SA Asks: Which tech companies could be acquired near term?

[PayPal Headquarters San Jose]
JasonDoiy/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Which tech companies could be acquired in the next few months?

We asked Seeking Alpha analysts Noah Cox [https://seekingalpha.com/author/noah-s-arc-capital-management], The Techie [https://seekingalpha.com/author/the-techie] and Oliver Rodzianko [https://seekingalpha.com/author/oliver-rodzianko] for their picks.

Noah Cox [https://seekingalpha.com/author/noah-s-arc-capital-management]: I think there are a ton of opportunities in the traditional fintech space that people are not thinking enough about. Companies like PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/PYPL]) represent huge fintech on-ramps for big tech companies to use in an attempt to take advantage of the GENIUS Act and payment processing disruption. The future of AI agents will be closely married with payment processing. Big tech companies will want to own both ends of this.

Another company on this front is Western Union (NYSE:WU [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/WU]), which mainly does wire transfers. They have a huge opportunity for international stablecoin on-ramps. I expect big tech companies to take notice.

The Techie [https://seekingalpha.com/author/the-techie]: SentinelOne (NYSE:S [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/S]) stands out to me in the near term as a compelling acquisition candidate in cybersecurity. The market is extremely cautious about the company, as profitability and scale remain works in progress.

In 2Q FY26, total ARR grew 24%, with a 79% gross margin, and roughly half of quarterly bookings came from non-endpoint. Purple AI is growing triple digits with >30% attach, AI SIEM is now on AWS’s (AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) marketplace, and the new Flex licensing model already landed an 8-figure TCV win. While these are strong signals of customer demand and platform adoption, execution risks and thin margins leave SentinelOne (NYSE:S [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/S]) vulnerable.

But said vulnerability is what makes the company attractive to larger strategics, in my opinion. CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CRWD]) could remove a major rival and deepen its AI-driven security portfolio (though antitrust scrutiny may complicate this path). On the hyperscaler side, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT]) could absorb SentinelOne to expand its fast-growing security arms and differentiate its cloud offerings with stronger autonomous endpoint and AI SIEM capabilities.

Oliver Rodzianko [https://seekingalpha.com/author/oliver-rodzianko]: Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RGTI]) is one of the clearest takeout setups right now, operating in quantum. Quanta Computer (OTC:QUCCF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/QUCCF]) already bought a $35 million stake, locked shares for three years, and signed a five-year, $250 million-each collaboration to manufacture Rigetti’s non-QPU hardware. This kind of industrial partnership commonly evolves into full ownership once the supply chain and IP integration are proven.

However, this isn’t exactly a distressed play, as Rigetti’s $570 million in cash with no debt on the balance sheet gives it operating security. Instead, Quanta will be looking to secure IP and talent rather than obtain pure value-based upside. If Rigetti (NASDAQ:RGTI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/RGTI]) can hit execution triggers, like its first SOW by the end of 2025, with Quanta raising its stake and new system orders tied to Quanta hardware, then Quanta (OTC:QUCCF [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/QUCCF]) is the natural acquirer.

MORE ON MICROSOFT, SENTINELONE, ETC.

* Western Union: Worth A Look [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4827257-western-union-worth-a-look]
* Cracking The PayPal Case [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4827007-cracking-the-paypal-case]
* CrowdStrike: Positioning For Agentic AI Security Growth [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4826917-crowdstrike-positioning-for-agentic-ai-security-growth]
* Tech Voices: Microsoft on chips, 365-Copilot bundle; Qualcomm-Arm [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4500958-tech-voices-microsoft-on-chips-365-copilot-bundle-qualcomm-arm]
* Microsoft promotes Althoff to Commercial CEO as Nadella focuses on AI technical work [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4500821-microsoft-promotes-althoff-to-commercial-ceo-as-nadella-focuses-on-ai-technical-work]