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Copper Is the AI Trade No One Priced In—3 Miners With the Most to GainFord Motor NYSE: F is reshaping its software and digital-services strategy around a more connected ecosystem spanning vehicle hardware, software, mobile applications and dealer service, according to Mike Aragon, the company’s president of integrated services.

Speaking with Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Delaney, Aragon said Ford has moved away from managing digital products such as BlueCruise and Ford Pro Intelligence as separate offerings. Instead, the company is seeking to make them work as a unified system that improves over time through vehicle data, over-the-air updates and service connections.

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3 Stocks Built for Higher Rates—And 2 That Could Break“It’s not about generic products,” Aragon said. “It’s really about building a software layer on top of the vehicles that our customers already love.”

Focus on activation and engagement Aragon described Ford’s digital-services “flywheel” as consisting of four stages: scale, activate, engage and monetize. The company has about 14 million connected vehicles in its installed base, he said, providing a foundation for digital offerings including connectivity services and the BlueCruise hands-free driving system.

FB Financial's Southern Expansion and Buybacks Drive Analyst OptimismActivation at the dealership is particularly important, according to Aragon. Ford tracks how quickly customers use the specific product they purchased, such as their first BlueCruise or connectivity engagement, and seeks to remove friction from that process.

Aragon said Ford has found a correlation between dealer training, early product usage and longer-term customer engagement. Customers who do not use BlueCruise early may forget about the feature, while early and frequent use has been associated with greater retention, he said.

Ford is working with dealers through incentive payments, sales coaching and a digital delivery tool designed to help salespeople walk customers through the products and services included with their vehicles. The Ford app also provides another channel for customer education and activation.

While subscription revenue remains important, Aragon said his team places significant emphasis on engagement as a leading indicator. He said customers who use multiple parts of Ford’s ecosystem appear to be “stickier,” though he described the company’s observations as still being in the early stages.

BlueCruise and subscriber metrics Ford’s BlueCruise-equipped vehicle installed base has grown from 1.2 million vehicles last year to 1.5 million currently, Aragon said. The company has 1.6 million customers paying for digital services after vehicle purchase, excluding free trials and services included for a defined duration at the time of purchase.

About 200,000 of Ford’s 1.6 million paid subscribers are BlueCruise customers, a figure Aragon said increased 170% year over year. Ford has 530,000 total BlueCruise subscribers, including customers whose access is included with their vehicle for a duration. That figure rose 40% year over year, according to Aragon. Blended average revenue per user across Ford Pro and retail customers is now $14 per month, up from the approximately $10 monthly Ford Pro figure previously discussed by the company. Aragon said the higher blended ARPU reflects a mix of additional features, customers moving into higher-value Ford Pro offerings such as managed maintenance, and a greater contribution from BlueCruise.

He added that Ford views BlueCruise growth as evidence that digital features can influence purchase decisions. On the commercial side, he said fleet buyers are increasingly asking about fleet-management portals, vehicle data controls and uptime in addition to traditional vehicle specifications such as towing capacity and cargo space.

Ford Pro integrates vehicle, software and service offerings Ford Pro had more than 900,000 subscribers last quarter, up about 20% year over year, according to Delaney. Aragon said Ford Pro’s offerings are built around four areas: data services delivered through application programming interfaces; telematics that combine data with insights; fleet-management tools; and managed maintenance.

Managed maintenance uses telematics data to identify potential issues, schedule service and, in some cases, deploy mobile service units, Aragon said. The goal is to support fleet uptime and lower customers’ total cost of ownership.

Aragon acknowledged that Ford Pro subscriber growth has moderated in recent quarters. He said Ford recently reorganized its go-to-market approach by moving the integrated-services sales team under Ford Pro President Alicia Boler Davis. The company now intends to approach commercial customers with a combined hardware, software and service proposition rather than selling software separately after a vehicle sale.

“Let’s sell a problem, and let’s solve problems that only we can solve in a differentiated way,” Aragon said, citing uptime, fleet management and managed maintenance as examples.

AI assistant, service opportunity and global strategy Ford has launched an artificial-intelligence assistant in its app for retail and Ford Pro customers, and a Pro-specific version is embedded in the telematics platform, Aragon said. The assistant can use Ford-specific context including vehicle health data and vehicle trim information. Ford plans to launch the assistant in vehicles eventually, he said.

For fleet users, Aragon said the tool can identify vehicles with excessive idling, flag driver-safety trends and help track whether operating metrics improve over time. The assistant currently is included within Ford’s existing service packages rather than carrying a separate charge.

Aragon said Ford sees potential indirect revenue opportunities when digital vehicle-health alerts lead to dealer service work. Ford’s integrated-services business and physical-service business together represent a $15 billion operation expected to grow 8% through the end of the decade, he said, though he declined to disclose integrated-services revenue separately.

Internationally, Ford aims to build products for global scale while executing locally due to differences in regulation, vehicle mix and driver behavior. Aragon identified Ford Pro Intelligence as the company’s most mature integrated-services business outside North America because fleet needs such as uptime, safety and total cost of ownership translate across markets.

About Ford Motor (NYSE:F)Ford Motor Company NYSE: F is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the company became an early pioneer of mass-production techniques with the Model T and the adoption of the moving assembly line. Today, Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of vehicles and mobility solutions under the Ford and Lincoln brands, spanning passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vehicles.

Ford's business activities extend beyond vehicle production to include parts and aftermarket services, fleet and commercial sales, and automotive financing through Ford Motor Credit Company.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

Should You Invest $1,000 in Ford Motor Right Now?Before you consider Ford Motor, you'll want to hear this.

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In the latest close session, Ford Motor Company (F - Free Report) was down 4.24% at $14.00. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.58%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 1.18%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.32%.

Shares of the company witnessed a gain of 4.43% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector with its gain of 3.92%, and the S&P 500's loss of 0.36%.

The upcoming earnings release of Ford Motor Company will be of great interest to investors. In that report, analysts expect Ford Motor Company to post earnings of $0.41 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 8.89%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $46.04 billion, showing a 2.42% drop compared to the year-ago quarter.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $1.86 per share and a revenue of $177.44 billion, demonstrating changes of +70.64% and +1.95%, respectively, from the preceding year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Ford Motor Company. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding 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, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. Right now, Ford Motor Company possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note Ford Motor Company's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 7.88. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 18.86 for its industry.

It's also important to note that F currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.3. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Automotive - Domestic industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.15.

The Automotive - Domestic industry is part of the Auto-Tires-Trucks sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 55, which puts it in the top 23% of all 250+ industries.

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

Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.

Verizon has quietly staged one of the year's most surprising large-cap comebacks, but the real question is whether the stock's best days are still ahead or already priced in.

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Shares of Verizon (NYSE:VZ | VZ Price Prediction) have quietly become one of the year’s most interesting large-cap turnaround stories. The stock has climbed 29.5% year to date and sits within striking distance of its 52-week high.

Even so, our proprietary model still sees room to run. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Verizon is $56.60, implying 11.6% additional upside from the current $50.78 quote. The model rates this a buy with high confidence.

Metric Value Current Price $50.78 24/7 Wall St. Price Target $56.60 Upside 11.6% Recommendation BUY Confidence Level 90% A Turnaround That Is Actually Working Verizon’s Q2 2026 report, delivered on July 24, 2026, marked its sixth consecutive earnings beat. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.30 versus a $1.27 consensus, on revenue of $34.25 billion.

Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 40.1% from 37.1%, postpaid phone net adds swung to 184,000 from a loss of 9,000 a year earlier, and free cash flow jumped 27.12% to $6.426 billion.

Management raised FY26 adjusted EPS guidance to $4.99 to $5.04 and lifted the buyback target to $4.5 billion. CEO Dan Schulman called it “a structural inflection point across our entire business.”

Why Bulls See a Breakout Above $60 The bull case is grounded in three levers. First, fiber. Verizon expects to exceed 32 million fiber passings by year-end, with a medium-term goal of 40 to 50 million. Fiber-broadband connections already grew 43.3% YoY to 10.9 million.

Second, AI infrastructure. Schulman flagged discussions with hyperscalers around dark fiber, lit fiber, and 5G assets that could unlock “multi billions in revenues.” Carriers are only one slice of that buildout, and we profiled seven other companies powering, cooling, and connecting AI data centers in a free report here.

Third, churn. Postpaid phone churn improved to 0.92%, and every basis point compounds. If the AI-revenue narrative materializes, our bull-case path lands at $63.82.

What Could Go Wrong Verizon carries $136.5 billion in unsecured debt and net leverage rose to 2.5x from 2.2x post-Frontier. GAAP net income fell 21.07% on $1.8 billion in special items, wireless retail postpaid ARPA slipped 1.4% to $168.35, and FWA net adds dropped 30.6%.

Bulls would counter that the special items are non-recurring and adjusted EBITDA still grew 7.2%. In a bear scenario, our model floor is $49.49.

How Verizon Stacks Up Against AT&T and T-Mobile AT&T (NYSE:T) is the closest strategic analog. Its Q2 2026 adjusted EPS of $0.65 beat by 10.71%, with fiber reaching 38.6 million locations and postpaid phone net adds of 432,000.

AT&T’s $179 billion market cap trades at a modest discount to Verizon’s $210.98 billion, but AT&T is guiding to $45 billion+ in shareholder returns through 2028, roughly matching Verizon’s return profile on a smaller base.

T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) is the growth benchmark. Q2 revenue rose 7.85% to $22.79 billion, with Core Adjusted EBITDA margin at 50.2%. Postpaid ARPA of $152.91 and a market cap of $202.7 billion imply investors pay a premium for growth.

That premium is exactly why Verizon’s yield-and-turnaround setup at a lower implied multiple makes the 24/7 Wall St. price target look reasonable rather than aggressive.

Verizon Price Prediction 2026-2030 The model’s verdict: Buy, with a 24/7 Wall St. price target of $56.60 and 90% confidence. Margin expansion, six straight beats, and a $2.83 forward dividend that funds patience.

The bull thesis strengthens if Verizon delivers Q3 service revenue growth near the guided 3% and continues repaying Frontier debt. The thesis weakens if leverage climbs above 2.7x or postpaid churn ticks back above 1%.

Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target 2026 $52.17 2027 $56.35 2028 $61.67 2029 $66.40 2030 $70.53 These projections assume Verizon executes on its fiber build-out, extracts Frontier synergies, and captures early AI-infrastructure revenue. Meaningful upside or downside would come from either a hyperscaler-scale AI network deal or a resurgence in promotional wireless competition.

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Key Takeaways McDonald's delayed its 50,000-restaurant target to 2028 amid higher costs and consumer pressure.MCD still plans about 2,600 gross openings in 2026, its fastest restaurant growth period ever.McDonald's says new openings support growth, while return quality remains central to development. McDonald’s Corporation (MCD - Free Report) has pushed its target of reaching 50,000 restaurants globally to 2028 from the end of 2027, citing higher development costs and a pressured consumer environment. The adjustment follows a review of its restaurant pipeline and signals a more measured approach to expansion.

