Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) Shares Up 2% Following Analyst Upgrade
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemRoku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKU – Get Free Report) shares traded up 2% during trading on Monday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $100.00 to $120.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Roku traded as high as $127.90 and last traded at $126.02. 3,713,308 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 3,317,900 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.58.
Several other brokerages also recently commented on ROKU. Zacks Research downgraded Roku from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Roku in a research report on Friday. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Roku from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Arete Research set a $132.00 target price on shares of Roku and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Roku from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Roku presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.17.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on ROKU
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Roku news, insider Charles Collier sold 205,821 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $21,611,205.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,168,755. This represents a 94.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Gilbert Fuchsberg sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.57, for a total value of $310,602.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 60,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,777,779.92. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 630,182 shares of company stock worth $66,865,773. Company insiders own 13.45% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Roku
Here are the key news stories impacting Roku this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — Roku reported Q1 results that topped consensus on both revenue and EPS, with platform revenue and advertising strength highlighted; this drove the immediate positive market reaction. ROKU Shares Rise 6% on Q1 Earnings Beat
- Positive Sentiment: Record free cash flow / subscription growth — Management reported record free cash flow and continued subscription/ad growth, improving the company’s profitability trajectory and supporting valuation multiple expansion. Zacks: Shares Rise on Q1 Beat
- Positive Sentiment: New product / service tailwinds — Roku’s low-cost streaming service “Howdy” (around $3/month) and additions of free channel content expand monetization and engagement levers. Why Howdy Is Worth $3/Month
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and investor attention — Multiple outlets (Zacks, Yahoo) note increased investor searches and momentum metrics for ROKU, reflecting heightened interest but not a directional call by itself. Roku Attracting Investor Attention
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation analysis — Recent strong returns have drawn fresh valuation scrutiny; analysts and outlets are reassessing whether current gains are justified versus fundamentals. Assessing Roku Valuation
- Negative Sentiment: Citigroup price-target change — Citi raised its price target from $100 to $120 but kept a “neutral” rating; that $120 target implies downside versus the current trade level, which could limit further analyst-driven upside. Benzinga: Citi Raises PT to $120
- Negative Sentiment: Privacy concerns — Coverage about data/advertising privacy on Roku TVs could raise reputational or regulatory questions that investors should monitor. Your Roku TV Is Watching You
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in Roku by 56.8% during the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 3,802 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Roku in the 1st quarter valued at about $728,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Roku by 264.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after purchasing an additional 2,129 shares during the last quarter. American Trust lifted its position in shares of Roku by 24.1% during the first quarter. American Trust now owns 3,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Roku by 188.9% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 48,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,595,000 after purchasing an additional 31,614 shares in the last quarter. 86.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Roku Stock Up 2.0%
The firm has a market capitalization of $18.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.75 and a beta of 2.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.40 and a 200 day moving average of $100.88.
Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.20 billion. Roku had a return on equity of 7.68% and a net margin of 4.06%.Roku’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.19) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Roku, Inc. will post 2.24 earnings per share for the current year.
Roku Company Profile
Roku, Inc (NASDAQ: ROKU) is a technology company that develops and operates a proprietary streaming platform designed to deliver entertainment content to consumers via internet-connected devices and smart televisions. Since its inception in 2002 in California, Roku has focused on simplifying access to streaming services for viewers worldwide. The company’s platform enables users to discover, access and manage a wide array of over-the-top content from major streaming services, free ad-supported channels and niche providers.
At the core of Roku’s product lineup are a range of streaming players and sticks, which connect to televisions via HDMI and deliver the Roku OS experience.