 for the same period compares to $1.21 a year ago.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.96 billion, representing a surprise of -1.18%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +9.73%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.12.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how C.H. Robinson performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Average employee headcount: 12,085 compared to the 12,245 average estimate based on three analysts.Total Revenues- NAST: $2.81 billion compared to the $2.86 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +0.3% year over year.Total Revenues- All Other and Corporate: $371.28 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $366.74 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -25.4%.Total Revenues- Global Forwarding: $730.98 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $736.12 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -17.3%.Adjusted Gross Profit- NAST: $411.62 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $416.05 million.Adjusted Gross Profit- All Other & Corporate: $67.44 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $66.29 million.Adjusted Gross Profit- Global Forwarding: $177.96 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $179.64 million.View all Key Company Metrics for C.H. Robinson here>>>

Shares of C.H. Robinson have returned +11.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

Fair Isaac (FICO - Free Report) reported $511.96 million in revenue for the quarter ended December 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 16.4%. EPS of $7.33 for the same period compares to $5.79 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +2.76% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $498.23 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $6.95, the EPS surprise was +5.54%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Fair Isaac performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) - Platform: $302.6 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $272.35 million.Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) - Total: $766 million versus $763.13 million estimated by two analysts on average.Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) - Non-Platform: $463.4 million versus $491.29 million estimated by two analysts on average.Revenues- On-premises and SaaS software: $188.22 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $192.15 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +1.2%.Revenues- Professional services: $19.2 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $17.82 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5%.Revenues- Scores: $304.53 million compared to the $290.07 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +29.2% year over year.Revenues- Software: $207.43 million compared to the $211.03 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +1.5% year over year.Revenues- Scores- Business-to-business: $248.61 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $230.6 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +36.3%.Revenues- Scores- Business-to-consumer: $55.92 million versus $56.51 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +5% change.View all Key Company Metrics for Fair Isaac here>>>

Shares of Fair Isaac have returned -11.5% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.

Murphy Oil (MUR - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.14 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.07 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.35 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +304.08%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this oil and gas producer would post earnings of $0.16 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.41, delivering a surprise of +156.25%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Murphy Oil, which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, posted revenues of $624.56 million for the quarter ended December 2025, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. This compares to year-ago revenues of $670.96 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Murphy Oil shares have added about 1.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.9%.

What's Next for Murphy Oil?While Murphy Oil has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Murphy Oil was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.43 on $655.32 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.99 on $2.59 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States is currently in the bottom 5% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

SM Energy (SM - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025.

This independent oil and gas company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.77 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -59.7%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 4.9% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.

SM Energy's revenues are expected to be $773.28 million, down 9.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Deluxe (DLX - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.96 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.83 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.84 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +15.21%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this payments and data company would post earnings of $0.92 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.09, delivering a surprise of +18.48%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Deluxe, which belongs to the Zacks Business - Office Products industry, posted revenues of $535.3 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.33%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $520.5 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Deluxe shares have added about 9.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.9%.

What's Next for Deluxe?While Deluxe has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Deluxe was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.74 on $526.4 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.70 on $2.13 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Business - Office Products is currently in the top 41% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

One other stock from the same industry, HNI (HNI - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025.

This maker of office furniture and fireplaces is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.91 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +4.6%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

HNI's revenues are expected to be $693.15 million, up 7.9% from the year-ago quarter.

Howmet (HWM - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $210.84, moving -2.18% from the previous trading session. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.01%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.03%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.17%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of engineered products for the aerospace and other industries had gained 3.71% lagged the Aerospace sector's gain of 5.69% and outpaced the S&P 500's gain of 0.78%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Howmet in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on February 12, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.97, marking a 31.08% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $2.14 billion, showing a 13.22% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $3.69 per share and revenue of $8.21 billion. These totals would mark changes of +37.17% and 0%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Howmet should also be noted by investors. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.47% higher. Howmet presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at its valuation, Howmet is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 48.6. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 26.32, which means Howmet is trading at a premium to the group.

