SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rackspace Technology® (NASDAQ: RXT), a leading end-to-end hybrid cloud and AI solutions company, today announced the appointment of Joseph Vito as Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliance Partnerships. In this role, Vito will lead Rackspace’s global strategy for building and strengthening technology and channel partnerships that drive innovation and deliver exceptional value to customers. Vito brings more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership, ...

Summary of Key Takeaways from Microsoft 4Q25 CIO Survey Company Overview - **Company**: Microsoft - **Market Cap**: $3,514,022 million - **Stock Rating**: Overweight - **Price Target**: $650.00 - **Current Share Price**: $470.67 (as of January 13, 2026) Industry Insights - **Industry**: Software - **Growth Expectations**: Software spending is expected to grow by +3.8% in 2026, up from +3.7% in 2025, indicating a modest acceleration in budgets [3][8] - **CIO Confidence**: 38% of CIOs expect IT spending as a percentage of revenue to increase over the next three years, a slight increase from 36% in the previous quarter [8][51] Core Findings - **Microsoft's Position**: Microsoft is viewed as the best-positioned platform to benefit from improving spending conditions, with a weighted-average growth expectation of +7.3% in 2026, which is +100bps higher than the previous survey [3][8] - **Cloud Adoption**: 53% of application workloads are currently running in Microsoft Azure, with expectations to remain stable over the next three years [3][9] - **Generative AI Adoption**: 92% of CIOs expect to use Microsoft’s Generative AI products over the next 12 months, slightly down from 95% in the previous year [6][10] - **Microsoft 365 Usage**: 30% of CIOs are currently using the E5 subscription, with 19% planning to upgrade to E5 in the next year [6][9] Additional Insights - **Security Solutions**: Microsoft is the second-largest share gainer in endpoint security, while leading in identity and access management [7][13] - **M365 Copilot Adoption**: 80% of CIOs plan to use M365 Copilot in the next twelve months, up from 72% in the previous survey [7][10] - **Long-term IT Budget Revisions**: The long-term revision ratio for IT budgets has decreased to 2.9x in 4Q25 from 3.6x in 3Q25, indicating a more cautious outlook [8][51] Regional Insights - **US vs EU**: US CIOs expect higher growth in IT budgets at +3.5% compared to EU counterparts at +3.1% [8][46] Conclusion - Microsoft is well-positioned to capture incremental share of IT budgets and Generative AI spending, supported by strong cloud adoption and positive CIO sentiment. The company remains a top pick in the software sector, with significant growth potential in the coming years.

Core Insights - Software stocks in 2026 have diverged into two categories: winners with expanding margins and accelerating growth, and losers with stagnant performance despite solid execution. The key differentiator is profitability at scale rather than just revenue growth [1] Group 1: Market Performance - The top five software stocks were ranked based on profitability metrics, revenue growth, and competitive positioning, highlighting the importance of companies that generate real earnings while growing faster than peers [2] - Microsoft leads with a market cap of $3.51 trillion, profit margins of 35.7%, and revenue growth of 18.4% year over year, showcasing a strong business model [12] - Palantir has seen a remarkable 139% increase in stock price over the past year, with revenue growth of 62.8% and profit margins of 28.1%, indicating a rare combination of hypergrowth and profitability [10] Group 2: Company Highlights - Fortinet boasts the highest return on equity in the software sector at 228%, with a P/E ratio of 32x, 14.4% revenue growth, and 28.6% profit margins, demonstrating peak efficiency in cybersecurity [3] - Intuit achieved 41% revenue growth year over year, with earnings per share increasing from $2.64 in fiscal 2015 to $16.97 in fiscal 2024, reflecting a 543% growth over nine years [5] - Oracle reported a 38.7% earnings beat in its latest quarter, with a market cap of $553 billion, 14.2% revenue growth, and 69% return on equity, validating its cloud transformation strategy [7] Group 3: Investment Implications - The market is rewarding companies that convert revenue into profit at scale, leading to premium valuations and strong stock performance, while struggling peers like Snowflake and CrowdStrike fail to achieve similar results [15]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Group service revenue growth accelerated to 5.8% in Q2, supported by growth across both Europe and Africa [5][6] - Europe's service revenue returned to growth at 0.5%, driven by stabilization in Germany and growth in The UK [5][6] - Adjusted EBITDA saw an organic growth of 6.8% in the first half [7] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Germany, service revenue grew by 0.5% despite intense competition, aided by the end of the MDU TV law change and acceleration in wholesale revenue [6][9] - The B2B business grew at 2.9% in Q2, with strong demand for digital services growing in double digits [6][10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The