A Glimpse Into Facebook's Future

Analysts at Baird recently summarized their outlook for Facebook Inc FB following this week's F8 developer conference.

Among the topics that analysts discuss in the new report are the company's decision to open its Messenger platform to third-party developers, Internet-of-Things support for Facebook's Parse mobile development platform and video embedding.

Messenger Strategy

While the decision for Facebook to separate its Messenger app from the main Facebook app was initially met with some criticism, analysts see the decision as a long-term positive.

Analysts believe that Facebook's strategy of providing tools for developers to use to increase the usefulness and reach of their apps is paving the way for a smoother, more engaging environment for Messenger's users.

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Internet-of-Things And Virtual Reality

At the F8 conference, Facebook presented new features for its mobile development platform Parse. Among the new features are development kits to support Internet-of-Things connectivity.

Facebook also unveiled new 3D spherical video features for its newsfeed.

The new feature will likely be launched in coming months, and analysts see the move as the next step in the evolution in social media away from text-based interactions and toward more engaging forms of socialization.

Embedded Video

Facebook sees both video embedding and the expansion of LiveRail's mobile video exchange as growth opportunities. Analysts believe that these changes will increase returns for advertisers and lead to more relevant ad content for users.

Stock Outlook

Overall, Baird is bullish on Facebook's stock. "Facebook's annual conference reinforced our view that the company remains particularly well positioned as a dominant mobile and social platform," analysts explain. 

Baird has an Outperform rating on Facebook, and analysts raised their target for the stock from $93 to $96.

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