Salesforce Rips, Nvidia Beats Riases and Climbs, Bears Check Their Math

 

The market finished Wednesday almost exactly where it started as sticky inflation and stronger underlying GDP data failed to break the pre-Nvidia stalemate.  Industrials led while health care dragged, but the real action waited until after the bell. Nvidia beat and guided above consensus, while Salesforce, CrowdStrike, and Okta rewarded the software-is-dead crowd with another premature obituary.  Stocks activity clustered around $NVDA, $CRM, $CRWD, and $OKTA, where the argument shifted from whether AI spending exists to which businesses can turn it into recurring revenue. Friday’s Jackson Hole speech is the macro counterweight.  Today's Briefing: Powered by Stocktwits Community API. Earnings: Nvidia delivered a double beat, raised the revenue bar, and warned on margins.  Stocks: CrowdStrike and Salesforce rallied on AI demand, recurring revenue, and higher outlooks.  Lawsuit News: Meta accepted up to $18B and nationwide teen safeguards.  Macro News: Stronger private demand collided with sticky PCE inflation.  What's Trending Now on Stocks

Nvidia Clears The Super High Bar  Nvidia topped quarterly expectations Wednesday and guided above Wall Street’s forecast. The beat was broad, but investors now get to interrogate the massive commitments required to keep the AI factory humming.  The RIP: $NVDA jumped +5% after hours, after an initial -2%. Adjusted EPS reached $2.22 vs. $2.09 expected, while revenue hit $96.22B vs. $92.11B. Data Center revenue rose +117% to $89B, while Compute & Networking revenue climbed +114% to $88.3B.  "AI has reached its inflection point. It’s doing useful work. Its tokens are productive and profitable. Now, compute is revenue," Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said. Nvidia guided Q3 revenue to $108B, above the $104.9B consensus, without assuming China Data Center compute sales. CFO Colette Kress said on the call that margins are falling this year due to rising prices in the ecosystem, but will bottom at 72%-71% in 2028.  The Community Read: The $NVDA room is 76% bullish, follow the post-call verdict ->

STOCKS CrowdStrike Secures The Beat

CrowdStrike raised its annual outlook Wednesday after AI-driven cybersecurity demand lifted quarterly revenue and recurring sales. The cloud security provider swung to a profit, and shares extended their regular-session gain after hours.

The RIP: $CRWD jumped +9.2% after hours. Adjusted EPS reached $0.31 vs. $0.29 expected, while revenue rose +26% to $1.47B vs. $1.44B. Annual recurring revenue increased +25% to $5.84B.

"Every enterprise will run on AI, and securing it is the largest market opportunity in our history," CEO George Kurtz said, according to Reuters.

CrowdStrike raised FY27 revenue guidance to $5.99B-$6.01B and projected Q3 revenue of $1.52B-$1.53B. Cybersecurity holders now have a 25% recurring-revenue receipt for the AI security pitch, with next quarter’s growth deciding whether demand keeps compounding. One bearish trader called the top-line growth “pedestrian,” which is a tough review for a company growing revenue 26%.

The Community Read: The $CRWD room is 80% bullish, test the AI security thesis ->

Salesforce’s Agents Clock In

So much for the ‘death of software.’ Salesforce raised its annual outlook Wednesday as demand for its AI products accelerated, sending shares sharply higher after hours. The software giant also expanded its Anthropic partnership with Claudeforce, which will connect Claude models to Salesforce’s workplace applications.

The RIP: $CRM surged +12.4% after hours. Adjusted EPS reached $5.90 vs. $3.27 expected, while revenue grew +11% to $11.35B vs. $11.32B. Adjusted operating margin reached 34.1%.

"We're seeing incredible demand for our AI and data products, with annual recurring revenue about to cross $4 billion," CEO Marc Benioff said.

Salesforce raised FY27 revenue guidance to $46.1B-$46.4B and adjusted EPS guidance to $16.67-$16.71. Claudeforce enters open beta in September, making that nearly $4B AI and data revenue run rate the next adoption checkpoint. Traders had priced a 6.6% earnings move, so the +12.4% jump left bears checking their homework.

The Community Read: The $CRM room is 60% bearish after the beat, catch the pushback ->

LAWSUIT NEWS  Meta Buys Some Closure

Meta agreed Wednesday to settle claims from U.S. states that Facebook and Instagram were designed to keep children hooked and improperly collected young users’ data. The deal ended a California federal trial, required nationwide teen safeguards, and resolved the claims without Meta admitting wrongdoing.

The RIP: $META climbed +1.1% on 2.3x normal volume. Meta will pay up to $18B, with approximately $12.7B guaranteed over 10 years and another $5B conditional. The company expects a $10B Q3 legal expense that was not included in its outlook. Meta must introduce default two-hour daily limits, overnight blocks, school-hour notification restrictions, and age checks.

MACRO NEWS The Quiet Data Problem  Wednesday’s second GDP estimate and July inflation report landed with barely a market shrug, even though the details showed stronger private demand and sticky prices. The headline economy slowed, but consumers and businesses were doing more work underneath it. The Fed will have a chance to respond ASAP: the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy party starts Thursday, with a big speech from Fed Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh Friday morning.  “As Jackson Hole beckons, the Fed’s challenge is clear: It still has considerable ground to cover before markets see 2% inflation as a credible outcome rather than a distant aspiration,” Fitch Ratings U.S. Economics Head Olu Sonola said. The RIP: Q2 GDP held at +1.5%, down from +2.1%in Q1. Consumer spending was revised to +3.4%from +3.2%, business investment rose +8.5%, and private domestic demand climbed +4.2%. July PCE rose +0.2% monthly and +3.7% annually, above the +3.6% estimate. Core PCE remained +3.3%annually.  “This is data that supports a hike,” Inflation Insights President Omair Sharif said.

POPS & DROPS Trending Now $OKTA +21% | Okta: The move put $160 on trial 24.5K WATCHERS · 68% BULLISH · LOW ACTIVITY Okta surged after Q2 revenue rose 11% to $805M, subscription backlog climbed 17% to $4.86B, and full-year guidance moved higher. New products supplied 30% of bookings, and the bullish room is arguing over whether AI-agent identity demand justifies the post-earnings price near $160.  $P +4% | Everpure: The guide raise changed the hyperscaler math 20.8K WATCHERS · 55% BULLISH · NORMAL ACTIVITY Everpure rose after Q2 revenue jumped 38% to $1.19B and management lifted fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $5.03B to $5.07B, well above its prior range. The 55% bullish room is deciding whether hyperscaler wins and AI-storage demand reset the growth rate or merely pulled tomorrow’s expectations into one quarter.  $SRPT +2% | Sarepta: A rival delay could not win over the room 26.7K WATCHERS · 65% BEARISH · LOW ACTIVITY Sarepta gained as traders revisited the Duchenne field after the FDA extended Capricor’s deramiocel review from Aug. 22 to Nov. 22 to assess a major application amendment. The unresolved question is whether a rival’s delay improves Elevidys’ position or signals tougher scrutiny for the entire DMD category.

WHAT’S ON DECK Tomorrow’s Top Things

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