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In this article, we will discuss the 15 best cloud computing stocks to buy heading into 2023. If you want to explore similar stocks, you can also take a look at 5 Best Cloud Computing Stocks Heading into 2023.
Cloud computing is a rapidly growing industry that is transforming the way businesses and consumers access and use digital services. By leveraging cloud computing, businesses can achieve greater scalability, flexibility, and efficiency compared to traditional IT solutions. Cloud-based services allow businesses to access applications and data from anywhere, at any time, and on any device.
An Analysis of the Cloud Computing Industry
The cloud computing industry is projected to grow at a rapid pace. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global cloud computing market was valued at roughly $369 billion in 2021. The market is expected to reach a valuation of $484 billion by the end of 2022. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.7% from 2022 to 2030 and be worth $1.55 trillion by the end of the forecasted period. This growth is attributed to the integration of disruptive technologies such as AI and machine learning into cloud services and the shift to working remotely or in a hybrid manner. In addition, the increasing demand for cloud services, as well as the availability of a wide range of cloud solutions that can be tailored to meet specific business needs that are driving the growth of the global cloud computing market.
Growth stocks have gotten hammered in 2022 due to high interest rates that have hurt their valuations. The Nasdaq Composite has tanked more than 30% year to date, as of November 28. While investors have steered clear of growth stocks in 2022, some areas within growth have held up better on a relative basis, such as the cloud computing sector. This article will discuss some of the best cloud computing stocks to buy heading into 2023 which include Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
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Our Methodology
For this compilation, we studied industry analysis reports and identified major players operating in the cloud computing industry. We narrowed down our selection to companies that had strong product pipelines and robust business models. Moreover, we gave weight to the market sentiment around each stock and only included stocks that had positive market sentiment. These stocks are ranked according to their popularity among elite investor circles, from least to most.
Best Cloud Computing Stocks Heading into 2023
15. SAP SE (NYSE:SAP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17
SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) is a global leader in enterprise software solutions and has been a major player in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud computing markets for years. The company has a strong presence in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software markets and its solutions are used by businesses of all sizes around the world. The company has consistently reported strong financial results, with revenue and earnings growth in recent years driven by strong demand for its solutions and services. SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) has also invested heavily in developing its cloud-based solutions and services. This has helped to drive growth and attract new customers. The company is also investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies, which it believes will be key to its future success.
SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) holds a strong cash position and has free cash flows of EUR 3.87 billion. The company is well-positioned to grow its market share in the cloud computing industry and is among the best cloud computing stocks to buy now. On November 21, Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow upgraded SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) to Overweight from Equal Weight and reiterated his $136 price target on the stock.
At the end of the third quarter of 2022, 17 hedge funds were long SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) and held stakes worth $1.16 billion in the company. This is compared to 16 positions in the preceding quarter with stakes worth $1.21 billion. As of September 30, Fisher Asset Management is the top investor in SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) and has a position worth $549.6 million in the company.
Here is what Polen Capital had to say about SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“SAP SE (NYSE:SAP) is Europe’s largest software company and the global leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. ERP is a software category that is particularly critical to business functions, and, therefore, has high retention rates even in times of economic stress. For the past several years, SAP has been going through several transitions, including moving to cloud-based SaaS (Software as a service) solutions and an initiative to better integrate its various software solutions. In recent quarters, we have seen increasing evidence that both transitions are being successfully executed, and the result should be a faster-growing, more consistent, higher margin, and more advantaged business. As investment costs from these transition programs wane, and as the benefits of higher growth continue, we expect that earnings will grow at a double-digit rate from next year (2023) onwards. In light of this, we believe the valuation is very attractive for longterm investors.”
In addition to SAP SE (NYSE:SAP), big-tech companies such as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) are well-positioned to capitalize on the secular growth trends in the global cloud computing market.
14. UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 26
UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) is an enterprise automation software company that offers a comprehensive suite of cloud-based solutions for business process automation. The company provides AI-powered robotic process automation (RPA) solutions as well as workflow automation, and AI-enabled analytics. UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) also offers its customers an integrated platform for developing automation solutions for their business processes. The company's cloud business allows customers to access and deploy its RPA solutions in the cloud. This provides customers with the ability to scale their automation solutions quickly and easily, without the need to invest in costly hardware infrastructure.
On September 30, Canaccord analyst Kingsley Crane revised his price target on UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) to $14 from $15 and maintained a Hold rating on the shares. On November 15, the company released preliminary results for the third quarter of 2022. UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) expects to deliver a revenue of $260 million, while Wall Street expects the company to deliver $245.34 million. The company is expected to post third-quarter 2022 results on December 1.
