Sailpoint Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIL) is one of the best debt-free mid-cap stocks to buy according to hedge funds. On February 17, Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz cut the price target on Sailpoint Inc. (NASDAQ:SAIL) from $23 to $20 but kept a Neutral rating. The firm lowered targets across software stocks because of recent sector weakness, though it still sees some good long-term opportunities. Mizuho noted that fears about AI disruption have hurt sentiment badly, but its latest checks showed software demand holding ...

Shares of most of the cybersecurity companies Jefferies covers are trading at the lowest valuations seen over the past five years. ...

Shares of Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) had a rough week, falling as much as 11.3%, according to data supplied by S&P Global Market Intelligence. As of 1:11 p.m. ET on Thursday, the stock was still down 9.9%. The catalyst that sent the cybersecurity specialist lower was the fallout from its earnings report and management's associated guidance. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the ...

Group 1: AI Integration and Market Reactions - Wall Street analysts and executives are countering the negative sentiment surrounding AI, asserting that AI integration will enhance business operations rather than harm them [1] - The sell-off in logistics stocks, such as C.H. Robinson and Universal Logistics, was triggered by a small company's announcement of an AI platform capable of increasing freight volumes by 300% to 400% and reducing empty trucking miles by 70% [3] - C.H. Robinson's CEO emphasized that the company is a disrupter in the market, not disrupted, highlighting their leadership in AI integration [4] Group 2: Company Performance and Growth - Figma's stock rose by 6% after reporting a record number of new customers in 2025, reversing a 30% year-to-date decline, with significant growth in its AI-powered tool, Figma Make, which saw a 70% increase in weekly active users quarter over quarter [2] - Analysts from Wedbush identified buying opportunities in the cybersecurity sector, noting that companies like CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, and Zscaler have seen declines of 7%, 16%, and 22% year to date, respectively [5] - Bernstein analysts suggested that the recent de-rating of AI-exposed sectors may be overdone, indicating that coding constitutes only a small fraction of engineers' activities [6]

Palo Alto Networks logo on a digital shield in a server room, underscoring cybersecurity demand. Key Points Analysts largely view Palo Alto’s guidance-driven dip as temporary, with integration costs pressuring near-term margins but supporting long-term positioning. Institutional ownership and recent buying activity are presented as key supports, with price action holding near a stated critical level. Core business momentum—especially Next-Gen Security ARR and rising RPO—supports the case for re-acceler ...

Core Viewpoint - The iShares Exponential Technologies ETF (XT) has achieved a 22.63% return over the past year, outperforming major benchmarks like QQQ and SPY, by diversifying across over 500 holdings in sectors such as AI, genomics, and robotics [1] Group 1: ETF Overview - XT spreads capital across 500+ holdings, with no single position exceeding 3% of assets, aiming to provide balanced exposure to innovation [1] - The fund allocates 30.2% to information technology and 16% to healthcare, with significant investments in semiconductors, cybersecurity, biotech, and cloud infrastructure [1] - XT has $3.7 billion in assets and a 0.46% expense ratio, offering institutional-quality access at a reasonable cost [1] Group 2: Performance Analysis - Over the past year, XT's return of 22.63% significantly outpaced both QQQ and SPY, benefiting from broader sector exposure [1] - Year-to-date in 2026, XT is up 3.91%, while QQQ has entered negative territory, indicating continued momentum [1] - However, over five years, XT's cumulative gain of approximately 31% lags behind QQQ's 83%, highlighting the impact of concentrated mega-cap leadership during that period [1] Group 3: Trade-offs and Considerations - XT's 0.76% dividend yield is not suitable for income-focused investors, as recent distributions appear to be special capital gains rather than sustainable income [1] - The fund's diversification may limit its ability to capitalize on rallies driven by a few mega-cap companies, which can be a disadvantage in strong market cycles [1] - Active rebalancing introduces tracking error, as performance is influenced by the manager's sector timing decisions [1]

N-Able (NYSE:NABL) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 19, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsAdam Holets - Equity Research AssociateGriffin Gyr - Senior Manager of Investor RelationsJohn Pagliuca - President and CEOMatt Hedberg - Head of Global TIMT Research and Director of Equity ResearchTim O'Brien - EVP and CFOConference Call ParticipantsJoe Vruwink - Research AnalystMike Cikos - Senior AnalystOperatorLadies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us, and welcome to the N-able fourth quarter 2025 earnings cal ...

