Based on implied volatility (IV) — which is a residual value calculated from actual option order flows — Barchart’s Expected Move calculator projects a price range (for the month-of-February expiration date) between $15.78 and $30.18. Thanks to the heightened IV, we have a whopping high-low spread of 91.25%.As for the latest read, net trade sentiment stood at $367,100. Personally, I think that’s going to tell you a lot more than which individual puts or calls have demonstrated unusual activity.Despite the c ...

CHONGQING, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 28: In this photo illustration, a hand holds a smartphone displaying the logo of Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: APLD), the American company specializing in data centers and digital infrastructure, with its brand logo seen in the background on September 28, 2025 in Chongqing, China. (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)Getty ImagesApplied Digital (APLD) shares have decreased by 17.5% in a single day. This recent decline highlights renewed worries about elevated val ...

Core Insights - The artificial intelligence (AI) sector is poised for significant transformation driven by robust demand from various end markets, including hyperscale automation, robotics, healthcare, energy, materials, financials, and cybersecurity over the next five years [1] Company Summaries Applied Digital Corp. (APLD) - APLD is a U.S. designer and operator of high-performance data centers specifically for AI and blockchain workloads, with a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [5][12] - The global AI market is projected to reach $500 billion by 2027, indicating strong long-term growth potential for APLD [5] - APLD's data centers are designed to meet the high power density and cooling requirements of AI applications, which positions the company favorably as demand from hyperscalers increases [6] - The company has secured multi-year leases at its Ellendale campus, expanding from 250 MW to 400 MW, with anticipated lease revenue of approximately $11 billion over 15 years [7] - APLD has reduced its build timelines from 24 months to 12-14 months and is currently developing multiple campuses with 700 MW under construction [9] - The company has an expected revenue growth rate of 30.4% and earnings growth rate of 61.3% for the current year, with significant upward revisions in earnings estimates over the past 60 days [12] Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE) - LITE specializes in optical and photonic technologies for telecommunications and data centers, holding a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [17] - The company is focused on developing photonic solutions for AI applications, particularly in data centers, with offerings that include high-speed transceivers and lasers [15] - LITE has seen a surge in demand due to its collaboration with NVIDIA Corp. in developing silicon photonics for networking switches [16] - The expected revenue growth rate for LITE is 56% and earnings growth rate is over 100% for the current year, with positive revisions in earnings estimates noted over the last 60 days [17]

We recently published 10 Stocks Facing Selling Pressure Ahead of Christmas. Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) is one of the biggest losers on Monday. Applied Digital nosedived for a fourth consecutive day on Monday, slashing 17.52 percent to close at $22.98 apiece as investors took path from a broader market pessimism amid fresh AI bubble worries. The stock declined alongside its high-performance computing (HPC) counterparts, dragged down by increasing concerns about technology giants’ heavy spending o ...

Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) has been one of the standout performers in 2025, delivering gains of approximately 200% year-to-date. The company designs, builds, and operates next-generation data centers optimized for high-performance computing and AI workloads. Its strong performance positioned it as a key holding in Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) "secret†investment portfolio focused on AI ecosystem companies. While most holdings in that portfolio declined sharply — resulting in an overall 30% drop in value since t ...

Key Takeaways APLD's Polaris Forge 1 campus is backed by a full 400MW CoreWeave commitment, boosting multi-year revenue.APLD's capital structure supports growth, with preferred equity and project financing in place.The Zacks Consensus Estimate pegs APLD's fiscal 2026 revenues at $280.9M, up 30.35% year over year.Applied Digital (APLD) shares have appreciated 141.2% in the past six months, outperforming the broader Zacks Finance sector’s increase of 10.7% and the Zacks Financial – Miscellaneous Services indu ...

Core Insights - The rapid global adoption of AI is driving significant investments in AI infrastructure, with a projected spending of nearly $350 billion on AI data centers by public hyperscalers in 2025 [2] - Applied Digital is emerging as a key beneficiary of this trend, with its high-density, liquid-cooled data centers optimized for AI workloads [3] Company Performance - Applied Digital has a robust contracted backlog of nearly $16 billion for AI data center-related revenue, including an $11 billion contract with CoreWeave over 15 years [5] - The company has also secured an additional $5 billion in contracted revenue through a 15-year lease of 200-MW data center capacity at Polaris Forge 2 [6] - Analysts project a revenue growth of 37.9% for Applied Digital in fiscal 2026, reaching $297.3 million, indicating substantial multiyear growth potential [7] Operational Strategy - Applied Digital has integrated operational capabilities with hyperscalers, providing tenant fit-out services that contributed $26.3 million in revenue in the first quarter [8] - The company has effectively managed its supply chain, reducing construction timelines from 24 months to 12-14 months, allowing for rapid capacity ramp-up [10] Capacity Expansion Plans - The first 100-MW capacity at Polaris Forge 1 is complete, with plans to expand to over 1 GW as new regional transmission infrastructure becomes available [11] - Applied Digital is constructing 300-MW capacity at Polaris Forge 2, expected to come online in 2027, with a total active development pipeline of 4 GW [12] Funding and Financial Outlook - The company has secured $2.35 billion through a private offering of senior secured notes to support its expansion plans [13] - Macquarie Capital has committed up to $5 billion in preferred equity financing, which is expected to unlock data center capacity buildout worth $20 billion to $25 billion [14] - Despite a high valuation of 39.5 times sales, the anticipated cash flows from the CoreWeave lease could lead to a net operating income run rate of $1 billion in the next five years [16]

