SoundHound AI, Inc.

Сильный индекс, значительно вырос. Быки резко укрепили уверенность в своих позициях.

Strong index, significantly up. Bulls sharply strengthened confidence in their positions.

Сильный индекс, без изменений. Рынок не поддерживает быков.

Strong index, flat. The market does not support the bulls.

Сильный индекс, без изменений. Отток средств из лонгов на высоком уровне.

Strong index, flat. Outflow of funds from longs at a high level.

Key Points
SoundHound AI’s revenue jumped 45% year over year in the second quarter.
The LivePerson deal expands SoundHound’s customer reach to 25 Fortune 100 companies.
Despite SoundHound’s 71% stock decline, its cash burn and execution remain important risks.
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) develops voice and conversational AI technology for businesses. The company's shares have tanked nearly 71% from their $22.17 intraday high from October 2025 (closing price as of Sept. 9).
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Yet SoundHound AI's business has held up far better than its stock price, creating a gap that makes the shares worth a closer look.
Growth is strong, but acquisitions are also helping
SoundHound AI's revenue was up 45% year over year to $61.9 million in the second quarter. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) loss also improved 33% year over year to $9.6 million. The company exited Q2 with $203 million in cash and no debt. Management expects fiscal 2026 revenue to fall in the range of $230 million to $260 million.
The growth is encouraging, but investors should look past the financial numbers. SoundHound's revenue growth was not entirely organic. The company's service subscription revenue increased 47% year over year to $47 million in the second quarter, mainly due to revenue from acquisitions. The company also used nearly $60 million of cash in operating activities during the first half of fiscal 2026.
Hence, SoundHound AI is growing rapidly, but acquisitions and continued cash burn make the underlying growth story less impressive than the headline numbers suggest.
LivePerson acquisition catalyst
SoundHound AI completed its acquisition of LivePerson on Sept. 4, significantly expanding its enterprise reach. The combined company now serves 25 of the Fortune 100 companies. Management expects revenue of at least $350 million and up to $400 million in 2027. SoundHound also sees an opportunity to eventually reach $500 million in annual revenue by leveraging the combined company's existing customer base.
LivePerson's revenue fell 12% year over year in the second quarter, partly due to customer cancellations and downsells. SoundHound AI must therefore successfully cross-sell its AI products into the expanded customer base while improving cash flow.
At today's lower price, the stock looks attractive but still speculative. Stronger organic growth and lower cash burn could make the 71% decline look excessive.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $417,413!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,341,294!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 950% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 210% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 12, 2026.
Manali Pradhan, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

This Artificial Intelligence Stock Is Down 71% and Could Be a Screaming Buy

Key Points
Artificial intelligence is a relatively new technology, and it isn't yet clear who the big winners will be.
The technology sector has gone through innovation phases like this before, and early winners sometimes end up long-term losers.
If you are interested in AI, this globally diversified power company provides the one thing it needs to keep operating.
If you are old enough, you remember a time before the internet. And you also remember Yahoo! and America Online being two of the most dominant internet companies early in the internet's development. The stocks were hot way back then, but today, both have basically flamed out and been swallowed up by other companies. Other internet companies became more dominant.
This isn't unusual in the tech sector, and investors piling into artificial intelligence (AI) stocks should keep that in mind. Sure, you could make a big bet on an AI stock that you think has winning tech, like a high-powered chip or a specialized application, or you could go with a picks-and-shovels play like Brookfield Renewable (NYSE: BEP)(NYSE: BEPC). Here's why this clean energy company could be the better bet.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
AI Investors are being driven by emotion
Right now, artificial intelligence is a hot sector. Too many investors see it as a way to get rich quickly. And that has had pretty predictable consequences. For example, SoundHound (NASDAQ: SOUN) provides AI voice services. That's exciting, but probably not unique enough to build a business around. Still, its stock skyrocketed as investors jumped on the next hot thing. The shares have since plunged back to earth, down 70% from their 2024 peak.
The same could be happening now with Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC), a maker of data storage devices. Huge demand from the AI build got investors excited about the stock, but that excitement has begun to fade. The stock has fallen roughly 40% from its recent highs. That's actually the second huge drawdown over the last three years. Even AI poster-child Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has proven to be a highly volatile stock.
If you can't stand the AI volatility, go with a picks-and-shovels play
But, there's one thing that AI can't live without: electricity. After all, AI is really just a fancy computer program. Electricity demand is so high right now that there's been a step change. Between 2005 and 2025, U.S. electricity demand increased by 10%. Between 2025 and 2045, U.S. demand is projected to increase 60%. AI is playing a major role in the changing dynamics of electricity. Globally, however, there's also a shift toward cleaner power sources and increasing demand from developing nations. A great way to benefit from AI, clean energy, and broader economic growth is Brookfield Renewable.
Brookfield Renewable owns a globally diversified portfolio of clean energy assets, with exposure to North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Its power portfolio includes solar, wind, hydroelectric, and storage. It also owns a stake in Westinghouse, a key global supplier to the nuclear power industry. It is a one-stop shop for clean energy exposure, and it is already working with AI-focused companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) to help them build out their AI businesses.
The best part of the story, however, is likely to be Brookfield Renewable's dividend. The yield is currently around 5% for the partnership share class and 4.9% for the corporate share class. The quarterly disbursement has been increased at a roughly 5% annualzed pace over the past decade. Add a 5% dividend to a 5% dividend growth rate, and you get roughly 10%, which is about the return most investors expect from the broader market.
The future is bright for Brookfield Renewable
AI is just part of the electricity story that supports Brookfield Renewable's long-term growth opportunity. Which is actually more exciting than if AI were the only thing this clean energy company had going for it. If you are a dividend investor looking to benefit from AI, forget trying to pick a winner in the volatile AI sector and dig into high-yield Brookfield Renewable. It is already benefiting from AI's intense demand for power, but there's much more opportunity than that.
Should you buy stock in Brookfield Renewable right now?
Before you buy stock in Brookfield Renewable, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Brookfield Renewable wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 6, 2026.
Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, SoundHound AI, and Western Digital. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Renewable and Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company dedicated to building the world's greatest investment community. Reaching millions of people each month through its website, books, newspaper column, radio show, television appearances, and subscription newsletter services, The Motley Fool champions shareholder values and advocates tirelessly for the individual investor. The company's name was taken from Shakespeare, whose wise fools both instructed and amused, and could speak the truth to the king -- without getting their heads lopped off.

