Displaying items by tag: tech

(San Francisco)

Two of Instagram’s founders have just left Facebook on acrimonious terms. The departures come six years after their company was bought by Facebook for about $1bn. They are leaving on poor terms because of recent changes Facebook has made which seem to prioritize Facebook’s growth at the expense of Instagram. Many analysts say the departures are a considerable negative for the stock, especially coming as part of a long string of troubles. There is also a serious threat that the two founders may come up with a competing product. Instagram accounted for 14% of Facebook’s revenue, or about $7.5 bn this year.

FINSUM: We don’t think a competing product is a worry, at least not yet. But image-wise, it does look like Facebook is a bit out of control.

(New York)

Value stocks have been hurting for years. They have lagged growth stocks considerably over the last decade, and have been underperforming growth stocks for so long that even some ardent value fans say the shares might never rebound. However, an increasing group of analysts are saying that value is set to stage a big comeback versus growth. Some indicators show that a reversal of growth stocks is imminent, and P/E ratios are running so high that value looks likely to appreciate. Morgan Stanley analyst Michael Wilson thinks that the current rotating bear market will end with growth and small caps sinking.

FINSUM: We don’t see much of a catalyst for growth stocks sinking while value stocks rise. Further, if stocks fall, they could all fall in unison without value seeing any outperformance.

(Seattle)

A provocative headline, we know. But it turns out there are some good reasons why Amazon should consider splitting itself up before regulators do. There are two big reasons the company should consider cleaving itself. The first is that if regulators eventually do it, it will likely be much more messy and painful. But secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, Amazon’s web services business has become so large that it is starting to negatively impact its retail business. Amazon web services (AWS) accounted for more than 100% of the company’s operating income, and analysts estimate it would be worth $600 bn on its own, versus just $400 bn for the retail business. Its might is now getting in the way, however, as former AWS customers like Target have now moved away from using it because the don’t want to share information with Amazon’s retail business, which is a major competitor.

FINSUM: We are quite sure this won’t happen any time soon, but it is beginning to be easier to see the value in doing so.

(New York)

Rising rates are upon us. The economy is red hot and a Fed rate hike is imminent, with another likely coming in December. This puts many sectors and stocks at risk. So what are the best sectors and ETFs to invest in right now? Three sectors that stand to benefit are financials, technology, and consumer discretionary, so buying stocks and ETFs there appears a good bet. For technology, Invesco has a momentum focused fund for tech leaders called the DWA Technology Momentum ETF (PTF) which seems interesting. In consumer discretionary, the SPDR Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Fund (XLY) gives good coverage.

FINSUM: All of these bets are cyclical (meaning the sectors benefit because the economy is strengthening when rates rise, which boost consumer spending). Banks are a little bit more compelling to us though, as they benefit from an improved economy, but they also directly gain from rising rates through a better net interest margin.

(New York)

Sometimes balancing good dividends with strong growth is hard. The best dividends tend to come from mature and stable companies, but they often don’t have the best growth prospects. This is usually fine, but it does make them vulnerable in rising rate periods. According, here are ten stocks with strong dividends and good growth potential: SAP, Motorola, NetApp, Logitech, Garmin, Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, Centurylink, and Consolidated Communications.

FINSUM: This list is very tech and telecoms heavy, but that seems a good balance if you are looing for both growth and strong dividends.