Montecito Bank & Trust significantly increased its stake in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR) by 413.2% in the third quarter, acquiring an additional 18,450 shares to hold a total of 22,915 shares valued at $4.02 million. The real estate investment trust currently holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from analysts with an average price target of $219.69, despite missing recent quarterly earnings estimates. Digital Realty also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.22 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $4.88 and a 2.8% yield.

Salesforce Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire AI customer research startup Listen Labs Inc. in a reported $2 billion deal, following initial reports three weeks prior. Listen Labs specializes in creating AI agents that conduct customer research, interviews, analysis, and behavior simulation using digital twins. Salesforce plans to integrate this technology into its Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud, with the Listen Labs team joining Salesforce AI Labs.

This article compares QuickBooks Free and QuickBooks Online, detailing the features and ideal users for each accounting solution. QuickBooks Free is suited for solo entrepreneurs with low transaction volumes and basic bookkeeping needs, while QuickBooks Online caters to growing businesses requiring multiple users, advanced reporting, more automation, and integration with third-party apps. The article helps businesses determine which platform best fits their current operational size and future growth.

Photronics director Kang Lee sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock for $307,500, decreasing his holdings by 2.88%. This sale follows two earlier transactions in September where he sold an additional 17,500 shares. The company's stock traded up 0.2% to $30.83, and Photronics recently reported strong quarterly earnings, beating analyst estimates.

International Business Machines (IBM) has elected Frank Baker to its Board of Directors, effective October 1, 2026. Baker will also join the Directors and Corporate Governance Committee. He is known as the co-founder and Managing Partner of Siris Capital Group, LLC.

Bank of America and S&P Global discussed the integration of AI in regulated industries, emphasizing the importance of cautious adoption and proper risk assessment. Bank of America plans to double its AI budget, focusing on using AI for specific client needs and improving efficiency while ensuring human oversight. S&P Global highlights data as crucial for AI, leveraging its acquisition of Kensho and client collaboration to develop specialized AI solutions that prioritize accuracy and traceability.

A Kroger study conducted with Vidmob and MMA Global indicates that predictive creative scoring can forecast e-commerce purchase conversions with 81% accuracy prior to campaign launch. This suggests a strong correlation between creative quality and business outcomes, as reported by Grocery Dive. The findings highlight the importance of creative content in driving successful retail media campaigns.

The hacker group ShinyHunters claims to have breached O’Reilly Automotive and Dexcom, listing them on a new dark web leak site and threatening to publish alleged corporate data by Friday if the companies do not respond. This resurfacing follows a recent standoff with the FBI, where ShinyHunters denied their previous site outage was due to an FBI takedown, attributing it instead to infrastructure upgrades and rival DDoS attacks. The group also commented on the arrest of an alleged member, Pepijn van der Stap, dismissing any association with him.

Palantir Technologies Inc.'s Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Legal Officer, Ryan D. Taylor, was granted 92,908 shares of Class A Common Stock on September 29, 2026, with a reported transaction price of $0.00 per share. Following this award, his direct holdings increased to 292,667 shares. This information was detailed in a Form 4 SEC filing by the company.

F5 Inc. stock was trading at EUR 394.60 in after-hours trading at Lang & Schwarz, marking a 0.43 percent increase from its prior close. The company also announced it was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide WAAP Platforms 2026 Vendor Assessment for the second time, highlighting its AI-powered security features. F5's Workforce AI Security offering is set to become generally available in October 2026.