Applied Digital rises after signing $5 bln AI factory lease

** Shares of data center operator Applied Digital APLD jump 4.8% to $34.1 premarket

** APLD announces AI factory lease agreement with a U.S.-based hyperscaler at Polaris Forge 2 Campus in North Dakota for $5 bln

** The lease term is for 15 years and covers 200 MW of critical IT load purpose-built to support the hyperscaler’s AI and high-performance compute infrastructure

** The deal follows APLD lease agreement with CoreWeave CRWV.O in August to supply additional 150 MW capacity

** All 9 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or higher; their median PT is $40 - data compiled by LSEG

** Up to last close, APLD has more than quadrupled in value YTD