The decision reinforces McDonald’s established focus on investment returns. The company adjusted its opening pace to support appropriate returns on new locations, emphasizing the quality of development alongside the number of openings. It continues to see significant opportunities to expand its footprint despite the revised schedule.

Despite the adjustment, McDonald’s said it remains in the fastest period of restaurant growth in its history. The company remains on track to open approximately 2,600 gross restaurants in 2026. New openings are contributing to growth, with second-quarter systemwide sales increasing 4% year over year in constant currency.

For McDonald’s, moderating expansion could help preserve the financial appeal of new locations as investment costs rise. The longer timeline provides flexibility to pursue growth at a pace consistent with its return objectives. This supports a disciplined approach to development, with new-restaurant performance remaining the key indicator of success.

Key Competitors Taking Different Paths on Unit GrowthStarbucks Corporation (SBUX - Free Report) is taking a more selective approach to coffeehouse development as it works to build a stronger store base. Management said every new coffeehouse must “earn its place,” while net new company-operated unit growth in North America may remain modest through fiscal 2027. Starbucks is also gaining greater visibility into underperforming locations that could be closed while rebuilding its U.S. development pipeline and directing near-term resources toward coffeehouse uplifts, where early results are showing transaction gains. International markets are expected to remain a meaningful contributor to unit growth, supporting the company’s fiscal 2026 target of approximately 600-650 net new coffeehouses.

Dutch Bros Inc. (BROS - Free Report) continues to pursue a faster unit expansion strategy, supported by strong new-shop productivity and a growing development pipeline. The company opened 48 system shops in the second quarter and has approximately 90% of the pipeline needed to reach 2,029 shops by 2029. Management said new-shop productivity remained strong alongside rising systemwide AUVs, while several newer markets were annualizing above expectations. Company-operated shop contribution margin reached approximately 31% in the second quarter, although higher coffee and occupancy costs are expected to pressure adjusted EBITDA margin in 2026. With at least 185 system shop openings expected this year, Dutch Bros’ approach contrasts with MCD’s more measured expansion pace, highlighting the importance of new-store productivity and disciplined development as restaurant operators balance growth with attractive returns.

MCD’s Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesShares of McDonald’s have declined 18.3% over the past year compared with the industry’s fall of 7.5%.

MCD’s One-Year Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, MCD trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 6.22, above the industry’s average of 3.23.

MCD’s P/S Ratio (Forward 12-Month) vs. Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MCD’s 2026 earnings per share (EPS) implies a year-over-year rise of 5.5%. The EPS estimates for 2026 have declined in the past 30 days.

EPS Trend of MCD Stock
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

MCD’s Zacks RankMCD stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Shares of Qualcomm (QCOM +3.17%) rose as much as 8.7% on Tuesday after the semiconductor designer struck a potentially highly lucrative partnership with Amazon (AMZN -0.60%).

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Accelerating the AI boom Qualcomm will help Amazon develop custom artificial intelligence (AI) chips to power its industry-leading cloud computing business.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will also deploy Qualcomm's advanced optical connectivity solutions to speed up data transfers across Amazon's sprawling data center network.

The shift from AI model training to inference -- using trained models to make predictions -- is creating an even greater need for power-efficient computing infrastructure.

That just happens to be Qualcomm's specialty.

The semiconductor designer has built expertise in energy-efficient processors over nearly two decades of developing high-performance, low-power chips for the smartphone market.

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As part of the deal, Amazon obtained a warrant to buy up to 25 million shares of Qualcomm's stock at an exercise price of $161.26 per share. The warrant vests in stages based on up to $60 billion in chip orders and related purchases. It expires on Sept. 3, 2036.

A strong vote of confidence for Qualcomm's AI chips The global smartphone industry's slowing growth has prompted Qualcomm to seek greener pastures -- and there aren't many greener than the AI data center build-out race.

Earning Amazon's stamp of approval could provide a powerful boost to Qualcomm's AI customer acquisition efforts.

Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Two things at Intel (INTC +9.05%) have nearly quadrupled over the past 12 months. One is the quarterly operating income of the chipmaker's data center business. The other is its stock price, which trades near $96 as of this writing, up from a 52-week low of $24.05 and about a third below the high of $142.35 it set in late June.

The rally has lifted Intel's market value to about $500 billion -- this for a company that lost $11 billion on paper in its most recent quarter. And the price is about 47 times what analysts think the company can earn next year.

The business is improving faster than it has in years. I just don't think it has improved as fast as the price.

Image source: Intel.

The data center business earned the rallyIntel's second-quarter revenue of $16.1 billion was up 25% year over year -- growth CEO Lip-Bu Tan called the company's strongest in more than 15 years.

No part of the company improved more than the data center and artificial intelligence (AI) segment. A year ago, the segment earned $633 million of operating income in a quarter. In the first quarter of 2026, it earned $1.5 billion. And in the second quarter, the figure reached $2.5 billion. Revenue growth is accelerating as well, from 22% in the first quarter to 59% in the second.

Management said the quarter's server growth was the strongest on record. The segment's operating margin, meanwhile, now sits at about 40%.

Companywide, adjusted earnings per share swung from a year-ago loss of $0.10 to a profit of $0.42.

The $11 billion net loss Intel reported for the period, meanwhile, traces to a $12.5 billion noncash charge tied to shares held in escrow for the U.S. government, which took a stake in the company last year. Cash from operations during the quarter was $7 billion.

Is the foundry fixed?Not yet -- but it is losing money more slowly. Intel Foundry's second-quarter revenue grew 31% year over year to $5.8 billion, and it still lost $2.1 billion at the operating line, an improvement from $3.2 billion in the same period last year. First-half losses total $4.5 billion, down from $5.5 billion a year earlier.

Nearly all of that revenue, however, still comes from Intel buying from itself. Customers outside the company accounted for just $293 million in the period, compared with $22 million in the same quarter of 2025. That leaves external sales at less than 2% of Intel's total revenue.

So far, Intel has yet to announce a high-volume outside customer for Intel 14A, its next-generation manufacturing process. The foundry did sign a named customer in July, when cybersecurity specialist Fortinet picked Intel to build its next security chip. But that chip will use an older Intel process, not 14A.

Of course, the spending comes first. David Zinsner, Intel's chief financial officer, said in the second-quarter earnings release that to support expected growth "this year and next across products and foundry, we are meaningfully increasing our investments in equipment, clean room space, and substrates."

Additionally, Intel sold about 242 million new shares at $95 apiece in August, raising about $23 billion. The sale gives Intel a war chest for the build-out, and it puts the share count about 20% above the year-ago average.

The stock is priced ahead of the businessIntel's adjusted earnings per share total $0.71 through two quarters, and management guided to $0.38 for the third. Even with a stronger fourth quarter, 2026 looks likely to land near $1.50 per share. Analysts expect about $2 next year.

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That works out to 47 times next year's earnings with the stock at about $96. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM +2.35%), the world's largest chip foundry and arguably the finished version of the business Intel is trying to build, costs about 20 times its expected earnings for next year.

In other words, the market is not paying for what Intel earns today. It is paying for what could happen: the data center segment keeps growing quickly, the foundry approaches breakeven, and outside customers sign on in volume. Each looks more believable after the second quarter. But at this valuation, all three need to happen just to hold the current price.

Ultimately, is Intel stock a buy after a year like that? I don't think so.

Growth could keep accelerating, and the foundry's losses could keep narrowing. The second quarter showed both. But the price already assumes years more of it. If I wanted to own a leading-edge foundry today, I'd rather buy Taiwan Semiconductor at less than half the forward price-to-earnings multiple. As for Intel, I'd wait for a better entry point.

GLP-1 Demand Is Creating a New Dividend Angle in These 4 Logistics StocksFedEx NYSE: FDX executives outlined how the company is using data, artificial intelligence and network integration to reduce costs, improve delivery precision and expand into supply-chain technology services during Citi’s TMT conference.

President and CEO Raj Subramaniam said the company remains focused on its previously stated calendar 2029 targets of modest revenue growth, double-digit earnings growth and $6 billion in free cash flow. He said FedEx is seeing underlying business momentum and is “well on our way” toward those objectives.

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Network transformation and cost reduction FedEx’s Earnings Drop May Be Missing the Bigger Freight StorySubramaniam said FedEx began a structural cost-reduction program in 2022 and has removed billions of dollars from its cost structure. The company has previously cited $4 billion in savings from its DRIVE program and another $2 billion associated with Network 2.0.

A central component of that transformation is combining what had been relatively independent U.S. Express and Ground networks. Subramaniam described the effort as one of the largest industrial transformations in recent history. FedEx was about 42% complete at the time of its last earnings call, he said, expects to reach 62% completion by year-end and remains on track to finish the work next year.

3 Stocks to Watch If the Strait of Hormuz ReopensTechnology has been essential to the effort, according to Subramaniam. He said the company’s development of a digital twin of its network has supported both cost savings and network integration while establishing a foundation for new customer services.

FedEx operates 700 aircraft, 200,000 trucks and 5,000 facilities, Subramaniam said. The company generates roughly 2 petabytes of data daily through a network that moves about $2 trillion of commerce annually.

AI applications target efficiency and service precision Vishal Talwar, FedEx’s executive vice president and chief digital and information officer, said the company views AI as still being in its early stages for logistics. FedEx is applying the technology internally to improve efficiency while also using it to differentiate services and create new revenue streams.

Among current applications, Talwar said AI has reduced aircraft-maintenance research time from 30 minutes to three minutes, representing an approximately 90% efficiency improvement. The company has also reduced its predictable delivery-time window to two hours from four hours, enabling parcels to be placed within two hours of their estimated arrival times.

FedEx is using computer vision to identify non-standard packages and recover surcharge revenue that otherwise could have been missed. Talwar said that initiative is already delivering annual benefits of more than tens of millions of dollars.

Subramaniam said small operational improvements can have outsized effects in an “inventory in motion” network. At the company’s Memphis hub, for example, FedEx has improved flight arrival time by eight minutes, which he characterized as a meaningful gain for operations.

Expanding into supply-chain visibility and orchestration FedEx executives said the company sees an opportunity to address inefficiencies across broader supply chains rather than only in transportation. Subramaniam estimated that global supply chains contain $1.9 trillion in inefficiency.

Talwar said customers in high-value business-to-business sectors including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, data centers and high technology are seeking visibility across sourcing, manufacturing, suppliers, inbound and outbound logistics. In healthcare, FedEx is helping medical-device manufacturers connect inventory and supplier insights with hospital systems, allowing customers to identify demand signals earlier and potentially rebalance inventory.

The company also offers SenseAware, a monitoring capability for high-value shipments that can track conditions such as temperature and surrounding weather. FedEx’s Surround capability provides package-location visibility. Talwar said 40% of FedEx healthcare customers use one of those two capabilities.

Through its DataWorks organization, formed roughly four or five years ago, FedEx is developing businesses around proprietary data insights, externalizing internal technology solutions and supply-chain orchestration. Talwar said the orchestration platform includes modules for inventory flow, supplier insights, demand management, forecasting and yard management.

FedEx has partnered with Dun & Bradstreet on a Retail Momentum Index that Subramaniam said provides a leading indicator for U.S. retail sales. He also said FedEx DataWorks recently announced a relationship with the U.S. Army to help orchestrate its supply chain.

