Bullish flow in Oracle (ORCL), with shares up $1.43, or 0.77%, near $188.26. Options volume relatively light with 99k contracts traded and calls leading puts for a put/call ratio of 0.31, compared to a typical level near 0.45. Implied volatility (IV30) is higher by 2.7 points near 71.42, in the highest 10% of observations over the past year, suggesting an expected daily move of $8.47. Put-call skew flattened, suggesting a modestly bullish tone.
SoftBank Group SFTBY +5.13% ▲ , the Japanese investment and technology conglomerate led by Masayoshi Son, reported strong results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, 2026, helped by gains from its AI-related investments. Following the results, SFTBY stock trended about 6% higher in Wednesday’s trading.
Meanwhile, SoftBank reported quarterly revenue of 1.84 trillion yen ($11.66 billion), ahead of analyst estimates of 1.81 trillion yen. For the full fiscal year, SoftBank reported record revenue of 7.04 trillion yen ($44.9 billion), marking the first time annual revenue crossed the 7 trillion yen level. Following the earnings release, SoftBank shares climbed as much as 4.4% in Tokyo trading.
OpenAI and Arm Lead the Recovery
SoftBank’s results were helped by the rising value of its holdings in OpenAI and Arm Holdings ARM +5.67% ▲ .
SoftBank said its cumulative investment in OpenAI reached $34.6 billion as of the fiscal fourth quarter, giving the company roughly an 11% stake in the ChatGPT maker.
Separately, SoftBank agreed in February 2026 to invest another $30 billion in OpenAI through multiple funding rounds. Once completed, SoftBank’s total commitment is expected to reach about $64.6 billion, raising its stake to around 13%.
Meanwhile, Arm Holdings, the chip design company in which SoftBank owns roughly 90%, remained a major source of value for the group. Arm’s strong stock performance has strengthened SoftBank’s balance sheet and helped support the company’s growing AI infrastructure ambitions.
Masayoshi Son Expands AI Plans
Founder Masayoshi Son is now accelerating SoftBank’s AI strategy with a series of large-scale infrastructure projects.
Reports suggest SoftBank is discussing a potential $100 billion AI and semiconductor project in France as part of Europe’s efforts to build local AI capacity. The company is also linked to large data center plans in the U.S.
SoftBank has also been working with partners including OpenAI and Oracle ORCL +0.63% ▲ on several AI-related projects.
Investors Watch Funding Needs
To support these plans, SoftBank has continued raising cash through asset sales and financing deals.
In recent years, the company sold stakes in firms such as Nvidia NVDA +2.28% ▲ and T-Mobile TMUS -0.89% ▼ . It has also raised money through loans backed by some of its holdings.
Even so, some investors remain cautious about the large amount of spending needed for SoftBank’s AI expansion plans.
Is SoftBank a Good Stock to Buy?
On Wall Street, SoftBank currently carries a Hold rating based on one analyst rating issued over the past three months. TD Cowen analyst Krish Sankar currently has a $13 price target on the stock, implying about 30% downside from current levels.
At the time of writing, Brent crude (CM:BZ) rose 0.13% to about $107.91 per barrel, while WTI crude (CM:CL) was up 0.30% to around $102.52.
In Tuesday’s regular trading session, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq slipped from recent highs after April headline inflation came in hotter than expected. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 fell 0.71% and 0.16%, respectively, while the Dow Jones gained 0.11%.
VOO’s Key Holdings with Highest Upside/Downside Potential
According to TipRanks’ unique ETF analyst consensus, determined based on a weighted average of analyst ratings on its holdings, VOO is a Moderate Buy. The Street’s average price target of $798.38 implies an upside of 18%.
Currently, VOO’s five holdings with the highest upside potential are:
Revealingly, the VOO ETF’s Smart Score is seven, implying that this ETF will likely perform in line with the market.
Does VOO Pay Dividends?
