Applied Digital Corporation $APLD Shares Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management massively increased its stake in Applied Digital, boosting holdings by 3,668.5% in the fourth quarter to 147,385 shares worth about $3.6 million.
• Institutional ownership is heavy, with 65.67% of Applied Digital shares held by institutional investors and hedge funds, including large positions from Vanguard and BNP Paribas.
• Analysts remain mostly bullish on APLD, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.67, even as the stock trades near its 52-week high after strong revenue growth in the latest quarter.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD - Free Report) by 3,668.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 147,385 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 143,474 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.05% of Applied Digital worth $3,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APLD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Applied Digital by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,168,082 shares of the company's stock valued at $592,601,000 after acquiring an additional 6,445,908 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Applied Digital by 24,356.8% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 5,219,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,561,000 after acquiring an additional 5,198,223 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in Applied Digital in the third quarter valued at approximately $69,535,000. Situational Awareness LP lifted its holdings in Applied Digital by 63.3% in the second quarter. Situational Awareness LP now owns 6,591,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,556,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRT Financial LP acquired a new position in Applied Digital in the second quarter valued at approximately $14,759,000. 65.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APLD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Lake Street Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $55.00) on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Thursday. Compass Point reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Digital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Applied Digital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.67.

Applied Digital Price Performance

NASDAQ:APLD opened at $45.87 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The stock's fifty day moving average is $32.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.86. Applied Digital Corporation has a 52 week low of $6.68 and a 52 week high of $48.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -61.99 and a beta of 5.69.

Applied Digital (NASDAQ:APLD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported ($0.36) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by ($0.23). Applied Digital had a negative return on equity of 15.91% and a negative net margin of 52.84%.The firm had revenue of $108.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.08) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 139.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Applied Digital Corporation will post -0.61 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Digital news, Director Douglas S. Miller sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total transaction of $349,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 184,859 shares in the company, valued at $6,466,367.82. This represents a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard N. Nottenburg sold 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.59, for a total value of $432,375.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 208,378 shares in the company, valued at $7,207,795.02. This trade represents a 5.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,182,175 over the last 90 days. 9.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Applied Digital News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Applied Digital’s new hyperscaler lease materially improves revenue visibility and confirms strong demand for its AI data center capacity, which is the main reason shares are being bid up. Applied Digital’s New Hyperscaler Lease Lifts Contracted AI Revenue To US$31b
• Positive Sentiment: Needham and Citizens JMP both raised price targets after the lease announcement, reinforcing bullish sentiment and suggesting analysts see further upside from the company’s contracted growth. Needham says Polaris Forge 3 lease agreement could drive Applied Digital stock higher
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary continues to frame APLD as an AI winner, with articles highlighting the company’s expanding role in powering hyperscale and AI workloads. The Big 3: BE, APLD, AAPL
• Neutral Sentiment: Some coverage notes the stock’s valuation is now rich relative to current fundamentals, so investors are paying a premium for future lease conversion and margin expansion. Applied Digital Just Hit 1GW Of Contracted Capacity - Why It Matters
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also discussing Applied Digital’s direct-to-chip cooling technology as a way to attract hyperscalers, but this is more of a strategic longer-term growth story than an immediate earnings driver. Can Direct-to-Chip Cooling Strengthen APLD's Hyperscale Appeal?

Applied Digital 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.

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