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Snowflake vs Alphabet: Which Cloud Data Stock Has an Edge Now?
ZACKS· 2025-12-15 18:56
Core Insights - Snowflake (SNOW) and Alphabet (GOOGL) are significant players in the cloud data and analytics market, with Snowflake focusing on cloud data warehousing and analytics, while Alphabet offers similar services through Google Cloud's BigQuery [1][2] Market Overview - The global cloud analytics market was valued at $35.39 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $130.63 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 25.5% from 2025 to 2030, indicating strong growth potential for both Snowflake and Alphabet [2] Snowflake (SNOW) Performance - Snowflake reported a net revenue retention rate of 125% in Q3 of fiscal 2026, with a 20% year-over-year growth in customers, totaling 12,621 [3] - The company has 688 customers generating over $1 million in trailing 12-month product revenues, a 29% increase year-over-year [3] - AI has been a significant growth driver, influencing 50% of bookings in Q3, and the company achieved a $100 million AI revenue run rate earlier than expected [4] - Snowflake introduced 370 new GA product capabilities year-to-date, a 35% increase from the previous year [5] - Over 7,300 customers are utilizing Snowflake's AI and ML technology weekly [6] Alphabet (GOOGL) Performance - Alphabet's Google Cloud revenues grew by 33.5% year-over-year to $15.16 billion in Q3 2025, reflecting strong growth in the cloud computing market [8] - Google Cloud ended Q3 2025 with a backlog of $155 billion, a 46% sequential increase, and saw a 34% year-over-year increase in new customers [9] - 70% of Google Cloud customers are now using Alphabet's AI products, indicating strong demand for its offerings [9] - Google Cloud has expanded its global presence with 42 cloud regions and 127 zones across more than 200 countries [10] Valuation and Earnings Estimates - In the past six months, SNOW shares gained 4.2%, while GOOGL shares surged 75%, attributed to Alphabet's AI initiatives [12] - SNOW shares are trading at a forward Price/Sales ratio of 13.36X, higher than GOOGL's 9.68X, indicating potential overvaluation for both [15] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SNOW's fiscal 2026 earnings is $1.20 per share, a 44.58% year-over-year increase, while Alphabet's 2025 earnings estimate is $10.52 per share, reflecting a 30.85% year-over-year increase [17] Conclusion - Both Snowflake and Alphabet are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing cloud analytics market, but Alphabet's broader ecosystem, stronger infrastructure, and consistent earnings growth make it a more stable investment choice [19]
NET Gains From Synergy in Its AI and Security Products: What's Next?
ZACKS· 2025-12-15 16:16
Core Insights - Cloudflare (NET) has developed a robust product portfolio with over 55 revenue-generating products, enhancing its annual contract value and net retention rate [1][11] - The company serves approximately 80% of leading AI firms globally, leveraging its low-latency edge network to gain a competitive edge [2][11] - Cloudflare's security solutions, including Magic Transit and Zero Trust, are gaining traction, particularly in response to increased AI scraping and bot activity [3] Product and Market Position - Cloudflare's diverse offerings in cloud-based security, content delivery networks (CDN), and developer solutions allow it to provide comprehensive end-to-end solutions for enterprises [6] - The company is rapidly scaling its cloud-native strategy, positioning itself favorably against competitors like Akamai Technologies and Zscaler [7][8] - Cloudflare's bundled security tools facilitate easier adoption and higher net retention rates, differentiating it from pure cybersecurity competitors [9] Strategic Collaborations - Cloudflare is partnering with industry leaders such as Oracle, Alphabet, Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to enhance its service offerings [4] - Collaborations with Oracle focus on hybrid and multi-cloud workloads, while partnerships with Alphabet aim at developing post-quantum cryptography standards [4] Growth Potential - The combination of AI, security, multi-cloud networking, and enterprise-scale solutions creates a strong growth engine for Cloudflare, with a projected revenue growth of 28% year-over-year for 2025 [5] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cloudflare's 2025 earnings indicates a year-over-year growth of 21.3%, with recent upward revisions [15] Financial Performance - Cloudflare's stock has surged 76.6% over the past year, significantly outperforming the Zacks Internet – Software industry's growth of 0.9% [10] - The company currently trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 26.37X, which is substantially higher than the industry average of 4.82X [13]
U.S. Enterprises Expand AI Use Across Public Clouds
Businesswire· 2025-12-15 15:00
Core Insights - U.S. enterprises are increasingly adopting AI technologies within public cloud environments to enhance productivity and efficiency in their core business operations [1] Industry Trends - The implementation of AI in public cloud settings is seen as a strategic move by companies to streamline operations and drive better business outcomes [1]
Is Amazon Stock a Buy Right Now?
