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SQ - Square, Inc.

NYSE - NYSE Delayed Price. Currency in USD

78.57

+0.06 (+0.08%)

At close: 4:00PM EDT

78.65 +0.08 (0.10%)
After hours: 7:03PM EDT

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Previous Close	78.51
Open	79.13
Bid	78.60 x 800
Ask	78.79 x 900
Day's Range	78.38 - 79.63
52 Week Range	49.82 - 101.15
Volume	3,927,320
Avg. Volume	8,654,787

Market Cap	33.233B
Beta (3Y Monthly)	2.94
PE Ratio (TTM)	N/A
EPS (TTM)	-0.13
Earnings Date	Aug 1, 2019
Forward Dividend & Yield	N/A (N/A)
Ex-Dividend Date	N/A
1y Target Est	82.42

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Zacks2 hours ago
Buying Our First Stock
Eric and Danny Buy Disney and Square Inc. For Their First Stock Holdings.
American City Business Journals3 hours ago
Is San Francisco's cafeteria ban back? Here's how the city has watered it down
The initially proposed legislation would have banned all corporate cafeterias in new office buildings, and existing ones would have been locked into their current space and barred from future renovations.
Investor's Business Daily3 hours ago
SQ Stock: Does Fintech Company Have Another Big Run In It?
Square stock once had a great run. But now the controversial fintech is down on its luck. And Wall Street analysts are divided on it. Here's what could make Square stock a buy again.
American City Business Journals6 hours ago
Ripple’s giving raises blockchain’s profile in corporate philanthropy
San Francisco-based Ripple Labs is a newcomer to the San Francisco Business Times' annual list of the Bay Area's 100 largest corporate philanthropists.
Zacks7 hours ago
Zacks.com featured highlights include: Amazon, Molina Healthcare, John Bean, Square and Martin Marietta
Zacks.com featured highlights include: Amazon, Molina Healthcare, John Bean, Square and Martin Marietta
InvestorPlace3 days ago
Innovation Will Continue to Drive Square Stock Higher
Square (NYSE:SQ) stock closed trading on June 3 at $60.62. SQ stock is now trading around $80, up over 30% in six weeks.Source: Shutterstock InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsYou would think that, given the run Square's been on, Square stock would be trading at or near its all-time high. Nope. Not even close. SQ stock's all-time high was set in October 2018, when it reached $101.15, around 25% above its current price almost ten months later. * 10 Tech Stocks That Are Still Worth Your Time (And Money) While SQ faces headwinds and increased competition in the payments space, it is continually innovating, creating products that its customers need to compete. According to Citi analyst Peter Christiansen, Square has created 32 new products and features so far this year, one of which, Square Card, its debit card, could go a long way to reigniting its growth.As long as Square continues to innovate, I think SQ stock can test its all-time high, sometime later in 2019 or early 2020. Here's why. Square's Debit Card The launch of the Square Card in January has turned the heads of many of the analysts covering SQ stock. One of those analysts is Raymond James' John Davis, who recently upgraded Square stock from "underperform" to "market perform" based on its debit card, suggesting that the card could generate $100 million in additional revenue in 2020. The Motley Fool's Adam Levy points out that Square's subscription and services revenue only generated $600 million in revenue in its latest fiscal year. That means the $100 million boost generated by Square Card would increase this revenue stream by 17%. Square's subscription and services-based revenue grew by 125% in Q1 to $218.9 million. Now, that's a small number in comparison to its total transaction-based revenue from payment processing, which brought in $656.8 million in Q1. But its subscription and services-based revenue is a lot more profitable than its other transaction-based revenue. In Q1, its transaction-based revenue had a gross margin of 37.7%. Meanwhile, its subscription and services-based revenue's gross margin was 72.4%. As a result, the rapid growth of its subscription and services-based revenue, helped by the Square Card, will meaningfully, positive impact its bottom line. For merchants, the primary attraction of the Square Card is that it's tied directly to their point-of-sale devices, so their revenues is immediately available to pay for business expenses. In other words, they don't have to wait for the money to arrive in the bank to access it. That's cash flow 101. However, SQ also provides a 2.75% rebate to merchants who buy products with the card at any Square payment terminal. The 2.75% rebate will definitely entice many merchants to use the debit card. Merchants who use the card will be promoting SQ every time they make a purchase with it. You can't buy that kind of goodwill. Less than a year old, the Square Card is a winner. Other Analysts Are Upbeat on SQ StockAnother analyst who gave SQ stock the thumbs up was Stephan Biggar of Argus Research. Biggar initiated coverage of Square stock on July 8 with a "buy" rating and a $94 target price. Analysts tend to be very conservative with their price targets, especially when they first initiate coverage of a stock. I wouldn't be surprised to see Biggar raise his price target in 2020 on more good news from Square's debit card. The Bottom Line on SQ StockIn April 2018, I compared Square stock to Twitter (NYSE:TWTR). I wondered which was the better buy. I concluded that because SQ solves more problems than Twitter does, it was the better stock to buy. Nearly a year and a half later, I still feel that way. I believe that Square stock is one of the names that should be bought and thrown in a drawer. In ten years, investors will be amazed by its business. Innovation will continue to drive SQ stock higher. It's a buy, despite its significant gains in 2019.At the time of this writing Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Tech Stocks That Are Still Worth Your Time (And Money) * 7 Marijuana Stocks With Critical Levels to Watch * 7 of the Best Smart-Beta ETFs to Target Right Now The post Innovation Will Continue to Drive Square Stock Higher appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Motley Fool3 days ago
Should Facebook Drop Libra and Buy Square?
