Core Insights - The article compiles significant research calls from Wall Street that are influencing market movements [1] Upgrades Summary - Argus upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $27, citing potential bidding wars that could increase offers [2] - H.C. Wainwright upgraded Core Scientific (CORZ) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $25, anticipating that the proposed takeover by CoreWeave (CRWV) will not pass the shareholder vote [2] - UBS upgraded Upwork (UPWK) to Buy from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $21, expecting a return to positive services volume growth in the next two quarters due to improved web traffic and a shift towards higher-value services [2] - RBC Capital upgraded Cadence Bank (CADE) to Outperform from Sector Perform with a new price target of $47, increased from $43, aligning with Huntington (HBAN) following their merger announcement [2] - BofA upgraded RB Global (RBA) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $120, believing the risk-reward profile has become more favorable after a recent share price pullback [2]

Core Viewpoint - Two Seas Capital LP opposes the proposed acquisition of Core Scientific by CoreWeave, arguing that it does not maximize shareholder value and urging shareholders to vote against the transaction [2][3][4] Company Prospects - Core Scientific is viewed as a best-in-class asset with low-cost power access, site construction expertise, strong infrastructure, and a promising future pipeline [3] - The company is expected to continue building its 700-megawatt pipeline, secure additional hosting contracts, and expand its footprint through existing data centers and new sites [3] Market Context - Since the announcement of the transaction in July 2025, investment in AI infrastructure has surged, leading to increased equity valuations for Core Scientific's peers [3] - If Core Scientific's stock traded in line with its peers, it would be valued at more than double the proposed transaction price of $16.40 per share [3] Shareholder Action - The vote on the CoreWeave transaction is scheduled for October 30, 2025, and shareholders are encouraged to reject the deal to capitalize on growth opportunities in the AI landscape [4][5]

Core Scientific, Inc. Overview - Core Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) is gaining attention as an AI stock on Wall Street, with an upgrade from Roth analyst Darren Aftahi from "Neutral" to "Buy" and a price target increase from $17 to $23.50 [1] - The upgrade is based on the assumption that there will be no deal with CoreWeave, as there is increasing activity against the deal and CoreWeave has stated its bid is "best/final" [1] Business Transition and Strategy - Core Scientific is shifting to a standalone business model, focusing on leasing its power pipeline primarily for high-performance computing (HPC) [1] - The company is raising its stock rating to "Buy" based on a mix of discounted net present value (NPV) from its lease with CoreWeave, approximately 700MW of uncontracted power, and its remaining Bitcoin (BTC) power [1] Market Position and Future Outlook - The transition into an AI business is supported by leveraging advanced infrastructure and expertise in HPC [1] - While Core Scientific shows potential as an investment, there are other AI stocks that may offer greater upside potential and less downside risk [2]

Core Scientific Upgrade - Investment bank H.C. Wainwright upgraded Core Scientific (CORZ) to buy with a new price target of $25, driven by increasing demand for AI-ready data center infrastructure [1] - Core Scientific's expertise in developing large-scale facilities for both cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence provides a competitive advantage in the high-performance computing (HPC) market [1] Financial Projections - The $25 price target is based on a projected revenue of $424 million for fiscal 2026, implying a market-cap-to-sales multiple of nearly 19x, which is considered justified due to strong growth potential through 2027 [2] - Core Scientific's scale and rising HPC revenue are seen as mitigating factors against typical crypto-related risks such as hashrate volatility and regulatory exposure [2] Strategic Focus - The upgrade follows a recommendation from proxy advisers ISS and Glass Lewis for shareholders to vote against CoreWeave's proposed acquisition, which H.C. Wainwright believes effectively ends the deal [2] - This situation allows Core Scientific to concentrate on expanding its own HPC infrastructure, positioning it well to benefit from significant technology advancements in the AI era [3]

Core Viewpoint - Core Scientific is transitioning from Bitcoin mining to artificial intelligence and next-generation compute workloads after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2024 [1] Company Overview - Core Scientific, founded in 2017 and located in Austin, Texas, specializes in high-density colocation and digital asset mining services [2] Stock Performance - The stock has gained 3% in the last five days and 15% over the past month, with a 133% increase over the last six months and a year-to-date return of 38%, significantly outperforming the Russell 2000 Index, which is up only 13% [3] - Over the past 52 weeks, Core Scientific shares have risen approximately 41%, while the Russell 2000 advanced just 13.5% [3] Financial Results - For Q3 2025, Core Scientific reported revenue of $81.1 million, below analyst expectations of $107.2 million, and a 15% decline year-over-year [5] - The company posted a net loss of $146.7 million, an improvement from a $455.3 million loss in the same quarter last year [5] - Earnings per share were ($0.46), beating the consensus estimate of ($0.85), but wider than the ($0.13) per share from the previous year [5] Revenue Breakdown - Digital asset self-mining revenue decreased to $57.4 million due to a 55% reduction in Bitcoin mined, offset by an 88% rise in average Bitcoin price [6] - High-density colocation revenue grew to $15 million, indicating a strategic focus on AI infrastructure [6] - Hosting revenue continued to decline as part of the strategic transition [6] Profitability Metrics - Gross profit rebounded to $3.9 million from a loss of $0.2 million in the previous year [7] - Adjusted EBITDA turned negative at ($2.4) million [7] - The company closed the quarter with total liquidity of $694.8 million, consisting of $453.4 million in cash and $241.4 million in Bitcoin holdings [7]