Forget AI Stocks: This Clean-Power Play Is the Real Winner

Key Points
SoundHound AI reported Q2 2026 financial results last month.
The company revised its 2026 guidance.
SoundHound AI stock is trading at a discount to its historical valuation.
After dipping 5.3% lower in July, shares of SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) stock jumped higher last month after the artificial intelligence (AI) company' reported strong Q2 2026 financial results.
According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, SoundHound AI stock rose 16.8% in August.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
$61.9 million in Q2 2026 revenue sounded good to SoundHound AI investors
Surpassing the $52.4 million that analysts had anticipated, SoundHound AI reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $61.9 million, a 45% year-over-year increase. At the bottom of the income statement, the company also exceeded expectations. While analysts estimated SoundHound AI would report an adjusted loss per share of $0.05, the company posted a slimmer $0.02 adjusted loss per share.
Although SoundHound AI is still incurring a net loss, the company is making progress toward profitability. In Q2 2026, it expanded its gross profit margin to 45.1% from 39% during the same period last year.
In the press release addressing the financial results, SoundHound AI interim CFO and co-founder James Hom lauded the success of the company's recently launched OASYS, an AI system that enables customers to build and deploy conversational AI agents to accomplish several tasks, such as handling transactions, tasks, and workflows on behalf of customers and employees, stating, "We are excited by the strong interest we are already seeing with OASYS, which is a testament to the category-defining technology we continue to deliver to the market. Our investment in innovation, combined with our cost discipline, is key as we drive our business toward achieving profitable growth."
In addition to the recent quarter, investors celebrated the company's updated 2026 revenue guidance, which ranges from $230 million to $260 million. Should the company achieve the midpoint of this forecast, it will represent year-over-year sales growth of 45%.
While the market celebrated the company's financial results, some analysts took a more bearish stance on the AI stock -- a factor that contributed to shares giving back some of the gains they had made immediately after the company's Q2 results announcement. Piper Sandler analyst James Fish, for example, cut the price target on SoundHound to $7 from $8, maintaining a neutral rating. Similarly, Gil Luria, a DA Davidson analyst, reduced the firm's price target to $10 from $12.
SoundHound AI stock is hanging on the discount rack
Falling 5.9% so far in September, SoundHound AI stock has given back some of the gains that it logged in August. Couple this with the fact that shares of the AI stock are trading at 13.9 times sales -- a discount to their five-year average P/S multiple of 17.2 --, and it looks like now's a good time to start a position.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 6, 2026.
Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company dedicated to building the world's greatest investment community. Reaching millions of people each month through its website, books, newspaper column, radio show, television appearances, and subscription newsletter services, The Motley Fool champions shareholder values and advocates tirelessly for the individual investor. The company's name was taken from Shakespeare, whose wise fools both instructed and amused, and could speak the truth to the king -- without getting their heads lopped off.

