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Snowflake vs. DELL: Which AI Infrastructure Stock Has the Edge?

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Key Takeaways

  • Snowflake added 740 customers in Q4 FY26 as AI products drove higher platform adoption.
  • DELL closed $64.1B in AI orders in FY26 and exited with a record $43B AI backlog.
  • DELL shares surged 89.1% YTD while SNOW fell 25.1% amid AI cost and margin pressures.

Snowflake (SNOW - Free Report) and Dell Technologies (DELL - Free Report) are major players in the AI Infrastructure space. While Snowflake focuses on cloud data platforms and AI-powered analytics, Dell Technologies is expanding aggressively into AI infrastructure, servers, and enterprise AI deployments.

Snowflake or Dell Technologies— Which of these AI Infrastructure stocks has the greater upside potential? Let’s find out.

The Case for SNOW Stock

SNOW is benefiting from strong adoption and increasing usage of its platform, as reflected by the net revenue retention rate of 125% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. In the same quarter, Snowflake added 740 net new customers, up 40% year over year. The company now has 733 customers spending more than $1 million annually, up 27% year over year, and 56 customers spending more than $10 million annually, up 56% year over year.

The company’s AI-driven products, particularly Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex Code, have been a major growth driver. In 2026, Snowflake Intelligence, which provides enterprise-grade agent capabilities, has been adopted by more than 2,500 accounts within just three months of its launch, nearly doubling quarter over quarter. Cortex Code, a transformational coding agent, has been embraced by more than 4,400 customers, enabling faster development and deployment of AI-powered applications.

SNOW’s expanding portfolio has been noteworthy. In April 2026, Snowflake announced major updates to Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex Code, advancing its vision of becoming the control plane for the agentic enterprise. These enhancements enable businesses to connect data, tools, and AI systems seamlessly, allowing intelligent agents to automate workflows and deliver deeper, context-driven insights. The updates also expand AI-powered development capabilities, helping organizations build, manage and scale enterprise AI directly within their existing ecosystems.

Snowflake’s rich partner base and an innovative portfolio are expected to drive the company’s top-line growth. For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Snowflake expects product revenues in the range of $1.262-$1.267 billion. The projection range indicates year-over-year growth of 27%.

The Case for DELL Stock

Dell Technologies is benefiting from surging demand for AI infrastructure, which has become a major growth driver for the company. For fiscal 2026, the company recorded revenues of $113.5 billion, up 19% year-over-year. The robust growth in AI-related orders and shipments largely drove this performance.

Dell Technologies’ AI business is booming. In fiscal 2026, the company closed $64.1 billion in AI orders, shipped $25.2 billion and exited the year with a record $43 billion in AI backlog. The fiscal fourth quarter alone saw $34.1 billion in AI orders and $9.5 billion in AI server shipments. DELL’s AI customer base surpassed 4,000, with strong growth across neoclouds, sovereigns, and enterprise customers.

DELL also saw strong momentum during the fiscal fourth quarter alone, securing $34.1 billion in AI orders and $9.5 billion in AI server shipments. Dell Technologies expects AI revenue to double to $50 billion in fiscal 2027, supported by its substantial backlog and ongoing customer demand. The company is also investing in next-generation technologies such as the Vera Rubin architecture and expects a smoother transition and continued margin stability as these new platforms ramp up.

Dell Technologies' strong execution, record AI backlog and growing pipeline suggest that the company is well-positioned for continued upside as AI infrastructure demand grows. For the first quarter of fiscal 2027, revenues are expected to be between $34.7 billion and $35.7 billion, with the mid-point of $35.2 billion suggesting 51% year-over-year growth.

Price Performance and Valuation of SNOW and DELL

In the year-to-date period, SNOW shares have plunged 25.1%, underperforming DELL’s shares, which have surged 89.1%. The outperformance of DELL can be attributed to strong demand for AI servers, driven by ongoing digital transformation and heightened interest in generative AI applications. 

SNOW shares have declined as the company’s free cash flow margin faced a 150-basis-point headwind in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 due to the Observe acquisition. Stiff competition also remains a concern. Snowflake’s margins are impacted by the lower margin profile of new AI products and potential infrastructure costs associated with supporting AI-driven initiatives.

SNOW and DELL Stock Performance

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

SNOW shares are currently overvalued, as suggested by a Value Score of F. DELL shares are cheap, as suggested by a Value Score of B.

In terms of forward 12-month Price/Sales, SNOW shares are trading at 9X, higher than DELL’s 1.08X.

SNOW and DELL Valuation

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

How Do Earnings Estimates Compare for SNOW & DELL?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SNOW’s fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $1.81 per share, which has remained unchanged over the past 30 days. This indicates a 44.80% increase year over year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DELL’s fiscal 2027 earnings is pegged at $12.83 per share, which has increased by a penny over the past 30 days. This indicates a 24.56% increase year over year.

Conclusion

While both SNOW and DELL stand to benefit from the AI infrastructure boom, DELL’s stronger earnings momentum, diversified growth drivers and consistent performance suggest it may offer greater upside potential in the near term.

Despite SNOW’s robust portfolio, challenging macroeconomic uncertainties, rising AI costs and stiff competition from hyperscale cloud providers remain headwinds. Stretched valuation remains a concern.

Snowflake and DELL carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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