2 AI Stocks Down 49% and 86% to Buy Before They Soar, According to Certain Wall Street Analysts
Certain Wall Street analysts see The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) and Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) as no-brainer buying opportunities at their current prices, as detailed below:
The Trade Desk is 49% below its record high. But Shyam Patil at Susquehanna has set the stock with a target price of $135 per share. That implies 90% upside from its current share price of $71.
Upstart is 86% below its record high. But Dan Dolev at Mizuho has set the stock with a target price of $85 per share. That implies 57% upside from its current share price of $54.
Here's what investors should know about The Trade Desk and Upstart.
The Trade Desk: 90% implied upside
The Trade Desk operates the leading independent demand-side platform (DSP), software that helps media buyers plan, measure, and optimize ad campaigns. The Trade Desk is considered an independent ad tech company because it does not own media content and, therefore, has no reason to steer media buyers toward specific ad inventory. That differentiates the company from rivals such as Alphabet 's Google and Meta Platforms.
Importantly, The Trade Desk was recognized as a DSP technology leader in recent reports from Forrester Research and Frost & Sullivan. Analysts mentioned its dominance in connected TV advertising and its use of artificial intelligence (AI) as key strengths. The company in 2023 announced Kokai, a platform upgrade featuring new AI capabilities that optimize the digital media buying process, helping advertisers buy the right impression at the right price to reach the right audience.
In addition, The Trade Desk has a strong position in retail advertising, where partnerships with industry giants such as Albertsons, Dollar General, and Walmart provide the company with data that creates unique measurement opportunities on its platform. CEO Jeff Green recently told analysts, "We are convinced that based on the current landscape and current competitive set, we are the best positioned to win the lion's share of market share."
Wall Street expects The Trade Desk's earnings to increase at 12% annually through 2026. That puts the current valuation of 31 times earnings between reasonable and expensive, but the company may perform better than the average analyst anticipates. The Trade Desk beat the consensus earnings estimate by an average of 11% in the last six quarters, and ad tech spending is forecast to increase at 14% annually through 2030.
Here's the takeaway: The Trade Desk has a strong competitive position in a quickly growing industry. Shares are not cheap today, nor are they absurdly expensive. Of course, there is no guarantee the stock ever regains its previous record high, but patient investors should feel comfortable buying a small position.
Upstart: 57% implied upside
Upstart provides a lending platform that leans on artificial intelligence to help banks and credit unions quantify credit risk more accurately than traditional credit scores. Its machine learning models analyze thousands of signals across millions of repayment events to identify fraud and estimate the odds of default. Comparatively, traditional models consider a few dozen variables at most.
Upstart says its AI models can approve more borrowers at lower interest rates than tradition underwriting models, which means its platform lets lenders operate more profitably. That value proposition should only strengthen over time. Its platform benefits from a network effect whereby the underlying AI models become more intelligent each time a borrower makes or misses a payment.
As a caveat, Upstart is highly sensitive to interest rates. Loan originated on its platform during the last eight quarters delivered annual returns that exceeded the 2-year Treasury yield by more than 8 percentage points. That is a compelling return on investment, but the risk profile would change if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, and Upstart would likely see less demand for its platform.
Nevertheless, Wall Street estimates the company's adjusted earnings will increase at 195% annually through 2026. That makes the current valuation of 165 times earnings look reasonable. Additionally, the stock currently trades at 6.9 times sales, a discount to the one-year average of 7.3 times sales.
Here's the takeaway: As with The Trade Desk, there is no guarantee Upstart ever regains its previous record high. But the company has a compelling value proposition for banks and credit unions, which should drive adoption of its AI lending platform over time. Long-term investors should feel comfortable buying a small position today.
Should you invest $1,000 in The Trade Desk right now?
