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Willdan Group Vs Sterling Infrastructure: Which Engineering Stock is the Better Investment?
ZACKS· 2025-08-11 21:36
Core Insights - Willdan Group and Sterling Infrastructure exceeded Q2 expectations, reporting record revenue and net income driven by strong performance in high-growth infrastructure sectors [1][2] - Both companies raised their full-year guidance following strong Q2 results, indicating confidence in continued growth [3] Willdan Group Summary - Willdan raised its full-year targets for net revenue to $340-$350 million, Adjusted EPS to $3.50-$3.65, and Adjusted EBITDA to $70-$73 million [4] - The company secured significant contracts, including a $30 million deal with the City of Fairfield and a $20 million contract with National Grid [4] - Willdan's stock has increased nearly +200% year to date, with a three-year growth of over +380% [9] Sterling Infrastructure Summary - Sterling raised its full-year revenue guidance to $2.10-$2.15 billion, net income to $243-$252 million, and adjusted EPS to $9.21-$9.47 [5] - The company has a backlog exceeding $2 billion, focusing on high-margin projects in states like Utah, Colorado, and Texas [5] - Sterling's stock has risen over +70% year to date, with a three-year increase of over +260% [9] Strategic Acquisitions - Both companies are expanding into data center infrastructure, capitalizing on advancements in artificial intelligence [6] - Willdan acquired Alternative Power Generation to enhance its capabilities for AI data centers and EV charging stations [7] - Sterling plans to acquire CEC Facilities Group to expand its electrical contracting services for semiconductors and data centers [8] Valuation Analysis - Both companies forecast high-double digit EPS growth, with Sterling having a P/E valuation of 34X forward earnings compared to Willdan's 40.3X [10] - Willdan's stock is closer to an optimal sales level of less than 2X, while Sterling's is at 4.3X [11] - Despite raising guidance, Willdan's top line is expected to dip at least 38% after a record year, while Sterling is projected to maintain or reach peak annual sales [11] Conclusion - Willdan Group and Sterling Infrastructure are positioned as top engineering companies for investment, with Sterling's stronger financials offering more appeal [12] - Both companies' ventures into data center infrastructure suggest long-term viability as investments [13]
NVIDIA: A Major Indicator Just Flashed Sell, But Should You?
MarketBeat· 2025-07-30 14:20
Core Viewpoint - NVIDIA's stock has experienced a remarkable 100% increase since April, reaching a market capitalization of $4 trillion, but technical indicators suggest potential downward momentum [1][3][11]. Technical Indicators - The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has recently shown a bearish crossover, indicating a possible shift to downward momentum for NVIDIA's stock [3][4]. - The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is at 71, suggesting that the stock is extremely overbought, which often precedes a short-term price correction [6][7]. Valuation Concerns - NVIDIA's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has surged from 35 in April to nearly 60, raising concerns about the sustainability of its valuation and the necessity for strong earnings in the upcoming report [8][9]. Analyst Sentiment - Despite the technical warnings, analyst sentiment remains positive, with a 12-month stock price forecast averaging $181.22, indicating a potential upside of 3.25% [10]. - Major firms like Jefferies and Bank of America have reiterated their Buy ratings, with price targets as high as $220, suggesting further upside potential of at least 25% from current levels [11]. Strategic Positioning - NVIDIA continues to be a leader in graphics processing, data center infrastructure, and custom AI chips, making it a key player in the AI megatrend [11][12].
Can EMCOR's Data Center Expansion Fuel Long-Term Growth?
ZACKS· 2025-06-30 14:40
Core Insights - EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) is experiencing significant growth in the data center sector, driven by long-term demand in the digital infrastructure ecosystem [1][3] - The company has expanded its presence in U.S. data center markets through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, with total remaining performance obligations reaching $11.75 billion, a 28.1% year-over-year increase [1][8] - Demand from hyperscale and enterprise clients, particularly for cloud services and generative AI workloads, is a key driver of this growth [2][8] Company Performance - EMCOR's data center work surged 112% year-over-year, contributing $3.6 billion to its total backlog [1][8] - The company operates in over 16 electrical and mechanical geographies, up from five years ago, indicating substantial market expansion [2] - EMCOR's prefabrication and virtual design capabilities position it well for large-scale data center projects, with strong client visibility extending into 2026 [3] Industry Context - Other industry players like Comfort Systems USA (FIX) and MasTec, Inc. (MTZ) are also poised to benefit from the growing demand for data center infrastructure [4] - Comfort Systems reported a record first-quarter 2025 with earnings up over 75% and revenues rising 19% year-over-year, supported by a backlog of $6.9 billion [5] - MasTec is capitalizing on the rapid expansion of data center development, driven by investments in power infrastructure and fiber connectivity [6] Stock Performance and Valuation - EMCOR's stock has increased by 43.6% in the past three months, outperforming the Zacks Building Products - Heavy Construction industry's 39.5% rise [7] - The stock is currently trading at a premium with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 21.64X [10] - Earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 remain unchanged at $23.59 and $25.47 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 9.6% for 2025 and 8% for 2026 [12]
2 Brilliant Stocks to Profit from the AI Infrastructure Boom
The Motley Fool· 2025-06-26 08:05
Core Insights - The global technology infrastructure is undergoing significant development, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), leading to a substantial increase in data center construction [1] - The data center construction market is projected to grow from $240 billion in 2024 to $456 billion by 2030, while the AI server market could increase to $430 billion by 2033 [1] Company Analysis: Applied Digital - Applied Digital is a small company with $221 million in trailing-12-month revenue and a market cap of $2.2 billion, focusing on building and operating data centers [4] - The company has 286 megawatts of capacity for crypto mining at two locations in North Dakota, currently operating at full capacity [5] - Although not yet profitable, Applied Digital is expected to achieve profitability as new facilities open and revenue increases, with a new facility in Ellendale, North Dakota, scheduled for Q4 2025 [6] - A partnership with Macquarie Asset Management involves an investment of up to $5 billion to expand its Ellendale campus, allowing for over 2 gigawatts of data center capacity [7] - The potential sale of its cloud hosting business, which constitutes a third of its revenue, could enable Applied Digital to focus on its data center business and possibly transition to a data center real estate investment trust (REIT) [8] - Revenue grew by 22% year over year in Q1, indicating a positive outlook for the company [8] Company Analysis: Dell Technologies - Dell Technologies is a leading supplier of servers globally, with its server business expected to surpass its PC business in the coming years [9] - Revenue from infrastructure solutions, including AI-optimized servers, grew by 12% year over year in Q1, making up 44% of total revenue [10] - The server and networking revenue increased by 16%, with segment operating income rising by 36% compared to the previous year [10] - Order bookings for AI servers reached $12 billion last quarter, exceeding all shipments from the previous fiscal year, with a backlog of $14.4 billion [11] - Despite a total revenue growth of only 5% year over year, improving margins in the infrastructure segment led to a 17% increase in earnings per share [13] - The stock trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of around 12.5, reflecting sluggish growth in the PC business but indicating potential for higher returns as the infrastructure business expands [12][14]
EME Stock Climbs 12% Post Q1: Can Data Centers Fuel Further Growth?