Physical automation remains a focus FedEx is also pursuing physical AI for truck loading and unloading, two areas Subramaniam said remain difficult to automate because packages vary in size, shape and weight. The company expects to deploy robots for those tasks in Hagerstown, Maryland, before December, he said.

In addition, FedEx is working with Aurora on automated trucks for facility-to-facility highway routes. Subramaniam said autonomous driving is easier to deploy on highways, while human drivers can continue handling operations within facilities.

Looking ahead, Talwar said FedEx’s priority is to make supply chains more connected and predictive. He said the industry’s eventual shift from printed labels toward active, intelligent labels could create additional opportunities. Subramaniam said FedEx’s physical network and first-party data provide a competitive advantage as the company seeks to position itself as a platform that customers and partners can use to create additional value.

About FedEx (NYSE:FDX)FedEx Corporation NYSE: FDX is a global logistics and courier company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by Frederick W. Smith in 1971 and beginning operations in the early 1970s, the company pioneered overnight express shipping and has since expanded into a diversified portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain services. FedEx operates an integrated air-and-ground network that moves parcels, freight and documents for businesses and consumers worldwide.

FedEx's core operating segments include express parcel delivery via its FedEx Express division, domestic and residential parcel delivery through FedEx Ground, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services, and logistics and supply-chain management solutions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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The AI Boom Is Turning This Cable Maker Into a Stock to WatchCisco Systems NASDAQ: CSCO executives said demand tied to artificial intelligence, infrastructure modernization and security is supporting what the company views as a multi-year networking growth cycle.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said the shift toward AI agents is increasing demand for high-performance, low-latency networks and machine-scale security. He cited OpenRouter data indicating that agents consume about 60% of total inference capacity and said their token consumption has increased 14-fold since February.

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5 Tech Stocks Holding Their Ground Through the AI Trade Pullback“These agents tend to be far more consumptive on network bandwidth than humans,” Patel said, estimating that an agent uses about 450% more bandwidth than a human performing the same task. He said the growing use of agents, which can operate continuously, is creating sustained infrastructure requirements rather than demand limited to experimentation or model training.

AI Demand Across Customer Segments Patel said Cisco sees opportunities across hyperscalers, neoclouds, sovereign clouds, service providers, enterprises and edge deployments. He said Cisco’s hyperscaler AI orders rose from nearly zero two years ago to $9.3 billion in the last fiscal year, including $4 billion in orders during the fourth quarter.

Palantir’s Earnings Setup Puts Its AI Growth Story Back on Trial AgainThe company also said AI-related demand is extending into its traditional enterprise networking business. Patel said Cisco’s campus and branch networking business, which historically grew at roughly 3% to 4%, has expanded about 20% for several quarters. He attributed that growth to infrastructure refresh cycles, demand for lower-latency networking and heightened security concerns around aging equipment.

Chief Financial Officer Mark Patterson said networking has delivered double-digit growth for eight consecutive quarters and that companywide orders grew 40% in the latest quarter. Excluding hyperscalers, Patel said orders grew 25% in the fourth quarter.

Patterson said Cisco has identified more than $100 billion in upgrade and refresh opportunity involving its own installed base over the next several years. The company is also pursuing replacement opportunities involving competitors’ end-of-life and end-of-support products, he said.

Security and Modernization Cisco executives emphasized the convergence of networking and security as AI expands the potential scale of cyberattacks. Patterson said companies increasingly view modernization as a security requirement, rather than a discretionary return-on-investment decision, because frontier AI models can identify and exploit vulnerabilities at machine scale.

Patel said Cisco’s advantage is its ability to integrate security capabilities into networking infrastructure. He highlighted the company’s smart switches, which combine firewall and switching functions, as well as security, observability and data capabilities intended to help customers manage AI environments.

For fiscal 2027, Patterson said Cisco expects high-single-digit growth in security revenue after low-single-digit growth in fiscal 2026. He said Splunk is expected to return to positive growth as the company laps a transition from on-premises deployments to cloud offerings. Cisco added 1,500 new customers for its newer security products in the fourth quarter, he said, while firewall revenue grew more than 30% for two consecutive quarters.

Services revenue is also expected to turn positive and reach mid-single-digit growth by the end of fiscal 2027, Patterson said. He attributed the anticipated improvement partly to services and subscription revenue attaching to recent hardware shipments over time.

Margin Outlook and Product Strategy Patterson said Cisco has managed rising memory prices by passing much of the cost to customers, aided by demand conditions. The company’s fiscal first-quarter 2027 gross-margin guidance of 65% to 66% reflects some timing effects from hardware revenue being recognized upfront while associated software subscriptions and services are recognized over time, he said.

While Cisco expects a slight gross-margin headwind through fiscal 2027, Patterson pointed to operating-margin improvement. In the fourth quarter, gross margin increased about two percentage points from a year earlier, while operating expenses declined nearly four percentage points as a share of revenue, resulting in a record operating margin, he said.

Patel said Cisco has reorganized its product approach into a vertically integrated, co-designed technology stack spanning silicon, photonics, systems, software, security, observability, data and management platforms. He said the company expects to be fully independent of merchant silicon providers by 2029.

The company is targeting networking for both scale-out AI systems within data centers and scale-across systems linking data centers over long distances. It is also working with NVIDIA and Supermicro on “Secure AI factories” that combine servers, networking, security, observability and data-management capabilities.

Capital Allocation Patterson said Cisco’s capital-allocation priorities remain unchanged: investing to support organic and inorganic growth, protecting and increasing its dividend, offsetting dilution through share repurchases and returning excess cash to shareholders. He said the company returned nearly all of its free cash flow to shareholders in the last fiscal year.

Looking ahead, Patel said Cisco plans to continue investing across networking, security, observability, data platforms, silicon and photonics while maintaining an open ecosystem that can include partnerships with competitors. Patterson said he is more optimistic about Cisco’s opportunity set and ability to capture it than at any point in his 27 years with the company.

About Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO)Cisco Systems, Inc is a global technology company that provides networking, cybersecurity, collaboration, observability and other information technology solutions. Its offerings include routers, switches, wireless networking equipment, data center infrastructure, security platforms, unified communications tools and software designed to help organizations connect, manage and protect their digital environments.

Cisco serves businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, telecommunications providers and other organizations worldwide.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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Old North State Trust LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 864 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $920,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its position in Caterpillar by 440.0% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades CAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $845.00 to $882.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Erste Group Bank cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Caterpillar from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $995.52.

Get Our Latest Report on Caterpillar Caterpillar Stock Down 0.1% Caterpillar stock opened at $813.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $373.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $416.44 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $868.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $839.26.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $1.95. The company had revenue of $20.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.72 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 28.06%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Caterpillar (Free Report)

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Caterpillar 3 Under-the-Radar Defense Stocks With Record Backlogs This Korea ETF Has Soared, But the Rally May Not Be Over Why Guidewire’s Post-Earnings Plunge May Not Last Ride-Share Reckoning: Tesla Drives Into Uber’s Lane Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Caterpillar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Caterpillar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

FSA Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,586,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the second quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Bell Bank increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the second quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Resource Group raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial set a $980.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Erste Group Bank cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $1,002.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $995.52.

View Our Latest Analysis on Caterpillar Caterpillar Price Performance CAT opened at $813.51 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $416.44 and a twelve month high of $1,073.46. The firm has a market cap of $373.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.00, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $868.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $839.26.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The firm had revenue of $20.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The firm’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.72 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 28.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Profile (Free Report)

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.

Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Caterpillar 3 Under-the-Radar Defense Stocks With Record Backlogs This Korea ETF Has Soared, But the Rally May Not Be Over Why Guidewire’s Post-Earnings Plunge May Not Last Ride-Share Reckoning: Tesla Drives Into Uber’s Lane Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Caterpillar Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Caterpillar and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Key Takeaways NEM's attributable gold production fell 13% year over year to 1.29 million ounces in the second quarter.NEM expects 2026 gold output to decline to 5.26 million ounces, partly due to site transitions.Higher 2026 AISC of $1,680 per ounce is expected as lower volumes and other costs pressure profitability. Newmont Corporation (NEM - Free Report) saw lower gold production for the second quarter, partly linked to its strategic divestment of non-core assets. The company reported a roughly 13% year-over-year and 1% sequential decline in attributable gold production to 1.29 million ounces. Lower output from Cadia and reduced grades across certain mines impacted production.

Newmont expects third-quarter 2026 production to be largely in line with the second-quarter level. It sees gold production at about 5.26 million ounces for 2026, indicating a year-over-year decline from 5.89 million ounces in 2025. NEM expects lower production from Penasquito and Cadia in 2026 due to site transitions. It also sees lower-than-expected production from Nevada Gold Mines and Pueblo Viejo. These will be partly offset by contributions from the newly commissioned Ahafo North mine.

Lower production is also expected to lead to higher unit costs in 2026. NEM expects all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) — a critical cost metric for miners — to be $1,680 per ounce on a by-product basis, indicating a notable increase from $1,358 per ounce in 2025. The expected increase is due to lower sales volumes as a result of planned mine sequencing, higher royalties and production taxes, deferral of sustaining capital from 2025 into 2026 and inventory changes. The production decline and higher costs could undercut the company’s profitability goals.

Looking across the competitive landscape, Barrick Mining Corporation (B - Free Report) attributable gold production rose 11% sequentially to 796,000 ounces in the second quarter, exceeding its guidance range of 730,000 to 770,000 ounces. It was flat year over year. Barrick expects production to increase sequentially in the third quarter and again in the fourth quarter, driven by the Loulo-Gounkoto ramp-up, Goldrush and mine sequencing. Barrick maintained 2026 attributable gold production guidance of 2.9-3.25 million ounces.

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited’s (AEM - Free Report) gold production was 855,816 ounces in the second quarter, up around 4% sequentially. It was down roughly 1% from 866,029 ounces in the prior-year quarter. For full-year 2026, Agnico Eagle expects gold production near the lower end of its 3.3 million to 3.5 million ounces guidance, reflecting the preliminary redesign of the Barnat open pit. AEM expects the Barnat pit wall movement event to reduce gold production at Canadian Malartic by 60,000-80,000 ounces in the second half of 2026.

The Zacks Rundown for NEMShares of Newmont have shot up 68.7% in the past year against the Zacks Mining – Gold industry’s rise of 45.9%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

From a valuation standpoint, NEM is currently trading at a forward 12-month earnings multiple of 13.31, a modest 1.8% discount to the industry average of 13.56X. It carries a Value Score of B.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NEM’s 2026 and 2027 earnings implies a year-over-year rise of 30.7% and 10%, respectively. The EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have been trending lower over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Stock Symbol: AEM (NYSE and TSX)

, /PRNewswire/ -- Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE: AEM) (TSX: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle") announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Agnico Eagle (USA) Limited ("Agnico USA") has entered into a securities and asset purchase agreement dated September 8, 2026 (the "Purchase Agreement") with Vizsla Copper Corp. (TSX.V: VCU, OTCQB: VCUFF) ("Vizsla Copper") and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Vizsla Copper US Acquisitions LLC, pursuant to which Agnico USA has agreed to sell: (a) all of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Delta Project LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that holds the mining claims comprising the Delta base and precious metal project ("Delta"); and (b) the assets comprising the Helm Bay gold project ("Helm Bay") in return for certain aggregate consideration and contingent milestone payments as set out below (the "Transaction").

The Transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"), and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Agnico Eagle will receive the following aggregate consideration:

22,523,283 common shares of Vizsla Copper (each, a "Common Share") representing approximately 19.99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares as at the date of the Purchase Agreement, to be issued to Agnico Eagle at closing (the "Initial Consideration Shares"); 2,903,490 Common Shares (the "Deferred Consideration Shares" and, together with the Initial Consideration Shares, the "Consideration Shares"), to be issued to Agnico Eagle following receipt of disinterested shareholder approval, subject to certain conditions; 3,041,480 Common Share purchase warrants, each exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of C$1.95 per Common Share for a period of two years from the date of issuance (each, a "Warrant"); and a 2.0% net smelter return royalty on Delta and a 3.0% net smelter return royalty on Helm Bay (together, the "NSRs"), to be granted to Agnico Eagle at closing pursuant to separate royalty agreements. Vizsla Copper will have the right to purchase 50% of each of the NSRs at any time for C$5,000,000. The Consideration Shares will be issued at a deemed price of C$1.26 per Common Share for an aggregate value of approximately C$32,037,734.

Vizsla Copper will also make the following contingent milestone payments to Agnico Eagle in respect of Delta (each of which may be satisfied, at Vizsla Copper's election, in cash or in Common Shares, subject to certain limitations set out in the Purchase Agreement):

C$5,000,000, upon Vizsla Copper publicly disclosing a mineral resource estimate for Delta indicating an aggregate mineral resource of at least 300,000 copper equivalent tonnes of metal; C$5,000,000, upon completion by Vizsla Copper of a feasibility study for Delta; and C$10,000,000, upon Delta achieving commercial production. Where a milestone payment is satisfied in Common Shares, the number of Common Shares issuable will be determined by reference to the 20-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Shares at the relevant time, subject to a floor price of C$1.26 per Common Share, being the maximum discount permitted under the policies of the TSXV. Any milestone payment that would result in Agnico Eagle having beneficial ownership of, or exercising control or direction over, 20% or more of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, or that cannot be satisfied in Common Shares because the required TSXV acceptance has not been obtained, will be satisfied in cash.

On closing of the Transaction, Agnico Eagle is expected to hold approximately 19.99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. Following closing, Vizsla Copper will seek disinterested shareholder approval to approve the issuance of the Deferred Consideration Shares, which would result in Agnico Eagle holding approximately 22.0% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a post-Transaction basis. In addition, the Warrants will provide that the holder thereof cannot exercise any Warrants to acquire Common Shares if such acquisition would result in the holder having beneficial ownership or control of 19.99% or more of the issued and outstanding Common Shares at the time of exercise. If the Deferred Consideration Shares have not been issued by January 31, 2027, Vizsla Copper will instead be required to issue to Agnico Eagle a non-interest-bearing promissory note.

The Transaction constitutes a "Reviewable Transaction" under TSXV Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets, as the Consideration Shares to be issued to Agnico Eagle will result in Agnico Eagle becoming an Insider of Vizsla Copper.

In addition, on closing of the Transaction, Agnico Eagle and Vizsla Copper will enter into an investor rights agreement pursuant to which Agnico Eagle will be granted certain rights, provided that it maintains certain ownership thresholds in the Common Shares, including: (i) the right to nominate one person (and in the case of an increase in the size of Vizsla Copper's board of directors to eight or more directors, two persons) to Vizsla Copper's board of directors; (ii) the right to participate in certain equity offerings and dilutive issuances in order to maintain or acquire up to the greater of Agnico Eagle's then-current ownership interest and an ownership interest of 19.9% (on a partially-diluted basis) in Vizsla Copper; and (iii) demand and piggy-back registration rights in respect of certain offerings.

Agnico Eagle is acquiring the Common Shares and Warrants as part of its strategy of acquiring strategic positions in prospective opportunities with high geological potential. Depending on market conditions, strategic priorities and other factors, Agnico Eagle may, from time to time, acquire additional Common Shares, Warrants or other securities of Vizsla Copper or dispose of some or all of the Common Shares, Warrants or other securities of Vizsla Copper that it owns at such time.

Post Closing Financing Commitment

Agnico Eagle has agreed to participate in the first equity financing completed by Vizsla Copper following the date of the Purchase Agreement (the "Post-Closing Financing"), in an amount not to exceed the lesser of (a) C$5,000,000, and (b) 10% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Post-Closing Financing. Agnico Eagle's participation in the Post-Closing Financing is conditional on the Post-Closing Financing having a minimum aggregate offering size of C$30,000,000, and it being completed on or before December 31, 2026.

An early warning report will be filed by Agnico Eagle in accordance with applicable securities laws. To obtain a copy of the early warning report, please contact:

Investor Relations
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
145 King Street East, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2Y7
Telephone: 416-947-1212
Email: [email protected]

Agnico Eagle's head office is located at 145 King Street East, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2Y7. Vizsla Copper's head office is located at 1723 – 595 W. Burrard St., Vancouver, BC V7X 1J1.

Advisors

Stifel Canada is acting as financial advisor to Agnico Eagle. Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is acting as legal advisor to Agnico Eagle.

About Agnico Eagle

Canadian-based and led, Agnico Eagle is Canada's largest mining company and the second largest gold producer in the world, operating mines in Canada, Australia, Finland and Mexico. Agnico Eagle is advancing a pipeline of high-quality development projects in these regions to support sustainable growth over the next decade. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading sustainability practices. Agnico Eagle was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983.

For further information regarding Agnico Eagle, contact Investor Relations at [email protected] or call (416) 947-1212.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this news release has been prepared as at September 8, 2026. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws. These statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will" or similar terms.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements relating to Agnico Eagle's receipt of Common Shares, Warrants and NSRs pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the expected closing and closing date of the Transaction, Agnico Eagle's expected royalty interest in Delta and Helm Bay, the contingent milestone payments payable in respect of Delta and the manner in which they may be satisfied, Agnico Eagle's participation in the Post-Closing Financing, Agnico Eagle's expected ownership interest in Vizsla Copper upon closing of the Transaction, the investor rights agreement to be entered into between Agnico Eagle and Vizsla Copper on closing of the Transaction and Agnico Eagle's acquisition or disposition of securities of Vizsla Copper in the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Agnico Eagle as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Other than as required by law, Agnico Eagle does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Milestone helps bring Iowa's only nuclear energy center back online, strengthen grid reliability and meet growing electricity demand 

, /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) today announced that it and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), have reached a combined conditional commitment and financial close on a loan of up to $1.9 billion to support the restart of the company's Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa. This milestone moves the company closer to restoring Iowa's only nuclear plant and adding reliable, around-the-clock energy to the regional grid.

The Duane Arnold Energy Center, a 615-megawatt nuclear facility in Linn County, Iowa, is expected to create substantial economic benefits for Iowa and the surrounding region. A study estimated that the restart could generate more than $9 billion in economic benefits for Iowa over 25 years, create thousands of American jobs during construction and refurbishment, support more than 400 permanent high-paying jobs during operations and generate approximately $75 million in tax revenue over the life of the project.

Last October, NextEra Energy announced plans to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center no later than the first quarter of 2029, pending regulatory approvals. The DOE loan will help NextEra Energy return Duane Arnold to service for its customers, advancing one of the most significant nuclear restart efforts underway in the U.S.

"Restarting Duane Arnold is about delivering new power to meet new demand while generating billions of dollars in economic value for Iowans," said John Ketchum, chairman, president and CEO of NextEra Energy. "Just as importantly, it shows how America can support rapid economic growth and rising electricity demand while helping keep power affordable for existing customers. By bringing new generation online to serve new demand, we can strengthen the grid, create hundreds of good-paying jobs and help ensure Iowa families and businesses are not asked to bear the costs of growth. We appreciate the Administration's leadership in advancing America's nuclear renaissance and share its commitment to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that expands supply, strengthens energy security and keeps America competitive."

"President Trump has set an ambitious course to restore American nuclear leadership, and the restart of Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant in Iowa marks another step in advancing America's nuclear renaissance," said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. "Returning 615 megawatts of reliable baseload generation will drive down electricity costs, while supporting thousands of American jobs. This Administration is pursuing a comprehensive nuclear strategy, restarting existing reactors, increasing the output of our nuclear fleet, and accelerating new construction, to build the abundant, affordable, and reliable power system required for American prosperity and reindustrialization."

"This commitment from the Administration further demonstrates the importance of the Duane Arnold restart and future nuclear development," said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. "I was proud to sign a bill that will provide incentives for nuclear power development, which will put Iowa in the forefront of innovation in the industry. New nuclear development and the restart of Duane Arnold will meet our growing energy demand while also providing hundreds of good-paying jobs throughout the state."

More about Duane Arnold Energy Center

The Duane Arnold Energy Center operated safely and reliably for more than four decades before ceasing operations in 2020. NextEra Energy is pursuing the restart through a comprehensive regulatory, operational readiness and licensing process. Under the oversight of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other federal, state and local agencies, the company continues to conduct extensive inspections, engineering evaluations and readiness activities. In June, the Iowa Utilities Commission issued a certificate to NextEra Energy authorizing the construction and operation of Duane Arnold — another important milestone toward restarting the plant.

About NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is the largest electric power and energy infrastructure company in North America, the world's leader in renewables and storage and a leading provider of electricity to American homes and businesses. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy is a Fortune 200 company that owns Florida Power & Light Company, America's largest electric utility, which provides reliable electricity to approximately 12 million people across Florida. NextEra Energy also owns the largest energy infrastructure development company in the U.S., NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. NextEra Energy and its affiliated entities are meeting America's growing energy needs with a diverse mix of energy sources, including renewables, battery storage, nuclear and natural gas. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but instead represent the current expectations of NextEra Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of NextEra Energy's control. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements concerning future financing activities and statements concerning growth strategies, capital investment opportunities and technology initiatives. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "will," "may result," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "seek," "potential," "projection," "forecast," "predict," "goals," "target," "outlook," "should," "would" or similar words or expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. The future results of NextEra Energy and its business and financial condition are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, or may require it to limit or eliminate certain operations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this news release and the following: effects of extensive regulation of NextEra Energy's business operations; inability of NextEra Energy to recover in a timely manner any significant amount of costs, a return on certain assets or a reasonable return on invested capital through base rates, cost recovery clauses, other regulatory mechanisms or otherwise; impact of political, regulatory, operational and economic factors on regulatory decisions important to NextEra Energy; effect of any reductions or modifications to, or elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support clean energy or changes in or the imposition of additional tax laws, tariffs, duties, policies or other costs or assessments on clean energy or equipment necessary to generate, store or deliver it; impact of new or revised laws, regulations, executive orders, interpretations or constitutional ballot and regulatory initiatives on NextEra Energy; capital expenditures, increased operating costs and various liabilities attributable to environmental laws, regulations and other standards applicable to NextEra Energy; effects on NextEra Energy of federal or state laws or regulations mandating new or additional limits on the production of greenhouse gas emissions; exposure of NextEra Energy to significant and increasing compliance costs and substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions as a result of extensive federal, state and local government regulation of its operations and businesses; effect on NextEra Energy of changes in tax laws, guidance or policies as well as in judgments and estimates used to determine tax-related asset and liability amounts; impact on NextEra Energy of adverse results of litigation; impacts of NextEra Energy of allegations of violations of law; effect on NextEra Energy of failure to proceed with projects under development or inability to complete the construction of (or capital improvements to) electric generation, storage, transmission and distribution facilities, natural gas and oil production and transportation facilities and other facilities on schedule or within budget; impact on development and operating activities of NextEra Energy resulting from risks related to project siting, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements, as well as supply chain disruptions; risks involved in the operation and maintenance of electric generation, storage, transmission and distribution facilities, natural gas and oil production and transportation facilities, and other facilities; effect on NextEra Energy of a lack of growth, slower growth or a decline in the number of customers or in customer usage; planned productivity increases and competitive advantages through the use of artificial intelligence technologies may not be realized and the use of and reliance on artificial intelligence may present certain risks; impact on NextEra Energy of severe weather and other weather conditions; threats of terrorism and catastrophic events that could result from geopolitical factors, terrorism, cyberattacks or other attempts to disrupt NextEra Energy's business or the businesses of third parties; inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage for protection of NextEra Energy against significant losses and risk that insurance coverage does not provide protection against all significant losses; a prolonged period of low natural gas and oil prices, disrupted production or unsuccessful drilling efforts could impact NextEra Energy's natural gas and oil production and transportation operations and cause NextEra Energy to delay or cancel certain natural gas and oil production projects and could result in certain assets becoming impaired; risk of increased operating costs resulting from unfavorable supply costs necessary to provide full energy and capacity requirements services; inability or failure to manage properly or hedge effectively the commodity risk within its portfolio; effect of reductions in the liquidity of energy markets on NextEra Energy's ability to manage operational risks; effectiveness of NextEra Energy's risk management tools associated with its hedging and trading procedures to protect against significant losses, including the effect of unforeseen price variances from historical behavior; impact of unavailability or disruption of power transmission or commodity transportation operations on sale and delivery of power or natural gas; exposure of NextEra Energy to credit and performance risk from customers, hedging counterparties and vendors; failure of counterparties to perform under derivative contracts or of requirement for NextEra Energy to post margin cash collateral under derivative contracts; failure or breach of NextEra Energy's information technology systems, or implementation challenges; risks to NextEra Energy's retail businesses from compromise of sensitive customer data; losses from volatility in the market values of derivative instruments and limited liquidity in over-the-counter markets; impact of negative publicity; inability to maintain, negotiate or renegotiate acceptable franchise agreements; occurrence of work strikes or stoppages and increasing personnel costs; NextEra Energy's ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, including the effect of increased competition for acquisitions; environmental, health and financial risks associated with ownership and operation of nuclear generation facilities; liability of NextEra Energy for significant retrospective assessments and/or retrospective insurance premiums in the event of an incident at certain nuclear generation facilities; increased operating and capital expenditures and/or reduced revenues at nuclear generation facilities resulting from orders or new regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; inability to operate any of NextEra Energy's owned nuclear generation units through the end of their respective operating licenses or planned license extensions; effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets or actions by third parties in connection with project-specific or other financing arrangements on NextEra Energy's ability to fund its liquidity and capital needs and meet its growth objectives; defaults or noncompliance related to project-specific, limited-recourse financing agreements; inability to maintain current credit ratings; reduced liquidity from the inability of credit providers to fund their credit commitments or to maintain their current credit ratings; poor market performance and other economic factors that could affect NextEra Energy's defined benefit pension plan's funded status; poor market performance and other risks to the asset values of nuclear decommissioning funds; changes in market value and other risks to certain of NextEra Energy's assets and investments; effect of inability of NextEra Energy subsidiaries to pay upstream dividends, make distributions or repay funds to NextEra Energy or of NextEra Energy's performance under guarantees of subsidiary obligations on NextEra Energy's ability to meet its financial obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock; the fact that the amount and timing of dividends payable on NextEra Energy's common stock, as well as the dividend policy approved by NextEra Energy's board of directors from time to time, and changes to that policy, are within the sole discretion of NextEra Energy's board of directors and, if declared and paid, dividends may be in amounts that are less than might be expected by shareholders; effects of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on the market price of NextEra Energy's common stock; and the ultimate severity and duration of public health crises, epidemics and pandemics, and its effects on NextEra Energy's business. NextEra Energy discusses these and other risks and uncertainties in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and other Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, and this news release should be read in conjunction with such SEC filings. The forward-looking statements made in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release and NextEra Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc.

Oracle is undercutting AWS on price and piling up a backlog that defies expectations, but one of these cloud giants is bleeding cash to get there. The question is whether a discount challenger can actually dethrone the incumbent before its…

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL | ORCL Price Prediction) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) both closed fresh quarters that reframe the cloud pecking order. Oracle is signing hyperscale AI contracts at a pace that squeezes AWS from below on price. Comparing the two is a debate about who sets AI infrastructure pricing for the next decade.

OCI Sprints. AWS Compounds. Oracle’s Q4 FY2026 showed cloud infrastructure revenue climbing 93% year over year to $5.79 billion, with total remaining performance obligations exploding to $638 billion, up 363%. Of that backlog, $75 billion is tied to bring-your-own-hardware or prepaid GPU deals. Global GPU utilization sits at 97.5%, suggesting demand is real.

Amazon’s Q2 answered with muscle. AWS revenue reached $42.23 billion, up 37%, the fastest growth in 18 quarters, at a 39.4% operating margin. CEO Andy Jassy said AI and Chips each cleared $25 billion annualized run rates, and AWS backlog reached $496 billion.

Discount Hyperscaler Meets the Incumbent Lens Oracle Amazon (AWS) Core Bet Chip-neutral, customer-funded GPUs Custom silicon (Trainium, Graviton) Pricing Angle Lowest-cost infrastructure, outcome-based Graviton 30% to 40% better price performance Capital Load FY26 free cash flow -$23.69B TTM free cash flow -$7.6B Key Vulnerability Debt raise near $40B in FY27 Enterprise price pressure from OCI Oracle’s pitch is that customers can prepay, bring their own GPUs, and access Oracle’s operations layer. Multicloud database revenue jumped 404% in Q4, embedded inside AWS, Google, and Microsoft regions. Amazon’s counter is vertical: Graviton is used by 98% of AWS’s top 1,000 EC2 customers, and Anthropic plus OpenAI have made multi-gigawatt Trainium commitments.

Margin Math Is the Next Referee Watch whether Oracle’s promised high-20s ROIC at the project level shows up as gross margin recovers. Q1 FY27 guidance calls for cloud revenue growth of 58% to 64%. Track whether AWS holds that 39% margin as Oracle’s pricing bleeds into enterprise renewal talks. Amazon’s Q3 operating income guide of $22.5B to $26.5B is the first test.

Why I Lean Toward AWS for Now, With One Eye on Oracle I trust the AWS cash engine more today. Oracle stock is down 27.98% over one year, and the FY27 financing plan of roughly $40 billion in debt and equity gives me pause. Amazon, up 9.69% over one year, funds its buildout from operating cash flow across retail, ads, and AWS. Oracle offers higher-variance turnaround torque if the RPO converts cleanly, while AWS offers scale, silicon, and margin durability.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Oracle stock ORCL rose on Tuesday as a fresh round of bullish analyst commentary put the technology company back in focus ahead of its fiscal first-quarter earnings report, while the launch of OpenAI’s latest artificial intelligence model provided investors with another reason to reassess the company’s growth prospects.

Shares climbed nearly 4% on Tuesday, although Oracle remains down nearly 17% this year and about 32% over the past 12 months.

The stock has faced pressure as investors have grown increasingly concerned about the debt and cash requirements associated with Oracle’s aggressive expansion of AI infrastructure.

However, expectations for accelerating cloud growth, alongside Oracle’s growing relationship with OpenAI, are helping shift attention back toward the potential upside.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT-6 Astra last week, with its latest model receiving strong attention online and raising expectations that the ChatGPT maker could regain ground in the increasingly competitive AI race.

Anthropic and Alphabet’s Google have periodically received stronger reviews for their own AI models in recent years, but Astra’s reception has fuelled hopes that OpenAI can once again establish a technological lead.

That could matter for Oracle because the two companies have a $300 billion cloud supply agreement, with Oracle rapidly expanding its data-center capacity to meet OpenAI’s computing requirements.

"It looks like OpenAI is turning things around, and Astra is ahead of Fable on multiple benchmarks," Morningstar analyst Luke Yang told MarketWatch, referring to rival Anthropic's Fable model.

"This boosts investors' confidence with Oracle's OpenAI backlog," or the dollar amount of commitments yet to be recognized as revenue.

Yang also pointed to Astra’s ability to perform more complex tasks as a potential driver of additional computing demand.

He said the model has the "complete ability to operate a computer," allowing new use cases and products to potentially "complete entire workflows that previous models aren't able to do."

Astra remains available only to a relatively small group of users for now.

But Yang said that if OpenAI can make a "breakthrough on the product front," it could increase demand for computing power and provide further support for Oracle shares.

Wall Street expects Oracle to report revenue of about $19.1 billion, an increase of nearly 28% from a year earlier, alongside earnings of $1.74 per share.

The options market is pricing in a move of roughly 11.2% in either direction following the results, highlighting the unusually high level of uncertainty surrounding the earnings announcement.

Mizuho reiterated its Outperform rating and $320 price target ahead of the results.

The firm expects Oracle to exceed consensus estimates, driven primarily by stronger-than-expected performance from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

Mizuho estimates that approximately 1 gigawatt of capacity will come online in the first quarter, compared with around 1.2 gigawatts delivered during the entirety of fiscal 2026.

The firm said another earnings beat would reinforce improving execution and increase confidence in Oracle’s fiscal 2027 guidance.

Oracle's revenue growth of 17.35% over the last 12 months has also supported the bullish case, while analysts are forecasting 34% revenue growth for fiscal 2027.

Mizuho said maintaining fiscal 2027 revenue guidance will be particularly important as investors assess the potential for delays or disruption surrounding Project Jupiter, Oracle’s major data-center buildout.

The firm sees a path for Oracle shares to re-rate as financing concerns ease, visibility into a free-cash-flow inflection improves, and the company’s Oct. 28 Investor Day provides another potential catalyst.

Financing remains a key concernGuggenheim also maintained a Buy rating on Oracle and a $400 price target ahead of the earnings report.

The firm identified Oracle’s planned $20 billion at-the-market equity raise as the biggest concern weighing on the stock since the company’s fourth-quarter results, even exceeding concerns over its reliance on OpenAI.

Oracle did not issue equity during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, but Guggenheim said investors will be looking for evidence of meaningful progress this quarter.

The firm said discussions with rating agencies suggest equity would probably need to form part of the remaining $20 billion financing plan to satisfy debt investors.

