Akamai Technologies (AKAM) stock surged 15.27% in 24-hour trading, driven by stronger-than-expected second-quarter financial results and a bullish outlook from the company's leadership.

The cybersecurity and cloud computing firm reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.59, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57, while revenue for the quarter reached $1.099 billion, slightly above the $1.092 billion analysts had expected. The standout performer was the company's cloud infrastructure services segment, which posted revenue of $99 million — a 39% year-over-year jump — fueled by new multi-year contracts including a $600 million deal with a U.S. technology firm. The security segment also contributed to growth, with revenue rising 10% year-over-year.

Further boosting investor sentiment, CEO Tom Leighton appeared on CNBC's Mad Money, stating that he expects Akamai's growth rate to accelerate in the near term and highlighting a very strong pipeline and increasing interest in the company's capabilities, particularly around artificial intelligence. The combination of the earnings beat, robust cloud infrastructure demand, and optimistic forward-looking commentary helped investors look past a slight miss in adjusted EBITDA and a decline in delivery and other cloud applications revenue.