(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump’s bid to put home ownership in reach for more Americans is sputtering, just weeks after it launched. With voters signaling that pocketbook issues are top-of-mind ahead of the November midterm elections, the White House has floated a series of trial balloons aimed at lowering the cost of buying a home, only to see several shot down by Congress, the financial industry or even Trump himself. Most Read from Bloomberg The result: About six weeks after he promised “some o ...

Core Viewpoint - The market had high expectations for Apple Inc. and the company met those expectations, resulting in a positive market reaction with AAPL finishing in the green for the week [1] Group 1: Company Performance - Apple Inc. delivered results that aligned with market expectations, which contributed to a favorable stock performance [1] Group 2: Analyst Insights - The analyst emphasizes a strategy focused on identifying attractive risk/reward opportunities, aiming for alpha generation above the S&P 500 through a combination of price action analysis and fundamentals [1] - The analyst has been recognized as a top analyst for technology and growth sectors, indicating a strong track record of market outperformance [1] - The investment group specializes in high-potential opportunities across various sectors, focusing on stocks with strong growth potential and appealing turnaround plays [1]

Core Viewpoint - Flywire Corporation (NASDAQ:FLYW) is identified as a promising small-cap tech stock, with recent analyst upgrades indicating positive sentiment and growth potential in the FinTech sector [1][3]. Group 1: Analyst Upgrades and Price Targets - Truist analyst Matthew Coad raised the price target for Flywire to $17 from $16, maintaining a Buy rating, as part of a broader Q4 2025 earnings preview for the FinTech sector [1][4]. - Stephens analyst Charles Nabhan upgraded Flywire to Overweight from Equal Weight and increased the price target to $19 from $17, citing an improving higher education environment and a conservative 2026 outlook that allows for potential outperformance [3]. Group 2: Market Expectations and Performance Outlook - The firm anticipates solid quarterly results but notes that challenging year-over-year comparisons may limit significant volume beats, suggesting that management might provide conservative guidance for 2026 to reset market expectations [2]. - Despite near-term adjustments, Truist remains optimistic about the overall performance of the FinTech group throughout 2026 [2]. Group 3: Growth Potential and Valuation - Analysts highlight Flywire's various growth levers, a deeply discounted valuation, and a strong recent track record of beat-and-raise earnings quarters as key reasons for the positive outlook [3].

Group 1 - PagerDuty Inc. is identified as a promising small-cap tech stock, despite recent price target reductions by Truist and RBC Capital [1][2] - Truist lowered its price target for PagerDuty from $20 to $16 while maintaining a Buy rating, highlighting a valuation gap in seat-based business models that may persist until 2026 [1] - RBC Capital downgraded PagerDuty to Sector Perform from Outperform and reduced its price target from $17 to $15, citing ongoing pressure from the company's seat-based business model and limited margin expansion potential [2] Group 2 - PagerDuty operates a digital operations management platform that utilizes machine learning to analyze data from various software-enabled systems and predict opportunities and incidents [3] - The incident management market is expected to undergo further consolidation, which may impact PagerDuty's business model [2] - There is a noted market divide between AI winners and losers, with some underperformers potentially positioned for a rebound [1]

Group 1 - Rapid7 Inc. is considered one of the best small-cap tech stocks to invest in currently, with recent price target adjustments from analysts [1] - Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz reduced the price target for Rapid7 from $20 to $16 while maintaining a Neutral rating, citing valuation compression as a primary driver [1][2] - Truist also lowered its price target for Rapid7 from $18 to $14 with a Hold rating, anticipating strong Q4 results but conservative guidance for 2026 [3] Group 2 - The firm noted solid public cloud performance and strong AI adoption, but expressed concerns over moderate budget activity and the impact of AI-related disruption on software company multiples [2] - Despite steady demand from IT budget holders, software equities, including Rapid7, face significant headwinds [3] - Rapid7 provides cybersecurity software and services under various brand names, including Rapid7, Nexpose, and Metasploit [4]

Group 1 - Sprout Social Inc. (NASDAQ:SPT) is considered one of the best small-cap tech stocks to invest in currently, despite recent price target reductions by analysts [1][2] - Morgan Stanley lowered its price target for Sprout Social to $12 from $14 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating, indicating a cautious but stable outlook for the company [1] - Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow significantly reduced the price target for Sprout Social to $13 from $26, yet maintained an Overweight rating, reflecting a generally optimistic view for the software sector [2] Group 2 - The software sector's outlook for 2026 is favorable due to stable IT spending, steady macroeconomic conditions, and historically low stock valuations, despite current investor aversion [3] - There is growing evidence that AI-related risks may be less severe than previously expected, which supports a more constructive view for 2026 [1][4] - Sprout Social operates a web-based social media management platform across various global regions, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific [4]