The Motley Fool· 2025-12-15 14:56
Core Viewpoint - Amazon's stock has underperformed compared to other tech giants, particularly in the context of the rising AI sector, despite its strong position in cloud infrastructure services [1][4]. Financial Performance - Amazon's share price has increased by approximately 43% over the last five years, which is significantly lower than the 86% total return of the Nasdaq Composite index [1]. - Year-to-date, Amazon's stock has risen only 3%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have gained 16% and 20%, respectively [2]. Market Position - Amazon has been particularly affected by pandemic-related challenges and inflation, leading to its underperformance compared to other "Magnificent Seven" tech companies [4]. - Despite these challenges, Amazon maintains a leading position in the cloud infrastructure market, which is crucial for the ongoing AI trend [4]. Business Segments - The Amazon Web Services (AWS) segment has shown strong growth, and the e-commerce division has also returned to robust growth [6]. - The digital advertising business is expanding rapidly, benefiting from Amazon's status as the world's leading online retail platform [6]. Future Outlook - There are indications that Amazon's growth potential may be underestimated, particularly with the expected continued demand for AI-related services driving AWS expansion [7]. - Trends in robotics and automation could significantly enhance profitability for Amazon's e-commerce operations [7].
523 Billion Reasons to Buy Oracle Stock in December
The Motley Fool· 2025-12-15 14:05
Core Viewpoint - Oracle is securing significant cloud deals but faces investor skepticism regarding the conversion of these deals into realized revenue [2][12]. Group 1: Financial Performance - Oracle's stock has declined approximately 42% since the announcement of its fiscal 2026 Q1 results, despite a notable $300 billion deal with OpenAI [2]. - Following the release of Oracle's Q2 results, which reported all-time high figures and a positive outlook, the stock experienced a sell-off of about 15% [2]. - The company reported $68 billion in remaining performance obligations (RPO) for fiscal 2026 Q2, marking a 15% increase from Q1, bringing the total RPO to $523 billion [5]. Group 2: Cloud Strategy - Oracle is gaining market share in cloud infrastructure, with a growing number of customers committing to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) [5]. - The company's unique approach involves building its own public cloud through OCI and integrating its services with major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud to enhance performance and reduce latency [6][7]. - As of November 30, Oracle has increased its multicloud data centers from 23 to 34, aiming for a total of 72 by the end of fiscal year 2026 [8]. Group 3: Investor Sentiment - Investors are concerned about the high costs and lengthy timelines associated with Oracle's infrastructure build-out, as well as the potential for overestimating customer capacity needs [10]. - Despite fears of over-leverage and insufficient cash flow, the long-term strategy of Oracle is seen as potentially beneficial, especially with the anticipated growth in AI demand [11][12]. - The current sell-off in Oracle's stock is viewed as a buying opportunity for risk-tolerant investors who support the company's strategic direction [13].
Nutanix Expands Capabilities to Help Customers Build and Operate Distributed Sovereign Clouds
Globenewswire· 2025-12-15 14:00
Core Insights - Nutanix has announced enhancements to its Nutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) aimed at providing organizations with greater flexibility in deploying and managing infrastructure across distributed environments, including traditional, modern, and AI applications [1][3][4] Group 1: New Capabilities and Features - The new capabilities in NCP allow customers to run and govern infrastructure across their own environments and with cloud providers offering sovereign services, enhancing focus on resilience, security, and control [3][4] - NCP now supports orchestrated lifecycle management of multiple dark-site environments and on-premises deployment options for governance and control planes, enhancing security and management [5] - The Nutanix Government Cloud Clusters (GC2) solution on AWS is now available, enabling federal agencies to build and operate a distributed sovereign cloud while maintaining orchestration within their environment [6] Group 2: Security and Compliance - NCP on Azure and AWS has successfully completed its annual SOC 2 Type 2 audit and renewed several ISO certifications, providing independent validation of its security and compliance controls [8] - The Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) will include a FIPS 140-3–validated and STIG-compliant Ubuntu Pro image option, catering to organizations with strict security requirements [9] - Enhanced security features in the Nutanix Enterprise AI (NAI) solutions include stronger identity integration and fine-grained access controls for AI models [11] Group 3: Resilience and Disaster Recovery - New capabilities in NCP enhance resilience by ensuring application availability across sites and regions during outages, crucial for sovereignty-aligned environments [12] - Organizations can now apply tiered disaster recovery options that match protection levels to each workload, ensuring business continuity even during multiple site failures [13][14] Group 4: Management and Operational Efficiency - NCP offers stronger management capabilities that streamline deployment and operation of distributed environments, providing consistent control across various sites and cloud providers [15][16] - The introduction of Nutanix Infrastructure Manager simplifies deployments using validated design patterns, making it easier to maintain data center environments [15] Group 5: Customer and Industry Perspectives - Customers like LFB Group emphasize the importance of data sovereignty and compliance, highlighting how Nutanix Cloud Clusters on OVHcloud help modernize infrastructure while ensuring data security [18] - Industry leaders recognize the growing priority of distributed sovereign cloud architectures, noting Nutanix's role in operationalizing these frameworks to assist with compliance and governance needs [20][21]
Oracle Shares Have Plunged. Should Investors Buy the Dip Heading Into 2026?
