Stocks Rebound with Strong Performances from Nvidia and Corning
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 2 days ago
0mins
Should l Buy PANW?
Source: CNBC
- Market Rebound: Stocks rose on Wednesday, driven by strong performances from Nvidia and Oracle, with Jim Cramer suggesting that Monday's sell-off may have been an overreaction to a Citrini Research report warning that AI could threaten jobs and stock values.
- Corning Price Target Upgrade: Citi raised Corning's price target from $120 to $170 ahead of the upcoming Optical Fiber Communications conference, anticipating significant industry advancements in high bandwidth and AI-driven network architecture.
- Meta Contract Impact: Last month, Meta signed a deal with Corning worth up to $6 billion for fiber-optic cables, which has propelled Corning's stock to new highs on Wednesday, reflecting strong market confidence in its future growth prospects.
- Nvidia Earnings Expectations: Nvidia is set to report earnings after market close, with analysts modeling approximately $66.1 billion in sales and adjusted earnings per share of $1.54, while the market is keenly awaiting updates on its sales to China, which could provide additional upside for the company.
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Analyst Views on PANW
Wall Street analysts forecast PANW stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
28 Buy
5 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 149.400
Low
157.00
Averages
232.49
High
265.00
Current: 149.400
Low
157.00
Averages
232.49
High
265.00
About PANW
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a global artificial intelligence (AI) cybersecurity company, with a comprehensive portfolio of cybersecurity solutions and platforms across network, cloud, security operations, AI and Identity. Its network security platform includes Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Next-Generation Firewalls, Cloud Delivered Security Services (CDSS), Prisma AIRS, and Strata Cloud Manager (SCM). It delivers security operations capabilities that unifies standalone Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, endpoint security, security automation, cloud detection and response (CDR), as well as attack surface management (ASM) capabilities on its Cortex platform. It delivers comprehensive security across the cloud application development lifecycle through Cortex Cloud. Its Unit 42 brings together expertise across threat research, incident response, and security consulting to deliver intelligence-driven, response-ready outcomes that help customers reduce cyber risk.
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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- AI-Driven Growth: The adoption of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24%, enhancing automation in threat detection and response times, thereby improving overall industry efficiency and competitiveness.
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See More
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- Market Growth Forecast: According to Grand View Research, the global cybersecurity market is projected to reach $500 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 13%, indicating a doubling from approximately $241 billion in 2024, showcasing robust long-term growth potential.
- AI-Driven Growth: The adoption of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24%, enhancing automation in threat detection and response times, thereby improving overall industry efficiency and competitiveness.
- Palo Alto Performance Outlook: Palo Alto Networks anticipates a 22% revenue growth to $11.29 billion in fiscal 2026, with remaining performance obligations (RPO) expected to increase by 28% to over $20 billion, reflecting strong performance in the AI-driven cybersecurity market.
- Acquisition Strategy: Palo Alto's recent acquisitions of Koi and Chronosphere are set to enhance the capabilities of its Prisma AIRS platform and provide AI asset monitoring for customers, respectively, positioning the company to further expand its market share in a rapidly growing sector.
See More
Sphera Fully Exits Check Point Investment
- Complete Exit: Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd fully sold its 15,000 shares of Check Point Software Technologies in Q4 2025, with a trade value of $3.10 million, resulting in a total position valuation drop to zero, indicating a pessimistic outlook on the stock's future performance.
- Position Change: Following this transaction, Check Point comprised only 1.0% of Sphera's AUM, and the complete exit suggests a loss of confidence in the stock, likely due to increasing competition in the cybersecurity sector and uncertainties brought by AI.
- Poor Market Performance: As of February 17, 2026, Check Point's share price stood at $165.02, down 25.1% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 37.61 percentage points, reflecting market concerns regarding its growth prospects.
- Financial Metrics Analysis: Check Point's revenue grew by only 6% in 2025, lagging behind peers like CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks, and despite positive net income, its modest 17 P/E ratio failed to drive a stock recovery, potentially prompting Sphera to reallocate its capital elsewhere.
