ZS Zscaler and the U.S. Gov Agencies Hit By CyberattackIf you haven`t bought ZS here:
Then you should know that Zscaler provides cloud-based security solutions, including web security, data loss prevention, and cloud application security.
In light of the recent news regarding cyberattacks on multiple U.S. government agencies, it is reasonable to expect an increased focus on cybersecurity measures, which could potentially benefit cybersecurity stocks in the market. These attacks highlight the vulnerabilities present in the software systems used by government entities, underscoring the urgent need for robust cybersecurity solutions.
The fact that the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is actively investigating the breach indicates the seriousness of the situation and the government's commitment to addressing these security threats. As such, there may be a heightened emphasis on strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure and investing in advanced technologies to defend against future attacks.
The reported involvement of a Russian-speaking hacking group known as CLOP in previous attacks serves as a reminder of the persistent and evolving nature of cyber warfare. This continuous threat landscape necessitates ongoing innovation and investment in cybersecurity.
Considering these factors, cybersecurity stocks have the potential to experience an upward trajectory. Companies specializing in threat intelligence, network security, endpoint protection, and data encryption could be in high demand as organizations and governments seek to fortify their defenses against cyber threats.
My Price Target for ZS is $185 by the end of the year.
Looking forward to read your opinion about it!
Zscaler
ZS Zscaler Options Ahead of EarningsIf you haven`t sold ZS here:
then Analyzing the options chain of ZS Zscaler prior to the earnings report this week,
I would consider purchasing the 130usd strike price at the money Calls with
an expiration date of 2023-6-9,
for a premium of approximately $7.60
If these options prove to be profitable prior to the earnings release, I would sell at least half of them.
Looking forward to read your opinion about it.
15 Companies that have organic growth of financial resultsIt is good options to buy when the market is at the bottom (we think it is summer 2023, you can see our macro scenario here )
Type: growth stock
1. Okta – operates in the Identity Management market (identification protocols). It sells its products to individual companies and as part of integration with the other industry leaders (Zscaler). Organic growth is expected due to a low penetration of Identity Management in corporate environment (20% now). The market could reach the value of 70 bln, according to McKinsey. We anticipate revenue to expand by ~30% over the next few years.
Downside: 1) The company regularly dilutes equity to finance R&D and marketing.
Upside 1) Has a positive EBITDA margin, will have a positive FCF as soon as 2024.
2. Twilio – operates in the CPaaS market. The valuation already reflects negative expectations from the slowdown of the CPaaS market amid shrinking advertising budgets (weak consumer). We expect revenue to expand by 25%+ over the next few years, which is also reflected in the company’s long-term valuation.
Downside: 1) The company regularly dilutes equity to finance R&D and marketing. The emergence of various solutions in the market that are powered by GPT-3 (a neural network), which generates human-like responses based on the learning of the target audience. These solutions are less costly for companies; however, major companies aren’t bent on integrating it just yet. I believe that Twilio could integrate it in its own product, as GPT-3 has an open source code.
Upside 1) Has a positive EBITDA margin, will have a positive FCF as soon as 2024.
3. Zscaler. The company operates in the narrowly specialized SSE market. Industry leader. Organic growth is expected due to the current low penetration in corporate solutions (around 3%). We anticipate the company will practically double its cash flow every year over the next 2 years + it’s profitable
4. Paypal. In the third quarter PayPal demonstrated again that the company’s strategy is bearing fruit even as the global economy is slowing down.
The multipronged development of PayPal’s services remains key for its organic growth. What used to be a fairly narrow-focused service to pay for goods and services is adding ever more new functions: PayPal continues to cooperate with Apple and is expanding the opportunities for contactless payment, while also working to increase engagement with the audience through the Braintree payment system. Therefore, even in the middle of an unfavorable macroeconomic environment and faced with declining consumption in the cyclical sectors, the company is seizing ever more market share.
Upside: the management plans to boost operating margin by about 100 bps next year by developing infrastructure and reducing transaction costs.
5. Tesla. Tesla publishes fairly strong reports: Revenue and operating profit grow by 50-60% y/y. unlike other players, Tesla also improves its business margins.
When China ends lockdowns, the issue of downtime at Tesla’s Chinese plant, its largest, will go away. Also, as soon as this quarter (the fourth quarter) Tesla will share access to its FSD and release it to the mass market.