Before you buy stock in The Trade Desk, 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 The Trade Desk wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!*
Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to173%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025
Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Trevor Jennewine has positions in The Trade Desk. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Meta Platforms, The Trade Desk, Upstart, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
27 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Plug Power CFO Paul Middleton Underscores Continued Confidence in Strategic Growth with Additional Share Purchase
LATHAM, N.Y., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG), a global leader in comprehensive hydrogen solutions for the green hydrogen economy, today announced that Chief Financial Officer Paul Middleton has purchased an additional 650,000 shares of Plug's common stock on the open market. On June 9, 2025, Middleton acquired 650,000 shares at an average price of $1.0339 per share. This latest investment follows a previous purchase earlier this month, reinforcing Mr. Middleton's continued belief in Plug's long-term strategy, strong financial trajectory, and leadership in building a vertically integrated hydrogen ecosystem. 'This additional investment reflects my strong conviction in Plug's strategy and long-term value creation. As we execute and gain market traction, I continue to see meaningful upside and believe Plug remains one of the most compelling growth opportunities in the energy sector.' Middleton's open-market purchase underscores executive confidence in Plug's operational progress, including the ramp-up of hydrogen production plants, commercialization of GenEco electrolyzers, and growing demand for GenDrive fuel cell solutions across material handling and industrial markets. 'This is a transformative moment for our business and our industry. I believe deeply in Plug's ability to lead this energy transition—and I'm proud to continue investing in that future,' he added. The purchase was disclosed in a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 9, 2025. About Plug Power Plug is building the global hydrogen economy with a fully integrated ecosystem spanning production, storage, delivery, and power generation. A first mover in the industry, Plug provides electrolyzers, liquid hydrogen, fuel cell systems, storage tanks, and fueling infrastructure to industries such as material handling, industrial applications, and energy producers—advancing energy independence and decarbonization at scale. With electrolyzers deployed across five continents, Plug leads in hydrogen production, delivering large-scale projects that redefine industrial power. The company has deployed over 72,000 fuel cell systems and 275 fueling stations and is the largest user of liquid hydrogen. Plug is rapidly expanding its generation network to ensure reliable, domestically produced supply, with hydrogen plants currently operational in Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana, capable of producing 39 tons per day. With employees and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across the globe, Plug powers global leaders like Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, BMW, and BP. Safe Harbor This communication contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements about plans, goals, objectives, strategies, future events, expected results, beliefs, assumptions and any other statements that have not occurred. You are cautioned that such statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results as such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual performance or results may differ materially from those expressed in these statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the risk of elimination, nonrenewal, reduction of, or changes in qualifying criteria for government subsidies and economic incentives for alternative energy products, including the Inflation Reduction Act and its qualification to utilize the ITC; the anticipated benefits and actual savings and costs resulting from the implementation of cost-reduction measures; the risk that Plug's ability to achieve its business objectives and to continue to meet its obligations is dependent upon its ability to maintain a certain level of liquidity, which will depend in part on its ability to manage its cash flows; the risk that the funding of the Department of Energy loan may be delayed or cancelled; the risk that Plug may continue to incur losses and might never achieve or maintain profitability; the risk that Plug may not be successful in its financing initiatives and not have sufficient capital to continue its operations; the risk that Plug may not be able to expand its business or manage its future growth effectively; the risk that global economic uncertainty, including inflationary pressures, fluctuating interest rates, currency fluctuations, increase in tariffs, and supply chain disruptions, may adversely affect Plug's operating results; the risk that Plug may not be able to obtain from its hydrogen suppliers a sufficient supply of hydrogen at competitive prices or the risk that Plug may not be able to produce hydrogen internally at competitive prices; the risk that delays in or not completing its product and project development goals may adversely affect its revenue and profitability; the risk that its estimated future revenue may not be indicative of actual future revenue or profitability; the risk that volatility in commodity prices and product shortages may adversely affect Plug's gross margins and financial results; the risk that Plug may not be able to manufacture and market products on a profitable and large-scale commercial basis; and other risks relating to Plug's business that are described in Plug's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the 'Risk Factors' section of Plug's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025 as well as any subsequent filings. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Plug disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as may be required by law. MEDIA CONTACT Teal Hoyos
