We recently published a list of 8 Cloud Computing Stocks Under $10. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) stands against other cloud computing stocks under $10.
As per Nasscom Community, the cloud computing market saw a staggering growth in 2024, touching $1.2 trillion. This market was aided by significant demand for scalable, efficient, and cost-effective digital solutions. Some of the critical growth drivers include the proliferation of remote work, acceleration in digital transformation initiatives, and robust adoption of IoT devices.
AI To Drive Growth in Cloud Computing
Over the past few years, cloud computing has merged with Al and redefined business operations throughout industries. As per Industry experts, cloud strategies have been shifting as organizations continue to utilize more services and Al is expected to be one of the biggest drivers. John Samuel, global CIO, and EVP at a global IT and outsourcing provider, believes that cloud providers have invested significantly in GenAl technologies and are collaborating with chip manufacturers to enhance performance and scalability.
According to Samuel, these alliances should enable cloud platforms to power a growing ecosystem of downstream SaaS providers that build solutions to allow easier adoption of Al-based solutions. Therefore, GenAl continues to be a key enabler for adopting advanced Al capabilities throughout industries, with the cloud acting as the backbone.
As per Alex Turgeon, President of Valere, Al is expected to drive ~35% of the cloud computing market’s growth over the upcoming 2 years. In 2025, Al and cloud computing are expected to form an inseparable partnership. Alex Turgeon believes that investments by companies in Al-enabled cloud infrastructure should enhance scalability, performance, and accessibility. As per Deloitte, 70% of the companies that are adopting Al will adopt it via cloud-based infrastructure.
Key Cloud Computing Trends for 2025
According to Nasscom Community, future developments in the cloud computing field are expected to be aided by multi-cloud strategies. This will involve the use of more than one cloud service provider between the business and the cloud altogether. By 2025, different cloud networks can communicate, which will result in more interoperability between different cloud platforms. By next year, companies are expected to focus on green cloud initiatives. Therefore, cloud solution sustainability with respect to infrastructure is expected to become a major trend by 2025.
Well-established cloud service providers continue to focus on cutting their global emissions as they tap the green data centers making use of renewable energy such as wind and solar installations. While some leading technology firms use renewable energy sources in their data centers, others have committed to achieving carbon negativity by the year 2030. Nasscom Community went on to add that firms will look for cloud service providers that have solid sustainable solutions, such as carbon neutrality in computing strategies on corporate responsibility programs.
An executive standing in front of their headquarters building, proudly symbolizing the company’s achievements.
Our Methodology
To list the 8 Cloud Computing Stocks Under $10, we used a screener and online rankings to extract the list of companies belonging to the cloud computing industry. After getting an initial list of 20-25 stocks, we filtered out the ones trading below $10. Finally, the stocks were ranked in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiments, as of Q3 2024.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC)
Share Price as of November 26: $5.97
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 5
Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) provides a range of cloud services primarily in China. These services include IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions. The company released its Q3 2024 results; wherein, its revenues went up by 16% YoY, led by high-quality business, such as AI. Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC)’s Chief Executive added that the AI business expanded to RMB362 million, making up ~31% of public cloud revenue. Over the previous 5 consecutive quarters, AI revenue demonstrated triple-digit YoY growth.
In Q3 2024, Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) saw a whopping 6.9-fold increase compared to last year, surpassing the industry’s growth. Furthermore, the expansion of AI revenues and efficient cost-control measures aided its gross margins.
Wall Street remains optimistic about Xiaomi and the Kingsoft Ecosystem. Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC)’s ecosystem benefits from Xiaomi’s EV ventures via strategic collaborations that integrate cloud computing and AI technologies into Xiaomi’s growing smart ecosystem. Xiaomi’s EV strategy leverages advanced technologies, including AI-driven autonomous driving systems and smart cabin features. These require robust cloud and AI infrastructure- areas where Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) has expertise.
This should further fuel Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC)’s top line by creating new opportunities to expand the services in high-value verticals such as EVs. Also, it further embeds itself in Xiaomi’s broader ecosystem. As per Wall Street, the shares of Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:KC) have an average price target of $41.83.
Overall, KC ranks 8th on our list of cloud computing stocks under $10. While we acknowledge the potential of KC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than KC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.