Fastly shares fell 5.2% in afternoon trading as a broad selloff hit communication-services and software stocks, driven by high-profile AI talent departures from Alphabet and regulatory concerns. Alphabet dropped roughly 6% and Microsoft also slipped, dragging sector indices lower, while deeper fears persisted that AI agents could erode the subscription model underpinning traditional enterprise software. Salesforce trades around $152, down roughly 43% year-to-date, and Adobe fell approximately 49% over the past year, with the previous week's near-20% single-day drop in Accenture after it cut its growth outlook and cited AI compressing demand for traditional IT services reinforcing the thesis. Fastly shares later pared losses to $17.09, down 4.1% from the previous close, and remain 49% below their 52-week high of $33.50 from April 2026 despite a 67.7% gain year-to-date.
Morgan Stanley Lifts Accenture Price Target to $175 as Wall Street Splits on AI Growth
Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Accenture to $175 from $130 on September 14, sending the shares up more than 6% in afternoon trading even as the firm reiterated its Equal weight rating. UBS maintained a Buy rating with a $275 price target, citing confidence in Accenture's AI positioning and acquisition strategy, while Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to Equal Weight on concerns that macroeconomic pressures could weigh on fiscal 2027 growth expectations. Accenture has formed a joint business group with Google Cloud to deploy AI engineers across enterprise clients, and it continues to add specialized capabilities through acquisitions. Hedge fund holdings in Accenture rose to 69 in the second quarter from 64 in the first, with Pzena Investment Management increasing its stake 114% to more than 5.1 million shares, AQR Capital Management raising its position 245% to roughly 3.7 million shares, and Greenhaven Associates establishing a new position of around 3.4 million shares. Short interest, however, rose almost 9% from the previous reading to 3.81% of the public float as of August 31, with five days to cover.
Meta Acquires AI Startup Stilla.ai to Bolster Business Agent
Meta Platforms acquired AI startup Stilla.ai on September 9, a move aimed at strengthening its agentic AI capabilities and opening new monetization beyond advertising. The company plans to integrate Stilla.ai's team and technology into Meta Business Agent, which helps businesses interact with customers across its platforms. Longer term, Meta envisions customers using AI agents to inquire about products, discuss pricing, and potentially complete purchases without leaving its ecosystem, creating an AI-driven commerce layer across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Meta cautioned that Stilla.ai remains a small startup and the deal is unlikely to materially affect revenue or earnings per share in the near term, with infrastructure, product development, and integration needed before meaningful transaction-related revenue emerges. According to the Insider Monkey Database, 254 hedge funds held positions in Meta during the second quarter, down from 262 at the end of the first quarter, while short interest stood at approximately 1.13% of outstanding shares, or roughly 28.81 million shares, as of August 31.
OpenText Partners With Cohere on Trusted AI for Governments
OpenText has partnered with AI firm Cohere to offer agentic AI tools for governments and regulated sectors. The collaboration focuses on trusted deployment of AI agents that work with sensitive enterprise data in tightly controlled environments. Both companies plan to provide customers with flexible implementation options, including private and hybrid setups to meet security requirements. Open Text, a California-based software provider with a market value of about $5.6b, focuses on data management tools that help large organisations handle and govern information across regions where compliance rules for AI and data use are especially tight. The partnership sharpens the AI execution pillar of the Open Text story by connecting the firm's data and compliance layers to a deployable agent platform built for governments and banks, though it also adds integration complexity on top of ongoing restructuring and legacy-to-cloud transitions.
Accenture plc
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Salesforce.com Inc
Alphabet Inc Class C
Microsoft Corporation
Fastly, Inc. Class A Common Stock