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APLD: A Turnaround in Profitability or Mirage Behind Adjusted EBITDA?
ZACKS· 2025-06-24 13:21
Core Insights - Applied Digital's fiscal Q3 2025 results show a significant 878% year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA to $10 million, indicating operational strength, but a net loss of $36.1 million or 16 cents per share raises concerns about profitability and capital structure [1][9] - The company reported a 22% increase in revenue to $52.9 million, but this fell short of expectations by nearly $10 million due to operational issues in transitioning GPU clusters and seasonal margin pressures in the Data Center Hosting segment [2][9] Strategic Developments - Applied Digital secured a $5 billion capital commitment from Macquarie and a $375 million loan from SMBC, enhancing liquidity for its Ellendale campus expansion [3] - The company is reviewing strategic alternatives for its AI Cloud Services business, considering potential benefits from a REIT conversion and conflicts with hyperscaler leasing prospects [3][4] Financial Position - The company's debt has risen to $689.1 million, leading to increased interest expenses, prompting investors to question the sustainability of its growth and reliance on adjusted metrics [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings suggests a 73.6% year-over-year increase, with current estimates indicating a net loss of $0.99 per share for the current year [13][14] Market Performance - APLD shares have increased by 29.2% year-to-date, contrasting with a 3.7% decline in the industry [8] - The company's forward price-to-sales ratio stands at 8.97X, significantly above the industry average and its five-year median of 1.44X, reflecting a Value Score of F [11]
Applied Digital: Now the High-Stakes Race to Build Begins
MarketBeat· 2025-06-17 17:02
Core Insights - The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is driving demand for digital infrastructure, positioning Applied Digital Corporation as a key player in this space [1][2] - The company secured a long-term agreement with CoreWeave, which is expected to generate approximately $7 billion in revenue over 15 years [3][4] Strategic Developments - Applied Digital will lease 250 megawatts (MW) of datacenter capacity to CoreWeave at its Ellendale, North Dakota campus, with the first 100 MW facility expected to be operational by Q4 2025 [3][4] - The partnership with ABB aims to enhance power efficiency, addressing the operational complexities of AI data centers [11] Competitive Landscape - The data center market is highly competitive, with significant investments from established REITs and tech giants, creating pressure for Applied Digital to execute its projects effectively [6][7] - The company faces a high short interest of 39.55%, indicating a divided investor sentiment regarding its future performance [8][9] Financial Considerations - Applied Digital has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, and a recent S-3 filing allows for potential capital raising, which may dilute existing shares [11] - The stock has a 12-month price forecast of $12.73, reflecting a potential upside of 12.53% from its current price [5] Operational Challenges - The company must meet strict construction timelines to avoid revenue impacts and maintain investor confidence [4][12] - Achieving sustained profitability will be crucial for the company's long-term success, as operational execution becomes the focus following the secured contract [12][13]
$2.7 Billion in Data Center Savings: New Applied Digital Report Positions North Dakota as the Epicenter for AI Infrastructure
Globenewswire· 2025-06-17 12:05
Core Insights - The article discusses the launch of a white paper by Applied Digital Corporation, detailing how smart site selection and cooling design can significantly reduce costs for generative AI infrastructure, potentially saving up to $60 million annually per campus [1][8]. Group 1: Company Overview - Applied Digital Corporation specializes in designing, building, and operating next-generation digital infrastructure for High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications [1]. - The company has introduced Polaris Forge as its North Dakota-based data center region, which is optimized for AI workloads and driven by renewable power [2]. Group 2: Key Findings from the White Paper - The white paper highlights that site selection can lead to annual electricity cost reductions of $50 to $60 million compared to existing 100MW data centers, amounting to potential savings of up to $2.7 billion over a 30-year lifespan [8]. - Polaris Forge 01 is designed to support 400 MW of critical IT load and is built to take advantage of stranded power and favorable climate conditions for cooling [4][8]. Group 3: Infrastructure and Community Impact - The design of Polaris Forge 01 includes a closed-loop, waterless, direct-to-chip cooling system, achieving a projected Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.18 and a Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) near zero [8]. - The company is committed to supporting local economies through initiatives that integrate community priorities, such as workforce housing and job creation [5]. Group 4: Market Confidence and Agreements - Applied Digital has signed a 250 MW, 15-year lease agreement worth $7 billion with CoreWeave for deployment at Polaris Forge 01, indicating strong market confidence in the company's capabilities [6].
