Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

13 Jan 2026, 06:37 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD – Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Roth Capital lifted their price target on shares of Applied Digital to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of Applied Digital in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. B. Riley increased their price target on Applied Digital to $53.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Compass Point initiated coverage on Applied Digital in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $33.27.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on APLD

Applied Digital Stock Performance

Applied Digital stock opened at $38.21 on Friday. Applied Digital has a fifty-two week low of $3.31 and a fifty-two week high of $40.20. The company has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -70.76 and a beta of 6.89. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $27.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 4.82 and a current ratio of 4.82.

Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.02). Applied Digital had a negative net margin of 43.49% and a negative return on equity of 13.53%. The company had revenue of $126.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $82.22 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.06) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 250.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Applied Digital will post -0.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Digital

In related news, Director Richard N. Nottenburg sold 9,375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.91, for a total value of $336,656.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 249,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,950,100.67. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ella G. Benson sold 42,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.30, for a total value of $1,502,685.70. Following the sale, the director directly owned 69,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,444,736.80. This trade represents a 38.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 328,035 shares of company stock worth $11,376,479. 9.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Applied Digital

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Digital during the second quarter worth $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Applied Digital in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Applied Digital during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Applied Digital by 56,450.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 1,129 shares during the period. Finally, Dagco Inc. purchased a new stake in Applied Digital during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Applied Digital

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Digital this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q2 revenue surge and analyst attention — Coverage highlights APLD’s Q2 revenue growth (~+250% YoY), which analysts say confirms strong execution and helped trigger the rally. The Zacks piece frames the revenue beat as the primary catalyst while noting valuation/loss concerns. Should you Buy, Sell or Hold Applied Digital Stock Post Q2 earnings?
Positive Sentiment: Market coverage of the post‑earnings rally — Business press reports the stock jumped sharply (reports cite an ~18% move), attributing gains to the strong quarter, upbeat guidance/near‑term commitments, and renewed investor interest in AI infrastructure plays. Why Applied Digital Stock Surged 18% On Friday
Positive Sentiment: Operational catalyst — Applied Digital touts an alternative power approach (boilers/steam turbines) to alleviate AI data‑center power bottlenecks, a story framed as a durable competitive advantage that could drive future bookings and utilization. Applied Digital Just Solved AI’s Biggest Bottleneck
Positive Sentiment: Near‑term commitments and bull case coverage — Motley Fool coverage and related pieces point to announced/expected customer commitments and a business transformation toward AI infrastructure, supporting upside momentum. Applied Digital Shares Surge on Bright Outlook
Neutral Sentiment: News roundup on the price move — Brief market writeups summarize why the stock rose (earnings, bookings, coverage). Useful context but largely reiterates the catalysts above. Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) Stock Price Up 18% – Here’s What Happened
Neutral Sentiment: Short interest data oddity — A report shows short interest metrics as effectively zero/NaN, which appears to be a data anomaly rather than meaningful positioning information; no clear impact on the move. (source: short‑interest entry)
Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution / skeptical takes — Some analysts and pieces (e.g., Seeking Alpha) warn that the “blowout” quarter could be misread, stressing that heavy losses, negative margins, and valuation make the stock risky despite revenue growth. Applied Digital: Blowout Q2 Earnings Should Not Mislead Us
Negative Sentiment: Small institutional trimming — A reported sale (Global Retirement Partners sold ~19,987 shares) is minor in size but noted by the market; raises a small flag on some holders trimming exposure after the run. Global Retirement Partners LLC Sells 19,987 Shares

About Applied Digital

(Get Free Report)

Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) is a technology company specializing in the development and operation of large-scale digital infrastructure and sustainable Bitcoin mining solutions. Through its integrated platform, the company designs, builds and manages turnkey data center facilities while also providing comprehensive hosting services for cloud, colocation and enterprise computing needs. Applied Digital’s modular approach to facility design enables rapid deployment of capacity and streamlined integration of power, cooling and network connectivity.