Toronto, May 29, 2026, 13:02 EDT
- BlackBerry’s U.S. shares were up around 3.4% at midday. Trading volume was above 31 million shares.
- Fresh QNX robotics research and a spike in options trading earlier this week set up the move.
- BlackBerry’s next earnings report is due in late June, and investors are watching for it.
BlackBerry Limited’s U.S. shares moved higher again Friday, continuing a rally that started in late May. Traders are buying on the potential of the company’s QNX unit, with interest focused on robotics and so-called “physical AI,” where machines use artificial intelligence to interact with the physical world.
Why does it matter? BlackBerry is not just an old phone story now. Its stock has jumped, so investors are looking again at QNX, the embedded software arm. The big question is whether QNX can grab business outside cars—like robots, medical tech and factory gear—and if that change can support a higher share price.
BlackBerry was last at $9.08, rising 30 cents, or 3.4%. It hit $9.57 at one point in the session. Shares started at $9.06 and dropped to $8.725 before bouncing back. More than 31 million shares changed hands on the day so far.
TSX up, tech leads as ceasefire hopes boost risk mood. The S&P/TSX Composite Index climbed 0.44% late Friday morning. Technology stocks jumped 3.5%. Traders pointed to optimism over a possible Middle East ceasefire extension as lifting sentiment.
QNX put out research Wednesday showing developers are zeroing in on physical AI and real-time behavior. BlackBerry’s QNX unit said a poll of 1,000 robotics developers found 89% said physical AI is key for their future projects. 95% called deterministic, real-time response essential as well.
Robotics teams are running into hard limits with architectures that can’t handle growing complexity, said Jim Hirsch, global vice president of sales for general embedded markets at QNX. Hirsch said better software foundations could pave the way for “a new generation of safe, reliable” autonomous robots. ACCESS Newswire
BlackBerry options saw a surge in bullish activity, Cboe data cited by The Fly showed earlier this week. Volume in BlackBerry contracts was almost three times the usual daily amount, with calls outnumbering puts. Calls pay off if shares go up, so a wave of call buying can push a stock higher in the short term.
BlackBerry’s stock rise came as bigger security-software names also climbed. CrowdStrike shares added close to 8%, while Fortinet traded up 4.6% on Friday. Traders bought into the sector broadly, not just BlackBerry, but BlackBerry’s QNX business is more linked to embedded systems, unlike the main security products at CrowdStrike and Fortinet.
BlackBerry’s earnings are looking better. In April, the company posted fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $156.0 million, a 10% increase from last year. QNX had record quarterly revenue, hitting $78.7 million, up 20%. Royalty backlog rose to about $950 million. The company says a royalty backlog is its expected future royalty revenue under customer programs, but notes these figures aren’t standardized between firms.
BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo told Reuters last month that QNX is more shielded from big swings in the software space since it is used for “highly regulated, complex, mission-critical solutions.” CFO Tim Foote said the company wants to ramp up sales and marketing spend for QNX to push further into physical AI, robotics and medical markets. Reuters
BlackBerry’s investor-relations page has June 25 down as the expected date for its fiscal Q1 results, though it calls this ‘approximate.’ That puts traders on watch for a quick test: has the recent rally run too far, or can management point to fresh QNX gains to fuel more upside?
The risk is the stock may have baked in plenty of good news already. StockAnalysis data put the average analyst rating at “Hold” from eight analysts, with a 12-month price target of $5.16. That’s well under the latest price. If QNX growth loses steam, robotics demand takes more time to show up on the top line, or options buying pulls back, BlackBerry could retrace some of its recent gains fast. stockanalysis.com
