Barclays Upgrades EPAM Systems, Inc. (EPAM) to Overweight, Citing AI-Driven Growth and Digital Transformation Demand - InvestingChannel

Barclays Upgrades EPAM Systems, Inc. (EPAM) to Overweight, Citing AI-Driven Growth and Digital Transformation Demand

We recently compiled a list of the 11 AI News That You Should Not Miss. In this article, we are going to take a look at where EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) stands against the other AI stocks.

The tech industry is undergoing significant changes, with increasing competition in AI, evolving regulatory landscapes, and strategic moves by major companies to stay ahead. These shifts are shaping the strategies and priorities of both established players and emerging competitors. The trends reveal a pivotal moment for the tech industry, where success will depend not only on innovation but also on the ability to balance growth with regulatory compliance and strategic partnerships in the evolving market.

AI Competition and Regulatory Shifts in Focus

In a CNBC interview, Jessica Lessin, founder, and CEO of The Information, shared her perspectives on the shifting dynamics of the tech industry, addressing challenges in AI competition, regulatory changes under new leadership, and the evolving roles of major companies in the semiconductor and AI sectors. On Nvidia, she acknowledged its strong position in GPUs but highlighted rising competition in AI, such as Broadcom partnering with Apple on AI chips. She emphasized the need for investors to closely monitor tech companies’ efforts to expand their AI capabilities.

Discussing tech executives meeting with President-elect Trump, Lessin said the focus is on navigating regulatory changes, including M&A deals and tariff policies. She noted the unusual eagerness of some leaders to publicize their visits, contrasting with figures like Zuckerberg and Cook, who are more focused on understanding the shifting landscape.

On AI, Lessin pointed out that large language models are becoming commoditized, prompting companies like Google, OpenAI, and Amazon to prioritize monetization and differentiation. She sees AI as a key growth area for these firms, despite significant investments. Surprising moves, such as the iPhone maker’s use of AWS chips, reveal unexpected competition in the chip sector, keeping the race highly dynamic on multiple fronts.

READ ALSO: 10 Companies Hoarding Bitcoin Like There’s No Tomorrow and 10 Important AI Announcements for Investors.

For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 900 hedge funds.

Why are we interested in 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).

A close-up of a coder at a computer, coding away to bring the latest software service to life.

EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 39

EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) provides digital platform engineering and software development services, with a strong focus on AI, robotics, and virtual reality. The company offers solutions for industries like finance, healthcare, and technology, supporting AI-driven innovation through custom software, automation, and consulting.

On December 17, Barclays upgraded Epam Systems (EPAM) to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised its price target to $290 from $250. The analyst expects IT services growth to improve through fiscal 2025 as investment activity recovers. EPAM is positioned to meet returning demand due to prior investments. Factors such as easing inflation, lower interest rates, and the transition of AI projects to production are boosting demand for digital transformation work.

Overall EPAM ranks 7th on our list of the AI stocks you should not miss. While we acknowledge the potential of EPAM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than EPAM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

 

READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock.

 

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

Related posts

Advisors in Focus- January 6, 2021

Gavin Maguire

Advisors in Focus- February 15, 2021

Gavin Maguire

Advisors in Focus- February 22, 2021

Gavin Maguire

Advisors in Focus- February 28, 2021

Gavin Maguire

Advisors in Focus- March 18, 2021

Gavin Maguire

Advisors in Focus- March 21, 2021

Gavin Maguire