BNP Paribas Remains Bullish on Astera Labs and Credo Technologies
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 02 2026
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Should l Buy ALAB?
Source: seekingalpha
- Market Outlook Positive: BNP Paribas analyst Karl Ackerman stated that despite growing concerns regarding co-packaged optics, he remains bullish on Astera Labs and Credo Technologies, believing that 224G/lane copper interconnects will have a long runway over the next 3-4 years, with technological advancements potentially extending copper's lifespan to 448G/lane.
- Technological Advancement Potential: Ackerman noted that while 448G/lane copper interconnects are becoming feasible, the demand for 224G/lane copper interconnects remains strong, indicating that concerns for interconnect providers are exaggerated and that significant growth potential exists in the coming years.
- Increased Appeal of Optical Interconnects: As technology progresses, especially in rack-to-rack communications, 448G/lane co-packaged optical I/O may become more attractive, providing new market opportunities for related technology companies and further driving industry innovation.
- Investor Focus: Astera Labs is viewed as a potential leader in the AI sector, with market reactions to its long-term investment opportunities being overly pessimistic, suggesting that current market fluctuations present a good opportunity for long-term investors and reflecting confidence in the company.
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Analyst Views on ALAB
Wall Street analysts forecast ALAB stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
5 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 119.200
Low
155.00
Averages
206.18
High
250.00
Current: 119.200
Low
155.00
Averages
206.18
High
250.00
About ALAB
Astera Labs, Inc. is a global semiconductor company. The Company provides semiconductor-based connectivity solutions for cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. It has developed and deployed its Intelligent Connectivity Platform built from the ground up for cloud and AI infrastructure. Its Intelligent Connectivity Platform provides its customers with the ability to deploy and operate high-performance cloud and AI infrastructure at scale, addressing an increasingly diverse set of requirements. It provides its connectivity products in various form factors, including Integrated Circuits (ICs), boards, and modules. Its PCIe, CXL and Ethernet semiconductor-based connectivity solutions are purpose-built to unleash the potential of accelerated computing at cloud-scale. The Company’s products include Aries products, which include its COSMOS software suite; Taurus products, which are hardware modules based on its Taurus ICs; Leo products; and Scorpio products.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Credo Technology reported Q3 revenues of $407 million, reflecting a 51.9% sequential increase and a 201.5% year-over-year surge, indicating strong demand for its high-speed connectivity solutions, with expectations of tripling revenues by fiscal 2026, showcasing its competitive edge in a rapidly growing market.
- Margin Improvement: The non-GAAP gross margin rose to 68.6% from 63.8% a year ago, with non-GAAP net income hitting $208.8 million and a net margin of 51.3%, demonstrating ongoing improvements in cost control and profitability.
- Strong Cash Flow: The company generated $139.7 million in free cash flow during the third quarter, with total cash and equivalents reaching $1.3 billion, providing ample financial resources for product innovation and strategic acquisitions, thereby enhancing its market competitiveness.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Management anticipates over 50% year-over-year revenue growth for fiscal 2027, and as AI infrastructure rapidly scales, Credo's high-performance connectivity solutions are expected to remain in high demand, driving the company's long-term growth potential.
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- Market Decline: On Thursday, the S&P 500 Index fell by 0.56%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 1.61%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index decreased by 0.29%, reflecting heightened market concerns over inflation amid disruptions in energy markets due to the ongoing war in Iran.
- Surging Oil Prices: WTI crude oil prices soared over 8% to a 19.5-month high, exacerbating inflation fears and pushing bond yields higher, with the 10-year T-note yield rising to 4.15%, marking a three-week high.
- Supportive Economic Data: Despite the pressure on stocks, initial jobless claims in the US were lower than expected, indicating a resilient labor market, while Q4 nonfarm productivity rose by 2.8%, surpassing the expected 1.9%, providing some support to the market.
- Optimistic Earnings Outlook: With over 90% of S&P 500 companies reporting earnings, 73% exceeded expectations, and Q4 earnings growth is projected at 8.4%, highlighting that corporate profitability remains a crucial factor supporting the stock market.
