We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Small Cap AI Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) stands against the other small cap AI stocks.

The Prevalence of AI

Artificial intelligence is quite widespread in today’s economy. We have relied on search engines, virtual assistants, e-commerce websites, and navigation apps for a long time. But with the advancements in large language models (LLMs), AI has made its way into everyone’s life in a way never seen before.

Large language models are a type of AI that uses deep learning techniques and massive datasets to understand, generate, and predict human language. They’re trained for all of this through statistical relationships from vast amounts of text. The reason why they became so popular in such a short time is because they can be fine-tuned for specific tasks or understand language better through specific prompts. LLMs like Gemini and ChatGPT-4 are Multimodal AI platforms that allow processing and generating multiple types of data simultaneously, such as text, audio, and visual inputs.

However, with such strides come crucial concerns, including data privacy, cybersecurity, algorithmic bias, and other ethical considerations. These challenges show the importance of responsible AI development, prioritizing privacy, and security. While the general public agrees that responsible AI development and deployment requires regulation and big tech companies seem to oppose it. We covered this in our 10 Best Artificial Intelligence Stocks Under $50 According to Hedge Funds, here’s an excerpt from that:

“A significant development in the AI industry is California’s recent proposal of the AI regulation bill, SB 1047, introduced by State Senator Scott Wiener, which aims to establish strict safety protocols for advanced AI systems (those costing over $100 million to develop). The bill requires AI systems costing over $100 million to develop to have a ‘kill switch’ to deactivate models that malfunction, hire third-party auditors to evaluate safety practices, and empower the California Attorney General to sue developers for non-compliance.

Major tech companies have opposed it, citing concerns that it could stifle innovation and drive talent away from California. Some lawmakers, including prominent Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, agree on the potential negative impacts on AI development and open-source models. Despite these objections, the bill has passed the state Senate and is awaiting a vote in the Assembly. If passed, the bill will be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for approval or veto by the end of September.”

Despite opposition, Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, in a conversation about the future of AI, highlighted the importance of addressing ethical concerns in AI as GenAI becomes more prevalent. Pichai says that AI systems need to be able to distinguish between objective information and synthetic content, which is crucial for maintaining trust in search results.

Pichai also talked about other developments in this discussion. His company is now rolling out AI-powered search results, called ‘AI Overviews’, providing users with direct answers at the top of search results. While this will streamline the search process by presenting summarized information without having to go through multiple links, such a feature raises concerns among content creators about traffic and visibility.

The company’s AI is being designed to integrate seamlessly across other products, such as Gmail and YouTube, to allow for functionalities like summarizing emails and responding to complex queries. While Pichai acknowledged that the company may not always be the first to market, it has the infrastructure and expertise to dominate in the long run.

We also see other tech giants making strides in AI development. Mark Zuckerberg mentioned the shift towards open-source AI, in contrast to closed-source competitors. He credits open source as foundational for building Facebook, allowing him to access code cost-efficiently as a student.

Zuckerberg wants his company’s AI to become the most used AI assistant globally by the end of 2024 and has made significant progress as of August. With other companies looking to make similar impacts, AI stocks have become favored investments by experts and analysts worldwide.

Given the potential for significant returns, it’s important to identify promising AI stocks. One way is to consider the opinions of short sellers. This article lists the 10 best small-cap AI stocks to buy according to short sellers. Given the increasing demand for AI technologies and the competitive landscape, these stocks offer the potential for significant growth.

Our Methodology

To compile our list, we sifted through ETFs and internet rankings to find the most popular small-cap AI stocks. We then selected 15 stocks with the smallest short interest that were the most popular among hedge funds. The 10 best small-cap AI stocks to buy according to short sellers are ranked in descending order of their short interest.

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).

Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI)

Market Cap as of August 26: $417.38 million

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 26

Short % of Shares Outstanding as of July 31: 3.46%

Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) is a global technology company that specializes in digital advertising products and services. It uses AI to deliver personalized and effective advertising solutions to various industries.

The company delivered $108.69 million in revenue for Q2 2024. This was higher than analyst expectations by $1.76 million but there was a 39.10% year-over-year decrease. The loss per share was $0.13.

Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) is making significant strides in technology, creating key integrations and partnerships. Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) recently acquired Hivestack which strengthened its programmatic digital out-of-home capabilities. It also successfully executed omni-channel campaigns for clients like Colorado Tourism, combining CTV, audio, and mobile ads.

The company’s CTV solutions gained traction in Q2, with brands utilizing location-based capabilities for targeted advertising. The CTV technology now extends to YouTube. Additionally, it introduced features like “click to cart” to enhance retail campaigns and drive purchases. Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) is setting the standard for programmatic digital out-of-home advertising.

The company saw a leadership change with the CFO, Maoz Sigron, being promoted to COO. Elad Tzubery became the new CFO, starting in August. Perion Network Ltd.’s (NASDAQ:PERI) commitment to innovation and strategic partnerships is driving strong growth and positioning it as a leader in the digital advertising space. This is why it is one of the top small-cap AI stocks to buy according to short sellers.

With 29 hedge fund holders, Private Capital Management is the largest stakeholder with a position of $15,009,726, as of Q2 2024.

Richie Capital Group made the following comment about Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) in its Q1 2023 investor letter:

“Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ:PERI) (PERI up +56.4%) – Our investment in the Israeli based ad-tech company has now been a top performer for two quarters in a row. In February, Perion announced full year 2022 earnings which included guidance for 14% revenue and EBITDA growth in 2023. This implies meaningful growth in a challenging environment where their peers continue to struggle. Despite the stock’s strong performance, Perion is still trading at a modest 19x earnings.

In addition to the optimistic growth outlook, Perion seems to be benefiting from anticipation of Bing’s new ChatGPT driven search engine. Bing is Perion’s largest customer. We, along with Perion’s management, believe that the “new Bing” offers a meaningful growth opportunity. The more users convert to Bing, the more publishers will advertise on the platform and drive Perion revenue. On Microsoft’s Q4 earnings call, CFO Amy Hood discussed the impact of growing Bing market share: “every percentage point of share it gains in search equals roughly $2 billion in additional advertising revenue.” It is difficult to envision a scenario where Perion is not a direct beneficiary of Bing’s success…” (Click here to view the full text)

Overall PERI ranks 2nd on our list of the best small cap AI stocks to buy according to short sellers. While we acknowledge the potential of PERI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PERI 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.