What Happened?
A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after the SaaS sector continued to rally as favorable inflation data bolstered hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. This optimism was largely driven by a benign July Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which solidified investor expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. Following the release of the inflation data, which showed a year-over-year increase of 2.7%, the probability of a rate cut in September surged to over 96%. Lower interest rates are typically beneficial for growth-oriented technology stocks, as they can reduce borrowing costs and increase the present value of future earnings. Adding to the positive sentiment was a 90-day delay in the imposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, which reduced trade-related uncertainty for the technology sector.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- Listing Management Software company Yext (NYSE: YEXT) jumped 6.1%. Is now the time to buy Yext? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Automation Software company UiPath (NYSE: PATH) jumped 3.5%. Is now the time to buy UiPath? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Endpoint Security company SentinelOne (NYSE: S) jumped 4.8%. Is now the time to buy SentinelOne? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- HR Software company Asure (NASDAQ: ASUR) jumped 3.5%. Is now the time to buy Asure? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- HR Software company Dayforce (NYSE: DAY) jumped 3.4%. Is now the time to buy Dayforce? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On Yext (YEXT)
Yext’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 10 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 2 months ago when the stock gained 33% on the news that the company reported an impressive "beat and raise" first quarter 2025 (Q1 FY-26) results, which blew past Wall Street's billings and EBITDA estimates. Sales rose 14% from the previous year, lifted by growing demand from direct customers and early wins from Scout, its new AI tool that's reshaping how brands measure and improve their digital visibility. Margins were another bright spot. Gross margin stayed solid, and operating margin flipped into the positive territory as the company cut back on sales and marketing spend. That discipline helped push earnings per share way up from the previous year. Even better, the company lifted its full-year guidance for both earnings and adjusted EBITDA, giving the market more reason to stay optimistic.
Yext is up 25.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $8.23 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $8.97 from June 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Yext’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $483.04.
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