We recently published a list of 10 Tech Stocks with High Upside Potential. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) stands against other tech stocks with high upside potential.
As per Forrester Research, Inc., despite persistent inflation, the US real GDP is expected to increase 2.7% in 2025 and the US tech spending is projected to see growth of 6.1% to touch a staggering $2.7 trillion. The software spending in the US is expected to increase by 10.7% in 2025. With the escalation in cybersecurity risks, companies continue to leverage cloud and GenAI technologies to fuel future growth and innovation.
AI to Drive Growth in Tech Sector in 2025
The largest US stocks, also referred to as the Magnificent 7, have seen a strong run over the previous 2 years, mainly due to the buildout of AI infrastructure, says Goldman Sachs. Sung Cho, co-head of US Fundamental Equity in Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Cho believes this buildout can significantly benefit data and security companies, and software companies successfully integrating AI in their existing product set. As the Fed continues to cut rates, the smaller tech companies – which saw contraction in their multiples because of higher rates – might see a favourable macro backdrop.
UBS has highlighted how AI has and will continue to drive the growth of the broader technology sector. As per the firm, since the rollout of ChatGPT in November 2022, the total market capitalization of companies listed on the US technology exchange NASDAQ increased to ~US$13.5 trillion. Notably, around two-thirds of this value increase has been directly caused by the AI sector. Moving forward, the decisive factor is expected to be the extent to which significant investments in AI-based infrastructure can be translated into profitable business models.
While highlighting the consensus estimates, UBS stated that the 4 major US technology corporations are projected to invest ~US$280 billion in AI this year. Given the increased usage of this key technology across industries, value creation processes are expected to be optimized. This can lead to significant productivity gains. One such area is the market for robotics and automation, which is expected to reach a sales volume of ~US$350 billion in 2025, says UBS analysts. Notably, humanoid robotics will be the key area of particular interest because of the innovations.
Our Methodology
To list the 10 Tech Stocks with High Upside Potential, we used a screener and shortlisted the stocks catering to the broader technology sector. Next, we filtered out the stocks having an average upside potential of at least ~30%, as of February 28. Finally, the stocks were arranged in ascending order of their average upside potential. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiments around each stock, as of Q4 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM) the Tech Stock with High Upside Potential?
A close-up of a complex network of integrated circuits used in logic semiconductors.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)
Average Upside Potential: ~41.2%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 186
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices. Bank of America Securities analyst Brad Lin reiterated a “Buy” rating on the company’s stock, providing a price target of $250.00. The analyst believes that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)’s gross profit margin is expected to see improvement, courtesy of price increases, yield improvements, and a favorable product mix. Its dominant position in the semiconductor industry is mainly aided by its technological leadership. It has remained at the forefront of developing and implementing advanced manufacturing processes, enabling the company to sustain its competitive edge.
The elevated demand for AI-related chips resulted in higher orders for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)’s most advanced manufacturing processes. This trend has been fueling innovation in chip design and manufacturing techniques. Moving forward, the company’s continued leadership in advanced manufacturing processes places it well for healthy future growth. As the chip design complexity increases, the number of companies that can manufacture at the advanced nodes decreases. This trend supports Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)’s strengths, resulting in higher market share and increased profit margins.
Wedgewood Partners, an investment management company, released its Q4 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said:
“Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) was another top contributor to performance during the quarter and for the year. The Company’s earnings growth dramatically accelerated compared to last year as the Company’s wafer fabrication and packaging volumes soared in 2024. In addition, the Company customer prices rebounded in the face of more normalized capital expenditures. The Company maintains a near-monopoly in the fabrication of nearly every new AI accelerator brought to market over the past two years. They continue investing tens of billions to build and 7ill future capacity with orders for what seems to be insatiable hyperscale demand for accelerated computing. The stock ended the year trading at a consensus forward earnings multiple that is several points lower than large cap growth benchmarks, despite the Company’s dominant position in the most important industry that is driving one of the largest technological shifts in a generation.”
Overall, TSM ranks 2nd on our list of tech stocks with high upside potential. While we acknowledge the potential of TSM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than TSM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
