Snap reported its slowest sales growth ever
The shares of Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) are down 35.5% at $10.57 at last check, dragging down the broader market after the company reported dismal second-quarter results. The Snapchat parent announced losses of 2 cents per share, which were in line with analysts' estimates, while revenue fell below forecasts. The company also reported its slowest sales growth ever, and predicted flat sales for the current quarter as current economic conditions and competition for digital ad dollars weigh.
In response, SNAP has garnered plenty of analyst attention. At least 19 brokerage firms lowered their price targets, while no fewer than 10 downgraded the equity. J.P. Morgan Securities issued arguably the most damning note, slashing its rating to "underweight" from "overweight," and cutting its price target to $9 from $24.
Coming into today, covering brokerages were optimistic on Snap stock, with 18 of 24 in coverage recommending a "buy" or better, against six "hold" ratings. What's more, the 12-month consensus price target of $19.78 is a massive 90.1% premium to current levels, leaving the shares exceptionally vulnerable to additional downgrades and/or price-target cuts.
Options traders are ramping up their activity today, with 269,000 calls and 235,000 puts across the tape so far, which is 10 time what's typically seen at this point. Most popular is the weekly 7/22 11-strike call, followed by the 10-strike put in the same series, with new positions being opened at both.
Today's losses, should they hold, will mark the worst day the equity has ever seen, save for a massive late-May slide that came after the company issued a dire warning. Snap stock earlier hit a fresh two-year low of $10.37, and just breeched a recent floor at the $12 level. Year-to-date, SNAP is off 77.7%.