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Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclosure: The author holds a long position in APLD.
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APLD

Analysis as of: 2025-12-27
Applied Digital Corporation
Applied Digital develops and operates power-dense data center campuses (AI/HPC and legacy hosting), anchored by long-duration leases in North Dakota.
ai cloud energy networking
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Summary

Contracted AI campuses, financed at scale
A long-duration lease book and a repeatable campus template create a credible scale path. The key question is whether delivery and financing discipline can keep equity participation meaningful.

Analysis

Thesis
If Applied Digital converts its contracted AI-campus leases into repeatable, on-time deliveries while keeping the capital stack mostly asset-level (and broadening beyond a single anchor tenant), it can compound into a scaled “compute real-estate” platform by 2030 despite high leverage and construction risk.
Last Economy Alignment
Compute capacity and power are becoming scarce strategic inputs; APLD is positioned to monetize that scarcity via long-term, utility-like leases—if it executes builds and financing cleanly.
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Opportunity Outlook

Average Implied Multiple (to 2030)
2.4x (from 5 most recent analyses)
Reasoning
The path to compounding is straightforward: deliver contracted capacity, then stack incremental capacity on the same campus playbook. The market should pay a mid-cycle “contracted infrastructure” multiple once revenue becomes lease-dominated and less tied to one-off build activity. Upside is capped by capital intensity and the market’s sensitivity to leverage, but durable demand for power-ready AI sites supports a credible 2–5x outcome.
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Risk Assessment

Overall Risk Summary
The core risks are (1) construction/power timing, (2) customer concentration and tenant credit, and (3) capital-structure fragility (high-coupon project debt + preferred equity + potential share issuance). These are tightly coupled: a single delay can trigger higher financing costs, lower utilization, and weaker equity participation even if the assets are ultimately valuable.
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Third Party Analyst Consensus

12-Month Price Target
$29.36
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