Report
Valens Research

SSTK - Embedded Expectations Analysis - 2019 03 25

Shutterstock, Inc. (SSTK:USA) currently trades below historical averages relative to UAFRS-based (Uniform) Earnings, with a 17.9x Uniform P/E. At these levels, the market has bearish expectations for the firm, and management is concerned about platform and marketing growth, and their ability to manage costs.

Specifically, management may be exaggerating growth and improvement in their platform solutions offerings, and their ability to enable businesses to create viral marketing campaigns. Additionally, they may lack confidence in their ability to limit the growth of capex, personnel, and consulting costs, expand margins, and increase shareholder returns. Finally, they may be overstating the growth of their digital marketing and contributor platforms.
Underlying
Shutterstock Inc.

Shutterstock is a technology company that provides a creative platform including content, tools and services. The content licensed by the company's customers includes: images, consisting of photographs, vectors and illustrations, which are used in visual communications, such as websites, digital and print marketing materials, corporate communications, books, publications and other similar uses; Footage, consisting of video clips; and music, consisting of music tracks and sound effects, which is often used to complement images and footage. The company's products include Shutterstock, Bigstock, Offset, Shutterstock Select, Shutterstock Custom, Shutterstock Editorial and Shutterstock Music and PremiumBeat.

Provider
Valens Research
Valens Research

In 2009, just as the dust was settling from the last major equity and credit market crises, we launched a boutique research firm with the intention of breaking Wall Street’s biases and broken incentives:

  • GAAP and IFRS have failed to provide rules for reliable financial statement reporting
  • Stock analyst recommendations are not grounded in disciplined financial analysis
  • Credit agencies have been set up to grossly fail in their responsibilities to investors and the public markets
  • Utter lack of willingness of major research firms to employ the the most advanced forensic analysis available

We sought to provide investors and company analysts with a source of information that changed all that.
Many years later, our business model remains because little has changed on Wall Street.

  • Corporate credit ratings remain years behind the fundamental underpinnings of company performance
  • Stock analysts continue to make recommendations with deeply inherent biases
  • Research firms have failed to break down the walls between credit, equity, and macroeconomic research
  • The governing accounting bodies have created more leeway for mis-estimates and mis-classifications as financials have become unwieldy and overwhelming

The integrity of Valens Research is founded in our disciplined processes and analytics. No “star” analysts. No corporate advisory relationships. No-nonsense opinions and recommendations.

Analysts
Valens Research

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