On Thursday, Craig-Hallum increased the stock price target for Applied Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ:APLD) to $12.00 from the previous $10.00, while maintaining a Buy rating on the stock. The firm highlighted the company's strong positioning due to significant demand from hyperscalers and its ability to rapidly build out its facilities.
The analyst's observations noted key differences in the company's recent earnings calls, emphasizing Applied Blockchain's confidence in securing leases and the swift progress on construction. The company has been successful in acquiring energy resources, particularly in the hydrocarbon-rich regions of the Dakotas, which has placed it ahead of competitors struggling with power acquisition for their projects.
Applied Blockchain has secured line-of-sight for power for its entire 400MW artificial intelligence campus in Ellendale. The company's proactive approach has also allowed it to obtain 300MW of backup generators, expediting the initial phase of its buildout.
In addition to its current developments, Applied Blockchain is marketing 1.4GW of power, indicating a strategic move to acquire power rights in advance of surging demand. This strategy is expected to be beneficial as the company begins to market its capabilities, potentially starting with a site in South Dakota.
The analyst also pointed out the specific needs of the AI industry, which requires a constant power load, as opposed to the flexible power load offered by many ERCOT contracts. This distinction is particularly relevant for AI training use cases, underscoring the importance of the "right" power for Applied Blockchain's operations.
In other recent news, Applied Blockchain Inc saw a notable uptick in its fiscal first quarter 2025 revenue, with a 67% increase to $60.7 million, driven by robust performance in data center hosting and cloud services. Despite this revenue surge, the company reported an adjusted net loss of $21.6 million. Needham has maintained its Buy rating on Applied Blockchain, highlighting the nearing completion of a high-performance computing lease with a major hyperscaler, which is currently 98% finalized.
The first phase of the agreement, a 100 megawatt lease, is expected to be followed by a subsequent 300MW lease. Applied Blockchain remains confident in the hyperscaler's demand for the full 400MW capacity of the campus. The company also announced strategic investments and progress on the Ellendale HPC campus construction, with changes in the executive team seeing CFO David Rench transition to Chief Administrative Officer and Saidal Mohmand stepping in as the new CFO.
These are among the recent developments for Applied Blockchain, which is making steady progress on its current projects, with 98.5% to 99% completion, and expects to finalize lease negotiations within six to eight weeks. Despite facing a net loss, the company has experienced significant revenue growth and strong market demand for its upcoming GPU cluster deployments.
InvestingPro Insights
Applied Blockchain Inc's recent performance and future prospects align with several key metrics and insights from InvestingPro. The company's revenue growth is particularly noteworthy, with a 198.92% increase in the last twelve months as of Q4 2024, reaching $165.57 million. This robust growth supports Craig-Hallum's optimistic outlook and price target increase.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that analysts anticipate sales growth in the current year, which aligns with the company's aggressive expansion plans and successful power acquisition strategy. The stock has also shown strong returns over various time frames, including a 147.49% price total return over the past six months, reflecting investor confidence in Applied Blockchain's business model and growth trajectory.
However, it's important to note that the company is not currently profitable, with a negative operating income of $81.23 million in the last twelve months. This aligns with the InvestingPro Tip indicating that analysts do not anticipate the company to be profitable this year. The high price volatility mentioned in the tips is evident in the stock's recent performance, with a -7.96% return over the past week contrasting with the strong longer-term returns.
For investors seeking a more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 15 additional tips for Applied Blockchain Inc, providing a deeper understanding of the company's financial health and market position.
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