---
title: "Pinterest, Snap upgrades signal brighter advertising outlook"
description: "Smaller social media stocks are slowly winning over analysts as the outlook for the advertising industry improves."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Business Maverick"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-12-11-pinterest-snap-upgrades-signal-brighter-advertising-outlook/"
published: "2023-12-11T20:35:18"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 281
---

# Pinterest, Snap upgrades signal brighter advertising outlook

> Smaller social media stocks are slowly winning over analysts as the outlook for the advertising industry improves.

By Bloomberg · Published 11 December 2023, 22:35 SAST

## Key points
- With investors seeking out more than just the usual suspects, smaller stocks like Snap and Pinterest are gaining traction as brokers upgrade their ratings and price targets.
- Brokers are looking beyond Meta Platforms for potential beneficiaries from a recovery in digital advertising.
- Pinterest and Snap stocks have gained favour, with 27 of 39 analysts covering the former having a buy rating.
- Wells Fargo expects a revamp at Snap to boost growth, while Jefferies has recently upgraded its stock.
- Despite bullishness, the industry faces risks given an uncertain economic backdrop.

## Content

Brokers are searching beyond big names like Meta Platforms for potential beneficiaries from a recovery in the digital advertising market. As clients look to redeploy their dollars following post-pandemic cutbacks, stocks such as Snap and Pinterest are gaining favour.

“With investors thirsty for non-mega cap ideas for 2024, Pinterest stands out,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Brad Erickson said in a note, upgrading the image-sharing platform to outperform from sector performance.

For Pinterest, 27 of the 39 analysts covering the company have a buy or equivalent rating on the stock, bringing its buy ratio close to 2021 highs, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The shares rose as much as 2.9% on Monday following RBC’s upgrade.

While Snap may not be as loved as its peer, Wells Fargo expects the Snapchat app-owner’s revamp efforts will boost growth. The stock gained as much as 5.4% on Monday, reaching its highest level since last July.

“We see advertising positively inflecting at Snap for the first time since Apple’s privacy initiatives in April 2021,” Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski wrote in a note. He upgraded the stock to overweight from equal-weight and raised its price target to the highest among analysts tracked by Bloomberg.

The upgrades follow recent hikes from Jefferies, with sentiment on smaller stocks starting to improve amid bullishness on bigger peers like [Meta](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-14/meta-has-more-wall-street-fans-than-ever-as-rally-nears-300).

Still, the industry faces risks given an uncertain economic backdrop. While Wells Fargo’s new price target of $22 predicts a 46% rally for Snap’s shares from Friday’s close, the majority of brokers expect a decline over the next 12 months. And both Snap and Pinterest have a long way to go before they can reclaim 2021 record levels.