Yahoo Finance
Yahoo Finance4d ago
Finance

Forget Nvidia. Watch these AI stocks instead.

6 min video3 key momentsWatch original
TL;DR

Nvidia's down $1 trillion since May highs but still expensive at 22x forward earnings — better AI plays are memory suppliers like Micron and SK Hynix, chipmakers like TSMC, and power/cooling infrastructure.

Key Insights

1

SK Hynix ADR launch FridayMicron trades at just 6x forward earnings and can't keep up with AI demand — when it turns away business, SK Hynix captures it. SK Hynix ADRs launch on Nasdaq Friday, making it accessible to US portfolio managers for the first time.

2

20x forward earnings triggerKim won't buy Nvidia until it hits 20x forward earnings (currently 22x). Even then, he's building satellite positions in memory, semiconductors, cooling, and power rather than overweighting Nvidia.

3

AI 7 up 75% vs Mag Seven down 1.7%The AI 7 basket of beneficiaries — Micron, SK Hynix, TSMC, Vertiv, American Electric Power, and two unnamed holdings — gained 75% in H1 while Mag Seven fell 1.7% on an equal-weighted basis.

Deep Dive

The Nvidia paradox: buying the dip makes no sense

Nvidia has cratered nearly $1 trillion from its May 14 peak, and Wall Street's response is predictable — 95% of analysts still rate it a buy or strong buy. Kim breaks the consensus: he's not betting against Nvidia, but he's also not treating the dip as a screaming opportunity. The core issue is valuation. At 22x forward earnings, Nvidia remains expensive despite being at its cheapest level since 2019. Kim sets a hard floor: if it drops below 20x, he'll add. But until then, he's looking elsewhere in the AI ecosystem. Nvidia is the hub, he says, but the real growth is in the spokes.

Memory is the secret chokepoint nobody's pricing in

Here's the insight Kim leads with: the AI revolution stops without memory and power. Micron is the play here, trading at just 6x forward earnings while publicly admitting it can't keep up with demand. Every time Micron has to turn away a customer, SK Hynix benefits. The timing is perfect. SK Hynix launches as an ADR on Nasdaq this Friday, ending the friction of buying on Korean exchanges. Kim will be buying on day one, but with a caveat he borrowed from the SpaceX and Facebook IPO playbooks: expect initial euphoria to fade. Companies trading at wild valuations on launch tend to cool within weeks or a month. SK Hynix had a $4 billion operating loss last year yet traded at rich valuations at IPO, signaling irrational demand that usually deflates.

The AI 7 outpaced Mag Seven by 75% in the first half

Kim's core thesis hinges on a simple rule: instead of asking who's spending on AI, ask who's receiving the spending. Mag Seven stocks fell 1.7% on an equal-weighted basis in H1, except Alphabet, which was up double digits. His AI 7 basket — anchored by Nvidia and Alphabet but filled with TSMC (the world's largest dedicated chip foundry, now reshoring production to Phoenix), Micron (onshoring to Syracuse), Vertiv Holdings (cooling infrastructure), and American Electric Power (power and a 2.5% dividend yield, up 20% year to date) — returned 75% over the same period. The philosophy is capital efficiency: why own seven momentum stocks when you can own the entire ecosystem getting paid by their spending spree?

Takeaways

  • Wait for Nvidia to drop below 20x forward earnings before adding, rather than chasing the dip at 22x.
  • SK Hynix ADRs launch Friday on Nasdaq — let the IPO pop fade 2-4 weeks before entering, using the SpaceX and Facebook precedent as your guide.
  • Build positions in memory (Micron at 6x earnings), foundries (TSMC), cooling (Vertiv), and power (AEP) instead of overweighting Nvidia alone.

Key moments

0:24Kim's core thesis: own the ecosystem, not just Nvidia

Nvidia stands as the hub of the AI ecosystem, and there are so many other companies that benefit from Nvidia's continued success. I still believe there are better opportunities within the AI ecosystem.

1:45The 20x forward earnings buy trigger

If it gets below 20, that becomes a screaming buy to me. But that doesn't mean that I'm staying away from the name. I just think there are other names that you can use to surround Nvidia that's going to provide you with even more growth opportunities.

5:45AI 7 basket crushes Mag Seven in H1

If you equal weight those air seven, the benefactors of a lot of that spending through the first two quarters of this year, those stocks were up over 75% versus the mag seven that was down nearly 2%.

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