The Motley Fool· 2025-12-15 12:10
The tech company is poised for explosive growth.Oracle (ORCL 4.63%) stock skyrocketed after the company delivered its fiscal 2026 first-quarter report in early September, but since then, it's given up all of those gains and then some. The latest blow to the stock came when the company reported mixed results for its fiscal second quarter after the bell on Wednesday.However, Oracle still has one of the biggest growth opportunities in AI. So based on the latest results and management's outlook, should investor ...
Down 50% From Its All-Time High, Should You Buy CoreWeave Before 2025 Is Over?
Yahoo Finance· 2025-12-15 11:20
Core Viewpoints - CoreWeave's stock has experienced significant volatility in 2025, increasing over 125% since its March IPO but down approximately 50% from its June peak of 360% [1][2] - The fair value of CoreWeave's stock is debated, hinging on investor sentiment regarding its future prospects as it could potentially grow into a major player in the industry [2] Company Operations - CoreWeave operates a cloud computing service focused on artificial intelligence, utilizing advanced GPUs from Nvidia and renting computing capacity to major clients like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms [4] - Despite having high-profile clients, CoreWeave is currently unprofitable, with Q3 capital expenditures reaching $1.9 billion against only $1.4 billion in revenue [5][6] Financial Performance - Over the past 12 months, CoreWeave has spent double on capital expenditures compared to its revenue, leading to significant cash burn [6][7] - The company has burned over $8 billion in free cash flow during the last year, with losses continuing to widen [7] Future Outlook - There is potential for improvement once capital expenditures are completed, allowing CoreWeave to operate its computing units without the need for additional funding [8] - CoreWeave has a substantial revenue backlog, indicating future revenue potential, but it remains far from breaking even and faces ongoing hardware replacement costs [9]
Wall Street's 2026 Outlook and 4 Brilliant Stocks to Buy With $2,500 Right Now
Yahoo Finance· 2025-12-15 09:00
E-commerce Industry - MercadoLibre operates the largest online marketplace in Latin America, projected to account for 30% of online retail sales in the region next year, up from 28.5% last year [1] - Amazon runs the largest online marketplace in North America and Western Europe, leveraging generative AI tools for customer service, inventory placement, and last-mile delivery [5][6] - Wall Street estimates MercadoLibre's earnings will increase at 32% annually over the next three years, with a median target price of $2,842 per share, implying 41% upside from the current share price of $2,015 [10] Cloud Computing - Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the largest public cloud provider, recently adding new platform services like Bedrock for generative AI application development and custom AI chips for cost-effective training and inference workloads [3] - Wall Street estimates Pure Storage's adjusted earnings will grow at 26% annually through fiscal 2027, with a median target price of $100 per share, implying 41% upside from the current share price of $71 [18] Advertising Industry - Amazon is the third-largest ad tech company and the largest retail advertiser, developing generative AI tools for brands to create multimedia content and campaigns [4][6] - MercadoLibre has achieved impressive scale in advertising, being the largest retail advertiser in Latin America [8] Financial Technology - Circle Internet Group mints the USDC stablecoin, which is the largest regulatory-compliant stablecoin in the U.S. and Europe, preferred by financial institutions [11] - Circle expects its USDC volume to increase at 40% annually, with Wall Street estimating revenue growth of 32% annually through 2027, making its current valuation of 8.2 times sales attractive [13][14] Market Outlook - Wall Street anticipates the S&P 500 will increase to 7,968 in the next year, implying about 17% upside from its current level of 6,827 [7] - Analysts expect between 32% and 43% upside in selected stocks, including MercadoLibre and Circle Internet Group [7]
The Biggest Threat to Oracle Stock in 2026 and Beyond
The Motley Fool· 2025-12-15 08:35
Core Insights - Oracle's stock has declined following its earnings report, despite a 54% increase in non-GAAP earnings per share and record remaining performance obligations (RPO) of $523 billion, raising concerns about its aggressive spending strategy on AI infrastructure [1][4][10] Financial Performance - In the latest quarter, Oracle reported $7.98 billion in cloud revenue and $5.88 billion in software revenue, with operating expenses of $3.99 billion, resulting in a high operating margin of 71.2% [4] - Oracle's capital expenditures in the first half of 2025 reached $20.54 billion, leading to negative free cash flow of $10.33 billion, alongside over $1 billion in quarterly interest expenses due to rising debt [6][9] Business Segments - Cloud revenue is Oracle's fastest-growing segment, now accounting for over half of total revenue, while the legacy software business continues to provide reliable earnings [5][9] - Oracle's business model differs from other cloud giants like Amazon and Microsoft, which generate significant free cash flow without relying on debt for funding AI capital expenditures [8][9] Market Position and Future Outlook - Oracle is investing heavily in building 72 multicloud data centers, which raises concerns among investors about its cash burn rate and ability to manage such expenditures [9] - Despite recent stock declines, Oracle's risks are reflected in its valuation, and if it can convert RPO into actual revenue, there is potential for stock recovery [10][11]