Core Insights - The earnings season has highlighted increased data center investments from major tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms, driven by the AI revolution [1] - The global data center market is projected to grow from $347.60 billion in 2024 to $652.01 billion in 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% [2] - Investors are shifting focus towards companies that will benefit from infrastructure spending related to data centers [2] Company Summaries Johnson Controls International (JCI) - JCI plays a crucial role in data center infrastructure, particularly in cooling systems necessary for high-density AI chip environments [4][5] - The company’s HVAC systems are designed to improve energy efficiency, addressing the increasing pressure on data center operators to reduce power usage effectiveness (PUE) [5] - JCI's stock has seen a drop of approximately 7.5% before its earnings report, but analysts project a 17% earnings growth in the next 12 months, with a consensus price target of $105.17 [6] American Tower (AMT) - AMT is recognized for its role in the 5G buildout and is making significant investments in edge data centers and fiber interconnection assets [8] - The stock has increased by 15.7% in 2025, reversing a negative total return trend over the past five years, and offers a dividend yield of 3.21% [9] - AMT reported slight earnings beats, and its forward P/E ratio of around 20x suggests it is attractively valued, with a consensus price target of $243.88 indicating a potential 15% upside [10] Vertiv (VRT) - Vertiv has delivered an impressive 824% gain over the last five years, currently trading close to its consensus price target of $145.54 [12] - The company is expected to see increased demand for its liquid cooling technology, supported by positive earnings reports [13] - Despite its strong performance, VRT appears overvalued in the short term, and investors may want to wait for a pullback before entering [14]
3 Stocks Riding the AI Data Center Buildout Wave