Core Insights - The article discusses the 14 best cloud computing stocks to buy currently, highlighting the significant growth and potential of the cloud computing industry [1][3]. Industry Overview - Over 95% of enterprise organizations have a cloud footprint, with public cloud workloads increasing from 32% in 2018 to a projected 52% by 2025 [1]. - The cloud sector is identified as one of the 18 future arenas of competition, potentially generating revenues between $29 trillion and $48 trillion by 2040 [2]. - Public cloud consumption has surged from approximately $90 billion in 2019 to an expected $335 billion by 2024, with the industry projected to achieve revenues of $1.6 trillion to $3.4 trillion by 2040 [2]. Company Analysis: DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. - DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DOCN) is recognized as one of the top cloud computing stocks, with 30 hedge fund holders [7]. - Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded DigitalOcean's stock rating to "Overweight" from "Neutral," raising the price target from $47 to $68, reflecting about 6 times the updated revenue targets for CY27 [7][10]. - The company is expected to scale its business effectively, evidenced by its recent acquisition of Character.ai, which is anticipated to enhance traction with its GPU-led platform-as-a-service [8]. - DigitalOcean's focus on a digital-native and developer-first approach positions it well for profitable growth and potential stock re-rating [9]. - BofA analyst raised the price target for DigitalOcean's stock to $72 from $60 while maintaining a "Buy" rating, citing the early adoption of agentic AI and its traction within developer communities [10].

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft shares have declined by 22% over the past six months, raising questions about whether it is a good time for investors to buy the stock or if it will continue to decline in the near future [1]. Financial Performance - In Q2 of fiscal 2026, Microsoft reported a revenue increase of 17% year over year, reaching $81.3 billion, with Azure revenue growing by 39% [4]. - Adjusted earnings per share rose by 24% to $4.14, indicating strong financial performance [4]. Capital Expenditures and Growth - The company has significantly increased its capital expenditures to fuel cloud and AI ambitions, with capex reaching $37.5 billion, a 66% year-over-year increase [5]. - Azure growth appears to be stabilizing, with projected growth of 37% to 38% in Q3 2026 [5]. Market Expectations - The decline in stock price is attributed to the market's expectations for accelerating growth, which has not been met despite solid performance [6]. - The high growth from Azure was already factored into the stock price, leading to negative market reactions to results that are perceived as average [6]. Valuation and Investment Potential - The recent poor performance has made Microsoft stock more reasonably valued, trading at 24.7 times forward earnings, which is competitive compared to peers and the industry average of 24.5 [7]. - Despite slowing growth, Microsoft remains a leader in cloud computing and AI, benefiting from strong enterprise relationships and a partnership with OpenAI [8]. - The company has a competitive advantage due to switching costs, making it attractive for long-term investors at current price levels [8].

Quick Read Google (GOOG) fell 5.29% this week. Selling has accelerated amongst the Magnificent 7, with each stock in the group now down year-to-date. Google issued $20B in bonds to fund AI infrastructure. Google announced a $10B data center campus in Kansas City. EU regulators approved Google’s $32B acquisition of Wiz on February 12. A recent study identified one single habit that doubled Americans’ retirement savings and moved retirement from dream, to reality. Read more here. Alphabet (NASDAQ:G ...

Core Viewpoint - Most investors are not in favor of Amazon's $200 billion capital expenditure plan, primarily aimed at enhancing its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division, but the alternative of not investing could be more detrimental [2][3]. Investment Plans - Amazon plans to allocate $200 billion for capital expenditures, with a significant portion directed towards AWS, which is crucial for its AI business [2]. - In 2025, Amazon generated $717 billion in revenue, resulting in a net income of $77.7 billion, highlighting the scale of its operations [2]. Market Position - AWS is losing market share to competitors like Microsoft and Google, with its share dropping to a multiyear low of 28% [5]. - Despite a year-over-year revenue increase of nearly 24% for AWS, the growth rate is slower than that of its top competitors, and profit margins are decreasing [7]. Investment Justification - Amazon has demonstrated the ability to achieve respectable returns on its AI investments, such as its Trainium and Inferentia AI processing chips, which are competitive with Nvidia's offerings at lower costs [8]. - The introduction of Amazon Bedrock has facilitated the development of generative AI applications for cloud customers, with a reported 60% quarter-over-quarter growth in customer spending [9]. Future Outlook - The capital expenditures are expected to position Amazon favorably in the rapidly growing AI data center market, projected to expand at an average annualized rate of 35.5% through 2034 [9].