At the end of Q3 2022, 26 hedge funds held stakes in UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) worth $993.5 million. Of those, ARK Investment Management was the largest investor in the company and held a position worth $581 million.
Here is what ClearBridge Investments had to say about UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“Over the last three months, we similarly exited UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) due to a change to our original thesis as we believe a new go-to-market strategy for its automation software could impact near-term execution. While we think process automation is a growing market, in a slowing macro environment single solutions may be more vulnerable than the platform solutions of software providers who can bundle products to meet a wide range of needs. In addition, the company has a material component of sales sourced in Europe where the economy is more vulnerable.”
13. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 40
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) has long been a leader in the cloud computing space and has invested heavily in developing and expanding its cloud-based solutions. The company's cloud portfolio includes a broad range of services, ranging from Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) to Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). The company's cloud solutions are designed to help businesses of all sizes increase efficiency, reduce costs, and gain insights into their data. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) has invested heavily in its cloud offerings and has developed an expansive network of data centers and cloud services partners. The stock is ranked among the best cloud computing stocks to buy now.
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is a cash-rich and profitable cloud company. According to the company's balance sheet, International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) has free cash flows of $6.99 billion and a trailing twelve-month operating margin of 11.50%. On October 6, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring updated his price target on International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) to $152 from $155 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares.
At the close of Q3 2022, 40 hedge funds were long International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) and disclosed stakes of $868.7 million. Of those, Arrowstreet Capital was the top investor in the company and held stakes worth $515.7 million.
12. Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42
Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) is a cloud-based software company that provides enterprise software solutions to the life sciences industry. The company’s cloud-based software is used to simplify, automate and integrate processes across the entire life sciences value chain, from research and development to commercialization and manufacturing. The company's software helps customers streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve collaboration, while also providing greater visibility into their operations. Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) is well-positioned for long-term growth, as the demand for cloud-based software solutions in the life science industry is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.
Wall Street is bullish on Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV). On October 31, Baird analyst Joe Vruwink updated his price target on Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) to $233 from $250 and reiterated an Outperform rating on the shares.
At the end of Q3 2022, 42 hedge funds were bullish on Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) and held stakes worth $925.7 million in the company. As of September 30, Echo Street Capital Management is the largest shareholder in the company and has a position worth $148.3 million.
Here is what Baron Funds had to say about Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV) is a cloud software platform that provides various solutions to the life sciences industry. Its shares fell because of softening demand from its small- and medium-sized customers, the negative impact of foreign currency exchange rates, and a deceleration in its marketing related offerings. In addition, a well-communicated reduction in potential users for Veeva’s CRM platform, because of sales headcount reductions among certain life sciences customers, implied a possible deceleration in growth rates. Despite these challenges, we see increasing traction of its newer products among large pharmaceutical customers that we expect to generate significant profitable growth in the coming years.”
11. Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49
Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN) is a leading cloud-based contact center solutions provider that enables organizations to create an intelligent customer experience. It provides a wide range of services, including contact center software, customer interaction analytics, and AI-powered solutions for customer engagement. The company has free cash flows of $2.07 million and is worth roughly $4.30 billion, as of November 29.
On November 7, Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN) posted market-beating earnings for the fiscal third quarter of 2022. The company reported an EPS of $0.39 and beat estimates by $0.04. The company's revenue for the quarter amounted to $198.34 million, up 28.52% year over year and ahead of Wall Street consensus by $2.65 million. This November, Canaccord analyst David Hynes reiterated a Buy rating and his $85 price target on Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN). Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN) is one of the best names to own in the cloud computing space.
At the end of Q3 2022, 49 hedge funds were eager on Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN) and held stakes worth $1.03 billion. Of those, Sylebra Capital Management was the largest shareholder in the company and disclosed a position worth $124.3 million.
Here is what RiverPark Funds had to say about Five9, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVN) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“Five9 is a leader in providing cloud-based software to contact centers. The company’s suite of applications provides contact center agents a unified communication platform (voice, email, text, chat, web, social) and a desktop of tools (including core CRM data base utilization, artificial intelligence to guide agents to next actions and a host of reporting tools) to help agents engage customers more quickly and effectively. FIVN is well-positioned as contact centers transition to the cloud with high customer retention (120% last quarter), the doubling of its strategic sales team over the past year, and new partnerships, including with AT&T, CDW and Microsoft. We believe the company can grow its top-line at more than 20% annually, improve its 60% gross margins, and expand EBITDA margin to more than 20%, all of which should lead to 30%+ EPS growth for the foreseeable future. The company should turn FCF-positive this year and continue to expand its FCF growth in the years to come given its highly capital efficient business model.”
10. Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 58
Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) is a fast-growing tech company that is well-positioned to benefit from the secular growth trends in the enterprise software market. Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) provides a suite of products that enable digital collaboration, including JIRA, Confluence, Bitbucket, and Trello. These products are used by millions of teams around the world and are growing in popularity as businesses increasingly turn to digital solutions to facilitate collaboration and communication. The company has a leading market position and is cash-rich. Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) has free cash flows of $813.3 million.
Wall Street analysts are positive on Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM). On November 29, BMO Capital analyst Keith Bachman revised his price target on Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) to $151 from $160 and maintained a Market Perform rating on the shares.
At the close of Q3 2022, 58 hedge funds were bullish on Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) and disclosed positions worth $2.67 billion. As of September 30, Durable Capital Partners is the largest investor in the company and has stakes worth $592.3 million.
Here is what Baron Funds had to say about Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“In the third quarter, we initiated a new position in Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM), a software company that provides solutions for designing, developing, and maintaining software, including JIRA for team planning and project management, Confluence for team content creation and sharing, Bitbucket for code sharing and management, and JIRA Service Desk for IT services and support applications. Over the years, JIRA has become the industry standard for developer collaboration tools, which has driven Atlassian to benefit from durable growth, compounding revenues over 30% for nine consecutive years with free cash flows compounding at higher rates. Atlassian’s opportunity is underpinned by three large markets (DevOps, IT service management, and Work Management) with product leadership in each area, and a disruptive go-to-market model. Atlassian’s products are easy to use and are still primarily purchased online via a highly efficient self-service model, driving attractive unit economics with substantially lower-than-industry Sales and Marketing spend at approximately 15% of revenues (versus 30% to 40% for peers), enabling it to invest more in R&D and powering disruptive pricing dynamics (where customers get similar or better functionality for a much lower price)
Additionally, Atlassian began its business model shift to the cloud in earnest in fiscal year 2020 which has driven accelerating subscription growth of over 50% for the last five quarters (with only about 10 points of growth due to cloud migrations). The model transition is expected to mature in fiscal year 2024, which should unlock smoother long-term cross selling and up selling activity, opening an opportunity to drive up average customer spending by six to eight times over time. While seat expansion remains the most important revenue growth driver in the near term, the recently introduced Enterprise and Premium offerings, priced at a one and a half to three times compared to the standard package, are also starting to contribute, and are expected become even more prominent with the cloud transition…” (Click here to read the full text)
9. Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) is one of the largest and most successful software companies in the world and is well-positioned to benefit from the long-term growth of the cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) markets. The company's cloud business is growing rapidly and its AI capabilities are also a major strength, with the company investing heavily in its Autonomous Database and Autonomous Analytics offerings. Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) is a cash-rich and profitable cloud computing stock to invest in. According to the company's balance sheet, Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) has free cash flows of $5.37 billion and a trailing twelve-month operating margin of 34.32%.
Wall Street analysts are bullish on Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL). On October 21, KeyBanc analyst Michael Turits upgraded Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) to Overweight from Sector Weight and reiterated his $80 price target.
At the end of the third quarter of 2022, Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) was spotted on 67 investors' portfolios that held collective stakes of $3.27 billion in the company. As of September 30, First Eagle Investment Management is the dominant shareholder in the company and has a position worth $1.58 billion.
Here is what First Eagle Investments had to say about Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) in its second-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“Oracle is one of the world’s largest independent enterprise software companies and has been reinventing itself for the cloud-computing environment, a transition pursued primarily through investments in organic research and design and smallish, well-priced acquisitions. That said, Oracle in June closed its largest-ever deal with the acquisition of Cerner, a designer of software to store and analyze medical records and other healthcare data.
Oracle took on additional debt to finance this all-cash acquisition and as a result plans to moderate its stock-buyback program to focus on debt reduction. Despite the weak quarter for the stock, Oracle’s operations remain strong; it reported better- than-expected results for its most recent quarter and issued upbeat guidance for the coming fiscal year.”
8. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a global leader in providing cloud-based IT solutions for businesses, organizations, and individuals. The company's cloud offerings leverage its expertise in networking, security, and analytics to provide customers with a comprehensive, integrated cloud-based platform. The company's cloud business provides a broad range of services that include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), software-as-a-service (SaaS), and managed services. The company's long history of innovation and leadership place it high on our list of the best cloud computing stocks to buy now.
