Why Super Micro Computer Stock Rallied on Thursday - Tools for Investors | News
Stock Markets
Daily Stock Markets News

Why Super Micro Computer Stock Rallied on Thursday


Shares of Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI), also known as Supermicro, jumped Thursday, climbing as much as 13%. As of 1:54 p.m. ET, the stock was still up 12.3%.

The catalyst that drove the server and storage solution specialist’s stock higher was bullish coverage by a major bank.

A Street-high price target

Bank of America analyst Ruplu Bhattacharya initiated coverage on Supermicro, assigning a buy rating and a Street-high price target of $1,040, according to TheFly. This suggests a potential upside of 18% compared to Wednesday’s closing price. This prediction comes despite the stock’s dizzying run over the past year, when it notched a gain of 847%.

BofA believes AI-fueled demand will continue, driving Supermicro even higher. The analyst further suggested the potential market for AI servers is “much larger” than the estimates calculated by his Wall Street colleagues. The bank believes the market for these AI-centric servers could achieve a compound annual growth rate of 50% over the coming three years. Given that Supermicro is a leading provider of AI servers, BofA expects its revenue to “grow even faster.”

Are those growth rates achievable?

Investors questioning the validity of the growth targets in the AI server market may be in for a surprise.

Late last year, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi pointed out that the server market — which had grown at a compound annual rate of 3% over the preceding 25 years — was expected to grow at 75% annually between now and 2027. He suggested that this “unprecedented” AI server build-out might be happening “too quickly,” which could eventually lead to a “digestion period” — analyst-speak for a glut. While his take suggests that growth could eventually stall, that time is still several years down the road.

All indications are that sales of Supermicro’s servers and other digital storage components will ride the tailwind of AI even higher. While the stock is currently selling for 3 times forward sales, that fails to take into account the company’s triple-digit percentage growth rate. Using the more appropriate forward price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio, Supermicro’s valuation is 0.4 — and a stock is generally viewed as undervalued at any PEG ratio below 1.

Should you invest $1,000 in Super Micro Computer right now?

Before you buy stock in Super Micro Computer, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Super Micro Computer wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.

See the 10 stocks

*Stock Advisor returns as of February 12, 2024

Bank of America is an advertising partner of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Danny Vena has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bank of America. The Motley Fool recommends Super Micro Computer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Why Super Micro Computer Stock Rallied on Thursday was originally published by The Motley Fool



Source link

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Get more stuff like this
in your inbox

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.