Michael Sikand
Investor, Autopilot Portfolio, Founder of Sikand Media
Credo looks ridiculously cheap because its dominant AEC position is being valued as if copper were declining, even though the market is expected to grow 49% annually through 2030. Credo still has an estimated 90% AEC share, relationships with five of six major hyperscalers, and optical networking could reach one-third of revenue by 2028. x.comÂ
Credo's leading AEC position and vertical integration keep its optics thesis bullish despite SpaceX moving away from 1.6T AECs. That shift is a genuine risk, but xAI has been in Credo's AEC ecosystem the longest, which could support ZeroFlap optics and its telemetry software. Credo's VCSEL-based ALCs were still ramping toward 2027, giving it another route as customers move to transceivers. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Credo's near-total share of AI data-center cables and unchanged estimates make its lower multiple look like a fear-driven opportunity. Its stock went from 27x to 20x forward earnings while the supply chain building those systems guided 2027 revenue to double. Buyers this week will probably be very happy a year from now. x.comÂ
Credo Technology's customer concentration is a hidden leverage risk investors underestimate. With four customers driving nearly all sales and two above 60%, Credo has little bargaining power if a hyperscaler demands lower prices, delays deployments, dual-sources or spends less, and any change could crush the stock. The AI boom hides this until growth normalizes. The business, economics and balance sheet are excellent and the valuation reasonable; much depends on how long the AI buildout lasts. … Show more
Credo is one of the cheapest AI growth stocks, trading around 26x forward earnings after a hard correction while revenue grew 115% to $479M and full-year growth is guided above 85%. Margin worries mostly reflect DustPhotonics amortization and stock comp; non-GAAP gross margin held near 68%. DustPhotonics adds a second engine in optics, with over $600M expected this year, and Credo's low-laser designs can ship through the laser shortage. One customer at about a third of revenue is the main risk. … Show more
Astera Labs looks relatively expensive because similarly fast-growing AI infrastructure names trade at much lower multiples. Broadcom and Nvidia are at 14x, Credo at 15x and Lumentum at 18x; comparable peers look 50-80% cheaper. Astera is a great company and not necessarily expensive in absolute terms. Its roughly 2x multiple over Credo may persist, but the setup looks harder; with no valuation support, it could fall 50% if weakness continues. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Credo is a trade rather than a long-term hold because co-packaged optics is the technology that closes the copper-to-optics gap its retimers and active electrical cables fill. If CPO ramps faster than expected in the 2027 architecture cycle, those products get designed out. That is not a 2026 problem, but it is why a decelerating hyper-growth chipmaker can't keep a 15x sales multiple forever. Customer concentration, which hit the stock before, adds risk, and Credo fits no AI endgame theme. x.com … Show more
Credo remains a long-held bullish position two years on, built on high-speed connectivity products that data centers need for AI, cloud and high-performance networking. Its Active Electrical Cables integrate electronics to boost signal strength over short to medium distances, and its optical DSPs cover speeds from 100G to 1.6T, addressing growing demand for faster data transfer. x.comÂ
Credo was wrongly dismissed as a copper-era connectivity play, and analysts are finally recognizing its optical roadmap. Per @wallstengine, Evercore ISI initiated at Outperform with a $325 target, saying Credo will increasingly be seen as a broad copper and optical AI-connectivity play through optical DSPs, silicon photonics ICs, microLED cables and especially ZFOptics modules, taking the same systems approach as with AECs. The market had decimated it in late 2025 as a horse-and-buggy name. … Show more
Credo's upside looks capped as growth falls short of earlier expectations and large stock-based compensation, hidden behind GAAP financials, looks excessive. BofA cut its target to $275 from $340 and Evercore to $292 from $325 on deceleration worries, the 1.6T DSP is delayed, and operating cash flow fell to $90M. The stock is 43% off its high; at $164 it trades at 30-33x FY27 earnings and 13x forward sales, more reasonable but still not worth owning. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Credo is a solid company whose low-power interconnects between AI servers become more necessary as AI compute grows. If microLED technology actually lands and improves optical module efficiency and density, its moat could get stronger. Filling the chart gap, or even a pullback to the 200-day moving average, would be a good buying opportunity, though Astera Labs was preferred when the two were compared. x.com x.comÂ