Tech Sell-Off: 3 Stocks Most Vulnerable and 3 Built to Hold Up

The Nasdaq Composite index has taken a beating over the past month, falling roughly 8.5% from its Oct. 6 record even after Monday's rebound. And some of the biggest names in artificial intelligence (AI) have suffered considerably larger losses.

Investors have plenty to worry about. Questions about AI spending, higher interest rates, rising oil prices tied to the Iran war, and the Democratic sweep in the midterm elections have all contributed to the sell-off.

But not every beaten-down technology stock faces the same risks. Some companies have serious financial challenges that could become more difficult in this environment. Others have the earnings, competitive advantages, and financial resources to weather the downturn.

Here are three stocks that look particularly vulnerable, followed by three that appear better equipped to hold up.

Image source: Getty Images.

Three stocks facing serious challenges

Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS) has been one of the biggest casualties of the tech sell-off, with its shares falling 35.6% over the past 30 days.

The company is building AI infrastructure and renting out computing capacity to customers, putting it at the center of the enormous spending boom. But building data centers requires substantial up-front investments, and Nebius doesn't have the established earnings base of larger technology companies.

That creates a problem for investors concerned about returns on AI infrastructure investments. Nebius needs to keep expanding capacity to meet demand, but financing that expansion becomes more difficult when borrowing costs rise, and investors become less willing to fund aggressive growth.

Its business also faces potential regulatory complications following the midterm elections, particularly if governments impose new restrictions on data center development.

Nebius has substantial growth opportunities, but its capital requirements make it particularly exposed to a prolonged downturn.

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is in even worse shape than Nebius right now, as the stock is down 44.6% over the past month.

Intel has been spending heavily to rebuild its manufacturing capabilities while competing with Advanced Micro Devices in processors and trying to establish itself as a major contract chip manufacturer. That's an expensive strategy, particularly when its core business is struggling.

The company's disappointing fourth-quarter outlook sent shares plunging 28.6% on Oct. 30 -- the stock's worst one-day performance since 1974.

Intel needs more demand and improved profitability to justify its investment plans. Higher interest rates and investors' growing reluctance to fund expensive technology projects only complicate that effort.

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) is down 11.8% over the past month, a relatively modest loss compared with Nebius and Intel. But its exposure to the AI infrastructure spending boom deserves attention.

Oracle is spending heavily to expand its cloud infrastructure business, including data centers designed to support AI workloads. That could generate significant revenue over time, but the up-front investment weighs on Oracle stock.

The company's growing reliance on debt financing adds another complication. Higher interest rates make financing more expensive, while concerns about the profitability of AI infrastructure projects could pressure Oracle's valuation.

Three stocks better equipped to withstand the sell-off

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has fallen 22.5% over the past month, but the sell-off hasn't changed its position as the dominant supplier of AI accelerators.

The distinction matters because Nvidia sells the chips that power the data centers companies such as Oracle and Nebius are building. It doesn't have to finance those facilities itself.

Nvidia also benefits from its CUDA software platform, which makes it difficult for customers to switch to competing hardware without additional development work.

But there's a more immediate problem. The company's board announced on Sunday that it has opened an investigation into reports that CEO Jensen Huang had a relationship with a business executive allegedly connected to Chinese intelligence. Huang has acknowledged the relationship and apologized to his wife and family, but the issue raises questions about the company and sent the stock price down on Monday.

I think the issue is unfortunate and a distraction, but I don't see it changing the long-term narrative around Nvidia and its role as the leading supplier of AI processors.

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) stock dipped 14.8% over the last month, despite the company reporting outstanding third-quarter results. Revenue was up 96% from a year ago, and U.S. commercial revenue jumped 148%. The company's rapid growth in bringing on new commercial customers suggests that businesses are finding practical uses for AI rather than merely experimenting with the technology.

Here's the other thing I really like about Palantir: Its software business doesn't require building enormous data centers to generate additional revenue.

The biggest concern is valuation. Palantir has commanded a premium stock price, and its forward price-to-sales ratio remains close to 50. Even outstanding earnings growth doesn't guarantee investors will continue to pay such a high multiple.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) stock has fallen 29.3% over the past month, making it one of the hardest-hit semiconductor stocks.

Micron makes high bandwidth memory (HBM) essential for AI accelerators, as well as DRAM and NAND memory that is used throughout the technology industry. Its latest quarterly results demonstrated how dramatically AI demand has improved its business.

For its fiscal fourth quarter, ended Sept. 3, Micron's revenue was $54.23 billion, a huge increase from $11.32 billion a year ago. Its operating cash flow was $43.97 billion.

Today's AI infrastructure requires increasing amounts of memory, particularly HBM. Micron is selling a critical component rather than betting primarily on the future profitability of data centers. That gives it a stronger position than companies whose expansion depends heavily on outside financing.

Patrick Sanders has positions in Nebius Group, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Intel, Micron Technology, Nvidia, Oracle, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.