Major U.S. equities indexes wer🌳e in positiveꦅ territory on the final session of the trading week and the first day of March. Bullishness about artificial intelligence (AI) technology helped drive outperformance from the tech sector.

Gains of 0.8% drove the S&P 500 to an all-time high close, the second straight Friday that the benchmark index has ended the week at record levels. The Nasdaq also reached its highest-ℱever close, as strength in tech stocks helped it jump 1.1% on the day. The Dowܫ was up 0.2%.

NetApp (NTAP) led the way for the S&P 500 on Friday. Shares skyrocketed 18.2% after the cloud storage provider posted 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:better-than-expected revenu𓂃e and earnings for its fiscal third quarter, boosted by demand for its new all-flash products. NetApp also lifted guidance for the full year, expecting strong demand from companies looking to streamline their IT operations. Shares of fellow data storage firm Western Digital Corp. (WDC) were up 8.1%.

Cooper Companies (COO) shares popped 9.2% higher after the medical device manufacturer 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩😼网:posted 9% year-ovꦓer-year revenue growth, well ahead of analysts' forecasts. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Earnings per share (EPS) also exceeded estimates, with strength in Cooper's contact lenses and fertility soওlutions underpinning the strong performance.

A new wave of enthusiasm swept over the tech sector after Dell (DELL) reported solid growth in orders for its AI-optimized servers. Shares of Dell soared 31.6%, while semiconductor stocks also pushed higher. Broadcom (AVGO) shares added 7.6%, while shares of KLA Corp. (KLAC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Micron Technology (MU) all gained more than 5%.

Shares of Dominion Energy (D) posted the day's heaviest losses on the S&P 500, tumbling 6.4% after the Virginia-based electric utility guided its full-year earnings below consensus forecasts. The company noted that it has completed a review of its business and will aim to drive long-term💧 value.

Las Vegas Sands (LVS) shares dropped 5.9% on Friℱday. The company reཧcently faced a setback when a judge in New York ruled that it does not have a valid lease to operate a planned casino at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum site in Long Island.

Shares of Xcel Energy (XEL) slipped 5.9%, extending the losses posted on Thursday when the utility disclosed that it could face liability for damages from the devastating wildfires affecting Texas.