Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) Stock Price Down 2.4% on Insider Selling

Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD)’s share price dropped 2.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $35.05 and last traded at $35.22. Approximately 25,785,727 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 46,206,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.10.

Specifically, Director Douglas S. Miller sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.54, for a total transaction of $385,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 200,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,105.86. The trade was a 4.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APLD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Applied Digital to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $41.00 target price on shares of Applied Digital in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Lake Street Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on Applied Digital from $20.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Roth Capital upped their price target on Applied Digital to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Applied Digital has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.27.

Key Applied Digital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat ranks APLD as the leading GPU‑as‑a‑Service play for 2026 after a blowout Q4, citing nearly 100% revenue growth, analyst upgrades and advance contracts that suggest the company’s Phase II capacity is largely sold out — a major demand signal for future revenue and margin expansion. The 5 Best GPU-as-a-Service Providers for 2026—And 1 Clear Winner
• Positive Sentiment: Management move: Applied Digital promoted co‑founder Jason Zhang to President, signaling leadership continuity and deeper founder involvement as the company scales data‑center and GPU hosting operations. This supports investor confidence on execution risk. Applied Digital Appoints Co-Founder Jason Zhang as President
• Positive Sentiment: Street momentum: APLD is highlighted in MarketBeat small‑cap features and has seen analysts lift targets and ratings following the quarter, which supports further upside if execution and contract wins continue. 5 Hot Small Caps Setting Up for Big Gains: Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/structural analysis: Longer‑term writeups (e.g., Seeking Alpha) discuss a “REIT angle” and capital‑structure considerations for Applied Digital’s asset‑heavy model — useful for evaluating valuation and cash flow durability but not an immediate share‑price catalyst. Applied Digital: The REIT Angle No One Talks About
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple director sales have been disclosed this week — Richard N. Nottenburg sold ~23,606 shares across Jan. 14–15 (SEC Form 4), and Director Douglas Miller sold 10,000 shares earlier — prompting reports of intraday weakness tied to insider activity. Investors often view clustered director sales as a short‑term negative signal even when holders remain large. Nottenburg Form 4 (Insider Sale) Miller Form 4 (Insider Sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction note: Coverage flagged a short‑term pullback after the insider sales (reports noted a ~1–2% intraday decline tied to the disclosures), underscoring that insider activity can temporarily damp momentum despite strong fundamentals. Applied Digital Trading Down Following Insider Selling

Applied Digital Stock Up 6.2%

The firm has a market cap of $10.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -69.26 and a beta of 6.89. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.67. The company has a current ratio of 4.82, a quick ratio of 4.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.02). Applied Digital had a negative return on equity of 13.53% and a negative net margin of 43.49%.The business 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 company earned ($0.06) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 250.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Applied Digital Corporation will post -0.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Digital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APLD. Brookstone Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Applied Digital by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 9,275 shares of the company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Applied Digital by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 36,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Digital by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in Applied Digital by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 10,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Digital by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. 65.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Applied Digital

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.