Core Viewpoint - The year 2026 is anticipated to be a pivotal inflection point for the AI revolution, with significant investor interest and anxiety regarding the scale of AI deployment across enterprises and consumers [2]. Company Summaries Nvidia - Nvidia is highlighted as one of the top technology stocks, benefiting from the AI boom [3]. Microsoft - Microsoft is expected to experience substantial AI-driven growth, particularly in its Azure cloud business, with 2026 being the true inflection year for AI growth as deployments increase [4]. - The market is currently underestimating the potential of Azure's growth story [4]. Apple - Apple's AI strategy is seen as crucial, with its large installed base of 2.4 billion iOS devices and 1.5 billion iPhones providing significant leverage for AI monetization [5]. - AI monetization could potentially add $75 to $100 per share to Apple's valuation in the coming years [6]. Tesla - Tesla is viewed as entering a transformative phase in 2026, focusing on autonomous driving and robotics, which could unlock significant AI valuation [7]. - The company could reach a market capitalization of $2 trillion within the next year, with a bullish case suggesting $3 trillion by the end of 2026 [8]. Palantir - Palantir is experiencing unprecedented demand for its AI platform among commercial and government clients, positioning itself for significant growth [9]. - The company is on a "golden path" to potentially becoming a trillion-dollar market cap player as it expands its valuation [10]. CrowdStrike - CrowdStrike is identified as a key beneficiary of AI adoption in cybersecurity, with growing deal momentum and an expanding product suite [11]. - The market is underestimating CrowdStrike's growth potential, as cybersecurity is seen as a secondary beneficiary of the AI revolution [12].

Core Insights - In 2025, businesses experienced rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), impacting their growth trajectories, while concerns about an AI bubble and macroeconomic challenges dampened stock performances. However, beaten-down stocks are expected to benefit from the January Effect, presenting opportunities for investors to acquire fundamentally strong stocks with promising earnings growth prospects [1][10]. AI Industry Trends - The integration and adoption of AI across various sectors are anticipated to be significant growth catalysts, enhancing operational efficiency, optimizing supply chains, and improving decision-making processes. Companies investing in AI-driven analytics and automated customer engagement are likely to see improved margins and accelerated growth [3][10]. - The global AI infrastructure market is projected to reach $758 billion by 2029, driven by strong demand for compute and storage hardware. Global AI spending is expected to exceed $2 trillion in 2026, up from an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2025, indicating robust investment momentum [4]. Company-Specific Insights - **nCino**: This company is expected to drive demand in 2026 with its AI-powered solutions. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for nCino's fiscal 2026 earnings is 89 cents per share, reflecting a 36.92% year-over-year increase, despite a 21.7% decline in stock value over the past year [5][7]. - **Global-e Online**: Benefiting from AI integration, the company is enhancing efficiency and customer experience. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its fiscal 2026 earnings is 94 cents per share, indicating a 177.06% year-over-year increase, although shares have dropped 27.4% in the last year [8][11]. - **GitLab**: This company is experiencing strong demand for its AI-native DevSecOps platform. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GitLab's fiscal 2026 earnings is 88 cents per share, showing an 18.92% year-over-year increase, despite a 33% decline in stock value over the past year [12][13]. - **Samsara**: The company has introduced advanced AI capabilities, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings at 50 cents per share, reflecting a 92.31% year-over-year increase, despite a 16.9% decline in stock value over the past year [14][15].

