PagSeguro Digital (PAGS): Riding the Wave of Fintech Growth in Brazil - InvestingChannel

PagSeguro Digital (PAGS): Riding the Wave of Fintech Growth in Brazil

We recently published a list of 10 Best Tech Stocks to Invest In On the Dip. In this article, we are going to take a look at where PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) stands against other best tech stocks to invest in on the dip.

How’s The Tech Sector Performing in Q3 2024?

Dan Romanoff, a senior equity research analyst at Morningstar provided insights into the current state of the technology sector, on October 1st, 2024. His analysis highlights significant challenges and opportunities for the industry. Romanoff mentioned that after a robust start to 2024, the tech sector experienced a slump in the third quarter. Despite this downturn, software and services companies have continued to report solid quarterly results, even as their stock prices have remained relatively flat. Semiconductor firms, while showing potential for recovery, are currently dragging down overall sector performance.

While discussing the sector-wise ranking of the US stock market based on the Q3 earning season, Romanoff pointed out that the technology sector has been the second-best-performing sector over the past year but ranks as the second-worst performer in the most recent quarter. Romanoff emphasizes that despite these fluctuations, there are positive long-term trends that could benefit the industry. He expressed confidence in several long-term growth drivers within technology, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the expansion of semiconductor demand. He mentioned that these factors are expected to sustain growth in the sector even amidst short-term challenges.

Moreover, according to Romanoff, the Morningstar US Technology Index has risen by 32% over the past twelve months, outperforming the broader US equity market’s 24% gain. He notes that while the median US technology stock is fairly valued with a modest margin of safety, the sector trades at a slight premium on a market-weighted basis. He identifies semiconductors and hardware as being overvalued compared to software, which appears more attractive at present.

READ ALSO: 10 Best Small-Cap Stocks Ready To Explode and 10 Cheap NASDAQ Stocks To Invest In Now

Romanoff also pointed out that generative AI is a significant force within technology. Companies are increasingly integrating next-generation AI capabilities into their products and services. This trend is particularly evident among cloud providers and semiconductor manufacturers. Despite some recent stock pullbacks for Nvidia, Romanoff believes there are still substantial investment opportunities in generative AI beyond just major players. He mentioned that he sees 34% growth in Gen AI Networking equipment spending through 2028. Romanoff also pointed out that the usage of chips and networking gear has grown together from 2022 to 2024 and he expects the trend to continue till 2028.

Our Methodology

To curate the list of the 10 best tech stocks to invest in on the dip, we used the Finviz stock screener and CNN. Using the screener we shortlisted technology stocks that were down at least 25% on a year-t0-date basis, but analysts see a more than 25% upside. Once we had an aggregated list of the tech stocks fitting our criteria, next we cross-checked their analyst upside potential from CNN. Lastly, we ranked these stocks in the ascending order of the analyst upside potential. Please note that the data was collected on November 25, 2024.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

PagSeguro Digital (PAGS): Riding the Wave of Fintech Growth in Brazil A businessperson standing in front of a brick-and-mortar establishment using a tablet to process an in-person payment.

PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS)

Share Price: $8.12

Year-To-Date Performance: -32.96%

Analyst Upside Potential: 59.65%

PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) is a Brazilian Fintech company that provides a variety of services aimed at helping individuals and small businesses manage their finances and accept payments. The company not only offers a free digital bank account called PagBank, which allows users to perform typical banking activities without needing a traditional bank account. It also provides tools for accepting payments both online and in-person including Point of Sale (POS) and Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) devices.

PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) reported significant growth across various financial metrics during its third-quarter results for fiscal 2024. For instance, its Total Payment Volume (TPV) increased by 37% year-over-year, reaching $23.46 million in Q3 2024. The growth was driven by all market segments, including micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMB), which saw a 26% increase year-over-year in TPV.

Moreover, the company also grew its total clients and active business clients by 6.2% and 3.4% year-over-year. As a result of an increase in active clients, the Cash-in for the company increased by 49% year-over-year, whereas the credit portfolio surpassed $553 million after increasing 30% during the same time. PagSeguro Digital Ltd. (NYSE:PAGS) remains on track to deliver expected results for fiscal 2024.

Overall, PAGS ranks 5th on our list of best tech stocks to invest in on the dip. While we acknowledge the potential of PAGS to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PAGS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

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