The past year has not been kind to technology stocks. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has fallen 33% over the last 12 months and is down 35% from its peak, putting the index deep into bear-market territory. Macroeconomic conditions have crushed valuations for many growth-dependent companies, but today's challenging market backdrop will also likely set the stage for huge returns to arrive somewhere down the line.
For long-term investors, a bear market is historically the best time to buy stocks and build positions in solid companies capable of going the distance. If you're searching for investment opportunities that have the potential to deliver big gains, read on for a look at three technology stocks that look like great buys in January.
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1. Cloudflare
While Cloudflare (NET -0.23%) isn't as well-known as internet giants like Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft, it plays an absolutely essential role in the modern web. Between its protections against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and content delivery network (CDN) technologies for speeding up the transmission of data across the internet, Cloudflare provides indispensable services that keep websites and applications online and performing efficiently.
Clients that were already using Cloudflare's services in the prior-year period increased their spending 24% year over year in the third quarter, and continued growth in its customer count helped the company post a 47% surge in sales.The performance pushed the company above $1 billion in annualized revenue for the first time, and the 78.1% non-GAAP (adjusted) gross margin recorded in Q3 suggests that the business should be able to expand profitably as it continues to tap into a huge addressable market opportunity.
The massive scale of Cloudflare's global network and ease of use of its software are significant competitive advantages that the company should be able to maintain going forward. The web services specialist is enabling its customers to operate with a combination of security and speed, and it's positioned to benefit from powerful demand catalysts as the internet continues to grow.
With the stock down roughly 80% from its high, Cloudflare is a strong buy for investors seeking to build positions in high-quality tech companies.
2. Airbnb
Airbnb (ABNB 1.17%) is a fantastic company, and its innovative property rentals business is positioned to benefit from a positive feedback loop that should translate into strong returns for patient shareholders.
Success for hosts makes it more likely that they will list new properties or otherwise become increasingly engaged on the platform. Good experiences for guests increase the likelihood of repeat stays through Airbnb, thereby improving opportunities for hosts. For long-term investors, there's a very attractive dynamic at play here.
Airbnb has scaled rapidly since its founding in 2008, but the company still has an incredible long-term growth opportunity ahead of it. And crucially, there are already strong signs that the company will be able to drive that growth profitably.
Spurred by 29% year-over-year sales growth and a roughly 86% gross margin, Airbnb's net income rose 46% to reach roughly $1.2 billion in the third quarter.The business has also tallied about $3.3 billion in free cash flow over the trailing 12 months at a 41% margin. These are stellar results that would have likely translated into a substantial boost for the stock were it not for macroeconomic headwinds crushing the market's appetite for growth stocks.
As it stands, Airbnb shares have fallen roughly 48% over the last year and are down 59% from their peak valuation.For long-term investors seeking potentially explosive returns, I think the stock presents one of the most appealing risk-reward dynamics on the market at current prices.
3. Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms (META -0.52%) has been struggling lately. The digital advertising market has faced headwinds and user-data changes made by Apple have made it more difficult to serve effectively targeted ads on its mobile platform. Meta stock is off 67% from its high, and its market capitalization and valuation multiples have been pushed down to eye-catching levels.
META PE Ratio (Forward) data by YCharts
The company is making a huge bet on its future, and much of its long-term outlook likely hinges on to what extent it's capable of making its metaverse vision a reality. So despite the attractive valuation metrics, it's fair to say that Meta isn't a low-risk stock. On the other hand, I do think shares present a risk-reward profile that's worth considering for long-term investors at current prices.
The market remains decidedly unenthusiastic about the highly costly metaverse growth initiative, but Meta Platforms has strong foundations to work with. The company ended last quarter with roughly 3.7 billion monthly active users across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other services, and engagement on these platforms is hardly going to dry up overnight.
Meta may wind up falling short of its massive metaverse ambitions, but its current valuation leaves room for upside if the company can make some meaningful progress on that front and continue to report solid performance for its current core services. This is a case where I think long-term investors will be rewarded for taking a contrarian position.
