Motley Fool contributor Jake Lerer made an AI stock pick on October 10, 2024, recommending a $1,000 investment in SoundHound AI Inc. (NASDAQ: SOUN). Lerer cited growth in voice AI technology as the key driver. Shares traded at $4.85 USD that day, according to Nasdaq data.
CNN Fear & Greed Index reached 16 on October 10, 2024, per CNN Money. The S&P 500 declined 0.2% that day, per Yahoo Finance. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4%, per the same source.
Bitcoin climbed 1.5% to $71,989 USD on October 11, 2024, according to CoinMarketCap. Ethereum advanced 0.5% to $2,191.72 USD. XRP rose 1.2% to $1.34 USD.
Fear & Greed Index Context for AI Stock Pick
CNN Money computes the Fear & Greed Index from seven indicators: market volatility, stock price momentum, safe haven demand, strength in stocks, stock price breadth, put and call options, and junk bond demand. Readings below 25 indicate extreme fear, often signaling buying opportunities for value investors, per CNN Money methodology.
SoundHound AI reported 54% year-over-year revenue growth to $13.5 million USD in Q2 2024, surpassing estimates by 10%, according to the company's earnings release. Shares dropped 45% year-to-date through October 11, 2024, per Nasdaq.
Glassnode data attributes Bitcoin's gain to institutional accumulation, with on-chain metrics showing increased whale holdings. Ethereum's rise followed $1.2 billion USD in ETF inflows during September 2024, per ETF provider reports from BlackRock and Fidelity.
SoundHound AI Technology Overview
SoundHound AI develops conversational voice AI via its Houndify platform. Stellantis NV integrates it for automotive voice assistants in vehicles. The platform handles 25 languages and processes natural language queries in real time.
Oracle Corp. partnerships support cloud-based deployment for enterprise clients. SoundHound acquired SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions for $85 million USD in July 2024, expanding to 12,000 restaurant locations, per company announcements.
The company projects $157 million USD in revenue for 2024, up from $46 million USD in 2023, based on SEC filings. Q2 gross margins hit 73%, reflecting efficient scaling.
Microsoft Corp. owns competitor Nuance Communications, which powers similar voice systems. SoundHound differentiates with edge computing to minimize latency in on-device processing.
Motley Fool Analysis of the AI Stock Pick
Jake Lerer of Motley Fool forecasts 10x revenue growth for SoundHound AI by 2026. The automotive backlog reached $660 million USD as of Q2 2024.
Kia Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. partnerships deploy the technology in 200,000 vehicles annually. The restaurant AI pipeline stands at $700 million USD in potential contracts.
SoundHound AI trades at 10 times forward sales, compared to AI sector peers averaging 20 times, per Yahoo Finance data as of October 10, 2024. Motley Fool discloses no position in SOUN.
Shares gained 5% intraday on October 10, 2024, with volume at 25 million shares, according to Finviz.
AI Sector Snapshot
Nvidia Corp. shares surged 150% in 2023, per Yahoo Finance. SoundHound AI jumped 300% that year. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE: PLTR) rose 2% on October 11, 2024, per Nasdaq.
C3.ai Inc. (NYSE: AI) increased 1.5%. The Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ) advanced 0.8%. AI venture funding reached $24 billion USD in Q3 2024, according to PitchBook.
Gartner research indicates voice AI cuts customer service costs by 30% through automation. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell noted 2.4% CPI inflation for September 2024 in official remarks.
SoundHound Financials
SoundHound AI delivered Q2 2024 earnings per share of $0.04 USD, exceeding consensus estimates, per company filings with the SEC. Cash reserves stood at $198 million USD, with debt at $20 million USD.
TipRanks aggregates an average price target of $8.50 USD from analysts, suggesting 75% upside from $4.85 USD. Seven analysts rate it a buy, versus two holds.
Risks encompass competition from Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, plus execution delays in scaling. The EU AI Act deems voice AI high-risk, requiring compliance. SoundHound adheres to GDPR standards.
A $1,000 USD investment at $4.85 USD per share purchases 206 shares.
Market Outlook Reinforcing the AI Stock Pick
Goldman Sachs forecasts the S&P 500 at 5,800 by year-end 2024. Tech sector earnings should grow 15%, per the firm's October 2024 report. SoundHound AI plans Q3 earnings release on November 12, 2024, targeting $45 million USD in revenue.
The Fear & Greed Index climbed to 18 on October 11, 2024, per CNN Money. Bitcoin maintains support above $70,000 USD. Motley Fool's AI stock pick highlights sector resilience amid Federal Reserve signals on potential rate cuts.
