Analysts have been anticipating interest rate cuts for a while now, with bets on either a 25- or a 50-basis point reduction. Concerns about potential economic instability and the impact of these cuts on net interest income for banks added complexity to the market outlook. However, the situation was sorted when the Fed cut interest rates by 50 basis points on September 18 this week, marking its first easing of monetary policy since the pandemic began.
This reduction was prompted by growing concerns about the labor market’s health. Following this decision, the Fed’s benchmark rate now stands at a range of 4.75% to 5.0%.
The Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections indicates that policymakers anticipate further cuts, with expectations of a half-point reduction by the end of this year, an additional full percentage point in 2025, and another half-point cut in 2026, ultimately targeting a range of 2.75% to 3.00%. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell stated that the projected rate cuts are not urgent and that the timing for easing is appropriate.
As political dynamics unfold ahead of the presidential elections in November, Powell emphasized that monetary policy decisions are based solely on data and economic outlooks rather than political considerations.
While a lot of analysts suggested that a 50 basis-point rate cut could be an over-exaggeration, Erika Najarian, UBS senior equity research analyst, just earlier this week, mentioned that small- and mid-cap stocks could benefit from a 50 basis-point cut. We talked about this in another one of our articles, 16 Best Mid Cap Growth Stocks To Buy Now, here’s an excerpt from it:
“Najarian attributes the recent underperformance of financial stocks to market concerns about the implications of potential rate cuts for economic stability, leading investors to question a less favorable economic outlook. She believes some anticipated cuts may already be reflected in money center bank stock prices due to their strong year-to-date performance. A 50 basis point cut could especially benefit mid-cap stocks affected by commercial real estate issues.
Right after the Fed’s announcement, Mark Avallone, president at Potomac Wealth Advisors, discussed his reaction to the Fed’s 50 basis-point rate cut, considering the recent financial market fluctuations sparked by this decision. The move led to a volatile trading session, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average initially reaching all-time highs before briefly turning negative. By the end of the session, the Dow was up 188 points, while the S&P 500 rose by half a percent and the NASDAQ climbed approximately 0.8%.
Mark Avallone expressed surprise at the Fed’s decision but emphasized that investors shouldn’t make impulsive decisions, but rather utilize potential opportunities in small and mid-cap stocks, which he believes will benefit from a lower interest rate environment. He noted that these stocks are currently valued at about 50% of the forward price-to-earnings ratio compared to large-cap stocks, making them an attractive investment option.
Avallone warned investors to be cautious with traditional banks, especially mid-sized and large ones, based on his experience at Bank of America. He believes that the recent changes in loan pricing after the Fed’s rate cut would hurt banks’ overall revenue and income from interest. Since deposit rates are likely to stay high due to competition from non-bank financial companies and money market funds offering attractive rates above 5%, traditional banks might find it hard to stay profitable.
He suggested that it may be too late for significant moves in fixed-income investments, as many investors have already lengthened their bond durations. He recommended pausing further adjustments until it’s clear whether the rate cut is due to an economic slowdown or a preemptive action.
So, while the Fed’s interest rate cut has created uncertainty in the markets, Avallone’s analysis highlights specific sectors and strategies that could offer potential growth amid these challenges. With that context, we’re bringing you a list of the 10 worst small-cap AI stocks to buy according to short sellers to short sellers.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Verint Systems Inc. (VRNT): Are Short Sellers Betting Against This AI Success Story?
A remotely located customer service desk acting as the frontline in the software industry.
Short % of Shares Outstanding As of August 30: 6.98%
Market Capitalization as of September 14: $1.62 billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 23
Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) is a technology company that sells products and services for customer experience automation and utilizes AI technology to enhance its offerings in areas like analytics, workforce optimization, and security.
Management at Verint Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNT) believes that there’s a big opportunity to use AI in contact centers. Companies spend a lot on customer service, and they want AI bots that can help them make money, so this company offers a unique platform that can do this.
The company made $210.17 million in revenue in FQ2 2025, a decline of 0.11% from the same quarter the prior fiscal year. This revenue was also $2.26 million less than analyst expectations but was able to give an earnings per share value of $0.49.
The revenue mainly came from new AI bookings, which increased over 40% in FQ2 year-over-year. Bundled SaaS revenue driven by AI was up 15% year-over-year.
The company’s competitive advantage is its ability to quickly deliver AI solutions to large brands. It launched an Open Platform with 40 AI bots a year ago. Many customers are now seeing positive results and increasing their use of these bots. Over half of the largest customers (those generating at least $1 million ARR) have purchased at least 1 AI bot.
The company’s AI-powered solutions are demonstrating strong traction in the market, with customers achieving significant business outcomes, including increased agent capacity, fraud prevention, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction. Verint Systems Inc.’s (NASDAQ:VRNT) ability to deliver tangible results positions it well for continued success in the contact center market.
Here is what Bernzott Capital has to say about Verint Systems Inc. in its Q2 2021 investor letter:
“Verint Systems (VRNT): Initiated in January 2014, we exited with an absolute and relative gain. The company is progressing in its business model transition to subscription-based sales, and took a step toward shareholder value enhancement with its spin-off of Cognyte Software earlier this year. We sold those shares in 1Q. As the share price approached fair value, we sold VRNT which also reduced the portfolio’s exposure to the Software sector, where we remain overweight.”
Overall, VRNT ranks 7th on our list of 10 Worst Small Cap AI Stocks To Buy According to Short Sellers. While we acknowledge the potential of VRNT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VRNT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
