Hertz Global Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ:HTZ) shares were trading higher in the premarket Friday after the company announced an expanded technology partnership. •  What’s ahead for HTZ stock?Infrastructure services provider Kyndryl Holdings (NYSE:KD) said it extended its collaboration with Hertz to modernize critical systems and operations, Benzinga reports.Kyndryl will continue working with Hertz under a five-year extension to advance the car rental giant’s technology ecosystem.The renewed agreement will leverag ...

Michael O’Grady: We initiated significant changes to enhance and scale our operations. Our client-centric capability operating model provides a unified and consistent way of working across the company, standardizing core processes, increasing spans of control, reducing organizational layers, and empowering the broad adoption of AI-driven automation inclusive of our AI platform NT Byron. For example, the chief operating officer's organization, which encompasses more than half of our workforce, increased mana ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q4 2025, net income was $466 million, with earnings per share (EPS) of $2.42, and return on average common equity was 15.4% [18] - Trust fees grew by 7%, net interest income (NII) increased by 14%, and revenue was up 9% year-over-year, excluding notable items [5][21] - For the full year, revenue rose by 7%, expenses grew by 5%, resulting in a pre-tax margin of 30% and a 14.8% return on equity [5][29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Wealth Management saw assets under management (AUM) reach $507 billion, up 13% year-over-year, with trust fees increasing by 6% [22] - Asset Servicing reported assets under custody and administration of $17.4 trillion, reflecting an 11% year-over-year increase, with fees totaling $730 million, an 8% increase [24] - Asset Management maintained strong liquidity flows, with AUM in liquidity reaching nearly $340 billion, marking the 12th consecutive quarter of positive flows [14][15] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company experienced favorable currency movements, positively impacting revenue growth by approximately 90 basis points [18] - The effective tax rate increased to 26.5%, primarily due to higher tax impacts from international operations [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on its "One Northern Trust" strategy, aiming for optimized growth, productivity improvements, and enhanced resiliency [5][9] - Significant investments in AI-driven automation and operational efficiency are expected to drive productivity savings and support future growth [9][10] - The company plans to enhance its Wealth Management and Asset Servicing businesses, particularly in the ultra-high net worth segment and capital markets [10][12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving medium-term financial targets, citing strong market conditions and effective execution of strategic initiatives [5][17] - The company anticipates continued positive operating leverage and aims to return over 100% of earnings to shareholders [31] - Management acknowledged the need to adapt to changing market conditions while maintaining flexibility in expense management [31] Other Important Information - The company returned $1.9 billion to shareholders in 2025, including a record $1.3 billion in share repurchases [6][30] - The company aims to maintain a pre-tax margin of 33% and a return on equity in the mid-teens as part of its financial targets [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you speak to your conviction in driving change across the organization? - Management expressed high conviction in the ongoing changes across the company, noting early signs of financial results from these efforts [34][35] Question: What drove the lower cost on the interest-bearing side? - Management indicated that the growth in non-interest-bearing deposits was influenced by seasonal factors and cash stockpiling due to the government shutdown [36][38] Question: What does the fee growth outlook look like for 2026? - Management expects mid-single-digit revenue growth for 2026, driven by strong performance in the Global Family Office segment and family office solutions [43][45] Question: How does the company view potential acquisitions in Asset Management? - Management remains focused on organic growth but is open to acquisitions that align with their strategy, particularly in alternatives and distribution [49][50] Question: What is the outlook for the expense-to-trust-fee ratio? - Management confirmed that they consider the expense-to-trust-fee ratio when pricing new business and continuously assess client profitability [62][64] Question: How sustainable is the NII growth outlook? - Management believes they can maintain a stable net interest margin (NIM) in the 170s for 2026, with various levers available to optimize the balance sheet [66]

Core Insights - CMES Robotics has secured additional automation projects with a premium food ingredient manufacturer in North America, indicating strong momentum in the U.S. manufacturing and logistics market [1][2] - The projects, initiated in 2025, focus on robotic bag palletizing automation that operates effectively in high-variability environments, addressing labor costs in food ingredient manufacturing [2][3] - CMES Robotics emphasizes the need for cost-effective automation solutions that perform reliably in real production environments, showcasing the flexibility and productivity gains from AI-based automation [3][4] Company Overview - CMES Robotics specializes in AI-powered 3D vision technology applicable across various market verticals, integrating high-precision AI-Vision sensing, auto-calibration, motion control, simulation, and real-time processing [5] - The company's code-free interface allows for accurate object identification and manipulation, adapting to different product sizes and optimizing stacking patterns [5] Industry Trends - There is a growing demand for intelligent automation systems in manufacturing and logistics, driven by increasing labor challenges and operational complexities [4] - CMES Robotics aims to support manufacturers and logistics operators in adopting scalable automation solutions that enhance both immediate performance and long-term growth [4]

