When you hear about the big four artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers, it's usually in reference to Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) , Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) , Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) , and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . These four companies are the ones making hundreds of billions of dollars in capital expenditures, mostly for data centers to build out their AI compute abilities. Not...
When you hear about the big four artificial intelligence (AI) hyperscalers, it's usually in reference to Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) , Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) , Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) , and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . These four companies are the ones making hundreds of billions of dollars in capital expenditures, mostly for data centers to build out their AI compute abilities. Not all of them have the same resources to throw at the AI arms race, and some aren't using the computing power for themselves, either. All four companies also recently announced their earnings, so which of them is the best buy? Let's dive in. Starting with the top line, Meta's revenue growth was the fastest of this group -- a title that it has held for a long time. Continue reading
Berkshire Hathaway holds $347 billion in cash as BRK.B trails the S&P 500 by 39 points over the past year, prompting one analyst to favor Constellation Software as a value alternative.
Berkshire Hathaway holds $347 billion in cash as BRK.B trails the S&P 500 by 39 points over the past year, prompting one analyst to favor Constellation Software as a value alternative.
Investing.com -- Bangkok-based technology firm SiamAI issued a formal denial on Saturday regarding allegations that it circumvented U.S. export restrictions to ship advanced artificial intelligence servers to China.
Investing.com -- Bangkok-based technology firm SiamAI issued a formal denial on Saturday regarding allegations that it circumvented U.S. export restrictions to ship advanced artificial intelligence servers to China.
WANAN YOSSINGKUM/iStock via Getty Images Elevator Thesis Sandisk ( SNDK ) has been on a roll, to say the least. My previous coverage in March was generally correct in direction. The re-rating of NAND by AI is now very clear, and the exposure of Sandisk to enterprise SSDs has counted far more than the market initially priced in. The change is quite noticeable in the figures. Q2 was the first real i...
WANAN YOSSINGKUM/iStock via Getty Images Elevator Thesis Sandisk ( SNDK ) has been on a roll, to say the least. My previous coverage in March was generally correct in direction. The re-rating of NAND by AI is now very clear, and the exposure of Sandisk to enterprise SSDs has counted far more than the market initially priced in. The change is quite noticeable in the figures. Q2 was the first real inflection with revenue of $3.03 billion , a datacenter sequential rise of 64% and non-GAAP EPS of $6.20. Q3 then took the story to a new level with $5.95 billion in revenue, datacenter reaching $1.47 billion, and gross margins increasing to 78.4%. It's confirmed that this is no longer a recovery story with Q4 guidance of $7.75 to $8.25 billion with 79% to 81% margins. It appears to be rather a complete repricing of earnings power. The transition is based more on timing. The demand comes earlier and much more vigorously than a normal NAND cycle would suggest and that reflects in the customer behavior. Sandisk now holds five multi-year supply agreements, while contract liabilities have jumped to an eye-popping $511 million. Meanwhile, the remaining performance obligations have topped at $41.6 billion. Customers now don't have to wait until spot cycles are cleared. Instead, they build capacity early, and in most instances even prepay, simply to assure supply. That alters the way this cycle really operates. Interestingly, AI does not just rely on compute at the top. It is also heavily reliant on huge storage movement beneath and this is where Sandisk now sits with more exposure than ever. The company itself has obviously outgrown the former NAND image. That said, the pricing, mix and contracting now move collectively and this drags a considerable portion of earnings forward to the near term. Overall, the structural story is strong but the stock is becoming harder to own through the entire cycle. That is why I remain constructive on the business while cautious on the future path...