The Artificial Intelligence Semi-Pure Play Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

I originally wrote about the pure play artificial intelligence stocks back in April of this year in an article called Top Five Pure Play AI Stocks.

Unfortunately, those stocks have very low market capitalizations and are very speculative. I figured it may be worthwhile to cover a couple of the semi pure plays in AI.

AI: What It Is

Artificial Intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, has become a revolutionary force in our modern world. It encompasses various technologies that enable machines to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. From learning and reasoning to problem-solving and decision-making, AI has the potential to transform multiple aspects of our lives. In this blog post, we will delve into two intriguing applications of AI: Chat AI and image creation with DALL-E.

Chat AI: Transforming Customer Service and Beyond

One of the most widely used AI services today is Chat AI, which leverages natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to enable machines to communicate with humans through chat interfaces. This technology has found a place in numerous settings, including customer service, healthcare, education, and business operations.

The key advantage of Chat AI lies in its ability to provide 24/7 support to customers without human intervention. Chatbots can efficiently handle frequently asked questions, offer information, troubleshoot issues, and even provide personalized support. By automating routine tasks, organizations can save costs and improve customer engagement.

Developers working on Chat AI face the challenge of creating algorithms that understand and interpret natural language while delivering appropriate responses. Achieving this requires a combination of NLP and machine learning techniques, as well as continuous training and improvement of the chat AI system.

Creating Images with AI: The DALL-E System

AI has ventured into the realm of visual arts with the creation of images using systems like DALL-E. Developed by OpenAI, DALL-E harnesses machine learning techniques, including NLP and computer vision, to generate images based on textual descriptions.

DALL-E’s name is a fusion of the renowned artist Salvador Dali and the beloved Pixar character Wall-E. The system has been trained on vast amounts of data, consisting of text-image pairs gathered from various sources, allowing it to understand the relationship between textual descriptions and their visual representations.

The potential applications of DALL-E are far-reaching. It offers avenues for artists, designers, and advertisers to streamline the creative process and bring ideas to life more quickly. By simply inputting a description, one can obtain an automatically generated image, even depicting non-existent objects or scenes.

However, as with any powerful technology, there are concerns associated with the misuse of AI image creation. Issues such as the production of fake images and the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes require careful consideration and ethical practices.

The Future of AI

Artificial Intelligence continues to shape our world, and its potential is boundless. Chat AI has already made significant strides, revolutionizing customer service and various industries by providing automated support and streamlining operations. As developers enhance algorithms and machine learning techniques, the capabilities of Chat AI will continue to expand.

In the realm of image creation, DALL-E showcases the remarkable progress AI has made. Allowing machines to generate images based on textual descriptions has implications for art, design, and advertising. While this technology opens new doors for creativity, it is crucial to approach it responsibly to mitigate potential risks.

As AI advances further, it is important for society to stay informed and engage in discussions surrounding its development and applications. By fostering a collaborative approach, we can ensure that AI technologies like Chat AI and image creation systems are used ethically and for the betterment of humanity.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is a software company that specializes in data analysis and artificial intelligence. Founded in 2003 by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others, Palantir focuses on developing software platforms that enable organizations to integrate, analyze, and interpret large amounts of data.

Artificial Intelligence plays a significant role in Palantir’s offerings. The company’s flagship product is called Palantir Gotham, which is an AI-powered platform designed for data integration and analytics. Palantir Gotham utilizes advanced AI algorithms to extract insights from complex and diverse data sources, helping organizations make informed decisions and gain a deeper understanding of their data.

The AI capabilities of Palantir Gotham enable it to handle vast amounts of structured and unstructured data, including text, images, and sensor data. The platform incorporates machine learning and natural language processing techniques to uncover patterns, detect anomalies, and generate predictive models. By leveraging AI, Palantir Gotham provides users with powerful tools for data exploration, visualization, and collaboration.

Palantir also offers another product called Palantir Foundry, which is an AI-driven data integration and management platform. Foundry enables organizations to ingest, transform, and analyze data from various sources, making it accessible and actionable. Through AI technologies, Foundry automates data processing tasks, enhances data quality, and provides intelligent recommendations for data governance and security.

In addition to their software products, Palantir has developed AI applications for various industries and sectors. They have worked with government agencies, law enforcement, and intelligence communities, providing AI-powered solutions for data-driven decision-making, risk analysis, and security operations. Palantir’s AI capabilities have also found applications in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, among other sectors, where they help organizations optimize processes, detect fraud, and improve operational efficiency.

