Confluent Rides Kafka Momentum as Analysts Eye AI Tailwinds

Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ:CFLT) is one of the fastest-growing AI stocks to invest in now. On October 9, Citi’s Tyler Radke maintained Neutral on Confluent and raised the 12-month price target to $25 (from $20).

On September 30, Wells Fargo initiated coverage at Overweight with a $24 target under analyst Ryan Macwilliams. In press summaries of the initiation, Wells Fargo characterized Confluent as an “underappreciated AI beneficiary” and argued that DIY Kafka-based builds are often overstated as a cheaper alternative at scale.

Confluent, Inc. (NASDAQ:CFLT) was founded in 2014 by the original creators of Apache Kafka: Jay Kreps, Jun Rao, and Neha Narkhede, and provides a managed data-streaming platform (Confluent Cloud/Platform) widely used to move and process real-time event data that underpins analytics and AI workloads.

While we acknowledge the potential of CFLT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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Disclosure: None.