Core Insights - Resolute CS and Equinix have announced a collaboration to automate the design, pricing, and ordering of global last-mile access through Resolute NEXUS™, enhancing connectivity for Equinix customers [1][4] - The partnership aims to address the edge connectivity gap, which has been a challenge for enterprises in deploying and managing hybrid cloud environments [2][3] Group 1: Collaboration Details - The collaboration will empower customers to design their network architecture without access constraints, simplifying the process and reducing costs [4] - Resolute NEXUS automates connectivity by identifying optimal access routes and evaluating options across a carrier-neutral ecosystem of over 3,200 providers in 180 countries [7][8] Group 2: Enterprise Benefits - By closing the edge gap, enterprises can unlock the full value of their network and cloud infrastructure, leading to accelerated deployment and improved performance [5] - The platform provides transparent access to thousands of leading network providers, essential for enterprises building distributed, multicloud networks [6] Group 3: Product Features - Resolute NEXUS offers features such as designing carrier-neutral Ethernet private line routes, identifying last-mile diversity options, and simplifying access to major cloud providers [8] - The platform allows for direct ordering with selected last-mile providers, reducing sourcing effort and delivery escalation cycles [8] Group 4: Market Context - The global connectivity market is valued at $1.7 trillion, and Resolute CS aims to bring transparency and efficiency to this market through its innovative solutions [11] - Equinix provides a digital infrastructure that connects economies and organizations, enhancing digital experiences and supporting next-generation AI workloads [12]

Core Insights - Asimily has announced enhanced microsegmentation capabilities, integrating Security Group Access Control Lists (SGACL) with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) to improve risk reduction strategies for organizations [1][2] Group 1: Product Features and Capabilities - The SGACL integration allows Cisco ISE customers to automatically apply security group policies based on Asimily's device classification, behavioral analysis, and risk prioritization [2] - Asimily's platform provides deep device inventory and classification across IT, IoT, OT, and IoMT environments, along with AI-driven vulnerability prioritization based on actual exploitability and environmental context [7] - The platform offers multiple remediation pathways, including segmentation, patching, and targeted attack prevention, as well as packet capture for incident response readiness [7] Group 2: Market Trends and Customer Needs - Organizations are shifting focus from device visibility to measurable risk reduction, as highlighted by a KLAS Research report that recognized Asimily for delivering the highest score for ROI among vendors in healthcare IoT security [3][5] - The report indicates that healthcare leaders prioritize AI-driven automation and microsegmentation, both of which Asimily provides [3] - The trend of needing actionable risk reduction extends beyond healthcare to sectors like manufacturing, energy, financial services, and government, where connected devices are rapidly scaling [3] Group 3: Company Positioning and Strategy - Asimily's CEO emphasized the need for platforms that go beyond visibility to include comprehensive capabilities for inventory, vulnerability prioritization, and remediation [4] - The company is committed to evolving its risk mitigation capabilities in response to customer needs, rather than aligning with a parent company's platform strategy amid market consolidation [6] - Asimily is trusted by leading organizations across various sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, facing complex connected device environments [6]