CTV News
33 minutes ago
- CTV News
Elbows-up tourism surge could see sector ‘eke out' a gain even as Americans stay away
From the front desk of Hotel Bedford in Goderich, Ont., Lynda Cross welcomes guests from regions ranging from southern Ontario to the South Pacific. 'A lot of them come from Toronto,' said the manager, standing just inside the Romanesque arches of the 129-year-old establishment. 'Just lately, we've had a few groups come from Australia' — a first, she said. But one crop of tourists has been conspicuously absent this year: Americans. 'May and June have been slow.' A groundswell of economic patriotism has stoked curiosity in Canadian destinations, fuelling a domestic bookings surge as travellers turn away from cross-border trips. But a drop in American visitors north of the border and fears that many Canadians will simply stay home to save money has many wondering whether homegrown and overseas tourism can make up for the stateside decline. Canadian vacationers' boycotting the U.S. could net this country's tourism sector up to $8.8 billion in extra business this year as travellers explore spots closer to home, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada. An April survey on travel intentions prompted the group to predict a windfall despite fewer border crossings this year by American tourists — Canada's largest source of inbound travellers by far. The number of Americans who visited Canada by car fell nearly 11 per cent in April compared with the same month last year, the third straight month of year-over-year decreases, according to Statistics Canada. While trip numbers for Canadians heading to the U.S. have fallen off far more steeply as part of a backlash against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and '51st state' threats, Americans' more moderate pullback owes to factors ranging from pinched pocketbooks to fears of feeling unwelcome to angst over the border crossing on the drive home. The American retreat could hit communities that hug the border especially hard. 'Border towns that have tended to experience the shorter, more frequent back-and-forth visits — those are going to be communities that are going to be more heavily affected,' said Andrew Siegwart, who heads the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Duty-free stores have seen their revenue drop by 60 to 80 per cent in the last few months, according to an association representing 32 of the mostly mom-and-pop shops. Whether overseas travellers can make up for much of the lower American traffic across the country is questionable. Visitor volume from China, previously a key source of tourists, sat at 40 per cent of 2019 levels last year amid ongoing restrictions on group travel to Canada, according to Destination Canada. The federal government imposed new visa requirements on Mexican visitors last year, making it harder for tourists from that country to come. 'Travel from India has also been down for a number of reasons. So it's going to take some time,' said Siegwart. However, many America-averse Canadians are spending their travel budget in their own backyards. More than half of respondents to a survey released Monday by Ontario's travel regulator said they were more likely to make excursions closer to home, with the trend holding across all age groups. 'It could be a year where we manage to stay on par with last year, or maybe even eke out a little bit of a gain,' said Siegwart. But he acknowledged the hurdle of consumer anxiety over the economy. 'I'm cautiously optimistic,' he said, 'but it's too early to tell.' Summer bookings were either the same or higher than last year at two out of three businesses surveyed by the association in a poll released last month. John Steele, who owns seven hotels in Newfoundland and Labrador and one in Fredericton, said visitor levels look 'pretty good' at most of his properties but softer in Gander. New direct flights to St. John's from London and Paris have made it easier for international travellers to come from away. 'Air access seems to be improving for us. That's a big thing for us,' Steele said. At Okanagan Wine Country Tours in British Columbia, bookings from Europe and the United Kingdom have risen about 20 per cent year-over-year, said partner and manager Marsha Morrish. 'The traffic from Quebec is up substantially,' she added. Americans are more tepid — even those who do head north. 'They did email me to do a bit of a temperature check on how Canadians were feeling about Americans visiting,' Morrish said, referring to a Colorado couple coming up to sample Pinot Gris. While there's a chance American tourist numbers could surge, it's unlikely to happen this year, Siegwart suggested — including for corporate gatherings. 'Some convention centres, both in Ontario and across the country, have seen some drops in American conference bookings.' Much of it has to do with personal safety and security, as some workers worry about how they'll be treated at the border. 'Depending on your immigration status, depending on if you're a member of an LGBTQIA community, if your gender markers or identities on your passports are different than your gender expression — all sorts of things like that are really coming into play,' Siegwart said. 'My colleagues south of the border are a little more cautious in how they plan things because of the unpredictable way in which their administration is conducting business.' On the flip side, there's more interest from corporate event planners in Europe 'who still want to come to North America but see Canada as a safer bet.' Some Americans remain undeterred though. 'I've seen way more people from the States this year,' said Wendy Mooney, owner of Country Hideaway RV Campground, which sits barely a kilometre from the border in the B.C.'s West Kootenay region. 'Some people just fly by the seat of their pants.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
41 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Is Fortinet's FortiGuard AI Service Becoming a Key Growth Driver?