Would buying Square help Facebook fulfill its digital payment goals without tripping regulatory alarms?
InvestorPlace3 days ago
10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing
The U.S. stock market again has moved to an all-time high -- and more than a few investors are worried. Finding stocks to buy is exceedingly tough, with growth names in particular at valuations not seen since the heady days of the dot-com bubble. Stocks to sell, however, are a different story.Of course, valuation concerns have dogged U.S. equities for most of what is now a ten-year bull market. For the most part, stocks have simply climbed the proverbial "wall of worry". And those investors who have seen many growth stocks as "too expensive" in many cases have missed out on huge gains.Even by those standards, however, more than a few stocks have made moves in 2019 that are almost crazy. 31 stocks with a market capitalization over $2 billion already have doubled or better just this year. Many more trade at sales multiples equivalent to earnings multiples for quality companies.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThese 10 stocks, in particular, have serious valuation questions. All ten admittedly have real businesses (even if not all ten are profitable), and real reasons why investors have been so optimistic. But at these prices, it doesn't take much for these overvalued stocks to stumble. * 10 Tech Stocks That Are Still Worth Your Time (And Money) Long-time high-flyer Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) proved that point this week, falling 11% after losing U.S. subscribers. One - or more - of these ten stocks could be next. Beyond Meat (BYND)Source: Shutterstock The gains in Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) have been beyond incredible. The company originally priced its IPO in a range of $19 to $21. That figure was moved to $25. By the end of its first day of trading, BYND stock had gained 163% to $66.It wasn't done. Aided by a big earnings beat, BYND would triple from that first-day close before pulling back. Its upward march has resumed, however: BYND now is up nearly 600% from its IPO price in two and a half months.There is a real opportunity for the company to disrupt the meat market, as Luke Lango argued last month. But valuation is an enormous question mark. The overvalued stock trades at 25x fiscal 2020 EPS estimates. And the obvious concern is that Beyond Meat doesn't have the 'meatless meat' market to itself.Indeed, competition is intensifying. Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN), which sold its stake in Beyond Meat before the IPO, is entering the market. Nestle (OTCMKTS:NSRGY) is on the way as well. Privately held Impossible Foods already has a solid position. So does Kellogg (NYSE:K), whose Morningstar Farms business already sells plant-based meat substitutes.The optimism toward Beyond Meat's opportunity makes some sense. The fact that it will have to share the opportunity, however, means that 580% gains and a nearly market-leading price-to-sales multiple both look like too much. Shopify (SHOP)Source: Shutterstock Anyone who has called e-commerce platform Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) overvalued has looked silly. I should know: I've done so twice this year, most recently in April with SHOP stock at $206.Of late, I've largely given up fighting the tape. The company's new plan to add fulfillment to its offering opens its addressable market -- and allows investors to model greater growth for longer, potentially keeping SHOP stock at these levels.That said, fundamentally, I'm far from convinced. SHOP stock still trades at something like 25x sales -- like that of BYND, one of the highest multiples in the market. I still believe, as I wrote last year, that the sensitivity of small businesses to a recession makes SHOP more cyclical than investors realize. * 7 Marijuana Stocks With Critical Levels to Watch The valuation here simply seems to incorporate perfection. Perhaps Shopify can deliver, particularly as it moves into fulfillment and starts serving larger clients. But even the best business can stumble and there is no room for anything close to a stumble left in Shopify stock. Zoom Video Communications (ZM)Source: Shutterstock Along with Beyond Meat, Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) has calmed fears about the tech IPO market that followed the weak debuts of Uber (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft (NASDAQ:LYFT). ZM stock hasn't been quite as explosive as BYND, but it's posted big gains, nearly tripling from its $36 IPO price.The gains aren't a surprise. Indeed, I wrote not long after the IPO that Zoom stock was the perfect stock for this market. Growth was impressive, potential huge, and valuation -- even then -- stretched. As I put it at the time, "The point right now is that the numbers can work. And for now, that's all that really matters."With ZM stock nearing $100 again, however, the question is if the numbers can work. Zoom trades at nearly 50x fiscal 2020 revenue. That's 50x sales -- not earnings. The FY21 consensus earnings per estimate is a nickel per share, suggesting a forward P/E multiple nearing 2,000x.Decades -- not years -- of growth are priced into the videoconferencing