Why SoundHound AI Stock Rocketed 16.8% Higher in August

Key Points
SoundHound grew second-quarter revenue 45% year over year to a record $61.9 million and now expects $230 million to $260 million for 2026.
LivePerson shareholders approved their company's sale to SoundHound on Sept. 2, a deal that adds about $200 million of shrinking annual revenue.
The company's adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed to $9.6 million last quarter, a pace that likely leaves sustained profits years away.
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN) is becoming a much bigger company. LivePerson (NASDAQ:LPSN) shareholders approved the sale of their company to the voice artificial intelligence (AI) specialist on Sept. 2, and the mostly stock deal closed on Friday, Sept. 4.
SoundHound's own second-quarter revenue grew 45% year over year to a record $61.9 million, and management raised the low end of its full-year outlook, which now calls for $230 million to $260 million of revenue in 2026.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Stack a large acquired business on top of that growth, and the top line could reach half a billion dollars surprisingly soon. The losses are moving much more slowly. Here's my prediction: SoundHound passes $500 million in annual revenue before it earns a sustained profit.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Record revenue, a raised outlook
SoundHound's growth record is short but steep. Revenue nearly doubled in 2025, reaching $168.9 million. The first quarter of 2026 came in at $44.2 million, up 52% year over year, and the second quarter's growth was 45%, with revenue up 40% from the first quarter alone. The growth rate is decelerating as the numbers get bigger. But the dollars keep setting records.
This year's guidance of $230 million to $260 million implies 36% to 54% growth. Notably, the range excludes LivePerson. Management plans to update its guidance after the deal closes, likely before the end of the year.
From the $245 million midpoint, the compounding works fast. Another year of 45% growth would put 2027 revenue near $355 million, and a repeat in 2028 would land the company at about $515 million. Even if growth cooled to 30%, revenue would cross $500 million in 2029.
LivePerson pulls the timeline into 2028
The acquisition, a mostly stock deal with an enterprise value of about $250 million, brings a business nearly as large as SoundHound itself. LivePerson expects $195 million to $207 million of revenue this year.
That revenue is shrinking, though. Guidance calls for a 15% to 20% decline in 2026, and revenue retention among LivePerson's enterprise and mid-market customers fell to 78% last year.
SoundHound's own combined-company forecast reflects the erosion. Management projects at least $350 million to $400 million of revenue in 2027 (still below what the two would generate this year combined).
Still, from the top of that range, the combined company needs only about 25% growth in 2028 to pass $500 million -- a fraction of the rate SoundHound is delivering on its own. Management has said the combined business is expected to reach up to $500 million on its existing customers alone. I think revenue crosses in 2028, with 2029 as the slow case.
When do the profits show up?
Much later, on the current trend.
SoundHound's non-GAAP (adjusted) EBITDA loss narrowed to $9.6 million in the second quarter from $14.3 million a year earlier, a 33% improvement. (Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, excluding items like stock-based compensation.)
The loss line is narrowing, but not in a straight line. The first quarter's adjusted loss widened year over year, to $26.7 million from $22.2 million.
The bigger problem is the gap between that measure and the company's full losses. SoundHound's second-quarter net loss was $42.8 million (about 69% of revenue), an improvement from $74.7 million a year earlier. Stock-based compensation plus depreciation and amortization alone separate the two figures by more than $30 million a quarter, and quarterly mark-to-market swings on acquisition-related liabilities add noise on top.
Of course, those swings can point the other way, too. SoundHound reported $40.1 million of net income in the fourth quarter of 2025, thanks to an $85 million non-cash mark-to-market gain. But that isn't the kind of profit this prediction is about.
And LivePerson won't speed things up. It lost $72.6 million last quarter, including a $51.8 million goodwill impairment, and the merger adds fresh acquisition accounting on top.
Ultimately, this isn't a close race. On the current pace, revenue passes $500 million in 2028. A sustained profit (money earned on operations, not a one-quarter accounting gain) looks unlikely before 2029 at the earliest. And even that requires the second quarter's operating leverage to hold through a big integration.
For the stock, that order matters. Shares trade at about $6.75 as of this writing, down about 70% from their 52-week high of $22.17, yet still about 12 times revenue, based on the midpoint of this year's guidance. That price already assumes the growth keeps coming, and I think it will.
But anyone buying the growth stock should expect red ink for years while the top line does the work. I'd avoid buying shares here until the loss line proves it can keep narrowing through the integration.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 6, 2026.
Daniel Sparks and his clients do not have positions in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: SoundHound Passes $500 Million in Revenue Before It Turns a Profit

