We recently compiled a list of the 10 AI Stocks Worth Watching Today. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) stands against the other AI stocks.
The R1 model is going to get a successor soon. For those who don’t know, Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek wreaked havoc in the tech world last month with its cut-price AI reasoning model, the R1, claiming that it outperforms many Western competitors.
Only a month later, hundreds of Chinese companies have already integrated the AI model into their products and services. At least 13 Chinese city governments and 10 state-owned energy companies also report deploying DeepSeek into their systems. Tech giants Lenovo, Baidu, and Tencent have integrated it too.
Goldman Sachs anticipates that the country’s economy will reflect the positive impact of AI adoption from next year.
“The recent emergence of DeepSeek … suggests faster AI development and adoption in China than we previously anticipated.”
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The impact of the emergence was so intense, that it triggered a $1 trillion-plus sell-off in global equities markets last month. While the initial release of the R2 model was scheduled for release sometime in May, the company is now planning to launch it as early as possible.
“DeepSeek demonstrates that China is at or near the cutting edge of AI development, which boosts the prestige of China’s economy and tech ecosystem, making them more attractive for global investors”.
-Gabriel Wildau, managing director at Teneo.
DeepSeek is expecting highly of its new model too. The company said that it hopes that its new model will be able to produce better coding and be able to reason in languages beyond English. While competitors are still dealing with the implications of the R1 model, only time will tell how the market is going to react to its successor.
“The launch of DeepSeek’s R2 model could be a pivotal moment in the AI industry. DeepSeek’s success at creating cost-effective AI models “would likely spur companies worldwide to accelerate their own efforts … breaking the stranglehold of the few dominant players in the field”.
-Vijayasimha Alilughatta, chief operating officer of Indian tech services provider Zensar.
For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024.
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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A cutting-edge computer lab full of IT experts monitoring the security of multiple systems.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 83
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) is a leader in AI-powered cybersecurity. On February 25, Citi analyst Fatima Boolani maintained a “Buy” rating on the stock and a $220.00 price target. Boolani noted how Palo Alto is managing the challenging macroeconomic environment well while also maintaining operational and free cash flow profitability. The company’s ongoing product cycle and commitment to platformization enhance its prospects.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) is also making considerable investments in generative AI, integrating the technology in offerings such as XSIAM, Extended security intelligence, and automation management, which uses AI to automate security tasks. Rebranding its Prisma Cloud and focusing on network and security operations modernization are likely going to support mid-teens revenue growth. All of these factors underscore the firm’s confidence in Palo Alto’s growth potential.
Overall PANW ranks 6th on our list of the AI stocks worth watching today. While we acknowledge the potential of PANW as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PANW 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.