software company. And maybe that growth is coming. But even in a tech space that looks overheated, ZM's valuation stands alone. And if there is any concern about valuation -- let alone a sell-off like that seen at the end of last year, when Zoom was still private -- there may not be an overvalued stock more likely to fall than ZM. Square (SQ)Source: Shutterstock It might be a bit unfair to put Square (NYSE:SQ) on this list of stocks likely to crash. It's already pulled back; even after touching an eight-month high this month, SQ stock still sits 20% below all-time highs reached back at the beginning of October.Valuation is steep, but in context not that stretched. SQ stock, backing out its cash, trades at less than 70x 2020 consensus EPS estimates. That's not cheap, to be sure, but relative to other growth stocks in this tech market it seems almost reasonable.That said, there are real concerns here. The company's potential move into banking excites some investors, but at this point in the cycle, should be seen as a risk. Competition remains intense. Like Shopify, Square has significant exposure to small businesses (even though it's been successful of late in grabbing larger customers). * 3 Stocks That Look Like Death The worry more broadly is that Square's business model works great now, in a growing economy where its technology is transformative. At some point, the environment will be very different. If investors start focusing on those out-year risks, SQ stock -- which fell 50% in a matter of months last year -- could be in for another big fall. Aphria (APHA)Source: Shutterstock Marijuana producer Aphria (NYSE:APHA), too, might seem an odd choice for this list of overvalued stocks. Most notably, APHA stock already has crashed -- twice. It fell 75% during last year's fourth quarter, and after a huge rally has dropped 40% since early February.But APHA -- and other marijuana stocks -- still could see much more in the way of downside. Even with lower valuations across the sector, the likes of APHA, Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), and Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON) still trade at nosebleed revenue valuations. Earnings are negative almost entirely across the board.And beyond Canada, it's still not clear from where the next wave of growth comes. U.S. legalization is stalled out until at least 2021 (and likely much longer). Movements toward medical marijuana worldwide are making progress, but recreational legalization is likely to take some time.Cannabis stocks, including APHA, already are drifting down, as investors lose patience. But valuations remain stretched even at these lower prices, and if growth expectations dim, there's a lot further for APHA and its peers to fall. Salesforce.com (CRM)Source: Shutterstock Salesforce.com (NYSE:CRM) could be the granddaddy of this list. Salesforce has been public for 15 years -- and it's looked like a potentially overvalued stock for that entire period. Yet over that stretch, CRM stock has returned a whopping 3,550% -- a stunning 26% average annual return. Investors who focused on valuation, and not the business, missed out on those market-leading gains.In this market, there's not a ton of reason to suggest that CRM can't keep flying. But of late, it does look like investors are starting to focus just a bit more on valuation -- and competition. Most notably, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is trying to take share with its Dynamics 365.Meanwhile, Salesforce.com has continued pumping out 20%+ annual growth -- as it has for years -- but CRM stock has stalled somewhat. Indeed, while other software stocks have soared, CRM has traded sideways since the beginning of February.The problem is that CRM stock, even after half a year of flat returns, still isn't cheap -- or close. The stock trades at 46x next year's earnings, which isn't terrible considering its growth. But as I noted earlier this year, some two-thirds of the company's guidance for adjusted net income comes from the exclusion of stock-based compensation. That's a real cost, that dilutes CRM stockholders. Back that out, and a 20-year-old company is trading at something like 140x forward earnings. * 7 Stocks Top Investors Are Buying Now In this market, investors have been happy to ignore stock-based comp. If and when that changes, CRM stock is going to fall. Etsy (ETSY)Source: Shutterstock Etsy (NASDAQ:ETSY) has a great business. It's dominant in the crafting space, having dispatched potential competition from Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN). The company was able to raise seller fees last year, which gave a big boost to revenue, margins, and the ETSY stock price.But at the end of the day, Etsy remains a mostly niche business. Growth in its industry likely is limited. Like Square and Shopify, Etsy may be benefiting from the 'newness' of the platform. Businesses will fade, whether due to a recession or simply an increasing realization that the returns don't match the investment.Even down 11% from early March highs, none of those risks are priced into ETSY stock. It still trades at well over 10x revenue, even backing out its cash, and over 50x next year's EPS on the same basis. And as I wrote in April, even the company's five-year