5 Big Data Stocks to Buy for Stellar Returns in the Short Term
Big Data refers to a vast and diverse collection of structured, unstructured and semi-structured data that inundates businesses on a day-to-day basis. The big data space focuses on companies that process, store and analyze data, and provide data mining, transformation, visualization and predictive analytics tools.
Here, we have selected five such companies — Confluent Inc. CFLT, Blackbaud Inc. BLKB, Sprout Social Inc. SPT, HubSpot Inc. HUBS and Teradata Corp. TDC. These stocks have double-digit short-term price upside potential. Each of our picks carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Big Data is utilized in advanced analytics applications like predictive modeling and machine learning to solve business problems and make informed decisions. The latest high-end digital mobility advancements, including the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), have led to rapid growth in data. Consequently, new big data tools have emerged to collect, process, and analyze data to derive maximum value out of it.
Big data offers corporations better decision-making and risk management abilities. It has also increased agility and innovation, making operations more efficient and resulting in improved customer experiences.
The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks in the past month.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Zacks Rank #2 Confluent operates a data streaming platform in the United States and internationally. CFLT provides platforms that allow customers to connect their applications, systems, and data layers comprising Confluent Cloud, a managed cloud-native software-as-a-service (SaaS), and Confluent Platform, an enterprise-grade self-managed software.
CFLT serves banking and financial services, retail and ecommerce, manufacturing, automotive, telecommunication, gaming, insurance, and technology industries, as well as the public sector.
CFLT has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 19% and 32.4%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 20.5% in the past 30 days.
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms for the stock represents an increase of 28.9% from the last closing price of $21.05. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $22-$36. This indicates a maximum upside of 71% and no downside.
Zacks Rank #1 Blackbaud is engaged in the provision of cloud software and services in the United States and internationally. BLKB's first-quarter 2025 results reflect solid execution of its strategic goals, with organic revenue growth, improved profitability and stock buybacks. BLKB remains on track to achieve Rule of 45 status by 2030 and expects continued free cash flow margin expansion.
Robust free cash flow cushions BLKB's stock repurchase strategy. In the first quarter, BLKB repurchased around 4% of its outstanding shares, aligning with its 2025 plan to buy back 3% to 5%. Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 34.3% in the first quarter. For 2025, Blackbaud expects adjusted EBITDA margin in the range of 34.9% to 35.9%.
Blackbaud has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of -3.1% and 17.9%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 8.4% in the past 30 days.
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms for the stock represents an increase of 10.7% from the last closing price of $62.12. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $60-$85. This indicates a maximum upside of 36.8% and a maximum downside of 3.4%.
Zacks Rank #2 Sprout Social designs, develops, and operates a web-based social media management platform in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. SPT provides cloud software for social messaging, data and workflows in a unified system of record, intelligence, and action.
SPT offers AI-powered solutions, such as publishing and scheduling, social customer care, reporting and analytics, social listening and business intelligence, reputation management, social commerce, influencer marketing, employee advocacy, and automation and workflows.
Sprout Social has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 11.3% and 20.6%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 10.3% in the past 30 days.
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms for the stock represents an increase of 30.7% from the last closing price of $21.55. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $18-$42. This indicates a maximum upside of 94.9% and a maximum downside of 16.5%.
Zacks Rank #2 HubSpot provides a cloud-based customer relationship management platform for businesses in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. HUBS is witnessing steady multi-hub adoption from enterprise customers in the premium market. Pricing optimization in HUBS' starter edition is leading to solid client additions in the lower end of the market.
The integration of HubSpot AI, which includes state-of-the-art features, such as AI assistance, AI agents, AI insights and ChatSpot, is driving more value to customers. HUBS' seat pricing model lowers the barrier for customers to get started with its business and mitigates pricing friction for upgrades. The growing adoption of inbound applications is a tailwind.
HubSpot has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 15.4% and more than 100%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 49% in the past 30 days.
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms for the stock represents an increase of 19% from the last closing price of $621.25. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $645-$930. This indicates a maximum upside of 49.7% and no downside.
Zacks Rank #2 Teradata provides a connected hybrid cloud analytics and data platform in the United States and internationally. TDC is benefiting from strong cloud ARR growth. TDC's AI and hybrid cloud innovations, supported by strategic partnerships with NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Google are strengthening its market position.
TDC's advanced AI solutions, particularly in Customer Experience AI, are in high demand as businesses prioritize data-driven insights. TDC's expertise in providing scalable, cloud-based analytics positions it well in growing markets like AI, data centers, and digital transformation.
Teradata has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of -6.5% and -2.1%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has remained unchanged in the past 30 days.
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms for the stock represents an increase of 18.7% from the last closing price of $21.82. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $21-$35. This indicates a maximum upside of 60.4% and a maximum downside of 3.8%.
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Teradata Corporation (TDC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Blackbaud, Inc. (BLKB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
HubSpot, Inc. (HUBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Sprout Social, Inc. (SPT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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