Stock futures were mixed Friday premarket, signaling a potentially lower close to the week and February amid anticipation for Friday morning’s key inflation reading.
Here are some of Friday’s biggest stock movers:
Biggest stock gainers
- Block (XYZ) +24% – Shares surged after announcing plans to cut its workforce by about 40%, reducing headcount to just under 6,000 from more than 10,000, with CEO Jack Dorsey citing AI-driven efficiencies. While Q4 results met expectations, the company issued strong guidance. The company expects Q1 gross profit of $2.80B (vs. $2.72B consensus) and adjusted operating income of $600M (vs. $572M est.), and FY2026 gross profit of $12.20B (vs. $11.9B est.) with adjusted operating income of $3.20B (vs. $2.70B est.).
- MARA Holdings (MARA) +15% – Shares surged despite a Q4 miss after announcing an accelerated push into AI and high-performance computing through a strategic partnership with Starwood Capital Group and its data center platform, Starwood Digital Ventures. Under the agreement, MARA will contribute select data center sites while Starwood leads development, tenant sourcing, and operations, targeting hyperscale and AI customers. CEO Fred Thiel called 2026 an inflection point as the company pivots toward next-generation digital infrastructure and enterprise AI capabilities.
- Dell Technologies (DELL) +12% – Shares jumped after posting a decisive FQ4 beat, with revenue surging 39% Y/T to $33.38B, driven by explosive AI-related demand in its Infrastructure Solutions Group, which grew 73% to $19.6B, including a 342% spike in servers and networking revenue to $9B, while its Client Solutions Group rose 14% to $13.49B. The company also issued significantly stronger-than-expected guidance, projecting Q1 FY2027 adjusted EPS of about $2.90 on revenue of $34.7B–$35.7B vs. estimates of $2.34 and $28.99B. For FY2027, the company expects EPS of roughly $12.90 and revenue of $138B–$142B, both well ahead of consensus. The company also announced a 20% dividend increase and a $10B expansion of its share buyback program, reinforcing confidence in sustained AI-driven growth momentum.
- Netflix (NFLX) +9% – Shares rose after the firm confirmed it will not increase its takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), stating that a higher offer was no longer financially attractive after WBD’s board deemed a sweetened all-company proposal from Paramount Skydance superior. The revised bid of $31 per share in cash, up from $30, values WBD at roughly $108B. Netflix added that it plans to invest about $20B this year in films and series while resuming share repurchases under its capital allocation policy. WBD is obligated to pay Netflix a $2.8B breakup fee for terminating their original agreement, helping cushion the strategic setback. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) fell 2%, while Paramount Skydance (PSKY) was 8% higher.
Biggest stock losers
- Duolingo (DUOL) -22% – Shares plunged after issuing weaker-than-expected 2026 guidance despite topping Q4 earnings estimates, as management signaled a strategic shift toward prioritizing daily active user growth over near-term profitability. The company is targeting 20% DAU growth and 100M users by 2028, a push expected to pressure margins, with bookings growth projected to slow to 11% this year from the previously anticipated ~20% pace. Adjusted EBITDA margin is forecast to decline to 25%, while Q1 adjusted EBITDA is guided at $73.6M, well below the $84M consensus estimate, amplifying investor concerns about near-term earnings dilution.
- CoreWeave (CRWV) -10% – Shares fell after posting mixed Q4 results and outlining an aggressive 2026 investment plan, even as management highlighted surging demand and backlog growth. Revenue backlog expanded to $66.8B, more than quadrupling Y/Y, while the company said it became the fastest cloud provider to reach $5B in annual revenue. For 2026, CoreWeave guided to $12B–$13B in revenue (around the $12.55B consensus) and adjusted operating income of $900M–$1.1B, with margins expected to ramp from low single digits in Q1 back to low double digits by Q4 as capacity scales. However, heavy CapEx of $30B–$35B and plans to double active power capacity to over 1.7 gigawatts by year-end appeared to weigh on shares despite strong long-term visibility.
- Zscaler (ZS) -9% – Shares dipped even after the cybersecurity company posted fiscal second-quarter results and guidance that topped Wall Street’s estimates. The company forecast FQ3 adjusted EPS of $1.00–$1.01 on revenue of $834M–$836M, both above consensus. The company lifted its full-year revenue outlook to $3.309B–$3.322B from $3.282B–$3.301B previously, ahead of estimates, while annual recurring revenue is now seen at $3.73B–$3.745B and adjusted EPS at $3.99–$4.02, both topping consensus.