targets suggest upside is limited.To some extent, given the soft performance of ETSY in recent months, investors may be coming to the same conclusion. But if ETSY's valuation gets reset that of a company with a relatively limited market and a potential ceiling on its growth, the soft drift of the last few months could become an accelerating downturn. Lululemon Athletica (LULU)Source: Shutterstock What Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) has accomplished is rather incredible. At a time when retailers -- and particularly apparel retailers -- are getting hammered, Lululemon continues to drive impressive growth. Thanks in part to a Q1 earnings beat, LULU stock has hit all-time highs and might seem to have further to go.But at 34x forward earnings, even backing out net cash, it's not hard to wonder if the rally has run its course. Lululemon isn't going to be immune from the pressures on retail forever. 'Athleisure' is a hot trend at the moment; like all trends, that won't last forever. One only need to look at Gap (NYSE:GPS), whose Athleta nameplate is a minor Lululemon competitor, to see what happens when 'cool' turns 'uncool'. * 3 Food Stocks to Buy for Fast and Big Profits To be sure, that type of shift may not happen at Lululemon to the same extent: the demand from athletes for its clothes likely will persist. But LULU remains priced for years of growth - and it's not hard to see that growth stalling out when the next hot trend comes along. Snap (SNAP)Source: Shutterstock The turnaround at Snap (NYSE:SNAP) clearly has made some progress. User growth is returning. Snap's ability to monetize those users via advertising sales -- particularly outside the U.S. -- is improving dramatically. Several Wall Street analysts have jumped on board as well.As a result, SNAP stock has been one of the year's biggest gainers, rising 171%. But SNAP also has begun pulling back, dropping 10%+ in the last few sessions - and more downside could be ahead.Most notably, SNAP stock's valuation has returned to the stratosphere. It's still burning cash and posting negative Adjusted EBITDA. SNAP trades at about 8x next year's revenue - a big multiple relative to profitable and entrenched social media plays Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter (NYSE:TWTR).Again, Snap Inc deserves some credit -- and SNAP stock deserved some sort of rally. But 170% looks like far too much as investors are starting to realize. Roku (ROKU)Source: Shutterstock Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) has taken a modest hit after Netflix earnings but still sits just off all-time highs. It's outperformed even SNAP, gaining 257% so far this year -- the best performance of over 700 stocks with a current market capitalization over $10 billion.Here, too, there are some reasons for optimism. Roku obviously is a play on streaming. And with new platforms coming from Disney (NYSE:DIS), AT&T (NYSE:T), and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), it's not hard to see why investors are excited.But this isn't exactly a risk-free story. Roku gets little in the way of revenue from Netflix or Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG,NASDAQ:GOOGL) unit YouTube. Its player sales -- about one-third of guided 2019 revenue -- are unprofitable. The current valuation is something like 17x platform revenue at a time when most media and content companies are trading at low- to mid-single-digit multiples. Even NFLX trades at less than half that multiple. * 10 Tech Stocks That Are Still Worth Your Time (And Money) This seems like another case where investors are paying any multiple for growth -- yet perhaps aren't understanding the full story. Roku has growth ahead -- but like so many overvalued stocks on this list, potentially not nearly as much growth as investors are pricing in.As of this writing, Vince Martin is long shares of Gap Inc. He has no positions in any other securities mentioned.The post 10 High-Flying, Overvalued Stocks in Danger of Crashing appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Investopedia3 days ago
How Square's Cash App Makes Money
Cash App is free to download, and its core functions free to use. So how does this app, which has been downloaded more often than Venmo, make money?
Zacks3 days ago
5 Stocks Look Primed for Solid Earnings Beat
Invest in top-ranked stocks that are likely to beat their earnings estimates in the upcoming releases.
Motley Fool4 days ago
No, Facebook Should Not Buy Square for $70 Billion
Square's bitcoin business has generated just $2.3 million in gross profit over the past year.
American City Business Journals4 days ago
Ripple co-founder's donation signals bright philanthropic future for crypto
After San Francisco State University received a $25 million gift in XRP, Bay Area companies and nonprofits are grappling with the risks and rewards of digital donating with cryptocurrency.
Zacks4 days ago
Buy Visa (V) Heading into Q3 Earnings?
Visa Inc. (V) is set to report its Q3 fiscal 2019 earnings results on Tuesday as second quarter earnings season heats up.
Investopedia4 days ago
PagSeguro Is a Digital Payment Stock Seeing Big Demand
Shares of this Brazilian company are seeing strong institutional accumulation signals and could be poised for more gains.
