U.S. Stock Futures Slightly Lower as Oil Prices Rise Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 20 2026
0mins
Stock futures are slightly lower amid AI-related risk aversion and ongoing rotation across sectors. Futures may also be reacting to GDP growth that came in well below forecasts in Q4. The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized 1.4% rate in Q4, following 4.4% growth in Q3 and well below forecasts, the advance estimate showed.Oil prices have climbed amid rising geopolitical tension as crude oil reached six-month highs on geopolitical risk around the Middle East, bolstering energy demand, while agricultural commodities like cocoa and coffee have faced substantial declines due to supply considerations and weak demand signals.In pre-market trading, S&P 500 futures fell 0.33%, Nasdaq futures fell 0.46% and Dow futures fell 0.24%.Check out this morning's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.HIGHER -AppLovinup 4% after Bloombergthe company is preparing to build a social networking platformUP AFTER EARNINGS -Opendoor Technologiesup 18%RingCentralup 12%Texas Roadhouseup 3%Oil Statesup 2%Lamar Advertisingup 1%DOWN AFTER EARNINGS -Hudbay Mineralsdown 4%Western Uniondown 2%PPL Corp.down 2%LOWER -Graildown 47% after reporting its NHS-Galleri trial missed the primary endpoint
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Analyst Views on APP
Wall Street analysts forecast APP stock price to rise
15 Analyst Rating
15 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 372.080
Low
465.00
Averages
745.50
High
860.00
Current: 372.080
Low
465.00
Averages
745.50
High
860.00
About APP
AppLovin Corporation is a marketing platform. The Company provides end-to-end software and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. Its advertising solutions include a comprehensive suite of tools including AppDiscovery, MAX, Adjust, Wurl and Axon Ads Manager. AppDiscovery is powered by AXON, its AI-powered advertising engine, and matches advertiser demand with publisher supply through auctions at vast scale and at microsecond-level speeds. MAX is its monetization solution, utilizing an advanced in-app bidding technology that optimizes the value of a publisher’s advertising inventory by running a real-time competitive auction, driving more competition, and higher returns for publishers. Adjust is its measurement and analytics marketing platform which provides marketers with the visibility, insights, and data needed to scale their apps marketing and drive more informed results. Wurl is its connected TV (CTV) platform.
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.
Underrated AI Companies Show Growth Potential Amid Stock Sell-Offs
- SoundHound AI Rapid Growth: SoundHound AI is projected to nearly double its revenue by 2025, nearing adjusted EBITDA profitability, indicating strong growth potential in AI voice technology, especially after acquiring Amelia, which enhanced its customer service platform capabilities.
- Significant Market Opportunities: Despite SoundHound's stock dropping nearly 40% this year, its substantial opportunities in the multi-industry customer service market could provide investors with a favorable entry point by leveraging AI voice technology and virtual agents.
- AppLovin's Strong Performance: AppLovin's revenue surged 66% last quarter, with gross margins increasing by 420 basis points to 88.9%, while reducing sales and marketing expenses by 21%, showcasing the success of its Axon-2 adtech platform.
- Future Growth Potential: AppLovin anticipates continued strong growth from its core mobile gaming customers and plans to attract more small and medium-sized advertising clients through a self-serve ad manager, while also expanding into e-commerce and other new areas to drive further growth.
See More
SoundHound's Voice AI Agents Show Promising Growth Potential
- Significant Revenue Growth: SoundHound is projected to nearly double its revenue by 2025, reflecting strong market demand and growth potential, particularly after acquiring Amelia, which enhances its competitiveness in customer service.
- Improving Profitability: SoundHound is nearing adjusted EBITDA profitability, indicating improved operational efficiency and cost control, positioning the company for sustainable profit in the future.
- Successful Ad Tech Platform: AppLovin's Axon-2 ad tech platform has driven a 66% revenue increase, with gross margins rising by 420 basis points to 88.9%, showcasing its strong performance in the advertising market and expanding market share.
- Market Expansion Opportunities: AppLovin plans to expand into new areas like e-commerce, and with the introduction of a self-serve ad manager, it is expected to attract more small and medium-sized advertising clients, further driving revenue growth.
See More
Investment Opportunities Amid Nasdaq Correction
- Memory Chip Industry Growth: Micron Technology holds a significant position in the memory chip industry, and despite its stock being 23% below its high, the company reported nearly tripled revenue last quarter due to strong demand from data centers, highlighting its critical role in AI infrastructure development.
