The AI story is changing — quietly, but meaningfully.
After a year dominated by headlines and valuation expansion, investors are now focusing on something far more important:
👉 Who is actually monetizing AI at scale.
Recent earnings, capex guidance, and enterprise spending trends all point to the same shift:
- AI budgets are moving from experimentation to deployment
- Companies are prioritizing infrastructure, data, and real use cases
- The market is rewarding revenue traction, not promises
This is where a new group of AI stocks starts to matter.
We’ve put together a focused report identifying 9 AI companies aligned with this next phase — businesses benefiting from:
- Sustained AI infrastructure spending
- Enterprise and government adoption
- Predictable, recurring AI-driven revenue
Inside the report, you’ll find exposure to:
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- Cloud and data platforms tied to real workloads
- Software companies are embedding AI directly into revenue-producing products
This isn’t about chasing the loudest AI names.
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- View the Top 9 AI Stocks report
- See how companies are monetizing AI today
- Review the themes driving the next phase of AI growth
- Access the full analysis now
You can review the full report here.
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Booking Holdings Split: The Catalyst Wall Street Didn't See Coming
Written by Chris Markoch. First Published: 2/19/2026.
Key Points
- Booking Holdings announced a 25-for-1 stock split following double-digit revenue and EPS growth in Q4 2025.
- Investors remain concerned that Alphabet’s AI-powered travel tools could bypass traditional booking platforms.
- Despite the sell-off, analysts and institutions still see meaningful upside supported by strong bookings growth and valuation discounts.
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Let's not bury the lead. Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) announced a 25-for-1 stock split effective April 2. Stock splits don't change a company's intrinsic value, but BKNG trades for over $3,900 per share — a significant barrier for many retail investors. The split reduces that barrier and may attract stronger retail interest.
The stock split announcement accompanied Booking's Q4 2025 earnings report. The company beat on both the top and bottom lines, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $48.80 on revenue of $6.35 billion. EPS rose 17% and revenue rose 16% year over year (YOY). Room nights were up 9% YOY, and gross bookings increased 16% YOY to $43 billion.
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Booking also delivered solid guidance for the current quarter, projecting revenue growth of 14% to 16% and adjusted EBITDA growth of 10% to 14%. On a constant-currency basis, revenue growth is expected to be 7% to 9%, down from the 11% reported in the quarter.
A Strong Quarter Isn't Enough to Shake AI Fears
Despite the upbeat results, BKNG shares fell 8.69% at the open on Feb. 19, the day after Booking reported. The decline interrupted what looked like a recovery from a bearish trend that began in July 2025. The stock is down 26.5% in 2026 and is trading near a 52-week low.
Part of the pullback reflects concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on Booking's business. Some analysts worry about AI disintermediation — that large tech firms leading in agentic AI could develop services that bypass intermediaries like Booking.
For example, Alphabet introduced a significant update to its AI Search/Travel Mode in late 2025 that enables AI agents to book trips for travelers within the Google ecosystem.
There's also a secondary worry about rising marketing spend. Booking has been increasing its spending on sponsored links and paid search to maintain visibility online.
Booking's Real Moat: Data, Loyalty, and Friction-Free Booking
The counterargument is that Booking can leverage AI to strengthen its existing model. The company has years — if not decades — of consumer-behavior data, direct electronic connections with millions of properties, and a broad payments network. Those assets support a frictionless experience travelers have come to expect.
New offerings from companies like Google will need to give consumers a reason to switch. If the experience is the same on a different platform, most consumers won't change unless the alternative is meaningfully cheaper — which seems unlikely. Booking's accumulated goodwill and established user experience are advantages the company can deploy.
Wall Street Lowers Targets But Hasn't Given Up on BKNG
Analysts were quick to update forecasts after the report. Many price targets have been reduced, with several now below the Street's consensus target of roughly $6,000.
That consensus, however, still sits more than 50% above the stock's current price, leaving room for upside in the near term.
Institutional ownership, which had been notably bearish by dollar volume for much of last year, showed signs of reversing in the just-completed quarter. Buying volume of about $28 billion outpaced selling by nearly a 3:1 ratio.