Benzinga4 days ago
Cramer To Facebook: Forget About Libra, Acquire Square
The "Mad Money" host shifted his stance Wednesday and said during his show that Facebook "has to drop" its plans. Speaking directly to Facebook execs, who Cramer said watch the show, he said the company should take "some of your money" geared toward an expansion into payments and acquire Square Inc (NYSE: SQ) for $70 billion, or a 100% premium.
Zacks4 days ago
Visa (V) to Post Q3 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock?
Visa's (V) third-quarter fiscal 2019 earnings should benefit from revenue gains, partly offset by a rise in expenses.
TheStreet.com4 days ago
Square Could Soon Breakout to the Upside - Go Long Around $80
Square, Inc. looks like it is poised to make an upside move, so let's check out the latest charts and indicators so we can participate. In this daily bar chart of SQ, below, we can see a sideways trading pattern for prices from late January. Prices dipped in May but if you look at the trading volume and the On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line you will not see signs of increased selling nor aggressive selling.
Zacks4 days ago
Microsoft & Other Tech Bigwigs to Buy Ahead of Earnings
We highlight tech stocks that might come up with promising earnings results despite inventory glut, trade war and regulatory scrutiny.
InvestorPlace4 days ago
Square Stock Is a Buy and Hold, but Not at Current Levels
Square (NYSE:SQ) has reached an inflection point. After losing over one-fourth of its value during the spring, Square stock has now recovered to its February highs.Source: Shutterstock This leaves traders wondering where SQ goes next. The increasing influence of Square could eventually make the company one of the biggest in tech. Consequently, this growth has taken the company to high valuations.While this portends well for the future of the company, whether to buy SQ stock at these levels remains unclear.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips * 7 Stocks Top Investors Are Buying Now Square Is the Next Tech GiantSquare is so much more than a competitor to PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL). Long term, SQ stock will become the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) or the Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) of finance. It has begun to follow in Amazon's footsteps by becoming both a conglomerate and an ecosystem, and ultimately, a disruptor.The company started by enabling every smartphone owner to accept credit cards. It has since moved into point-of-sale systems and can now handle other business functions such as payroll, funding, and marketing. It has also enabled website creation through its purchase of Weebly. Late last year, Square even made a second attempt to become a bank. This approval would allow them to accept deposits.All this will combine into the same ecosystem, one that could do to many industries what Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) did to video stores and cable television. If nothing else, it makes Square's point-of-sale system a more compelling offering than the ones built by a company such as NCR (NYSE:NCR).The increasingly cashless society also plays into the firm's plans well. Square's Cash App serves the same function as banks from a consumer standpoint. This could leave investors and consumers may question the future need for a Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) or a Citigroup (NYSE:C). While I believe it is too early to predict the destruction of large banks, it could force radical changes to their business models to survive.Consequently, the question as to whether to buy SQ stock has become one of when and not if to buy. Like other disruptors, SQ trades at a high price-to-earnings (PE) ratio. Analysts forecast average annual profit growth at 46.1% for the foreseeable future. Hence, the company can attract investors even with its forward PE of around 73. The Charts on Square StockWithout fundamentals, analysts will evaluate Square based on charts and momentum. SQ happens to trade at a critical level. At around $82 per share, Square stock trades almost 20% below its all-time high of $101.15 per share. It has also reached the approximate price point from which it pulled back in February.If it sustains itself above $82 per share, I think it will run higher in the near term, perhaps even retesting levels above $100 per share. A pullback could mean that it retests support in the mid-$70s per share range.It could also portend the beginning of a trading range between the low $60s and low $80s per share level.Another critical point could come Aug.1 when the San Francisco-based financial tech firm reports earnings for the second quarter. Since SQ will likely report an earnings beat, investors should watch forward guidance. This could provide the catalyst needed to drive Square stock for the foreseeable future. The Bottom Line on Square StockInvestors need more clarity on the equity's direction before buying SQ stock. Square supports a massive growth rate and continues to make the moves that could make its ecosystem one of the most influential in all of tech.However, the price of Square stock has reached levels where it pulled back in February. At this point, investors need to know that SQ is not forming a double top in the low $80s per share range.If it closes in the mid-$80s per share range or higher, it could retest that $101.15 per share high. If it pulls back, investors should wait until the stock finds its next inflection point.As of this writing, Will Healy did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned stocks. You can follow Will on Twitter at @HealyWriting. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Stocks Top Investors Are Buying Now * The 10 Best Cryptocurrencies to Keep on Your Radar * 7 Marijuana Penny Stocks That Could Triple (But You Won't Make Money) The post Square Stock Is a Buy and Hold, but Not at Current Levels appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Zacks5 days ago
Can We Find The Right Stock Using Our Newly Found Insight?