We can also see that HWM currently has a PEG ratio of 2.04. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The average PEG ratio for the Aerospace - Defense industry stood at 1.94 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Aerospace - Defense industry is part of the Aerospace sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 83, this industry ranks in the top 34% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.

Wednesday, January 28th, 2026

It’s a very newsworthy day on Wall Street today, with the biggest amount of consequential earnings reports — including three of the “Mag 7” — joining the latest FOMC meeting, where the Fed decided to keep rates steady as expected. Market indexes were flattish ahead of the Fed news, and closed without changing much: the Dow +0.025%, the S&P 500 -0.01%, the Nasdaq +0.17% and the small-cap Russell 2000 -0.49%.

Notes on Today’s Fed Decision & Powell Presser
As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided not to move on Fed funds rate levels from the 3.50-3.75% range today. This follows three straight cuts of 25 basis points (bps) which helped bring the rate down 175 bps from near-term highs last seen in September 2024. There were again two dissenters, Fed Governors Stephen Miran and Chris Waller — that latter of whom has made the short list to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell at the end of his term in May.

That said, the dissenting votes were both for 25 bps, the first time Miran has not voted for a 50 bps cut since he joined the Fed last September. The Fed said the economy has “expanded at a solid pace” and is “coming into 2026 on firm footing.” Unemployment shows “some signs of stabilization” and inflation remains “somewhat elevated.” Thus, the monetary policy agency see both of its objectives within reasonable ranges, and ultimately found not enough compelling reason to cut rates further. The next FOMC meeting takes place March 17-18.

In Chair Powell’s press conference following the Fed statement, he did not answer questions regarding charges pending against him from the Dept. of Justice (really the White House, which has been putting pressure on Powell & Co. to cut rates since President Trump moved back into the residence a year ago), instead referring to his public statement on January 11th, where he pointed at the administration and its pressure campaign as the reason for the lawsuit.

Mag 7 Earnings Extravaganza: MSFT, META, TSLA
Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) shares slid initially on a complex report which included beats on both top and bottom lines. Earnings of $4.14 per share easily strode past the $3.88 Zacks consensus on $81.27 billion in revenues, outpacing expectations of $80.23 billion and the $69.63 billion reported a year ago. The software giant and AI hyperscaler releases guidance numbers on the upcoming conference call.

Its cloud business, Azure, brought in $39.0 billion in the quarter, slightly below the $39.4 billion consensus, but the big news following the report’s release concerns the Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO) in its AI space, which have ballooned up +110% to $625 billion, 45% of which are directly related to Microsoft’s exposure to OpenAI. Back in October, Microsoft spent $135 billion for a 27% stake in OpenAI.

Capital expenditures rose +66% in the quarter to $37.5 billion, and commercial cloud revenue — based on Microsoft’s Copilot AI service — gained +17% in the quarter. It will be some time before the market digests this massive RPO situation, but suffice it to say Microsoft is “all in” on the AI market. Shares are trading down -4% in the after-market.

Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) trotted out its own report of humongous numbers, with firm outperformances on both top and bottom lines — earnings of $8.88 per share on revenues of $59.89 billion surpassed the $8.21 per share and $59.59 billion estimates, respectively — and a strong raise to current-quarter revenue guidance. Based on Meta’s massive continued investment in the AI space, the company now sees capex for fiscal 2026 coming in at $115-135 billion, from $110 billion projected earlier. Shares are up +5% in late trading.

Tesla (TSLA - Free Report) posted mixed results in its Q4 report after today’s market close, with earnings of 50 cents per share outperforming estimates by a solid nickel while revenues of $24.90 billion was off the $25.14 billion anticipated. Both items are still well off the pace of a year ago. That said, the company says its new Cybercab is on-track for 2026 production. Shares of Tesla are +3% on the news, still -1% year to date.

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Adtalem Global Education Inc. (ATGE) Q2 2026 Earnings Call January 28, 2026 5:00 PM EST

Company Participants

Jonathan Spitzer - Vice President of Investor Relations
Stephen Beard - CEO & Chairman
Robert Phelan - Senior VP & CFO

Conference Call Participants

Jeffrey Silber - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research
Jack Slevin - Jefferies LLC, Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Greetings, and welcome to the Adtalem Global Education Second Quarter 2026 Earnings. [Operator Instructions]. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Jay Spitzer, VP of IR. Thank you, Jay. You may begin.

