Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) Stock Price Up 18% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) shot up 18% on Friday . The company traded as high as $38.32 and last traded at $37.68. 86,094,318 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 60% from the average session volume of 53,760,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.94.

Trending Headlines about Applied Digital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company delivered a blowout Q2: revenue jumped ~250% YoY to ~$126.6M driven by Polaris Forge 1 ramp and HPC tenant fit-outs; management disclosed a large lease pipeline and multi-year contracts that underpin long-term growth. Applied Digital beats quarterly revenue estimates on AI data center demand, shares jump
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst moves: Arete Research initiated coverage with a Buy and $99 price target (large bullish signal), Freedom Capital initiated a Buy ($36 PT) and Needham reiterated Buy ($41 PT) — these upgrades and high targets amplify buying interest. Arete Research Initiates Applied Digital (APLD) with $99 PT, Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights accelerating momentum: analysts and outlets point to a growing backlog (reported ~$15B), plans to add ~900 MW of capacity, a goal of $1B NOI over coming years, and potential new hyperscaler customers — all supportive of higher future cash flows. Applied Digital Reignites Momentum After a Blowout Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Press coverage flags an impending hyperscaler lease and continued AI demand as near-term catalysts that could drive additional revenue and give the stock more upside. Applied Digital Teases New AI Hyperscaler Customer in 2026. The Stock Rises.
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed company disclosures and the full Q2 earnings/call transcript are available for investors evaluating execution, margin trends and cadence of lease signings. Review the transcript for operator commentary and guidance signals. Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP/profitability caveats: higher costs dragged reported EPS below consensus (company reported a loss per share vs. mixed adjusted metrics), with negative net margin and negative ROE on a GAAP basis — investors should watch margin recovery and cash flow conversion. Applied Digital’s Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APLD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on Applied Digital to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Applied Digital from $20.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Applied Digital in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Craig Hallum increased their price objective on shares of Applied Digital to $39.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.27.

Applied Digital Stock Up 18.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $10.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -69.78 and a beta of 6.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $27.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (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 17.52%. The firm had revenue of $126.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $82.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.06) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 250.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Applied Digital Corporation will post -0.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Digital news, Director Rachel H. Lee sold 24,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.20, for a total value of $803,871.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 59,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,972,080. The trade was a 28.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mohammad Saidal Lavanw Mohmand sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.08, for a total value of $3,408,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 158,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,415,720.96. This trade represents a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 328,035 shares of company stock worth $11,376,479 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 9.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Digital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APLD. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Applied Digital by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 36,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Applied Digital by 7.4% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Applied Digital by 5.7% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 10,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Applied Digital by 87.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 642 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Applied Digital by 70.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares in the last quarter. 65.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Digital Company Profile

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.

In addition to its data center business, Applied Digital operates a network of Bitcoin mining sites that leverage vertically integrated capabilities, including hardware procurement, mining farm engineering, energy management and real-time performance monitoring.