On November 18, Deutsche Bank analyst Matthew Niknam revised his price target on Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) to $52 from $54 and reiterated a Hold rating on the shares. This November, BofA analysts added Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) to the BofA's "US 1 List," which draws from the universe of the firm's Buy-rated stocks.
At the close of Q3 2022, 68 hedge funds were long Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) and disclosed stakes of $2.78 billion in the company. This is compared to 63 hedge funds in the preceding quarter with stakes worth $1.91 billion. The hedge fund sentiment for the stock is positive. As of September 30, Two Sigma Advisors is the most prominent shareholder in the company and has stakes worth $388 million.
7. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) operates a leading cloud-based data warehousing platform that is revolutionizing the way companies manage and analyze their data. The company's technology is built on cloud-native architectures, making it one of the most reliable and scalable data warehouses on the market. The company's platform offers businesses the ability to quickly and securely access and analyze their data from anywhere in the world. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) is benefiting from the explosive growth in cloud computing and data analytics and is well-positioned to do so. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) is ranked high among the best cloud computing stocks to buy now.
Wall Street analysts are watching Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) closely. This November, Macquarie analyst Frederick Havemeyer started coverage of Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) with a Neutral rating and a $173 price target. On November 18, Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow revised his price target on Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) to $200 from $207 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares.
At the end of the third quarter of 2022, Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) was spotted on 73 investors' portfolios that held collective stakes of $6.01 billion in the company. This is compared to 66 hedge funds in the preceding quarter with stakes worth $5.12 billion. The hedge fund sentiment for the stock is positive. As of September 30, Altimeter Capital Management is the largest shareholder in the company and has a position worth $2.88 billion.
Here is what Baron Funds had to say about Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) provides a cloud platform for large-scale data analytics. Snowflake’s shares were up 22%, reacting positively to second quarter results that beat market forecasts with revenue growth of 83% year-over year and adjusted free-cash-flow margins of 12%. Record new customer additions and world-class dollar net retention of over 170% implied resiliency in demand despite increasing macro uncertainties. We remain shareholders and believe that Snowflake will be able to benefit from long-term growth with favorable unit economics, addressing one of the largest opportunities in technology. Snowflake’s culture of innovation (such as its expansion into cloud application development and data sharing), go-to-market initiatives, and an ongoing secular shift to the cloud in its end markets should help, in our view, sustain the company’s competitive moats over the long term.”
6. Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 92
Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) is a leader in cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions, providing software and services to manage payroll, recruiting, and other core HCM functions. The company has seen tremendous growth in recent years, driven by strong demand for its cloud-based solutions, which offer a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional on-premises solutions. The company's products are used by a wide range of customers, including large enterprises, mid-market businesses, and government organizations. This broad customer base provides the company with significant pricing power and a diverse revenue stream. The company also has a strong financial position, with free cash flows of $1.21 billion. Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) is placed among the best-in-class names to buy in the cloud computing space.
At the close of the third quarter of 2022, Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) was a part of 92 investors' portfolios that held collective positions of $4.77 billion in the company. This is compared to 71 hedge funds in the preceding quarter with positions worth $3.71 billion. The hedge fund sentiment for the stock is positive. As of September 30, Lone Pine Capital is the top investor in Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) and has stakes worth $764 million.
Here is what RiverPark Funds had to say about Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) in its third-quarter 2022 investor letter:
“We also added a small position in Workday this quarter, taking advantage of its 2022 price decline. WDAY is a leading SaaS software solutions provider with two key subparts: Workday HCM offering end-to-end software for human resource departments, and Workday Financial Management for planning, spending, auditing, analytics, and reporting. The company sells to more than 9,500 medium-sized through enterprise customers across more than 175 countries, including more than 50% of the Fortune 500.
The company is benefitting from the secular shift to digitization for businesses and despite its 21% annual subscription revenue CAGR over the past 2 years (with 95%+ gross revenue retention), Workday still has less than 5% penetration of its $105 billion TAM. We believe the company can grow its top-line high-teens over the long-term, while continuing to improve margins (non-GAAP gross operating margin expanded 900 basis points to 22.4% over the past two years), leading to approximately 30% EPS growth for the foreseeable future. The company also requires limited capital expenditures, producing significant and growing FCF ($1.4b last year, up 37% year over year), which WDAY has used for acquisitions and debt repayment.”
Like Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Workday, Inc. (NYSE:WDAY) is a leader in the cloud computing space and is expected to dominate in the foreseeable future.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Best Cloud Computing Stocks Heading into 2023 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
