On Wednesday, Cantor Fitzgerald adjusted its 12-month price target on shares of Udemy Inc (NASDAQ:UDMY), an online learning platform, to $11.00 from the previous target of $18.00. Despite the reduction, the firm maintained its Overweight rating on the stock.
The adjustment reflects the analyst's response to the overall volatility in the education technology sector and Udemy's strategic efforts to enhance operational efficiency and growth. The company's recent quarterly performance was characterized as inline or slightly positive, surpassing FactSet consensus expectations concerning revenue, operating income, margin, and EBITDA.
Following the earnings report, Udemy's stock experienced a positive after-market reaction, rising over 5%, in contrast to a relatively flat performance by the S&P 500. The analyst attributed this uptick to the company's encouraging direction, including the return of Co-Founder & CTO Eren Bali to oversee the technological and product roadmap, as well as the early progress made by Chief Revenue Officer Rob Rosenthal in refining the go-to-market strategy.
The report acknowledges similar macroeconomic challenges faced by peers such as Coursera (COUR, OW), which also reported earnings last Thursday. The analyst anticipates that Udemy's stock will likely continue to exhibit volatility in the near term, approximately the next six months, until the new strategic plan yields observable results.
Despite adopting a defensive stance on the broader education technology sector, Cantor Fitzgerald expressed a belief that content leaders like Udemy and Coursera will eventually rebound. The firm suggested that the current discounted stock price presents a valuable opportunity for investors to build positions for long-term gains.
In other recent news, Udemy, the global online learning platform, reported a 9% year-over-year increase in its second quarter 2024 revenue, totaling $194 million, and a 17% rise in annual recurring revenue, reaching nearly $500 million.
However, the company revised its full-year revenue guidance to $779 million due to lower consumer revenue expectations and impacts from foreign exchange rates. Udemy also announced a restructuring plan impacting approximately 280 employees globally, aimed at enhancing operational efficiencies.
The company has launched new AI-powered tools to assist businesses in creating tailored learning programs and is shifting its focus towards large enterprise customers.
Analysts continue to have a positive outlook on the company. Canaccord Genuity maintained its Buy rating for Udemy, citing the company's strong performance and future profitability. Citi also reaffirmed its Buy rating, emphasizing Udemy's progress towards its profit and free cash flow goals.
In a strategic move, Udemy announced the appointment of its co-founder Eren Bali as the new Chief Technology Officer. These are the recent developments at Udemy.
InvestingPro Insights
Udemy's recent financial data and market performance offer additional context to Cantor Fitzgerald's analysis. According to InvestingPro, Udemy has shown a strong return over the last month, with a 13.71% price total return. This aligns with the positive after-market reaction noted in the article following the company's earnings report.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that Udemy holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet, which could provide financial flexibility as the company implements its new strategic plan. Additionally, Udemy boasts impressive gross profit margins, with InvestingPro data showing a gross profit margin of 59.96% for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024. This strong margin could support the company's efforts to enhance operational efficiency, as mentioned in the article.
However, it's worth noting that Udemy is not currently profitable, with an operating income margin of -12.47% over the same period. This underscores the importance of the company's strategic efforts to improve its financial performance.
For investors considering Udemy's long-term potential, as suggested by Cantor Fitzgerald, InvestingPro offers 10 additional tips to further inform investment decisions. These insights could prove valuable in assessing Udemy's position in the volatile education technology sector.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.