Stock Markets February 25, 2026

After-Hours Movers: Mixed Earnings, Guidance Shifts Drive Big Moves in AI and Ad Tech Names

NVIDIA delivers strong beat and aggressive guidance; Trade Desk and C3 AI tumble on weak outlooks while Nutanix jumps on AMD partnership

By Priya Menon NVDA CRM TTD AI RDW
After-Hours Movers: Mixed Earnings, Guidance Shifts Drive Big Moves in AI and Ad Tech Names
NVDA CRM TTD AI RDW

After-hours trading saw a split reaction across technology and software names after earnings and guidance updates. NVIDIA outperformed on both revenue and profit and issued robust revenue guidance for the upcoming quarter. Salesforce beat EPS but reported revenue and outlook in line with expectations. Ad-tech and AI names took hits after disappointing guidance or results, while Nutanix rallied following a strategic partnership and investment from AMD.

Key Points

  • NVIDIA beat on revenue and earnings and gave strong Q1 2027 revenue guidance of $78 billion +/- 2%, above consensus of $72.78 billion.
  • Salesforce beat EPS but revenue and revenue guidance were in line with expectations, leading to a 5.5% after-hours decline.
  • The Trade Desk and C3 AI fell sharply after issuing guidance and results that missed consensus, while Nutanix rose after a strategic partnership and AMD investment commitment.

Equity markets in after-hours trading reflected divergent responses to quarterly reports and forward guidance from several large technology and software companies.

NVIDIA (NVDA) climbed 3.3% after reporting quarterly results that topped both revenue and earnings expectations. Management provided forceful forward guidance, forecasting Q1 2027 revenue of $78 billion plus or minus 2%, compared with the consensus estimate of $72.78 billion.

Salesforce (CRM) declined 5.5% despite beating consensus on earnings per share. The company reported revenue that matched analyst estimates, and its revenue guidance for the period was also in line with expectations, leaving little upside for investors.

The Trade Desk Inc. (TTD) fell 16% after providing guidance that fell short of the street. The company sees Q1 2026 revenue of $678 million, below the consensus forecast of $688.4 million, prompting a notably negative reaction in after-hours trading.

C3 AI (AI) dropped about 20% after quarterly revenue came in significantly below consensus and management lso missed on guidance, producing a steep sell-off in the stock.

Redwire Corporation (RDW) slipped 6% following mixed quarterly results, with particular softness on the bottom line cited as the key concern behind the move.

Nutanix (NTNX) jumped 16% after announcing a multi-year strategic partnership with AMD to jointly develop an open, full-stack AI infrastructure platform intended to support agentic AI applications. As part of the arrangement, AMD will invest and fund up to $250 million in Nutanix and in research and development.


Investment research note - A sponsored research product discussed in the original release evaluates NVIDIA alongside thousands of other companies each month using more than 100 financial metrics. That product described its process as AI-driven and cited notable past winners including Super Micro Computer (+185%) and AppLovin (+157%), while offering to surface where NVIDIA ranks within its strategies.


Key takeaways

  • NVIDIA beat expectations and issued stronger-than-expected revenue guidance for Q1 2027, supporting a positive after-hours move.
  • Salesforce beat EPS but delivered revenue and guidance in line with estimates, resulting in a pullback in the stock.
  • Ad-tech and AI growth names such as The Trade Desk and C3 AI saw sharp declines after providing weaker-than-expected guidance or reporting shortfalls.

Risks and uncertainties

  • Forward guidance that falls short of consensus can trigger outsized negative moves in high-growth software and ad-tech names - a risk highlighted by The Trade Desk and C3 AI reactions.
  • Companies reporting in-line revenue despite EPS beats may still face investor selling pressure if expectations were tilted toward top-line upside, as shown by Salesforce ctivity.
  • Strategic partnerships and investment commitments, like AMD nd Nutanix, carry execution and integration risks that could affect future performance; the announcement lifted the stock but also introduces dependence on successful collaboration.

The market response across these names underscores how sensitive valuations remain to both near-term guidance and partnerships intended to capture AI infrastructure demand.

Risks

  • Guidance shortfalls can trigger significant stock declines in high-growth technology and ad-tech companies, impacting the technology sector.
  • In-line revenue with EPS beats may still disappoint investors looking for top-line beats, affecting software and cloud providers.
  • Strategic partnerships and investment commitments introduce execution and integration risk that can influence the performance of infrastructure and AI-related equities.

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