Core Viewpoint - Wall Street anticipates a year-over-year decline in earnings for Gartner, despite an expected increase in revenues, with actual results being crucial for stock price movement [1][2]. Earnings Expectations - Gartner is projected to report earnings of $3.50 per share, reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 35.8%, while revenues are expected to reach $1.74 billion, a 1.7% increase from the previous year [3]. Estimate Revisions - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised down by 1.07% over the last 30 days, indicating a reassessment by analysts [4]. Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model indicates a positive Earnings ESP of +0.80% for Gartner, suggesting analysts have recently become more optimistic about the company's earnings prospects [12]. Historical Performance - Gartner has consistently beaten consensus EPS estimates in the past four quarters, with a notable surprise of +14.52% in the last reported quarter [13][14]. Investment Considerations - While Gartner is seen as a strong candidate for an earnings beat, other factors may influence stock performance, making it essential for investors to consider the broader context [15][17].

Core Viewpoint - Huntington Bancshares Inc. is celebrating its 160th anniversary by demonstrating that traditional branch banking and digital growth can coexist and enhance each other rather than compete [1] Company Strategy - Founded in 1866, Huntington operates over 1,000 branches and is focusing on expansion, with 2026 identified as a "major" strategic year for integrating partnerships and growing core businesses in payments, wealth management, and capital markets [2] - The bank plans to open approximately one branch every two weeks in North Carolina and South Carolina, aiming for about 55 locations by the end of 2027 [3][4] Digital Growth - Huntington has shifted towards a digital-first approach for customer acquisition, now attracting more customers online than through branches, which is noted as "very unusual" for a bank of its size [5] - Approximately 80% of new digital customers reside within five miles of a Huntington branch, indicating the importance of local presence even for online account openings [6] Financial Performance - Huntington reported solid fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with fourth-quarter EPS at $0.30, or $0.37 adjusted, reflecting a 9% year-over-year increase and surpassing estimates [7] - The bank's growth is attributed to loan and deposit increases, higher fee income, improving margins, and strong credit quality [7] Integration and Long-term Strategy - Huntington is actively integrating two recent bank partnerships, including a merger with Veritex Holdings and an acquisition of Cadence Bank, applying lessons learned to retain employees and customers during transitions [7] - The strategy emphasizes consistent, multi-year investments in branches, digital platforms, and specialized businesses to capture market share over time [8]

Core Insights - AI spending is projected to increase significantly, reaching $2.53 trillion in 2023 and $3.33 trillion by 2027, with a 44% year-over-year increase expected in 2026 [2][4] - The growth in AI spending is driven by the need for organizations to prioritize proven outcomes and the readiness of human capital and organizational processes [3][6] AI Spending Trends - The increase in AI spending will not be limited to a single theme; it will be diverse, with a notable 49% increase in spending on AI-optimized servers expected for 2026, accounting for 17% of total AI spending [4] - AI infrastructure is anticipated to contribute an additional $401 billion in spending in 2026 as technology providers build out AI foundations [4] Investment Opportunities - ETFs such as Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM) are well-positioned to benefit from the AI spending boom due to their heavy allocation to AI enablers and hyperscalers [3][5] - Enterprise customers are likely to increase AI expenditures with established vendors, which is favorable for large firms within QQQ and QQQM that can demonstrate return on investment [5][6]

Core Insights - Gartner forecasts AI spending to reach nearly $1.5 trillion in 2025 and over $2 trillion in 2026, driven by AI integration in devices and computing infrastructure [1][8] Company Analysis: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) - TSMC, the world's leading chip manufacturer, is expected to see solid demand due to its production of chips for smartphones, smart devices, and high-performance computing [3] - TSMC's fourth-quarter earnings showed a 25% year-over-year revenue increase in U.S. dollars, attributed to advanced AI chip technologies [3] - Revenue from TSMC's smartphone segment increased by 11% year over year, while Internet of Things revenue grew by 3%, and automotive revenue declined by 1% [4] - TSMC forecasts AI chip revenue to grow by over 50% annually through 2029, indicating a strong focus on expanding manufacturing capacity [5] - Apple has secured about half of TSMC's production capacity for its advanced 2-nanometer process technology, which will be utilized for the A20 chip in upcoming iPhones [6] - TSMC's outlook for 2026 predicts a 30% revenue increase in U.S. dollars and a 25% growth in earnings per share to $13.26, suggesting potential for a higher earnings multiple [7]

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Gartner stock price has crashed in the last 12 months, moving from a high of $584 in February to the current $246. Its market capitalization has crashed from over $45 billion to $18.25 billion today. ...

