While profitability is essential, it doesn’t guarantee long-term success.
Some companies that rest on their margins will lose ground as competition intensifies - as Jeff Bezos said, "Your margin is my opportunity".
Growth is oxygen.
But when it evaporates, the consequences can be severe - ask anyone who bought Cisco in the Dot-Com Bubble or newer investors who lived through the 2020 to 2022 COVID cycle.
Quantum computing stocks remain some of the hottest opportunities in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, and one name in particular sticks out among the pack.
Cisco’s first quarter results for 2025 were well received by the market, reflecting above-consensus revenue and profitability. Management linked the quarter’s performance to a surge in AI infrastructure orders, a rebound in networking and security products, and disciplined operational execution. CEO Chuck Robbins highlighted, “We received AI infrastructure orders from web-scale customers in excess of $600 million,” noting this surpassed Cisco’s initial annual target a quarter early. The company also called out strong demand from enterprise and public sector clients, as organizations continued network upgrades and modernization.
The S&P 500 hit record highs on Friday as prominent investment manager Dan Niles advised investors to temporarily ignore traditional valuation metrics while positioning for continued market gains through the second quarter earnings season.
The stocks in this article are all trading near their 52-week highs.
This strength often reflects positive developments such as new product launches, favorable industry trends, or improved financial performance.