Can We Find The Right Stock Using Our Newly Found Insight?
Motley Fool5 days ago
Square's Most Valuable New Product of 2019
There's a lot more to this one than just another source of revenue.
InvestorPlace5 days ago
Even If Q2 Numbers Are Solid, Square Stock Looks Tapped Out
Since early June, Square (NYSE:SQ) stock has been in the bull mode. Square stock shot from $60 to $82. But hey, so has the rest of the market. Just some of the catalysts include the expectation of lower interest rates and a truce with the U.S.-China trade war.Source: Shutterstock And yes, some Wall Street analysts are warming up to Square stock. Consider Raymond James' John Davis, who raised his rating on the shares from underperform to market perform. The main reason for this is he believes that Square's debit card is likely to see increased momentum, adding as much as $100 million to the top-line next year.No doubt, this would be a big deal.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsBut of course, much of the focus for SQ stock will be on the near-term. In fact, we'll get the second-quarter results on Aug. 1.So what is on tap? Well, in terms of revenues, the consensus forecast is calling for $557 million, up about 45% on a year-over-year basis. As for the bottom line, the estimate is 16 cents a share, compared to 13 cents during the same period last year. All in all, there remains quite a bit of optimism on Wall Street. * 9 Retail Stocks Goldman Sachs Says Are Ready to Rip The Square Stock Price and Other NewsDuring the quarter, there has been much activity, especially with partnerships. Here's a look at some of the notable events: * Square teamed up with the Ogden Raptors - a minor league baseball team that's part of the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system - to provide payment services. The deal involves both online sources, such as with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Pay and offline ones. * Called Square for Restaurants, this is a set of order management integrations for Postmates, DoorDash and Chowly. All these services are not part of the core POS system, which means eliminating the use of various other tablets and manual entry of orders. * Square has entered a deal to be the payments and POS provider for the Indianapolis 500. The event includes more than 300,000 customers and about 500 concession stands. It's actually the largest sports venue in the world. * A resident of southern California has sued Square because he alleges the company's invoice system mistakenly sent his personal medical history to a friend. His attorneys are looking to put together a class-action suit. Interestingly enough, the Wall Street Journal recently wrote a piece on how Square's system has misfired on various occasions. * Now when it comes to SQ stock, one of the most important growth drivers is its Cash App. According to Instinet analysts Dan Dolev and Conan Leon, the app has 56.1 million users, which is more than PayPal's (NASDAQ:PYPL) fast-growing Venmo. They currently have a $100 price target on SQ stock, which was recently increased from $90. Bottom Line on Square StockSquare CEO Jack Dorsey has certainly done a great job with the company. What started as a simple app has quickly transformed into a strong platform with a robust ecosystem. It's also amazing that he has been able to do this while still the CEO of Twitter (NYSE:TWTR).Yet there are definitely issues with SQ stock. Even though the company deserves a premium valuation, it is still quite steep, with the forward price-to-earnings multiple of 73X.Sell-side analysts are generally cautious as well, with three sell ratings and 17 holds. And the average price target assumes zero upside from current levels.For the most part, Square stock is pricing in much of the good news. So this could make the upcoming earnings report a bit dicey since the growth rate has already been trending down during the past few quarters.Tom Taulli is the author of the upcoming book, Artificial Intelligence Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction. Follow him on Twitter at @ttaulli. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 9 Retail Stocks Goldman Sachs Says Are Ready to Rip * 7 Services Stocks to Buy for the Rest of 2019 * 6 Stocks to Buy and 1 to Sell Based on Insider Trading The post Even If Q2 Numbers Are Solid, Square Stock Looks Tapped Out appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Bloomberg5 days ago
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Gives Talk at Apple Headquarters
(Bloomberg) -- Twitter and Square Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey addressed Apple Inc. employees at the iPhone maker’s headquarters Tuesday, a signal of the strong ties between the Silicon Valley giants.Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter Inc. and Square Inc., is one of several speakers talking to select Apple employees as part of an ongoing series, people familiar with the matter said. The billionaire spoke with staff from the marketing department, they said, asking not to be identified discussing internal matters.While the address itself didn’t point to a new partnership between Dorsey’s companies and Apple, it was indicative of their bond and existing collaboration. Apple promoted Twitter as an iOS app coming to the Mac this fall, and the social media service is deeply integrated into both the iPhone and iPad. Apple was also among the first retailers to sell Square’s now-common credit-card reader. Apple and Twitter representatives declined to comment.To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Gurman in San Francisco at mgurman1@bloomberg.net;Kurt Wagner in San Francisco at kwagner71@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Edwin Chan at echan273@bloomberg.net, Colum MurphyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