Investors might want to bet on Gartner (IT) , as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.The Zacks rating relies solely on a company's changing earnings picture. It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell-side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure -- the Zacks Consensus Estimate.Since a changing earnings picture i ...

Core Insights - Palm Valley Capital Fund experienced a 0.66% appreciation in Q4 2025, underperforming compared to the S&P SmallCap 600's 1.70% gain and the Morningstar Small Cap Total Return Index's 3.12% rise [1] - The Fund increased its allocation to Treasury bills from 74.1% to 76.3% during the quarter, while equity holdings rose by 1.12% [1] - Investments in precious metals, particularly silver, positively influenced equity performance, with silver being the Fund's largest allocation for several years [1] Company Focus: Forrester Research, Inc. - Forrester Research, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORR) had a one-month return of 14.47%, but its shares declined by 44.86% over the past 52 weeks, closing at $8.15 per share on January 5, 2026, with a market capitalization of $155.526 million [2] - The Fund sold its position in Forrester Research in Q4 2025, citing that sales typically occur when share prices reach valuations, and sometimes at a loss when confidence in valuation diminishes [3] - Forrester's revenue challenges were deemed self-inflicted, especially as larger competitor Gartner continued to grow, leading to the decision to divest from Forrester [3]

Core Insights - The Themes Cloud Computing ETF (CLOD) underperformed in 2025, gaining only 7% compared to the Nasdaq-100's 21% return, suggesting potential for a rebound in 2026 [2][4] - CLOD was launched in December 2023, focusing 73% of its assets on information technology, particularly cloud infrastructure and software companies, with total assets of $1.3 million [3][4] - Gartner forecasts a 15.2% growth in enterprise software spending in 2026, reaching $1.43 trillion, indicating a strong market for cloud solutions [7] Fund Performance - CLOD's year-to-date performance shows an 8.8% gain, significantly trailing the Nasdaq-100's 21.4% return by over 12 percentage points [4] - The top 15 holdings in CLOD represent 57% of the portfolio, with major positions including Alphabet (6.2%), AppLovin (5.6%), and Salesforce (5.3%) [3][4] - Salesforce, despite beating earnings estimates, saw a nearly 20% drop in 2025, contrasting with strong performances from Snowflake (44.6% increase) and CrowdStrike (39.4% increase) [6] Market Trends - Cloud infrastructure spending reached $90.9 billion in Q1 2025, marking a 21% year-over-year increase, with the global cloud market nearing $1 trillion [7] - Enterprises are shifting from custom AI builds to purchasing commercial cloud solutions due to high failure rates in previous projects, benefiting CLOD's holdings [7][8] - Microsoft, a key holding in CLOD, reported an 18.4% revenue growth driven by Azure cloud services, highlighting the demand for cloud infrastructure [8]

Core Viewpoint - Peter Schiff has criticized Strategy's heavy investment in Bitcoin, questioning its potential inclusion in the S&P 500 due to a significant decline in performance [1][2] Company Performance - Strategy's stock experienced a 47.5% decline in 2025, which would categorize it among the worst performers if it were part of the S&P 500 [1] - The company's aggressive Bitcoin accumulation has negatively impacted shareholders, undermining the argument that Bitcoin investment is the optimal corporate strategy [2] Market Context - The S&P 500 index saw an overall increase of approximately 17.3% in 2025, following gains of 23.3% in 2024 and 24.2% in 2023, indicating a strong year for the broader U.S. equity market [3] - Despite the overall positive performance of the S&P 500, several large-cap stocks faced significant losses due to specific company challenges and changing market conditions [3] Notable Stock Performances - Fiserv was the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2025, down roughly 70% after missing earnings expectations and facing client complaints [4] - The Trade Desk followed closely with a decline of around 68%, impacted by slower revenue growth and increased competition [4] - Sarepta Therapeutics experienced a decline of over 80% due to patient deaths and regulatory issues related to its gene therapy treatments [4] - Other notable laggards included Deckers Outdoor, Gartner, and Lululemon Athletica, each losing more than 50% amid weaker forecasts and restructuring efforts [5] Strategy's Stock Movement - Strategy, trading under the ticker MSTR, is not part of the S&P 500 but had a volatile performance in 2025, starting near $300 and gaining about 50% in the first quarter as Bitcoin prices rose [6] - The stock reached an annual high of $457.22 on July 16, 2025, but reversed sharply in the second half of the year as Bitcoin prices fell [6] - By December 31, 2025, MSTR hit an annual low of $151.42, closing the year down approximately 49.35%, making it the worst performer in the Nasdaq-100 [7]