Fortinet 's FTNT FortiGuard AI-powered security services have been gaining traction as more enterprises turn to real-time, automated protection to secure users, data and infrastructure. These services, which include threat intelligence, intrusion prevention, data loss prevention (DLP), antivirus and web filtering, are powered by FortiGuard Labs' global sensor network and AI models. Strong adoption has been driving top-line growth. In the first quarter of fiscal 2025, service revenues of $1.08 billion increased 14% year over year. Security subscriptions, including FortiGuard services, grew 16% year over year and remain a key driver of service growth. It made up 57.7% of Fortinet's service revenues in the first quarter. Services now make up more than 70% of Fortinet's total revenues, underscoring the importance of recurring, AI-powered solutions in its business model. Fortinet's continued focus on expanding FortiGuard's reach is visible in the launch of its AI-powered Workspace Security Suite. The suite protects key productivity platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with AI-based phishing detection, impersonation defense, DLP and 24/7 incident response. These capabilities are fully backed by FortiGuard's intelligence and seamlessly integrate into Fortinet's broader Security Fabric to automate threat response and improve detection accuracy. Fortinet's AI services are a long-term growth driver. The company is deepening AI integration across its service portfolio and holds more than 500 AI-related patents. As demand grows for scalable, intelligence-led protection across hybrid and cloud environments, Fortinet expects its AI-enhanced services, such as FortiGuard, to contribute meaningfully to recurring, high-margin revenue growth. FTNT Faces Stiff Competition Fortinet's FortiGuard AI-powered services face growing competition from Palo Alto Networks PANW and Cisco Systems CSCO, both of which are expanding their AI security capabilities. Palo Alto Networks is expanding its AI security footprint with the acquisition of Protect AI, a leader in securing AI and ML applications. The move strengthens Palo Alto Networks' capabilities to defend against emerging threats like model manipulation and prompt injection. It reflects the company's push to lead in next-generation cybersecurity by addressing risks in the growing AI ecosystem. Meanwhile, Cisco Systems is boosting its AI security capabilities with updates to its XDR and Splunk platforms. It introduced agentic AI for faster threat detection and launched Foundation AI, featuring the first reasoning model for security. Cisco Systems also expanded its partnership with ServiceNow to support secure, scalable AI adoption. FTNT's Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates FTNT shares have risen 9.8% in the year-to-date (YTD) period, underperforming the Zacks Security industry's growth of 21.9%. FTNT has outperformed the Zacks Computer and Technology sector's return of 1.3%. FTNT's YTD Price Performance From a valuation standpoint, Fortinet stock is currently trading at a Price/Book ratio of 40.88X compared with the industry's 24.58X. FTNT has a Value Score of F. FTNT Valuation Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2025 earnings is pegged at 59 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, indicating 3.51% year-over-year growth. The consensus mark for 2025 earnings is pegged at $2.48 per share, which has been revised upward by 2 cents over the past 30 days. The estimate indicates 4.64% year-over-year growth. Fortinet currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom. With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028. See This Stock Now for Free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT): Free Stock Analysis Report Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (PANW): Free Stock Analysis Report
