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Microsoft (MSFT) closed at $333.55 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.49% move from the prior day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.42% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.56%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq l

What happened Companies often benefit when a big peer is cut down to size, and that was the case with several specialty tech stocks on Tuesday. One of these was Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM), which saw its shares outperform the slumping S&P 500 index by rising nearly

The NASDAQ 100 After Hours Indicator is down -17.68 to 15,490.56. The total After hours volume is currently 70,202,852 shares traded.The following are the most active stocks for the after hours session: Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) is -0.02 at $137.25, with 2,508,157 shares traded. O

The market is divided between views on the true health of the U.S. economy. Mostly, investors are becoming more certain that the economy will avoid a recession in 2023. However, some remain skeptical about whether the economy can

Microsoft MSFT is reportedly making efforts to keep the Bing search engine off the European Union's (EU) gatekeeper list, which would subject it to new obligations and regulations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).The DMA is an

Among the underlying components of the S&P 500 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Microsoft Corporation (Symbol: MSFT), where a total of 270,891 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 27.1 million underlying shares. That amounts to a

Of all the drivers of the S&P 500’s growth so far this year, internet-focused firms have perhaps contributed the most. The key market index has grown 18% year-to-date as of Tuesday, with big internet tech names like Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) contributing significantly. The global internet ETF OGIG has benefitted this year, including U.S. [...] Read more at ETFTrends.com.

Alphabet’s GOOGL division Google added a feature for text formatting to its Android and web note-taking application, Google Keep.The new feature offers a more complex approach to documents, allowing users to use bold or italicized

Nvidia stock keeps rising, frustrating its detractors who say it is overvalued. Meanwhile, short sellers of its out-of-the-money put options have been making out and this play still looks profitable.

The stock market has been through a volatile few weeks. Since the end of July, the Nasdaq Composite index, which is chock-full of growth stocks, fell more than 7% at its low point, then swiftly regained much of the losses.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's decision on Friday to allow Amgen's takeover of Horizon Therapeutics was the latest setback to its stated goal of stricter antitrust enforcement, and instead paved the way for Amgen to gain drugs not subject to new price negotiations and possibly lower the company's tax burden.

