We recently published a list of 10 Unstoppable Stocks to Buy in 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB) stands against other unstoppable stocks to buy in 2025.
As per the recent earnings update by FactSet dated 24th January 2025, the Q4 2024 earnings season for the S&P 500 has seen a strong start. Notably, the percentage of S&P 500 companies publishing positive earnings surprises and the magnitude of earnings surprises are more than 10-year averages. The analysts anticipate YoY earnings growth rates of 11.3% and 11.6% for Q1 2025 and Q2 2025, respectively. For CY 2025, they project a YoY earnings growth of 14.8%.
Outlook for US Equities For 2025
UBS expects the S&P 500 to reach 6,600 by 2025. Despite the potential for tariff imposition, which can result in volatility over the short term, UBS expects that healthy US economic growth and structural tailwinds from AI might lend some support. The combination- resilient growth and lower Fed rates- has earlier been a powerful force for US stocks. History has suggested that when the Fed cut rates and the country did not enter recession, the broader US equities saw an increase of 18% on average in the 12 months after the first cut.
UBS also believes that the earnings season showcases strong AI capital spending intentions, which supports the positive outlook on technology stocks. Furthermore, the earnings growth continues to broaden into non-tech companies. The US deregulation and tax cuts might support this trend.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In.
Growth Drivers for the US Equities
UBS expects that the US economic backdrop remains supportive, the broader market is less at risk from tariffs compared to other international markets, and structural trends around AI and power & resources boost the outlook. It believes technology, utilities, financials, and healthcare sectors are attractive in the US. The AI infrastructure spending is strong, and the firm expects that key semiconductor components required for AI will remain supply-constrained in 2025, supporting pricing. Furthermore, the tech sector is expected to benefit from an improvement in PC and smartphone end markets.
With respect to utilities, UBS expects that significant growth in AI data centers will fuel power demand, resulting in higher power prices. While the broader financials sector is expected to be aided by Fed rate cuts, the healthcare sector might see recovery in the next few months. This recovery is expected to be driven by higher healthcare spending and advancements in digitalization that can fuel efficiency and reduce costs.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Unstoppable Stocks to Buy in 2025, we used a screener to filter out the companies having at least $2 billion of market capitalization. Next, we chose stocks that have gained more than 30% over the past 6 months and in which analysts expect an upside of at least 30%. Finally, the stocks were arranged in ascending order of their average upside potential, as of 27 January. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock, 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).
Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB)
Market Cap as of 27th January: $14.2 billion
Return Over Past 6 Months: ~80.7%
Average Upside Potential: ~42.6%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 39
Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB) is engaged in designing, manufacturing, and selling semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for cloud and AI infrastructure. Northland analysts upped their rating on the company’s shares, upgrading it from “Market Perform” to “Outperform,” setting a new price target of $120.00. The analysts believe that despite potential dips in demand related to AI training, the need for inference is expected to mitigate any such declines. They believe that the demand in this segment will remain strong, mainly as major technology companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft are anticipated to maintain their respective capex levels.
The broader semiconductor industry continues to experience a significant shift, mainly in the graphics processing unit (GPU) segment. Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB) has placed itself to benefit from this trend, highlighting that it is capturing more value per unit. This is expected to translate into higher revenue and improved margins. Its ability to innovate and adapt to market needs is expected to help it maintain its growth trajectory. With continued growth in the semiconductor industry, Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB)’s focus on data-intensive applications positions it well to capitalize on emerging opportunities in cloud computing, AI, and other high-performance computing sectors.
Fred Alger Management, an investment management company, released its Q4 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“Astera Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALAB) is a semiconductor company specializing in connectivity solutions for data-centric systems, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Its products optimize data flow and performance in servers, GPUs, and AI accelerators, addressing bottlenecks in high-performance computing environments. The company’s Intelligent Connectivity Platform (ICP) integrates advanced semiconductor hardware with the proprietary COSMOS software suite, delivering customizable and cost-effective solutions. Astera’s Platform-Specific Standard Products (PSSP) enhance flexibility with features such as predictive analytics, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Backed by strong relationships with leading cloud and AI providers, we believe Astera is well positioned in rapidly growing markets, demonstrating high profitability and industry-leading gross margins. During the quarter, shares contributed to performance after reporting better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, with revenues and gross margins exceeding analyst estimates. Specifically, revenue growth spanned all four product segments, led by accelerated custom silicon sales and robust GPU demand. Management also raised fiscal fourth-quarter guidance, citing expanding product ramps and a broader customer base.”
Overall, ALAB ranks 3rd on our list of unstoppable stocks to buy in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of ALAB 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 ALAB 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.
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