Nvidia Sells Stake in Applied Digital, Raising Investor Concerns
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 12 hours ago
0mins
Should l Buy APLD?
Source: Fool
- Nvidia's Exit: Nvidia has sold all 7.7 million shares of its stake in Applied Digital, prompting significant market reactions and raising concerns among investors about potential risks.
- Worrisome Financials: Applied Digital's debt skyrocketed from $44 million in Q1 2024 to $2.6 billion by November 2025, indicating a precarious financial position as it chases growth.
- Revenue Concentration Risk: The company's future hinges on $16 billion in contracted lease revenue, with $11 billion coming from CoreWeave, which is also heavily indebted and operating at a loss, amplifying Applied Digital's risk profile.
- Market Opportunities and Challenges: While demand for AI data centers is robust, Applied Digital's success relies on customer stability and execution capabilities, where any delays or financing issues could severely impact future profitability.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy APLD?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on APLD
Wall Street analysts forecast APLD stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 27.930
Low
36.00
Averages
52.22
High
99.00
Current: 27.930
Low
36.00
Averages
52.22
High
99.00
About APLD
Applied Digital Corporation is a designer, builder, and operator of sustainably engineered data centers and colocation services for artificial intelligence, cloud, networking, and blockchain workloads. The Company’s segments include data center hosting (Data Center Hosting Business) and high-performance compute hosting (HPC Hosting Business). The Data Center Hosting Business operates data centers to provide energized space to crypto mining customers. Customer-owned hardware is installed in its facilities, and the Company provides operational and maintenance services for a fixed fee. Its facilities include a 106 megawatt (MW) facility in Jamestown and a 180 MW facility in Ellendale, North Dakota. The HPC Hosting Business designs, builds, and operates data centers which are designed to support high-compute applications using advanced technologies and infrastructures to provide services to customers. Its HPC data center is located at its Polaris Forge 1 campus with 100 MW capacity.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Bond Offering Announcement: Applied Digital's subsidiary, APLD ComputeCo 2, has announced plans to privately offer $2.15 billion in senior secured notes due in 2031, aimed at supporting future funding needs.
- Clear Use of Proceeds: The net proceeds from this bond issuance will be utilized to fund the development and construction of 200 megawatts of critical IT load at the Polaris Forge 2 AI factory in Harwood, North Dakota, while also covering related fees and expenses to ensure smooth project execution.
- Market Reaction: Following the bond offering announcement, Applied Digital's stock price fell by 1.03% in after-hours trading to $27.64, reflecting a cautious market sentiment regarding the financing plan.
- Strategic Implications: This bond issuance not only enhances Applied Digital's investment capacity in the AI infrastructure sector but also strengthens its technological development and operational capabilities in a competitive market, further solidifying its market position.
See More
- Stake Sale Impact: Nvidia's recent divestment of its 7.7 million shares in Applied Digital has raised market eyebrows, particularly as the company's debt surged from $44 million to $2.6 billion, highlighting severe financial challenges.
- Customer Concentration Risk: Applied Digital's $16 billion in contracted revenue is entirely dependent on two customers, with CoreWeave accounting for $11 billion; if CoreWeave faces financial difficulties, Applied Digital's revenue could be jeopardized, risking its ability to meet debt obligations.
- Profitability Crisis: With a loss of $125 million over the past year, Applied Digital's high leverage poses significant financial strain, meaning any deviation from management's projections could lead to catastrophic outcomes rather than mere disappointments.
- Market Outlook Uncertainty: Despite strong demand for AI data centers, Applied Digital's future remains uncertain due to its extreme reliance on customer concentration and high leverage, which could rapidly deteriorate its financial health in changing market conditions.
See More
- Nvidia's Exit: Nvidia has sold all 7.7 million shares of its stake in Applied Digital, prompting significant market reactions and raising concerns among investors about potential risks.
- Worrisome Financials: Applied Digital's debt skyrocketed from $44 million in Q1 2024 to $2.6 billion by November 2025, indicating a precarious financial position as it chases growth.
- Revenue Concentration Risk: The company's future hinges on $16 billion in contracted lease revenue, with $11 billion coming from CoreWeave, which is also heavily indebted and operating at a loss, amplifying Applied Digital's risk profile.
- Market Opportunities and Challenges: While demand for AI data centers is robust, Applied Digital's success relies on customer stability and execution capabilities, where any delays or financing issues could severely impact future profitability.
See More
- Stock Ranking Changes: In February, stocks like Palantir, AMD, and Amazon re-entered the top ten, indicating sustained market interest, particularly as Palantir rebounded to fourth place after not ranking in the top 12 in January, reflecting investor confidence in its growth potential.
- Micron and SanDisk Rise: Micron jumped from 11th to 4th place, while SanDisk moved from 12th to 10th, showcasing strong market interest in the semiconductor sector, especially against a backdrop of robust tech stock performance, which may further drive investment enthusiasm.
- Nvidia's Upward Trend: Nvidia's search ranking increased by two spots in February, demonstrating investor recognition of its technological innovations and market performance, despite a year-to-date return of -3.4%, its one-year return stands at 60%, indicating continued favor for its long-term growth potential.
- iShares Silver Trust Decline: Although the iShares Silver Trust remained in the top five in February, it dropped two places, reflecting market sensitivity to silver price fluctuations, as investors may be seeking assets with greater growth potential.
See More
- Portfolio Adjustment: Nvidia's latest 13F filing reveals the complete sale of 1,101,249 shares of Arm Holdings and 7,716,050 shares of Applied Digital, indicating a profit-taking strategy in a high-valuation environment, reflecting its keen market awareness.
- Arm Holdings Performance: Since its IPO in September 2023, Arm Holdings has seen its stock price surge, with Nvidia's initial investment at $51 per share fluctuating between $100 and $175, highlighting the risks of high valuation, and the sale may be aimed at locking in profits.
- Applied Digital Growth: Applied Digital's stock has skyrocketed by 500% to 1000% over the past 15 to 18 months, with a market cap of $8.1 billion and a P/S ratio exceeding 23, indicating Nvidia's cautious stance on its future growth potential through the recent sell-off.
- Increased Stake in Intel: Nvidia purchased 214,776,632 shares of Intel at $23.28 each, totaling a $5 billion investment, and with Intel's stock doubling since the purchase, Nvidia has realized quick unrealized gains, showcasing its strategic positioning in the AI data center sector.
See More
- Portfolio Adjustment: Nvidia's 13F report for Q4 reveals the complete sale of 1,101,249 shares of Arm Holdings and 7,716,050 shares of Applied Digital, indicating a cautious stance towards high-valuation stocks, especially as Arm's price surged since its IPO, reflecting market optimism about its future.
- Profit-Taking Strategy: With Arm Holdings' P/S ratio at 29 and Applied Digital's exceeding 23, Nvidia's sell-off not only locks in profits but also signals a reaction to perceived market overvaluation, demonstrating a more prudent approach in its investment decisions.
- Massive Intel Investment: Nvidia purchased 214,776,632 shares of Intel at $23.28 each in December, totaling a $5 billion investment, and with Intel's stock doubling since then, this move has generated significant unrealized gains for Nvidia, showcasing its strategic positioning in the semiconductor sector.
- AI Data Center Collaboration: The partnership between Nvidia and Intel aims to advance AI data centers by integrating Nvidia's GPUs with Intel's x86 processors, and if Intel successfully executes a multi-year turnaround, it could yield billions in investment income for Nvidia, further solidifying its leadership in the AI domain.
See More









