Missed Out on Nvidia? Here's 1 AI Stock You Can Buy Right Now.
Key Points
Coupang is an e-commerce company that dominates the South Korean market
The company has many AI initiatives and is expanding aggressively into Taiwan.
The stock looks cheap for any investor with a time horizon longer than a year.
- 10 stocks we like better than Coupang ›
Sitting here today, with stocks like Micron Technology zooming past a $1 trillion market cap and delivering 10x gains in a year, can make you feel like there is no opportunity left to buy artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Stocks like Nvidia have been soaring for the last few years, and now trade at premium valuations with major downside risks if the AI spending boom peters out.
What if I told you there were still cheap AI stocks to buy? You just have to look abroad in order to find them. Here's why Coupang (NYSE: CPNG) is the one AI stock you can buy right now if you missed out on Nvidia, Micron, and other winners of the last few years.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
AI tech company in South Korea
Coupang's main business is an e-commerce marketplace, built in a similar manner to Amazon. Unlike the mainline AI companies in Silicon Valley, Coupang is using AI from a robotics and automation perspective across its vast network of warehouses in South Korea. It wants to maximize the use of robots in its warehouses to save time and money and deliver items to customers faster.
Outside of e-commerce, Coupang utilizes AI within its advertising, financial technology, and food delivery divisions. It wants to use automation to improve the customer journey while simultaneously maximizing profits. AI is more than the chatbots popular with consumers today.
In a more direct investment, Coupang recently launched what it calls the Coupang Intelligent Cloud (CIC), which is building AI data centers for itself and, potentially, third-party customers. Sitting less than a year after the announcement, it is unclear exactly how ambitious Coupang plans to invest in its AI cloud, but it shows how laser-focused the technology company is on layering in AI into its business.
Image source: Getty Images.
Huge economic growth opportunity
There are 24 million active Coupang customers, which is close to half the population of South Korea. They flock to the service because of its rapid delivery and wide product selection at low prices. Over the last 12 months, the business has generated $35 billion in revenue, primarily from its e-commerce platform in South Korea.
We may see a catalyst in consumer retail spending in South Korea, and it is entirely related to the AI boom. Supply shortages for memory chips are driving up prices, which greatly benefits South Korean semiconductor giants Samsung and SK Hynix. Because of this massive profit boost, the two companies are paying bonuses to employees that could total $40 billion combined in 2026. With total national income at $1 trillion, this is a 4% increase that goes straight to customer wallets to spend on discretionary items, hopefully on Coupang.
Over the long term, greater spending on e-commerce than on in-person shopping should drive growth for Coupang and its expansion into other categories, such as food delivery. It has also made an aggressive expansion play into Taiwan, where revenue is growing by more than 100% year over year -- albeit from a small base -- according to management.
CPNG Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts
Why Coupang stock is a fantastic buy today
A lot of moving parts could impact Coupang's profitability in the near term. It may get a boost from this South Korean memory chip boom, while headwinds to profits may arise from rising losses from its expansion into Taiwan.
What matters is the customer loyalty being built through Coupang's superior service offering, leading to durable revenue growth and long-term operating leverage. Right now, Coupang has a market cap of only $29.55 billion and revenue of $35 billion. Revenue should grow durably, driven by multiple tailwinds. Assuming a 12% revenue growth rate, Coupang's revenue will have close to doubled to $61.7 billion five years from now.
A measly 10% profit margin on this $61.7 billion in revenue is $6.2 billion in earnings, or less than 5 times its current market value. This makes Coupang stock incredibly cheap. Stay patient, Coupang can be the tech stock that delivers massive gains in your portfolio over the next five years, just as Nvidia has for the last five.
Should you buy stock in Coupang right now?
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Brett Schafer has positions in Coupang. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Micron Technology, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Coupang. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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