Core Insights - Both Microvast Holdings, Inc. (MVST) and UiPath (PATH) are speculative growth tech stocks focusing on automation trends, with MVST specializing in battery manufacturing for electrification and PATH providing an AI-driven robotic process automation platform for enterprises [1] UiPath Analysis - In Q3 of fiscal 2026, UiPath achieved a 16% year-over-year revenue growth, driven by the increasing adoption of AI and automation strategies by enterprises [2] - The company reported an 11% year-over-year growth in annual recurring revenue, indicating a scaling of agentic automation across enterprises [2] - UiPath's dollar-based net retention rate stands at 107%, with an 8.2% year-over-year increase in free cash flow, positioning the company for sustained growth [3] - As of October 31, 2025, UiPath holds $1.4 billion in cash and equivalents with no current debt, resulting in a current ratio of 2.7, significantly higher than the industry average of 0.9 [3] - The integration with Microsoft Azure AI Foundry allows customers to automate end-to-end processes, enhancing UiPath's product offering [4] - A partnership with OpenAI to develop a ChatGPT connector aims to improve time to value and ROI from agentic AI efforts [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UiPath's fiscal 2026 sales is $1.6 billion, reflecting an 11.5% year-over-year increase, with EPS expected to rise by 26.4% to 67 cents [13] Microvast Analysis - In Q3 of 2025, Microvast reported a 21.6% year-over-year revenue growth, driven by strong demand in Asia and Europe [6] - The company benefits from the rising adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), which increases the demand for its battery technology [7] - Microvast's adjusted EBITDA for the nine months ending September 30, 2025, was $76.3 million, a significant recovery from a negative $53.5 million [8] - Despite revenue growth, Microvast reported a net loss of $1.5 million due to changes in warrant/loan valuation and a 23.7% increase in operating expenses [9] - As of September 30, 2025, Microvast had $143 million in cash and equivalents against a current debt of $335 million, resulting in a current ratio of 0.8, indicating liquidity challenges [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Microvast's 2025 sales is $462.3 million, suggesting a 21.7% year-over-year growth, with EPS expected to improve from a loss of 27 cents to a profit of 17 cents [14] Valuation Comparison - Microvast is trading at a 12-month forward P/E ratio of 13.9, below its 3-month median of 20.5, while UiPath's P/E ratio is 22.5, lower than its median of 68.1 [15] Conclusion - UiPath is positioned as a leader in the AI-driven automation sector, demonstrating strong financial health and growth potential [17] - Microvast faces liquidity pressures and competitive challenges in the EV battery market, impacting its growth and profitability balance [19]

Core Insights - UiPath is experiencing an upward trajectory as Morgan Stanley analysts have raised their price target for the company [1][6] - The stock has shown a significant recovery, gaining over 20% in the past month due to positive earnings and strategic partnerships [5] Company Performance - UiPath's current stock price is $16.82, with a market capitalization of $9.0 billion [2] - The stock has a gross margin of 83.16% and has seen trading volumes significantly above its three-month average [2] - The company has fallen nearly 75% since its IPO in 2021, but recent profitability milestones have sparked investor interest [3] Analyst Ratings - Morgan Stanley has increased its price target for UiPath from $15 to $19, indicating a potential upside of 12.8% based on the current price [6] - The firm maintains an Equal Weight rating on the stock, suggesting a balanced outlook [6] Market Context - The broader market saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite decline slightly, indicating that stock-specific news is currently more influential than overall sector trends [4] - UiPath is set to join the S&P MidCap 400 index on January 2, 2026, which may enhance its visibility and attract more investors [6] Strategic Partnerships - Recent partnerships with companies like OpenAI, Snowflake, and Nvidia are expected to bolster UiPath's growth in AI-driven automation [5]

Core Insights - Locafy Limited, a global SaaS company specializing in location-based digital marketing solutions, reported continued subscription growth and expanding U.S. adoption of its Localizer™ platform [1][2]. Commercial Highlights - Subscription revenue growth month-to-date has been strong, with an approximate net increase of A$24,000 or 6.3% since November 2025 [6][7]. - Localizer is currently deployed by 145 independent State Farm agencies, indicating strong adoption among U.S. insurance professionals [6][7]. - Partner campaigns in the home services sector are generating measurable results, driving further sales growth [6][7]. Operational Progress - The company is focused on disciplined growth, improving unit economics, and operating efficiency as it scales its SaaS platform and recurring revenue model heading into 2026 [5][6]. - The product roadmap includes the deployment of advanced AEO reporting and analytics capabilities by the end of 2025 [7].

Core Insights - UiPath Inc. is positioned at the intersection of traditional RPA and new AI-driven automation, where execution and recurring revenue quality are crucial for growth [1] Group 1: Q3 Results and Analyst Reactions - RBC Capital's Matthew Hedberg maintained a Sector Perform rating and raised the price target for UiPath from $16 to $19, citing a "solid" Q3 performance and improved profitability metrics [2] - DA Davidson also maintained a Neutral rating while increasing the target from $12 to $15, highlighting a larger-than-typical annual recurring revenue (ARR) beat and a better-than-expected guidance [3] Group 2: Company Overview - UiPath provides an enterprise automation platform that includes software robots, orchestration, and AI capabilities aimed at streamlining repetitive workflows and enhancing automation across various processes for global clients [4]