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DALLAS - Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD), whose stock has surged over 20% in the past week and now commands a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, has received the first $112.5 million from its previously announced $5 billion perpetual preferred equity financing facility with Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), according to a press release statement. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company’s current valuation exceeds its Fair Value.
The funding will support the construction of Applied Digital’s 400MW AI Factory campus in Ellendale, North Dakota, known as Polaris Forge 1. The facility is designed to eventually scale to 1 gigawatt capacity. With a current ratio of 0.77, this funding comes at a crucial time for the company’s expansion plans.
The company has already leased the 400MW of critical IT capacity currently under construction to CoreWeave. Applied Digital expects the MAM facility, along with an anticipated project financing facility, will provide sufficient capital to complete the 400MW campus, fund corporate expenses, and cover transaction costs.
"Securing this funding at the asset level is especially important in an asset-heavy business like ours," said Wes Cummins, Chairman and CEO of Applied Digital. "It gives us the capital to complete Polaris Forge 1 and provides a clear path to scale additional campuses."
The company stated it does not anticipate making additional equity contributions to Polaris Forge 1, as the MAM preferred equity partnership is intended to substantially reduce Applied Digital’s equity requirements for future development projects.
Anton Moldan, Senior Managing Director of Macquarie Asset Management, noted the growing demand for AI and high-performance computing capacity as a factor in the partnership.
Northland Capital Markets served as sole placement agent for the transaction, with Lowenstein Sandler LLP acting as counsel to Applied Digital and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP representing Macquarie Asset Management.
Applied Digital designs, builds, and operates data centers for artificial intelligence, cloud, networking, and blockchain workloads. While analysts anticipate strong sales growth, detailed financial analysis and 18 additional ProTips are available on InvestingPro, including comprehensive valuation metrics and growth forecasts in the Pro Research Report.
In other recent news, Applied Digital has announced a new lease agreement with CoreWeave for an additional 150MW at its Polaris Forge 1 Campus in North Dakota, bringing the company’s total anticipated contracted lease revenue to approximately $11 billion. This includes $7 billion from two initial leases executed in May, with the agreements covering a total of 400MW of critical IT capacity. In another development, Applied Digital is set to break ground on a $3 billion AI computing facility, Polaris Forge 2, in September 2025 near Harwood, North Dakota. The facility is designed with an initial 280MW power capacity, with operations expected to start in 2026 and full capacity anticipated by early 2027.
Furthermore, Compass Point raised its price target for Applied Blockchain to $30 from $13, maintaining a Buy rating. The decision was influenced by the full leasing of Polaris Forge 1 to CoreWeave and the increased likelihood of securing a hyperscaler for Polaris Forge 2. H.C. Wainwright also raised its price target for the company to $20 from $15, citing the upcoming construction of Polaris Forge 2 as a significant factor. These recent developments highlight Applied Digital’s strategic expansion and strong leasing agreements, which have drawn positive attention from analysts.
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