Yes, VOO pays dividends. These payments come from the dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500, and VOO distributes them to shareholders every quarter. The payout amount can change from quarter to quarter because company dividends vary. Investors can receive the dividend as cash or choose to automatically reinvest it into more shares through a dividend reinvestment program.
Oracle stock has incredible growth potential based on the highest price target from Wall Street.
This means investors could use the stock’s drop today as a buying opportunity.
Oracle ORCL +0.63% ▲ stock has remained in focus as Wall Street analysts grow increasingly bullish on the AI and cloud infrastructure company’s opportunities. With shares rallying alongside the broader AI boom, investors are now wondering just how much further Oracle stock can climb. Luckily, analysts have started offering incredibly strong price targets, including one expert who sees ORCL stock reaching $400 per share.
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Five-star Guggenheim analyst John DiFucci currently holds the highest price target on ORCL stock among his Wall Street peers. DiFucci reiterated a Buy rating on Oracle shares alongside a $400 price target, implying a potential 116.32% upside for the stock.
Why Is DiFucci So Bullish on ORCL Stock?
DiFucci’s optimism comes after Oracle delivered strong Fiscal Q3 results that highlighted accelerating demand for AI infrastructure and cloud services. One major point that stood out to the analyst was Oracle’s remaining performance obligations (RPOs), which sit at $553 billion. That backlog signals strong long-term demand for the company’s AI and cloud offerings.
The analyst also noted that Oracle AI infrastructure demand continued to outpace supply, which reinforced the view that the AI spending boom is still in its early stages. Oracle has become an important player in AI infrastructure thanks to its cloud platform, database technologies, and partnerships tied to large-scale AI deployments.
Beyond AI infrastructure, DiFucci also remains optimistic about Oracle’s database technology and expanding applications business. The analyst believes that if Oracle can continue delivering on its commitments to clients, investor confidence in the company’s long-term growth story will likely further strengthen.
ORCL stock trading activity today saw some 6.3 million shares change hands, compared to a three-month average daily trading volume of about 29.62 million shares.
Considering DiFucci’s bullish stance on ORCL stock, today’s dip and muted trading activity may present a buying opportunity for traders.
Is Oracle Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, the analysts’ consensus rating for Oracle is Strong Buy, based on 28 Buy and five Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average ORCL stock price target of $247.04, representing a potential 33.55% upside for the shares.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO +0.54% ▲ , which tracks the S&P 500 Index (SPX), slipped 0.25% in Tuesday’s pre-market session after April inflation came in higher than expected. Meanwhile, oil prices moved higher as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continued to weigh on markets. Notably, President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
VOO’s Key Holdings with Highest Upside/Downside Potential
According to TipRanks’ unique ETF analyst consensus, determined based on a weighted average of analyst ratings on its holdings, VOO is a Moderate Buy. The Street’s average price target of $796.00 implies an upside of 17%.
Currently, VOO’s five holdings with the highest upside potential are:
Revealingly, the VOO ETF’s Smart Score is seven, implying that this ETF will likely perform in line with the market.
Does VOO Pay Dividends?
Yes, VOO pays dividends. These payments come from the dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500, and VOO distributes them to shareholders every quarter. The payout amount can change from quarter to quarter because company dividends vary. Investors can receive the dividend as cash or choose to automatically reinvest it into more shares through a dividend reinvestment program.
Oracle is finally proving that its aggressive AI capex cycle is translating into real demand, backlog growth, and cloud monetization, helping reduce fears around leverage and funding risk.
With OCI growth accelerating, RPO reaching $553 billion, and hyperscalers validating the broader AI infrastructure cycle, Oracle’s long-term earnings power may still be underappreciated by the market.
Oracle ORCL +0.63% ▲ , long brushed aside as a legacy enterprise software company with limited relevance in artificial intelligence (AI), is starting to look increasingly credible in the current infrastructure boom. After many months of investor skepticism around its ability to become a major hyperscaler, Oracle is finally starting to shift the narrative.