However, it’s worth noting that Palantir’s use of AI has also raised concerns regarding data privacy, ethics, and potential biases in decision-making. As with any AI technology, responsible development, transparency, and accountability are essential considerations to mitigate these concerns.

Overall, Palantir utilizes AI as a core component of its software platforms and applications, enabling organizations to harness the power of data for improved decision-making and operational efficiency.

The stock trades at a fairly high forward price to earnings ratio of 65, however, the company has no long term debt. Quarterly revenue growth year-over -year increased by 17.7%, and the long term annual growth estimate of earnings per share over the next five years is 73%.

Verint Systems (VRNT) is a well-established software company that provides solutions for customer engagement, workforce optimization, and security intelligence. While Verint is not primarily known as an artificial intelligence company, they have integrated AI technologies into some of their offerings to enhance their capabilities.

Verint’s AI-powered solutions are designed to help organizations extract valuable insights from large volumes of data, automate processes, and improve decision-making. They utilize machine learning, natural language processing, and other AI techniques to analyze and interpret data from various sources.

In the customer engagement domain, Verint offers AI-driven solutions for voice and text analytics. These solutions can analyze customer interactions, such as calls, emails, chat conversations, and social media posts, to identify sentiment, extract key insights, and detect patterns. By leveraging AI, Verint enables organizations to understand customer behavior, optimize customer service operations, and personalize customer interactions.

Verint also provides AI-powered workforce optimization solutions, which help organizations manage and optimize their workforce performance. These solutions leverage AI algorithms to analyze employee data, identify training needs, and provide recommendations for improving workforce efficiency and productivity.

In the realm of security intelligence, Verint incorporates AI technologies to enhance their offerings. Their security solutions utilize AI-based video analytics to detect and alert on suspicious activities, automate the monitoring of security cameras, and enable real-time incident response.

While Verint Systems is not exclusively an AI-focused company, they have recognized the value of incorporating AI technologies into their solutions to enhance their capabilities and provide value to their customers. By leveraging AI, Verint aims to help organizations improve customer engagement, optimize workforce performance, and enhance security intelligence.

The stock trades at a very reasonable 11.7 times forward earnings, and the quarterly earnings growth year-over-year was 61.2%. The long term annual growth estimate of earnings per share over the next five years is 9.75%.

If you want to learn more about artificial intelligence, you should get the book Artificial Intelligence: What AI Is and How You Can Use It to Make Your Life Easier: A Guide to AI for Beginners, available in both paperback and Kindle.

Disclosure: Author owns PLTR and VRNT. This article contains Amazon affiliate links whereby I would receive a small commission on any sale through those links at no additional cost to you. 

Have You Made Your Portfolio Safe with Cybersecurity Stocks?

by Fred Fuld III

Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important issue in our interconnected world, and as a result, the future business potential of cybersecurity is significant. Here are a few reasons why:

  1. Growing need for cybersecurity: As more and more of our personal and business lives move online, the need for robust cybersecurity measures will only increase. With cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated and frequent, companies will have to invest in cybersecurity solutions to protect their data and infrastructure.
  2. Compliance regulations: Governments around the world are introducing new regulations to ensure companies are taking adequate measures to protect their customers’ data. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) both require companies to take steps to protect consumer data. This means that companies will need to invest in cybersecurity solutions to comply with these regulations.
  3. Increased spending on cybersecurity: According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, global spending on cybersecurity products and services is expected to exceed $1 trillion over the next five years. This represents a significant growth opportunity for cybersecurity companies and service providers.
  4. Cybersecurity skills shortage: There is currently a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, which means that companies are struggling to find and hire qualified individuals to help protect their networks and data. This presents an opportunity for companies to invest in training and developing their own cybersecurity teams, or partnering with third-party providers to fill the gap.

Overall, the future business potential of cybersecurity is significant, with increasing demand for cybersecurity solutions and a growing market for cybersecurity products and services. Companies that invest in cybersecurity now will be well-positioned to capitalize on this trend in the years to come.

So how does an investor play this market?

