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Arm’s Stock Skyrockets Despite Analysts’ Warnings


30 June, 2024

Amid bustling activity in the AI News industry, Arm Holdings, the British semiconductor powerhouse, has witnessed a meteoric rise in its stock price. In the wake of their third-quarter earnings reported in February, the shares have surged by an impressive 65% this year. This increase has been largely driven by the heightened enthusiasm for AI-related equities and Arm’s strategic move to hike royalty fees after rolling out their most recent chip architecture.

Arm is not just any chipmaker; they craft the very blueprints that power microprocessors worldwide. Their esteemed clientele boasts industry giants such as Nvidia and Apple, companies that rely on Arm’s innovative designs to produce cutting-edge tech. Arm’s revenue streams mainly flow from the licensing fees they collect for every chip that emerges from their designs, a model that has proven lucrative.

Despite this, some analysts, particularly from Morningstar, voice concern over Arm’s ballooning stock price, indicating it could be somewhat overinflated. They suggest there’s a potential for a substantial 54% drop to around $57. “The company’s share value catapulted beyond 50% after the earnings announcement on February 7. The ongoing excitement over AI, coupled with the upswing in royalty rates from their Armv9 launch, seems to have inflated the stock price to hover around $140,” explained Morningstar analyst Javier Correonero on March 28.

While Arm is capitalizing on artificial intelligence’s burgeoning role, Morningstar believes that AI’s impact on Arm’s business is less central when compared with the likes of Nvidia, a company reaping significant rewards from AI chip sales. They anticipate that Arm’s earnings growth won’t mirror the explosive trajectory Nvidia has enjoyed. Morningstar places Arm’s fair value estimate at $57, factoring in a respectable annual growth rate of 17% over the next decade and a profit margin at the upper bound of 44%. However, Morningstar reasons that the present share price overestimates these figures, implying revenue growth and operating margins that are overly optimistic.

Morningstar cautions that maintaining such financial dynamics could spell long-term risks for Arm. This would necessitate quadrupling royalty rates within a mere eight years, a move that could compel customers to seek out more cost-effective alternatives. Morningstar’s skepticism is echoed by others in the financial sector, with a FactSet poll revealing a consensus price target amongst 31 analysts that suggests a 14% reduction in stock value. Arm has refrained from commenting on these projections.

On the flip side, Mizuho Securities offers a sunnier forecast for Arm’s growth trajectory. They’ve elevated their target for Arm’s stock to an ambitious $160, a 28% increase from its current status. Mizuho’s projections are buoyed by an expected 25% annual revenue surge starting in 2025 and extending over three years, outstripping the assessments made by Morningstar and the general consensus.

Mizuho’s optimism stems from several factors. “Arm’s unrivaled dominance in the mobile CPU landscape, commanding over 99% market share, is indisputable. The potential for revenue growth is significant, particularly as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) gradually transition to v9 platforms within the coming 3 years,” said Vijay Rakesh and his team at Mizuho on March 6.

For individuals keen on the latest AI news & AI tools, this surge in Arm’s stock accentuates the sector’s lucrative potential. AI images generator, artificial intelligence generated images, ai text generator, and AI video generator are among the thriving AI advancements that could further influence the market dynamics surrounding companies like Arm.

In this evolving narrative of technological advances and stock market predictions, the soaring stock price of Arm Holdings emerges as a foremost subject for analysts and investors alike. While considerable gains have been realized, the future path of Arm’s shares remains a point of debate—one laden with varying perspectives and potential implications for the broader AI-powered technology realm. Whether the bullish or bearish outlook prevails, Arm’s influence on the semiconductor and AI industries continues to be profound and noteworthy.