CoreWeave shares jump 13% as Q3 revenue rises 168% to $3.7 billion, company raises 2026 outlook

CoreWeave shares jumped 13% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the artificial intelligence (AI) cloud computing company reported better-than-expected third-quarter results and raised its financial outlook for 2026. The strong results helped ease some investor concerns about the company's growth and funding.CoreWeave shares rise after 168% Q3 revenue growth and an improved 2026 financial outlook. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)CoreWeave's revenue surged 168% to $3.7 billion in the third quarter, compared with the same period last year. The company announced the revenue growth in a statement on Tuesday.CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator described the three months ended September 30 as a "breakout quarter" for the company. He said the strong growth was supported by several sources of funding, according to CNBC.These funding sources included financing backed by customer contracts, along with around $9 billion in customer prepayments and deposits. This means customers have paid money to the company in advance, helping support its business expansion.CoreWeave raises 2026 revenue and income forecastCoreWeave also raised its financial outlook for 2026, expecting adjusted operating income of between $1.275 billion and $1.375 billion. It expects its total revenue for the year to reach between $13 billion and $13.3 billion.Also read: China university buys Nvidia H200 AI chips despite US export restrictions and trade blacklistThe company's revenue outlook is higher than analysts' expectations. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected CoreWeave to report adjusted operating income of $1.07 billion in 2026.Similarly, analysts polled by LSEG had expected CoreWeave's 2026 revenue to reach $12.86 billion. The company's new revenue forecast of $13 billion to $13.3 billion is above that estimate, according to CNBC.Nebius and IREN shares also rise alongside CoreWeaveOther AI cloud companies also saw their shares rise in premarket trading on Wednesday. CoreWeave shares were up 13.2% as of 4:18 a.m. ET. Nebius shares gained 11.4%, while IREN shares rose 7.9%.However, companies in the AI cloud computing business, including CoreWeave, Nebius and IREN, have faced growing investor scrutiny this month. Investors have been questioning whether the huge spending on artificial intelligence can continue and whether these companies can maintain their growth.CoreWeave faces investor concerns over debt and fundingCoreWeave had also raised concerns among investors because of its rising credit default swap (CDS) spreads.Its CDS spreads rose above 11%. This is usually a sign that a company may be facing serious financial problems. A higher CDS spread means investors have to pay more money to protect themselves in case the company fails to repay its debt.Despite these concerns, CoreWeave has taken steps to reduce worries about how it gets money to run its business. Zacks Chief Equity Strategist John Blank told CNBC's Squawk Box Europe that the company had reduced funding concerns by moving away from unsecured bonds.Blank said CoreWeave's latest results could mean that its share price has reached its lowest point. "It might be the bottom for CoreWeave," he said on Wednesday.He also said that CoreWeave's shares had already fallen sharply. This means there could be more chances for the shares to rise than to fall further. "The shares are so beaten up, you have to believe at this point there's more value on the upside than the down," Blank told CNBC.