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Will Nebius' Toloka and ClickHouse Stakes Fund Its AI Expansion?
ZACKS· 2025-10-17 14:36
Core Insights - Nebius Group N.V. (NBIS) is experiencing significant revenue growth, with a 625% increase last quarter, driven by the surging demand for AI infrastructure, particularly in generative AI and high-performance computing applications [1][9] - The company has signed a substantial $17.4 billion deal with Microsoft to provide dedicated GPU capacity from its new data center in Vineland, NJ [1][9] Company Expansion and Strategy - Nebius is expanding its AI infrastructure with new data centers being constructed in New Jersey, the UK, and Israel, along with capacity expansion in Finland, targeting nearly 1 gigawatt of total capacity by 2026 [2] - The rapid expansion necessitates significant capital, and investors are keen to understand how Nebius plans to fund this growth phase [2] Financial Position and Equity Stakes - Management has indicated that Nebius has significant cash reserves and will approach additional capital raising opportunistically based on market conditions [3] - The company holds a 28% stake in ClickHouse, valued at approximately $6 billion, which could serve as a capital source if monetized [3] - Other equity stakes include Toloka, TripleTen, and Avride, which may also provide value drivers for the company [3][5] Investor Confidence and Future Valuation - Toloka recently raised growth capital, indicating strong investor confidence in its AI data business, and Nebius sees significant upside potential in Toloka's future valuation [4] - The company aims to monetize its non-core businesses effectively to support its core operations while minimizing shareholder dilution [5] Competitive Landscape - Microsoft is both a client and competitor, investing heavily in AI infrastructure and expanding its data center footprint, with over 400 data centers across 70 regions [6][7] - CoreWeave (CRWV) is emerging as a serious competitor, with significant contracts and aggressive data center expansion plans [8][10] Financial Performance and Valuation - Nebius shares have increased by 30.7% in the past month, contrasting with a slight decline in the Internet – Software and Services industry [11] - The company's shares are trading at a price/book ratio of 7.68X, higher than the industry average of 4.61X [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NBIS' earnings for 2025 has been revised upwards over the past 60 days [13]
NBIS vs. MSFT: Which AI Infrastructure Stock is the Smarter Bet?
ZACKS· 2025-09-29 17:36
Core Insights - Nebius Group N.V. (NBIS) is emerging in the AI infrastructure market, while Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a well-established leader in the tech industry [1][2] - AI infrastructure spending is projected to exceed $200 billion by 2028, benefiting both companies but in different magnitudes [2] Nebius Group N.V. (NBIS) - NBIS reported a remarkable revenue increase of 625% year-over-year, reaching $105.1 million, with AI cloud infrastructure revenues growing over nine times [3][9] - The company has raised its year-end Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) guidance to between $900 million and $1.1 billion, up from a previous estimate of $750 million to $1 billion [4] - NBIS has secured a significant deal with Microsoft, providing dedicated GPU capacity valued at approximately $17.4 billion through 2031, with potential to increase to $19.4 billion [5][9] - The company plans to achieve a connected power capacity of 220 megawatts by 2025 and aims for a 1 GW capacity target by 2026 [4] - NBIS has raised $4 billion in debt and closed a public offering, with proceeds aimed at business growth and data center expansion [7] Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) - MSFT's Azure cloud platform is the second-largest globally, with annual revenues of $75 billion and a growth rate of 34% [9][10] - The company has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, gaining exclusive rights to OpenAI's IP for its products [12] - MSFT's AI business has surpassed a $13 billion annual revenue run rate, growing 175% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 [13] - The company plans over $30 billion in capital expenditures for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, supported by a significant cash reserve of $94.56 billion [14] Stock Performance and Valuation - Over the past month, NBIS shares have increased by 57.7%, while MSFT stock has seen a modest rise of 1% [15] - Both companies are considered overvalued, with NBIS trading at a Price/Book ratio of 6.73X and MSFT at 11.07X [18] - Current earnings estimates for NBIS have been significantly revised downward, while MSFT has seen marginal upward revisions [20][22] Investment Outlook - NBIS currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), while MSFT has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a preference for MSFT as a more favorable investment at this time [23]
CRWV vs. MSFT: Which AI Infrastructure Stock is the Better Bet?
ZACKS· 2025-06-24 13:50
Core Insights - CoreWeave (CRWV) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) are key players in the AI infrastructure market, with CRWV focusing on GPU-accelerated services and Microsoft leveraging its Azure platform [2][3] - CRWV has shown significant revenue growth driven by AI demand, while Microsoft maintains a strong position through extensive investments and partnerships [5][9] CoreWeave (CRWV) - CRWV collaborates with NVIDIA to implement GPU technologies and was among the first to deploy NVIDIA's latest clusters for AI workloads [4] - The company reported revenues of $981.6 million, exceeding estimates by 15.2% and increasing 420% year-over-year, with a projected global economic impact of AI reaching $20 trillion by 2030 [5] - CRWV has a substantial backlog of $25.9 billion, including a strategic partnership with OpenAI valued at $11.9 billion and a $4 billion expansion agreement with a major AI client [6] - The company anticipates capital expenditures (capex) between $20 billion and $23 billion for 2025 to meet rising customer demand, with interest expenses projected at $260-$300 million for the current quarter [7] - A significant risk for CRWV is its revenue concentration, with 77% of total revenues in 2024 coming from its top two customers [8] Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) - Microsoft is a dominant force in AI infrastructure, with Azure's global data center coverage expanding to over 60 regions [9] - The company invested $21.4 billion in capex in the last quarter, focusing on long-lived assets to support its AI initiatives [10] - Microsoft has a $315 billion customer backlog and is the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, integrating AI models into its services to enhance monetization opportunities [12] - The company projects Intelligent Cloud revenues between $28.75 billion and $29.05 billion for Q4 fiscal 2025, with Azure revenue growth expected at 34%-35% [14] Share Performance - In the past month, CRWV's stock surged by 69%, while MSFT's stock increased by 8% [17] - Current Zacks Rank indicates MSFT as a better investment option compared to CRWV, which has a lower rank [18]