Jonathan Spitzer
Vice President of Investor Relations

Good afternoon, and welcome to our earnings call for the second quarter fiscal year 2026 results. On the call with me today are Steve Beard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Adtalem Global Education; and Bob Phelan, Chief Financial Officer. Before I hand you over to Steve, I will, as usual, take you through legal safe harbor and cautionary declarations.

Certain statements and projections of future results made in this presentation constitute as forward-looking statements that are based on current market, competitive and regulatory expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement after this presentation, whether a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise. Please see our latest Form 10-K and Form 10-Q for discussions of risk factors as it relate to forward-looking statements.

In today's presentation, we have certain non-GAAP financial measures, and we refer you to the appendix of the presentation materials available on our Investor Relations website for reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures and related information. You will find a link to the webcast on our Investor Relations

Perseus Mining Limited (PMNXF) Q2 2026 Earnings Call January 28, 2026 5:00 PM EST

Company Participants

Craig Jones - MD, CEO & Director
Lee-Anne de Bruin - Chief Financial Officer

Conference Call Participants

Richard Knights - Barrenjoey Markets Pty Limited, Research Division
Levi Spry - UBS Investment Bank, Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Good morning, and welcome to the Perseus Mining Investor Webinar and Conference Call. [Operator Instructions]

I'll now hand over to Perseus Mining, Managing Director and CEO, Craig Jones. Thank you, Craig.

Craig Jones
MD, CEO & Director

Yes. Thanks, Nathan, and welcome to the Perseus Mining quarterly webinar to discuss our December quarterly report. And I'm joined here today with Lee-Anne, our CFO.

Let me start by acknowledging the tragic loss of two employees of our haulage contractor, Binkadi, who work at our Bagoé mine, and they are involved in a tragic off-site vehicle accident 2 weeks ago. These deaths have been incredibly sad for the team at Perseus and particularly our Sissingué operations, and we've been supporting the families of both individuals, as well as the entire team at Sissingué since the accident incurred and will continue to do so in this very difficult time.

We've commenced an internal investigation into the accident and cooperating fully with the relevant Ivorian authorities to ensure appropriate processes a following. Nothing is more important to Perseus than the safety and well-being of the people that work for us and with us. And this remains our highest priority across the group.

We are committed to the rigorous application and oversight of our safety systems and to ensuring that all employees and contractors carry their work in a safe and responsible manner. This tragic loss reinforces the need for constant vigilance in all aspects of our work, including travel associated with remote operations.

Adtalem Global Education (ATGE - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.43 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.19 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.81 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +11.21%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this for-profit education company would post earnings of $1.57 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.75, delivering a surprise of +11.46%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Adtalem, which belongs to the Zacks Schools industry, posted revenues of $503.39 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.17%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $447.73 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Adtalem shares have added about 11.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.9%.

What's Next for Adtalem?While Adtalem has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Adtalem was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $2.09 on $488.26 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $7.85 on $1.92 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Schools is currently in the bottom 34% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, Nerdy Inc. (NRDY - Free Report) , has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025.

This company is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.06 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +33.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Nerdy Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $45.71 million, down 4.8% from the year-ago quarter.

AI-focused cloud stocks Arista Networks (ANET - Free Report)  and CoreWeave (CRWV - Free Report)  have been on a tremendous rally again as investors rotate back into AI infrastructure plays with major chipmakers — especially Nvidia (NVDA - Free Report) ) — signaling stronger long-term demand for data center capacity.

After being hit hard during the late-year AI bubble scare at the end of 2025, CoreWeave shares have spiked +40% in the last month, seeing a sharp reversal and an extended rebound following the announcement of a new partnership with Nvidia.  

Meanwhile, the +10% monthly move in Arista’s stock has also placed it among the better performers in 2026 so far.