- Optimistic Earnings Forecast: Analysts expect Micron's adjusted earnings to grow 13% annually through fiscal 2029, making the current valuation of 16 times adjusted earnings reasonable, with a median target price of $550 per share implying a 56% upside from the current price of $352.
- Ad Tech Innovation: AppLovin's stock is 48% below its high, yet its newly launched self-service platform provides robust advertising technology support for e-commerce, with the CEO stating it serves as the foundation for the next decade of growth, showcasing the company's leading position in AI innovation.
- Undervalued Market Position: Despite facing short-term challenges, AppLovin's earnings are projected to increase by 44% annually through 2027, with the current valuation of 38 times earnings considered cheap; the median target price among 32 analysts is $650 per share, indicating a 71% upside from its current price of $380.
See More
Nasdaq Faces Correction Amid Rising Oil Prices
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- Micron Technology Outlook: Cantor Fitzgerald has set a target price of $700 per share for Micron Technology, implying a 98% upside from its current price of $352, with the company benefiting significantly from strong growth in the data center segment amid a memory chip supply shortage.
- AppLovin Growth Potential: Citigroup has set a target price of $820 per share for AppLovin, indicating a 115% upside from its current price of $380; despite concerns about AI disrupting traditional advertising models, the company is at the forefront of ad tech innovation.
- Industry Cyclicality Risks: Although Micron's stock is currently 23% below its historical high, analysts generally believe it is undervalued, with expectations of a 13% annual growth in adjusted earnings through fiscal 2029, making the current valuation of 16 times adjusted earnings appear reasonable.
See More
Iran War's Impact on Markets and Oil Prices
- Market Shock from War: Since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices have surged by 48.67% to $99.64 per barrel, raising inflation concerns and exposing investors to a potential 20% market decline risk.
- Rising Treasury Yields: The 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields are climbing due to war-driven inflation expectations, impacting borrowing costs and exacerbating investor panic, particularly for long-term investors facing a challenging environment.
- Tech Sector Turmoil: Amid market volatility, tech stocks, especially the 'Magnificent Seven', have faced significant declines, with Intuit, Applovin, and Gartner dropping 37%, 43.4%, and 38% respectively, highlighting the sector's vulnerability to changing market sentiments and AI competition.
- Shift in Investor Sentiment: As uncertainty looms over the market's future, investors feel increasingly helpless, with many opting to exit, particularly in light of the potential for rising oil prices, leading to a substantial loss of confidence in equities.
See More
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- Revenue Guidance Beat: Unity Software projects Q1 2026 revenue between $505 million and $508 million, significantly up from the previous range of $480 million to $490 million, indicating strong growth driven by its AI ad platform, Unity Vector, which may enhance investor confidence.
- Surge in Trading Volume: Today's trading volume reached 51.5 million shares, over 200% above the three-month average of 16.8 million shares, indicating a significant increase in market interest in Unity Software, potentially attracting more investors.
- Strategic Restructuring Impact: Unity Software is streamlining operations by shutting down its ironSource Ads Network and selling its Supersonic games division, which may help improve overall efficiency and profitability, thereby enhancing its competitive position in the market.
- Analyst Price Target Increases: Both Bank of America and Morgan Stanley have raised their price targets for Unity Software, reflecting optimistic market expectations for its future growth potential, with investors closely watching AI developments and Q2 guidance to assess the sustainability of this growth.
See More
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- SoundHound AI Rapid Growth: SoundHound AI is projected to nearly double its revenue by 2025, nearing adjusted EBITDA profitability, indicating strong growth potential in AI voice technology, especially after acquiring Amelia, which enhanced its customer service platform capabilities.
- Significant Market Opportunities: Despite SoundHound's stock dropping nearly 40% this year, its substantial opportunities in the multi-industry customer service market could provide investors with a favorable entry point by leveraging AI voice technology and virtual agents.
- AppLovin's Strong Performance: AppLovin's revenue surged 66% last quarter, with gross margins increasing by 420 basis points to 88.9%, while reducing sales and marketing expenses by 21%, showcasing the success of its Axon-2 adtech platform.
- Future Growth Potential: AppLovin anticipates continued strong growth from its core mobile gaming customers and plans to attract more small and medium-sized advertising clients through a self-serve ad manager, while also expanding into e-commerce and other new areas to drive further growth.
See More
SoundHound's Voice AI Agents Show Promising Growth Potential
- Significant Revenue Growth: SoundHound is projected to nearly double its revenue by 2025, reflecting strong market demand and growth potential, particularly after acquiring Amelia, which enhances its competitiveness in customer service.
