Be wary of this recent IPO

Article Excerpt

ASTERA LABS INC. $73 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol ALAB; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 155.5 million; Market cap: $11.4 billion; No dividend paid; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.asteralabs.com) designs computer chips that speed up the transfer of data between cloud-based networks and artificial intelligence (AI) software applications. On March 22, 2024, the company completed an initial public offering of 19.8 million common shares at $36.00 a share. Thanks to strong investor interest in AI-related stocks, Astera’s shares have jumped 103%. Astera has alliances with big chipmakers like Nvidia, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, which helps cut its risk. However, the company’s market cap of $11.4 billion is very high in relation to its annual revenue of about $166 million. Astera Labs is a hold. hold…