Zoom Video Communications Inc., one of the leaders of the so-called basket of "winners of the pandemic", is losing its position. The company that developed the video conferencing application fell by 12% in early trading today - to the lowest level since June 2020.
Telecommunications lose investment appeal as people return to offices
Its last quarter showed a trend of slowing growth as people started returning to offices. This was also reflected in the shares of other winners of the block - Peloton Interactive Inc. and Teladoc Health. Inc.
Now, with today's losses, Zoom could lose up to $100 billion of its market value since peaking in October 2020, which is about a 62% decline for the stock. Despite the deep pullback, the stock is still up 500% since its debut in 2019 and has delivered excellent returns to its holders.
But the fact remains that both Zoom and Peloton have regained most of their achievements since the beginning of the pandemic. Even worse is the case with virtual healthcare company Teladoc, whose shares have fallen to March 2020 levels, a growing sign that the good times for companies that have benefited from people stuck at home during Covid are ending.
Moreover, this cluster of fast-growing companies may suffer due to rising bond yields, which, as a rule, reduces investors' expectation of future profits. This has already led to a 0.4% drop in the Nasdaq 100 index on Tuesday, adding to a 1.2% drop on Monday.
Nevertheless, some analysts support Zoom, citing the possibility of corporate communications growth and falling valuations. Once pricey, Zoom's recent sell-off has lowered their valuation across the segment by 14 times over estimated annual sales - cheaper than many of its fast-growing tech peers.
"We certainly saw a lot of the quarter that investors liked, but also something worth paying attention to, especially given concerns about the post-pandemic Zoom," RBC Capital Markets analyst Rishi Jaluria wrote. Piper Sandler's James Fish said he likes the company's "speedboats" with phones, rooms, events and the potential for advertising in the long run. As a result, both assets have a stock purchase rating.
And yet it makes investors think now about the telecommunications sector and its prospects. Giants such as Netflix will inevitably lose part of the market with the end of preventive measures. The entire segment of high-tech companies will experience difficulties with financing as soon as the real sector of the economy comes into play. Probably, this will force many to dump telecommunications stocks immediately after the first spring swallows of the relaxation of quarantine. This moment should not be missed.