- Improving Profitability: SoundHound is nearing adjusted EBITDA profitability, indicating improved operational efficiency and cost control, positioning the company for sustainable profit in the future.
- Successful Ad Tech Platform: AppLovin's Axon-2 ad tech platform has driven a 66% revenue increase, with gross margins rising by 420 basis points to 88.9%, showcasing its strong performance in the advertising market and expanding market share.
- Market Expansion Opportunities: AppLovin plans to expand into new areas like e-commerce, and with the introduction of a self-serve ad manager, it is expected to attract more small and medium-sized advertising clients, further driving revenue growth.
See More
Investment Opportunities Amid Nasdaq Correction
- Memory Chip Industry Growth: Micron Technology holds a significant position in the memory chip industry, and despite its stock being 23% below its high, the company reported nearly tripled revenue last quarter due to strong demand from data centers, highlighting its critical role in AI infrastructure development.
- Optimistic Earnings Forecast: Analysts expect Micron's adjusted earnings to grow 13% annually through fiscal 2029, making the current valuation of 16 times adjusted earnings reasonable, with a median target price of $550 per share implying a 56% upside from the current price of $352.
- Ad Tech Innovation: AppLovin's stock is 48% below its high, yet its newly launched self-service platform provides robust advertising technology support for e-commerce, with the CEO stating it serves as the foundation for the next decade of growth, showcasing the company's leading position in AI innovation.
- Undervalued Market Position: Despite facing short-term challenges, AppLovin's earnings are projected to increase by 44% annually through 2027, with the current valuation of 38 times earnings considered cheap; the median target price among 32 analysts is $650 per share, indicating a 71% upside from its current price of $380.
See More
Nasdaq Faces Correction Amid Rising Oil Prices
- Nasdaq Correction: The Nasdaq Composite index has corrected over 10% due to soaring oil prices, entering correction territory; however, historical data shows that the index has averaged a 22% return in the 12 months following such corrections, presenting a buying opportunity for investors.
- Micron Technology Outlook: Cantor Fitzgerald has set a target price of $700 per share for Micron Technology, implying a 98% upside from its current price of $352, with the company benefiting significantly from strong growth in the data center segment amid a memory chip supply shortage.
- AppLovin Growth Potential: Citigroup has set a target price of $820 per share for AppLovin, indicating a 115% upside from its current price of $380; despite concerns about AI disrupting traditional advertising models, the company is at the forefront of ad tech innovation.
- Industry Cyclicality Risks: Although Micron's stock is currently 23% below its historical high, analysts generally believe it is undervalued, with expectations of a 13% annual growth in adjusted earnings through fiscal 2029, making the current valuation of 16 times adjusted earnings appear reasonable.
See More
Iran War's Impact on Markets and Oil Prices
- Market Shock from War: Since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices have surged by 48.67% to $99.64 per barrel, raising inflation concerns and exposing investors to a potential 20% market decline risk.
- Rising Treasury Yields: The 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields are climbing due to war-driven inflation expectations, impacting borrowing costs and exacerbating investor panic, particularly for long-term investors facing a challenging environment.
- Tech Sector Turmoil: Amid market volatility, tech stocks, especially the 'Magnificent Seven', have faced significant declines, with Intuit, Applovin, and Gartner dropping 37%, 43.4%, and 38% respectively, highlighting the sector's vulnerability to changing market sentiments and AI competition.
- Shift in Investor Sentiment: As uncertainty looms over the market's future, investors feel increasingly helpless, with many opting to exit, particularly in light of the potential for rising oil prices, leading to a substantial loss of confidence in equities.
See More
Unity Software Shares Surge 13.57% on Q1 Revenue Guidance Beat
- Revenue Guidance Beat: Unity Software projects Q1 2026 revenue between $505 million and $508 million, significantly up from the previous range of $480 million to $490 million, indicating strong growth driven by its AI ad platform, Unity Vector, which may enhance investor confidence.
- Surge in Trading Volume: Today's trading volume reached 51.5 million shares, over 200% above the three-month average of 16.8 million shares, indicating a significant increase in market interest in Unity Software, potentially attracting more investors.
- Strategic Restructuring Impact: Unity Software is streamlining operations by shutting down its ironSource Ads Network and selling its Supersonic games division, which may help improve overall efficiency and profitability, thereby enhancing its competitive position in the market.
- Analyst Price Target Increases: Both Bank of America and Morgan Stanley have raised their price targets for Unity Software, reflecting optimistic market expectations for its future growth potential, with investors closely watching AI developments and Q2 guidance to assess the sustainability of this growth.
See More
