An Elon Musk tweet has been known to impact a stock or a crypto token’s trajectory, but something akin to a turning of the tables took place on Monday.
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Instead of a tweet sending a stock higher, some stock action sent Twitter (TWTR) shares higher. More specifically, the shares soared by 27% after it became known that Musk has acquired a 9.2% stake in the microblogging platform, making him the largest shareholder, far exceeding founder Jack Dorsey’s 2.25% stake.
An avid tweeter and “free speech absolutist,” Musk has often voiced his displeasure at what he perceives to be the curtailing of free speech on the platform, and only recently ran a poll for his followers asking whether Twitter “rigorously adheres to this principle.” Never mind Musk’s own record on the issue is sketchy, having previously threatened to sue critics or fire employees who take an opposite stand to him.
With Musk now also set to join Twitter’s board of directors, his pursuit of total free speech might not entirely align with Twitter’s plans, as noted by Wells Fargo’s Brian Fitzgerald.
“While we believe that free expression is still an important principle for TWTR, its prioritization has arguably been attenuated to elevate sometimes-competing priorities including the ‘health’ of public conversation on the platform and brand safety/suitability for advertisers,” the 5-star analyst explained.
Under the leadership of new CEO Parag Agrawal, who has signaled his intention to do so, Fitzgerald anticipates the “balance between free expression and platform health is likely to tilt further in the direction of platform health.”
Does that mean boardroom clashes are in the cards? That remains to be seen, although Fitzgerald does make the point that Twitter has a “track record of compromise with activist investors.” Should Musk push for a change of strategy, however, Fitzgerald warns that “brand monetization could suffer.”
All in all, Fitzgerald reiterates an Equal Weight (i.e., Hold) rating on Twitter shares, while his $42 price target implies ~18% downside from current levels. (To watch Fitzgerald’s track record, click here)
Most analysts agree with Wells Fargo’s stance; 17 other analysts remain on the sidelines and with another 8 Buys and 2 Sells, the consensus view is that this stock is a Hold. The Musk-driven surge has taken the shares beyond the Street’s $45.35 average target, which now implies the stock will drift 11% lower over the coming months. (See Twitter stock forecast on TipRanks)
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
