Investing.com-- Evercore ISI upgraded Chewy Inc (NYSE:CHWY) to "Outperform" from "In Line" also raising its price target to $47 from $34 driven by a brighter growth outlook and improved fundamentals.
The brokerage highlighted stabilization in the U.S. pet industry, with evidence of cyclical growth and rising online penetration.
Chewy’s leadership in the online pet market, supported by strong customer satisfaction, positions it for sustained growth in new customer additions, Evercore noted.
“We view Chewy as one of the clear Online Pet leaders with consistently very impressive Sat Scores,” analyst at Evercore wrote.
Chewy is also poised for gross margin gains driven by pet health, private-label products, and advertising revenue, as well as EBITDA margin expansion through marketing efficiencies. Evercore expects a 25% free cash flow CAGR over three years, supporting a significant valuation uplift.
“We see a path for consistent and material Gross Margin expansion, driven by Pet Health & Private Label products, but especially by Advertising revenue”
The $47 price target represents a 30% upside from current levels. “We see an asset with the ability to generate a 3-year FCF CAGR of 25% on reasonably conservative assumptions, which we believe supports a 25X EV/FCF multiple, which gets you to…$47,” Evercore said.