The strong report, combined with the stock-split announcement, could prompt additional purchases in 2026 — which brings us back to the split itself.
A Long-Overdue Stock Split—But Timing Is Everything
Booking has long been one of the market's priciest stocks. This move isn't primarily about valuation: at roughly 20x next year's earnings, BKNG trades at a slight discount to the S&P 500.
It's about the per-share price. Even after a decline of over 25% this year, the stock still trades above $3,900 per share. That price point puts off many investors, and some do not want to deal with fractional shares.
Many analysts viewed a split as overdue. The timing, however, may mute the initial impact: Booking announced the split during a period of weakness. Other companies, such as Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), have announced splits when their shares were closer to 52-week highs.
Why Analysts Still See Big Upside in Salesforce After the SaaS Scare
Written by Thomas Hughes. First Published: 2/16/2026.
Key Points
- Salesforce’s pullback has analysts debating risk versus opportunity, but most price targets still imply notable upside.
- The company’s AI strategy centers on unifying data and execution through Data Cloud and Agentforce, plus broad model partnerships.
- Valuation, upcoming earnings, and guidance are positioned as the key swing factors for the stock.
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Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has fallen sharply, creating what many see as a deep-value opportunity amid this year's broad sell-off in software stocks. The so‑called SaaS apocalypse is likely overblown, and analysts are taking note. While AI could disrupt some SaaS businesses, not all are equally exposed. Leading AI modelers are expanding into new verticals, presenting a threat to some vendors — but many SaaS companies, including Salesforce, are leaning into AI to deliver measurable value for clients.
Salesforce has been a leader in AI, machine learning and automation for years. Its work culminates in the Data Cloud and Agentforce combination, which provides a unified platform for CRM data, data management, insights and AI-powered execution. The result is an automated, end-to-end CRM platform that improves efficiency both internally and for customers. Salesforce has also partnered with major AI model providers, integrating access and application of those models into its platforms.
Analysts Trimmed Targets: Market Overreacted
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Analyst activity contributed to Salesforce's recent price decline, as some firms trimmed targets in late 2025 and early 2026. But the market appears to have overreacted and pushed the share price well below most targets. As of mid‑February, implied upside ranges from roughly 15% at the low end to as much as about 70% at the consensus target.
The $221 low‑end target is an outlier; most analyst targets fall between approximately $235 and nearly $400, which is well above the current share price. The takeaway: analysts remain uncertain about the near-term outlook but still see moderate to strong double‑digit upside over time.
Recent commentary from Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the SaaS sell-off overdone and described it as a "table‑pounding" buying opportunity for select software names. Ives does not view Salesforce as an AI laggard but as an active participant in the AI transition, and he recently added it back to the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF (NYSEARCA: IVES) portfolio.
That reinclusion highlights another bullish factor supporting the outlook: institutions, which own about 80% of the stock, have been accumulating in 2026. MarketBeat's data show institutional buying at roughly a $2‑to‑$1 pace over the trailing 12 months, with that trend continuing into early 2026. This institutional support provides a solid base as price action declined. Short interest has risen in recent months but remains relatively low and so far has not materially pressured the stock.
Undervalued — Valuation Alone Could Drive Large Gains
Whether or not disruption materializes, Salesforce's revenue and earnings trajectory looks healthy and the market appears to be undervaluing the company. Analysts' estimates imply the stock trades at roughly 16x this year's earnings and under 7x on a long‑range (2035) forecast, which supports the view that 200%–400% gains are possible over time if the company executes and multiples re‑rate. By comparison, many blue‑chip tech names trade closer to 30x current‑year earnings. What's missing for a near‑term re‑rating is a catalyst — and that could come with upcoming earnings and guidance.
The Q4 fiscal 2026 earnings report, due in late February, could act as that catalyst and may outperform consensus. Analysts have been lifting estimates, but the consensus still reflects single‑digit expectations while Salesforce has forecast acceleration into double digits. Guidance will be pivotal — any clear sign of strength or weakness is likely to move the stock.
Price action has been choppy and the market made fresh lows in early February, with further downside possible. However, mid‑month trading shows signs of indecision and the stock may be forming a floor. Near‑term resistance sits around $195 and $225, with critical support near $180.
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