Key Points
SoundHound AI has several irons in the fire for new clients.
The stock is properly priced for the company's risk profile.
SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) was once a darling of the artificial intelligence trend, and its stock skyrocketed to nearly $25 per share at the end of 2024. But it has spent a lot of the time since then selling off, and now trades for less than $7 per share. However, that doesn't mean its business hasn't been performing impressively in the meantime.
The reality is that the stock got ahead of itself during its late 2024 run-up, but the company hasn't misstepped since then. It's delivering impressive results and growing at a solid pace. But has that primed the stock to double over the next year?
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
SoundHound AI's business is booming
SoundHound AI combines artificial intelligence with powerful speech recognition. This has countless applications, but the biggest area of adoption right now is in restaurant order automation, specifically in drive-thrus. This is a fairly low-stakes application, and with a limited menu, there aren't many things for an AI to recognize and understand.
Eventually, SoundHound AI aims to become a larger part of customer service, particularly in industries such as banking, healthcare, and insurance. Companies in these sectors spend significant sums to staff their customer service lines; if SoundHound AI's product could automate a significant number of their interactions with customers, it would be one of the most useful AI applications to date.
SoundHound AI has several clients in these industries performing trials of its software and developing use cases for it. Investors will need to keep an eye on this: If the company's services prove to be a hit with large organizations, those types of contracts could take off and send the stock soaring.
Even with many trials underway, SoundHound AI's revenue rose 45% year over year to $62 million in Q2. The company is nowhere near profitable, but it has plenty of cash on the books to keep its operations going while it works its way toward that goal. There's a viable enough business model here that it should be able to raise capital to continue operations if it needs to, so investors shouldn't worry about SoundHound AI running out of funding.
The question is, how long will it be before SoundHound AI's software really takes off in the marketplace? That's the real unknown with the stock. Moreover, it could still lose out to another AI company's rival voice-interface offering. This makes SoundHound AI a high-risk, high-potential reward stock, but the stock is priced about right for that.
SoundHound AI trades for less than 15 times sales, which isn't a bad price to pay for a company growing this fast in a market that's potentially huge.
I'm not sure if SoundHound AI stock can double over the next year, but if sales of its software start to take off, I think it has a strong chance to soar. Otherwise, it may hang out in the sub-$10 range for the foreseeable future.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $445,833!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,402,153!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 993% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 214% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 4, 2026.
Keithen Drury has positions in SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

SoundHound's Business Is Booming. Can the $7 Stock Double by September 2027?

Key Points
SoundHound AI's stock is heavily shorted due to its pending acquisition of troubled Liveperson.
The company is growing quickly and has a big opportunity with its new voice-native agentic AI orchestration platform.
With about 40% short interest, SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is one of the most shorted stocks in the market. The company has been growing its revenue quickly, but a pending merger with troubled LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN) has investors betting against the stock. However, heavy short interest is a double-edged sword.
If a stock has high short interest, there is usually a bearish case to be made against it. In the case of SoundHound AI, its merger with LivePerson will bring considerable debt and a business currently in decline. There is also a good chance that SoundHound AI will seek a future equity raise to pay off the debt it is taking on as part of the deal, as it has stated it will work to quickly retire the debt through a combination of cash and stock.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The flip side is that heavily shorted stocks can see huge short squeezes if they can prove the skeptics wrong. With LivePerson, SoundHound AI is gaining access to a large, established, albeit declining, customer base, especially in call centers and the customer service space.
Its goal will be to retain these customers and switch them to its more comprehensive and higher-priced AI voice technology and agentic AI platform. If the company can stabilize churn and upsell customers, this deal could be a huge boon for this growth stock.
SoundHound AI's core business, meanwhile, continues to perform well, and it's already shown it can integrate acquisitions well. Its earlier purchase of Amelia and its virtual agents helped it expand into new market verticals and provided key technology for its new voice-native agentic AI orchestration platform, OASYS.
The company has said that the launch of OASYS has increased excitement and accelerated deals, and that it is winning in demos, RFPs (requests for proposals), and pilots. The platform's ability to build AI agents and self-improve has been a big selling point, and it has been seeing pilots convert to large implementations at a record pace. Management noted that the platform has seen rapid adoption across verticals since its May launch, including a large eight-figure deal signed in less than 90 days after the initial demo.
Overall for Q2, SoundHound AI saw its revenue climb 45% to $61.9 million. However, the company does remain unprofitable, with an adjusted loss of $0.02 and negative adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $9.6 million. Its gross margin rose 610 basis points year over year to 45.1%, while its adjusted gross margins were flat year over year at 58.4%. It said acquisitions continued to have a temporary impact on its gross margins and that its goal is to still exceed 70% in the future.
Looking ahead, the company raised the low end of its full-year revenue guidance to $230 million to $260 million. That's up from a prior outlook of $225 million to $260 million. It is expecting its acquisition of LivePerson to close by the end of the year. If it does, it is projected to generate at least $350 million of revenue in 2027.
Is the stock a buy or sell?
SoundHound AI's stock has struggled over the past year, with its shares cut in half. However, the stock is still not cheap, trading at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of over 12 times current-year estimates. With the company not profitable and burning cash, that alone makes it a more speculative bet. The acquisition of LivePerson, meanwhile, adds some additional risk.
That said, the company has shown it can do a good job integrating acquisitions, and it has a huge opportunity with OASYS, both with existing customers and the ones it is acquiring from LivePerson.
Despite the huge short interest, I think investors can place a small speculative bet that SoundHound AI can pull this deal off, given the early momentum it has been seeing with OASYS.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $446,157!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,377,357!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 983% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
Geoffrey Seiler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

