While the coronavirus has had devastating consequences for many companies, the inverse is also true. Several names have grabbed on to COVID’s coattails and used it to post incredible growth in 2020.
None more so than Zoom Video Communications (ZM). The video conferencing platform has arguably been the pandemic’s main beneficiary and has become almost a consumer staple, serving everyone and everything from schools to small businesses to event hosting and online conferences.
But considering the stock has already surged by 721% so far this year, is it wise to take out a position right now? It is, according to BTIG analyst Matthew VanVliet.
After attending the company’s annual user conference, Zoomtopia, the analyst believes the growth story is set to continue.
“Overall the growth of the company has been unprecedented but as it expands well beyond a video-conferencing tool into a core human interaction platform forever augmenting how multi-modal interactions evolve into the future, the growth trajectory appears to only slow slightly,” VanVliet said. “While much of the legacy environment is simply treading water, Zoom is pushing the envelope on product innovation and what the future of work / re-opening will actually look like rather than trying to form-fit existing tech to previous issues, which we believe will help Zoom emerge as the leading video platform that is pervasive across the entire IT landscape.”
During the event, the company gave updates on its platform’s expansion, laid out its intentions for the next few years, including plans to improve long-term margins, and gave updates around Zoom Phone.
Zoom Phone, VanVliet says, is a “$23 billion opportunity driving international growth.” The cloud-calling solution is now used in 43 countries, boasts over 5,800 customers with more than 10 employees, and “is just starting to benefit from its growing channel ecosystem.”
Even though as much as half of the global market is international, roughly only 25% of the company’s TTM (trailing twelve months) revenue was generated outside the U.S., implying to VanVliet, the international opportunity is “a long-term growth driver.”
Accordingly, VanVliet rates Zoom shares a Buy. (To watch VanVliet’s track record, click here)
All in all, Wall Street has mixed feelings on Zoom’s trajectory. Based on 12 Buys, 13 Holds and 1 Sell, the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. However, the analysts expect shares to decline by 16% in the year ahead, going by the $467.55 average price target. (See Zoom stock analysis on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