Guggenheim nevertheless believes Oracle has moved beyond the riskiest phase of its infrastructure expansion and noted that maintaining an investment-grade credit rating remains the CFO’s top priority.

The latest analyst upgrades and reiterations follow already positive commentary from Wall Street.

Bank of America analyst Tal Liani said he sees an attractive risk-reward setup heading into the earnings announcement. He maintained a Buy rating and a $240 price target.

"We favor the risk/reward of Oracle, as we believe Street consensus already captures the challenging balance sheet fundamentals," Liani wrote on Friday, "yet is not fully incorporating the likelihood of revenue growth acceleration related to reaching DC buildout milestones."

Morgan Stanley analyst Sanjit Singh has similarly described Oracle as a "good setup" heading into earnings and expects cloud revenue growth of 63% from a year earlier.

Despite the optimism surrounding OpenAI and Oracle’s cloud expansion, the company’s growing dependence on a handful of major AI customers presents a separate risk.

A substantial portion of Oracle’s increase in remaining performance obligations has come from large AI contracts.

Oracle has also said that prepaid and customer-supplied hardware associated with large AI agreements now totals $75 billion, reducing the amount of capital it needs to raise for the related data-center construction.

That is positive from a financing perspective, but investors are likely to scrutinize how much of Oracle’s future growth depends on a relatively small group of customers, Axel Rudolph, FSTA, Chief Technical Analyst at IG.com, wrote.

"The market will be particularly interested in developments surrounding Oracle's relationship with OpenAI and other major AI customers," Rudolph said.

With the stock still well below its levels of a year ago, Thursday’s results could prove pivotal in deciding whether Oracle can turn renewed AI optimism into a sustained recovery.

Key Takeaways ORCL and ADBE report earnings this week. Investors will be focused on the AI narratives surrounding each. The early stages of the Q3 earnings season get underway this week, with Oracle (ORCL - Free Report) and Adobe (ADBE - Free Report) both scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday, September 10. The releases will be closely watched given the AI-heavy narratives surrounding both, with investor sentiment showing a back-and-forth nature overall in 2026.  

Oracle EarningsAs expected, Oracle’s cloud business will be the main focus, with AI infrastructure demand driving strong growth in recent quarters.

Its latest period reflected a strong cloud showing, with total Cloud revenue climbing 47% YoY to $9.9 billion. Cloud Infrastructure revenue of $5.8 billion grew 93% YoY, while Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO) also reached a massive $638 billion.

Growth expectations remain strong for Oracle heading into the release, with the current Zacks Consensus sales estimate of $19.1 billion reflecting 28.2% YoY growth. Earnings are also expected to grow in the double digits, with the $1.74 Zacks Consensus EPS estimate suggesting roughly 18% YoY growth from the same period last year.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The strong RPO figure provides strong visibility concerning future demand, but the key will be how quickly Oracle can convert that backlog into actual revenue. Continued strength in Cloud Infrastructure would help reinforce the AI growth story, particularly following the sizable 93% growth rate posted last quarter.

The spending required to support that demand remains important as well, affecting recent sentiment massively. Oracle has been pouring capital into AI infrastructure and data center capacity, making continued high growth critical as investors weigh the benefits of its aggressive buildout against the high costs.

Adobe AI MonetizationAdobe has continued to post respectable growth despite heavy pressure on shares from AI-related concerns. Results were solid overall in its latest period, with record revenue of $6.6 billion up 13% YoY.

Total Adobe ARR came in at $27.1 billion, while AI-first ARR more than tripled YoY and surpassed $500 million, suggesting its AI offerings are beginning to make a meaningful contribution. Current Zacks Consensus estimates currently call for $6.7 billion in sales and earnings of $6.08 per share, reflecting 11.8% and 14.5% YoY growth, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

As expected, AI adoption will undoubtedly receive most of the attention. Firefly ARR approached $300 million last quarter, Acrobat AI Assistant ARR nearly tripled, and adoption of Adobe’s agentic capabilities across its enterprise offerings has continued to expand. The biggest question is whether that momentum can increasingly translate into monetization and help ease fears that generative AI will disrupt Adobe’s traditional creative software dominance.

Bottom Line

Oracle (ORCL - Free Report) and Adobe (ADBE - Free Report) will both report on Thursday, providing investors with two important reads on the evolving AI landscape.

Oracle’s release will primarily revolve around its red-hot Cloud Infrastructure business and how quickly its massive backlog is translating into revenue. Adobe faces a different test, with investors likely focused on whether growing adoption of Firefly, Acrobat AI Assistant, and its broader AI offerings can increasingly translate into meaningful monetization.

The backlash against artificial intelligence data centers could prove a tailwind for real estate investment trusts in the sector.

Protests have sprung up nationally as hyperscalers look to build data centers to train and run their AI models. Not only do the data centers take up large amounts of land, they consume enormous amounts of electricity and water and are noisy.

The debate is only expected to heat up heading into the midterm elections. A recent NBC News poll found that 69% of respondents oppose the construction of AI center centers in their area.

There are already more than 4,700 data centers across the country — a number expected to grow exponentially. PwC projects that annual data center spending will rise to $1.8 trillion in 2050 from roughly $800 billion in 2026. Some states are stepping up with legislation to restrict or ban construction, and a moratorium is already in place in New York.

Using REITs to play AI While the hyperscalers are getting all the attention, another way to play the AI data center race is through real estate investment trusts. They are essentially landlords that build, own and then lease space to multiple tenants, including Amazon, Apple and Oracle, according to National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, an industry group.

"Amid political and community push-back, while new projects could see delay, it could be a positive for existing projects/DC [data center] REITs which have pricing power driven by continuously expanding compute demand," Mizuho analyst Vikram Malhotra said in a Sept. 1 note.

Data center REITs make up 13% of the total U.S. REIT market capitalization of $1.5 trillion, Nareit said. The public REITs own about 275 data centers in the United States — less than 10% of the owner/operated and leased data centers in the country, the group said.

There are three data center stocks in the FTSE Nareit Equity REITs Index: Digital Realty Trust, Equinix and Iron Mountain.

Data center REITsTicker Company Div yield YTD performance DLRDigital Realty Trust2.59%23.3%EQIXEquinix1.99%36.9%IRMIron Mountain2.96%42.0%Source: FactSet

Equinix, which recently signed a deal with Nvidia, is the largest, with a market value of roughly $102 billion. It has a 1.99% dividend yield and has climbed about 37% year to date. Its second-quarter adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) topped expectations when Equinix reported results and raised its full-year guidance in July.

Digital Realty Trust, with a market cap of $71 billion, yields 2.59% and is up more than 23% in 2026. In July, it reported adjusted FFO above analyst estimates and raised full-year guidance.

Iron Mountain has a 2.96% dividend yield, has soared 42% this year and sports a $34.7 billion market cap. Second-quarter AFFO beat expectations and Iron Mountain raised full-year guidance.

Tailwind for REITsThe data center resistance could act as a tailwind for REITS, although the story is nuanced, said Wells Fargo Investment Institute analyst Amanda Martinez.

On one hand, the supply/demand factor favors the REITS because limiting new supply could raise the value of existing capacity, she said. If new capacity becomes harder to develop, those with sizable pipelines of development sites that are permitted with secured power will see a relative advantage, she added.

"On the other hand, permitting restrictions and moratoriums could weigh on future growth by slowing development timelines and pushing up costs," Martinez said.

David Guarino, an analyst with real estate analytics firm Green Street, is bullish on Equinix and Digital Realty.

"Their size allows them to be nimble," he said. "So if there is restriction or pushback in a certain market, they've got big land banks and big development pipelines, where they can pivot to other markets, and thus far, it has not slowed down their growth story in any way."

Plus, their decades of experience means they have relationships with local municipalities, he said.

"They have an advantage given their track record, their ability to execute, where people want to do business with them," he said. "That helps them to be able to maybe have an advantage over a newer entrant that might not have that skill set."

Guarino prefers Equinix over Digital Realty, although both companies are doing "incredibly well."

"As AI inference begins to accelerate — that's more of the lower latency, real-life use cases from AI — that would start to benefit companies that are more focused on smaller tenant leasing, that are closer to where the population centers are," he explained. "That's a lot more of Equinix's business than Digital Realty's business."

Alex Pettee, president and director of research and ETFs at Hoya Capital Real Estate, is also bullish on supply and demand for data center REITs. Both Equinix and Digital Realty are in Hoya's model portfolios.

"Obviously, a moratorium can be bad if it stops one of your projects," he said. "But zoom out, and if zoning gets tougher, power gets harder to secure, and communities don't want new facilities, the data centers that are already there become more valuable."

While the stocks aren't cheap compared to other REITS, they look attractive compared to the rest of the AI trade, he said.

"You're getting double-digit earnings growth, tangible real estate and infrastructure, recurring contractual revenue, and a roughly 2%-3% dividend yield," Pettee said.

Key Takeaways Snowflake's fiscal Q2 product revenues rose 37% year over year to $1.49 billion on strong demand. Snowflake ended fiscal Q2 with 14,554 customers, while net new customer additions rose 32% year over year. Snowflake raised fiscal 2027 product revenue guidance to $6.07 billion, implying 36% year-over-year growth. Snowflake (SNOW - Free Report) is benefiting from strong enterprise adoption of AI and the rapid expansion of cloud analytics. The company’s AI Data Cloud combines governed enterprise data, AI models, applications and workflows, positioning the company to capture rising demand for analytics and agentic AI.

The expanding capabilities of the platform are also strengthening Snowflake’s competitive position against Dell Technologies (DELL - Free Report) and Oracle (ORCL - Free Report) across enterprise data infrastructure, cloud analytics and AI-driven workloads. Snowflake’s product revenues increased 37% year over year to $1.49 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2027, reflecting strong demand across its core data platform and AI offerings.

Snowflake’s expanding cloud analytics footprint is supported by continued customer additions and deeper adoption among existing clients. The company ended the fiscal second quarter with 14,554 customers and added 692 net new customers, including 14 Global 2000 companies. Net new customer additions increased 32% year over year. In the fiscal second quarter, 65 customers generated more than $10 million in trailing 12-month product revenues, highlighting greater adoption among large enterprises. The company’s 126% net revenue retention rate and $9 billion in remaining performance obligations further indicate healthy expansion within its customer base.

The adoption of Snowflake’s AI offerings remains noteworthy. In the second quarter of fiscal 2027, CoCo surpassed 9,100 accounts after adding more than 2,000 during the quarter, while CoWork expanded to 5,800 accounts, up nearly 11% sequentially. Customers including 1Password and Indeed are deploying these solutions to accelerate data and AI initiatives.

SNOW’s accelerating customer adoption and a robust pipeline of AI-driven products position the company to capture a significant share of the cloud analytics market. For fiscal 2027, the company raised product revenue guidance to $6.07 billion, implying 36% year-over-year growth compared with its previous outlook of $5.84 billion and 31% growth. Fiscal third-quarter product revenues are expected to be between $1.588 billion and $1.593 billion, indicating 37-38% growth.