The tech world has been gripped by the generative artificial intelligence (AI) wave since the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT sparked interest in the latest technology that can generate texts, images, or other media using advanced models. Despite macro pressures, the buzz around generative AI has triggered a rally in several tech stocks this year. We used TipRanks’ Stock Comparison Tool to place Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT ), UiPath ( NYSE:PATH ), and Nvidia ( NASDAQ:NVDA ) against each other to find Wall Street’s favorite AI stock. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Microsoft stock has advanced 37% since the start of this year, as the company is being considered as one of the frontrunners in the generative AI space. The company has invested billions of dollars in start-up OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and is focused on integrating generative AI across its offerings. Microsoft delivered better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results. However, the company’s Q1 FY24 guidance fell short of expectations. Still, most analysts remain bullish on MSFT stock, including Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan. On August 25, Horan reiterated a Buy rating on Microsoft with a price target of $410. The analyst stated that cloud remains in the early innings, with AI increasing the overall total addressable market and adoption rate. Given this backdrop, Horan thinks that Microsoft is best positioned due to its “neutral operating system model,” which can support proprietary and open-source large language models (LLMs) and other applications. Horan believes in the company’s ability to expand its ecosystem to commercialize advances in AI on top of its Azure offering and use its scale to introduce AI applications like Office 365 Copilot to the masses. Horan also expects security to be a $200 billion market opportunity, with Microsoft emerging as a “best-of-suite provider” at a 10% market share growing 40% annually. What is the Target Price for MSFT? With 30 Buys, two Holds, and one Sell recommendation, Microsoft stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating. The average price target of $390.97 implies about 19% upside potential.   UiPath (NYSE:PATH) UiPath offers an AI-powered business automation platform that helps in automating office tasks.  The company delivered better-than-anticipated results for the first quarter of Fiscal 2024 (ended April 30, 2023), with revenue rising 18% year-over-year to about $290 million. Also, annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 28% to $1.25 billion. The company’s top-line growth and productivity measures helped it in posting an adjusted EPS of $0.11 in Q1 FY24 compared to a loss per share of $0.03 in the prior-year quarter. UIPath’s products are gaining traction, as evident in the 43% rise in the number of customers contributing $1 million or more in ARR to 240 in Q1 FY24. The company continues to enhance its platform and enter into strategic partnerships to boost its business. UiPath is scheduled to announce its fiscal second-quarter results on September 6. Analysts expect the company’s revenue to rise 16.2% year-over-year to $281.5 million. They project the company to report an adjusted EPS of $0.04 compared to a loss per share of $0.02 in the prior-year quarter. Is PATH Stock a Good Buy? Wall Street has a Hold consensus rating on UiPath stock based on one Buy and three Holds. The average price target of $18 implies 13.3% upside potential. Shares have risen 25% since the start of this year. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) Shares of chip giant Nvidia have rallied by a massive 232% year-to-date due to the spike in the demand for its advanced graphics processing units (GPUs), which are required for the development and deployment of generative AI models. Following an impressive 101% revenue growth in the fiscal second quarter, Nvidia expects its fiscal third-quarter top line to grow about 170% to $16 billion (plus or minus 2%). The company projects its supply to increase each quarter through next year to address the growing demand for its products, as customers are directing their capital investments to AI and accelerated computing. Reacting to the Q2 FY24 performance, TD Cowen analyst Matthew Ramsay said that the company delivered “simply astounding results,” even as it faced lofty expectations. The analyst raised his price target to $600 from $500 on August 24 and reiterated a Buy rating on NVDA stock.   Reacting to concerns about the sustainability of Nvidia’s results, Ramsay said that AI is more than just hype and the party is not yet over for Nvidia. While the analyst acknowledged that rivalry is bound to increase in the lucrative AI space, he believes that NVDA’s moat is wide. Is NVDA a Good Stock to Buy Now? Wall Street’s Strong Buy consensus rating on Nvidia stock is based on 39 Buys and one Hold. Despite the spectacular year-to-date rally, analysts see further upside in the stock. At $636.62, the average price target implies 31.2% upside potential.    Conclusion Analysts are highly bullish on Microsoft and Nvidia due to AI-driven demand, while they are sidelined on UIPath. Wall Street sees higher upside potential in Nvidia than the other two stocks. Nvidia’s advanced technology, continued innovation, strong execution, and dominance in the GPU market are expected to drive the company’s long-term growth.   Disclosure 