Group 1 - Core Scientific Inc. is viewed positively by Wall Street analysts, with Cantor Fitzgerald raising its price target to $26 from $18 while maintaining an Overweight rating [1][2] - The potential acquisition by CoreWeave Inc. is a focal point, with two scenarios anticipated if the deal is rejected: either CoreWeave renegotiates or Core Scientific pursues its own high-performance computing (HPC) strategy [1][2] - B. Riley has also upgraded Core Scientific to Buy from Neutral, increasing its price target to $30 from $17, indicating a strong likelihood of shareholders voting against the acquisition [2] Group 2 - Core Scientific operates in the digital asset mining sector in the US, divided into three segments: Digital Asset Self-Mining, Digital Asset Hosted Mining, and HPC Hosting [3] - CoreWeave Inc. provides a cloud platform that supports scaling and acceleration for Generative AI, focusing on infrastructure for enterprise compute workloads [3]

Core Viewpoint - Core Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) is viewed as capable of thriving independently, with opposition to its proposed $9 billion acquisition by CoreWeave [2][3][5] Group 1: Acquisition Opposition - Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommends voting against CoreWeave's acquisition, citing Core Scientific's historical success [2] - Two Seas Capital, the largest active shareholder of CORZ, supports ISS's recommendation and emphasizes the company's potential for significant upside independently [3] - Concerns are raised regarding the valuation and fixed exchange ratio of the proposed deal, which may expose shareholders to increased risks [5] Group 2: Market Reaction - Following ISS's recommendation, CORZ shares surged over 5% in post-market trading, indicating growing investor support for independence [5] - In contrast, CoreWeave's shares have declined approximately 15% since the announcement of the proposed transaction [5] Group 3: Company Operations - Core Scientific, Inc. operates in digital asset mining and high-performance computing services through its self-mining, hosted mining, and HPC segments in the U.S. [6]

Group 1: Market Outlook and Economic Indicators - Steven Wieting, chief investment strategist at CIO Group, suggests maintaining a long position in technology, particularly in cybersecurity software, citing double-digit earnings growth in tech over the past few years [1] - Wieting expects revenue growth in tech to continue but anticipates a slowdown, drawing parallels to the late 1990s tech boom [1] - The current state of asset classes is characterized as a mature bull market, with the S&P trading at 27 times trailing earnings, yet Wieting believes the economy is set to improve in the coming year [1] Group 2: AI Infrastructure and Economic Performance - AI infrastructure is experiencing a significant growth rate of 42%, the fastest since the invention of the personal computer, while other sectors like construction and industrial production are lagging [2] - Consumer spending has increased by 3.5% as of mid-third-quarter data, but business caution is evident, with 90% of industries in the ISM report expressing concerns about tariffs [2] Group 3: Hot Tech Stocks - A list of 12 hot tech stocks has been compiled based on performance over the past three months and upside potential, with stocks favored by elite hedge funds [3][5] - Franklin Wireless Corp. (NASDAQ:FKWL) has shown a 3-month performance of 23.44% and is positioned to benefit from the expanding mobile hotspot market due to the rise of hybrid work models [7][9] - Core Scientific Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) has a 3-month performance of 36.85%, with analysts raising price targets amid potential acquisition scenarios, indicating an attractive risk/reward profile [11][12]

Core Insights - Core Scientific reported Q3 2025 revenue of $81.1 million and a net loss of $147 million [1] - Self-mining revenue was $57.4 million, with Bitcoin production declining by 55% [1] - As of the end of the quarter, the company held $453 million in cash and $241 million in Bitcoin [1] - A vote regarding the merger with CoreWeave is scheduled for October 30 [1]

Core Scientific, Inc. Financial Performance - Core Scientific, Inc. reported a quarterly loss of $0.46 per share, which was better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.85, representing an earnings surprise of +45.88% [1] - The company posted revenues of $81.1 million for the quarter ended September 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 24.33%, and down from $95.35 million year-over-year [2] - Over the last four quarters, Core Scientific has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times, but has only topped revenue estimates once [2] Stock Performance and Market Outlook - Core Scientific shares have increased approximately 28.5% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 14.6% [3] - The future stock price movement will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the earnings outlook [3][4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is -$0.82 on revenues of $130.45 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $1.07 on revenues of $396.77 million [7] Industry Context - The Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry, to which Core Scientific belongs, is currently ranked in the top 31% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a favorable industry outlook [8] - Empirical research suggests a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can impact Core Scientific's stock performance [5]