It’s worth noting that some of Arista’s biggest AI-cloud partnerships include deep technical collaborations with privately held AI-infrastructure and data-platform company VAST Data and Nvidia as well, on top of having other broad integrations across hyperscale cloud and AI-cluster environments.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Broader Market Rotation Back Into AI InfrastructureAs investors digest economic data and look past short-term volatility, money is flowing back into companies tied to the physical backbone of AI: GPUs, cloud capacity, and networking.                                                                                                                                                                                                       Being a prime example, CoreWeave’s trading volume has surged 55% above its three-month average, seeing heavy market activity throughout January and signaling renewed institutional interest.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Image Source: TradingView

CoreWeave’s Boost from NvidiaNvidia’s total investment in CoreWeave now stands at roughly $2.1 billion, combining its original $100 million stake with a new $2 billion equity infusion to help build large-scale AI “factories” with 5+ gigawatts of capacity by 2030.

This move places Nvidia as CoreWeave’s second-largest shareholder and signaled the chip giant’s commitment to scaling AI compute capacity through specialized cloud partners. CoreWeave serves as one of Nvidia’s most important AI-cloud partners, providing massive GPU-accelerated compute capacity by deploying Nvidia’s newest architectures and helping Nvidia scale its “AI factory” strategy in the process.

Like Arista Networks, CoreWeave helps enterprises run demanding AI workloads efficiently and at scale, and it does so by building its cloud entirely on Nvidia’s full stack. The partnership is deep and highly strategic, with CoreWeave acting as both a customer and an operational extension of Nvidia’s AI-infrastructure ambitions.

Investors now see CoreWeave’s AI-specific cloud servers and triple-digit revenue growth as signs of durable demand. Going public in March of last year, CoreWeave has released three quarterly reports so far, with Q3 EPS coming in at an adjusted loss of $0.08 a share on sales of $1.36 billion.

CoreWeave will be reporting Q4 results on Monday, February 9, with FY25 EPS now expected at an adjusted loss of $1.31, although annual sales are projected to increase 168% to $5.1 billion compared to the $1.9 billion the company reported in 2024.

Arista is Still Riding the AI Networking WaveArista’s 400G/800G high-speed switches have become go-to hardware for hyperscalers and AI-data-center builders. This AI-networking leadership is also a major reason ANET is starting to spike again, as Arista has been a core beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom.

To that point, Arista’s AI cloud partnerships with Nvidia and VAST Data are focused on high-bandwidth, low-latency networking essential for training and running large AI models. Furthermore, AI-driven data-center networking remains extremely strong, with Arista posting robust revenue growth tied to hyperscale and AI infrastructure buildouts.

Known to serve major hyperscalers such as Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report)  and Meta Platforms (META - Free Report) , Arista most recently reported a 27% and 25% increase in Q3 revenue ($2.3 billion) and EPS ($0.75), respectively.

Arista is scheduled to report Q4 results on Thursday, February 12, with FY25 sales and EPS now expected to be up nearly 27%, respectively, at $8.87 billion and $2.88 per share.

Conclusion & Final ThoughtsCoreWeave continues to get passes thrown from Nvidia, which is very intriguing in regard to credibility and the likelihood that it will be able to finish these plays in terms of eventual profitability.

The resurging hype in Arista Networks stock, on the other hand, is more grounded in diversification outside of Nvidia and financial fundamentals, including strong EPS growth and a somewhat lofty but trackable forward earnings multiple of 44X.

For now, Arista Networks stock sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) with CoreWeave shares landing a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).  

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Informa Markets' The International Surface Event (tise), the largest annual resource for the flooring, stone and tile industries, today announces the winners of the annual “What’s Hot – Best of tise 2026 Awards”. The awards are sponsored by Floor Covering News and Stone World.

tise is the ultimate gathering to discover new products at the peak of the year's buying cycle, making it the go-to destination for industry professionals. As the epicenter for innovation and discovery, tise features traditional and cutting-edge products alongside dedicated pavilions showcasing flooring, stone, tile, machinery, and installation products. More than 650 brands span 155+ product categories on the show floor.

The "What's Hot - Best of tise" awards honor the standout products, services and solutions that contribute to the advancement of the industry through efficiency, creativity, safety, and innovation.