Applied Digital (APLD) Earnings Call Presentation
2025-06-17 09:31
Company Overview - Applied Digital develops and operates next-generation data centers and cloud infrastructure, focusing on accelerated compute and secure digital hosting[16] - The company supports AI/ML, blockchain, and high-performance computing workloads[17] - Applied Digital operates two blockchain data centers with a combined capacity of approximately 286 MW[72] - The company is constructing a 100 MW HPC data center in Ellendale, ND, with plans to expand into a 400 MW campus[46] HPC Data Centers and AI Demand - Hyperscalers are projecting total capital expenditures of $335 billion in 2025[103] - HPC data centers now average 200 MW, with capacity expected to triple by 2030, driving a projected 125% rise in electricity consumption[98] - Applied Digital's Ellendale HPC data center is being built with a peak rack load of 120kW/rack[142] Macquarie Transaction - Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) may invest up to $5 billion in Applied Digital's HPC data center development[50] - MAM's initial investment is up to $900 million in Applied Digital's Ellendale HPC Campus, with over $225 million payable at the initial closing[149] - At closing, Macquarie will receive a 15% common equity interest in APLD HPC Holdings, a subsidiary of APLD[159] Convertible Notes - Applied Digital issued $450 million in convertible notes at a 2.75% interest rate[48, 171]
Applied Digital's Cloud Services Business Divestment Looks Promising
ZACKS· 2025-06-16 14:16
Core Insights - Applied Digital (APLD) plans to divest its cloud services division, which constitutes about one-third of its FY2025 revenues, to focus on becoming a pure-play data center REIT [1][8] - The divestiture aims to resolve customer conflicts with hyperscale clients and enhance market positioning for its primary leasing business [1][4] Financial Performance - APLD's cloud revenues dropped by 32-36% quarterly, leading to a revenue miss of $52.9 million compared to the estimated $64 million, which negatively impacted stock performance [2][8] - Despite cloud challenges, APLD secured significant deals, including a $7 billion, 15-year lease with CoreWeave and a nearly $5 billion investment from Macquarie, indicating strong demand for its HPC infrastructure [3][4] Strategic Moves - The sale of the cloud unit is seen as a corrective measure to streamline operations for a REIT transition and to stabilize balance sheets while unlocking long-term shareholder value [4] - APLD's stock has increased by 46.3% year-to-date, contrasting with a 6.8% decline in the industry [7] Valuation Metrics - APLD trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 10.44, which is above the industry average and its five-year median of 1.43, indicating a potentially overvalued position [9] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APLD's fiscal 2026 earnings suggests a significant year-over-year increase of 73.6% [10]
ABB and Applied Digital accelerate AI-ready data centers
Globenewswire· 2025-06-11 13:53
Core Insights - Applied Digital has launched an infrastructure partnership with ABB to develop a 400 MW data center campus in North Dakota, focusing on energy-efficient solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities [1][12] - The partnership introduces a new medium voltage power architecture utilizing ABB's HiPerGuard Medium Voltage Static Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which enhances power density and energy efficiency for AI data centers [2][5] Group 1: Partnership Details - The collaboration aims to innovate fast, reliable, and energy-efficient solutions to support the growing demands of AI [1][12] - Initial orders for the partnership were booked in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, although further financial details were not disclosed [1] Group 2: Technological Advancements - The new medium voltage UPS system allows data centers to scale more efficiently in 25 MW blocks, simplifying installation and increasing reliability [3] - The shift to medium voltage reduces conversion losses and heat generation, thereby improving overall energy efficiency [3] Group 3: Industry Impact - The partnership is expected to redefine the electrical infrastructure landscape for large-scale data centers, addressing the increasing power demands of AI factories [4][5] - ABB's early investment in medium voltage UPS technology is already benefiting large-scale data centers in North America and Europe, enhancing energy efficiency and power density [5]
APLD Doubles Down on AI/ML Hosting With Landmark CoreWeave Lease
ZACKS· 2025-06-10 16:11
