Do Rising Costs Raise Red Flag Despite APLD's Revenue Growth?

Core Insights - Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) reported a 22% revenue growth in Q3 fiscal 2025, reaching $52.9 million, primarily due to expanded data center and cloud capacity [1][11] - The company experienced a widening net loss of $36.1 million, equating to a 16-cent loss per share, raising concerns about sustainability amid aggressive expansion [1][11] Financial Performance - APLD's adjusted EBITDA improved significantly to $10 million, indicating underlying business potential despite short-term challenges [2] - Cost of revenues increased to $49.1 million due to higher facility operations, while interest expenses nearly doubled to $8.9 million, reflecting elevated debt levels of $689.1 million [3] - Seasonal power costs and a shift from single to multi-tenant cloud configurations contributed to margin compression [3] Strategic Developments - APLD is on track to launch its Ellendale campus in Q4 fiscal 2025, supported by strategic financing commitments of $5 billion from Macquarie and $375 million from SMBC [2] - The company plans to divest its Cloud Services business to mitigate competition with hyperscaler clients and prepare for a potential REIT transition, raising questions about long-term strategic coherence [4][5] Market Position - APLD's stock has increased by 27.7% year-to-date, outperforming the industry average gain of 3.2% [10] - The company trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 8.64, significantly above the industry average and its five-year median of 1.45, indicating potential overvaluation [12] Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APLD's fiscal 2026 earnings suggests a year-over-year increase of 73.6% [13] - Current estimates indicate a projected loss of $0.99 for the current year, with expectations of narrowing losses to $0.27 in the next year [14]