We recently published 10 Losing Stocks in an Otherwise Optimistic Market. Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) was one of the worst performers on Wednesday. Palo Alto tumbled by 6.82 percent on Wednesday to close at $152.35 apiece, as investors appeared to have already priced in a strong earnings performance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 prior to the official results. In an updated report, Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) said that net income in the second quarter ending December 31 in ...

Industry Overview - The cybersecurity market is projected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.28% from 2026 to 2031, driven by an increase in cyberattacks and the need for enhanced security measures [2]. Company Analysis: Zscaler, Inc. (ZS) - Zscaler offers a comprehensive suite of enterprise security tools, including web security, antivirus, firewalls, and vulnerability management, with a focus on automating risk detection and response [3]. - The company reported a 26% year-over-year revenue increase to $788 million in Q1 of fiscal 2026, with non-GAAP earnings rising approximately 24% to 96 cents per share [5]. - Zscaler is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its offerings, with AI security revenue reaching $400 million annual recurring revenue (ARR) at the end of Q1, expected to exceed $500 million in fiscal 2026 [6]. - Despite impressive growth, Zscaler's gross margin decreased to 79.9% from 80.6% year-over-year due to newer products prioritizing speed over profitability [7]. Company Analysis: Qualys, Inc. (QLYS) - Qualys is a leading provider of Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR) solutions, experiencing increased customer penetration and product enhancements [8]. - The company reported a 10% year-over-year revenue growth to $175.3 million in Q4 of 2025, with earnings per share increasing by 16.9% to $1.87 [10]. - Qualys is expanding globally, achieving a 15% year-over-year growth in international revenue, which supports customer acquisition without significant acquisition costs [11]. - The total addressable market for Qualys is expected to reach $75 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of approximately 12.3%, targeting high-growth areas like cloud security and security analytics [12]. Comparative Analysis - Over the past three months, Zscaler's shares declined by 38.5%, while Qualys' shares fell by 24.3% [14]. - Zscaler trades at a forward sales multiple of 7.51, significantly higher than Qualys' 5.14, indicating a premium for Zscaler despite its tightening gross margins [14]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate suggests that Qualys will see a 7.8% year-over-year revenue increase to $721.5 million in 2026, with earnings per share projected to rise by 3.5% to $7.32 [13]. Conclusion - While both companies are strong players in the cybersecurity sector, Qualys appears more attractive due to steadier growth and a lower valuation compared to Zscaler, which faces gross margin pressures and a higher valuation [18].

Core Insights - The 2026 Cloud and AI Security Risk Report by Tenable reveals a significant AI exposure gap, with organizations inheriting cyber risks faster than they can manage them [1][2] Group 1: Key Findings - 86% of organizations have installed third-party code packages with critical-severity vulnerabilities, making the software supply chain a major source of cloud exposure [7] - 65% of organizations possess "ghost" secrets, which are unused or unrotated cloud credentials, with 17% of these linked to critical administrative privileges [7] - 70% of organizations have integrated at least one AI or Model Context Protocol (MCP) third-party package, often without central security oversight [7] Group 2: Security Risks - Non-human identities, such as AI agents and service accounts, represent a higher risk (52%) compared to human users (37%), leading to dangerous combinations of permissions [7] - Organizations face severe risks in four key areas: AI security posture, supply chain attack vectors, least privilege implementation, and cloud workload exposure [2][4] - The lack of visibility and governance in AI systems embedded in infrastructure poses critical risks that need to be addressed [4] Group 3: Recommendations - Organizations should secure the AI integration process through comprehensive visibility and identity-centric controls, including enforcing least privilege for AI roles [4] - Steps to reduce extended supply chain exposure include unifying visibility across code packages, virtual machines, identity access, and cloud environments [4] - The report provides actionable guidance for security and business leaders to mitigate risks in cloud and AI environments [2]