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Can This Incredible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Repeat Its 800% 2024 Gain in 2025?
SOUNSoundHound AI(SOUN) The Motley Fool·2025-01-29 10:15

Stock Performance and Market Sentiment - SoundHound AI stock gained an incredible 835% in 2024, but is currently 46% off its all-time high from that year [1][2] - The stock has been highly volatile since its IPO in 2022, with a low of 0.97pershareinlate2022[2]Investorsarequestioningwhetherthestockcanreverseitsrecentdownturnandreturnto2024levels[3]IndustryandTechnologySoundHoundAIoperatesinthespeechrecognitionsubsetofAI,whichisseeingincreasedmainstreamadoptioninareaslikedrivethruordering,customerservice,andautomotiveapplications[4]Thespeechrecognitionmarketisprojectedtomorethandoublefrom2024toover0.97 per share in late 2022 [2] - Investors are questioning whether the stock can reverse its recent downturn and return to 2024 levels [3] Industry and Technology - SoundHound AI operates in the speech recognition subset of AI, which is seeing increased mainstream adoption in areas like drive-thru ordering, customer service, and automotive applications [4] - The speech recognition market is projected to more than double from 2024 to over 16 billion by 2030 [5] - The company demonstrated new in-vehicle voice assistant technology at CES, enabling users to order takeout through their car's communication system [7] Business Fundamentals and Financials - SoundHound AI has significantly improved its financial position, with 136millionincashand136 million in cash and 70 million in current liabilities as of Q3 2024, compared to 9millionincashand9 million in cash and 38 million in liabilities at the end of 2022 [8] - Revenue is growing rapidly, with 25millioninQ32024anda12monthtotalof25 million in Q3 2024 and a 12-month total of 67 million [10] - Management forecasts 85millioninsalesfor2024and85 million in sales for 2024 and 155-175 million for 2025 [10] - The company has diversified its customer base, with its largest customer accounting for just 12% of Q3 2024 revenue, down from 72% in the prior-year period [6] Valuation and Growth Prospects - SoundHound AI currently has a market cap of 5.2billion,tradingat64x2024salesand36xthemidpointof2025salesguidance[12]Historically,thestockhastradedatanaverageof20xsales,whichwouldimplya355.2 billion, trading at 64x 2024 sales and 36x the midpoint of 2025 sales guidance [12] - Historically, the stock has traded at an average of 20x sales, which would imply a 35% decline from current levels based on 2025 sales guidance [13] - Sales are expected to double in 2025 but growth is projected to slow, with analysts estimating 200 million in sales for 2026 [14] - The company's impressive technology and growth potential are offset by its high valuation, making a repeat of 2024's massive gains unlikely [14]