Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock has been upgraded to a “Buy” rating from “Hold” by HSBC analyst Frank Lee. The analyst also set a Street-High price target of $200 for AMD, implying an impressive 44.5% upside potential from current levels. Following the update, AMD stock is trending up 3% in pre-market trading at the time of writing.

Lee has become increasingly optimistic about AMD’s long-term growth potential and its improved market performance in the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and CPU (Central Processing Unit) markets. In May, the analyst upgraded AMD stock to “Hold” from “Sell,” citing the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) deal with Saudi Arabia and the easing of tariff tensions.

Although the four-star analyst has not provided exact reasons for his bullish view on AMD, Lee may have updated his outlook in anticipation of the company’s upcoming second-quarter results. AMD is set to release its Q2FY25 results after the market closes on August 5.

The Street expects AMD to report adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.49 on revenues of $7.41 billion. This represents a 29% year-over-year decline in adjusted EPS but a 27% increase in revenues compared to Q2FY24. Notably, AMD has exceeded earnings expectations in six of the last eight consecutive quarters.

AMD competes in the global chip market with its larger rival Nvidia (NVDA). The overall bullish sentiment surrounding the semiconductor and AI chip sectors pushed NVDA stock to a $4 trillion market capitalization yesterday, making it the first public company to reach this milestone. AMD is also benefiting from Nvidia’s strong stock performance.

Meanwhile, AMD is experiencing significant demand for its next-generation MI355 AI GPUs, X86-based Servers, personal computer CPUs, and custom SoCs (System on a Chip). This sustained demand momentum is helping AMD capture a larger market share in these areas, leading Wall Street to become more bullish about AMD’s stock performance as its earnings draw near.

Other analysts have also raised their price targets for AMD stock recently. For instance, Citi analyst Christopher Danely lifted his price target for AMD to $145 from $120, while Mizuho Securities analyst Vijay Rakesh raised his price target to $152 from $130.

Despite the bullish sentiment surrounding the semiconductor market, analysts remain divided on AMD’s long-term outlook. On TipRanks, AMD stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 25 Buys and 10 Hold ratings. Also, the average Advanced Micro Devices price target of $134.03 implies 3.2% downside potential from current levels. Year-to-date, AMD stock has gained 14.6%.

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