ZACKS· 2025-05-27 13:31
Core Viewpoint - EMCOR Group, Inc. is benefiting from increasing infrastructural demand in the network and communications sector, particularly in data centers, healthcare, and water and wastewater markets [1] Financial Performance - Since the first-quarter 2025 earnings release, EME stock has increased by 12.2%, outperforming the broader Construction sector and the S&P 500 index [2] - The company raised the lower range of its non-GAAP diluted EPS for 2025 due to robust market trends [4] - The U.S. Construction segment contributed 68.8% to total revenues, growing by 21.3% year over year [9] - Operating income grew by 22.6% year over year, with operating margin expanding by 60 basis points to 8.2% [11] Return on Equity - EMCOR's trailing 12-month return on equity (ROE) is significantly better than the industry average, indicating efficient use of shareholders' funds [5] - Compared to peers, EMCOR's ROE is superior, with Quanta Services, Sterling Infrastructure, and MasTec showing ROEs of 18.1%, 26.6%, and 11.7% respectively [7] Market Drivers - Increased demand for data center infrastructure is driven by the rise in Artificial Intelligence applications and digital transformation initiatives [8] - The CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022 supports investments in chip production and workforce development, further boosting demand [8] Operational Efficiency - EMCOR focuses on reducing its cost structure and improving operational performance through efficient project execution and a favorable mix of work [10] - The company aims to enhance operational efficiency in its U.S. Building services segment by leveraging profitability across HVAC retrofits and building automation projects [11] Capital Allocation - EMCOR's balanced capital allocation approach includes 42.4% of free cash allocated to acquisitions, 9.4% to capital expenditures, 4.6% to dividends, and 43.6% to share repurchases [13] - This strategy aims to maintain a balance between business reinvestments and shareholder returns [12] Earnings Estimates - Analysts have revised 2025 and 2026 earnings estimates upward due to favorable market fundamentals and operational efficiency improvements [14] - The earnings estimate for 2025 indicates a 9.8% year-over-year growth, while 2026 implies an 8.1% rise [15] Stock Performance - EME stock is trading above both the 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages, indicating a bullish trend [16] - The stock is currently trading at a premium compared to industry peers on a forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio basis [18] Analyst Recommendations - Analysts show optimism for EME stock, with three out of five recommendations indicating a "Strong Buy" [22] - Based on the discussed trends and technical indicators, EMCOR is considered a solid addition to investment portfolios [25]
Why AI Stock Applied Digital Stock Surged More Than 10% Higher Today
The Motley Fool· 2025-05-22 23:01
Core Viewpoint - Applied Digital's stock price surged over 10% following a bullish coverage initiation by an analyst, despite the S&P 500 index remaining flat during the trading session [1]. Group 1: Analyst Recommendation - Citizens JMP's Greg Miller initiated coverage of Applied Digital with a market outperform (buy) recommendation and set a price target of $12 per share [2]. - The price target represents a potential upside of over 60% from the stock's recent closing level [4]. Group 2: Company Transformation - Miller believes that Applied Digital's shift from Bitcoin mining infrastructure to data center focus is a strategic move that will yield benefits soon, with expectations of signing a hyperscaler client shortly [5]. - The transition to data center infrastructure is seen as advantageous, particularly due to the increasing demand for facilities that support the higher resource needs of artificial intelligence functionalities [6].
Data Center Stock Soars on Beat-and-Raise
Schaeffers Investment Research· 2025-04-23 14:58
Core Insights - Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) stock increased by 16.4% to $83.60 following better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and revenue, along with an upward revision of full-year sales guidance, driven by strong demand for data center infrastructure to support artificial intelligence (AI) [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - The stock is currently trading at its highest level since late March, although it remains 48% below its record high of $155.81 from January 24, and has a year-to-date deficit of 24% [2] - Shares are testing their 50-day moving average, which has not been cleared on a closing basis since a late January bear gap [2] Group 2: Options Activity - Vertiv stock has experienced significant options activity with 28,000 calls and 9,992 puts traded, which is triple the typical overall options volume for this time [3] - The most popular option is the weekly 4/25 90-strike call, with new positions being opened [3] Group 3: Sentiment Shift - There has been a notable shift in trader sentiment, as puts were more popular prior to the recent surge in call activity, indicated by a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.05, ranking higher than 95% of readings from the past year [4]