EssilorLuxottica shares hit record high as Meta AI glasses fuel investor optimism

Shares of EssilorLuxottica (ESLX.PA) soared 14% on Friday, reaching an all-time high and adding nearly $20 billion in market value, as enthusiasm over its AI-powered Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses surged among investors.

The Paris-listed eyewear giant, founded by Leonardo Del Vecchio, reported third-quarter sales up 11.7% year-on-year to €6.9 billion ($8.1 billion), marking its strongest quarterly performance ever. The results exceeded analyst expectations, buoyed by growing demand for smart and wearable technologies.

Although the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses currently account for only a small portion of EssilorLuxottica’s total revenue, they have become a major growth catalyst. Chief Financial Officer Stefano Grassi said the AI-enabled glasses contributed over four percentage points to sales growth, prompting the company to expand production capacity ahead of schedule.

“The exponential growth of wearables provided an extra boost to top-line performance,” EssilorLuxottica said.

Barclays analysts predicted that smart glasses could become the most disruptive innovation since smartphones, forecasting sales of 60 million units globally by 2035.

The stock’s surge marked the biggest daily gain since 2008, lifting the company’s market capitalization to €126.5 billion and driving the Stoxx Europe Luxury 10 Index up more than 7% on the week.

Priced between $379 and $799, the latest Ray-Ban Meta models feature built-in displays and generative AI capabilities. Expansion to Canada, France, Italy, and the UK is planned for early 2026.

Analysts at J.P. Morgan called the glasses a “material growth driver,” while Equita raised its annual wearables forecast, estimating the category could contribute around €1 billion to sales this year.

Tata Technologies’ Q2 profit rises 5% as non-automotive business offsets auto slowdown

Tata Technologies (TATE.NS) reported a 5% increase in second-quarter profit on Friday, helped by growth in its non-automotive segments that offset weakness in its core auto-focused business.

The Indian engineering and technology services company, which provides product design, engineering, and manufacturing digitalisation solutions, said net profit rose to 1.66 billion rupees ($19 million) in the three months ending September, up from 1.57 billion rupees a year earlier.

Revenue climbed 2% to 13.23 billion rupees ($150.3 million), driven largely by its smaller technology solutions division, which posted 6.6% growth during the quarter. The company’s services segment, which accounts for 77% of overall revenue, remained flat amid cautious spending from automotive clients.

Tata Technologies, which counts Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Motors among its top customers, has been affected by tariff-driven pressures in the U.S. and Europe that have prompted carmakers to scale back R&D and outsourcing projects, analysts said.

CEO Warren Harris acknowledged that the next quarter could bring “short-term tactical challenges,” but said he expects a strong rebound in Q4 supported by an expanding project pipeline and improving demand trends.

The company’s non-automotive businesses, including aerospace and industrial machinery, continued to show resilience and were key contributors to overall profitability.

Oracle forecasts $166 billion in cloud revenue by 2030 as AI demand fuels growth

Oracle (ORCL.N) expects its cloud infrastructure business to soar to $166 billion in annual revenue by fiscal 2030, nearly three-quarters of its total projected sales, as the company capitalizes on surging demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

The forecast, unveiled by CEO Clay Magouyrk during a meeting with analysts, signals Oracle’s growing confidence that its cloud business will continue to expand well beyond its current customer base, which includes OpenAI and Meta Platforms.

CFO Dough Kehring said Oracle anticipates total revenue of $225 billion and adjusted earnings of $21 per share by 2030, outpacing Wall Street expectations of $198.4 billion in sales and $18.92 per share in profits, according to LSEG data.

The company’s cloud infrastructure bookings have ballooned, with Oracle reporting a $65 billion surge in new commitments over a single month last quarter — including a $20 billion deal with Meta. Magouyrk emphasized that the new commitments came from multiple clients, not just OpenAI.

In its most recent quarter, Oracle’s cloud revenue jumped 28% to $7.2 billion, underscoring rapid adoption of its AI and enterprise cloud services.

While the company’s gross margins are expected to fluctuate as it scales its infrastructure business, Oracle said its AI cloud margins will remain in the 30–40% range, while traditional enterprise cloud segments will maintain between 65% and 80% margins.

Oracle shares rose 3% after the forecast, though they dipped slightly in after-hours trading.