Morgan Stanley, one of the key players in financing the artificial-intelligence race, is considering offloading some of its data-center exposure via a so-called significant risk transfer.The bank has held preliminary talks with potential investors about an SRT tied to a portfolio of loans to businesses involved in AI infrastructure, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. SRTs backed by data-center exposure are still a nascent ...

Group 1: Oracle - Oracle has transformed from an aging tech company into a rapidly growing cloud services provider, expanding its offerings in enterprise resource planning and healthcare IT [3][5] - The company predicts its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) revenue will surge 77% to $18 billion in fiscal 2026, growing to $144 billion by fiscal 2030 [5] - Analysts expect Oracle's revenue and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) to grow at a CAGR of 30% and 22% from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2028, respectively [6] Group 2: TSMC - TSMC is the world's largest contract manufacturer for silicon chips, serving major companies like Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple [6][9] - The company expects its revenue to grow by a mid-30s percentage this year, benefiting from the AI megatrend [10] - Analysts project TSMC's revenue and EPS to grow at a CAGR of 24% and 27% from 2024 to 2027, respectively [10] Group 3: Palo Alto Networks - Palo Alto Networks is a leading cybersecurity company with over 80,000 enterprise customers, offering services across three main platforms: Strata, Prisma, and Cortex [11][13] - The company's next-gen security services saw a 32% increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in fiscal 2025, accounting for 61% of total revenue [13] - Analysts expect Palo Alto's revenue and adjusted EPS to increase at a CAGR of 13% from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2028, justifying its premium valuation despite a high earnings multiple [14]

Core Thesis - SAP SE is positioned as a strong investment opportunity due to its transformation into a subscription-driven, cloud-first enterprise, which has reshaped investor valuation of the company [2][5] Company Overview - SAP SE is Europe's largest software company by market capitalization, valued at approximately €288 billion [2] - The company has transitioned from a legacy licensing model to a model focused on recurring licensing revenue, post-implementation support, and consulting/R&D, creating deep customer dependency and predictable cash flows [2][3] Transformation and Strategy - The core of SAP's transformation is the RISE with SAP program, which offers dual-path S/4HANA Cloud migration options, appealing to enterprises seeking both agility and control [3] - Approximately 85% of SAP's revenue is recurring, with cloud revenue projected to reach €21.6–21.9 billion, and the company maintains robust margins at 26.5% [3] Market Position - SAP operates in a €60–75 billion ERP market with high switching costs, facing competition from Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, and Sage, but none match SAP's scale and integration depth [4] - Each S/4HANA migration further entrenches SAP's platform as the operational core of clients' businesses, driving recurring revenue and positioning SAP as essential for AI and data-driven transformations [4] Investment Perspective - The investment narrative for SAP is centered on predictable cash flows, strong pricing power, and customer stickiness, justifying its premium valuation [5] - As enterprises modernize and integrate AI, SAP's cloud and recurring revenue model provide stability and long-term growth potential [5] - SAP is viewed as a strategically essential player in enterprise software, with multiple levers for value creation and limited downside risk due to its entrenched ecosystem [6]

Core Insights - SAP SE has improved its growth ranking, moving into the top decile of fundamental expansion, with its growth score increasing from the 89.71st percentile to the 90.12th percentile [1][2] Growth Metrics - The Benzinga Edge Growth metric indicates that SAP is outperforming 90% of its peers in terms of historical earnings and revenue expansion, showcasing strong operational health despite facing downward price pressure [2] - SAP's growth ranking contrasts with its other metrics, where it ranks in the 21.11st percentile for momentum and the 12.53rd percentile for value, indicating a divergence between growth and valuation [3][4] Financial Performance - SAP reported a 27% increase in cloud revenue and a 27% rise in its cloud backlog at constant currencies, although total revenue slightly missed estimates [5] - The stock has shown limited price movement, rising only 0.29% year-to-date and declining by 3.86% over the year, closing at $243.82 [6]