The following is a selection of the many stocks involved in cybersecurity:

CompanySymbolMarket CapP/EFwd P/E
Palo Alto NetworksPANW$56 B244040
FortinetFTNT$47 B5737
CrowdStrike HoldingsCRWD$29 B64
ZscalerZS$19 B62
PalantirPLTR$17 B35
OktaOKTA$13 B75
SentinelOneS$4 B
If a section is blank, it means negative earnings

Th largest by market capitalization is Palo Alto Networks, which is based in Santa Clara, California and has been around since 2005.

The stock has a nosebleed high trailing price to earnings ratio of 2440, but a more reasonable forward P/E of 40.

Earnings per share growth this year was 47.6%, and next year anticipated to be 16.25%. Quarterly earnings growth year-over-year was 180%.

The next largest is Fortinet, based in Sunnyvale, California. It trades at 57 times trailing earnings and 37 times forward earnings. Earnings per share this year jumped 46.6%.

Quarterly revenue growth year-over-year was up 33%. The company is debt free.

Hopefully one of these stocks can protect your portfolio.

Disclosure: Author owns PLTR.

Top Artificial Intelligence Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

So what is artificial intelligence?

It is perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by humans.

It usually involves the use of big data, which is basically an enormous amount of information that is too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional database software.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global AI market size is projected to grow from $387.45 billion in 2022 to $1394.30 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate of 20.1% in the forecast period.

Precedence Research said that the artificial intelligence market size is expected to be over $1.5 trillion by the year 2030.

AI has many uses including deep learning, software development, advertising and the media.

In case you haven’t head by now, AI can be used to create an article from just a simple one sentence request.

You can see an example of this at OpenAI ChatGBT.

Here is a poem example:

In addition, OpenAI can create images and art from a simple suggestion.

So how does an investor participate?

All the major tech companies use AI in some fashion, but there are a few purer plays. Here are a few stocks that utilize big data and artificial intelligence in a big way.

• C3.ai (AI)

• Palantir (PLTR)

• MongoDB (MDB)

• Palo Alto Networks (PANW)

• Verint Systems Inc. (VRNT)

C3.ai (AI), which has a great stock ticker symbol, is probably the purest play in the AI arena. The company produces AI software with multiple commercial uses:

– energy management

– predictive maintenance

– fraud detection

cyber security

– anti-money laundering

– inventory optimization

– predictive CRM

C3.ai has a $1.86 billion market cap and unfortunately is currently generating negative earnings. Quarterly revenue growth is up 7% year over year. The company is debt free and has $8.98 in cash per share.

Please note that the stock has doubled during the last month.

Hopefully , you can add some intelligence to you portfolio.

Disclosure: Author owns PLTR.

Top Cybersecurity Stocks

by Fred Fuld III

It seems like every week, you hear about another cybersecurity breach. Just a couple weeks ago, there was a major issue at T-Mobile affecting over 40 million people.

The biggest tech companies, such as the FAANG stocks, are already spending a significant amount of money on fighting hackers. Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOGL) are planning on spending $30 billion on cyber security during the next several years.

There are many companies in the cybersecurity industry that are helping out companies, organizations, and governments with protection against these cyber threats.

The following is a selection of cybersecurity stocks in no particular order.

Palantir (PLTR) offers cybersecurity software with three platforms Palantir Gotham for government agencies, Palantir Metropolis for banks and financial institutions, and Palantir Foundry other corporations. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 169 and recently reported negative earnings.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW), which is actually based in Santa Clara, California, provides firewall appliances and cybersecurity software. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 64 and recently reported negative earnings.

CrowdStrike (CRWD) is a provider of cloud-delivered solutions for endpoint and cloud workload protection in various countries around the world. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 769. Earnings are negative.

Cloudflare (NET), based in San Francisco, is a provider of integrated cloud-based security solutions. Earnings are negative.

Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP), based in Israel, is a provider of products and services for IT security worldwide. Not only is this one of the few cybersecurity companies not based in California, it is also one of the few that is generating positive earnings. The stock trades at 20.5 time trailing earnings and 18.4 times forward earnings.

Fortinet (FTNT), based in Sunnyvale, provides integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions worldwide. It is one of the other companies that generates earnings with a P/E of 100 and a forward P/E of 85.

Zscaler (ZS) is as a cloud security company based in San Jose. The stock has a forward P/E of 526.

Other security stocks include FireEye (FEYE), Mimecast (MIME), and several others.

Maybe one of these stocks will provide security to your stock portfolio.

 

Disclosure: Author owns PLTR.