Some of Wall Street’s fastest-growing companies are turning expansion into something more tangible: cash.
Nvidia, Micron Technology, CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks have each reported sharp increases in operating or free cash flow while management or analysts lifted profit forecasts.
That combination provides stronger confirmation than an earnings beat alone because cash is available for research, acquisitions, buybacks and protection against downturns.
The catch is valuation, as these are financially strengthening businesses, but their shares already assume continued execution, leaving investors exposed if AI infrastructure, memory pricing or cybersecurity demand slows.
Nvidia and Micron turn the AI boom into cash
Nvidia generated a record $50.3 billion of operating cash flow in its fiscal first quarter, up from $27.4 billion a year earlier.
Free cash flow reached about $48.6 billion, giving the chipmaker ample room to fund product development, secure supply and support an additional $80 billion share-repurchase authorisation.
Consensus fiscal 2027 earnings estimates subsequently rose 14%, to $9.34 a share from $8.18.
KeyBanc analyst John Vinh raised his Nvidia target to $330 from $310 and retained an Overweight rating.
Writing in a note, Vinh said the CUDA software stack created “significant barriers to entry” and expected the Vera Rubin ramp to begin in July despite a slight delay.
Micron offers a more cyclical but faster-accelerating cash story. Fiscal third-quarter operating cash flow reached $25.39 billion, versus $4.61 billion a year earlier, while free cash flow hit $18 billion.
FactSet now expects fiscal 2026 earnings near $73.20 a share.
Long-term customer agreements provide added visibility, but Micron remains exposed to memory pricing and the industry’s history of overbuilding.
CrowdStrike converts subscriptions into record cash flow
CrowdStrike’s fiscal first-quarter operating cash flow rose 54% to $590.9 million, while free cash flow increased nearly 68% to $468.5 million. Its free-cash-flow margin widened to 34% from 25%.
The cybersecurity company raised its fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings forecast to between $4.88 and $4.96 a share, from $4.78 to $4.90.
The improvement reflects the economics of its Falcon platform: customers can add identity, cloud and other security modules without CrowdStrike rebuilding its sales and infrastructure base for each product.
Morgan Stanley analysts said CrowdStrike still had room for further valuation expansion, while 22 brokerages raised targets after the quarter.
Yet the same report showed the stock trading at 138 times forward earnings.
That leaves little protection if annual recurring revenue, deal activity or cash conversion falls short of elevated expectations.
Palo Alto’s margins rise, but acquisitions cloud the picture
Palo Alto Networks generated $871 million of operating cash flow in its fiscal third quarter, up 39% from a year earlier.
Adjusted free cash flow climbed 57% to $910 million, while the trailing 12-month adjusted free-cash-flow margin expanded 4.3 percentage points to 38.5%.
Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $3.77-$3.79 a share.
BTIG called Palo Alto its “top pick”, citing stronger momentum and larger contracts, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $420 and pointed to a “clear catalyst path.”
The platformisation strategy encourages customers to consolidate network, cloud, identity and AI-security tools with one provider, supporting recurring revenue and cash generation.
However, CyberArk and Chronosphere contributed $388 million of quarterly revenue, and adjusted cash flow excludes some acquisition-related costs.
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