We recently compiled a list of the 18 Trending AI Stocks on Latest Analyst Ratings and News. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stands against the other trending AI stocks.

Growth investors have been piling into artificial intelligence (AI) stocks over the past few months as a variety of factors, including rapid technological advancements, soaring investment, and widespread adoption across sectors drive interest towards the AI business. Some important metrics illustrate this phenomenon. The global AI market was valued at approximately $142.3 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 36%, reaching nearly $2 trillion by 2030. In 2024 alone, the AI market is expected to expand by around 40%, a pace that far outstrips the broader technology sector and the overall global economy, which is predicted to grow at a more modest 2.7%.

Read more about these developments by accessing 33 Most Important AI Companies You Should Pay Attention To and 20 Industrial Stocks Already Riding the AI Wave.

This explosive growth is driven by the increasing integration of AI technologies across various industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing. Investment in AI is surging, with companies recognizing its potential to revolutionize business operations and deliver significant returns. According to PwC, AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, with North America and China accounting for nearly 70% of this value. In 2024, corporate investment in AI is expected to surpass $500 billion, driven by companies seeking to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and innovate their product offerings.

Industry experts are increasingly bullish on the long-term prospects for AI stocks. According to a survey by Gartner, 80% of executives believe that AI will be a critical business driver by 2025, with 75% already piloting or implementing AI solutions. McKinsey estimates that AI could deliver up to $6.1 trillion in annual value across industries, primarily through automation and optimization. This growing confidence in AI capabilities is reflected in the stock market, where AI-focused companies have consistently outperformed their peers. For instance, AI-driven companies have seen their stock prices surge by over 50% in 2023 alone, a trend expected to continue as demand for AI solutions grows.

Read more about these developments by accessing Billionaire Stan Druckenmiller Is Betting On AI Infrastructure, Tobacco and Industrial Stocks and 10 Tech Stocks to Monitor Amid Market Volatility According to Bernstein Analyst.

These AI-focused firms are also investing in AI startups as they seek to diversify their businesses. NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft are all reportedly considering a huge investment in OpenAI, a California-based AI firms whose claim to fame is the launch of ChatGPT back in late 2022. If the rumors are true, the latest round of funding would take the valuation of the startup to $100 billion. For some additional context, this value is higher than the combined GDPs of 110 nations, the highest for any venture capital backed firm in the US since Facebook’s IPO, and the most valuable private firm in the US after Musk-owned SpaceX.

This high valuation also follows an emerging trend in the startup universe. Research into the domain by Coatue Management reveals that up until June 2024 year-to-date, there were a total of 200 AI-related deals in the venture capital world, compared to just 7,000 for non-AI firms. The average valuation in these deals for AI startups was around $1 billion. On the non-AI side, this value was only $200 million. The average funding round for AI firms fetched over $120 million, while this figure for non-AI companies was around $20 million. The numbers highlight that AI firms, on average, are valued at five times more than their non-AI peers and raise six times more in funding.

Our Methodology

For this article, we selected AI stocks based on the latest news and analyst ratings. These stocks are also popular among 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).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 184 

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is a consumer electronics firm. Ahead of the launch event of the new iPhone, reports indicate that the company has placed orders for the assembly of around 90 million units of the new phone, ten million more than last year. The increase in orders might stem from the expected growth in sales for these phones that will be shipped with Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that Apple has been aggressively marketing over the past few months. Experts, like Dan Loeb of Third Point, believe the new AI features will lead to stronger up cycles for new launches. Apple Intelligence features are not compatible with older phones and might compel customers to faster upgrades.

Wall Street analysts have also weighed in on these developments regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). For example, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring has an Overweight rating on the stock with a price target of $273. In a recent investor note, the analyst highlighted that Apple Intelligence remained the key to unlocking pent up iPhone demand and accelerating the replacement cycle. The analyst expects the launch event to heavily feature AI integration on the new iPhone 16.

Overall AAPL ranks 2nd on our list of the trending AI stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL 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 timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AAPL 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.