TipRanks6 days ago
3 “Perfect 10” Tech Stocks to Buy
Bulls are ready to narrow in on the winners after the S&P 500’s historic rally which culminated in the index reaching over 3,000 on July 10. But how are investors supposed to pick the stocks that are poised for success? TipRanks offers the Smart Score tool which is made up of 8 key factors proven to increase the chances of finding the stocks that are best positioned for long-term growth. These factors include financial blogger opinions, insider activity and news sentiment. All this data is combined into a single numerical score with 10 being the highest. With the help of this tool, we found three “Perfect 10” tech stocks that are ready to outperform. Salesforce.com, Inc. (CRM)Salesforce is the leading provider of cloud-based business support software. They offer data-driven solutions in a world where the amount of data being produced is only growing.On June 10, the company broke the news of its almost $16 billion deal to acquire Tableau Software Inc. (DATA). While share prices dipped after the announcement, analysts don’t appear to be concerned. The company dominates the CRM space. With 20% market share, it has more control than its next three competitors combined. It already boasts around 10 million customer support cases in its Service Cloud and over 3 million Sales Cloud leads. Not to mention its other product offerings that include Salesforce Einstein, Salesforce Customer 360 and the Salesforce Lightning platform are expected to drive even more revenue growth.Q1 2020 results were strong, with the company seeing revenue increase 24% year-over-year to $3.7 billion. Cash generated from operations reached almost $2 billion, demonstrating 34% year-over-year growth. On June 25, management updated their Q2 2020 fiscal guidance with revenue now expected to fall within the range of $3.94 to $3.95 billion, demonstrating that more growth is on the way.Just yesterday John Difucci, a five-star analyst from Jeffries, reiterated his Buy rating and $189 price target. He believes that despite a platform outage in May, current consensus estimates are conservative. “Salesforce's pipeline remains robust and it is well positioned to achieve its long-term goals,” he added. Another top analyst, Jennifer Swanson Lowe said on July 5, “Channel work shows robust demand for Salesforce's solutions, and recent merger disclosures show a thoughtful and lengthy process behind the Tableau deal.” She reiterated her Buy rating and $190 price target on the stock. With a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus and $183 average price target, it’s clear why TipRanks scored this stock a “10”. View CRM Smart Score Twilio Inc. (TWLO)The cloud communications company specializes in helping businesses improve their apps and digital interactions with customers. Since Twilio’s IPO three years ago, share prices have grown 256% and analysts don’t predict a slowdown anytime soon. The company has a strong customer base with 154,797 active customer accounts (ACAs) as of March 31, up from 53,985 a year earlier. Revenue from its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform only is rising as the demand for effective online communications is only increasing. In February, Twilio acquired SendGrid, a cloud-based email services company. The company believes this acquisition drove the revenue growth witnessed in Q1. For Q1 2019, revenue was up 81% year-over-year, reaching $233 million. Compared to Q4 2018, its top line increased by 14%. The company updated its full year guidance on April 30, with revenue expected to fall between $1.10 billion to $1.11 billion, up from $1.065 billion to $1.077 billion. On June 18, top analyst, Richard Valera, initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $165 price target. “By leveraging its early market position, a highly efficient developer-led sales model and growing array of differentiated, higher-level functions on its platform. TWLO has delivered exceptional organic growth. As well, the company's recent move up the stack into the application space with its Flex contact center adds another, meaningful growth driver to its business,” he said. Top rated financial blogger, Luke Lango, thinks that the stock’s big growth fundamentals, favorable market fundamentals and strong technical trends make it a must buy. “All three of those tailwinds should persist for the foreseeable future, meaning that TWLO stock should continue to defy valuation standards and stay in rally mode,” he added. The Street is bullish on this “Perfect 10”. The stock has a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus, receiving 13 buy ratings vs 2 holds over the last three months. Its $154 average price target suggests 6% upside potential. View TWLO Smart Score Square, Inc. (SQ)With consumers paying less and less with cash, digital non-cash payments are expected to reach 726 billion transactions by 2020. Square has designed its payment processing technology so merchants of all sizes can accept non-cash payments. The company also offers a digital peer-to-peer payments app, an enterprise payroll app and lending services. Square has placed significant focus on gaining international market share. The company partnered with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, with the bank distributing its reader in all branches located throughout the country. SQ stands out among its competitors as it offers many types of digital transactions as opposed to just e-commerce solutions.Some investors might