The last couple of decades have seen the digital revolution taking the world by storm. This can be substantiated by the fact that companies like Facebook, Amazon and Tesla, which did not even exist at the turn of the century, have now become behemoths in their own right — all thanks to the digital wave over the years.
Then came the pandemic which not only accelerated the digital adoption among enterprises but also made them spend millions of dollars, by choice, to strengthen their digital capabilities, including cloud computing.
According to Gartner, an information technology research and consulting firm, enterprise spending on cloud computing, which was roughly $250 billion in 2020 and $396 billion in 2021, is expected to reach $494.7 billion in 2022 and $600 billion by 2023. Further, some estimates suggest that total annual global cloud spending could reach $1 trillion by 2030.
Observing this trend, we bring to you three stocks having prowess in the cloud computing domain that can be a prudent investment choice.
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE: CRM)
Based out of San Francisco, CA, Salesforce has been a leading player in the cloud computing domain over the years. The company provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development.
Salesforce launched its cloud services in 2009. The company now has products like Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Commerce Cloud and Platform.
Over the years, the company has strengthened its cloud computing capabilities with acquisitions — the notable ones being Demandware, a cloud-based provider of e-commerce services, for $2.8 billion in 2016 and MuleSoft for $6.5 billion in 2018.
Recently, the company posted its fourth-quarter results, which were upbeat with both revenues and earnings surpassing estimates. Revenues were up 26% year-over-year to $7.33 billion and surpassed the consensus estimate of $7.24 billion. Meanwhile, earnings per share (EPS) stood at $0.84, down 19.2% year-over-year but above the consensus estimate of $0.75 per share.
For the Fiscal Year 2023, the company expects revenue to be in the range of $32-32.1 billion against the consensus estimate of $31.78 billion. EPS for the same period is likely to be in the range of $4.62-$4.64 against the consensus of $4.74.
Recently, Robert W. Baird analyst Robert Oliver reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $300, which implies upside potential of 61.1% from current levels.
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on 23 Buys and four Holds. CRM’s average price target of $300.46 implies upside potential of 61.3% from current levels. Shares have declined 19.2% over the past year.
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE)
San Jose, CA-based Adobe is primarily known for its flagship products — Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The company entered into the cloud business in 2013. It has solidified its cloud capabilities with marquee acquisitions. In 2018, Adobe acquired e-commerce services provider Magento Commerce for $1.68 billion to strengthen its Experience Cloud business. Further, it spent $1.5 billion to snap up Workfront, a work and project management software services provider.
The company recently reported solid fiscal 2022 first-quarter results. Revenues for the quarter stood at $4.26 billion, up 9% year-over-year, surpassing the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion.
EPS for the quarter rose 7.3% year-over-year to $3.37 and surpassed the consensus estimate of $3.34 per share. The company’s Document Cloud business witnessed a year-over-year rise of 17% to $562 million, while its Creative Cloud business grew 7% from the same quarter last year.
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on 21 Buys and five Holds. ADBE’s average price target of $567.64 implies upside potential of 32.6% from current levels. Shares have declined 16.4% over the past year. The company scores a 9 out of 10 on TipRanks.
DigitalOcean, Inc. (NYSE: DOCN)
DigitalOcean is a New York-based cloud infrastructure provider. The company provides an infrastructure-as-a-service platform to developers, startups, and small and midsize businesses.
Recently, the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Its revenues grew 37% year-over-year to $119.7 million and surpassed the consensus estimate of $119.05 million.
EPS for the quarter stood at $0.10 per share, which compares favorably with a loss of $0.21 per share reported in the same quarter last year. Further, the figure topped the consensus estimate of $0.09 per share.
Recently, Piper Sandler analyst James Fish initiated coverage on the stock with a Buy rating and a price target of $72, which implies upside potential of 51.2% from current levels.
According to the analyst, the company stands to benefit from the rising cloud adoption among enterprises with its pure-play cloud capabilities giving it a strong footing.
Consensus among analysts is a Strong Buy based on eight Buys and two Holds. DOCN’s average price target of $76.30 implies upside potential of 60.3% from current levels. Shares have gained 14.4% over the past year. DigitalOcean scores a ‘Perfect 10’ on TipRanks.
Conclusion
With cloud adoption gaining traction by the day, these cloud computing stocks can make for a compelling choice for investors who are looking for investment options in this burgeoning field.
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