How Competitors Fare Against SNOWSnowflake is facing stiff competition from major players like Dell Technologies and Oracle. Both companies are expanding their footprint in the AI space.

Dell Technologies is benefiting from surging demand for AI infrastructure. The company continues to see AI server demand exceed available supply as customers expand deployments across neocloud, sovereign and enterprise environments. In the second quarter of fiscal 2027, Dell Technologies booked a record $60.9 billion of AI orders and recognized $16.4 billion of AI server revenues. Orders totaled $131.7 billion over the past 12 months, while backlog rose to $95 billion from $51.3 billion at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2027.

Oracle’s expanding portfolio has been noteworthy. In June 2026, Oracle introduced Oracle OPERA Cloud Assistant, a suite of AI-powered capabilities built into OPERA Cloud that automates guest room assignments, generates AI-driven rate descriptions, supports multilingual operations across 230 countries and territories and gives hotel staff real-time operational guidance.

SNOW’s Share Price Performance, Valuation, and EstimatesSnowflake shares have gained 53.7% year to date, outperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector’s 18.2% appreciation. The Internet Software industry has declined 0.2% in the same time frame.

SNOW Stock Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Snowflake stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales ratio of 16.19X compared with the Internet Software industry’s 4.07X. SNOW has a Value Score of F.

SNOW's Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SNOW’s fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $2.01 per share, which has increased 2.55% over the past 30 days. The figure indicates a 60.80% year-over-year increase.

Snowflake currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 53,536 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $50,088,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $6,781,946,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,362,188,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale In other news, Director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Costco Wholesale News Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week: Positive Sentiment: Strong fourth-quarter sales: Costco’s fourth-quarter net sales increased 11.3% year over year to $93.9 billion. Digitally enabled comparable sales rose 19.5%, substantially outpacing overall growth and highlighting continued momentum in e-commerce and omnichannel shopping. Costco’s Q4 Sales Rise 11.3% as Digital Momentum Remains Strong Positive Sentiment: August sales remained robust: Costco reported a 9.9% year-over-year increase in August sales, driven by strong U.S. comparable-store performance and record digital growth. The update gives investors further evidence that membership and customer traffic remain resilient. Costco Reports Double-Digit Growth in August 2026 Sales Neutral Sentiment: Holiday closures are routine: Costco closed its U.S. warehouses for Labor Day, consistent with its long-standing policy of shutting stores on seven holidays annually. The practice may reinforce the company’s employee-focused culture but has no meaningful near-term earnings impact. Most national retailers close on 2 holidays. Costco shuts down for 7. Neutral Sentiment: Membership loyalty remains a theme: Coverage of members with decades-long Costco relationships underscores the strength of the retailer’s recurring membership model, though it provides limited new financial information. What Happens If You Are A Costco Member For Over 40 Years? Negative Sentiment: Supplier relationship risk: The loss of a Costco distribution deal contributed to a functional-beverage company’s Chapter 11 filing. This is not a direct financial threat to Costco, but it highlights the importance—and potential volatility—of major retail partnerships. Loss of Costco deal helps push beverage brand into Chapter 11 Costco Wholesale Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $915.74 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $406.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.06, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average of $942.96 and a 200 day moving average of $976.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,056.90.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Costco Wholesale

(Free Report)

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.

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Enbridge (ENB.TO) said on Tuesday its CEO Greg Ebel will retire at the end of 2026 and ​be succeeded by industry veteran Michele Harradence, with ‌the Canadian pipeline operator changing its leadership after a period of major expansion in U.S. natural gas utilities.

During Ebel's tenure as CEO, Enbridge acquired three ​utilities from Dominion Energy, helping make the company ​one of North America's largest integrated gas utility platforms.

Enbridge ⁠now has a secured growth backlog of C$41 billion ​spanning its liquids pipelines, gas transmission and storage, natural gas ​utilities and renewable power businesses.

Harradence, who joined Enbridge in 2014 after 16 years at Shell, has led the company's gas utilities since 2022 and ​oversaw the integration of the Dominion utility acquisitions. She ​is currently head of Enbridge's gas distribution and storage business.

The businesses serve about ‌7.2 ⁠million homes, schools, hospitals and businesses across Canada and the United States.

She was the senior vice president and chief operating officer of Enbridge's Gas Transmission and Midstream business in ​Houston before ​taking charge of ⁠the company's utility business.

Ebel joined Enbridge in 2017 following its merger with Spectra Energy and became ​president and CEO in January 2023.

As of Monday's ​close, ⁠Enbridge shares have gained about 30% since Ebel took over as CEO, compared with an 86.3% rise in Canada's S&P/TSX ⁠Composite ​Index (.GSPTSE).

Ebel will remain on Enbridge's board ​through December 31 and serve as an advisor to the board and Harradence until May ​2027.

Key Takeaways Marigold growth initiatives, including Buffalo Valley, support SSRM's plans for longer-term expansion. Higher grades are expected to drive Marigold's production, with roughly 65% of H2 output in Q4.Exploration at several brownfield targets supports Marigold's long-term growth and mine life extension. SSR Mining Inc. (SSRM - Free Report) remains the third-largest U.S. gold producer, driven by the two high-quality, long-lived assets, Marigold in Nevada and CC&V in Colorado. SSR Mining is moving forward with growth initiatives across the Marigold mine, including Buffalo Valley. The company expects an updated life-of-mine plan by the end of 2026.

Marigold accounted for 33% of the company’s revenues in 2025 and produced 153,535 ounces of gold. The mine produced 68,789 ounces in the first six months of 2026 compared with 74,492 produced a year ago.

SSR Mining expects full-year production at Marigold to be 170,000-200,000 ounces. Production will be strongly weighted to the second half, with around 65% of second-half production expected in the fourth quarter. The upside will be driven by higher grades.

The company increased the mine’s 2026 growth capital guidance from $48 million to $65 million as it plans to boost longer-term growth. Ongoing exploration and evaluation of other brownfield targets, including New Millennium, Marigold North and DG80, continues in support of longer-term growth and mine life extension. With more than 38 years of operations, SSR Mining remains optimistic about Marigold's long-term growth.

Along with SSRM’s other key projects like CC&V, as well as Seabee and Puna, Marigold showcases significant potential upside. Including Marigold, SSR Mining’s total Mineral Reserves in the United States are around 6 million ounces of gold.

Mine Performances by SSR Mining’s PeersAngloGold Ashanti plc’s (AU - Free Report) gold production dipped 4% year over year in the first half of 2026, reflecting the sale of the Serra Grande mine in December 2025. Lower second-quarter production at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi mine due to a contractor fatality in April 2026 and planned mine sequencing and maintenance across certain operations also led to the decline. However, AngloGold Ashanti expects second-half 2026 production to be higher than the first half.

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.’s (WPM - Free Report) gold production in the second quarter was 90,434 ounces, down 2.6% year over year. The company reaffirmed the 2026 attributable production guidance of 860,000-940,000 GEOs. Wheaton Precious Metals expects production to be weighted to the second half, helped by mine sequencing at Salobo and Peñasquito, the full Antamina contribution, and continued ramp-up of newer assets.

Wheaton Precious Metals’ development pipeline also continues to advance. Blackwater's Phase 1A expansion was 57% complete at the end of the quarter and remains scheduled for commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2026. Koné targets first gold in late fourth-quarter 2026, while Platreef expects commercial production in the fourth quarter. WPM continues to forecast production of 1.2 million GEOs by 2030.

SSRM’s Price Performance, Valuations & EstimatesThe SSRM stock has appreciated 75.8% in a year compared with the industry’s growth of 50.3%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Basic Materials sector and the S&P 500 have returned 32.7% and 21.1%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

SSRM is currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings multiple of 9.55, a discount to the industry average of 16.97X.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $3.87 per share, indicating a year-over-year surge of 92.5%. The estimate for 2027 of $3.90 per share suggests an increase of 1%.

Estimates for 2026 and 2027 have moved south over the past 60 days.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

SSRM currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Why Flywire and Airbnb Could Be Quiet Winners of a CeasefireAirbnb NASDAQ: ABNB CEO Brian Chesky said the company is expanding beyond its core short-term home rental business, outlining ambitions in hotels, services, experiences, longer-term housing and eventually products focused on human connection.

Speaking at an investor conference, Chesky said Airbnb spent recent years rebuilding its technology and operating foundation to support broader platform expansion. He compared the effort to reconstructing a one-story house before adding multiple floors, saying the company had to accept some growth pressure while establishing the new foundation.

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Trip.com’s Selloff Raises a Bigger Question About Its Travel Recovery Story“Our vision was to become AI native,” Chesky said. “Our idea was we’re going to go from homes to everything for travel, and eventually to living and beyond.”

Chesky said Airbnb’s core business is approaching $100 billion in gross booking value, while the hotel market represents a substantially larger opportunity. Although Airbnb’s early messaging urged travelers to “Forget hotels,” Chesky said customer demand and the opportunity among independent properties changed his view.

Hotels, services and international expansion Uber's Annual Product Showcase Reveals It Is Coming for Airbnb and BookingThe company has been adding hotels to its platform, initially concentrating on independent and boutique operators. Chesky said about half of the world’s hotels are independent, and that many such properties are seeking alternatives to larger hotel chains and major online travel agencies.

He said Airbnb’s lower commission structure, younger customer base and focus on unique inventory have helped attract independent hotels. According to Chesky, one in three travelers who book a hotel through Airbnb later return to book a home.

Airbnb is also pursuing service and experience offerings, as well as categories including car rentals and resort passes. Chesky said car rentals have become a fast-growing category for the company. He added that each new business can be launched more quickly as Airbnb reuses technology and supply-acquisition tools developed for prior categories.

On international growth, Chesky said the company’s strategy centers on localizing its product, building the right supply in markets where demand exists, and marketing the offering. He cited differences in consumer behavior across countries, including a preference for browsing over search in Japan and the importance of local payment options in India.

Brazil is Airbnb’s third-largest market, Chesky said, while India is growing 60% year over year. He said 70% of the company’s business is concentrated in five countries, leaving significant room for expansion in markets such as Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia.

AI use across operations Chesky said artificial intelligence is already changing Airbnb’s operations, even as he argued that consumer-facing AI applications remain in their early stages. Nearly half of Airbnb’s customer-service tickets are now handled by AI, he said, allowing the company to shift human agents toward more complex and premium support needs.

He said AI can assist support agents by analyzing prior cases and recommending solutions, an important capability given the complexity of disputes between guests and hosts. Airbnb also uses AI in search, where travelers may be weighing thousands of potential listings and multiple preferences across a group trip.

Internally, Chesky said the company is shipping 80% more features than it did a year ago after adopting AI tools more broadly. He characterized AI adoption as a cultural issue as much as a technical one, arguing that companies with the ability to adapt quickly will benefit most.

While Airbnb is testing AI-driven product experiences, Chesky said he does not view a text-based chatbot as the ideal interface for travel planning. He said Airbnb’s future approach will need to be visual and collaborative, reflecting that the average Airbnb reservation includes three guests and often involves shared decision-making.

