Snowflake (SNOW 3.69%) stock tumbled Tuesday. The company's share price closed out the first daily trading session in 2024 down 5%, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.
There wasn't any business-specific news behind today's big stock pullback, but Snowflake lost ground as some big tech-sector news prompted a rise in bearish sentiment. Barclays analyst Tim Long downgraded his rating on Apple from "neutral" to "underweight" and lowered the firm's one-year price target on the stock from $161 per share to $160 per share. In addition to the high-profile ratings downgrade, news hit that ASML would halt exports of its advanced semiconductor-fabrication machines following pressure from the U.S. government.
These combined catalysts prompted widespread sell-offs for growth-dependent tech stocks, and Snowflake was caught up in the pullback.
What does Snowflake's rocky start to 2024 mean?
The downgrade for Apple stock today doesn't say much about Snowflake or the long-term outlook for its stock.
Even after falling 3.6% today, Apple still has a market capitalization of roughly $2.89 trillion and remains the world's most valuable company. Due to its massive size and influence, increases in bearish sentiment surrounding the tech giant often have ripple effects for valuations across the technology sector.
Alternatively, the news that ASML will stop shipping advanced chip-fabrication machines to China highlights a significant geopolitical risk factor. Tensions continue to rise between the U.S. and China, and ongoing escalations could threaten the stability of the global economy. It's too early to say how the situation will pan out, but its progression will play a central role in shaping the state of the stock market.
Is Snowflake stock a buy?
Even with today's sell-off, Snowflake stock is still up roughly 32% over the last year. The company's share price has seen solid gains across the stretch, but it's also lagged far behind some other top companies with significant artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities.
For long-term investors with above-average risk tolerance, I think Snowflake stock looks like a worthwhile buy on the heels of today's pullback. The company's untapped opportunities in AI and the broader data-software services space could give way to powerful sales and earnings growth down the line.
At the same time, investors should still proceed with the understanding that the company's growth-dependent valuation and speculative outlook open the door for the stock to see volatile trading if conditions worsen for the market at large.