More importantly, the latest hyperscaler earnings season helped validate the broader AI infrastructure cycle, with Microsoft MSFT -0.95% ▼ , Amazon AMZN +1.22% ▲ , and Google GOOGL +3.76% ▲ all reiterating strong AI demand trends. In Oracle’s case — where the stock had been heavily pressured by funding and leverage concerns — the reaction tends to become much more explosive as fears around demand normalization begin to fade. As a result, Oracle’s 12-month stock performance has begun to converge with the broader market once again.
Although Oracle is by no means a low-risk story, I believe the thesis looks increasingly constructive today. The company continues to rely heavily on debt-funded AI capex, and execution remains critical. The combination of accelerating Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) growth, the half-trillion-dollar Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO) backlog, and improving visibility around the funding model continues to support the bull case. For that reason, I rate Oracle stock as a Buy.
The Market Finally Started Believing Oracle’s AI Spend
Before Oracle reported its Q3 results a couple of months ago, the market was primarily concerned about one key factor: the company was “spending” very aggressively — roughly $45–$50 billion in AI capex for FY26 — relative to its revenue base and cash generation. Unlike hyperscalers such as Microsoft and Amazon, which operate businesses generating roughly $140 billion in annual operating cash flow, Oracle generates cash flows closer to $20 billion.
However, the tech space is currently in an AI arms race. Clearly, “stopping investment” is dangerous, as is “continuing to invest without visible monetization.” I would argue Oracle initially looked stuck in the latter category.
At the same time, hyperscalers’ earnings season also became very important for Oracle’s narrative. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google essentially validated the thesis in Q1, as Azure AI demand remained very strong, AWS AI accelerated, and Google Cloud continued to improve.
So far, the market has started warming up to the idea that Oracle’s capex cycle may not be as reckless as previously feared. That is especially true given the repeated signs at this stage of the AI arms race that demand is genuinely absorbing supply. Oracle arguably stands to benefit even more from this shift in sentiment than hyperscaler peers, since its bear case remains much more heavily exposed to funding risk and leverage concerns.
The $553 Billion Question Now Comes Down to Execution
If the market seems to be warming up to the capex story, the next test for Oracle is execution. The half-a-trillion dollars in RPO is not immediate cash, and it’s only realizable if there’s sufficient installed capacity. That requires building data centers, securing power, recognizing revenue, and only then converting that into margins and free cash flow. That’s why the thesis has effectively become an execution story.
The most important statement from management during the last earnings call was that they want to “uncouple capex from Oracle’s capital requirements.” In practice, that would be achieved through a combination of Bring Your Own Hardware (BYOH) structures, upfront customer payments, and partners financing data centers and power capacity.
Under this new model, Oracle has already signed more than $29 billion in contracts combining BYOH structures and upfront payments, allowing the company to continue expanding without cash flows turning negative.
At the same time, Oracle has already stated that it intends to raise up to $50 billion through a mix of debt and equity financing to fund the AI buildout. However, the important detail is that the company already raised $30 billion very quickly through a combination of investment-grade bonds and mandatory convertible preferred stock. The remainder could come from other parts of the program, but management has stated that there is a defined “financing envelope” and that preserving the company’s investment-grade rating remains a priority.
In simple terms, if even a small portion of Oracle’s $553 billion RPO converts into highly recurring revenue over the next three to five years, the company’s current AI buildout starts to look much more reasonable. In that scenario, today’s $45–$50 billion financing and capex needs appear far less outrageous.
Oracle’s Earnings Power May Still Be Underappreciated
Even after the massive sell-off since its peak last September, Oracle stock is still not cheap based on near-term earnings. At roughly 25x–26x FY26 earnings and 23x–24x FY27 earnings, the stock continues to trade at a premium multiple, especially compared to larger hyperscalers with stronger balance sheets.
