LIVE
DOCN
DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. · Technology
$173.27
+15.50% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
AKAM
Akamai Technologies, Inc. · Technology
$124.91
-11.62% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
DOCN
2
AKAM
2
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
DOCN ✓50.6
AKAM 40.0
1Y Return
DOCN ✓+523.05%
AKAM +58.76%
Fwd P/E
DOCN 98.60
AKAM ✓18.70
Target Up.
DOCN +3.17%
AKAM ✓+19.33%
Op. Margin
DOCN N/A
AKAM 10.61%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
DOCN vs AKAM Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
DigitalOcean and Akamai are both cloud infrastructure companies in transition — DigitalOcean expanding from SMB IaaS to GPU cloud, and Akamai transitioning from mature CDN to security and cloud. Akamai is more profitable and has a stronger security growth story; DigitalOcean is growing from a smaller base with clearer SMB niche positioning.
Akamai's security-led transformation offers a more credible enterprise growth story than DigitalOcean's SMB cloud push — both are transitions, but Akamai's security segment traction is more proven.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
DOCN and AKAM are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. DOCN has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+523.05% vs +58.76%), though AKAM trades at the lower forward P/E (18.70x vs 98.60x). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for AKAM (+19.33%) than for DOCN (+3.17%).
Normalized 1Y performance
DOCN
AKAM
Recent returns
DOCN
AKAM
Analyst price targets & sentiment
DOCN · 13 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (1.7/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$135.00
analyst high$200.00
analyst mean$178.77
current price$173.27
+3.2% upside to analyst mean
AKAM
Price target range
analyst mean$159.30
current price$124.91
+19.3% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
DOCN may suit investors who:
- →want pure-play SMB cloud exposure at a lower valuation than large cloud operators
- →believe GPU cloud via Paperspace creates a new growth engine for AI workloads
- →value the simplicity positioning that large enterprise clouds cannot easily replicate
- →are comfortable with declining NRR while watching for a growth re-acceleration catalyst
AKAM may suit investors who:
- →want enterprise CDN and security exposure from the world's largest delivery network
- →value security segment growth (20%+) as a transition catalyst for a mature CDN company
- →prefer profitability and cash flow versus DigitalOcean's earlier-stage profitability trajectory
- →believe Akamai's network scale is a durable asset for security and cloud delivery
Performance & AI score
| Metric | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 50.6 | 40.0 |
| AI rank | #427 | #1109 |
| Latest close | $173.27 | $124.91 |
| 1M return | +15.50% | -11.62% |
| 6M return | +294.69% | +42.67% |
| 1Y return | +523.05% | +58.76% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $62.3K (+523.0%) started 2025-06-18 | $15.87K (+58.7%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $36.87K (+268.7%) started 2021-06-18 | $10.78K (+7.8%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $40.77K (+307.7%) started 2021-03-24 | $23.07K (+130.7%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $18.08B | $19.41B |
| Trailing P/E | 76.00 | 45.10 |
| Forward P/E | 98.60 | 18.70 |
| Price/Sales | 19.06 | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | 19.97 | 5.71 |
| Analyst target | $178.77 | $159.30 |
| Target upside | +3.17% | +19.33% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 22.40% | 5.80% |
| Earnings growth | -61.70% | -13.40% |
| EPS growth | -61.70% | -13.40% |
| FCF margin | +16.61% | +16.42% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 10.61% |
| Profit margin | 24.96% | 10.20% |
| ROIC proxy | 70.00% | 9.17% |
| Return on equity | 70.00% | 9.17% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | N/A |
| Beta | 1.57 | 0.60 |
| Debt/equity | 169.95 | 119.53 |
| Current ratio | 1.46 | 2.06 |
| Quick ratio | 1.31 | 1.75 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
DOCN max drawdown24.11%
AKAM max drawdown25.44%
DOCN max wkly drop20.42%
AKAM max wkly drop22.58%
5Y risk snapshot
DOCN max drawdown84.78%
AKAM max drawdown46.84%
DOCN max wkly drop29.16%
AKAM max wkly drop23.01%
10Y risk snapshot
DOCN max drawdown84.78%
AKAM max drawdown46.84%
DOCN max wkly drop29.16%
AKAM max wkly drop23.01%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +523.05% | +58.72% |
| CAGR | +523.83% | +58.82% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.58 | 1.04 | |
| Max drawdown | 24.11% | 25.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 13.28% | 16.66% | |
| Max wkly drop | 20.42% | 22.58% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +268.66% | +7.85% |
| CAGR | +29.82% | +1.53% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.66 | 0.10 | |
| Max drawdown | 84.78% | 46.84% | |
| Max daily drop | 24.79% | 21.73% | |
| Max wkly drop | 29.16% | 23.01% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +307.69% | +130.72% |
| CAGR | +30.80% | +8.72% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.67 | 0.29 | |
| Max drawdown | 84.78% | 46.84% | |
| Max daily drop | 24.79% | 21.73% | |
| Max wkly drop | 29.16% | 23.01% |
Business comparison
| Category | DOCN | AKAM |
|---|---|---|
| Company | DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. | Akamai Technologies, Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Technology |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | DigitalOcean is a cloud infrastructure provider for developers and SMBs, offering simplified compute, storage, and GPU cloud at transparent pricing. Its growth ambition is centered on serving the underserved SMB cloud market with products that are simpler than AWS but more powerful than shared hosting. | Akamai is the world's oldest and largest CDN and cloud delivery company, with a distributed network of 4,000+ servers in 130+ countries serving over 30% of global web traffic. Its traditional CDN business is mature but Akamai is transitioning into cloud computing (via Linode acquisition) and security (via Guardicore and other acquisitions). Security is now Akamai's fastest-growing segment at 20%+ annually. |
| Investor focus | Investors track NRR, customer growth, ARPU, and the GPU cloud ramp as the primary growth drivers for DigitalOcean's next phase. | Investors track security segment revenue growth, cloud computing revenue from Linode (rebranded Akamai Cloud), CDN revenue sustainability, and operating margin as the mix shifts toward higher-margin security software. |
DOCN strengths
- →Clear niche between hobbyist cloud and enterprise AWS pricing serving a large underserved market
- →Improving profitability trajectory with positive free cash flow
- →GPU cloud addressing growing SMB AI model training and inference demand
AKAM strengths
- →Largest global CDN network creating a structural delivery performance advantage
- →Security segment growing 20%+ including SASE, zero trust, and API security products
- →Predictable, recurring revenue from long-term enterprise CDN contracts provides an earnings floor
Risks to watch — DOCN
- →NRR declining — existing customers spending less, a challenge for a subscription-adjacent model
- →Core cloud IaaS market is commoditizing rapidly
- →Leadership has undergone multiple CEO changes creating strategy uncertainty
Risks to watch — AKAM
- →CDN is a mature, commoditizing business with ongoing pricing pressure from Cloudflare and AWS CloudFront
- →Cloud computing segment (Linode) competing against AWS and Azure is a long-shot market position
- →Transformation from CDN to security/cloud company is complex with significant investment required
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