In general, the company is feeling well. Its stock price has fallen ahead of the market amid Musk’s purchase of Twitter and the current perturbations at Twitter. Also. Musk sold some of his Tesla shares to fund the purchase of Twitter. Musk’s current share is ~13%.
Type: cyclical stocks
1. Livent. The company is moving ahead in line with our forecast. The company has several growth projects that start as soon as 1Q 2023, and also in 4Q 2023. They will add 100% of lithium carbonate production. Lithium prices, give or take, are set to remain near their current levels as demand from the EV industry continues to be strong (even as consumption is low, the market cannibalizes ICE models).
Downside: 1) Poor reporting on sales volumes. Chemicals prices continue to hold high. If lithium prices turn around, that will erase the margin.
Upside: 1) The company operates with a high gross margin. Its costs are $7,000 per 1 ton of production while the price now is about 80,000 a ton.
2. Darling. The company has piled up a lot of cash on the balance sheet. It now uses it for strategic precision purchases, which fuel its growth. + 30% of EBITDA comes from DGD, the growth of operating metrics will largely happen in 2023, so by 2024 operating metrics will rise by 50%. The stock took a lot of hammering as Biden seeks to revise the 17-year-old EPA and shift the program toward biogases. EBITDA will get a strong boost due to declining agricultural commodities prices.
Downside: 1) Margin is tamped down because of the acquisition spending (temporary impact) + agricultural commodities prices could hold above our expectations, which means EBITDA wouldn’t get as much of a boost
Upside 1) core business is stable
3. Crocs. the company grows fast in terms of operating metrics (physical shipments of footwear of its own brand and HeyDude), and has been able to switch to air freight delivery, which has been immediately reflected in EBITDA, as was expected. Crocs is now laser focused to consolidate the Asian rubber footwear market, as it regards it as the main and priority market.
Downside: 1) High debt, which was taken out to buy HeyDude. However, they are paying it back as they are successfully integrating HeyDude in its organic structure.
Upside 1) They are able to pass a high share of costs on to the consumer (high gross margin). The average selling price of footwear is $25, while production costs are $10. The brand name is actively working for the company, advertising costs aren’t rising too much (the collaboration with stars that have audiences of millions of people does its part + go on advertising: let’s say, when you see a celebrity wearing Crocs out in the street, rather than on your phone screen, you want them, too.
4. Pinterest. In the third quarter Pinterest showed a net increase of monthly active users for the first time this year. It totaled 445 million people: 95 mln in the US and Canada and 350 mln in other regions.
Although the digital advertising market has taken a heavy blow in 2022 as economy slowed down and advertising budgets were downsized, Pinterest continues to show a stable growth of average revenue per user: The total ARPU reached $1.54 (+8.16% y/y) in 3Q, compared with our forecast for $1.59.
5. Ulta. As of now, organic growth is possible only through opening mini outlets at Target stores. The beauty industry, including Ulta, isn’t falling that much as the company/industry get the bulk of their revenue from beauty enthusiasts (who use cosmetics no matter what, even expensive ones). + the company continues to show a high pace of LFL sales growth due to foot traffic and the average ticket. For two straight quarters now, the company has beaten analyst expectations, but not ours for EPS, due to an increased efficiency of inventory accounting/arrangement of products per 1 square meter (essentially, every inch is used for commercial purposes).
6. Netflix. The business is essentially mature. What could breathe life into it is a strategy to acquire users in low-income markets + add-supported subscription.
7. Transocean. For a few straight quarters now, RIG has showed it’s getting new contracts, including long-term ones, at elevated prices. As long as the trend continues, we expect the company’s gross margin to expand because RIG, when it concludes contracts, includes the future growth of costs in the contract value. All the contracts have fixed revenue, rather than adjustable one, so that’s why. With oil price at $70+ and given underinvestment in the industry, RIG is sure to have demand for its ships.
Type: Chinese, Taiwanese stocks
1. TSMC. TSMC shows a stable growth of financial results and growing business margins. TSMC, in effect, has a monopolistic position in the market, with major companies in the US and China relying on its products.
If China seeks to maintain economic growth and improve the well-being of its citizens, then most likely nothing will happen to Taiwan before 2024 (the year of presidential elections in Taiwan). Therefore, 2023 will be a year of continued growth for TSMC, even amid a global recession.
2. Li Auto. Li Auto shares have been dumped amid the decline of its gross margin as demand skewed toward the more expensive EV. That’s the most expensive EV made in China and the strong demand for it demonstrates that the company’s revenue will continue to rise.