be concerned that SQ’s valuation is too high. The stock is currently being traded at 65.6x forward earnings and 10x sales. However, its growth projections might just be enough to reassure investors.Management expects global retail sales to grow to almost $34 billion, or at a 5% compounded annual growth rate through 2025. Square GPV is also expected to increase into 2025 by a 20%-plus annualized rate while revenue is forecasted to be up 25%. The company is attributing these jumps to hardware and ancillary solution revenue.Josh Beck, an analyst from KeyBanc, reiterated his Buy rating and $100 price target. “While its Cash App monetization narrative may take time to develop, we remain constructive on growth potential,” he said today.Financial blogger, Chris Lau, believes that SQ’s outlook is more conservative than it should be. “If the company raises its 2019 guidance, then SQ stock could attract more buyers, causing the stock’s rally to accelerate,” he said. The Street is more cautiously optimistic about the last “Perfect 10” on our list. The stock has a ‘Moderate Buy’ analyst consensus and $87 average price target, suggesting 6% upside. View SQ Smart Score
InvestorPlace6 days ago
At These Valuations, It’s Time to Take Profits on Visa Stock
Despite a valuation that would give an Internet entrepreneur a nosebleed, Visa (NYSE:V) still has analysts pounding the table for it. Marketwatch, for instance, still counts 39 analysts on the Visa stock beat. Click to Enlarge Source: Shutterstock Of that number 30 have it rated a buy, and only one has it as low as an underweight on valuation. This despite Visa being up 31% in the first half of 2019.It's extraordinary faith for a company that now has a market cap of $406 billion on $20.6 billion in 2018 revenue. Expectations are for earnings of $1.33 per share when it reports July 23, with a "whisper number" of $1.37 per share, on revenue of $5.7 billion. The price to earnings ratio for the last four quarters is over 37.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsAmong transaction processors, high valuations aren't unusual, but this is extreme. MasterCard (NYSE:MA) has a market cap of $285 billion on revenue of $15 billion. Square (NASDAQ:SQ) is worth $34 billion on 2018 revenue of $3.3 billion. * 7 Dependable Dividend Stocks to Buy The Bull Case for Visa StockWhat the bulls see is the end of cash and its replacement by Visa's payment system. They also see a company with a net margin of 50%. Last year $10.3 billion of its $19.9 billion of revenue hit the net income line.Bulls say Visa continues to innovate with Visa B2B Connect, a business payment system enabling seamless payment connections between international banks.They like its purchase of privately-held Verifi, for an undisclosed price, as a way to help merchants reduce chargebacks.They love a pilot program that will let merchants offer installment payments directly from their cash registers. They're even cheering the $75 million purchase of Rambus' token and smart-ticketing business, even though that business cost Rambus itself $105 million two years ago.Quite simply, analysts believe Visa stock is unstoppable. Because its bank payment network is used by so many third-party processors, innovations that fail outside it can succeed inside it. When Visa tells other processors to jump, they still drop what they're doing to ask, "How high?" Visa Stock Has Real RisksThe risks with Visa are those of the global economy.This means the risks are rising. The global economy is now growing at just 2.6% per year, and the World Bank says risks are firmly on the downside. China's growth has slumped to an annual rate of 6.2% and the trade war continues to bite.Even if electronic payments are taking an ever-bigger piece of that pie, processors like Visa remain under threat on pricing and costs. India's Unified Payments Interface offers lower costs in order to reduce the use of cash there. Chinese systems like Alipay from Alibaba Group Holding (NASDAQ:BABA) cost less, too. Nationalism is also increasing. India won't let processors take customer data outside the country.Visa is trying to get ahead of low-cost systems by joining Facebook's (NASDAQ:FB) Libra Association, but it still has enormous technology debt. Visa runs an incredibly costly network of charge agreements among banks, merchants and customers that has developed over decades and costs money to maintain. The Bottom Line on Visa StockVisa is the premier player in the global payments space, but does that make it a great investment at its current price?Square costs just 10 times revenue, and it's growing much faster. True, Square is only marginally profitable, while Visa is a profit-making machine, still growing at 10% per year. Visa looks safer.If you got into Visa as an income investor five years ago, when it was paying a dividend of nearly $2 per share on an investment of $63, your current yield is just 1.5%. It might be time to take some profits and invest them for a higher yield. Even younger investors might start looking for a good exit point. A profit is only paper until the cash is in your hand.Dana Blankenhorn is a financial and technology journalist. He is the author of a new environmental story, Bridget O'Flynn and the Bear, available now at the Amazon Kindle store. Write him at danablankenhorn@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in BABA. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 7 Dependable Dividend Stocks to Buy * 10 Stocks Driving the Market to All-Time Highs (And Why) * 7 Short Squeeze Stocks With Big Upside Potential The post At These Valuations, It's Time to Take Profits on Visa Stock appeared first on InvestorPlace.