Core Viewpoint - Salesforce reported a 9% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3, slightly below expectations, but EPS surged by 35%, significantly exceeding forecasts. The annualized revenue from AI and data cloud platforms continues to show triple-digit growth [1][3][13]. Financial Data Summary - Revenue: Q3 revenue reached $10.26 billion, a year-over-year increase of 8.6%, slightly below analyst expectations of $10.28 billion. The previous quarter saw a 9.8% growth [6][13]. - EPS: Non-GAAP diluted EPS for Q3 was $3.25, a nearly 34.9% year-over-year increase, exceeding the company's guidance and analyst expectations [6][13]. - Operating Margin: GAAP operating margin for Q3 was 21.3%, up 1.3 percentage points year-over-year, while non-GAAP operating margin was 35.5%, an increase of 2.4 percentage points [6][12]. Business Data and Financial Indicators - Subscription and Support Revenue: Q3 revenue from subscriptions and support was $9.73 billion, a year-over-year increase of over 9.5% [7]. - Current Remaining Performance Obligations (CRPO): CRPO stood at $29.4 billion, a year-over-year increase of 11%, slightly above analyst expectations [8][14]. Performance Guidance - Revenue Guidance: For Q4, Salesforce expects revenue between $11.13 billion and $11.23 billion, representing a year-over-year growth of 11.3% to 12.3%. The full-year revenue guidance was raised to between $41.45 billion and $41.55 billion, up from the previous guidance [10][19]. - EPS Guidance: Q4 non-GAAP diluted EPS is projected to be between $3.02 and $3.04, with full-year EPS guidance raised to between $11.75 and $11.77 [11][19]. AI and Data Cloud Performance - AI-related Business: The annual recurring revenue (ARR) from Salesforce's AI platform Agentforce and Data 360 reached nearly $1.4 billion, with a year-over-year growth of 114% [14][15]. - CRPO Growth: The guidance for Q4 CRPO indicates a year-over-year growth of approximately 15%, the highest growth rate in over three years [16][17]. Market Sentiment and Valuation - Valuation Concerns: Salesforce's valuation has dropped to its lowest since its IPO, with a forward P/E ratio of about 19, significantly below its historical average of 47 [20]. - Market Anxiety: There are growing concerns about the potential impact of AI on SaaS companies, with investors increasingly associating AI with "bubbles" rather than "growth opportunities" [20][21].

So did Amazon manage to solidify its prowess when it comes to vertical integration, cloud and ship offering. Well, they seem to be doing a really excellent job of that. And what's interesting about what Matt just said is they're going to let customer demand drive, you know, how they build out these different capabilities for AI applications, which tells us that there are going to be different models, purpose to different types of workloads.So everybody's thinking, oh, and this is the market dominant player ...

Core Viewpoint - The Invesco QQQ Trust is positioned as a strong long-term investment opportunity, capitalizing on the growth of the cloud and AI markets, which are expected to expand significantly in the coming years [1][2][11]. Market Growth - The global cloud computing market is projected to grow by 218%, from $752.4 billion in 2024 to $2.39 trillion in 2030, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence [2]. Investment Options - Investing in a diversified ETF like the Invesco QQQ Trust is suggested as a safer way to gain exposure to leading cloud and AI stocks, including major players like Alphabet [3][11]. - The Invesco QQQ Trust has outperformed the S&P 500, increasing by over 440% in the past decade compared to the S&P 500's less than 230% rise [3][7]. ETF Composition - QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, which includes the 100 largest non-financial companies in the Nasdaq Composite. Its top holdings include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Broadcom, Amazon, Tesla, and Meta, which are all key players in the cloud and AI sectors [4][6]. Performance Metrics - The QQQ Trust has a current price of $623.34, with a market cap of $0 billion and a trading volume of 33 million [5][6]. - The eight largest holdings account for over half of the total value of the Nasdaq-100 and QQQ, contributing to its strong performance relative to other ETFs [7]. Expense Ratios - QQQ has an expense ratio of 0.2%, which is higher than the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF's 0.03% and the average of 0.14% for passively managed ETFs. This is due to its original structure as a unit investment trust [8][9]. - Invesco is in the process of converting QQQ into an open-ended ETF, aiming to reduce its expense ratio to 0.18% [10]. Long-term Outlook - For investors anticipating significant growth in cloud infrastructure and AI markets, investing in QQQ or its lower-cost counterpart QQQM is recommended, despite potential short-term volatility [11].

