Key Takeaways Mastercard posts 18% Q4 revenue growth, 57.7% operating margin and four straight earnings beats.AmEx grew Q4 revenue 10%, beat earnings thrice and missed once in the past four quarters.MA trades at 26.38X forward P/E versus AXP's 19.29X, reflecting investor confidence.The global payments landscape continues to expand as digital transactions displace cash and cross-border commerce grows. Two industry titans, Mastercard Incorporated (MA) and American Express Company (AXP) , remain central to tha ...

Key Takeaways Housing Starts & Building Permits Outperformed in DecemberThis Morning's Econ Data Is Delayed from the Government ShutdownDurable Goods, Also Delayed, Surpassed Expectations, As WellWednesday, February 18th, 2026As we work through the “back-9” of Q4 earnings season, we give way to prominent economic prints this holiday-shortened trading week. Particularly the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report, which we’ll have to wait for until Friday morning. This morning, Housing Starts f ...

Key Takeaways PANW Q2 EPS of $1.03 beat estimates by 10.8% as revenues climbed to $2.59B.Palo Alto Networks saw 33% growth in Next-Gen Security ARR, reaching $6.33B.PANW raised FY26 revenue outlook to $11.28B-$11.31B, projecting up to 23% growth.Palo Alto Networks (PANW) delivered second-quarter fiscal 2026 non-GAAP earnings of $1.03 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 10.8%. The figure improved 27.2% year over year.Palo Alto Networks’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of ...

Key Takeaways Sanmina outpaces Qualcomm with stronger estimates, gains and a cheaper valuation.SANM sees fiscal 2026 sales up 67.9% and EPS up 66.6%, with estimates rising 4.4% in 60 days.QCOM faces sales and EPS declines, stock down 18.6% year over year and trading at 3.44x sales.Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QCOM) and Sanmina Corporation (SANM) are key players in the semiconductor and electronics supply chain. Qualcomm offers high-performance, low-power chip designs for mobile devices, PCs, XR (Extended Rea ...

Core Insights - Microsoft and Oracle are leading companies in cloud and artificial intelligence, both expanding their AI infrastructure and integrating AI into their offerings as they approach 2026 [1] Microsoft (MSFT) Overview - Microsoft Cloud revenues surpassed $50 billion in Q2 FY2026, marking a 26% year-over-year increase, with Azure growing by 39% [2] - The company has 15 million commercial Microsoft 365 Copilot seats, indicating strong revenue potential through ARPU expansion [3] - Microsoft reported commercial remaining performance obligations (RPO) of $625 billion, a 110% increase year-over-year, providing significant revenue visibility [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MSFT's fiscal 2026 earnings is $16.97 per share, reflecting an 8.4% upward revision and a projected 24.41% growth from fiscal 2025 [5] Oracle (ORCL) Overview - Oracle is heavily investing in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), with OCI revenues growing 68% in Q2 FY2026 and GPU-related revenues increasing by 177% [6] - The company reported a record RPO of $523 billion, up 438% year-over-year, driven by commitments from major clients [6] - Oracle's fiscal 2026 revenue guidance remains at $67 billion, with an additional $4 billion projected for fiscal 2027 [7] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ORCL's fiscal 2026 earnings is $7.45 per share, showing a slight downward revision of 0.4% but indicating a 23.55% growth from fiscal 2025 [10] Valuation and Performance Comparison - Microsoft has a forward P/E ratio of 21.95x, while Oracle's is 19.46x, with Microsoft's valuation appearing more justified due to its scale and profitability [11] - Oracle shares have declined by 34.4% over the past six months, underperforming the sector, while Microsoft shares have lost 22.1%, outperforming Oracle [14] Conclusion - Microsoft demonstrates advantages in scale, profitability, AI monetization, and balance sheet strength compared to Oracle [16] - Oracle faces challenges such as negative free cash flow and declining software revenues, which may impact its near-term outlook [16] - Investors are advised to monitor Microsoft for potential entry points, while Oracle holders may consider holding or waiting for a more favorable entry [16]

Key Takeaways Itron Q4 EPS of $2.46 beat estimates; revenues of $572M topped guidance despite 7% decline.Itron launched Resiliency Solutions after Urbint, Locusview deals; sees $65-$70M 2026 revenues.ITRI gross margin rose to 40.7% as bookings hit $737M; backlog reached $4.5B.Itron Inc. (ITRI) reported non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $2.46 for fourth-quarter 2025, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.3%. The company reported earnings of $1.35 per share in the prior-year quarter. The uptick ref ...

Key Takeaways AST SpaceMobile is expanding its BlueBird satellite fleet to build a global space-based cellular network.ANET is capitalizing on AI and hyperscale demand with strong data center switching growth.ANET trades at a far lower forward sales multiple than ASTS and shows steadier earnings growth.AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) and Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET) are key players in the communications-technology ecosystem focused on next-generation connectivity. AST SpaceMobile is building the world’s first ...

Core Viewpoint - The market anticipates Star Bulk Carriers (SBLK) will report a year-over-year increase in earnings despite lower revenues in its upcoming earnings report for the quarter ended December 2025 [1] Earnings Expectations - Star Bulk Carriers is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.59 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of +73.5% [3] - Revenues are projected to be $300.54 million, which is a decrease of 2.7% from the same quarter last year [3] Estimate Revisions - The consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged over the last 30 days, indicating stability in analyst expectations [4] - The Most Accurate Estimate for Star Bulk Carriers aligns with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, resulting in an Earnings ESP of 0% [12] Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model suggests that a positive or negative reading indicates the potential deviation of actual earnings from the consensus estimate, with positive readings being more predictive of earnings beats [9][10] - Star Bulk Carriers currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3, which complicates the prediction of an earnings beat [12][13] Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, Star Bulk Carriers met the expected earnings of $0.28 per share, resulting in no surprise [14] - Over the past four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates twice [15] Industry Context - In comparison, EuroDry (EDRY) is expected to report earnings of $0.78 per share for the same quarter, indicating a year-over-year change of +412% [19] - EuroDry's revenue is projected to be $16.51 million, up 13.8% from the previous year, with a significant revision of the EPS estimate by 2100% over the last 30 days [20]

The market expects Snowflake Inc. (SNOW) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended January 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be relea ...

The market expects Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (ARQT) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended December 2025. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is exp ...