See More
Insight Holdings Fully Exits SentinelOne Position Amid Market Challenges
- Complete Exit: According to a February 17, 2026 SEC filing, Insight Holdings Group, LLC sold its entire position of 8,425,026 shares in SentinelOne during Q4, with an estimated transaction value of $148.36 million, indicating a significant loss of confidence in the company.
- Poor Market Performance: As of February 17, 2026, SentinelOne's stock was priced at $13.40, down 45% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 57.88 percentage points, reflecting widespread pessimism in the cybersecurity sector.
- Portfolio Reallocation: This transaction reduced Insight Holdings' stake in SentinelOne from over 9% to just 0.7%, suggesting a strategic shift away from the cybersecurity sector, likely due to the company's ongoing losses and the industry's overall poor performance.
- Uncertain Profitability Outlook: Despite a relatively low price-to-sales ratio of less than 5, SentinelOne's continuous net losses and lack of a clear path to profitability have led investors to adopt a cautious stance, with Insight's exit further underscoring the market's lack of confidence in the company's future.
See More
Jim Cramer Highlights AI Investment Opportunities
- AI Investment Focus: Jim Cramer emphasized the significance of AI stocks during the Investing Club meeting, particularly highlighting Nvidia as the gold standard in AI computing, with its stunning quarterly results reinforcing the notion of an ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.
- Corning's New Strategy: After visiting its Kentucky factory, Jim learned about Corning's ambition to enhance data center connectivity by replacing copper with fiber optics, indicating a strong growth trajectory in the data center market that could drive future company performance.
- Eaton's Acquisition Plans: Eaton's strategy to spin off its eMobility unit and acquire Boyd Thermal aims to bolster its competitive edge in liquid cooling technology, which is crucial for managing heat in AI chips, thereby enhancing its market position.
- Alphabet and Amazon Performance: Alphabet stands out in the AI sector with its strong YouTube and cloud computing divisions, while Amazon's AWS cloud business is accelerating, although both face capital expenditure pressures, they are still viewed as solid long-term investment opportunities.
See More
US Stocks Decline as AI Disrupts Markets
- Market Weakness: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.61%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 1.17%, and the Nasdaq 100 index decreased by 0.41%, reflecting investor concerns over the disruptive potential of AI, which has put overall market sentiment under pressure.
- Producer Prices Rise: The US January Producer Price Index (PPI) increased by 0.5% month-over-month and 2.9% year-over-year, exceeding expectations, indicating rising inflationary pressures that could influence the Fed's interest rate decisions and increase market uncertainty.
- Strong Economic Data: Despite the market downturn, the February Chicago PMI unexpectedly rose to 57.7, signaling signs of economic expansion, which may alleviate some investor concerns about a slowdown in economic growth.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: With WTI crude oil prices reaching a 6.5-month high, airline stocks are generally declining, with United Airlines down over 8%, reflecting the potential threat of rising fuel costs on airline profitability.
See More
US Stocks Decline as AI Concerns Weigh on Market Sentiment
- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.90%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 1.57%, and the Nasdaq 100 index decreased by 0.71%, reflecting investor concerns over the disruptive potential of AI, which has intensified selling pressure across the market.
- Producer Prices Rise: The US January Producer Price Index (PPI) increased by 0.5% month-over-month and 2.9% year-over-year, surpassing expectations, indicating persistent inflationary pressures that may hinder the Fed's ability to cut interest rates in the near term, negatively impacting stock valuations.
- Geopolitical Risks Intensify: WTI crude oil prices surged over 2% to a 6.5-month high due to disappointing outcomes from US-Iran nuclear talks, raising concerns about potential supply disruptions and adding to investor anxiety in the stock market.
- Mixed Stock Performances: Dell Technologies surged over 10% following a strong sales forecast for its AI servers, while cybersecurity stocks like Zscaler plummeted over 11%, illustrating a divergence in market reactions and reflecting investor caution towards technology stocks.
See More