That said, I would argue the setup becomes increasingly compelling if management can successfully execute on the AI infrastructure backlog. If consensus estimates are even directionally right and earnings per share (EPS) reach nearly $12–$14 by FY29, the current share price would imply only about 11x–12x forward earnings.
At that point, the core risk-reward setup becomes much more interesting. Oracle is clearly not a low-risk stock today, but the market may still be underestimating the company’s out-year earnings power if the $553 billion RPO ultimately converts into revenue, margins, and free cash flow.
Is ORCL a Buy, Hold, or Sell, According to Wall Street Analysts?
Oracle stock currently carries a Strong Buy consensus rating from Wall Street analysts. Of the 34 ratings issued over the past three months, 28 are rated Buy, while six are Hold. The average price target sits at $243.17, implying a potential upside of roughly 25.45% from current levels.
Oracle’s Setup Looks Increasingly Constructive
Oracle’s story is ultimately all about execution. Today, that execution story looks increasingly feasible, given the strong demand already emerging and the massive backlog the company has built up.
The broader validation of the AI cycle by other hyperscalers, combined with Oracle already delivering capacity itself, reinforces what I believe is the most constructive path forward for the company. Meanwhile, the biggest concern around the thesis — the funding model — also looks increasingly less risky than it did just a few months ago.
For that reason, I continue to see a constructive setup for ORCL shares, which arguably still are not trading at a major premium relative to their long-term EPS potential.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO +0.54% ▲ , which tracks the S&P 500 Index (SPX), fell 0.13% in Monday’s pre-market trading due to uncertainty over the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Also, oil prices rose amid continued tensions in the Middle East. At the time of writing, Brent crude (CM:BZ) was up 2.49% to $103.68 per barrel, while WTI crude (CM:CL) rose 2.28% to $97.55.
Last week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose more than 2% and 4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones rose 0.2% for the week, recording gains in five of the last six weeks.
VOO’s Key Holdings with Highest Upside/Downside Potential
According to TipRanks’ unique ETF analyst consensus, determined based on a weighted average of analyst ratings on its holdings, VOO is a Moderate Buy. The Street’s average price target of $795.74 implies an upside of 17%.
Currently, VOO’s five holdings with the highest upside potential are:
Revealingly, the VOO ETF’s Smart Score is seven, implying that this ETF will likely perform in line with the market.
Does VOO Pay Dividends?
Yes, VOO pays dividends. These payments come from the dividends paid by the companies in the S&P 500, and VOO distributes them to shareholders every quarter. The payout amount can change from quarter to quarter because company dividends vary. Investors can receive the dividend as cash or choose to automatically reinvest it into more shares through a dividend reinvestment program.
Bank of America increased its price target for AMD and some other prominent AI chip stocks amid strong demand tailwinds.
AMD stock has rallied 110% year-to-date.
Advanced Micro Devices AMD -0.11% ▼ stock has risen by an impressive 109%, as the chip giant is experiencing robust demand for its server CPUs (central processing units) and GPUs (graphics processing units) amid the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) wave. On Wednesday, top Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya reiterated a Buy rating on AMD and increased his price target to $500 from $450. The analyst also raised his price targets for other AI chip stocks and called AMD, Nvidia NVDA +2.25% ▲ , Broadcom AVGO -0.63% ▼ , Micron MU +3.73% ▲ , and Marvell MRVL +8.07% ▲ his top picks amid continued demand strength.
Citing a stronger AI infrastructure capex outlook, Arya raised his 2030 total addressable market (TAM) for AI data center systems to about $1.7 trillion, up from his previous estimate of $1.4 trillion. Within this TAM, Arya raised his AI accelerator outlook to about $1.2 trillion from $1.0 trillion on increased hyperscaler custom ASIC shipments (such as Google GOOGL +3.76% ▲ tensor processing units or TPUs and Amazon’s AMZN +1.22% ▲ Trainium chips), data center server CPU forecast to about $110 billion from about $80 billion, and AI networking outlook to about $316 billion from $240 billion on ongoing optics/switch expansion.
