The latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
1649 ET - Wall Street seems unsatisfied with Microsoft's investments in artificial-intelligence, with the stock slipping 2.2% to $4115.05 in after-hours trading. The company reports sales of $82.9 billion, up 18%, and a profit of $31.8 billion, up 23% - both ahead of analyst expectations. Microsoft's Azure cloud computing business also reported 40% growth, in line with expectations. The company's earnings follow a Tuesday report in The Wall Street Journal that OpenAI had missed internal user and revenue targets, fueling market-wide fears that the returns on artificial-intelligence investments may not be all that Wall Street is hoping for.(elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1635 ET - With four of the "Magnificent 7" reporting earnings after the bell, Alphabet alone seems to be doing enough to please investors. Shares of Google's parent company rise 3.9% after results beat expectations, with CEO Sundar Pichai unsurprisingly crediting AI investments underpinning much of the growth across the company. Amazon.com, Meta Platforms and Microsoft all also post robust growth, but shares are down out of the gate, with Meta down more than 5% The Facebook owner forecast sales for its current quarter that's in-line with expectation and also bumped up its capex plans for the year, reflecting higher prices for components and, to a lesser extent, additional data center costs. (paul.ziobro@wsj.com)
1350 ET - Uber is taking steps to become more of a one-stop shop for travel. Through a partnership with Expedia, the ride-hailing platform will allow U.S. users to book hotel stays through its app, with plans to also add vacation-rental properties listed through Expedia-owned Vrbo later this year. The company is also expanding into travel with other changes, including a new "travel mode" within the Uber and Uber Eats apps that offers recommendations on local favorites, tourist destinations and OpenTable reservations. The mode also offers Uber's version of "room service," allowing users to order food or forgotten items directly to their hotel door. "Users can now think of the Uber app as a personal travel concierge," the company says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1345 ET - Uber and Expedia are teaming up to offer each others' services on their respective platforms. Under the partnership, Uber customers will be able to book hotels directly in the ride-hailing app, with access to a selection of properties listed on Expedia. And following an initial pilot, Uber rides will be integrated directly in the Expedia app beginning in June. Travelers will receive push notifications before their hotel check-in date to book Uber rides at a discount for the duration of their trip, Uber says. Expedia says the partnership aims to make travel feel effortless. "This partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveler experience," Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1136 ET - Traders will likely be scaling back exposure to risky assets ahead of a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve at 1800 GMT, as well as earnings from U.S. tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta, Pepperstone's Michael Brown says. "With all that event risk on the horizon a lot of participants will be wanting to pare down their positions," he says. Traders are also "waking up" to the fact that there is still little in the way of good news on the Middle East conflict, with no sign of a U.S.-Iran peace deal and the Strait of Hormuz still blocked, he says. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rise 4 basis points to 4.398% while the S&P 500 edges down 0.1% as oil prices rise. (jessica.fleetham@wsj.com)
0415 ET - Royal KPN delivered a solid first-quarter performance, Berenberg analysts write in a note. The Dutch telecommunications company reported higher earnings and maintained its 2026 and 2027 targets. However, service-revenue growth was slightly below expectations in the period and free cash flow came in around 50 millions euros below consensus due to quarterly phasing over 2026, they say. Though, recovery is expected for both metrics over the year, they add. Shares are down 2% at 4.53 euros. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com)
0400 ET - Royal KPN began the year with a relatively soft top-line performance, with service revenue in the business unit coming in below expectations, ING's David Vagman writes in a note. The Dutch telecommunications company's first-quarter results indicate that cost savings slightly outperformed at the Ebitdaal level and management highlighted a focus on margin improvement, especially within the business segment, he says. The reiterated guidance appears logical, he adds. Shares are down 2.1% at 4.53 euros. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com)
0329 ET - As anticipated, Siltronic's first-quarter results didn't bring any major surprises, Jefferies analyst Constantin Hesse says in a research note. Results for the German manufacturer of wafers--which are used to create semiconductor chips--came in slightly below consensus, missing sales by 3% and Ebitda by 1%. The company benefited from oil-price hedging included in electricity-supply contracts, Hesse says. The slightly negative share reaction could be due to the one-off nature of the gain, he says, adding that the stock's recent rally has been supported by a solid outlook from chip manufacturers. Shares trade 2.6% lower at 68.2 euros. (nina.kienle@wsj.com)
0305 ET - The recovery in Eternal's food-delivery business is likely gaining momentum, HDFC Securities analysts say in a research report. Net order value of the business climbed 18.8% in 4Q FY 2026 after rising 16.6% in 3Q, driven by the Indian company's strategic focus on improving affordability across select consumer cohorts, the analysts note. Management expects the food-delivery recovery to continue trending toward its long-term expectation of over 20% net-order-value growth. Management also anticipates NOV CAGR growth of over 60% for its Blinkit quick commerce business in next three years, partly driven by assortment and geographic expansion. The brokerage has a buy rating and target price of 340.00 rupees on the shares, which are 1.7% higher at 258.15 rupees. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
2337 ET - Indus Towers stands to benefit from rising data consumption and gradual switch to 5G technology, Nomura analysts say in a research report. These drive higher equipment loading on the Indian company's telecom towers, leading to increased loading revenue without meaningful increase in costs, the analysts say. As rising data usage spurs operators to roll out more 5G sites, Indus Towers could enjoy higher tenancy ratios. Also, with anchor customer Vodafone Idea possibly raising funds to expand 4G capacity and roll out 4G and 5G networks, this would add new tenancies to Indus Towers. Nomura initiates coverage of the stock with a buy rating and target price of 490.00 rupees. Shares last closed at 413.90 rupees. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
2235 ET - Piotech likely has a multi-year fast growth trajectory, Daiwa Capital Markets analysts say in a research report. The Chinese thin-film deposition equipment provider is poised to benefit from a strong memory expansion upcycle, the analysts say. The company's new orders rose 18% to an estimated 7.9 billion yuan in 2025, which will probably translate into revenue in 2026, the analysts say. Its revenue growth is expected to quicken in 2027-2028 at 50% per year, driven by China's memory makers' capacity expansion upcycle in coming 3-5 years amid the global memory shortage. The brokerage upgrades the stock's rating to buy from hold and raises the target price to 565.00 yuan from 260.00 yuan. Shares are 3.3% lower at 409.38 yuan. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
2123 ET - Life360's new bull at Macquarie sees potential for meaningful operating leverage from the tracking-app developer's advertising business. Initiating coverage with an outperform rating, Macquarie tells clients in an analyst note that modest advertising average revenue per user on a largely fixed cost base could help shift Life360's margins toward the company's longer-term ambitions. The analyst writes that there is upside to paid user growth from Life360's pet tracker product, while its data is deep and hard to replicate. Macquarie puts a A$32.20 target price on Life360's Australia-listed stock, which is up 0.8% at A$20.31. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 29, 2026 16:50 ET (20:50 GMT)
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