We recently compiled a list of the 8 Unstoppable Tech Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA) stands among the unstoppable tech stocks to buy now.
What’s Happening with Big Tech Stocks?
The technology sector has outperformed the market for the past several years. The industry has accounted for more than 30% of the overall market holdings especially led by Big Tech. One of the key factors that skyrocketed the stock prices for these mega-cap tech stocks is the hype around artificial intelligence.
However, we also witnessed the technology sector going into what analysts call an “AI Bubble”, where companies’ revenues are not justifying the large capital expenditure on artificial intelligence. We recently covered the 13 Best American Tech Stocks To Buy According to Short Sellers. We discussed how Big Tech has led the American stock market for several years. Here’s an extract from the article:
This dynamic progress was reflected in the US stock market when it rose more than 3% in the second quarter of 2024. In terms of the trade in artificial intelligence, technology companies remained at the top, and this trend did not appear to be slowing down throughout the quarter. The largest companies have outperformed the market this year, which has been a remarkable trend. The 500 largest companies’ large-cap market saw gains of 4.4% in Q2 YoY, increasing its 2024 return to above 15%. In contrast, the small-cap market saw a 3.3% drop, translating into a 1.6% 2024 return.
Even though technology companies outperformed in Q2 FY2024, Main Street Research’s James Demmert cautions investors not to treat all of them the same. Instead, they should prioritize those tech firms that can deliver consistent earnings, especially in an uncertain economy.
On the other hand, if we look at the recent figures the story tends to present a different picture. Almost a week ago, on August 30, CNBC reported that most of the Magnificent Seven were lower for the week, with investors’ favorite chipmaker taking the biggest hit after it fell short of largely inflated earnings expectations.
Dan Niles, Niles Investment Management founder and portfolio manager, joined CNBC on the same day suggesting investors to look outside of just the Magnificent 7 for the rest of the year. He mentioned that the companies have now declined on average 4% the day after reporting results, against rising 4% after releasing results in the first quarter.
He explained that this downward trend is a fundamental shift, pointing out that if we look at the financials of these stocks and forget the hype for a moment. We will see all these companies reporting their forward revenue estimates going down. Dan Niles acknowledged that it’s popular to talk about AI as these companies are leading the market but at some point, investors want some digestion of the capital expenditure, which has been going up consistently.
The portfolio manager also presented his bull case thesis for the 493 stocks in the S&P 500 stocks. He mentioned that if you look at the market on July 16, this was the time when the S&P 500 hit its all-time high. Since then it has been down around 1%, whereas the Magnificent Seven have been down around 8%.
He mentioned that if you are looking to invest, look for areas that benefit from the rate cuts. Niles mentioned areas like consumer staples, utility, telecom services, and other sectors of the market because he believes that the other 493 stocks will drive the market to new records. Lastly, Niles clarified that he still likes tech stocks but mentioned that it’s the other stocks that are going to benefit from the rate cuts during the rest of the year.
Our Methodology
To curate the list of 8 unstoppable tech stocks to buy now, we used the Finviz stock screener. We screened for technology companies that have gained at least 50% on a year-t0-date basis, as of September 10. We then selected the highest gainers that were the most popular among elite hedge funds. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their year-to-date performance.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A marketing manager looking at the data dashboard of a marketing automation software showing successful campaign results.
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA)
Year-to-date Share Price Gain as of September 10: 206.07%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 27
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA) is a technology company that helps businesses with consumer intelligence and marketing automation through its cloud platform. The platform leverages artificial intelligence and trillions of consumer signals helping businesses grow, acquire, and retain customers.
The company is differentiated through its huge amount of data acquired from more than 450 scaled enterprise customers. Moreover, it is the largest single omnichannel marketing platform that combines identity, intelligence, and data.
Artificial intelligence has significantly boosted Zeta Global Holdings Corp’s. (NYSE:ZETA) progress, it has created more than 400 intelligent agents for its customers and increased conversion rates by more than 300% in June alone.
It has been growing its customer base significantly, during the latest quarter, Q2 2024, the number of scaled customers increased 10% year-over-year. What’s even more impressive is its Super Scaled customers growth rate, which grew 22% year-over-year. Super Scaled customers are those from which the company generates more than $1 million in revenue on a trailing twelve-month basis.
Strong growth across the board, with 6 out of 10 industry verticals of Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA) posting 25% growth led to a robust increase in revenue and earnings. Revenue for the company grew 33% to $227.8 million and adjusted EBITDA grew 44% to $38.5 million year-over-year.
Management has increased its revenue guidance midpoint by $25 million indicating continued growth throughout the year. The stock was held by 27 hedge funds in Q2 2024, with total positions totaling $442.77 million. GPI Capital is the top shareholder of the company, with a position worth $180.68 million.
Overall ZETA ranks 6th on our list of the unstoppable tech stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of ZETA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a promising AI stock that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure. None. This article was originally published on Insider Monkey.