One of the top-trending ideas identified by TipRanks recently, cybersecurity specialist Palo Alto Networks ( NASDAQ:PANW ), for all intents and purposes, represents a no-brainer, in my view. That’s especially true for investors willing to ride the underlying narrative over the long run. With the digital threat environment becoming even more dangerous, circumstances point to a bright future for Palo Alto. Therefore, I am bullish on PANW stock. PANW Stock Offers Relevance but Also Suffers Risks Although one of the key themes of this year centers on innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, significant attention must also be placed on digital security. Sadly, human nature being what it is, it won’t take long for innovation to turn into destruction. Therefore, PANW stock naturally commands relevance. At the same time, it’s not without flaws. As TipRanks contributor Steve Anderson pointed out, the main positive about plying one’s trade in cybersecurity is that, generally, demand should be robust. However, that narrative would be always true if all other circumstances were equal. Obviously, they’re not. Primarily, economics plays a major role, thus imposing a critical headwind against PANW stock. To be sure, Palo Alto appears to rank among the top cybersecurity enterprises. However, Anderson reported that many businesses will likely decide that upgrading their digital security profiles can wait a few months. Undoubtedly, less-resilient corporations will probably go without upgrades for even longer. It’s not that they want to. Rather, it’s the reality of present circumstances stemming from negative catalysts like high inflation. On a related note, cybersecurity doesn’t exactly represent an accretive expenditure. Stated differently, enterprises only care about cybersecurity when they suffer a data breach. Of course, that’s a bit of a hyperbolic statement but the general idea is that protective protocols don’t advance growth. Still, like auto insurance, companies would be gambling recklessly without effective protection. Palo Alto Networks Sells Itself Despite wading into uncertain economic waters, Palo Alto Networks practically sells itself. As an established top-tier cybersecurity specialist, few competitors offer similar acumen. Therefore, patient investors shouldn’t be overly distressed by rising competition from Microsoft ( NASDAQ:MSFT ). To be sure, it’s distracting. However, when it comes to cybersecurity, now isn’t the time to experiment. According to data from Cybersecurity Ventures, the global cost associated with digital breaches and similar crimes may hit $10.5 trillion by 2025. Further, tech giant International Business Machines ( NYSE:IBM ) stated that the average cost of a data breach this year amounted to $4.45 million. For smaller organizations, such an impact could be crippling. After all, it’s not just about the breach itself but also the downtime incurred in addressing the crime. Moreover, if nefarious actors hold a company’s vital digital assets for ransom, that could also be a nail in the coffin. With so much that could go wrong without protection, businesses would be foolish to risk it. As for Microsoft, even covering analysts acknowledge that the tech juggernaut may take time to truly expand into the Secure Service Edge (SSE) space. Still, that might be time that companies needing adequate protection might not have. Thus, it’s not terribly surprising that PANW stock gained over 75% since the start of this year. Guidance Matches the Broader Narrative A few weeks ago, Palo Alto reported its earnings results for its fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2023. On paper, it was a mixed bag. While earnings per share at $1.44 handily beat the consensus EPS target of $1.28, revenue of $1.95 billion missed the mark by $10 million. Still, PANW stock swung higher following the disclosure based on impressive EPS guidance. According to TipRanks reporter Vince Condarcuri, “Management now expects revenue and adjusted earnings per share for Q1 2024 to be in the ranges of $1.82 billion to $1.85 billion and $1.15 to $1.17, respectively. For reference, analysts were expecting $1.93 billion in revenue along with an adjusted EPS of $1.11.” While the revenue component is a bit disappointing, the profitability metrics point to consistent demand. They also suggest that organizations are willing to pay a premium for Palo Alto’s arguably superior offerings. That’s excellent news for PANW stock. Is PANW Stock a Buy, According to Analysts? Turning to Wall Street, PANW stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 31 Buys, two Holds, and no Sell ratings. The average PANW stock price target is $279.81, implying 15.28% upside potential. The Takeaway At the end of the day, the equation undergirding PANW stock is simple. Digital threats are only rising. Fortunately, Palo Alto commands the acumen to address such threats, which are also becoming increasingly costly. Even with economic and competitive concerns, cybersecurity remains incredibly relevant. If you’re willing to be patient, PANW looks like a no-brainer stock. Disclosure

Apple Inc and Microsoft have argued that some of their services were not popular enough to be designated as "gatekeepers" under the EU's new Digital Markets Act, designed to curb the powers of Big Tech, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

External factors like the pandemic and the macroeconomic headwinds that followed have made the stock market unpredictable in recent years. However, easing inflation and excitement over technology like artificial intelligence (AI) appear to have many businesses back on a growth pa

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In the constant Wall Street battle between pessimists and optimists, the bears have the upper hand on Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ: ZM) stock today. The software company's shares have dropped over 70% since 2021, when its platform was the No. 1 choice for millions of people

Designed to provide broad exposure to the World ETFs category of the market, the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta World Low Vol Plus Equity ETF (GLOV) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 03/15/2022.

Conversational chatbot ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just five days following its launch last November, and it reached 100 million users in just two months, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to analysts at investment bank UBS. That expl

Tech stocks faltered in August after a searing rally to start 2023. Here are three mega-cap tech stocks that are trading at attractive levels for investors looking to buy the dip.