Facebook's Biggest Fan: Victor Anthony's Been Bullish Since Day 1, And That's Unlikely To Change

Loading...
Loading...
Aegis Capital's Victor Anthony was a guest on
CNBC's "Squawk Box" segment
on Thursday to offer his expert take on
Facebook IncFB
, which celebrates its
five-year anniversary as being a public company. First, Anthony discussed Facebook being slapped with a 110 million euro fine for giving misleading information during a vetting process of its 2014 WhatsApp acquisition.

Anthony was quick to point out that the fine is relatively small, especially compared to Facebook's $32 billion balance sheet. He also doesn't see a scenario where other regulatory bodies will try to "shake down" Facebook for additional fines.

As such, the matter is now resolved, which implies Facebook can shift its focus to begin monetizing the platform. Anthony thinks that although Facebook's management has been resistant to start monetizing the platform now is a good time to take a closer look at a timeline.

A Bull Since Day 1

Anthony pointed out that he has been a bull on Facebook's stock since Day 1, and he even remembers years ago defending the company after a rough start to its IPO where mobile growth remained a big question.

Given the monetization potential across all of Facebook's different platforms, Anthony remains a bull to this day and is unlikely to change his stance over the next five years.

Anthony added that he is still a buyer of Facebook's stock at current levels and has a $165 price target.

Facebook Versus Snap

Anthony acknowledged that the social media space isn't without competition and Facebook's closest competitor as of late has been Snap Inc SNAP.

The analyst noted Facebook is offsetting the competitive pressure by creating its own Snap-like features. But that doesn't mean that there is no risk, and Facebook also has to contend with concerning headlines from its live video, including ones that feature violence and other disturbing events.

Related Links: Facebook Consolidation Culminates With Earnings Gap Fill Facebook Explains Its Latest Ad Metric Snafu
Loading...
Loading...
Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
date
ticker
name
Price Target
Upside/Downside
Recommendation
Firm
Posted In: Analyst ColorCNBCLong IdeasReiterationAnalyst RatingsTechMediaTrading IdeasAegis CapitalFacebookFacebook IPOVictor AnthonyWhatsApp
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!

Loading...