Core Insights - Applied Digital is experiencing significant growth, with shares surging 295% year to date due to rising demand for data center capacity driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure [1][2] - The company is expected to announce more leasing deals in the coming year, which will act as a catalyst for stock performance [2] Industry Context - Publicly traded hyperscalers are projected to spend $350 billion on AI data centers this year, while McKinsey estimates a need for $6.7 trillion globally by 2030 to meet compute power demands [4] - Current lead times for new data centers are at least five years, creating urgency for hyperscalers to secure immediate capacity [5] Company Developments - Applied Digital has signed a long-term lease with CoreWeave for its Polaris Forge 1 campus, expected to generate $11 billion in revenue over 15 years by supplying 400 megawatts (MW) of data center load [6] - A second 15-year lease with an undisclosed hyperscaler, valued at $5 billion, was announced, with plans to supply 200 MW of data center load [7] - The company has a robust development pipeline with 4 gigawatts (GW) of data center load in active projects [7] Financial Position - Applied Digital's current market cap is approximately $7.8 billion, with a gross margin of 14.46% [9] - The company has secured $5 billion in funding from Macquarie Asset Management, which mitigates financing risks associated with construction [11] - Despite a net loss of $28 million last quarter, the company has reduced data center build times from 24 to 12 months, enhancing operational efficiency [10][11] Market Outlook - The current market cap appears to fairly value existing deals, suggesting potential upside for investors with each new lease agreement [12]

This data center company is positioned for explosive growth.A few years ago, there were not enough chips for companies investing in artificial intelligence (AI). Today, chips are no longer a problem. The main bottleneck is securing access to electricity for new data centers.This is a significant opportunity for data center builders like Applied Digital (APLD 0.66%). The stock has climbed more than 300% in 2025.If you have extra cash you can afford to commit to a long-term investing strategy, this stock offe ...

Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Accumulate" rating for the industry [6] Core Insights - In recent years, several Bitcoin mining companies have partnered with AI cloud providers, utilizing part of their electricity for GPU hosting and developing AIDC (AI Data Center) businesses, with contracts totaling $53.6 billion and involving 1.959 GW of power [1][11] - The market perceives that Bitcoin mining companies primarily have an advantage in electricity resources compared to other AIDC competitors, but many have prior experience in self-operated cloud services [4][10] - The report suggests that companies with more AI electricity capacity tend to have higher market valuations, with average valuations of $4.73 million/MW for total electricity, $12.26 million/MW for mining electricity, and $144 million/MW for AI electricity [4][55] Summary by Sections 1. Current Status of Bitcoin Mining Transformation to AIDC - As of November 3, 2025, six Bitcoin mining companies have signed contracts with at least five cloud providers, totaling $53.6 billion and involving 1.959 GW of power [1][11] - Over 50% of the AI cloud providers that signed contracts with Bitcoin mining companies are emerging firms, with Coreweave being the largest [2][13] - The average contract duration for AIDC projects is 14 years, with a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 25 years [3][24] - The average price for key IT load contracts is $1.73 million/MW/year, indicating a consistent pricing structure across projects [3][27] 2. Reasons and Models for Transformation - The transition to AIDC is driven by the uncertainty in revenue and profitability from Bitcoin mining, which faces challenges such as fluctuating prices and increasing competition [33][35] - AIDC offers higher gross margins compared to Bitcoin mining, with various projects reporting net operating income margins between 80% and 88% [40][39] 3. Self-Operated Cloud Services by Mining Companies - Companies like Iris Energy, Hive Digital, and Bitdeer are actively developing self-operated AI cloud services, with Iris Energy expected to operate 140,000 GPUs by the end of 2026 [43][47] - Bitdeer plans to operate 1,160 GPUs by the end of 2025, while Hive Digital aims to exceed 11,000 GPUs by the end of 2026 [44][51] 4. Future Outlook for AIDC Transformation - The report anticipates an acceleration in the transformation of Bitcoin mining companies to AIDC, as companies with more AI electricity capacity are valued higher in the market [55] - The report highlights the importance of companies having substantial electricity reserves and experience in AI cloud services for future investment opportunities [4][55]