We recently published a list of 10 Best SaaS Stocks to Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) stands against other best SaaS stocks to invest in.
Mobile devices are now running more sophisticated and complicated software applications, which supports improving demand for SaaS solutions that can be accessed only with the help of an internet connection. As of now, continuous innovation has been helping businesses in running their operations globally. It continues to improve scalability and flexibility in data storage. Experts opine that the SaaS domain has been aiding in major decision-making and strategy-building as dynamic technologies such as AI and ML have been intersecting with it.
SaaS Growth Drivers for 2025
As per Fortune Business Insights, the global Software as a Service (SaaS) market size was pegged at US$273.55 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow from US$317.55 billion in 2024 to US$1,228.87 billion by 2032. The US SaaS market is expected to grow significantly, reaching an estimated value of US$236.69 billion by 2032, courtesy of the adoption of public and hybrid cloud-based tools by enterprises. Overall, the SaaS market growth is expected to be fueled by numerous factors such as an increase in the adoption of public & hybrid cloud-based solutions, integration with other tools, and centralized data-driven analytics.
As per Straits Research, increased demand for smart devices and their applications has been aiding the broader market. Notably, end-user demand for intelligent devices is supported by the expansion of email, instant messaging applications, and video calls. This is expected to contribute to the expansion of the SaaS market. Also, higher spending on cloud-based solutions by end-use businesses can accelerate the expansion of the broader SaaS industry over the upcoming years.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
Key Trends Likely to Help SaaS in 2025
With continuous advancements in technology, changing market demands, and increased dependence on cloud-based solutions, SaaS trends have been redefining the future of digital transformation for companies. Fortune Business Insights believes integrating AI and ML with SaaS Solutions will fuel broad-based market growth. This means that the adoption of AI/ML is expected to change the SaaS industry in many ways, mainly by improving the critical features of several software solutions. Notably, customizing & automating solutions, augmenting security, and improving human capacity are possible by incorporating SaaS solutions and AI/ML abilities.
Furthermore, SaaS has been continuously evolving and transforming services among cloud computing technologies. As per Fortune Business Insights, the key trending factors of SaaS are expected to continue to evolve and outline the future of cloud technologies, innovation, efficiency, and business values.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Best SaaS Stocks to Invest In, we used a screener and scanned through several online rankings. Next, we chose the companies that were popular among hedge funds. Finally, the companies were arranged 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).
A software engineer at work, surrounded by a wall of computer monitors connected to a ‘Data Cloud’ platform.
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) is a SaaS business because it delivers cloud-based software that enables companies to store, manage and analyze data. On 22nd January, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives reiterated an “Outperform” rating on the company’s shares, increasing the price target to $210. The analyst believes that Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)’s product portfolio is expected to see strong demand trends after integrations of AI/ML capabilities.
Elsewhere, Piper Sandler exhibited confidence in the company’s stock as the firm upped its price target to $208 from $185, while maintaining an “Overweight” rating. Brent Bracelin, an analyst at Piper Sandler, mentioned Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW), Microsoft Corp., and Salesforce, Inc. as top picks to benefit from AI trends by 2025. The analyst opines that these companies are well-placed to take advantage of increasing enterprise investments. Several factors are expected to fuel Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)’s growth, which include ongoing migration of data workloads to the cloud, higher adoption of AI technologies, and product portfolio expansion.
The company’s new products and AI initiatives are expected to start contributing more significantly to revenue in fiscal year 2026, which can further fuel growth rates. Baron Funds, an investment management firm, released a Q3 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) is a leading cloud data platform predominantly used for data analytics. Shares fell 15.2% in the third quarter due to a cybersecurity incident, a shifting competitive landscape, a change in leadership, and general macro complexities which are pressuring customer IT budgets. With generative AI (Gen AI) front and center, both investors and customers are closely evaluating Snowflake’s positioning in the future data ecosystem. Databricks and other competitors whose core users are data scientists who are also key buyers of Gen AI technologies, are benefiting. In addition, while Snowflake’s product innovation push should fuel future growth, it may also lead to short-term headwinds to profitability. Management reported healthy demand for its core data analytics, evidenced by solid growth rates among current customers alongside new go-to-market initiatives that could support growth. We are optimistic the new CEO, Sridhar Ramaswamy, can lead the company towards an AI-centric strategy, and therefore remain shareholders.”
Overall, SNOW ranks 6th on our list of best SaaS stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of SNOW 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 SNOW 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.
