Dan Ives Reveals Buyout Watchlist Including C3.ai, SanDisk, Lyft, Qualys And More: 'M&A Floodgates Are Opening'

Author: Rishabh Mishra | October 03, 2025 02:09am

Prominent Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives is forecasting an imminent surge of mergers and acquisitions across the technology sector, declaring that the artificial intelligence (AI) “M&A floodgates are ready to be opened.”

Top AI M&A Picks By Dan Ives

Citing an intensifying “AI arms race,” Ives has identified a watchlist of prime takeover targets, including cybersecurity firms and consumer tech companies.

In a recent note to clients reported by CNBC and a post on X, Ives argued that both strategic and financial buyers are gearing up for a flurry of acquisitions.

He pointed to a more lenient regulatory landscape as a key catalyst that will make it easier for deals to close. “We believe that the tech M&A floodgates are ready to be opened as more opportunities arise to add accretive assets with an easier path forward,” Ives stated.

His comprehensive list of M&A targets also features C3.ai Inc. (NYSE:AI), SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK), Tenable Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:TENB), SentinelOne Inc. (NYSE:S), Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT), Qualys Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS), Varonis Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNS), Elastic NV (NYSE:ESTC), and Tripadvisor Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP).

We expect tech M&A to accelerate over the coming months as the AI Revolution takes hold. Both strategic and financial buyers we see taking advantage of a healthy tech and disruptive tech landscape. Our top tech targets 🏆🔥🐂🍿 pic.twitter.com/qqRp2hGFGu

— Dan Ives (@DivesTech) October 2, 2025

Which Firms Are Likely To Acquire AI Players?

Ives anticipates that tech giants like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), which he suggests are playing catch-up in the AI race, will be among the most highly acquisitive firms during this wave.

See Also: Dan Ives Picks 5 Stocks For 2nd Half Of 2025: Nvidia, Palantir, Microsoft And More: ‘Golden Age Of Tech Is Here With AI Revolution’

AI M&A Activity Is Already Underway

The prediction comes as the industry has already seen significant M&A activity, such as CoreWeave Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:CRWV) deal for Core Scientific Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:CORZ) data centers.

Also, Palo Alto Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) reported the acquisition of CyberArk Software Ltd. (NASDAQ:CYBR).

Ives expects this trend to accelerate as large-scale tech players look to buy niche AI use cases to expand their product portfolios.

IVES ETF Crosses $750 Million In AUM

The forecast carries significant weight in the market, where Ives has established himself as an influential voice on tech trends.

His analysis is the foundation of the Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF (NYSE:IVES), which recently underscored strong investor confidence by surpassing $750 million in assets under management just months after its launch in June 2025.

It has risen 30.18% since its listing.

Price Action

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, rose on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.12% at $669.22, while the QQQ rose 0.41% to $605.73, according to Benzinga Pro data.

The futures of the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 indices were higher on Friday.

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• AAPL ‘Stock Would Soar’ If It Buys This, Says Jim Cramer: ‘Continued Buybacks Will Do Nothing’

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Poetra.RH/Shutterstock

Posted In: AAPL AI CORZ CRWV CYBR ESTC IBM IVES LYFT PANW QLYS QQQ S SNDK SPY TENB TRIP VRNS