Group 1: Company Overview - Sonos Inc. (NASDAQ:SONO) designs, develops, manufactures, and sells audio products and services globally, including in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific [4] Group 2: Financial Performance - In Q4 2025, Sonos reported revenue of $288 million, reflecting a 13% year-over-year increase [2] - For the full year, revenue declined by 5% to $1.44 billion, but the company reduced its annual operating expense run rate by over $100 million [2] - Non-GAAP EPS grew by 31% to $0.64, indicating improved financial discipline [2] - Inventory management showed a 26% year-over-year reduction, bringing inventory down to $171 million [2] Group 3: Strategic Outlook - CEO Thomas Conrad described 2026 as a new chapter with a refreshed strategy focusing on the Sonos platform for AI experiences [3] - Revenue guidance for Q1 2026 is set between $510 million and $560 million [3] - The company anticipates headwinds from tariffs, which are expected to impact margins by 300 basis points in Q1 and 400 basis points in Q2, and is addressing these through strategic pricing and promotions [3] Group 4: Analyst Insights - Jefferies raised its price target for Sonos to $21 from $19, maintaining a Buy rating and highlighting 2026 as a year for gradual AI monetization [1] - The firm noted that while long-term value lies in the software layer, investors may need to be patient as sector valuations normalize [1] - Jefferies emphasized the need for significant growth acceleration to alleviate fears of AI disintermediation, suggesting a more selective investment approach within the sector [1]

Core Insights - Goldman Sachs has initiated coverage of Penguin Solutions with a Buy rating and a revised price target of $25, down from $26, while noting the company's FY2026 outlook is uncertain but remains optimistic about its AI infrastructure momentum [1][4] Financial Performance - In FQ1 2026, Penguin Solutions reported revenue of $343 million, reflecting a 1% year-over-year increase, driven by a 41% annual surge in Integrated Memory business revenue to $137 million due to DDR5 technology and AI computing demand [2] - Advanced Computing revenue increased by 9% sequentially to $151 million [2] Challenges and Future Outlook - The company experienced an 18% sequential decline in its Optimized LED business due to weak demand in China and large US OEM sectors [3] - Management indicated challenges with the high-margin Penguin Edge business, which is expected to wind down by the end of fiscal 2026, alongside a 9% decline in services net sales [3] - Penguin Solutions anticipates a stronger second half of the year by focusing on enterprise and sovereign AI opportunities, leveraging partnerships with Dell, CDW, and Nvidia to diversify its customer base beyond traditional hyperscalers [3]

Core Insights - MaxLinear Inc. (NASDAQ:MXL) is highlighted as a promising small-cap tech stock, reporting a strong Q4 2025 with revenue of $136.4 million, reflecting an 8% sequential increase and a 48% year-over-year rise, primarily driven by the infrastructure segment [1][4] Financial Performance - Q4 2025 revenue reached $136.4 million, marking an 8% increase from the previous quarter and a 48% increase year-over-year [1] - The infrastructure segment experienced a significant annual growth of 76%, attributed to high demand for optical interconnects and wireless infrastructure in data centers [1] Future Outlook - For 2026, MaxLinear anticipates revenue from its Keystone PAM4 DSP family to be between $100 million and $130 million, driven by major hyperscale data centers [2] - The company expects a softer first half for its broadband business due to industry transitions to DOCSIS 4.0, which may result in an overall annual decline in that segment [2] - Despite challenges such as supply chain tightness and competitive pressures, the company is optimistic about improving its infrastructure product mix, aiming for gross margins to approach 60% by year-end [2] Analyst Ratings - Following the earnings report, analyst Richard Shannon from Craig-Hallum reiterated a Buy rating on MaxLinear with a price target of $27 [3]

Core Viewpoint - Amplitude Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPL) is recognized as a promising small-cap tech stock, with recent upgrades from Morgan Stanley and Baird indicating positive market sentiment and growth potential [1][3]. Group 1: Analyst Upgrades - Morgan Stanley upgraded Amplitude to Overweight from Equal Weight, raising its price target to $16 from $14, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects [1]. - Baird also increased its price target for Amplitude to $15 from $14 while maintaining an Outperform rating, following insights from recent management meetings [3]. Group 2: Market Position and Valuation - The firm believes Amplitude is well-positioned to benefit from the increasing demand for digital product user behavior data, particularly due to the influence of generative AI on mobile and web application development [2]. - Amplitude's shares are considered to trade at a reasonable valuation, lacking the seat-based model overhang that affects other companies in the sector, which suggests further upside potential [2]. Group 3: Company Overview - Amplitude Inc. provides a digital analytics platform that analyzes customer behavior both in the US and internationally, positioning itself as a key player in the analytics space [4].