Is AI stock a buy right now?

Is AI worth buying right now? That depends on your goals and timeline, and we don't make that call for anyone. What we can do is lay out the evidence investors usually weigh. Of 22 Wall Street analysts covering AI, 1 rate it a buy, 9 a hold and 12 a sell — a consensus of Sell.

Below, we look at where the stock trades today, what Wall Street analysts think, how the valuation compares with similar companies and what the company's insiders have been doing with their own shares.

The chart below tracks AI's daily closing price from April 29, 2026 to Oct. 23, 2026. Over that stretch it is up 40.6%, from $8.86 to $12.46, with a high of $12.46 on Oct. 23, 2026 and a low of $8.15 on July 23, 2026. Each red circle marks a week in which company insiders sold shares on the open market (13 weeks in this period; bigger circles mean more money). There are no green diamonds: no insider bought on the open market in this window.

Where AI trades today

$12.46 at the Oct. 23, 2026 close: 32.1% from the 52-week high of $18.36 and 60.6% above the 52-week low of $7.76. One month: +15.8%; three months: +41.3%.

What analysts say about AI

Of 22 Wall Street analysts covering AI, 1 rate it a buy, 9 a hold and 12 a sell — a consensus of Sell. Ratings are little changed over three months.

AI valuation in one line

AI trades at no P/E (the company is not profitable over the last 12 months), 8.31× sales, revenue -37.5% year over year (latest quarter Jul 2026).

Also worth knowing about AI

Live AI data, updated every 30 minutes: AI insider trades, ownership and filings →

What would change the picture for AI

These are the specific events and levels to watch. None of them is a prediction.

• The Dec. 2, 2026 earnings report (38 days away). C3.ai, Inc. beat estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters (average surprise +7.7%); a miss would break that pattern.
• An open-market purchase by an insider at C3.ai, Inc.. There has been none in 90 days; Form 4 filings would show one within two business days of the trade.
• Analyst ratings: the average score moved from 2.36 to 2.36 over three months (on a scale where 5 is strong buy and 1 is strong sell). A run of downgrades after earnings usually shows up here first.
• Price levels: a close above $18.36 would be a new 52-week high, 47.4% above the latest close of $12.46; a close below $7.76 would be a new 52-week low, 37.7% below it.
• Growth: revenue fell 37.5% year over year in the quarter ending Jul 2026 (trend: slowing).
• New shares: dilution risk is high now. A new shelf registration (S-3) or a prospectus supplement (424B) for an offering would raise it.

How AI compares with its peers

Over the past month AI ranks 1 of 4 in this group (+15.8%); the best was AI (+15.8%) and the weakest SOUN (-27.4%).

A dash in the P/E column means the company lost money over the last 12 months, so it has no P/E.

AI history: what happened after similar moves

Since 2023, AI rose 15.8% or more in a month 12 times (separate episodes, not counting the current one). Three months later it was higher in 2 of 11 cases; the median change was -9.1%.

Past moves don't predict the next one; they show how volatile the stock has been.

Questions people also ask

What is AI's 52-week high and low?

Over the past year AI closed as high as $18.36 and as low as $7.76. At $12.46 (Oct. 23, 2026) it is down 32.1% from the high and 60.6% above the low.

When does C3.ai, Inc. report earnings next?

The next report is expected on Dec. 2, 2026, 38 days from now. C3.ai, Inc. beat the average estimate in 3 of its last 4 reports.

Who is the largest shareholder of AI?

Among investment managers that file Form 13F, BlackRock Inc. reported the largest AI position ($129.6 million). 318 institutions reported holding AI for Q2 2026.

Are AI insiders buying or selling?

Insiders sold $17.1 million of AI on the open market in 90 days and bought none. Sales are often routine (taxes, diversification, pre-planned plans); purchases with their own money are the stronger signal.

Does AI pay a dividend?

C3.ai, Inc. reported no dividend payments over the last 12 months in its SEC filings.

Is C3.ai, Inc. issuing new shares?

Dilution risk reads high (60/100); the share count rose 14.5% in a year.

Dates to watch for AI

Insider trades can come any day: they must be filed on Form 4 within two business days.

Key terms on this page

P/E ratio

Price divided by the last 12 months of earnings per share. A P/E of 20 means investors pay $20 for each $1 of yearly profit. It is only defined when the company is profitable.

Price-to-sales

Market value divided by the last 12 months of revenue. Useful for companies with little or no profit, but it ignores margins.

Form 4

The SEC form a company's officers, directors and 10% owners must file within two business days of buying or selling its stock.

Open-market trade

A purchase or sale on the exchange at the market price, paid with the insider's own money (code P or S on Form 4), as opposed to option exercises, grants or gifts.

Form 13F

A quarterly SEC report listing the U.S. stock holdings of every investment manager with more than $100 million. It is due 45 days after each quarter ends, so it shows positions with a delay.

Dilution

When a company issues new shares, each existing share owns a smaller piece of the company. Common sources: stock offerings, convertible debt and large stock-based pay.

52-week high / low

The highest and lowest daily closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days).

Where these numbers come from

Every number on this page is computed from the data when the page is refreshed (usually daily); nothing is typed in by hand. This is information, not investment advice.

• Price: daily closing prices through Oct. 23, 2026; changes use 5, 21 and 63 trading days; the 52-week range uses the last 252 closes.
• Insider trades: SEC Form 4 filings for the last 90 days, counting only open-market purchases (code P) and sales (code S); option exercises, grants, gifts and filings with data errors are left out.
• Analyst ratings: counts of current ratings from 22 analysts, compared with three months ago.
• Earnings dates and estimates: a market-data calendar; reported vs expected EPS for the last 4 quarters.
• Valuation and growth: revenue, earnings, margins and share counts from the company's SEC filings (XBRL data, latest quarter Jul 2026); P/E and price/sales use the latest close.
• Fund ownership: SEC Form 13F filings for Q2 2026.
• Dilution: share-count changes and offering-related SEC filings (shelf registrations, prospectus supplements, convertible notes) over two years, scored 0-100.
• History: 21-trading-day moves over about three years of daily closes, counted once per episode.