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- Rating Upgrade: Loop Capital analyst Ananda Baruah initiated coverage on Astera Labs (NASDAQ:ALAB) with a Buy rating and a $250 price target, arguing that the company is uniquely positioned in the AI infrastructure boom; despite a 32% year-to-date decline, the stock is up 66% over the past 12 months, indicating an attractive investment opportunity.
- Market Positioning: Baruah emphasized that Astera Labs closely resembles a diversified AI-silicon pure play outside of Nvidia, addressing critical bottlenecks in AI servers and clusters, with solutions spanning nearly all major AI-silicon categories, including GPUs, Trainium, and TPUs.
- Customer Relationships: A key part of the bullish outlook is Astera's strong relationship with its largest customer, Amazon Web Services (AWS), with Baruah suggesting that AWS's internal usage targets for its Tranium 3 and Tranium 4 chips may significantly exceed market expectations, thereby driving Astera's growth.
- Analyst Consensus: Several analysts have recently expressed bullish sentiments towards ALAB, with Citigroup maintaining a Buy rating and slightly lowering the target to $250, while RBC Capital and Northland Capital Markets set targets of $225 and $195 respectively, reflecting growing confidence in Astera's prospects.
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- Oil Price Surge Pressures Markets: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.67% as WTI crude prices surged over 6% to a 13.5-month high due to disruptions from the Iran war, exacerbating inflation concerns and weighing on stock performance.
- Positive Economic Data: Despite market pressures, initial jobless claims remained steady at 213,000, below the expected 215,000, indicating a resilient labor market, while Q4 nonfarm productivity rose by 2.8%, surpassing expectations of 1.9%, providing some support to the market.
- Optimistic Earnings Outlook: With over 90% of S&P 500 companies reporting, 73% exceeded expectations, and Q4 earnings growth is projected at 8.4%, reflecting strong corporate profitability that may support a market rebound in the future.
- Escalating Geopolitical Risks: Iran has pledged to escalate retaliation, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has tightened global oil supplies, pushing prices higher and leading to more cautious economic growth expectations in the market.
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- Tech Sector Recovery: The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) rose over 2%, with Salesforce up 5% and Microsoft and Oracle each gaining 1%, indicating a rebound in investor confidence towards tech companies previously impacted by AI fears, suggesting a potential improvement in market sentiment.
- Travel Stocks Surge: Expedia's shares jumped nearly 11% and Booking Holdings rose about 8% as OpenAI scaled back its direct shopping plans within ChatGPT, alleviating concerns over potential disruptions to booking sites, signaling a recovery in market confidence in the travel sector.
- Airline Stocks Under Pressure: United Airlines and Delta Air Lines saw their shares tumble 7% as oil prices resumed their ascent, with Southwest Airlines down over 6%, reflecting the direct impact of oil price volatility on the airline industry, which may lead to increased operating costs and profit compression.
- Victoria's Secret Plummets: The lingerie retailer's stock fell 15% after projecting free cash flow of $220 million to $250 million by January 2027, significantly below analysts' consensus estimate of $301.9 million, highlighting financial pressures and declining market confidence facing the company.
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- Oil Price Surge Pressures Markets: The S&P 500 Index is down 0.26% as WTI crude oil prices rise over 4% to an 8.5-month high due to disruptions from the Iran conflict, exacerbating inflation concerns and pressuring stock indices, particularly the Dow Jones which fell 0.80%.
- Economic Data Supports Stocks: Despite market pressures, initial jobless claims in the US remained unchanged at 213,000, slightly better than the expected 215,000, indicating a stronger labor market, while Q4 nonfarm productivity rose by 2.8%, surpassing expectations of 1.9%, providing some support to the market.
- Strong Corporate Earnings: With over 90% of S&P 500 companies reporting, 73% exceeded earnings expectations, and S&P earnings growth is projected to reach 8.4% for Q4, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth, which bolsters market sentiment.
- Geopolitical Tensions Affect Oil Supply: The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to Iranian threats has tightened global oil and gas supplies, impacting production in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which is expected to further elevate global fuel prices amidst rising geopolitical tensions.
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