With Nearly 40% Short Interest, Is SoundHound Stock a Buy or Sell?

The Zacks-defined Computers – IT Services industry has been benefiting from the ongoing digitization efforts globally. Robust spending on cloud, Internet of Things, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is driving industry-wide growth.
We have narrowed our search to three stocks from the industry with a favorable Zacks Rank. These are: Vertiv Holdings Co. VRT, SoundHound AI Inc. SOUN and Genpact Ltd. G. Each of our picks currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The chart below shows the price performance of our three picks year to date.
Vertiv Holdings Co.
Zacks Rank #2 VERTIV has been benefiting from demand for AI infrastructure, expanding data center complexity and continued investment in capacity and technology. Management emphasized that AI and general compute demand are driving larger and more infrastructure-intensive deployments. VRT’s power, cooling and services portfolio positions it to support next-generation data center expansion.
Rising Power and Thermal Requirements for AI Data Centers
VRT is focused on evolving power architectures as AI workloads require greater density. The company is developing solutions supporting multiple architectures, including 800-volt DC systems, while continuing to serve traditional AC-based deployments.
Vertiv is working with NVIDIA Corp. NVDA and VisionBay AI on AI data center deployments in Taiwan, including power, thermal and services solutions for NVIDIA GB300 systems. VRT said that these projects demonstrate demand for higher-density infrastructure.
Vertiv also emphasized thermal management capabilities, including liquid cooling and closed-loop cooling systems designed to reduce water usage in data center operations. Management said that these solutions expand its differentiation in long-term infrastructure services.
Strong Guidance
For the third quarter of 2026, VRT expects net sales of $3.65 billion to $3.85 billion and adjusted earnings of $1.77 to $1.83 per share. Adjusted operating profit is projected to be between $898 million and $938 million, with an adjusted operating margin of 24% to 25%.
For 2026, net sales are now forecast in the range of $13.8 billion to $14.2 billion, up $250 million at the midpoint from the prior guidance. Adjusted earnings are projected in the range of $6.65 to $6.75 per share, while adjusted operating profit is expected between $3.29 billion and $3.37 billion. Adjusted free cash flow guidance was raised to $2.4 billion-$2.6 billion.
Solid Estimate Revisions
Vertiv has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 36.6% and 58.1%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 3.6% over the last 30 days.
VRT has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 29.2% and 33.9%, respectively, for the next year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for next year’s earnings has improved 3.3% over the last 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Robust Price Upside Potential
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms represents an increase of 31.8% from the last closing price of $257.08. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $245-$412. This indicates a maximum upside of 60.2% and a downside of 4.7%.
SoundHound AI Inc.
SoundHound has seen record-high revenue growth in the last reported quarter driven by accelerating enterprise adoption of its OASYS agentic AI platform. SOUN’s expanding enterprise customer base, leadership in voice and agentic AI and debt-free balance sheet support its long-term growth outlook.
Growing Adoption of Conversational and Agentic AI
SOUN is benefiting from the rising enterprise adoption of conversational and agentic AI as businesses increasingly automate customer interactions across voice, chat and digital channels. The company has expanded beyond its traditional automotive business into restaurants, retail, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, energy and other enterprise verticals, creating multiple long-term growth avenues.
One of the industry's most differentiated independent voice AI platforms has been built by SOUN with nearly two decades of research and development. Its proprietary Speech-to-Meaning and Deep Meaning Understanding technologies enable faster, more accurate conversational AI than traditional speech-to-text architectures.
SOUN’s technology is now backed by more than 400 patents, while OASYS combines capabilities from SoundHound and acquired businesses into a unified platform for conversational and agentic AI. Currently, SOUN carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Strong Guidance
SoundHound AI raised its full-year 2026 revenue outlook to $230 - $260 million following strong second-quarter results.
Strong Estimate Revisions
SoundHound AI has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 41% and -23.1%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 11.1% over the last 30 days.
SOUN has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 14.6% and 14.7%, respectively, for the next year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for next year’s earnings has improved 13.3% over the last 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Huge Price Upside Potential
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms represents an increase of 68.8% from the last closing price of $7.11. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $7-$16. This indicates a maximum upside of 125% and a downside of 1.6%.
Genpact Ltd.
Genpact is poised for growth with AI-driven solutions, including the Digital Smart Enterprise Process (SEP) approach and Genpact Cora platform, which are accelerating clients’ digital transformations. Genpact combines process expertise with analytics, digital technology and consulting across mission-critical workflows, which supports client acquisition and broader account penetration.
AI-Led Mix Shift
Genpact’s Agentic Operations strategy extends its long-standing process expertise into data, AI, digital technology, advisory and agentic solutions. Management expects this business to grow at least 25% in 2026. Agentic Solutions are on track to exceed $1 billion of total contract value in 2026.
G’s Digital SEP is a patented approach to enhance the performance of clients’ business processes using AI. Digital SEPs decrease inefficiency and improve process quality using AI, advanced domain-specific digital technologies, Lean Six Sigma methodologies, and experience-centric principles.
Genpact Cora is an automation-to-AI-based platform that combines the company’s proprietary automation, analytics and AI technologies into a single common platform, accelerating clients’ digital transformations. We believe that G is well-positioned to take advantage of future AI advancements.
Strong Guidance
For the third quarter, Genpact expects revenues of $1.369-$1.382 billion. Adjusted earnings are projected at $1.04-$1.05 per share. For 2026, Genpact continues to expect reported revenue growth of at least 7%. Using the provided year-ago sales figure of $5.08 billion, this implies revenues of at least $5.44 billion.
The company also raised adjusted diluted earnings growth guidance to at least 12%. Its outlook reconciliation indicates adjusted earnings of $4.09 per share. Genpact expects a 36.5% gross margin and a 17.7% adjusted operating margin for the year.
Solid Estimate Revisions
Genpact has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 7% and 12.6%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 1.5% over the last 30 days.
G has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 7.1% and 9.5%, respectively, for the next year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for next year’s earnings has improved 1.4% over the last 30 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Impressive Price Upside Potential
The short-term average price target of brokerage firms represents an increase of 10.9% from the last closing price of $38.02. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $31-$58. This indicates a maximum upside of 52.6% and a downside of 18.4%.
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Buy 3 Computers IT Services Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns

SoundHound (NASDAQ: SOUN) is chasing a future where voice replaces more taps, apps, and screens. If its technology becomes the neutral interface inside cars, restaurants, and TVs, the opportunity could expand dramatically. But Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has a formidable advantage, making the battle over who controls the next digital interface critical for SoundHound investors.
Stock prices used were the market prices of Aug. 14, 2026. The video was published on Aug. 23, 2026.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $431,488!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,279,584!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 958% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 25, 2026.
Rick Orford has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick Orford is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through their link, they will earn some extra money that supports their channel. Their opinions remain their own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.

SoundHound's Powerful No-Screen AI Opportunity Faces a High-Stakes Fight

Key Points
Nebius Group N.V. provides a full-stack infrastructure platform for AI development and reported over 350% revenue growth in fiscal year 2025.
SoundHound AI offers an independent voice AI platform with major commercial partnerships across the automotive and restaurant industries.
Which of these high-growth technology stocks offers the best opportunity for your portfolio in 2026?
As the race for artificial intelligence dominance intensifies in 2026, investors are weighing the infrastructure-heavy approach of Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ:NBIS) against the software-driven model of SoundHound AI Inc (NASDAQ:SOUN).
Nebius provides the physical and digital foundation for companies to build AI models, while SoundHound focuses on conversational interfaces for consumer-facing businesses. Both are high-growth players, but they carry vastly different financial profiles and operational risks.
The case for Nebius Group N.V.
Nebius operates an Amsterdam-based cloud platform designed to support every stage of the artificial intelligence development cycle. The company provides infrastructure for data processing and model training for clients in fields like healthcare and financial services. The company reports over 1,300 employees and serves AI builders and enterprises across media, entertainment, and retail segments.
In FY 2025, revenue reached nearly $529.8 million, representing a significant year-over-year increase of roughly 350%. The company reported net income of close to $101.7 million for the same period. This resulted in a net margin of approximately 19.2%, demonstrating the company's ability to generate profit as it scales its cloud footprint. The company moved from a net loss of $641.4 million in fiscal year 2024 to profitability of $101 million in 2025.
As of its December 2025 balance sheet, the debt-to-equity ratio, which compares total debt to shareholder equity, is approximately 1.1x. The so-called current ratio, a measure of a company's ability to cover short-term debts with short-term assets, stands at roughly 3.1x. Free cash flow was approximately negative $3.7 billion. Note that stock-based compensation (SBC) accounted for roughly 21.6% of operating cash flow, which inflates reported cash generation, as SBC is a non-cash expense added back in the cash flow statement.
The case for SoundHound AI
SoundHound AI is a leader among tech stocks providing voice-enabled solutions that allow businesses to add conversational interfaces to their products. The company has secured significant commercial agreements, including an expanded partnership with Casey's to deploy voice ordering across 2,600 convenience stores. In its latest annual report, filed as the 2025 Form 10-K, the company reported approximately 809 global employees as of the end of the calendar year.
In FY 2025, SoundHound generated revenue of approximately $168.9 million, marking a year-over-year increase of nearly 100%. While the company is still scaling, its net loss narrowed to roughly $14.0 million from a much larger loss in the previous fiscal year. Revenue grew from $84.7 million in FY 2024, demonstrating the rapid adoption of its voice-enabled artificial intelligence platform and a net margin of negative 8.3%.