“While the current supply chain bottlenecks could limit shipment of leading-edge components, we believe key AI compute, networking, and memory vendors that have planned properly should continue to deliver and outperform,” said Arya.
BofA Analyst Is Bullish on AMD’s Growth Potential
Arya explained that he sees AMD as one of his top picks due to several catalysts, including CPU strength, the July analyst day event, and the potential for additional GW (gigawatt) deals without any warrants.
The 5-star analyst highlighted that his new price target for AMD stock is based on a P/E multiple of 42x his 2027 non-GAAP EPS (earnings per share) estimate (up from the previous multiple of 38x) and is toward the middle-to-upper end of the historical range of 13x to 58x.
He added that the new price target is backed by AMD’s more than 50% annual EPS CAGR (compound annual growth rate) potential and its ability to secure AI CPU and GPU share gains. These positives are modestly offset by slower growth in cyclical PC, embedded, and console markets.
Arya ranks no. 81 among more than 12,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks. He has a success rate of 65%, with an average return per rating of 28.8% over a one-year period.
Is AMD Stock a Good Buy?
AMD recently reported impressive first-quarter results and issued solid Q2 guidance, driven by strength in its data center business. Wall Street has a Strong Buy consensus rating on Advanced Micro Devices stock based on 27 Buys and eight Holds. The average AMD stock price target of $449.21 indicates that shares are fully priced at current levels.
AI company OpenAI faces wrongful death lawsuit in California over ChatGPT drug advice claims.
The case adds to rising legal pressure on AI firms over chatbot safety and real-world harm.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed in a California court, sparking more concerns about chatbot safety. The case claims that ChatGPT gave harmful drug-related guidance, which is now linked to an accidental overdose involving 19-year-old Sam Nelson. It has raised broader questions about how much responsibility artificial intelligence (AI) systems should bear for the advice they provide. The situation adds to the growing debate around AI risk, legal pressure, and user safety in real-world use.
Lawsuit Claims Emerge Over OpenAI’s ChatGPT Guidance
The parents of the late Nelson filed a wrongful death lawsuit in California, naming OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, in the case. They claim ChatGPT gave harmful drug guidance linked to the accidental overdose of their 19-year-old son. The filing places direct responsibility on the company for the outcome of those interactions.
The complaint said the AI chatbot advised on drug combinations, including prescription and herbal substances. It is also claimed that responses were given in a medical-style tone that sounded authoritative. The filing adds that ChatGPT used memory features to personalize replies, and that behavior changed in later 2024 versions.
OpenAI described the situation as heartbreaking and said an older version of ChatGPT was involved. The company added that this version is no longer in use. It also said safety systems continue to be improved, with input from experts, especially for sensitive topics.
AI Lawsuits Gain Momentum Across Tech Sector
More lawsuits are being filed against AI companies as concerns grow over chatbot behavior. Many of these cases involve claims linked to self-harm, mental health issues, and violence. Attention is now turning to who should be held responsible for outputs from generative AI systems. Courts are beginning to test how far AI liability should extend.
At the same time, companies are facing closer scrutiny over how quickly they release AI tools. Some claims suggest safety testing was limited before launch. This has increased focus on chatbot design and how risks are managed. Pressure is also growing for stronger rules and tighter oversight across the sector.
What Is the Best AI Stock to Buy?
According to TipRanks analyst data, Nvidia NVDA +2.27% ▲ , Alphabet GOOGL +3.76% ▲ , Microsoft MSFT -0.96% ▼ , and Amazon AMZN +1.22% ▲ are all rated Strong Buys. NVDA has a 12-month projected upside of more than 37%, while GOOGL carries an upside of 6%. Additionally, MSFT is forecasted to jump about 38%, and AMZN is expected to rise by roughly 18%. For more information on these AI stocks, ratings, and performance metrics, investors can visit the TipRanks Stocks Comparison Center.
