The best tech stocks have risen considerably this year and the value proposition here is no longer compelling for most stocks. However, some tech names are still yet to recover from the trough, and the current entry point will likely yield multibagger returns over the coming years if you purchase them now.
As we saw last year, a harsh environment is often a great opportunity to scoop up on some stocks. It won’t be doom and gloom forever and once profits rise back up and Wall Street readjusts its sentiment, the returns could be life-changing.
Here are three you should look into:
PayPal (PYPL)
PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) has continued languishing this year, dropping below $60 for a while before a slight recovery. It is down 19.25% year-to-date, half its pre-pandemic high of $120. That’s despite the fact that PayPal has continued growing its revenue near a 10% clip, while its trailing twelve month (TTM) bottom line has been trending upwards in the past year.
Some may say that this is mostly because Wall Street has decided to take away its 2021 premium, the year where it had sales growth near 25%. However, if we go back to 2019 we can see that PayPal’s growth was similar to what it is now. Additionally, its profits were relatively stagnant, much below what it is today. Back then, PayPal comfortably had a valuation above $100 throughout the year. It’s easy to see why $60 is a steal right now for the stock.
Once e-commerce starts getting back on its growth trajectory, PayPal is well-positioned to benefit in the long run. The average analyst expects it to reach almost $97 next year, implying a 61% upside potential. But once growth truly returns here, this stock should be able to surpass $200 in the coming years.
GuruFocus believes $237.06 would be a fair value by 2025.
Snapchat (SNAP)
Snapchat (NYSE:SNAP) is up almost 30% from its May trough, but the value here is too compelling to ignore. The stock is well below its initial public offering (IPO) price for a reason, though. Sales growth slowed to a crawl in 2022 before finally dipping almost 7% in Q1. The losses here have been well above $300 million per quarter on average since 2022, and there’s no estimate on when the company might finally break even. That’s terrible news in an environment where all Wall Street is looking for is profits.
Indeed, these financials seem like they represent a social media platform that is falling in popularity and won’t exist in a few years. However, that’s far from the truth since Snapchat is hugely popular (especially among the younger population). Its daily active users are 383 million, up from 190 million in 2019. The metric here that is giving management a headache is the average revenue per user (ARPU).
The ARPU here is at a fraction of what its competitors manage to pull off. For example, its closest competitor, TikTok, pulls in 17x more sales per user monthly. This metric tumbled another 19% in Q1, and management needs to urgently work on increasing ARPU.
But I digress. This headache could turn into an opportunity for investors since all of this bad news has already been priced into the stock. Advertising revenue has likely bottomed, and as companies start increasing their marketing spend, I see Snapchat’s ARPU going up in the long run. This could translate to sales expansion and a much higher stock price.
GuruFocus sees $46.93 as a fair price by 2027, an optimistic but possible target if Snapchat adds more revenue pathways. Furthermore, a potential TikTok ban can make it among the best tech stocks, since it is the closest platform.
Sunrun (RUN)
Sunrun (NASDAQ:RUN) is among the best tech stocks regarding solar technology. It is another company that offers great value in the stock market, primarily due to its growth potential. It may be making losses now and has a substantial debt of $9.34 billion, but the solar industry is still in its growth phase, and most of the company’s potential remains to be unlocked.
Sales growth has slowed due to recent headwinds, and profitability remains a big problem. But the U.S. government has been cushioning the company on both fronts, and RUN remains a top pick once the storm passes.
Analysts have a $33.50 price target for the stock by next year, implying an almost 100% upside potential.
On the date of publication, Omor Ibne Ehsan did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