As of its December 2025 balance sheet, SoundHound maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.0x, meaning it carries no debt relative to its equity. Its so-called current ratio of 4.6x is very high, providing a substantial cushion to fund its ongoing operations and acquisitions. Free cash flow, the cash a company generates after subtracting capital expenditures from its operational cash flow, was negative $103.1 million for the year.
Risk profile comparison
Nebius faces significant risks related to its capital-intensive business model, as building and maintaining global AI data centers requires billions of dollars. The company must compete against massive incumbents like Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) that have significantly deeper pockets and established customer bases. Furthermore, its rapid revenue growth may be difficult to sustain as the market for specialized AI cloud services matures.
SoundHound faces legal exposure, including a class action lawsuit in California regarding alleged unauthorized recording of customer phone calls. The company also relies heavily on an acquisition-led growth strategy, which carries the risk of integration challenges if it cannot successfully merge companies like LivePerson Inc (NASDAQ:LPSN) into its core business. Finally, SoundHound competes with the integrated voice assistants developed by tech giants such as Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL).
Valuation comparison
SoundHound AI currently offers a lower P/S ratio, while neither business has a forward price-to-earnings ratio (forward P/E) because they are not expected to turn a profit in the coming year.
Metric
Nebius Group N.V.
SoundHound AI
Forward P/E
n/a
n/a
P/S ratio
43.8x
14.5x
Valuation metrics sourced from Financial Modeling Prep (FMP) and may differ from other data providers.
Which stock would I buy in 2026?
AI is suddenly so ubiquitous in our everyday lives and so popular in the stock market that it can be difficult to gauge long-term prospects for related stocks.
Nebius Group, N.V. is a newcomer to AI. It used to be part of the Russian Internet giant Yandex. It was split from Yandex to separate the Russian (Yandex) parts of the business from the non-Russian (Nebius) parts. That left Nebius with a lot of cash and a few unconnected businesses. Just last year, Nebius decided to go all-in on AI, electing to use its large cash pile to buy up thousands of top-tier chips from Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and turn itself into a hyperscaler. The audacious move paid off, with annual sales topping $500 million last year. The year prior, before it dove into AI, it sold less than a fifth of that.
To SoundHound AI's benefit, it's the more established business of the two, having been involved in speech recognition since being founded in 2005. In the past year, the company has chalked up impressive results, including counting 12 of the world's 15 largest banks, 4 of the 5 largest automakers, and 4 of the 5 largest airlines among its customers.
It's fair to question what competitive moat an AI speech recognition business has in an age where AI's capabilities are growing by leaps and bounds. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that larger competitors like Alphabet or Apple could take over the speech recognition space by leveraging their massive war chests and the popularity of their other products.
If you can justify NBIS's very high valuation and believe AI is a long-term, transformational technology, then Nebius Group and its aggressive push to be counted among the giants of AI make it the choice. The lessons of AI, so far, are that size matters.
Should you buy stock in Nebius Group right now?
Before you buy stock in Nebius Group, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nebius Group wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $431,488!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,279,584!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 958% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 25, 2026.
Brendan Coffey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Nebius Group N.V. vs. SoundHound AI: Which AI Stock Will Bring You Profits in 2026 and Beyond?