Google Cloud HPC & AI Solutions - Google Cloud offers managed luster for HPC and AI workloads [1] - Google Cloud provides an ecosystem for HPC environments, including optimized server hardware like H4D [1] - Google Cloud's cluster toolkit automates the provisioning of compute, network, and storage resources [2] Storage Performance & Optimization - Managed luster is a high-performance, low-latency solution for both HPC and AI [2] - Google Cloud offers various storage options to match price, performance, and capacity needs [2] - The goal is to maximize the utilization of accelerators for HPC or AI workloads [2]

Core Viewpoint - ADTRAN Holdings reported mixed Q3 2025 results, with revenues exceeding estimates but net income falling short, highlighting strong demand yet facing macroeconomic challenges [2][3]. Financial Performance - The company recorded a net loss of $10.3 million or 12 cents per share, an improvement from a net loss of $33.3 million or 38 cents per share in the same quarter last year, attributed to revenue growth [3]. - Non-GAAP earnings were $3.7 million or 5 cents per share, compared to a net loss of $5.3 million or 7 cents per share a year ago, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by one cent [4]. - Total revenues increased to $279.4 million from $227.7 million year-over-year, driven by operational execution and demand for advanced solutions in cloud, AI, and edge computing, surpassing the consensus estimate of $275 million [5]. Revenue Breakdown - Network Solutions generated $232.5 million in revenues, up from $181.5 million in the prior-year quarter, while Services and Support revenues were $46.9 million, slightly up from $46.2 million [6]. Profitability Metrics - Non-GAAP gross margin improved to 42.1% from 41.1% year-over-year, and non-GAAP operating income surged to $15.1 million from $0.5 million, reflecting respective margins of 5.4% and 0.2% [7]. Cash Flow and Liquidity - In the first nine months of 2025, ADTRAN generated $87.5 million in cash from operating activities, down from $101.1 million in the prior-year period. As of September 30, 2025, the company had $93.7 million in cash and cash equivalents against $25.9 million in non-current lease obligations [8]. Future Outlook - For Q4 2025, ADTRAN anticipates revenues between $275 million and $285 million, with a non-GAAP operating margin expected to range from 3.5% to 7.5% [9]. Market Position - ADTRAN Holdings holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating an expectation of an in-line return from the stock in the coming months [12]. - The company is part of the Zacks Communication - Components industry, where competitor Viav Solutions reported a revenue increase of 25.6% year-over-year, indicating a positive trend within the sector [13].

Core Insights - Rackspace Technology has been recognized as a Leader in four quadrants of the 2025 ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report for the U.S., including AWS Professional Services, AWS Managed Services, AWS Enterprise Data Modernization and AI Services, and AWS SAP Workloads [1][4][9] - In Germany, Rackspace has also been identified as a Leader in two quadrants: AWS Professional Services and AWS Managed Services [1][4] Company Performance - The 2025 ISG Provider Lens AWS Ecosystem Partners Report evaluates AWS-focused service providers on their capabilities in delivering end-to-end AWS services, including migration, modernization, AI-driven innovation, and SAP workload management [2] - Rackspace Technology utilizes its proprietary Foundry for AI by Rackspace (FAIR™), RITA, and ICE assets to drive business outcomes across clients' cloud lifecycle through workload-aware migration, application modernization, cloud-native data services, and AI industrialization [3] Industry Recognition - The recognition as a Leader across multiple quadrants highlights Rackspace Technology's expertise in delivering comprehensive AWS professional and managed services that facilitate AI-led transformation at scale [4] - Rackspace Technology boasts over 2,700 AWS certifications globally and holds 19 AWS competencies, including Generative AI [4]