Core Insights - Applied Digital (APLD) has secured a significant 250 MW, 15-year lease agreement with CoreWeave, projected to generate approximately $7 billion in revenues [1][6] - The deal includes phased delivery of 100 MW by Q4 2025 and 150 MW by mid-2026, with an option for an additional 150 MW [1] - APLD is transitioning from a hybrid operator to a pure-play AI/HPC infrastructure platform, focusing on AI hosting environments [2] Company Strategy - APLD is divesting its Cloud Services business to concentrate on delivering tailored AI hosting solutions, aiming for a capacity of 1 GW and considering a REIT conversion [2][6] - The Ellendale campus is designed for power-dense deployments, utilizing liquid cooling and benefiting from low-cost energy, making it suitable for compute-heavy workloads [1][6] Competitive Landscape - CoreWeave, as APLD's anchor tenant, is enhancing its position in GPU-powered infrastructure, having raised over $1 billion to expand its data-center network [3] - Equinix is also adapting to the AI landscape by deploying GPU-enabled setups and has announced a joint venture to raise over $15 billion for expanding its xScale data centers [4] Financial Performance - APLD's shares have increased by 70.4% year-to-date, contrasting with a 3.5% decline in the industry [5] - The forward price-to-sales ratio for APLD stands at 12.42, significantly above the industry average and its five-year median of 1.42 [8] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APLD's fiscal 2026 earnings indicates a year-over-year rise of 73.6% [10]
Prediction: 2 AI Stocks That Will Be Worth More Than C3.ai 2 Years From Now
The Motley Fool· 2025-06-08 08:10
Group 1: C3.ai Overview - C3.ai went public four and a half years ago but currently trades nearly 40% below its IPO price, facing challenges such as cooled growth and customer concentration issues [2] - Despite difficulties, C3.ai's top-line growth accelerated in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025, extending a crucial deal with its largest client, Baker Hughes, which accounts for over 30% of its revenue [3] - Analysts expect C3.ai's revenue to grow at a compound annual rate of 19% from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2027, but it trades at 7.5 times this year's sales and does not expect to turn profitable soon [5] Group 2: Applied Digital Overview - Applied Digital builds and rents out data centers to cloud and AI companies, benefiting from the AI boom and transitioning into a real estate investment trust (REIT) [7][8] - The company operates five data centers in North Dakota and plans to open more in South Dakota and Iowa, with a projected revenue growth rate of 48% from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2027 [9][10] - If Applied Digital divests its cloud business and invests in expanding data centers, it could justify its higher valuation and potentially eclipse C3.ai's valuation in the next two years [11] Group 3: DigitalOcean Overview - DigitalOcean operates a cloud infrastructure platform targeting smaller customers, differentiating itself from larger public cloud providers [12] - The company has expanded through acquisitions, including Cloudways in 2022 and Paperspace in 2023, serving over 600,000 customers with a focus on larger clients [13] - Analysts expect DigitalOcean's revenue and EPS to grow at compound annual rates of 14% and 12% from 2024 to 2027, with a market cap of $2.7 billion and trading at 3.1 times this year's sales [14]
Why Applied Digital Stock Soared Again Today
The Motley Fool· 2025-06-06 23:10
Core Insights - Applied Digital's stock experienced significant gains, closing up 8.5% in a day, with its share price more than doubling over the past week [1][3] - The bullish sentiment was driven by the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which showed the U.S. economy added 139,000 net jobs in May, exceeding economists' expectations of 125,000 [3][4] - Despite concerns that strong job growth could indicate higher inflation, the BLS revised previous months' job growth figures downward, which may alleviate inflation fears and support growth stocks like Applied Digital [4][5] Company Developments - Applied Digital has entered a new data-center lease agreement with CoreWeave, expecting to generate over $7 billion in sales from service agreements over the next 15 years [6] - Following its recent valuation gains, the company is now valued at approximately 12 times this year's expected sales, indicating a potential for entering a new growth phase [7]
APLD Accelerates Hyperscale Growth With $5B Expansion Backing
ZACKS· 2025-06-06 14:21
Core Insights - Applied Digital (APLD) is implementing an ambitious expansion strategy focused on hyperscale infrastructure, supported by significant investments from Macquarie Asset Management and SMBC totaling up to $5.375 billion [1][7] - The Ellendale campus is central to APLD's data center vision, with the first building expected to provide 100 megawatts of IT load by the end of 2025, and plans for additional buildings to increase capacity to over 400 megawatts [2][7] - APLD aims to become a leader in high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and is exploring strategic alternatives for its Cloud Services business, potentially transitioning to a REIT structure [3][7] Competition Update - CoreWeave (CRWV) has raised over $1 billion to expand its GPU-powered data center capacity, positioning itself as a significant competitor in the AI-focused cloud market [4] - Equinix (EQIX) announced a joint venture to raise over $15 billion for expanding its xScale data centers in the U.S., adding more than 1.5 gigawatts of capacity to meet AI and cloud demands [5] Financial Performance - APLD's shares have increased by 67.1% year-to-date, contrasting with a 5% decline in the industry [6] - The company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, which is above the industry average and its five-year median of 1.42 [8] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a projected 73.6% rise in APLD's fiscal 2026 earnings year-over-year [9]