Key Points
SoundHound AI stock has dropped by 30% in 2026, but its growth rate remains impressive.
The company is pulling the right strings to ensure that it keeps growing at a healthy pace over the long run.
Analysts are underestimating SoundHound's growth potential, so don't be surprised if the stock steps on the gas due to better-than-expected results.
Shares of SoundHound AI (NASDAQ:SOUN) have slipped close to 30% in 2026, as of this writing, but the provider of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) solutions received a major shot in the arm this month following the release of its second-quarter results on Aug. 5.
SoundHound AI stock popped more than 10% the day following its earnings release. The company increased its full-year guidance owing to the growing traction of Oasys, which it claims is the world's first self-learning agentic AI platform that helps customers build and deploy AI agents that can evaluate and improve on their own.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
We will take a closer look at SoundHound's prospects in this article and see why this fast-growing tech company could significantly enhance investors' wealth through the end of the decade.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
SoundHound AI is targeting lucrative markets
SoundHound AI reported a 45% year-over-year increase in Q2 revenue to $62 million. The company noted on theearnings callthat its revenue in the previous quarter was 10x higher than in the same quarter four years ago, underscoring how quickly it has been growing.
The good news for SoundHound investors is that the conversational AI market it operates in is estimated to grow at an annual pace of 24% through 2033, according to Grand View Research. The market size is estimated to jump from $17.7 billion in 2026 to nearly $79 billion by the end of the forecast period.
SoundHound's growth rate suggests that it is cornering a bigger share of this market. Importantly, the company's acquisitions and product development moves should ideally ensure it continues to gain share in this fast-growing niche. SoundHound management noted in its recent press release that the enterprise adoption of Oasys is playing a central role in boosting growth.
SoundHound management points out that it "signed an eight-figure commitment in less than 90 days from the initial demo to contract signature," which is impressive, given that Oasys was launched just three months ago. It is easy to see why Oasys has gained significant traction in the market. The agentic AI platform can be deployed in call centers, vehicle infotainment systems, restaurants, hospitality, retail, drive-thru chains, and other applications.
SoundHound believes Oasys could help it capitalize on the overall agentic AI software market, which the company notes could be worth a whopping $1 trillion in 2030, according to Gartner. In all, SoundHound is poised to capitalize on two durable catalysts: conversational AI and agentic AI.
Importantly, the company is focused on expanding its wings further in conversational AI with the acquisition of LivePerson, which it expects to close by the end of 2026. LivePerson seems like an ideal fit for SoundHound, as it enables enterprise customers to build conversational AI solutions, such as voice assistants, and helps them stay in touch with their clients across various channels.
SoundHound's acquisition of LivePerson should unlock another major growth opportunity for the company, enabling it to target the lucrative cloud communications market. Mordor Intelligence estimates that the cloud communications market could grow from $23.5 billion in 2026 to $45.6 billion in 2031.
In all, it is easy to see why analysts have become bullish about SoundHound's growth prospects for 2026 and 2027.
However, they seem to be underestimating its growth potential. SoundHound expects $245 million in revenue in 2026 at the midpoint of its guidance range. That would be a 45% jump over last year. Also, the forecast for 2027 points toward a significant slowdown in growth, which seems unlikely considering SoundHound's expansionary moves, growing customer base, and the secular growth of the conversational AI market.
Stronger growth should send this stock soaring by the end of the decade
We have seen that SoundHound AI is outpacing the 24% annual growth rate projected for the conversational AI market. Also, the company's foray into the cloud communications space is another reason why we can expect it to easily outperform consensus expectations over the long run.
Assuming SoundHound's revenue grows at 45% between 2027 and 2030 (in line with its projected growth in 2026), its top line could reach $1.1 billion by the end of the decade. If this AI stock trades at 8 times sales at that time, almost in line with the U.S. tech sector's average sales multiple, its market cap could reach $8.8 billion.
That's 2.8x SoundHound's current market cap, which will be enough for this tech stock to reach a price of $20 by 2030. So, investors looking to buy and hold a top AI stock for the long run can consider adding SoundHound to their portfolios, considering its healthy upside potential.
Should you buy stock in SoundHound AI right now?
Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $431,488!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,279,584!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 958% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 25, 2026.
Harsh Chauhan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends SoundHound AI. The Motley Fool recommends Gartner. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

SoundHound AI, Inc.

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