The Motley Foolยท2025-08-17 08:32Group 1: AI Industry Overview - The AI industry is rapidly growing, with major tech firms like Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft planning to spend a cumulative $364 billion on AI-related infrastructure in 2025 [1] - Analysts believe that the spending habits of Big Tech indicate significant gains for lesser-known AI-focused companies, with shares of Salesforce, HubSpot, and monday.com expected to soar by 30% or more over the next 12 months [2] Group 2: Salesforce - Salesforce is a leading CRM software provider, with 42 out of 54 analysts rating the stock as a "buy" or "strong buy" [4] - The consensus price target for Salesforce suggests a potential gain of 45% over the next 12 months, with the most optimistic analyst predicting an 84% increase [5] - Despite a 33% decline from its peak in February, Salesforce's underlying business remains strong, with an 8% year-over-year sales increase and a 120% growth in annual recurring revenue from its Data Cloud and AI segment [6][7] Group 3: HubSpot - HubSpot's AI-powered customer platform has garnered strong support from analysts, with 33 out of 36 recommending it as a "strong buy" or "buy" [8][9] - The consensus price target for HubSpot is $695.80, indicating a potential 59% increase from its price on August 15 [9] - Although the stock is down 47% from its February peak, HubSpot's total customer base grew by 18% year over year, and management anticipates a 17% sales increase in 2025 [10][11] Group 4: monday.com - monday.com, a work management platform, has received strong endorsements from analysts, with 24 out of 25 recommending it as a "strong buy" or "buy" [11][12] - The consensus price target for monday.com implies a 61% gain over the next 12 months [12] - Despite a 46% decline from its peak in February, monday.com expects total sales to rise by 26% this year, reaching $1.2 billion, and has introduced new AI-powered capabilities to enhance customer productivity [13][14]