Core Insights - Akamai Technologies is a significant player in the cloud services and cybersecurity industry, providing solutions that enhance internet application performance and security [1] - The company is experiencing a notable increase in stock price, attributed to rising demand for its security solutions amid growing cloud computing and security concerns [2][3] Financial Performance - Akamai is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.75 per share, reflecting a 5.4% increase from the previous year, with projected revenues of $1.08 billion, indicating a 5.6% growth [4] - The company's financial metrics include a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.15, a price-to-sales ratio of 3.89, a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, and a current ratio of 2.28, showcasing its ability to meet short-term liabilities [5] Market Position - Akamai's offerings are well-positioned to capitalize on the increasing demand for security solutions, particularly with the expansion of 5G and IoT devices [3] - Competitors in the market include Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services, which also provide cloud and security services [1]

We recently published 10 Market Beasts Leaving Wall Street in the Dust. Fastly Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLY) was one of the best performers on Friday. Fastly rallied to a new two-year high on Friday, as investors took heart from a strong earnings performance and a double-digit growth outlook for this year. At intra-day trading, the stock climbed to its highest price of $19.14 before trimming gains to finish the session just up by 13.84 percent at $18.26 apiece. Fastly Photo from Fastly website In an earnings cal ...

Mitigate Concentration Risk in Tech, Energy With RSPT & RSPGIn a market environment fraught with uncertainty, concentration risk should be mitigated when looking for sector-specific exposure. Two optimal moves in the tech and energy sector — the [Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF (RSPT)] and the [Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Energy ETF (RSPG)]— give investors strategic, equally weighted exposure to these sectors. They do so by mitigating concentration risk that can come with funds tracking market- ...

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is intensifying its investigation into Microsoft, focusing on the company's licensing practices and its impact on competition in the AI and cloud computing sectors [1][2]. Group 1: FTC Investigation - The FTC has issued civil investigative requests to multiple competitors in the enterprise software and cloud computing markets, with at least six companies reportedly receiving these demands [2]. - The investigation aims to gather information regarding Microsoft's bundling of AI, security, and identity software within its offerings [2][3]. Group 2: Market Power Concerns - In 2024, the FTC initiated an investigation into whether Microsoft abused its market power in productivity software by imposing restrictive licensing terms that hinder customers from migrating their data to rival cloud platforms [3]. - Competitors have accused Microsoft of practices that effectively lock customers into its Azure cloud service, raising concerns about competitive fairness [3]. Group 3: Competitive Complaints - Google has lodged a complaint with the European Commission, alleging that Microsoft is leveraging its dominant Windows Server operating system to stifle competition [4].

Oracle Corp (NASDAQ:ORCL) shares are trading lower Wednesday morning after initially surging in early trading after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) selected Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to host key mission-critical systems. Here’s what investors need to know. CMS Chooses Oracle For Medicare, Medicaid Cloud Migration The federal health agency will shift select on-premises workloads to OCI as part of an IT modernization effort, leaning on Oracle's FedRAMP High-authorized cloud to mee ...

Industry Overview - The global drone technology market is entering a new phase of expansion, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing [1] - The integration of AI has made modern drones faster and more versatile, enabling autonomous navigation based on real-time data [2] - Drones are gaining mainstream adoption across various sectors, including logistics, surveillance, and infrastructure monitoring, with significant use by companies like Walmart and Amazon [3] Defense Sector Growth - The defense segment remains a major growth engine, with increased drone adoption driven by geopolitical strains and defense upgrades [4] - Drones are widely deployed for border security, precision strikes, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, becoming indispensable in modern warfare [4] Technological Advancements - Drone swarm technology allows multiple autonomous drones to operate in tandem, enhancing capabilities in military operations and large-area surveillance [5] - The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market is projected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.77% from 2026 to 2035 [6] Investment Opportunities - Companies like Ondas, Draganfly, and Red Cat Holdings are highlighted as high-potential stocks in the drone technology sector [7] - Ondas is focusing on autonomous systems and has raised its revenue outlook for 2026 to $170-$180 million, a 25% increase from previous targets [11] - Draganfly has secured significant contracts with the U.S. military and is expanding its product offerings, including NDAA-compliant drones [14][15] - Red Cat Holdings is experiencing strong demand from defense clients and has reported substantial revenue growth, with 2025 revenues projected to be between $38 million and $41 million, up about 153% from 2024 [19]