UK market showed strong performance in the first full quarter post-merger with Three, with measurable improvements in network and customer experience [5][12] - Emerging markets, particularly Turkey and Vodacom, continued to deliver strong growth in euro terms [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on operational turnaround in Germany and executing integration plans in The UK, aiming to improve customer experience and simplify operations [20] - A progressive dividend policy has been announced, with a planned 2.5% increase in the final FY26 dividend [15] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in delivering at the upper end of FY 2026 guidance due to solid performance and positive outlook [7][20] - The company is positioned in markets with sustainable structures and good local scale, with a focus on high growth opportunities such as IoT and digital services [19][20] Other Important Information - The company has returned over €3 billion of capital to shareholders via buybacks and dividends since the capital allocation framework was refreshed [14][15] - The incoming CFO, Pilar Lopets, emphasized the importance of operational excellence and sustainable cash flow growth [18] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the expectations for future growth? - Management confirmed that Vodafone is now growing service revenue in Europe and Africa, with a focus on operational turnaround and integration plans [19][20] Question: How is the integration with Three progressing? - The integration is off to a fast start, with improvements in customer loyalty and measurable network enhancements already noted [12]

Business Overview - The P&C insurance industry represents a ~$3.0 trillion Direct Written Premium (DWP) market, accounting for approximately 3% of global GDP[13, 16] - Tier 1 and 2 insurers, defined as those with DWP greater than $1 billion, represent over 85% of the total DWP, highlighting the importance of large customers[13] - Guidewire has 349 core customers, representing $1.041 billion in ARR and $775 billion in DWP as of FY25[28] Cloud Transition and Growth - Guidewire is transitioning to a cloud-based model, with a focus on intelligent insurance through AI and a portfolio of applications[25] - The company's cloud transformation has seen significant success, with InsuranceSuite Cloud customers expanding rapidly[36] - Total Cloud ARR and InsuranceSuite Cloud Customer ARR have experienced 6-year CAGRs of 50% and 52% respectively[115, 135] - Guidewire is targeting 17-18% ARR growth and 15-16% total revenue growth (excluding Services Revenue) CAGR from FY25 to FY28[140] - The company aims to achieve a subscription and support gross margin of ~80% and an operating margin of ~40% in the long term[141] New Products and Market Opportunity - New applications like PricingCenter and UnderwritingCenter are being introduced to drive faster speed to market and smarter risk selection[72, 75, 77] - Industry Intel, a set of predictive models, can improve loss ratios by ~50 bps for auto bodily injury and collision claims, and ~25 bps for workers' compensation claims[83] - The introduction of new products expands Guidewire's DWP monetization opportunity by +$4 billion for analytics and data products, and +$8 billion for UnderwritingCenter and PricingCenter[86] Financial Position - Guidewire has a strong balance sheet with $1.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents[145] - The company expects $360 million in cash flow from operations and ~$28 million in CAPEX and capitalized software development costs in FY26[145]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for Q1 2026 was $1,560 million, up 1% year over year, exceeding the midpoint of guidance [21] - Excluding the divested spot business, total revenue increased by 3% year on year [21] - Q1 hybrid cloud revenue was $1,400 million, also up 1% year over year [21] - Product revenue decreased by 2% year over year to $654 million [21] - Public cloud revenue increased by 1% year over year to $161 million, and excluding spot, it was up 18% year over year [21] - Q1 consolidated gross margin improved by 1.6 percentage points sequentially to 71.1% [23] - Operating profit was $400 million with an operating margin of 25.7% [25] - Diluted EPS was $1.55, aligned with expectations [25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - All flash array revenue grew 6% year over year to $893 million, with an annualized run rate of $3,600 million [8] - Professional services revenue grew 18% year over year to $97 million, driven by Keystone, which was up approximately 80% compared to the same period last year [21] - Recurring support business maintained a gross margin of 92.3% [23] - Public cloud gross margin was 80.1%, up 80 basis points sequentially and nine percentage points year over year [24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Strong performance in The Americas enterprise offset declines in the U.S. Public sector and EMEA [5] - The company secured approximately 125 AI infrastructure and data lake modernization deals across various geographies and industries in Q1 [15] - The emerging enterprise AI market is driving urgency among customers to modernize data infrastructure [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on helping customers modernize their data infrastructure and advance cloud transformations [5] - The strategy includes enhancing profitability and free cash flow while delivering value to customers and shareholders [27] - The company aims to capitalize on growing opportunities in the enterprise AI sector [18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted some macro-related spending caution but emphasized strong demand for AI solutions [6] - The company expects revenue for Q2 to be $1,690 million, implying 2% growth year over year at the midpoint [26] - Full year guidance for fiscal year 2026 remains between $6,625 million and $6,875 million, reflecting 3% growth year over year [27] Other Important Information - The company ended Q1 with $4,530 million in deferred revenue, up 9% year over year [22] - Cash flow from operations reached a record $673 million in Q1 [25] - The company redeemed senior notes due in June 2025 for $757 million [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: All flash revenue growth has decelerated from double digits to just 5%. What is driving this? - Management indicated that softness in the U.S. Public sector and EMEA contributed to lower growth, but they anticipate improvement for the rest of the year [34][36] Question: What is the outlook for enterprise AI adoption? - Management reported strong momentum with over 125 AI wins in Q1, indicating a shift from proof of concept to production [40] Question: How does the availability of 128 terabyte QLC based NAND impact search solutions for AI applications? - Management stated that they have a broad range of NAND technologies available and do not feel gated by any specific technology [44] Question: What is the competitive landscape for all flash storage? - Management expressed confidence in their competitive position despite challenges in certain markets, noting that high-performance flash outgrew capacity flash year on year [110] Question: Can you elaborate on the gross margin guidance for public cloud business? - Management explained that improvements in gross margin are driven by depreciation roll-off and increased software content in revenue [57]

Summary of Atlassian (TEAM) FY Conference Call - June 04, 2025 Company Overview - **Company**: Atlassian - **Industry**: Software Development and Collaboration Tools Key Points Leadership and Background - Brian Duffy, the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), joined Atlassian on January 1, 2025, after nearly 20 years at SAP, where he led the European business and launched the RISE business for cloud ERP [2][4][5]. Go-to-Market Strategy - Atlassian has a unique product-led growth model, with 85% of Fortune 500 companies as customers, contributing approximately 10% of revenue [9][10]. - The company plans to enhance its enterprise sales motion, currently having over 500 customers paying more than $1 million annually, with a goal to hire more sales personnel [10][11]. - The focus will be on value engineering to demonstrate the savings and value provided to customers rather than just the number of licenses sold [11]. Ecosystem and Customer Engagement - Atlassian emphasizes the importance of its ecosystem, which significantly contributes to its business, and plans to invest further in it [12]. - The company has 330,000 customers, with a strong relationship built on product trust, allowing for expansion into new buyer segments within existing accounts [13][20]. Product Bundling and Sales Motion - The introduction of the Teamwork Collection aims to simplify purchasing for customers and expand sales opportunities beyond IT departments to roles like CFOs and CHROs [16][19][24]. - The Teamwork Collection includes core products like Jira, Confluence, and Loom, with expectations of increased inquiries and demand following its launch [26]. AI Integration - Atlassian views AI as a tailwind for its business, enhancing developer productivity and project management through tools like Jira and Confluence [30][32]. - The company launched rovo.ai, which has 1.5 million monthly active users, focusing on customer adoption and productivity gains [43][44]. Jira Service Management (JSM) - JSM is a key growth driver, with $600 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Atlassian plans to invest heavily in JSM, particularly in the mid-market segment where it has a competitive pricing advantage [48][50][52]. - The strategy includes focusing on regions like Southern Europe, Latin America, and Asia, where pricing pressures favor Atlassian's offerings [51][52]. Market Position and Future Outlook - Atlassian is positioned to leverage its existing customer base and expand its footprint through strategic sales initiatives and product bundling [22][24]. - The company anticipates continued seat growth and increased utilization of its solutions as it addresses both technical and non-technical users [34][36][41]. Additional Insights - Atlassian's approach to customer relationships is rooted in a product-led growth strategy, where customers initially engage through self-service models [20]. - The company is committed to long-term strategies that involve integrating AI into its sales processes and enhancing customer success initiatives [44][47].