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Core Insights - Microsoft's Dynamics 365 suite is becoming a significant growth driver, with revenues increasing by 21% in constant currency during Q1 of fiscal 2026, surpassing broader cloud services growth [1][8] - The platform's integration of customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning, along with AI features, is leading to strong enterprise adoption, processing over 10 billion customer interactions monthly [2][8] - Strategic investments in AI-powered automation are differentiating Dynamics 365 from competitors, with users experiencing 30% faster case resolution times [3][8] Dynamics 365 Performance - The business applications segment serves over 46,000 organizations globally, indicating expanding market penetration [2] - The commercial cloud infrastructure supporting Dynamics 365 offers additional growth potential as enterprises pursue digital transformation [4] - Dynamics 365's growth trajectory is outpacing overall commercial cloud expansion, with strong renewal rates reflecting customer satisfaction [4] Competitive Landscape - Oracle's Fusion Cloud Applications revenues grew by 17% in constant currency, while Salesforce reported 8% revenue growth, indicating varying growth rates amid intensifying market competition [5] - Both Oracle and Salesforce are investing in AI capabilities, with Oracle focusing on cloud ERP and HCM solutions and Salesforce integrating Einstein AI features [5] Valuation and Estimates - Microsoft's fiscal 2026 earnings estimate is $15.59 per share, reflecting a 14.3% year-over-year growth [11] - The stock is currently trading at a forward Price/Sales ratio of 10.4X, compared to the industry's 7.57X, indicating a relatively higher valuation [12]

UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) is one of the AI stocks under $20 to buy now. On December 9, Morgan Stanley analyst Sanjit Singh raised the firm’s price target on UiPath to $19 from $15 with an Equal Weight rating on the shares. This sentiment was posted after the firm adjusted estimates and valuations among its software coverage, which followed the company’s strong FQ3 2026 earnings report. In FQ3, UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) reached a historic milestone by reporting its first-ever GAAP profitable third quarter, wi ...

Stagwell Inc. (NASDAQ:STGW) is one of the AI stocks under $20 to buy now. On December 10, Stagwell announced the launch of NewVoices.ai, which is an enterprise-grade platform designed to manage sales, customer support, and retention through advanced adaptive AI. The platform functions as a lifelike, independent agent that provides 24/7 instant responses globally in any language. Unlike traditional chatbots, NewVoices.ai is built as a one-to-one intelligence layer that engages in high-level, information-bas ...

Rezolve AI (NASDAQ:RZLV) is one of the AI stocks under $20 to buy now. On December 24, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage of Rezolve AI (NASDAQ:RZLV) with an Overweight rating and $8 price target. This sentiment was announced as the firm updated its research coverage in the Security & Infrastructure Software sector. Additionally, on December 23, Rezolve AI announced a significant shift from pilot programs to live enterprise deployments across its global markets, including EMEA, APAC, LATAM, and North Ame ...

In an attempt to accelerate growth, ServiceNow (NOW) has been pursuing acquisitions. While NOW stock has declined by almost 30% year-to-date (YTD), there appears to be a strong case for reversal in momentum with the recently announced deal for Armis. On Dec. 23, ServiceNow announced the acquisition of Armis for a consideration of $7.75 billion. The company believes that ServiceNow and Armis will be positioned to create an “end-to-end security exposure and operations stack.” More News from Barchart Fur ...

Core Insights - The investment focus is shifting towards AI and its integration into software applications, with a significant increase in data center spending projected to reach $1 trillion annually, up from $550 billion [2] - The anticipated combined spending of $5 trillion over the next several years could imply a potential value of $45 trillion in software and application layers, indicating a major investment opportunity [3] Industry Trends - The current market is witnessing a separation between companies that can successfully integrate AI and those that may struggle, with first-generation cloud and software as a service being viewed as oversold but not obsolete [4] - Companies like ServiceNow and Viva are highlighted as potential beneficiaries of AI integration, while others like Cloudflare and Snowflake may be overvalued in the current market context [5][6] Future Outlook - The foundation models of AI are established, but there is skepticism about their ability to dominate the entire software landscape, suggesting a wave of new companies will emerge [7][8] - By the end of 2026, transitional companies may begin to appear as candidates for IPOs, with a more significant emergence of AI-native application companies expected by 2027 [9]

Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Oracle.Looking at options history for Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) we detected 45 trades.If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 37% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 35% with bearish.From the overall spotted trades, 15 are puts, for a total amount of $3,497,825 and 30, calls, for a total amount of $1,966,394.What's The Price Target?After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Int ...