Applied Digital Corporation $APLD Stake Cut by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in Applied Digital by 10.2% in Q3, selling 534,027 shares and now holding 4,685,538 shares (about 1.65% ownership) worth roughly $107.5 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers: CEO Wes Cummins sold 165,000 shares for ~$6.01 million on Jan. 16, and insiders sold 244,593 shares (~$9.0 million) over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with 9.50% ownership.
• Analysts maintain an overall "Buy" consensus with an average price target of $37, while APLD shows high volatility (beta 7.20), a market cap of ~$7.68 billion, and a 52‑week range of $3.31–$42.27.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its holdings in shares of Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD - Free Report) by 10.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,685,538 shares of the company's stock after selling 534,027 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 1.65% of Applied Digital worth $107,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Applied Digital by 1.0% in the third 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. increased its stake 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 valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its stake in Applied Digital by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 10,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Applied Digital by 51.8% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Digital by 101.8% during the 3rd quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 807 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.67% of the company's stock.

Applied Digital Price Performance

APLD opened at $27.48 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $32.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.68 billion, a PE ratio of -50.89 and a beta of 7.20. Applied Digital Corporation has a 52 week low of $3.31 and a 52 week high of $42.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 4.82 and a current ratio of 4.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Wes Cummins sold 165,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.42, for a total transaction of $6,009,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,176,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $152,101,902.18. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Richard N. Nottenburg sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.45, for a total transaction of $425,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 233,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,273,250.10. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 244,593 shares of company stock worth $9,003,278. Company insiders own 9.50% of the company's stock.

Applied Digital News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fool.com highlights significant long‑term growth potential for Applied Digital as demand for hyperscale and AI‑optimized data centers rises, arguing that the company’s positioning could translate into meaningful share‑price gains over time. Could Applied Digital Stock Help You Retire a Millionaire?
• Positive Sentiment: Market research on the U.S. data‑center construction market projects a ~10.7% CAGR to 2031 driven by AI workloads and GPU adoption — a tailwind for APLD’s core data‑center business and long‑term revenue potential. U.S. Data Center Construction Market Outlook Report 2026-2031
• Positive Sentiment: Schaeffer’s list includes APLD among stocks with short‑squeeze potential — a reminder that low reported short interest or sudden covering could drive episodic rallies and add to volatility. 15 Stocks With the Most Short Squeeze Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest figures for March appear garbled (zeros/NaN and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover), making it hard to assess true short positioning — watch for clarifying data from exchanges.
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo Finance (syndicated widely) runs a critical piece listing reasons to avoid APLD despite recent gains; the article flags valuation, volatility and the risk of a pullback after a ~60% six‑month rise, which likely fuels today’s profit‑taking. 3 Reasons to Avoid APLD and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Lake Street Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Applied Digital in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $41.00 target price on shares of Applied Digital in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Texas Capital raised shares of Applied Digital to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Northland Securities set a $56.00 target price on shares of Applied Digital in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Arete Research started coverage on Applied Digital in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $37.00.

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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