Could a Recession Occur in 2026?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 12 2025
0mins
Should l Buy ZM?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Podcast Overview: Episode #468 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast features host Tracey Ryniec and guest John Blank discussing the potential for a U.S. recession and stock picks for 2026, including insights on the AI Revolution.
Stock Recommendations: The podcast highlights five stocks for 2026: NVIDIA (strong growth potential), Newmont (largest gold mining company with significant earnings growth), Atlassian (global software company with a solid cash position), Genpact (AI and data specialist with value potential), and Zoom (expanding into AI with a strong market presence).
NVIDIA Insights: NVIDIA is noted for its impressive earnings growth projections and favorable PEG ratio, despite a high forward P/E ratio, making it a strong buy according to Zacks.
Market Trends: The discussion emphasizes the importance of evaluating stocks based on growth and value metrics, particularly in the context of the ongoing AI trend and economic conditions as they approach 2026.
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Analyst Views on ZM
Wall Street analysts forecast ZM stock price to rise
20 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 77.060
Low
85.00
Averages
99.33
High
115.00
Current: 77.060
Low
85.00
Averages
99.33
High
115.00
About ZM
Zoom Communications, Inc. provides an artificial intelligence (AI) work platform for human connection. Zoom Workplace, the Company’s AI-powered, open collaboration platform built for modern work, enables us to streamline communications, increase employee engagement, optimize in-person time, improve productivity, and offer customer choice with third-party apps and integrations. Zoom Workplace, powered by Zoom AI Companion, includes collaboration solutions like meetings, team chat, phone, scheduler, whiteboard, spaces, Workvivo, and more. Its communication products include Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone, Zoom Team Chat, Zoom scheduler, and Zoom mail and calendar. Its productivity products include Zoom Docs, Zoom Whiteboard, Zoom Clips, and Zoom Tasks. Its space products include Zoom Rooms, Zoom Workspace Reservation, and Zoom Visitor Management. It serves various industries, including education, financial services, government, retail, manufacturing and healthcare.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Significant User Growth: The monthly active users of Zoom's AI Companion have more than tripled year-over-year in Q4 FY26, indicating a surge in enterprise demand for AI technology, which further solidifies Zoom's leadership position in the enterprise market.
- Enhanced Customization Capabilities: The newly launched Custom AI Companion allows organizations to build custom AI agents that streamline task automation and workflow orchestration, supporting integration with third-party systems like Salesforce and Slack, thereby improving operational efficiency and data utilization.
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- Payment Integration Innovation: The new technology will allow customers to complete transactions within the same virtual interaction, eliminating the need for channel switching while maintaining rigorous security standards, thereby reducing compliance complexity and audit burdens, facilitating efficient operations for enterprises.
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- AI Platform Expansion: Zoom announced the introduction of new workflow orchestration capabilities within its enterprise agentic AI platform, covering Zoom Workplace, Zoom Phone, and Zoom CX, aimed at enhancing organizational efficiency and business outcomes through task automation and cross-system workflow triggers.
- Significant User Growth: The monthly active users of Zoom's AI Companion have more than tripled year-over-year in Q4 FY26, indicating a surge in enterprise demand for AI technology, which further solidifies Zoom's leadership position in the enterprise market.
- Enhanced Customization Capabilities: The newly launched Custom AI Companion allows organizations to build custom AI agents that streamline task automation and workflow orchestration, supporting integration with third-party systems like Salesforce and Slack, thereby improving operational efficiency and data utilization.
- Security Enhancements: Zoom also introduced meeting security enhancements and deepfake risk detection technology that intelligently identifies synthetic audio or video in meetings, ensuring meeting security and further enhancing customer trust and satisfaction.
See More
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- Strategic Partnership Expansion: PCI Pal is deepening its strategic relationship with Zoom by planning to embed secure payment technology into Zoom Virtual Agent (ZVA), enabling seamless customer interactions through AI-driven workflows, enhancing customer experience while bolstering compliance.
- Payment Integration Innovation: The new technology will allow customers to complete transactions within the same virtual interaction, eliminating the need for channel switching while maintaining rigorous security standards, thereby reducing compliance complexity and audit burdens, facilitating efficient operations for enterprises.
- Enhanced AI Capabilities: Zoom Virtual Agent resolves customer issues through multi-step workflows and seamlessly hands off to human agents when necessary, aiming to improve issue resolution rates and enhance the coherence of customer relationships to meet growing support demands.
- Market Demand Response: As organizations rapidly adopt virtual agent solutions, PCI Pal's embedded secure payment capability will enable enterprises to confidently expand ZVA deployments, supporting global transaction volumes and operational needs while simplifying deployment processes for mid-market businesses.
See More
FLEX LNG Reports Q4 Earnings Miss, NextEra Energy Upgraded
- FLEX LNG Earnings Report: FLEX LNG reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.43 per share on February 11, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $0.46, indicating potential pressure on the company's profitability and investor confidence.
- Sales Beat Expectations: Despite the earnings miss, FLEX LNG's quarterly sales reached $87.537 million, surpassing the analyst consensus of $85.460 million, suggesting the company still possesses resilience in sales growth.
- NextEra Energy Upgrade: UBS analyst William Appicelli maintained a Buy rating on NextEra Energy and raised the price target from $91 to $104, reflecting optimistic market sentiment towards the utility stock, which may attract more investor interest.
- Zoom Communications Mixed Results: Zoom Communications posted adjusted earnings of $1.44 per share on February 26, falling short of the $1.49 consensus estimate, although revenue of $1.247 billion slightly exceeded expectations, indicating challenges in profitability that could impact its stock performance.
See More
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- Novo Nordisk Decline: Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) fell 6.59% this week after announcing disappointing topline results from a Chinese Phase 2 trial of UBT251, alongside reports of planned price cuts for Ozempic and Wegovy, which could negatively impact future sales performance.
- First Solar Earnings Miss: First Solar, Inc. saw an 18.59% drop this week due to worse-than-expected Q4 EPS results and FY26 sales guidance falling below estimates, prompting multiple analysts to lower their price targets, reflecting concerns over the company's growth prospects.
- Zoom's Mixed Results: Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM) declined 17.38% this week after reporting mixed Q4 financial results and issuing Q1 and FY27 adjusted EPS guidance below estimates, indicating challenges in a competitive market.
- Donaldson's Performance Drop: Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE:DCI) fell 13.28% this week after reporting disappointing Q2 financial results and cutting its FY26 adjusted EPS guidance, which may undermine investor confidence.
See More
Zoom's Investment in Anthropic Holds Massive Potential
- Investment Return Expectations: Zoom's $51 million investment in Anthropic in 2023 is now estimated to be worth between $2 billion and $4 billion, showcasing significant return potential that could greatly enhance Zoom's market value in just a few years.
- IPO Outlook Analysis: Anthropic is rumored to go public later this year, likely at a valuation exceeding its current $380 billion; if revenue continues to grow tenfold, Zoom's stake could be worth over $5 billion at the IPO, further bolstering its financial performance.
- Market Capitalization Impact: As of February 24, Zoom's market cap stands at $26 billion, and if Anthropic's stake is valued at $5 billion, it would represent nearly 20% of Zoom's market cap, positively influencing investor confidence, even though it is not currently reflected on the balance sheet.
- Enterprise Value Assessment: With $8 billion in cash, Zoom's enterprise value could be as low as $13 billion later this year, making its stock an attractive investment option when considering the potential of its Anthropic stake.
See More
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- U.S. Stock Market Performance: U.S. stock indexes closed mixed on Thursday, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.03%.
- Decline in Other Indexes: The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased by 0.54%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.18%.
See More