“The products featured in the awards program were selected because they consistently raise the bar and set new standards for innovation and excellence,” shares Amie Gilmore, Show Director of The International Surface Event (tise). “These companies embody the spirit of progress, delivering cutting-edge solutions that will inspire and redefine industry benchmarks."

Winners in the Surfaces category:

Style & Design: Karastan

Technology: Rara AI

Innovation: Mohawk

Sustainability: Nox

Disruption: Mohawk

Carpet: Couristan

Wood: AHF

Laminate: Stanton

Resilient: Mannington

Best Large Booth: AHF

Best Small Booth: Cali

Winners in the Tile + Stone category:

Style & Design: Cambria

Technology: Aardwolf

Innovation: GranQuartz

Sustainability: Full Circle Water

Disruption: Thryve

Best Small Booth: Wilson Industrial Electric

Best Large Booth: Full Circle Water

Tile: Arizona Tile

Stone: Vermont Quarries

The awards will return to tise next year from February 2-4, 2026. To stay up to date on the latest details on how to submit for "What's Hot - Best of tise" 2027 please visit www.intlsurfaceevent.com.

About tise - The International Surface Event
tise - The International Surface Event is a prestigious gathering that unites retailers, flooring distributors, contractors, fabricators, installers, architects, and designers within the flooring, stone and tile industries. It serves as a platform for curated product showcases, informative seminars, networking opportunities, and hands-on experiences, all centered on innovation and education. Attendees are invited to explore the latest products, technologies, and design solutions while connecting with industry experts and peers to drive business success and stay ahead in a competitive market.

For more information about tise - The International Surface Event visit www.intlsurfaceevent.com. Follow tise - The International Surface Event on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

About Informa Markets
Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio comprises more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, visit www.informamarkets.com.

Media Contact
Informa Markets Infrastructure and Construction PR
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49686def-23df-420a-8ce4-da28aa57e7e6

Annaly Capital Management (NLY - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.74 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.72 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.72 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +3.25%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this real estate investment trust would post earnings of $0.72 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.73, delivering a surprise of +1.39%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Annaly, which belongs to the Zacks REIT and Equity Trust industry, posted revenues of $366.58 million for the quarter ended December 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 21.84%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $187.29 million. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Annaly shares have added about 8.9% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.9%.

What's Next for Annaly?While Annaly has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Annaly was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.75 on $472 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.92 on $1.9 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, REIT and Equity Trust is currently in the bottom 29% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Arbor Realty Trust (ABR - Free Report) , another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025.

This real estate investment trust is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.21 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -47.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Arbor Realty Trust's revenues are expected to be $221.71 million, down 15.7% from the year-ago quarter.

NEOS Nasdaq-100® Hedged Equity Income ETF is a fund that uses covered calls and other options to generate a 9% yield from the NASDAQ-100, an index that yields only 0.45%. The fund employs a put spread collar strategy, balancing premium income generation with capped upside—well-suited for today's frothy market. Current NASDAQ-100 constituents are high-quality and (for the most part) growing quickly. But at 40 times earnings, much of their future growth is being paid for.

HomeETFs and Funds AnalysisETF Analysis

SummaryARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG) maintains a "Buy" rating, driven by strong technicals and momentum despite a premium valuation.ARKG has outperformed XLV and SPY over the past year, returning 23% since July and beating the S&P 500 by 12 percentage points.The ETF’s concentrated, small-cap, high-risk portfolio is supported by rising AUM, robust liquidity, and a bullish technical breakout.Upside potential targets $42 if ARKG breaks above $35, with current support near $29 and seasonally softer returns expected February–May. Solskin/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Healthcare stocks have come on strong since last August. What's more, low-quality, high-risk biotech names have helped support the global equity rally ever since the low last April. Cathie Wood’s ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG) has, not surprisingly, outperformed both the

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (NYSE: NCDL) (“NCDL” or “the Company”), today announced it will report its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025, on Thursday, February 26, 2026, before the market opens. The Company will host an earnings conference call and public webcast at 10:00 AM Eastern Time the same day to discuss its financial results.

All interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing (866)-605-1826 approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the call; international callers should dial +1 (215)-268-9877. Participants should reference Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. when prompted.

A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Events section of the Company's website at www.ncdl.com. A replay will be available on the Events section of the Company’s website following the conclusion of the conference call.

About Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp.
Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. (“NCDL”) is a specialty finance company focused primarily on investing in senior secured loans to private equity-owned U.S. middle market companies. NCDL has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. NCDL is externally managed by its investment adviser, Churchill DLC Advisor LLC, and by its sub-adviser, Churchill Asset Management LLC ("Churchill"). Both the investment adviser and sub-adviser are affiliates and subsidiaries of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”) the investment management division of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”) and one of the largest asset managers globally. Churchill is a leading capital provider for private equity-backed middle market companies and operates as the exclusive U.S. middle market direct lending and private capital business of Nuveen and TIAA. Churchill is a registered investment advisor and majority-owned, indirect subsidiary of TIAA.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains historical information and “forward-looking statements” with respect to the business and investments of NCDL, including, but not limited to, statements about NCDL’s future performance and financial performance and financial condition, which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about us, our current and prospective portfolio investments, our industry, our beliefs, and our assumptions. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “may,” “continue,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “targets,” “projects,” “outlook,” “potential,” “predicts” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond NCDL’s control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in NCDL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including changes in the financial, capital, and lending markets; changes in the interest rate environment and its impact on NCDL's business, its financial condition and its portfolio companies; the uncertainty associated with the imposition of tariffs and trade barriers and changes in trade policy, and its impact on NCDL's portfolio companies and the general economy; general economic, political and industry trends and other external factors; the dependence of NCDL’s future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which it invests; and other risks, uncertainties and other factors we identify in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in NCDL’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date on which NCDL makes them. NCDL does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or any other information contained herein, except as required by applicable law.

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More News From Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman is notifying Ardent Health, Inc. (NYSE: ARDT) investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed against the company and certain of its executives following the company’s disastrous Q3 2025 financial results.

Hagens Berman is investigating the alleged claims that Ardent misled investors about its revenue recognition systems and the adequacy of its professional liability reserves. The firm urges investors who purchased Ardent securities between July 18, 2024 and November 12, 2025 and suffered substantial losses to contact the firm now.

[CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ARDT LOSSES]

View our latest video summary of the allegations: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqsF9PZIEA

Class Period: July 18, 2024 – Nov. 12, 2025
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Mar. 9, 2026
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ardt
Contact the Firm Now: [email protected] | 844-916-0895

The ARDT Securities Class Action & Its Allegations:

The complaint alleges that for over a year Ardent assured investors that it engaged in an active monitoring process that included “detailed reviews of historical collections” and that “[o]ur collection procedures are followed until such time that management determines the account is uncollectible, at which time the account is written off.”

The complaint alleges that these- and other- statements were misleading because Ardent did not primarily rely on detailed reviews of historical collections in determining accounts receivable collectability, but instead utilized a 180-day cliff at which time an account became fully reserved.

The truth allegedly emerged on November 12, 2025, when Ardent revealed that it transitioned to a new accounting method in Q3 2025 for estimating the collectability of accounts receivable, which forced it to slash revenue by $42.6 million to account for hindsight evaluations.

During the earnings call the next day, Ardent’s CFO revealed that, in apparent contrast to earlier assurances about the hindsight analysis, the company’s collectability framework “had utilized a 180-day cliff at which time an account became fully reserved” and that its new revenue accounting system “recognizes reserves earlier in an account’s life cycle[.]”

In addition to the revenue decrease, Ardent revealed that “[t]he increase in total operating expenses as a percentage of total revenue was […] driven by an increase in professional liability reserves of $47.2 million[.]”

The market reacted swiftly to this news and sent the price of Ardent shares tumbling $4.75 (-33%) lower the next day.

“We are looking into whether Ardent knew of problems with its revenue accounting system that masked payor denials,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm’s investigation of the pending alleged claims.

If you’d like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Ardent Health case and our investigation, read more.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Ardent Health should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman’s team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895