3 AI-Related Stocks Worth a Closer Look After Pullbacks

Many AI-related stocks have seen major volatility in 2026, with several high-flying names pulling back sharply after huge runs earlier in the year.

Vertiv VRT, Applied Optoelectronics AAOI, and Innodata INOD are three notable examples, with each trading well below its respective 2026 high. Given that their underlying growth stories remain largely intact, the weakness could be creating some interesting opportunities.

Vertiv

Vertiv provides critical digital infrastructure for data centers, spanning power management, thermal management, liquid cooling, and other equipment increasingly important as AI workloads drive higher power densities.

The company’s latest results remained rock-solid, with sales climbing 24% YoY to $3.27 billion and adjusted EPS jumping 60%. Management also raised its full-year outlook, now expecting 30%-32% organic sales growth in 2026.

VRT shares have cooled considerably from their highs, but the fundamental picture remains constructive. Continued AI data center investment should support demand for the power and cooling infrastructure needed alongside GPUs.

Applied Optoelectronics

Applied Optoelectronics provides high-speed optical networking products used within data centers, giving it direct exposure to growing AI infrastructure demand.

Revenue throughout its latest quarter soared 86% YoY to $191.9 million, marking a fifth consecutive quarterly record. Data center revenue jumped more than 140%, while 800G volume more than doubled sequentially.

Management also expects demand for its 800G and 1.6T products to remain ahead of production capacity through the middle of 2027. Shares have fallen sharply from their 2026 peak, making the setup increasingly interesting for those comfortable with the stock’s elevated volatility.

Innodata

Innodata offers a different form of AI exposure, providing data engineering and AI services used in model development, training, and evaluation.

The company delivered record quarterly revenue of $92.1 million in its latest release, up 58% YoY, with adjusted EBITDA soaring 92%. Customer diversification has also improved, helping reduce one of the bigger concerns surrounding the story.

Management continues to expect at least 40% revenue growth in 2026, keeping the growth outlook highly bullish despite the stock’s major pullback from its highs.

Bottom Line

Vertiv VRT, Applied Optoelectronics AAOI, and Innodata INOD have all seen sizable pullbacks from their 2026 highs despite continued underlying growth.

Each offers exposure to a different part of the AI buildout, spanning power and cooling infrastructure, high-speed optical networking, and AI data services. The sharp resets don’t eliminate their risks, but they’ve certainly made all three more attractive than they were near their peaks.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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