Li Auto is in the middle of an investment phase now, being busy boosting its R&D in EV software and various components in order to achieve a greater vertical integration. The company continues to expand in terms of capacity, dealerships, and invest in its autopilot.
The company holds substantial promise, just like Tesla. What’s more, Li Auto is on the party list as the third-largest EV producer.
3. Baidu. If China relaxes its lockdowns, Baidu’s core business – advertising – will gain pace, with revenue and operating revenue getting a boost. Baidu actively invests in its proprietary systems for AI-powered driving and digitalization of industrial businesses and state-owned companies. In 2024 Baidu is set to start manufacturing EVs jointly with Jidu.
ZS Zscaler, Inc. Options Ahead Of EarningsLooking at the ZS Zscaler, Inc. options chain ahead of earnings , i would buy the $119 strike price Puts with
2022-12-2 expiration date for about
$2.01 premium.
If the options turn out to be profitable Before the earnings release, i would sell at least 50%.
Looking forward to read your opinion about it.
8/10/22 ZSZscaler Inc ( NASDAQ:ZS )
Sector: Technology Services (Packaged Software)
Market Capitalization: $23.182B
Current Price: $180.41
Breakout Price: $186.75
Buy Zone (Top/Bottom Range): $169.90-$144.00
Price Target: $218.00-$224.00 (1st)
Estimated Duration to Target: 54-57d
Contract of Interest: $ZS 10/21/22 180c
Trade price as of publish date: $21.25/contract
Idea about $ZSZscaler is a cloud-based information security company. The company has more than 100 data centers with clients in 185 countries around the world. Most of the clients are located in the United States. Revenue of $673 million (2020). Capitalization of $51.2 billion.
A deal for a false breakout of the extremum ($376).
1) The closing of the daily candle is far from the extreme
2) Approach to the level on candles significantly exceeding the ATR
Short: $376.2
Target: $361
Stop above $381
NOT IRR.
Zscaler - Strong Financials!!!-Zscaler ZS shares gained 8.3% during Tuesday’s extended trading session after the cloud-based security solutions reported better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results and raised outlook for fiscal 2021.
-Zscaler’s fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings jumped more than two-fold to 15 cents per share from the 7 cents reported in the year-ago period. Moreover, quarterly earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 7 cents per share.
-Revenues of $176.4 million jumped 60% year over year on rise in adoption of the company’s cloud platform security solutions by global enterprises. The figure surpassed the consensus mark of $164.4 million.
-Americas accounted for 51% of revenues, while the EMEA contributed 38%. The remaining 11% came in from the Asia Pacific and Japan.
-Calculated billings surged 71% year over year to $225 million during the reported quarter.
-Zscaler’s quarterly results benefited from continued solid demand for its products, given the healthy environment of the global security market.
-Zscaler continued to win customers and its net dollar retention rate was outstanding at 126% compared with the previous quarter’s 127% and the year-ago quarter’s 119%.
-Zscaler continued to win customers and its net dollar retention rate was outstanding at 126% compared with the previous quarter’s 127% and the year-ago quarter’s 119%.
-In the reported quarter, non-GAAP gross margin expanded 100 basis points (bps) year over year to 81%. Sequentially, non-GAAP gross margin remained flat. The company noted that gross margin remained under pressure during the second half of fiscal 2021 due to the increased use of public cloud to meet the ten time surge in ZPA traffic as pandemic lockdowns began.
-Non-GAAP research & development (R&D), sales & marketing (S&M) and general & administrative (G&A) expenses flared up 55%, 56% and 33% to $25.9 million, $80.9 million and $12.9 million, respectively.
-Total non-GAAP operating expenses shot up 53% to $119.7 million year over year. However, as a percentage of revenues, operating expenses shrunk 300 bps to 68% mainly due to lower T&E, partially offset by increased hiring and M&A expenses.
-As a result of higher gross margin and lower operating expenses as a percentage of sales, non-GAAP operating margin improved 400 bps to 13%. Non-GAAP operating income was $22.9 million in the fiscal third quarter compared with the year-ago quarter’s $9.7 million.
ZS Green Candle with Huge Volume, Setup for big uptrend After beating the earning estimates, ZS has a big green candle with a huge volume. Usually when green (or even red) day if there is a huge volume spike, its interpreted as the same trend most likely to continue. The same thing happens on 29 May and stock move big after about 85% after that.
Another example of stock NYSE:SNAP mentioned in related ideas where its moved with huge volume.