How Wedbush Views Roku After Earnings

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
How Wedbush Views Roku After Earnings

© AntonioGuillem / iStock

Roku Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) released its third-quarter financial results after markets closed Wednesday. Although the results ultimately beat expectations and the guidance was raised, investors still sent this stock lower. Considering Roku stock has gained about 207% over the past 52 weeks, it’s hard to keep pushing higher unless the company continues to hit home run after home run.

Despite the major sell-off in Roku happening on Thursday, one analyst is still fairly positive on the stock, calling for about 35% upside from current prices. 24/7 Wall St. has included some highlights from the report below, as well as what Wedbush said after the fact.

The company posted a net loss of $0.09 per share and $173.38 million in revenue, which compared with consensus estimates of a net loss of $0.12 per share and $169.08 million in revenue. The same period of last year reportedly had a net loss of $8.79 per share and $124.78 million in revenue.

Active accounts increased 43% year over year to a total of 23.8 million. Streaming hours were up 63% to 6.2 billion.

[nativounit]

Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased 37% year over year to $17.34, on a trailing 12-month basis.

Wedbush reiterated an Outperform rating for Roku with a $65 price target, implying upside of 35% from the current price level.

Overall the firm believes that Roku has built an exceptional platform on the back of its players, and now as it expands in the rapidly growing Smart TV category, it is positioning itself as the best in class option for over-the-top advertising. Roku has significant opportunities ahead with international expansion, particularly as the Roku Channel is now available on third-party smart TVs and the web.

Wedbush detailed in its report:

We estimate that ARPU from The Roku Channel (“TRC”) sub-segment is the fastest growing contributor to overall revenue growth and ARPU growth. As Active Users on the Roku Platform seek out free content, they are steered toward The Roku Channel. We expect TRC to be Roku’s highest ARPU contributor by the end of 2019, and expect continued growth as Roku expands internationally. We believe the category’s accelerated growth in ARPU stems from Roku’s ability to charge higher CPMs given all of the data it has on its audience and its ability to place finely targeted advertisements for its partners. We think Roku’s international expansion potential is significant, and given the favorable contribution to ARPU, more rapid international expansion would represent upside to our current estimates.

Finally, the firm adjusted its 2018 full year estimates. Wedbush expects to see a net loss of $0.11 and revenue of $733 million. Consensus estimates call for a net loss of $0.11 per share and $722.85 million in revenue.

Shares of Roku were last seen down about 19% at $47.90, with a consensus analyst price target of $68.08. The stock has a 52-week range of $23.86 to $77.57.

[recirclink id=503807]

[wallst_email_signup]

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618