Applied Digital's soaring AI infrastructure revenues and $36B in contracts signal growth, but widening losses and heavy debt cloud its outlook.
Securing gigawatt-scale power assets is one of the biggest bottlenecks for global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, and the market may be mispricing the solution. Advanced computing hardware no longer represents the main obstacle for major technology sector companies; instead, access to reliable sovereign energy has taken its place.
Applied Digital has shed more than half its value from its peak, yet analysts keep piling on buy ratings with targets that sit above where the stock was trading at its best.
It may be hard to imagine Applied Digital NASDAQ: APLD as having a moat, but it does: regulatory hurdles and local pushback. While many hyperscale projects are stalling or delayed, Applied Digital's projects are underway and advancing, aided by favorable conditions in the territories where it operates.
I am reiterating Applied Digital (APLD) as a Strong Buy with a $70 price target. Q1 2027 results showed 322% revenue growth to $341.9M, with base rent at $65.8M and adjusted EBITDA surging to $64.4M. APLD expects to bring over 600MW online in the next 12 months, materially boosting recurring revenue and demonstrating operating leverage.
APLD's Q1 revenues surge 322% on HPC fit-out and rental growth, but higher costs, interest expense and fair-value losses widen its loss.
Needham analyst John Todaro trimmed his price target on Applied Digital (APLD) on October 8th even though the AI infrastructure firm reported a blockbuster Q1 last evening. The company more than quadrupled its revenue on a year-over-year basis to $342 million, on a per share loss of just one cent, miles above $116 million and 29 cents per share that analysts had called for.
Applied Digital's $36B contracted revenue base offers long-term growth potential, but construction, financing and rising competition pose key challenges.
Applied Digital is accelerating AI factory expansion, targeting 600+ MW of new capacity as premium leases, power access and funding options support growth.
Applied Digital Corporation remains a buy, driven by robust demand, a $36B contracted backlog, and execution on 600+ MW coming online in 12 months. Expansion leases are a key catalyst, with management targeting 15% higher rates and longer durations, leveraging scarce power and ready-to-build sites. APLD's long-lived, adaptable AI campuses and focus on Tier 1 hyperscaler customers enhance durability and future pricing power.
Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) reported first-quarter revenue of $341.9 million, beating analysts' expectations of $111.19 million. Revenue for the fiscal first quarter ended August 31 rose 322% from the comparable period a year earlier, reflecting growing demand for large-scale computing infrastructure used to support AI applications.
Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) Q1 2027 Earnings Call Transcript