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Buy 2 AI-Powered Technology Services Stocks to Tap Lucrative Upside

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Key Takeaways

  • AppLovin's AXON 2.0 and Audience platforms are accelerating growth across gaming and e-commerce.
  • APP is projected to grow earnings by 84.8% this year, with a potential price upside of up to 90.3%.
  • DUOL's AI tools like Birdbrain and LLMs enhance learning, suggesting 54.3% earnings growth this year.

The technology services industry is mature, with demand for services in good shape. Revenues, income and cash flows are anticipated to gradually returned to the pre-pandemic levels, enabling most industry players to pay out stable dividends. As a result, the industry flourished in 2024. The momentum gathered more pace in the first half of 2025. 

The Zacks-defined Technology Services industry currently ranks within the top 16% of Zacks Ranked Industries. Consequently, we expect it to outperform the market over the next three to six months. We recommend two artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology services bigwigs with a top Zacks Rank and solid price upside in the short term. 

These two stocks are: AppLovin Corp. (APP - Free Report) and Duolingo Inc. (DUOL - Free Report) . Each of our picks currently 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.

Technology Services Industry Thriving

The global shift toward digitization creates opportunities in various markets, including 5G, blockchain and AI. Companies are adopting generative AI, machine language (ML), blockchain and data science faster to gain a competitive advantage. 

The business software industry is gaining from robust demand for multi-cloud-enabled software solutions, given the ongoing transition from legacy platforms to modern cloud-based infrastructure. 

Industry players are incorporating AI and ML into their applications to achieve more dynamic and result-oriented outcomes. Elevated demand for enterprise software, which is ramping up productivity and improving the decision-making process, is a key catalyst. 

AppLovin Corp.

Zacks Rank #1 AppLovin is engaged in building a software-based platform for mobile app developers to enhance the marketing and monetization of their apps in the United States and internationally. APP provides a technology platform that enables developers to market, monetize, analyze and publish their apps. 

AppLovin’s last reported financial results demonstrate its strong fundamentals and growth potential. The introduction of APP’s AI-powered AXON 2.0 technology and strategic expansion in gaming studios have significantly boosted revenue growth. APP’s AI-enabled Audience+ marketing platform is also increasing its reach into the direct-to-consumer and e-commerce space. 

Huge Price Upside Potential for APP Shares

The average short-term price target of brokerage firms represents an increase of 37% from the last closing price of $341.64. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $200-$650. This indicates a maximum upside of 90.3% and a downside of 41.5%.

AppLovin has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 16% and 84.8%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.1% in the last seven days. 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Duolingo Inc.

Zacks Rank #2 Duolingo operates as a mobile learning platform in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and internationally. DUOL offers courses in 40 different languages through the Duolingo app. Moreover, DUOL provides a digital language proficiency assessment exam.

Duolingo utilizes several AI applications to personalize and automate learning process, error analyzing and content creation. Its Birdbrain AI system analyze real-time user performance. DUOL uses OpenAI’s large language models for content creation. 

Solid Price Upside Potential for DUOL Stock

The average short-term price target of brokerage firms represents an increase of 24% from the last closing price of $391.86. The brokerage target price is currently in the range of $375-$600. This indicates a maximum upside of 53.1% and a downside of 4.3%.

DUOL has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 33.5% and 54.3%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 2.1% over the last 60 days.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research


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