B. Riley Securities Maintains Neutral on Yext, Lowers Price Target to $8
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- Strong Earnings Report: Datadog reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.59, surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of $0.56, indicating a sustained enhancement in the company's profitability and reinforcing its leadership position in the cloud monitoring market.
- Sales Exceed Expectations: The company achieved quarterly sales of $953.194 million, exceeding the analyst consensus estimate of $916.577 million, demonstrating Datadog's robust performance in customer demand and market share, which may attract more investor interest.
- Significant Stock Surge: Following the positive earnings report, Datadog's shares jumped 16.3% to $132.59 on Tuesday, reflecting market optimism regarding the company's future growth potential, which could further bolster investor confidence.
- Overall Market Performance: U.S. stocks were generally higher, with the Dow Jones gaining around 200 points on Tuesday, indicating a positive sentiment towards tech stocks, potentially providing a more favorable investment environment for companies like Datadog.
- Market Performance: U.S. stocks traded higher midway through the session, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining over 150 points, indicating positive market sentiment, particularly in technology shares.
- Major Index Gains: The Dow rose by 0.99% to 49,374.44, and the S&P 500 increased by 0.65% to 6,984.27, reflecting investor confidence in economic recovery.
- Manufacturing Data: The ISM Manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.6 in January from 47.9 the previous month, significantly improving and surpassing market expectations of 48.5, indicating expansion in manufacturing activity.
- Commodity Market Dynamics: Despite the stock market rally, oil prices fell by 5% to $61.98, with gold and silver also declining by 0.9% and 0.6% respectively, reflecting a preference for risk assets in the market.
- Acquisition Proposal Withdrawal: Yext CEO Michael Walrath has withdrawn his $9.00 per share acquisition proposal due to a lack of necessary financing, resulting in a premarket share drop of over 13%, indicating market uncertainty about the company's future.
- Leadership Commitment: Despite the failed acquisition attempt, Walrath reassured the board of directors of his commitment to leading Yext as CEO and expressed a bullish outlook on its future, which may help stabilize investor confidence.
- Special Committee Evaluation: In August 2025, Yext's board formed a special committee of independent directors to evaluate Walrath's proposal and other strategic alternatives, demonstrating the company's proactive approach in seeking capital return options.
- Self-Tender Offer Plan: Following a comprehensive review, the committee approved a $150 million Dutch auction self-tender offer expected to commence in February 2026, aiming to utilize debt financing to return capital to shareholders, potentially improving market perception of the company.
- Acquisition Proposal Withdrawn: Yext CEO and Chairman Michael Walrath has withdrawn his proposal to acquire all outstanding shares at $9 per share due to inability to secure necessary financing, highlighting challenges in the current financing environment.
- Self-Tender Offer Plan: Despite the withdrawal, Yext plans to initiate a $150 million Dutch auction self-tender offer for its common stock in February 2026, indicating the company's confidence in its intrinsic value and commitment to shareholder returns.
- Leadership Confidence: The board has reaffirmed its confidence in Walrath's leadership, suggesting that the company will continue to operate stably in the face of market uncertainties while safeguarding shareholder interests.
- Stock Price Reaction: In pre-market trading, Yext's stock fell by 22.01% to $5.60 on the New York Stock Exchange, reflecting negative market sentiment regarding the withdrawal of the acquisition proposal, which may impact investor confidence.
Yext Inc Options Activity: Yext Inc (YEXT) has seen a trading volume of 5,314 options contracts today, equating to about 531,400 underlying shares, which is 60.6% of its average daily trading volume over the past month.
High Volume Call Option for Yext: The $8 strike call option expiring on February 20, 2026, has particularly high activity with 3,988 contracts traded, representing approximately 398,800 underlying shares.
Boeing Co Options Activity: Boeing Co (BA) has recorded an options trading volume of 55,417 contracts today, representing around 5.5 million underlying shares, or 59.7% of its average daily trading volume over the past month.
High Volume Call Option for Boeing: The $205 strike call option expiring on December 12, 2025, has seen significant trading with 7,701 contracts, representing about 770,100 underlying shares.
Earnings Performance: Yext reported quarterly earnings of $0.14 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.12, marking a 16.67% earnings surprise. However, revenues of $112 million fell short of expectations, missing the consensus by 0.72%.
Stock Outlook: Yext shares have risen approximately 39.5% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500's 16.8% gain. The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market.
Future Earnings Estimates: The consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.13, with projected revenues of $114.79 million. The outlook for the current fiscal year anticipates earnings of $0.66 on revenues of $450.17 million.
Industry Context: Yext operates within the Technology Services industry, which ranks in the top 38% of Zacks industries. The performance of Yext's stock may be influenced by broader industry trends and the upcoming earnings report from Skillsoft Corp.