Events and monetization Chesky said large events remain an important supply-acquisition channel for Airbnb. The company was founded around a design conference in San Francisco, when its founders rented air beds after local hotels sold out. He said people frequently list their homes for a single event, with about half continuing to host afterward.

He cited the Paris Olympics as an example, saying 600,000 people stayed in Airbnb properties during the event and that the company added tens of thousands of new supply types. Such events can help cities accommodate surges in visitors when hotels are fully booked, he said.

For revenue and margins, Chesky identified category expansion and international growth as major top-line opportunities. He said seller services could provide a margin opportunity, including sponsored listings and other products for hosts. Sponsored listings alone could represent $1 billion in incremental high-margin revenue, based on comparisons with other platforms, he said. Airbnb’s travel insurance offering is also a high-margin product, according to Chesky.

Looking ahead, Chesky described three priorities: expanding categories, building deeper customer profiles and community engagement, and becoming an AI-native company. He said Airbnb’s core business still has considerable room to grow, while longer-term rentals and other living-related services could become future areas of focus.

About Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB)Airbnb, Inc operates a global online marketplace that connects guests seeking accommodations and travel activities with hosts and other service providers. Through its platform and mobile applications, users can search for, book and review a broad range of lodging options, including private homes, apartments, rooms and other distinctive properties.

The company also offers Airbnb Experiences, which enables guests to discover and book activities hosted by local experts. In addition, Airbnb has expanded into related travel services, including services designed to support hosts and help them manage listings, reservations and guest relationships.

Founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb serves travelers and hosts across a broad international market, with listings and activities available in destinations around the world.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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Key Takeaways AIG's GI combined ratio stayed favorable at 89% in Q2 2026, supporting healthy insurance margins.AIG returned about $1.7B to shareholders in H1 2026, including $1.2B through share buybacks.AIG's forward P/E fell to 8.96X, below its five-year median of 10.11X and industry average of 9.40X. American International Group, Inc. (AIG - Free Report) is well poised to grow on the back of improving underwriting results in the North America Commercial and Global Personal segments, supported by lower catastrophe losses. Healthy premium growth and strong capital returns are major tailwinds.

American International — with a market cap of $29.8 billion — is a leading global insurance organization offering products for commercial, institutional, as well as individual customers.

Courtesy of solid prospects, this presently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock is worth retaining at the moment.

Key DriversAIG's underwriting performance has strengthened considerably in recent quarters. General Insurance's combined ratio improved to 87.3% in the first quarter of 2026 and remained favorable at 89% in the second quarter. Continued underwriting discipline, expense management and selective risk-taking could help the company sustain healthy insurance margins and support earnings growth.

The insurer continues to expand its premium base despite becoming more selective in areas where pricing has weakened. Growth across several commercial and personal insurance lines highlights AIG's ability to attract business while maintaining underwriting discipline. This balanced approach should help the company preserve profitability without chasing unprofitable volume.

AIG continues to reward shareholders through a combination of sizable share repurchases and a growing dividend. During the first half of 2026, the insurer returned approximately $1.7 billion to shareholders, including $1.2 billion through buybacks and $504 million in dividends. It repurchased roughly 15 million shares over the period. AIG also increased its quarterly dividend 11% to 50 cents per share. It had $2.6 billion available under its repurchase authorization as of July 31.

AIG shares continue to trade at a relatively modest earnings multiple despite the company's improved underwriting profitability. Shares of the company declined 11% year to date, which lowered its forward price-to-earnings to 8.96X. This is lower than AIG’s five-year median of 10.11X and the industry average of 9.40X, indicating there’s more room to grow.

Estimates for AIGThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for American International’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $8.02 per share, which remained stable over the past week and indicates 13.1% year-over-year growth. AIG beat on earnings in each of the last four quarters, the average being 12.9%. Further, the consensus estimate for 2026 revenues stands at $28.97 billion, signaling an increase of 5.5% from a year ago.

RisksThere are a few factors that investors should keep an eye on.

AIG is operating in a less favorable pricing environment after several years of broad rate increases. In the second quarter of 2026, renewal pricing in International Commercial declined 6%, while Global Energy and Financial Lines pricing fell 15% and 4%, respectively. Pricing pressure is also evident in North America Property, where AIG has deliberately reduced business rather than accept inadequate rates.

AIG absorbed $210 million of catastrophe-related charges in the second quarter of 2026, up from $170 million a year earlier. The total included $75 million of losses associated with the Middle East conflict. Catastrophe losses represented 3.4 percentage points of the quarterly loss ratio. A period of elevated natural disasters or geopolitical events could quickly erode underwriting gains and introduce greater volatility into AIG's results.

Key PicksSome better-ranked stocks in the broader Finance space are Horace Mann Educators Corporation (HMN - Free Report) , CNO Financial Group, Inc. (CNO - Free Report) and Assurant, Inc. (AIZ - Free Report) . While HMN currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), CNO and AIZ carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Horace Mann Educators’ current-year earnings is pegged at $4.78 per share, which has witnessed one upward revision over the past 30 days and no movement in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the consensus estimate for HMN’s 2026 revenues indicates a 3.9% year-over-year increase.

The consensus mark for CNO Financial’s current-year earnings is pegged at $4.74 per share, which indicates 16.2% year-over-year growth. It has witnessed two upward estimate revisions against none in the opposite direction in the past 60 days. CNO beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 23.2%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Assurant’s current-year earnings is pegged at $22.05 per share, which indicates 11.5% year-over-year growth. It has witnessed two upward estimate revisions against none in the opposite direction in the past month. AIZ beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 17.7%.

Palantir just handed Nebius a coveted sovereign AI label, but traders are punishing one side of the partnership and rewarding the other in ways that reveal exactly where the market thinks the real leverage sits.

Sovereign AI infrastructure is driving today’s action across the AI cloud complex. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR | PLTR Price Prediction) named Nebius Group (NASDAQ:NBIS) its preferred sovereign AI infrastructure partner this morning, and the compute provider is outperforming the software vendor.

Nebius stock is up 6% to $239.23 in Tuesday morning trading, extending what has already been a monster advance for the year. Meanwhile, Palantir stock is down 1% to $172.39 in early action, giving back some of last month’s ground.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) is down 0.46%, so today’s announcement is landing on a slightly lower broad tape. That leaves the divergence between Nebius and Palantir looking like a stock-specific reaction on an otherwise quiet session.

Sovereign AI Partnership Fuels Nebius Rally Palantir has named Nebius its preferred sovereign AI infrastructure partner, integrating Nebius cloud and compute capabilities inside Palantir’s enterprise perimeter. The pact plugs a scaled GPU cloud directly into Palantir’s AIP software stack for customers that want to keep their data, models, and weights under their own control. That positioning matches how Palantir has been marketing sovereignty on recent earnings calls, where the company has argued that generic token-based AI services quietly transfer enterprise IP to third parties.

CEO Alex Karp framed the demand backdrop on Palantir’s Q2 2026 earnings call, stating, “Demand for AI sovereignty has now been unleashed. And Palantir is the only company that has demonstrated it can transform tokens into actual economic value…The sovereign AI revolution makes us very optimistic about the future.” Karp also flagged on the same call that Palantir was actively hunting for technically capable partners to help scale that push, and today’s announcement gives that pitch a named infrastructure counterparty behind it.

Credential Versus Contract for Nebius The market is treating today’s news as demand validation for Nebius. Palantir picks up an incremental distribution channel from the deal, and today’s split reaction shows the market sees more near-term upside on the infrastructure side of the pairing. Nebius stock has run hard this year while Palantir stock has traded lower, so the announcement reads as a fresh reason to own compute exposure and as a smaller catalyst for the enterprise software name.

Nebius reported Q2 2026 revenue of $582.3 million, up 454% year over year (YoY), with its AI Cloud segment growing 514% YoY. Its remaining performance obligations reached $37.49 billion, and management reaffirmed FY26 revenue guidance of $3 billion to $3.4 billion.

However, the preferred-partner designation carries no disclosed committed capacity or dollar figure, so its value to Nebius is more credential than contract. Nebius already carries heavy customer concentration, with three customers representing 24%, 21%, and 14% of Q2 2026 revenue, so additional named logos in the pipeline can help dilute that risk over time.

CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV) is the closest listed comparable to Nebius on GPU cloud capacity, with no direct involvement in this Palantir partnership. Its own Q2 2026 report showed revenue of $2.575 billion, up 112.3% YoY, and a revenue backlog near $104 billion, so the peer set is scaling in its own right.

Session Scorecard Ticker Session Move Year to Date NBIS +6% +183% PLTR -1% -2% CRWV +7% +35% Nebius stock has run 183% year to date (YTD), so today’s move extends an already large uptrend. Palantir stock is down 2% YTD, which reframes today’s fade as another leg in a sideways-to-lower year even as the underlying business keeps compounding revenue.

CoreWeave stock is up 35% YTD, and the company was recently added to the NASDAQ 100. That backdrop shows the AI cloud pure-play trade has been rewarded broadly ahead of today’s Palantir-Nebius headline (we profiled seven non-chipmaker names powering the same data-center buildout in a free report on AI infrastructure winners).

What to Watch Next The bull case for Nebius rests on the guided revenue ramp and a contracted power target of more than 4 GW by year-end 2026, which would support the ARR outlook management has already put on the board. The bear case is that a credential without contracted dollars can fade quickly if CoreWeave or another peer signs a larger, disclosed sovereign AI deal in the same window.

Traders can watch for follow-through in Nebius shares and any additional color from either company on whether the preferred-partner tag converts into disclosed capacity or revenue. Investors sizing their exposure should keep their positions modest given customer concentration and a price-to-sales multiple that already prices in aggressive growth.

Palantir’s story is intact on the reported numbers, with FY26 revenue guidance raised to $8.15 billion to $8.16 billion, a Rule of 40 score of 155, and a P/E ratio near 247x. Shareholders can check for firmer support and a clearer read on how sovereign AI partnerships translate into billings before adding to their positions on today’s dip.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) said on Tuesday its experimental cell therapy showed a high overall response rate in a mid-stage trial, ​in patients with a hard-to-treat form of blood cancer.

The study ​evaluated the therapy, called arlocabtagene autoleucel, or arlo-cel, in patients ⁠with advanced multiple myeloma who had already tried four major classes ​of standard treatments without lasting success.

Bristol Myers said the trial met its ​main goal by showing a meaningful improvement in the overall response rate among patients who had exhausted standard therapies.

It also met a key secondary goal, completely clearing ​detectable signs of the cancer in some patients.

While the drugmaker did ​not release specific numerical data, it said the results were statistically significant and clinically ‌meaningful ⁠and that full findings will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

Arlo-cel is a CAR-T cell therapy administered as a single infusion. The personalized treatment works by extracting a patient's own immune cells, modifying ​them in a ​laboratory to target ⁠a specific protein on cancer cells called GPRC5D and infusing them back into the body to attack ​the disease.

The therapy's safety profile was consistent with expectations ​and in ⁠line with other CAR-T and GPRC5D-targeting therapies, the company said.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in plasma cells, a type of white blood ⁠cell.

An ​estimated 36,000 new cases and nearly 11,000 ​deaths from the disease are expected in the United States this year, according to the ​American Cancer Society.